Page 42 of Chased By My Grumpy Alpha
“You said ‘annoying,’” Lucian says flatly, his eyes flashing. “And you clearly meant it.”
I purse my lips together. “No, I didn’t.” I wish I could sound more sincere.
He turns to face me and takes a step closer, a deadly glint in his eyes. “Not many people speak to me the way you do.”
Despite the predatory way he is looming over me, I don’t feel the instinctive fear I would if he were any other person.
“How many people do you know?” I laugh weakly.
“Many.”
My back hits a tree as I step backward. He crowds me against it, one hand caging me in as it presses flat against the trunk.
My heart is beating fast as he leans closer. This is the point where I should shut up. However, the words that come out of mymouth have even Luna staring at me in disbelief. “Are you sure? One of them must’ve said something.”
A growl leaves his throat. “Say that again.”
It’s both a threat and a dare.
I swallow, holding his gaze. “I…would rather not.”
He holds me captive like this for a few seconds, his eyes studying my face with an intensity that makes me hold my breath. The space between us crackles with something I don’t have a name for—something dangerous and electric and completely foreign to anything I’ve ever experienced.
“Smart choice,” he murmurs, his voice low and rough in a way that sends heat spiraling through my chest.
But he doesn’t step back. Instead, he leans closer, close enough that I can feel the warmth radiating from his body, close enough to catch the scent of pine and something distinctly masculine that makes my head spin.
“Though, I have to admit,” he continues, his breath ghosting across my cheek, “your mouth is going to get you in trouble one of these days.”
My pulse hammers against my throat. “Is that a threat?”
“It’s a promise.” His eyes drop to my lips for just a moment before meeting my gaze again. “You have no idea how dangerous it is to provoke a man like me.”
The words should frighten me. Instead, they send liquid fire racing through my veins. I open my mouth to respond with something clever, but all that comes out is a breathless, “Oh.”
A dark and pleased expression crosses his face. “Speechless now?”
I bite my lip at his taunting tone, and I press my back harder against the tree, trying to create distance that doesn’t exist.
Before I can find my voice again, he pushes off the tree, leaving me there, gasping and confused. As he walks away from me, my gaze wanders to the broad line of Lucian’s shoulders,the way his dark shirt fits across his back. I shake my head and adjust the grip on my walking stick.
I’m clearly going crazy.
I hobble after him, and he slows his pace to fall into step beside me. Luna, who was walking behind us, suddenly jumps onto my shoulder, and I wince. “Claws in, Luna. You’re shredding my shoulder.”
Before the black cat can react, the mercenary next to me plucks her off my shoulder and puts her on his. And Luna, who has always watched Lucian with a baleful gaze since the first moment she met him, sprawls lazily over his shoulder.
I stare at them in shock. “What did you do to my cat?”
“Nothing.” He reaches up to scratch behind Luna’s ears, and she actually purrs. The sound is so loud, I can hear it from where I’m walking.
“She hates everyone but me,” I say, mystified. “She has never let anyone else touch her. Not even my friends.”
“Maybe she has good instincts.”
I watch his large hand move through Luna’s black fur with surprising gentleness. There’s something mesmerizing about the careful way he pets her, the way his fingers dwarf her small head. His hands are massive—long fingers and broad palms, with scarred knuckles that speak of countless fights.
Without thinking, I hold up my own hand at a distance, trying to compare the size. My palm looks ridiculously small in comparison, like a child’s hand next to an adult’s.
