ROMANCE: Mason (Bad Boy Alpha Male Stepbrother Romance Boxset) (New Adult Contemporary Stepbrother Romance Collection) (7 page)

-x-x-x-

Sasha could not believe that she had agreed to this. She and Chris had both taken three preliminary shots to warm up, promptly followed by three more when they realized that as werewolves it would take a lot more than the average human to get them drunk.

“So,” Chris began, knocking back his sixth shot, “Do you want to start or shall I?”

“I will I suppose,” Sasha said, pouring each of them another shot. “So, we’re doing twenty questions or never have I ever?”

“What are you talking about?” Chris asked, leaning back against the bed. He wasn’t quite sure as to why they were sitting on the floor but Sasha had insisted on it.

“Well, twenty questions is just asking questions, and while I would love to drink during it so as not to make it boring, never have I ever is an actual drinking game, in which there are stakes. I also can hold my liquor far better than I assume you can, no offense, so I’m kind of rooting for the game that requires us to drink.”

“I see,” Chris smirked, running his finger along the rim of his glass. “Well, in that case, we’re playing twenty questions.

Sasha made a sour face in response but nodded. “Okay, well, I’ll start. How old are you?”

“Really?”

Sasha shrugged, “You have a few gray hairs.”

Chris chuckled, “If we’re already going for the jugular then I guess I’ll have that other shot too.” After taking a shot and wincing at the taste, Chris answered. “Thirty nine, how about you?”

Sasha raised an eyebrow, a tad older than expected but not bad. “You’re approaching forty pretty closely now aren’t you.” She smiled coyly. “A woman never tells.”

“Ha,” Chris barked out a laugh, scooting her shot glass closer to her, “new rule, if you don’t answer you take a shot.”

“Alright then,” Sasha said, taking a shot of her own, “and for the record, I’m 35.”

“Okay, so, my turn then?” Chris asked, pausing pensively when Sasha nodded, “So, how many men have you been with?”

Sasha laughed, “I guess we’re going tit-for-tat then. Well, three.”

“Not too shabby,” Chris joked, “And before you ask, seven, maybe eight.”

“You dog,” Sasha joked, “if this mating goes through I may have a serious inferiority complex.”

“Don’t, you’re gorgeous.”

Sasha flushed, busying herself with pouring another drink so she could hide, hoping he’d blame the coloring on the alcohol.

“So, I think it’s my question now,” Sasha said, changing the subject.

“Right you are,” Chris said jovially.

“Sooo, why haven’t you mated on your own before this?”

Chris chuckled, ducking his head and laughing at the question, “Well, I never felt the need to settle. Especially since our pack was so new at the time, it seemed like a poor moment to bring someone new into the pack.”

“Tell me about your pack.”

“It’s not your question right now but I’ll please the lady and answer.”

“How courteous of you sir,” Sasha said dryly.

“Well, as you pointed out earlier, we are a decently wealthy bunch. We have some very lucrative business ventures.”

“And when you say lucrative, I’m guessing you mean illegal?”

“I prefer legally ambiguous.” Chris grinned, taking another shot.

“Riiight,” Sasha grinned, “I think that answers that then. But, continue.”

“Well,” Chris sighed, “our pack is thirty strong; we have a few new members who were recently turned by a stray wolf that we had to take out since he was injuring civilians. We have a rather large pack house with houses surrounding it for mated pairs, and we have a personal chef that is very familiar with the art of discretion.

“We have a monthly pack outing such as a barbeque or a movie night; it’s always interesting voting on a film and buying tickets. We also go bowling occasionally and have baseball games. For the record, I’ve never lost.”

“Ah,” Sasha said, leaning back against the dresser. “I’m glad that I’ll be mating with a winner.”

“So we will mate?” Chris said eagerly, grinning wickedly.

“It’s merely a hypothetical,” Sasha said, surprised at her own words. Perhaps the alcohol was finally taking effect.

“Really now? It didn’t sound like it.”

“It was a mistake,” Sasha sighed.

