Page 90 of Nursing the Alpha
“Seth,” I hissed his name, torn between mortification and laughter.
“No, really. If I’m falling short, you only have to say so. I’ll be happy to step up my game. Four-armed aliens, tentacles, whatever you want—just give me the word.”
I pressed a hand to my cheek, hoping no one in the shop could hear his deep, sinful voice in my ear. “You’re ridiculous.”
“And yet, you’re smiling.”
“Maybe,” I admitted softly.
He went quiet for a beat, and I thought I could hear him shifting in his chair back home. “I’m just making fun, baby. Whatever you need, Flynn,” he said, his the teasing gone now. “You know I’d never deny you anything. Ever.”
Something warm and thick curled in my chest. I couldn’t remember the last time anyone had said that to me.
“I know,” I said. “Thank you. I… love you.”
“Love you too,” he murmured, voice low and sincere. “Have fun with your friend, and I’ll see you at home soon.”
“Soon,” I promised. “Just popped in for a minute since Micah is running late.”
“Mm-hmm. ‘Just a minute.’ I know how that goes.”
I laughed, ducking my head. “See you soon.”
When a few minutes later, I walked out of the bookshop into the cool afternoon air, I had a book tucked under my arm.
Not bad. One book. Just one. Seth would be proud.
Okay, maybe not proud—more amused. Because if I was being honest, I could have easily walked out with a dozen. But just because my alpha was loaded didn’t mean I should burn through his credit card like paper.
Not that Seth had ever complained. In fact, I was half-convinced he encouraged it.
“It’s research for us both, baby,” he’d said the last time he caught me smuggling another three alien smut paperbacks into my nightstand. His smirk still made my face heat when I thought about it. Hell, he’d even given me my own room and decorated it as a library, shelves packed with every filthy, depraved, galaxy-spanning romance my little heart desired.
I didn’t deserve him.
My phone buzzed and I checked it as I turned toward the crosswalk.
Micah:
Where are you? I grabbed us a table already.
Me:
Just left the bookstore. On my way now!
I slipped my phone back in my coat and picked up my pace, the chill biting pleasantly at my cheeks as I weaved through the early afternoon foot traffic. The streets were alive with the quiet hum of the city.
By the time I reached the bistro, my fingers were tingling from the cold. It was a small, cozy place tucked between a bakery and a florist, its windows fogged slightly from the warmth inside. Chalkboard signs on the sidewalk boastedsoup of the dayandfresh pastries,and through the glass, I caught the flicker of candlelight and the soft glow of pendant lamps hanging low over polished wooden tables.
Inside, the air smelled of butter, herbs, and strong coffee. I spotted Micah easily in a corner booth, waving with one hand while the other kept a chubby-cheeked baby—gummy smile and a mop of red curls—entertained with a teething toy.
The child looked nothing like Micah and was a dead stamp of his alpha daddy.
“Oh my God.” I grinned as I pushed through the door. “You brought Ellie!”
“Surprise,” Micah said with a laugh as I slid into the booth across from him. “That’s why I took so long. I can never be on time once I have the baby with me, but the husband got called into work unexpectedly today.”
I leaned in, cooing at the baby. Ellie stared back at me with wide, curious eyes, a little bubble of drool forming on her chin.
