Chapter 48

At first he thought he was crazy, but there it was: the afghan his mother had crocheted during her short-lived Susie Homemaker phase. The two of them had always laughed about the god-awful colors and the lack of skill it showed, but she’d insisted it was her merit badge for homemaking. For Rafe, it was a beloved memento of some of the happiest times of his childhood.

So, what was it doing in a box in Grant’s SUV?

He dug deeper and pulled out a package wrapped with ribbon. Godiva chocolates. The large size. Next, the box yielded three bottles of his favorite wine. He glanced again at the two duffel bags

Twoduffels.

Relief rippled through him, and Rafe could breathe again. Grant had planned a sweet seduction, complete with expensive chocolate and wine. The alpha hadn’t intended a cold property acquisition, and here was the proof. Furrowing his brow, Rafe couldn’t imagine what had prompted the man to include the afghan though.

Time to clear this up once and for all.

He took the box of chocolates and settled next to Grant on the curb, ignoring the alpha’s stiffening back. Rafe wasn’t buying that story anymore.

Grant stared toward the edge of the parking lot, keeping his face averted. “You should be on your way. Janet can block the cameras only for so long.”

“I have questions.”

“There’s no time. You need to go.”

Rafe considered grabbing one of the smooth rocks and dropping it on the man’s head to make his point, but the alpha might misinterpret. Still, he somehow had to poke through the man’s dogged determination to blockade Rafe. “I’m not going anywhere until I get answers.”

With a long-suffering sigh, Grant gave in. “Fine. Ask your questions.”

“How did you know my favorite chocolate and wine?”

Grant shrugged. “That’s easy—I searched your house.”

“But why did you buy them for me?”

After an almost undetectable pause, the alpha blustered, “To keep you pliant and easier to handle, of course.”

“Okay. Why the afghan?”

A long silence followed.

“Grant, look at me. Why the afghan?”

The alpha slowly shifted to face Rafe. He looked tired. Defeated.

Rafe found himself leaning closer, longing to soothe the man’s pain.

Grant lowered his head as he murmured, “I hoped it might be a comfort to you.”

So the uncompromising, hard-nosed director had a tender heart after all. Rafe just had to push a little harder to prod the alpha into revealing it. “What else did you do in my house?”

With a brusque huff of annoyance, the alpha answered, “I took out the trash. Satisfied?”

Rafe heard the fine layer of evasion. “Nothing more?” He let one finger trail a winding path down Grant’s bicep. The resultant shivery tremor convinced Rafe he was on the right track. He shifted his hand to Grant’s knee and began a gentle massage. “Tell me. I need to know.”

The muscles in Grant’s leg tensed, but the alpha didn’t shrug off Rafe’s hand. A good sign

“Fine. I slept in your bed, holding your pillow like a damned teddy bear because it held your scent. Is that what you wanted to hear? Does it make you feel superior you had yet another alpha lusting after you?”

“It doesn’t sound like lust to me. It sounds like much more.”

“Doesn’t matter. You’re leaving, and I’m doing my best to stay in control and respect your wishes. Don’t push me too far. I’m no saint.”

“And I’m no angel.” He slid his hand up the inside of Grant’s thigh, delighting in the sharp intake of breath it elicited.

“Rafael” The name was a ragged plea. “Why are you tormenting me?”

Rafe’s hand stopped moving. He didn’t even try to disguise the depth of his need. “I have to know if you want me. Not the omega, but me.”

The alpha’s gray eyes widened into deep, dark pools Rafe could stare into for the rest of his life.

Grant grasped both of Rafe’s hands. “Idiot. I’ve had long term plans from the moment we met, way before I knew you were an omega. Yes, the first of those plans was to bend you over my desk and take you right there. I couldn’t believe that fool Caldwell could be so oblivious to your beauty.” A soft smile lit his face. “And then I got to know you.”

Rafe reveled in the warm strength of the alpha’s hands enfolding his. In a shameless bid for flattery, he prompted, “And you fell for me because of all my best qualities?”

“No. Despiteyour best qualities. You’re prickly, stubborn, and infuriating. You have no respect for authority. You disdain every principle I stand for, and, trust me, you can be a royal pain in the ass.”

Not liking the direction the conversation was taking, Rafe tried to free himself.