The Alpha's Desire 3 Read Online Free PDF Page B

it did around Lex, but differently. With Lex, it sparked, burned in jagged arcs in the pit of my stomach, as if fueled by my emotions maybe, and some by the magic granted to him to turn into a wolf, it having been given by one of my relatives. With Vivian, though, it burned steady and stronger, more all-consuming, from the inside out. It gave us some sort of instant bond I’d never known before with any stranger, related or not. 
     
    I mean, at each of my parents’ funerals, relatives that were virtual strangers, third cousin this, and aunt twice removed that, had come out of the woodwork to pay their condolences, then never to be heard from again. Made me wonder which of my mother’s relatives also had this dormant power I had, in them unknown, not showing itself. Regardless, I’d never made any immediate connections, had barely felt like family. Though, those were not my best moments. I’d not been thinking of anyone or anything outside of my grief.
     
    “Hey,” Lex said, his hand grabbing up mine, kissing the back of it before pulling it tight to his chest. “Where did your mind go off to? You raised my canine sensors that something was wrong.”
     
    “Sorry. Was thinking about family, and well, that took an unexpected turn toward losing my parents and all the family that came out then. Sorry. Can’t seem to control these raging thoughts of mine today. Of course, truth be told, that’s not much different than any other day aside from subject matter.”
     
    “It’s okay, love. You have a lot on your plate, and an over-active mind, not to mention imagination, that I love.”
     
    I smiled that I loved him back, unsure in this company if I should say ‘I love you’, when he’d not said exactly that. But, it had brought it to my mind, and I wanted him to know, so I softened my eyes and gave him my warmest smile, which he returned in a toe-curling fashion only a man with his looks could pull off so easily, with so little effort on his part but to be himself.
     
    “Thanks for the reassurances, Vivian,” I said, giving a half smile, half grimace, not quite sure how to state that she had not answered my question. At least she was no longer looking back at me. I knew I should just sit back like an adult and let it go, but I couldn’t stop my mouth from moving. “So, estimated time of arrival then?”
     
    “Oh, right. Sorry. And, I am sorry to report that we are only about half way there. We are driving all the way to the airport with the private plane. We feel it attracts less attention. Our private airport is just that. Private. It doesn’t accept any other flights other than our plane. We have the one large hanger, and only one runway, way out in the middle of nowhere, of course. It is a scenic drive, however,” Vivian offered. She’d glanced back my way before turning back around to look out the front window.
     
    “And, out in the middle of nowhere means that we will get off the highway and take more rural roads with very little traffic, so we can go a little faster than the set speed limit and make up some time,” Riker added as he easily maneuvered the large vehicle around a semi and picked back up some speed. “Our exit is just a fourth of a mile up the road. There’s the sign for it.”
     
    I read the sign for a city and road I’d never heard of. I’d not paid much attention to where we were going as we’d driven all morning, but I had at least noticed that at some point we’d entered Pennsylvania. We’d already stopped twice for restrooms, snacks, and coffee in the past six hours, according to my watch that I’d looked at way too many times. Trying to force myself to watch more of what most called God’s Country go by out the window, I should have been lulled to sleep by the endless green. The scenery was lush and radiant, as the last of all the rain we’d had recently had succumbed to the sun-filled skies growing back everything green, teasing us with tiny blooms that held the