Page 74 of Nursing the Alpha
He set a mug of coffee in front of me, then a plate heaped with food. As we ate, the silence stretched, the only sound the hum of the refrigerator.
I snuck glances at him. The way his jaw flexed as he chewed. The way his forearms tensed every time he cut intohis food. He seemed relaxed, but something coiled beneath the surface.
Seth set down his fork and exhaled heavily.
“I guess amazing sex doesn’t erase what happened. We should talk about it.”
My stomach flipped.
“You… think our sex is amazing?” I asked because I couldn’t help myself.
His lips quirked. “Flynn, it’s the best sex I’ve ever had. No contest.”
Heat crept up my neck, but I ducked my head, cutting a piece of pancake I didn’t really taste. “Okay. So… talk, then.”
He leaned back in his chair, drumming his fingers lightly on the table.
“I took advantage,” he said simply. “Of things you shared with me. You trusted me with information, and I used them to get my way.”
My throat felt tight. “It’s my fault. I overshared. You were a stranger, and I told you everything. I didn’t think…”
“I wasn’t a stranger for long. After all those talks on the train, I felt like I knew you.” His voice softened, but it still held that undercurrent of guilt. “After you told me about applying for the Nourish Collective, I signed on. Specifically for you.”
I halted my fork midair.
“Why?”
“At first, I just wanted to watch you. I set up that room so I could see you express. That’s all I thought I needed.” His jaw tightened. “But I craved you, Flynn. Every second. And before I knew it, I was slipping things into your food so you’d sleep while there. Nothing to harm you, I swear on my life.”
I sucked in a breath.
“You drank from me while I was unconscious,” I said flatly.
“Yes.” His voice didn’t waver. “If I could do it all over again, I’d do it differently. But I’m not sorry. Not for wanting you. Not for craving you like I did. I hope… I hope you can live with that.”
I stared at my plate for a long moment. “I appreciate your honesty,” I said finally, my voice small. Maybe I should have been honest as well about the camera in the bedroom, but I just couldn’t make myself say it.
He leaned forward, his eyes locked on mine. “Since we’re being honest… there’s more.”
My spine stiffened. “What more?”
“I used to stalk you.”
“What?”
“I followed you. Home. Sometimes on your morning runs.”
The pancake stuck in my throat, his words hanging in the air like a thundercloud. I blinked. “That morning in the woods… when I felt someone watching me…”
“That was me.”
The memory clawed up my spine, the cold bite of fear, my pounding heart. I’d felt eyes on me that day.
I opened my mouth, closed it, then swallowed hard.
“I was terrified.” My cheeks heated. “But… I also remember thinking, just for a second, what if it was like one of my books? What if some alpha abducted me… claimed me…”
I rubbed the back of my neck. “I guess my books affected me more than I thought. I let myself think too much of the fantasy. But this is the real world. Things like that don’t happen.”
