Baiting Him (How to Catch an Alpha #2)(31)

“True,” Leah agrees. Then she adds, “We don’t have plans, so we’ll be there.”

“Awesome. Chris will be excited to see you.” I put on my jacket and grab my purse. “Now, give me a hug so I can get out of here and you two can go shower.”

Leah laughs, giving me a hug, and Tyler chuckles. After I get a hug from him, Leah walks me to the front door, then waves goodbye from the porch as I get into my car. I blow her a kiss and she catches it, and then with a smile on her face, she heads back inside. I drive home and call Gus on the way to let him know I’ll be there soon, and when I arrive about twenty minutes later, I park and go into the lobby. As soon as I clear the door, my eyes meet Gaston’s, and he smiles while LeFou tugs at his leash to get to me. My stomach fills with a strange sense of contentment.

“You couldn’t wait to see me?” I tease while I pick up LeFou and kiss the top of his head.

“No,” Gaston answers, making my heart skip a beat. “I missed you all damn day.”

“I missed you too.” I tip my head back to accept his kiss when he bends to touch his mouth to mine. “Did you get things sorted with the order?” I ask.

“No. The truck driver insists he did a count when he dropped off the order. He’s adamant it was all there and that a woman accepted the order and signed off on it. That could only have been my bar manager, Georgia, but she says she never signed for the order; she just found it next to the back door, did a count, and knew it was off, so she called me.”

“Did you check the signature?”

“I checked. It wasn’t Georgia’s, and she was the only woman there yesterday afternoon.”

My brows pull together. “Do you have cameras?”

“I do, but the one at the back door went out about a week ago, and the guy who set them up is out of town until next week.”

“That’s odd, isn’t it?” The whole situation just seems weird.

“Not really. The cameras go out from time to time. It just sucks that this happened when that one was down.”

“I’m sorry, honey.”

His eyes soften and he bends, touching his lips to mine again then pulling back. “I’ll get it sorted.” He takes LeFou from me and places him on the ground, then takes my hand and leads me toward the elevator. Once we’re inside, he presses the button for his floor, and I raise a brow in question. “I’m gonna change for work, then grab LeFou’s dishes and some of his food so I won’t have to do it in the morning when I get home.”

“Bummer.”

“What?” he asks, dipping his head toward me.

“I thought maybe you were taking me to your place to have your way with me on your giant, comfortable bed,” I say, watching his eyes grow dark as I speak. “I’m just bummed that’s not what’s happening.”

“Oh, that’s definitely happening,” he rumbles, pressing me back against the wall of the elevator, with one hand going to my hip and the other wrapping around the back of my skull. I feel his fingers lace through my hair; I pull back and give him full control over me as he lowers his head and proceeds to devour my mouth.

We make out until the doors slide open, and I’m lightheaded and drunk on his kiss as he takes my hand and pulls me down the hall. I giggle at his hurried pace, and he grunts at me, making me laugh harder as he unlocks the door. After letting LeFou off his leash, he takes my purse from me, putting it on the counter in the kitchen, and then turns in my direction, his dark eyes filled with mischief.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” I question, taking a step back, and he grins playfully right before he lunges, catches me around the waist, and lifts me off the ground. I squeal as he tosses me over his shoulder, and then I laugh, holding on as he runs with me bouncing like a sack of potatoes.

Before I can prepare, I’m flying through the air, then landing with a bounce on his bed. I giggle as he lands on me and grins. “You’re not going to be laughing in a second, sweetheart.”

“We’ll see.” I smirk.

“Challenge accepted,” he rasps out, right before he has his way with me in his giant bed, giving me two really great orgasms before finding his own release.

On my belly with the blanket up over my hips, I open one eye when I feel his hand against my lower back and see his pompous smile. “Don’t be annoying,” I mutter, and he chuckles.

“Wanna shower with me?”

“No, I can’t move, and your bed is seriously comfortable,” I say. His expression turns smug, and I narrow my eyes. “Whatever, go shower.” I hear him laugh as I close my eyes, but I honestly don’t care.

I fall into an exhausted sleep, then come awake to him softly kissing my brow.

“Why don’t you just stay here?” he suggests, leaning back to catch my eye.

“I want to take a bath,” I tell him. For the last few nights, I haven’t had a chance to enjoy my nightly ritual, and I miss it.

“I have one of those.” He smiles while gliding his fingers down the side of my face.

“I know,” I say, feeling a little jealous. His bath, which he probably never uses, is way bigger than mine, with a dozen jets that look like they would be amazing when active.

“All right, so take a bath here.”