Alpha Bully (12 page)

He helped her to her feet, handing her a toothbrush.
Keeping an arm wrapped around her, he forced other body parts to stay quiet.
She didn’t need to feel his growing cock while she’d been vomiting.

Once she was done, he helped her to her room. She sat
on the edge of the bed as he searched her drawers to find some pajamas for her.

Marshall glanced over toward her when she started
giggling.

“What’s up?” he asked, discovering a pink set with a
teddy bear on it.

“If someone was to have told me I’d be sitting naked
with a towel on while
the
Marshall
Briggs was hunting for something for me to wear, I wouldn’t have believed
them.” He saw her cheeks were a lovely shade of red.

“Well, you’ve got to believe them now.” He approached
her holding up the pajamas.

She stared up at him, and something changed between
them. He noticed her pulse racing, smelled the arousal coming off her. It was
the first time he’d ever smelled anything so intoxicating coming from her. The
scent of her illness combined with her arousal, though, and squashed all of his
arousal.

“Lift your arms up,” he said. Marshall wanted to do
anything to prolong this experience with her.

Scarlett lifted her arms one at a time, and he worked
the shirt over her body. He eased her hair out of the back of her shirt. Going
on the floor, Marshall wished he could tear the towel from her body and make
love to her.

“Step inside.”

“You don’t have to do this.”

“I do.” The need to care for her was strong. He
couldn’t ignore it and refused to walk away to leave his mate in pain.

She stepped into the bottoms. When both of her feet
were inside, he eased the pants up her thighs. His fingers skimmed her ass, and
it took all of his control not to grip her, tease her.

Breathing in, he inhaled her sweet scent, loving the
smell coming from her. Resting his hands on her curvy ass, he stared into her
brown eyes.

“Why are you being so nice to me?”

“I want to be nice to you. I’m not going to bully you
anymore, Scarlett. I want you.”

Tears filled her eyes as she stared back at him. “I
don’t believe you. No one wants to be with me. I’m
not,
I’m not like the others.”

He brushed her tears away, keeping an arm around her
waist. “You’re the only one I want.”

“But you like Cheryl and her friends. I’m nothing like
her. I’m not pretty or thin.”

Marshall didn’t want to hear anything more. Cupping
her cheek, he closed the distance between them, claiming her lips. She froze in
his arms as he continued to kiss her. Scarlett gripped his arms as he stroked
his tongue over her lips.

She whimpered, and he stroked at the base of her back.

Deepening the kiss, he opened his eyes to see hers
were closed. She responded to his kiss, and euphoria filled every part of him.

When it was over, he rested his head against hers,
panting.

“I’m sorry,” she said.

“Why are you sorry?” he asked, loving the feel of her
lips on his.

“I’m not very good at this. I’ve never, erm…”

“You’ve never done what?”

He looked into her brown eyes, wishing he could do a
hell of a lot more with her. His cock was straining against his zipper.

“I’ve never been kissed before.”

“Never?”

“No.” She shook her head.

“I was your first kiss?”

“Yes.”

He liked that.

He liked that a hell of a lot.

Smiling, he cupped her cheek. “Then you better get
used to my kisses because I’m going to be kissing you often.”

Her stomach chose that moment to do a somersault, and
he eased her in bed.

“What does this mean?” she asked.

“It means you’re my girl and no other man is ever
going to get the pleasure of kissing you.”

Once she was inside the blanket, Marshall lay down on
top of the blanket, wrapping an arm around her waist.

“Your
girlfriend?”

“Yes.” Marshall smiled. He couldn’t wait to have any
excuse to touch her. “It means you run beside me on the track, I take you
around to your classes, and you sit with me at lunch.” He rubbed her stomach,
trying to soothe out the knots. “It also means you’re not alone with Trey
anymore. I don’t like the way he’s been sniffing around you.”

“You’re throwing down a lot of demands.”

“You’re mine, Scarlett.”

 
She was silent.
“I don’t know if I’m dreaming this or if it’s really happening.”

“It’s happening, baby.” He kissed her cheek.
“Sleep.
I’ve got you, and I’m not going to let you go.”

Scarlett relaxed against him and didn’t push him away.
She fell asleep in his arms, and the wolf within him loved the feel of her
against him.

I’ve got you, Scarlett, and I’m never letting go.

****

Marshall stayed with her throughout the afternoon into
the night. He left at night as she heard her parents say goodbye to him.
Scarlett missed his warmth around her. Her lips still tingled from the kiss
they shared. Running her fingers across her lips, she wondered what it would be
like to actually be his girlfriend.

Mate.

Something tingled inside her, and she rubbed at her temple.
Climbing out of bed, she made her way into the bathroom. Washing her face, she
stared at her reflection, wondering what he actually saw inside her. There was
nothing pretty about her.

Don’t do that.

She didn’t want to feel sorry for herself, but thinking
about Cheryl, she did wonder why Marshall wanted her. He’d been with Cheryl as
she heard the other girl talking about her time.

Pushing those thoughts to the back of her mind, she
entered her bedroom and froze. Outside of her bedroom window Marshall stood.

It was freezing outside.

Opening her window, she stared at him. “What are you
doing?”

“Your parents didn’t say I couldn’t come back.” He
climbed into the window, being careful to take it easy.

“They’ll see you,” Scarlett said, scared in case he
got found out.

