A Solid Core of Alpha by Amy Lane Read Free Book Online

fine.”
    Henry nodded and, unexpectedly, kissed Anderson’s cheek. “You’re a good person, Anderson. I wish you and I could have been something.”
    Anderson shrugged. “So do I. See you tomorrow night for vids?”
    Henry grinned, surprised and, hopefully, pleased. “Absolutely. Can I bring someone?”
    Anderson was a little startled. “Sure. Who is she?”
    “How did you know it was a she?” Henry was impressed, and Anderson smiled a little sadly, not wanting to explain.
    Risa was the timid little blonde girl who kept moving to make room for Kate and Bobby’s next attempt at matchmaking. She said very little most times, but when she did say something, it was usually memorable and unintentionally outrageous. Henry and Risa made a nice addition to their little group, though, and for a while, Kate and Bobby gave it up, allowed the new people to help make up the blank in Anderson’s life, and stopped pestering him with potential bedmates.
    In the meantime, Anderson started having really explicit, highly satisfying dreams about Mr. Kay. Well, why not? he figured with some resignation. He was seventeen now, and Mr. Kay was in his late twenties. The age gap wasn’t unheard of, and, well, it was a small community, right? Dreaming about the guy wasn’t such a bad thing, right?
    That was what he thought, at least, until he accidentally confessed his new crush to his best friend.
    “Mr. Kay?” Bobby said, not incredulously, not laughing, like Bobby usually was, simply puzzled. “Really? Hmmm… Mr. Kay. Interesting.” It was the speculative tone in Bobby’s voice that made Anderson’s warning alarms sound.
    “Hey, Bobby, man, don’t read anything into this, okay? I’m just… you know. Telling you to tell someone, all right?”
    Bobby smiled at him, brown eyes twinkling. “I get it, Anderson. No worries. You know me, just always looking for the joke, right?”
    Except Bobby wasn’t laughing, and a week later, neither was Anderson.
     
     
    T HE air turned electric when he walked into the room. He was good-looking—sandy-blond hair, electric-blue eyes, high cheekbones, a narrow face, and a surprisingly firm jaw—but it was more than that. He didn’t have Alex’s arrogance and swagger, but he didn’t have Len’s terminal shyness by a long shot. He was quite simply In Command. He was a couple of years older than Bobby and Anderson, maybe twenty, maybe twenty-one, but he walked as though he’d commanded starships, planets, solar systems. He didn’t need to swagger, but any shyness he’d possessed had been burned out of him by his experiences as well. His body was long and thin, with slightly wider shoulders and big, capable hands. His blue eyes smoldered, and although his gaze didn’t dismiss Anderson completely, it didn’t linger on him either.
    Mr. Kay introduced him as the new teacher’s assistant, and he stood in front of the class and inclined his head modestly.
    “Good morning,” he said crisply, with a faint smile. “My given name is Aaron, but you all may call me Alpha.” Alex Leonard Peter Henry Aaron. Nice.
    There were no titters, no laughs, and not a soul looked back at Anderson, even though everyone knew what this man was here for. Henry shifted a little to his right and said, “Jesus, Anderson, no wonder you made Bobby try again.”
    Anderson couldn’t even smile, couldn’t crack a joke, couldn’t hardly breathe.
    Alpha was no laughing matter.

Chapter 4
    Oxygen Warning
     
     
    Six Years Later
     
    A NDERSON ’ S head hurt, and he moaned a little as he rolled out of bed.
    They’d done it again.
    Alpha’s warm body moved next to him, and one leanly muscled arm barely missed throwing itself around Anderson’s middle. Anderson dodged the arm but didn’t dodge the bony hand as it clasped tightly around his wrist.
    “You’re going to be okay, you know that, right?”
    Anderson looked away from those intense blue eyes and barely restrained himself from rubbing the bruises on his