The Merciless Alpha(erotica)

Meghan’s POV

I walked in to talk to the admissions people in the emergency room, leaving my contact information and a request to be updated by the attending when Mia’s scans were done. I told her I was starved and missed lunch, so she told me of a local place I hadn’t tried yet. As soon as I mentioned the name, Snake was down with it.

We parked a block away from OMC Smokehouse, and as soon as I smelled the wood smoke I was hungry. With all the werewolves around, barbecue pork was a staple at the Clubhouse, and we ate a lot of it. Twenty minutes later, the two of us were digging in to a sampler with brisket, pulled pork and ribs.

Tasty.

The sides were good as well, they had fries made with duck fat (amazeballs) and a potato salad made with bacon and blue cheese. Snake was in heaven, trying all the new flavors and getting ideas for his own dishes. The food and beer relaxed us both, and when my phone went off an hour later it surprised me a little.

I answered the phone and talked briefly with the ER attending. It was good news, the MRI showed no breaks or brain injuries, and her shoulder was severely bruised, but nothing broken. He said they were keeping her overnight for observation because she had signs of a concussion. All in all, for a woman who slid at speed into a guardrail, she had come out relatively unscathed.

Snake’s body visibly relaxed as I gave him the news. He had it bad; for a woman he’d barely met, he felt a real pull to her. “Can we swing by the hospital and see her before we get hotel rooms,” he asked.

“I don’t see why not. Abaddon followed the wrecker to the Harley dealer, he said he’d bring her stuff to her tonight.”

His eyes lit up, and he waved the waitress over and placed a to-go order, a spread at least as big as the one we just finished. “I’m sure she’s hungry, and Abaddon won’t have eaten,” he said. “Getting the sample means I’m more likely to find something she likes.”

“You just met this woman at the accident scene,” I told him. “What if she isn’t interested?”

He took my hand. “She knows you, if you put in a good word for me it won’t seem so creepy when I ask her out,” I said. I just rolled my eyes. “Come on, you’re the one who was pushing me to date again. Sure, the circumstances of our meeting aren’t ideal, but the LAST time I met someone at an accident site we ended up married, so how bad an idea could it be?”

“FINE,” I said, “I’ll talk to her and introduce you, but then you’re on your own. If you get all creepy and stalker-ish, she’s going to bail and I’ll have to kick your ass,” I said.

“I’ll behave,” he promised. We finished our drinks and waited for the big bag of to-go to arrive, and Snake paid the rather large bill. I felt like I was waddling back to the rig, we’d eaten so much, and I let out a very un-lady-like belch when I sat back in the seat. He just laughed at me and put it in gear.

We went to the main hospital, and I checked in at the desk and got her room number. Snake took the food up the waiting room, noses following him as he went, while I went to the nurse’s station. Showing them my identification, I reviewed her chart then walked down the hall to her room. She was sitting up in bed, Sportscenter on the television, and she was picking at a plate of dinner that she’d barely touched. I knocked on the door and her face lit up as she recognized me. “Doctor Meghan!”

I walked over and she pulled me into a quick hug with her left arm, her right was in a sling to keep the strain off the shoulder. “I’m glad to see the tests turned out well, you gave us a real scare back there.”

“I was lucky, and even luckier you guys were right behind me,” she said. “My Doctor says that I’ll be released in the morning if there aren’t any significant concussion symptoms.”

“It’s a great outcome, and you can thank your gear for that. Your helmet saved your life.”

Her eyes misted over a little, she knew how close she had come. “I know.” She looked past me to the doorway. “Where’s your partner? He’s so hot, please tell me you’re not together.”

I just laughed. “No, I’ve known him since I was a baby. He’s been in the motorcycle club I grew up in, he runs the Clubhouse kitchen. He could be a chef on his own, but he likes working there,” I told her. I could see her interest flash as she found out what he did. “He is single, he was widowed eighteen years ago when their daughter was just a baby. It’s taken him a long time to get over it, but now that his daughter is getting serious with a man, he’s thinking about dating again. He’s a really good man, he deserves to be happy.”

She was thinking about it. “Why do you call him Snake?”

Panic. Sheer panic. “Umm… he likes snakes, he has a huge tattoo of one on his back.” Quick, change subject. “I know he’s interested in you, he was grilling me about you over dinner.”

“Barbecue?”

“Yes, how’d you know?”

“You smell like it and you still have a little sauce on your face.” She looked down at her ‘meal.’ “I’d rather starve than eat this cardboard.”

