Happily Ever Alpha: Until Nox (Kindle Worlds) (Hyde Series Book 3)
Text copyright ©2018 by the Author.
This work was made possible by a special license through the Kindle Worlds publishing program and has not necessarily been reviewed by Aurora Rose Reynolds. All characters, scenes, events, plots and related elements appearing in the original Happily Ever Alpha remain the exclusive copyrighted and/or trademarked property of Aurora Rose Reynolds, or their affiliates or licensors.
For more information on Kindle Worlds: http://www.amazon.com/kindleworlds
Table of Contents
Until Nox
Kindle Worlds Titles
Other Books by Layla Frost
From the Pervy mind of the Author…
Dedicated to ARR
A note from Aurora Rose Reynolds
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Epilogue
About the Author
Connect with Layla Frost
KINDLE WORLDS TITLES
Happily Ever Alpha Kindle World is based on the bestselling Until Series by Aurora Rose Reynolds.
Every book is a stand-alone. There is no reading order.
Until You’re Mine by Jenika Snow
Until More by S. Van Horne
Until Nox by Layla Frost
Until We Meet Again by K.D. Robichaux
Until Avery by Brynne Asher
Until Arsen by K.L. Donn
Until Leo by Rochelle Paige
Until The Summer by Elle Jefferson
Until Kayla by CC Monroe
Until You by Samantha Lind
Until Sunrise by Sarah O’Rourke
Until Brandon by Natasha Madison
Until I Saw You by Jordan Marie
Until Mallory by Ella Fox
Until Susan by C.P. Smith
Until Rayne by Elle Christensen
OTHER BOOKS BY LAYLA FROST
The Hyde Series
Hyde and Seek
Best Kase Scenario
The Amato Series
With Us
Others
Passion, Vows & Babies: Do Not Disturb (Kindle Worlds Novella)
FROM THE PERVY MIND OF THE AUTHOR…
I’m keeping this shit short because I’m *holds hand up with thumb and index finger almost touching* this close to reaching my word limit.
Thanks to Brynne Asher and Sarah Curtis for literally everything. May the streak always continue, and all hail princess Zoe!
Gi, Laurie, Lindsay, Penny, Sarah, Tonya… Thank you! Your feedback is invaluable, and your friendship is priceless.
My mister… You give me iced coffee and good dick, but not necessarily in that order. You’re my rock, and I’d be a mess without you. I’m already messy with you, so imagine how bad it would be. *shudder* I love you whole bunches.
Artistic thanks to CP Smith for the beautiful formatting, Dark Water Covers for the sexiest cover I’ve ever seen, and Amber “Ball” Sachs for the gorgeous teasers.
To the authors, bloggers, readers… I’m in awe. This community comes together like no other, loving and supporting each other. We’re not in competition… we’re a motherfucking team. Thank you for including me in something so beautiful.
And, most importantly, thanks to my Naughty Cupcakes… Miraculously, I managed to decipher your subtle hints about wanting more Hyde Series. I wasn’t sure if I could pull this story off in a novella, but I wanted to try for you all. Thank you for encouraging me. Pushing me. Bribing me with booze, coffee, and penis-related funnies. I hope you love Killian and Gus as much as I do.
DEDICATED TO ARR
Your books are filled with beautiful words. You’re filled with a beautiful heart and soul. Thank you for loaning your characters and world to us for a little while. This was an honor I’ll never forget.
A NOTE FROM AURORA ROSE REYNOLDS
Dear Readers,
Welcome to the Happily Ever Alpha Kindle World.
I personally chose each author participating in the Happily Ever Alpha Kindle World because I love their books, and the way they tell a story. That said, this book is entirely the work of the author who wrote it, and I didn’t have any part in the process of writing the story.
Enjoy the BOOM!
Xoxo
Aurora Rose Reynolds
CHAPTER ONE
BEAST AT MY BACK
GUS
THIS IS GOOD.
This is the right choice.
I’m totally not making the world’s most epic mistake.
Rolling my eyes, I juggled the box I held as I used my hip to close my car door.
Nerves were to be expected, given I was moving into a new place. That alone would be stressful enough, so it made sense I was extra freaked since I’d be sharing said new place with a man.
A freakin’ man—and my boyfriend-ish one to boot.
Blake Hunt and I had been seeing each other for two months. Boston born and bred, he was all about the fast lane. My southern speed, however, was far slower. So, while I hadn’t disagreed when he’d begun referring to me as his girlfriend, I also hadn’t been on the same level yet.
Of course, since I was about to move in with him—albeit temporarily—I guessed it was time for me to start using labels.
My stomach knotted as I moved the box to my hip and punched in the passcode for the main entrance. After getting the flashing red light twice, I tried to remember where I’d put the paper he’d written the code on. I had the perfect visual of me cockily crumbling it and tossing it in my garbage, sure I had it memorized. Even with the red error light taunting me, my ego and I were surprised I was wrong. Numbers were my thing.
Before I could press his doorbell, another resident opened the door, his fluffy dog bouncing around his feet. “7A?”
I leaned down to tentatively pet his pup. “Yup.”
“The system has been acting up.” He held the door for me, his expression a forced stern. “Don’t tell anyone I’m such a rule breaker.”
I returned his somber tone. “Your secret’s safe with me.”
Drumming on the side of the box, I headed for the elevator, taking it to the seventh floor.
This’ll work out. It’s the only practical thing to do.
I snorted at the thought. Practicality had no place in relationships, and even my analytical mind couldn’t change that.
Besides, it was time I started being a little wilder. I needed to stop living as though I were still in Tennessee, trying my hardest to not bring shame to my poor meema.
