Free Alpha Knows Best (Wicked Good Witches Book 2) by Starla Silver Page A

doesn’t deserve a minute of your thoughts. Especially thoughts that make you feel bad about yourself.” Which had happened, he expected. “You’re perfect, Melinda. No. Strike that. Perfect hardly cuts it. You are a queen.”
    “There you go again, saying all the right things.”
    “And there you go again making me say things I’ve never said to anyone, ever.”
    She let out a nervous exhale and rested her head against him. “Riley.” She said it so timidly she wasn’t even sure he’d heard her.
    “Yeah.”
    She raised her head to face him. “I, um…” she lost her nerve.
    “What?” he asked softly.
    She scrunched her nose, biting her lip.
    “Now you have me curious,” he said, nipping at her nose.
    Her cheeks got pink and she had to look away from him.
    “Okay, now I’m intrigued. You’re going to have to tell me.”
    “God, why is this so hard?” she let out.
    “Now, you’re just killing me. Do I have to force it out of you?” he teased.
    She sucked on her bottom lip and closed her eyes. “That was the first time a guy’s ever actually… gotten me there.” For whatever reason she was unable to utter the words, gave me an orgasm.
    Riley didn’t care what words she used. He grinned in complete delight over this fact.
    “Really? I find that very hard to believe.”
    “Believe it.”
    His grin dropped a little. “Melinda… I wasn’t your first , was I?” The thought suddenly thrilled and freaked him out. Her being a virgin hadn’t even crossed his mind as a possibility, and he hadn’t taken enough care to make sure he didn’t hurt her, if that was true.
    “Oh, um, not exactly .”
    He waited for her to explain.
    “Shit. This is super weird.”
    “I’m sorry. You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to. I was just afraid I might have hurt you.”
    “Oh. No. You didn’t. Not at all, and quite the opposite. It’s just… I really wish you had been my first. It would have been a much more pleasant memory. I’ve only slept with one other guy, one time…” she could not believe she was telling him all this. “And we might as well have actually slept. To call what we did sex , is sort of an injustice to the word. And I only know that now… because of you.”
    “Damn. You sure know how to stroke a guy’s ego.” His beam returned. “Maybe, considering our disastrous starts, we could just pretend our previous relationships didn’t happen? I know I’d like to forget about mine. You’re a much more pleasurable memory for me too.”
    Melinda grinned, resting her head against his chest. It was an appealing idea.
    Even if this did turn out to be a one night (or middle of the day) stand, it had been worth it. Her angst from all the William dreams was gone. Her worries and fears had flown into the wind. She wanted to wrap herself in this moment and remember how it felt, forever.
    Riley had given her everything she needed. Her eyes fluttered closed, feeling sleepy.
    He let their bodies slide down onto the granite, bringing her head onto his chest. He stroked her hair, listening to her breaths slowing as she drifted off.
    Melinda trusted him enough to open up to him, but also sleep next to him, a total stranger. What had he ever done in his life to deserve such a magnificent creature?
    He despised whoever had treated her so poorly that she thought so little of herself. He’d be contented to spend the rest of his life making sure that never happened again.

CHAPTER SIX
     
    Charlie sat behind the wheel of the jeep, driving, while Michael chatted on the phone with Mack, filling the sheriff in on the shapeshifter theory. William sat like a stone in the back seat, focused, deep in thought. He was also using his enhanced hearing and sight to track any unusual sounds or movement as they wound their way through narrow roads of White Pines National Park.
    “Hey, ask Mack if she happened to see Melinda while she was out today?” Charlie told Michael. He nodded and relayed the