Alpha Mavericks Brigade 1 Page 3

  I turn and he follows me to the apartment.

  “Yeah, sorry about that. I should have been watching him but I got distracted.”

  “By the blond chick? Yeah, we all noticed. You brought her back here?”

  “Yeah, she just left.”

  Shane thumps my back like he’s congratulating me.

  “You look like you got no sleep,” he says.

  “I didn’t because I stayed up all night thinking about her and now she’s gone.”

  “So go after her, man.”

  “I don’t know where she lives. I don’t know anything about her.”

  We’re standing at the doorway of my apartment facing each other. Shane is smiling like he knows something I don’t.

  “Well, we know she is friends with that brunette girl from the bar. And everyone knows her.”

  “Who? Marsha?” I’m more than surprised to hear this.

  “I don’t know her but Jimmy babbled on for a while about how they used to fuck.”

  “Jimmy knows where Marsha lives?”

  I don’t wait for Shane’s response. I run into my room to look for a shirt to wear.

  Shane pours himself some coffee in the meantime.

  “She really did a number on you, huh?”

  I put on my shirt, run a hand through my hair and I’m ready to go.

  “I’m going to go see Jimmy. I need to find out as much as I can about this Marsha chick.”

  Cleo

  Marsha stands blocking the door of her apartment. She has her arms crossed over her chest.

  “What the fuck do you want?” she hisses.

  “I’m here for my stuff and then I’m going to go. You can’t stop me from taking my property out of your apartment.”

  I’m glaring at her. I’m not backing down this time. She’s had a hold over me for too long. When Marsha realizes that I’m serious, she steps aside but she still has a sour expression on her face.

  I walk into the apartment and start putting my stuff into a bag. I can feel her eyes on me. She’s fuming.

  “So, how was last night? Was it magical? Was it everything you dreamed of?” she asks sarcastically. I can hear the bitterness dripping from her voice.

  “It was actually.”

  “Oh wow. So you’re in love with this guy?” I know she is taunting me, but I can’t help taking the bait.

  “I don’t know if I’ll ever see him again, but if I had the chance…if I was in a position to…I don’t know what could happen with him. Maybe I’d take it further.”

  Marsha actually bursts out laughing. This is all a big joke to her. I should have known. I can’t believe I’m even answering her questions when all I want to do is get away from her.

  I try to ignore her and focus on the packing. I don’t have a lot of stuff lying around so it doesn’t take me long. When I’m done I turn to see she has her eyes narrowed at me again.

  “You think you’re going to change your life around? Without me?” As she speaks she comes towards me, taking a slow step at a time. “You would be nothing without me.”

  “You know I will always be grateful to you for helping me out when I needed a place to stay, but I am not going to be chained to you forever. You should know that.”

  There is a new confidence in me I didn’t realize existed. I have my head held high and my chin thrust out. Marsha is standing right in front of me now and I shake my head.

  “I really wish you could be as good of a friend to me as I have been to you.”

  “You are going nowhere until you have paid me what you owe me.”

  “Marsha, seriously…” I try to say but she is blocking my path. She has her hand stuck out to me.

  “Come on. Pay up. You know how much rent costs in this place. You owe me three months’ rent. I want it now.”

  She knows I don’t have any money. She knows I’m still looking for work.

  “Marsha…”

  “How much?” A man’s voice interrupts us and we both look at the door. Marsha has left it open and now Irwin is standing there.

  I want to cry out with joy when I see him. So tall and handsome. Rugged and muscular. A man nobody will ever mess with, not even a catty bitch like Marsha. I can’t believe he’s here. He found me!

  “What is going on?” Marsha snaps.

  “How much is three months’ rent?” Irwin is pulling his wallet out now. One by one he starts counting bills. When Marsha doesn’t reply, he holds out a thick wad of it.

  “Cleo and I are going to walk away now and you will never contact her again. Do you understand?” He is speaking calmly. Firmly. His voice isn’t even raised, but Marsha knows just as I do that he must be obeyed.

  She nods her head lightly. Irwin is holding his hand out to me and I rush to him. He weaves his fingers with mine and we walk out of the apartment together.

  “How did you find me?” I ask breathlessly. I didn’t think I would ever see him again. He turns to me with lust in his eyes.

  “I will always find you,” he replies.

  Irwin

  Cleo and I are sitting on a park bench together. She has her packed bag at her feet. Her golden hair is blowing in the breeze and she’s still in that black dress from last night. It’s crumpled now, but she still looks incredible.

  She shakes her head as I explain how I found her.

  “I should have known you’d know somebody who has slept with Marsha,” she says. “She gets around a little.”

  I’m watching her face closely. This is the woman I want to be with. I knew it from the first moment I saw her. I can talk to her like I’ve known her a lifetime.

