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This one is obviously something special, even if I don’t understand why. I’d kick her ex’s ass and drag his face across the pavement outside just to make her smile.
"Is that who you've been talking to?" I ask, gesturing to her phone with my chin. It's a stupid, invasive question that I have no business asking, but fuck, do I want to know.
She shakes her head. "I'm filling out job applications."
"Oh?" Not what I expected, and I'm not sure what to say. "Job not treating you right?"
She chuckles, a dry noise full of bitterness. "I had an interview earlier, and when I got there, they said they weren't hiring. Go figure. So now I have forty-three dollars to my name, which isn't going to last more than a couple of days between gas and food."
"I see." I grab the towel on the counter behind the bar and reach for a wine glass to polish. It doesn't need polishing, but it makes me feel better to be doing something with my hands. It also keeps me from staring, which I'd be more than happy to continue doing if I knew she wouldn’t call me out on it. "How far do you live from here?"
If she winds up too drunk to drive home, I guess I'll be calling her an Uber since she can't afford it. It's my fault, after all. Probably not one of my smartest moves, but I'll take care of her.
Her gaze falls, and she shifts in her seat, stirring her drink with her straw. "I live in my car right now, so I stay wherever I can park it without getting a ticket."
I nearly drop the glass, catching it by the stem before regaining my composure.
What the fuck did she just say?
Surely I misheard her.
There’s no way she said she lives in her car…
And yet, as I stare across the bar at her, studying her unwavering expression, I get the feeling I heard her perfectly.
Fuck.
This just got so much more serious than I bargained for.
four
ALESSANDRO
The knot in my chest twists painfully, tension building behind my ribs. At this rate, I’ll need a drink myself to tamp down the alpha urges gripping me, demanding I offer my strength and protection to this woman. Thisbeta.
I can hardly wrap my mind around it.
Alpha instincts do crazy, unexpected things all the time, but this is a new one for me. I don’t even know her name, but the draw I feel to her is almost tangible.
I want to load her into my car and take her back to my place, assuring her that everything is going to be okay.
I want to pull her close, staring down into her hypnotic baby blue eyes until she believes every word of my promise, that I won’t let anything happen to her.
I want to drag my thumb across her bottom lip, hear her stuttered breath as I close the distance between us.
I want to…
Yep, it’s definitely time for a drink.
Grabbing a glass from behind the bar, I forego ice and fill it halfway with my favorite bourbon, knocking it back. It’s creamy with a nice bite that burns the back of my throat, cutting through the prickling rage threatening to tear me apart. It’s not enough to completely get control of my urges, but it’s a start.
"You livein your car?" I ask, needing her confirmation before I blow things out of proportion.
"Yep." She nods and stirs her drink with the straw some more, knocking around the ice cubes inside. "It's better than where I used to be, though, so I can't complain."
My mouth goes dry, and it’s suddenly hard to swallow. No, I hadn’t misheard. She’s homeless and staying in a car. What the fucking hell?
Her words ring in my head again.“It’s better than where I used to be…”