“Mhmm, and you’re tipsy. Words are not mistakes when you drink, alcohol just makes it easier for the truth to slip out.”

“I’m not sure how true that is,” Sasha said, brushing a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “Anyways, I believe it’s your question.”

“Okay,” Chris said, readjusting on the floor. “So, why are you so hostile to the idea of mating with me?”

She offered him a small grin. “Don’t go and get all sensitive on me now. It’s not you specifically. I’m just very . . . headstrong is the word most like to use. I like making my own decisions and I don’t like taking orders. When I do, I rarely take them well. It baffles me that I’m not an Alpha, or at least a dominant. I hate the idea of having to submit to someone, render control.”

“Mating is not a surrendering of control love, it’s just sharing it.”

“Easy for you to say, you don’t have to listen to commands.”

“Neither do you,” Chris said, leaning forward and placing his elbows on his knees, lacing his fingers together. “I’m not an Alpha; I can’t force you to do anything, but I can ask your wolf side to submit to my judgment in my effort to protect you.”

“I don’t need protection.”

“Everyone needs someone to look out for them.” Chris smiled. “Like it or not, you should have someone that cares for you.”

“I-”

“I know, you have people that care for you, but what’s wrong with having one more. Come on Sasha, I’m not saying you have to fall in love with me today, unquestioningly trust my judgment, or even like me all that much right now. All I’m asking is that you give me a chance.”

Sasha looked down at the bottom of her now empty shot glass, trying to convince herself that the warm feeling bubbling up inside her chest was from the alcohol. “We’ll see.”

-x-x-x-

Sasha had woken up only to find her and Chris entangled in a mess of limbs on the floor. He had been naked from the waist up, apparently having taken off his shirt when the room had gotten too hot, and Sasha had at some point apparently changed into a nightgown during their games. Sasha had startled awake at a phone call from Jake to make sure that everything was okay, and, after assessing her situation, had quickly dressed and ran out the door to get some air.

The morning was bright and the town was quiet, except for a few early bird joggers and unfortunate souls that were either heading to work early, or coming back home after working an all-night shift.

She wasn’t one for breakfast but the draw of the local coffee shop made it hard for her to resist. She went in, ordered a cappuccino and took a seat by the window. Last night was interesting. She didn’t remember much after their game other than a follow-up discussion of their different tastes in music, a brief argument, and then a bout of dancing around the room together.

She smiled at the thought of it; Chris had had some moves, and she couldn’t remember the last time she had had so much fun.

“Mind some company?” a voice asked behind her.

She looked up; of course it was Chris. He had a steaming cup of dark roast coffee in his hand and a plate with two muffins. She motioned for him to sit.

Sasha smiled. “Thank you,” motioning to the muffin.

Chris smirked, “Oh no, these are both for me.”

“Really now?” Sasha said, taking a sip of her drink, “Well, you’ve just lost brownie points.”

“I like you,” Chris said plainly, leaning in and bringing his hand up slowly, using his thumb to brush off a tiny line of foam from the corner of her mouth. “And of course one of them is for you.”

“Well thank you,” Sasha said, glancing at the two briefly before selecting the blueberry one for herself.

“What, you don’t like chocolate?”

Sasha smiled, “Of course I like chocolate, I just like operating under the idea that I can eat healthy food. Blueberries are healthy.”

“Mhmm, yes, they’re most healthy, when they aren’t covered in sugar and all the other unhealthy carbs surrounding them.”

“Thanks,” Sasha said, putting the blueberry muffin she had been about to take a bite of back in exchange for the chocolate one. “When you’re right, you’re right.”

“So, where do we stand now?” Chris asked.

“Nowhere; we’re sitting,” Sasha smirked. “And it’s only day two; ask me in a week and I’ll have a more conclusive answer.”

“Fair enough,” Chris said, holding up his coffee mug to make a toast, “to a week’s time.”

“A week’s time indeed,” Sasha toasted.

-x-x-x-

“So, how’s it going?” Jake asked.

