An Alpha's Storm (Water Bear Shifters 1) by Sloane Meyers Read Free Book Online

nodded.
    “Good. So am I. Would you like to come to a military ball with me?”
    Aubrey smiled, and nodded again. “Okay,” she said. “As long as you understand I’m not making any long term promises.”
    “Deal,” Brett said, then pulled his cell phone out of his shorts’ pocket. “Now, how about that phone number I was asking for?”
    Aubrey smiled, and gave him her number. The military ball did sound intriguing, and she could use a night of fun. Most of the time, she was so exhausted by the time she finished work that she spent her nights off parked in front of the television, streaming old sitcoms on Netflix. It would be nice to switch things up. If nothing else, she’d get to spend another evening hanging out with the Coast Guard hottie who had saved her life. Not too bad of deal.
    Brett took her number, and then said he had to take off for dinner plans with his buddies. Aubrey watched him walking away across the beach, his calf muscles flexing easily as they passed over the uneven, soft sand. His broad shoulders and toned ass made him just as pleasing to look at from the back as from the front.
    She could hardly wait to see what his sexy body looked like in a military dress uniform.

Chapter Five
     
    “Just a minute,” Aubrey’s voice called from behind the door.
    Brett was standing nervously on Aubrey’s small front porch, sweating a bit in his dress blues. He was beginning to think that he had been out of his mind to ask Aubrey to the ball with him. He had decided, even after her disappointingly neutral reaction to his kiss, that he wanted a chance to date her. He had tracked her down near the marine biology department of the university where she worked, and, boy, had he been glad he did. The sight of her coming out of the water had been a vision to behold. Her reddish brown hair, a mess of wet curls from her ocean swim, had been lit from behind with the blazing light of the afternoon sun. Her wetsuit had clung tightly to her skin, giving him a clear view of her beautiful, generous curves. He loved the rounded edges of her body, and he loved that she was perfectly comfortable in her own skin. She had no qualms about standing right in front of him in her tight wetsuit. She made no attempts to cover her stomach by crossing her arms, like so many women he had met out on these beaches. Aubrey knew her figure was on display, and she didn’t even flinch. She didn’t need his approval, or anyone else’s. Which had only made Brett more desperate to convince her to come to the ball with him.
    But now that he was standing outside her front door, he was beginning to worry about what his fellow alphas would say. He’d told them at dinner about what happened with Michelle, and they’d been sympathetic. But they’d also told him that this was why they never dated. The life they led was too dangerous and unpredictable for a relationship to fit well into it. Brett had decided not to mention that he was bringing a new girl to the ball, and he knew that there would be several raised eyebrows when he walked in with Aubrey.
    He knew the guys were right about the unpredictability of their lives. Aubrey even knew they were right—she had already brought up concerns about their work schedules, and they hadn’t even been on an official date yet. But, what was he supposed to do? Spend his whole life alone, because he couldn’t always guarantee that he’d be home on a Friday night? Surely, there must be a girl out there willing to deal with that.
    Brett sighed again. Sure, there were a few girls willing to deal with that. But finding a girl who could handle his schedule and handle his bear was another story. He knew it was going to be difficult, but he had to try. Aubrey seemed levelheaded, and she understood what it meant to have a crazy schedule. Maybe she could be patient enough with him to not run in the other direction the first time he had to unexpectedly cancel plans due to work. And maybe he could convince her