“Don’t worry. I’ll know when they’re coming.” He
cupped her cheek. “You should be in bed. You’re too ill.”

Shaking her head, she closed the window. Marshall
dived under her bed as her bedroom door opened.

“Honey, what are you doing out of bed?” her mother
asked.

“I, erm, I was a little warm so I opened the window
for some fresh air.” She was babbling, but she saw Marshall under her bed.
Would her mother find him?

“I’m so sorry we couldn’t be here.” Her mother entered
her room.

Walking to her bed, Scarlett slid underneath aware of
Marshall beneath her. She hoped he wasn’t thinking about how big she was.

“Marshall was here. He took care of me.”

“He’s such a sweet boy, and I think he’s got a soft
spot for you.”

“Mom!”
She tucked some hair behind her ear. The last thing she wanted was this
conversation with Marshall listening in.

“I’ve seen the way he looks at you, Scarlett. He wants
to be with you. I know you’ve never had a boyfriend, and you’re too young to be
having sex—”

“Mom!”
She snapped the word out hoping her mother would be quiet. Marshall was
listening, and she didn’t want him hearing this kind of stuff.

“You’re going to be eighteen soon, and I was a young
girl once. I had sex.”

“Mom, seriously, you do not need to have this conversation.
I’m not having sex.”

“Well, when you do I want you to be careful. I don’t
ever want to see you in my office, honey.”

“Mom, you’re a pediatrician. You wouldn’t see me but
any kid I have.”

Her mother stroked her cheek. “You’re a beautiful
girl, Scarlett.”

This couldn’t get any more mortifying.

“Can I go to sleep?” Scarlett asked, just wanting her
mother to stop talking.

“Of course.
I’ve got the message from the school. You’re not going back until next
week.”

Nodding, Scarlett shuffled down underneath he covers.

Her mother finally left, and Marshall appeared out
from under the bed, smiling. “Your mother likes me.”

“Please stop. I didn’t think she’d leave.”

Scarlett stopped talking as he pulled his shirt off.

“What are you doing?”

You should stop this.
Going too fast.

“I’m going to hold you while you sleep. It will please
me to do this.”

He removed his jeans, and suddenly he was on the bed
beside her. She noticed he didn’t climb under the covers.

“Aren’t you cold?” She squeaked the words out, staring
at him as he wrapped an arm around her. He moved her so that her ass was
nestled in his lap.
Spooning each other.

“No. I’m more than warm.”

She heard him inhale.

“Are you sniffing me?”

“No.”

Scarlett stayed silent as he kept holding her.

“You know this is completely weird and freaky.”

“What?”

“You, me, being
here together.
It’s strange.”

“Don’t worry. I’m not going to pressure you into
having sex with me.”

She groaned.
“Oh, no.
You
heard everything.”

“I heard everything, but don’t worry. Your mother is
only worried about you.”

“She’s embarrassing.”

“It’s her right to be.” He chuckled. “Don’t worry. I’m
not going to hurt you. I’m going to take care of you.”

He kissed her cheek once again. She was growing to
like his kisses.

“Rest, Scarlett.”

She fell asleep with his arms wrapped around her.
Scarlett loved the heat of his arms.

For the rest of the week Marshall woke up beside her
and disappeared out of her window only to come back after school. Her parents
saw him out of the door, and he’d return an hour later with a bag. She stored the
bag in her closet.

Scarlett started to enjoy the feel of him at her back,
of his body pressed against her own as they slept. On Saturday morning she woke
up before he did. She no longer felt ill and stared into his sleeping face.
They’d gone from being enemies to friends. He slept beside her, and she didn’t
know how she was going to handle it when he stopped sleeping beside her.

He opened his eyes and smiled at her.
“Morning, beautiful.”

Her heart leapt inside her chest.
“Morning.”

“Your parents are gone. They left early but stopped by
to check on you.”

“How do you know
when they’re close?”

She noticed when he dived toward the bed seconds
before her bedroom door opened.

“I’ve got a keen sense for parents protecting their
young.”

Scarlett giggled. “You’re strange.”

“And you belong to someone strange.”

“I guess that makes me strange.” She snuggled
underneath the blanket to mask her morning breath.

“How are you feeling?”

“I feel much better.”

“How about you spend the day with me? Would you like
that?”

“You want me to spend the day with you?”

“Yes. I want to take you back home.”

“Okay.”

He rolled off the bed, stretching out.

Scarlett’s cheeks heated when she saw the evidence of
his need.

Turning away, she heard him chuckle. Glancing toward
him, she saw him go toward her closet for his bag. When he was gone, she
climbed out grabbing some clothes and heading toward the bathroom her parents
used.

She washed, changed, and found Marshall already in the
kitchen making her some toast. He’d made himself at home, and she really didn’t
mind.

“What are you thinking?”

“Nothing much,” she said.

“Come on, you can talk to me.”

“Just about how
weird this all is.
I mean, you used to bully me, and now you’re making
me breakfast.” She stopped talking as he put the plate down in front of her.

“You’re going to need to get used to it, baby. I’m not
going to stop being there for you.”

“You say the strangest things.” She bit her lip as she
picked up a slice of toast. He took a seat beside her, placing a hand on her
thigh. Scarlett had started to notice he always found a reason to touch or hold
her.

They ate in silence. She took several slices for
herself, grateful her stomach no longer turned over at the taste of food. When
they were finished, she helped him to clean away the dishes before they headed
out.