Sasha had taken advantage of Chris’ time in the shower to catch up with her Alpha. It had been five days since their arrival and she hadn’t quite made up her mind on Chris yet. All things considered, he seemed like an all-around good guy. He was funny, charming, sweet and easy on the eyes. But she wondered if it was just an act, a portrayal of a honeymoon period to get her off her guard and to have part of his pack come into her’s smoothly.

“I don’t know yet. Honestly, he seems too good to be true.”

“You know, everyone doesn’t have to have an ulterior motive.”

Sasha hummed, walking over to the window and smiling as she heard the faint sound of Chris singing in the shower.

“You sound like him.”

“Great minds do tend to think alike.”

“So do minds with a similar goal,” Sasha quipped back, taking a seat on the bed. “This is all happening much too fast.”

“Has he kissed you yet?” Jake asked.

“Stop being nosy,” she admonished, “and no, he hasn’t.”

“You should seriously consider speeding things up a bit Sasha.”

She snorted, “I’m sorry but we all can’t cater to your timeline. I followed your order and agreed to all of this as though I had a choice; now let me do things my way. You told me you wanted us to ultimately end up mating so I’m going to vet him. If I’m supposed to spend the rest of my life with someone I’m sure as hell going to get to know them first.”

“Yes but, do you have to go about it so resistantly?” Jake sighed, his exasperation slipping into his tone.

Her eyes narrowed, a look Jake couldn’t see over the phone but if he had he’d know Sasha was nearing the end of her patience. “What do you expect? You’re forcing me to make one of the biggest decisions of my life based on your opinion alone. I have no say in who you thrust at me but extend me the courtesy of qualifying them as someone I can tolerate for the next one hundred or so years. Alright?”

There was a long silence before Jake finally answered. “You’re right, I would just really like this to go smoothly. Of course, if you decide that the two of you just fundamentally cannot go together we’ll find another option, I would just really like you to try Sasha.”

“I am trying,” Sasha snapped, much less bite to her tone though.

“Well I appreciate that. And again, I hope it goes well and wish you the best for the remainder of your time there. Try and have fun alright?”

Sasha smiled; Jake couldn’t help trying to make his pack happier. “Yeah, yeah,” she said, still not quite giving up her frustration but following Jake’s lead to calm the waters. “I will, thanks.”

“No problem, I’ll check in with you later. Bye.”

“Bye,” Sasha said, hanging up before flopping back onto the bed. A few moments later she heard the water shut off; apparently Chris was finally finished with his shower.

“You better have saved me some hot water,” Sasha called.

Chris chuckled, not bothering to respond as he opened the door and stepped out, wearing nothing but a low-hanging white towel around his waist. Sasha couldn’t help following a stray drop of water as it made its way down the crevices of his chiseled chest, and blushed when she heard Chris let out a polite cough, her eyes meeting his knowing gaze.

“Enjoying the view?” he teased.

“I’ve seen better,” Sasha said calmly, attempting to regain some of her dignity.

“Really now? Somehow I doubt that,” Chris teased, using one hand to flex while using the other to hold up his towel.

“Well aren’t you awfully full of yourself.” Sasha sighed, “Anyways, what’s on the agenda for today?”

Chris smiled, dropping his towel and beginning to change. Sasha turned away quickly, face red as a tomato as she attempted to give him some semblance of privacy.

“I was thinking a breakfast on the lake, a visit to some of the local shops, coffee and scones at noon, a picnic for dinner, and a moonlit stroll.”

“Right,” Sasha scoffed, “and I suppose we have a kiss at the final stroke of midnight and we live happily ever after.”

“I certainly hope so,” Chris said, zipping up his pants. “And you can turn around now. I’m going to run to the store to ensure everything’s ready. Enjoy your cold shower.”

“I’m sure I will,” she said, positive that Chris wasn’t just referring to the lack of hot water.

Chris came around to her side of the bed, surprising her with a quick peck on the cheek before he darted out the door.