  “I figured that my best chance of seeing you again was by going to her apartment.”

  “Can you read minds?” she asks with a grin.

  “Only yours,” I reply and she’s blushing.

  “I do feel like you can. Even last night, you knew exactly when to whisk me away, when to rescue me. You knew that if you invited me back to your place, I would go.”

  I reach for her and cup her cheek. She closes her eyes for a moment like she wants to savor the moment.

  “I know it’s all happening very fast,” I say.

  Her eyes fly open again. She licks her lips nervously.

  “I don’t have my life in order, Irwin. I need to find a job. I need a source of income. I need to move on from all the losses I’ve experienced.”

  “And you can’t do any of that unless you have somewhere secure. Someone in your life you can trust and rely on.”

  “We only just met,” she argues.

  I let my fingers drag down to her lips. I touch the soft skin of her neck. She swallows like she’s pushing a lump down her throat.

  “Does it matter how long we’ve known each other? When the feelings are this strong?”

  Her nostrils flare. She thinks about it, and then she shakes her head.

  “I’ve known Marsha all my life, since we were kids. Look how that worked out. I guess time doesn’t mean all that much.”

  “I want you to be with me,” I growl in a low voice. There’s a tightness in my chest I can’t control. I’m desperate for her. This feeling is new to me. I know I’ve never experienced it before.

  Cleo leans in to kiss me. It comes as a surprise, but a welcome one.

  She kisses me sweetly, gently exploring my lips. I use my tongue to part her mouth open wide. My cock moves in my pants. I want to be inside her again. I put my hands on her hips and yank her to me. She is half in my lap. Our kiss is getting hotter. In a few seconds we won’t be able to stop ourselves from going where we want to go.

  I stop, holding her away from me so that I can look her in the eyes. She smiles.

  “Take me home,” she says.

  And who am I to say no?

  Cleo

  Three years later

  Everybody’s singing the Happy Birthday song and clapping wildly. Shane even got a cute little party hat for Irwin to wear and he has it on. I can’t stop taking picture
s. Today is his thirtieth birthday and I still can’t believe how far we have come.

  Everybody else is here too. The whole Alpha Mavericks Brigade, Irwin’s mom and dad, and even his sister flew down from college for this.

  “That is a beautiful cake, Cleo. Probably your best,” Mrs Byrne says, leaning in to give me a quick peck on my cheek. From the moment Irwin introduced me to his parents three years ago, there was an instant connection between us. They have been some of the biggest supporters of my bakery business and they always believed I could make it, even when I didn’t believe it myself.

  Mr and Mrs Byrne credit me for bringing Irwin closer to the family. He never used to be interested in family events. He rarely even went home for Christmas and now I make sure to include his family in every major event and decision that takes place in our lives.

  I don’t want Irwin to lose his family. I want him to know and acknowledge how important family is and how lucky he is to still have them.

  When the Birthday song is over we all clap and he reaches for me across the table so we can kiss. His tongue slides into my mouth like it’s his second-home. I can hear cameras clicking and flashing all around us. I hope he is as happy as I am, because even though it is his birthday; I feel like I am on top of the world.

  ***

  It’s nearly two in the morning and all our friends have gone home. Irwin’s parents and sister are asleep in the spare rooms upstairs. When we bought this house six months ago, we made sure to have enough spare rooms to accommodate his family when they visit.

  Irwin is supposed to help me clear up, but instead we have been slow-dancing to late night tunes on the radio in the kitchen. My hand is in his, my head is on his shoulder. Everything feels perfect.

  My bakery business is booming. Irwin’s new app idea has kicked off too. The last eighteen months have monetarily been our most successful yet. We are financially secure. We have our house now. We have each other. We have family and friends to be thankful for. Where do we go from here? Is there anything else I could possibly want?

  When he shifts I move too so we can look into each other’s eyes. There’s a big grin on his handsome face.

  He has always been able to read my mind, and he always will.

  “I wanted to ask you this today, but I wanted it to be a special moment. Just between the two of us. Cleo Murphy, will you marry me?”

  My heart stops, but only for a second. We both know what my answer will be. There is nobody else who knows me the way he does.

  “Of course I will. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. The day I marry you can’t come soon enough.”

  Up next is Shane’s story!

  Alpha Mavericks Brigade Book Series

  Shane (Alpha Mavericks Brigade Book 2)

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  Upcoming and New Best Selling Short Romance Author Kayla Kelly writes love stories with sometimes and sometimes not cliffhangers. BUT the ending of the series is ALWAYS happily ever afters.

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  Other Works by Kayla Kelly

  Alpha Firefighters: The Complete Romance Series