“Well, I’ll see what I can do. I need to get going, but would you mind if Snake came and visited you for a bit?”

“PLEASE. Just don’t tell him what I said about him,” she said as she blushed. “I’m just glad he’s been out of the dating pool, I’ve been out just as long. Fifteen years of marriage down the tubes because he can’t stop banging waitresses behind my back.”

“I’ll send him in. Good luck, Mia. If you have any questions, here’s my card. Maybe we can go riding sometime, I can show you some of the routes I like around here.” She took the card with a smile, and I walked out and down the hall. “You’re up, Snake. And bringing barbecue… let’s just say it’s the best idea you’ve had since Island Nights at the Clubhouse.”

He gave me a quick hug. “Do you need a ride to the hotel?”

“I’ll wait for Abaddon, he can give me a ride. I want to see if my friend is working tonight. Have him text me when he’s ready to go, I’ll be in the doctor’s lounge.” With that, I left him, giggling a little at how nervous he was. He looked like a high school kid getting ready to ask a girl to Prom.

Snake’s POV

I grabbed the bag of food and walked down the hall to her room; the door was part open, so I knocked on it. “Mia?”

She smiled when she saw me, and she was practically bouncing when she saw and smelled what I was carrying. “Snake! You brought me food?”

“I figured you’d like something other than hospital fare, and Abaddon is coming here from the Harley dealer. Whatever you don’t want, I’m sure he will eat.”

“Thank you, Snake. You guys are lifesavers, really.”

I just blushed a little. “It’s my pleasure. Doc owns a medical transport company, I just drive to help her out once in a while. My wife was a doctor, so I’ve been around hospitals for a long time. I just can’t call what they serve ‘food,’ it offends my sensibilities.” I cleared off her bed table and used the desk in the room to lay out the spread. Since she had to stay in bed and could only use her non-dominant hand, I told her what the options were and made her a plate. I was happy to find out that not only was she not one of these salad-eating chicks, she liked her food. There wasn’t a whole lot of conversation as she tucked into her meal, just quick comments about the flavors and what she liked and didn’t like.

She was just finishing up when there was a knock on the door. “Abaddon?”Còntens bel0ngs to Nô(v)elDr/a/ma.Org

“I am,” he said as he came in. He was holding a backpack with a few things in it. “So, the news isn’t very good. This is what I was able to save out of your saddlebags,” he said.

“Thank God, they cut all my clothes and riding gear off of me when I got here,” she said. “I told them I’d take them off but the wouldn’t let me move. At least now I have underwear, jeans and a shirt,” she said.

“As for the bike, I’d say it’s totaled, but you’ll have to wait for the insurance claim. The dealer will get an estimate for repairs tomorrow.”

I felt for her, having your pride and joy totaled just sucked. “It was only two months old,” she said as tears started to form.

“I’m sorry. Have you seen Meghan? We need to go.”

“Wait, have you eaten?” Mia gestured towards the food boxes. “We’re done, and there’s lots left over.”

“Thank you,” he said. I helped him put everything back in the bag.

“Meghan’s in the doctor’s lounge, she said to text her when you’re ready,” I told him.

“I’ll get out of your way,” he whispered to me. “Mia, it was a pleasure meeting you, I’m glad you came through this so well. Maybe we’ll see each other again?”

“I’d like that,” she said. “Meghan already invited me to ride with her sometime, at least when I can ride again.” She gave the big guy a quick hug, and then turned back to me when he left. “I’m so glad you guys were there for me, you’ve done so much,” she said.

“Hey, we’re not even charging you,” I said. “Meghan said it’s too much paperwork.”

She smiled at that. “So, what happens now?”

I pulled my chair a little closer to her, reaching for her hand which she allowed me to take. “As crazy as it sounds, I’d like to get to know you better.” I gave her a little squeeze. “When I first saw you, I thought you were amazing. The smile on your face, your hair flying in the wind, there was something about you. When I first looked into your eyes, I saw something I wanted to be close to. Nothing that I have seen or felt since then has changed that.”

“I don’t even know you,” she said.

“I’d like to change that,” I said. “I have a few days free, and I’ll have my motorcycle here tonight. Let me show you around for a while. Give me, give us a chance.” I looked at her hand. “I’m sorry, I haven’t done this for a while. A long while.”

“Meghan told me your wife died when your daughter was a baby.” I nodded. “Tell me about her?”

I did. I told her about Vivian and Eve, about the club, my love of riding, and my cooking. She talked of her divorce, her restaurant, and her plans for the future. With every passing moment, I could feel I had a chance at love again.