Sasha got up, walking towards the closet and wondering why she hadn’t brought a change of more versatile clothing. If she was honest she had no idea what she should wear that night. She didn’t even know if Chris was serious about the whole thing. For all she knew they could be going paintballing. She smiled; she’d love that. Sasha longed for the chance to put her cocky potential mate in his place. She had felt a bit off of her game lately, submitting to how Chris wanted to do things more often than she was comfortable admitting.

She flipped through her small vacation wardrobe once more and decided on an outfit. She smirked; yes, today, the tables would be turned.

-x-x-x-

After getting a text from ‘your one true love’--Sasha had no idea why she had let Chris program his number into her phone--she quickly gathered her purse and room key and went downstairs.

When she got to the entry hall, she looked around, not seeing Chris anywhere in the vicinity. She walked around, hoping that she hadn’t been stood up.

“Ma’am?”

She turned around, smiling at the woman behind the desk beckoning her over. “Yes?” she asked, wondering if she and Chris had gotten a complaint about their rather loud argument about what to watch the night before from one of the neighbors and she was going to be chastised.

“Your husband mentioned earlier that you’d be here and asked me to give you this.”

Sasha quirked her head at the note extended to her, wondering what Chris was up to now.

“Is he here?” she asked, taking the piece of paper cautiously.

“I don’t think so,” the woman said, “I believe he left shortly after. “But if he was on foot he probably isn’t far.”

“Mhmm, well, thank you,” Sasha said, turning towards the door. “Let’s hope I catch him then,” she muttered to herself.

When she got outside, as earlier, she didn’t see Chris anywhere. It was still fairly early, so no one else was on the street and only a few shops where open, which only made her more curious as to where Chris had run off to.

“Are you ready for your carriage ride m’lady?”

Sasha whipped around, eyes widening as she took in the sight before her. Chris stood off to one side of the hotel, smiling at her. But what was even more eye-catching than his as-usual well-dressed physique, was that he stood next to a large white carriage with two Clydesdale horses at the front of it. Sasha wondered if she should have worn something nicer, like a large blue ball gown, because the carriage looked like something straight out of Cinderella.

“What is all this?” Sasha asked, approaching Chris slowly just in case he had lost his mind. “When you were talking about all that fairytale nonsense earlier, I thought you were kidding.”
“Oh come on, doesn’t every woman want her own fairytale?” Chris asked, taking her hand. “And might I add, you look like a princess. A sexy, somewhat bondage-esque princess, but a princess nonetheless.” Chris licked his lips. “I didn’t know you had that outfit, and did you do something new with your hair?”

“Yes dear, how observant,” Sasha smirked, leaning in and giving him a lingering kiss on the corner of his mouth, brushing past him to take a seat in the carriage. “Well, don’t just stand there, come on.”

“Let’s go please,” Chris said to the driver, tapping on the side of the carriage before hopping into its car.

Sasha was impressed; she had no idea that Chris was such a romantic, or how he had even managed to commandeer a carriage in such a small town on such short notice for that matter.  But despite her great pleasure at how much thought Chris had apparently put into the day, she was even more pleased by his reaction to her outfit.

She had decided to play it up a bit, to see just how attracted to her Chris really was. Chris knew that to most, he was a perfect ten, and Sasha didn’t think she could be with someone that didn’t think of her as their perfect ten. Chris wasn’t superficial by any means, and he had voiced on more than one occasion since they’d met that he found her very good looking, but she wanted to test it out.

She had decided to pick one of the few leather skirts she owned that hugged her figure very nicely. She wore a red tank top with a leather corset accent on the front with leather sleeves. She had straightened her hair for the occasion and had painted her lips with her reddest shade of lipstick. And, to top the look off, she had on her favorite thigh-high heeled boots that put her almost to Chris’ height. And what was even better was that he couldn’t take his eyes of her.

Sasha smirked to herself, hiding the expression from Chris by pretending to look out at the town through the window. It seemed that the playing field was leveling off after all.