Boston was a big city, and no one cared whether I skipped church, stayed out all night, or moved in with a boy before we were married.
No one was watching what I did.
It was liberating, so I couldn’t understand why I was so freaked about living in a posh apartment with a hotshot—and simply hot—lawyer. I should’ve been celebrating. There was a slip of barely-there fabric in one of my bags to wear when we did just that.
When the elevator doors slid open, I had the craziest urge to ride back down to the lobby.
And what? Live in your car?
Remembering the alternative, I walked to his apartment.
Our apartment, at least for a while.
I wedged the box between the door jamb and my hip as I dug into my pocket for the key he’d given me. Coming up empty, I dropped my head back and tried not to channel Meema, who’d take each coincidence as a sign.
The door opened mere seconds later.
Only it wasn’t Blake on the other side. Not unless he’d grown some nice boobs since I’d last seen him.
Leaning to the side, I looked around the woman to peer in. Each floor only had two apartments, and I was standing in front of A, but I still held out hope that I’d gotten off on the wrong level and knocked on some glamorous stranger’s door.
I hadn’t.
From my vantage point, I could see the short hallway that opened into Blake’s giant living room. His massive TV hung on the wall between floor to ceiling windows, his L-shaped couch positioned in front of it.
“May I help you?” the knockout asked when my staring and silence had long since stretched into creepy territory.
“May you help me?” I repeated back, her flinch informing me I was much louder than I’d intended. I couldn’t seem to force my voice any quieter as I continued. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”
There was a thump, followed by another louder one, and then a door slamming. Blake hurried into view, nearly knocking over a lamp. “I can explain.”
Quirking a brow, I scanned the model-esque beauty who was wearing one of Blake’s dress shirts. Switching my gaze to him, I saw he’d pulled on slacks, but the button was undone, and he wasn’t wearing underwear. His hair was mussed, and there was hooker-red lipstick smudged on his face and chest.
My lip curled in disgust. “You’re such a cliché. I mean, this is bad enough, but did you have to be so hackneyed about it?”
The woman backed away, scurrying to the bedroom.
Blake didn’t even glance at her as she passed. “Look, I fucked up.”
My laugh was bitter. “Ya think?”
“I’m not going to try to deny it, but—”
“Well, I appreciate the fact you know I’m not stupid enough to believe a lie when the truth is literally thrown in my face.”
“Come in, and I’ll explain.”
Shaking my head, I wondered if he thought I was that pliable. “Not happening.”
He ran his palm down his face. His voice was soft as he pleaded, “Hear me out.”
My jaw clenched so hard, I worried my teeth would shatter. “There’s literally not a single thing you could say to make this better.”
The woman came back into the room dressed in her own clothes. Since that meant seductive heels, a little black dress, and a face that looked fresh and not like a wet racoon, I almost preferred the other outfit. Oversized shirts on women were inherently sexy, so I could’ve pretended her appeal was from that. In her real outfit, and the way she strutted easily in her heels—no knobby-kneed-newborn-doe walk for her—I had to face the fact she really was as flawless as she’d first appeared.
Bless her heart.
My self-esteem was not low. I didn’t quiver before the wondrous and handsome lawyer, wondering why he’d chosen little ol’ me.
Yet, in the face of her statuesque beauty—her tall and lithe form sensuous even as she hurried toward the exit—I suddenly found myself feeling as though I were lacking. Like I was still a backwoods girl in a metropolitan world.
And that hurt.
Which, in turn, made me extra pissed.
“You’re such a dick,” I hissed. “A cliché and boring dick.”
Blake’s eyes narrowed at my insult. Not the dick part—I knew he wore that personality trait like a badge of honor. As a lawyer, being a dick got him ahead. It was the boring part that ticked him off.
The woman grabbed her coat and was rushing around, looking for something else. She muttered to herself, growing more frazzled before apparently spotting what she was searching for. Bending, she picked up her purse and looked toward the door. Her eyes went past me and widened before she dropped the bag, its contents spilling out.
“For fuck’s sake,” Blake growled.
I glanced over my shoulder to see what’d startled the woman before doing a double take.
Leaning in the doorway of the opposite apartment, a man—no, a beast—was watching the show. His arms were folded over his wide chest, his legs crossed at the ankle. He was, by far, the largest man I’d ever seen in my life. A mess of thick, dark auburn hair covered his head, the strands reaching the collar of his tee. His beard, a lighter auburn, was also overgrown. It wasn’t a ‘pube beard’, all stringy and sparse. Thick and full, it was well-maintained.
It also semi-hid his lips, which I belatedly noticed had formed into a small smirk at my in-depth inspection.
My eyes widened, and I whipped back around. I was pretty sure I heard a quiet chuckle from the peanut gallery behind me, but I ignored it. It was embarrassing enough having an audience witness my soap opera style disaster, knowing he was laughing at me was something I couldn’t deal with at that point.
“Do you mind?” Blake asked, speaking to the beast.
“Nah,” the man said, though he didn’t move from his spot.
Blake waited a long moment before giving up and focusing on me. “Last night was a mistake. I get that.”
The woman, who’d shoved her belongings back into her purse, stood and headed toward me. “I’m sorry,” she muttered with her head down.
“Wait.” I blocked the doorway as best as my small frame could. “Was he drunk?”
She shook her head and turned to glare at him. “We had a drink together, but he didn’t finish before we came back here and…” Her words trailed off, not needing to spell it out.
“Right. No hit to the head?”
“Not that I saw.”
“So, short of him claiming that he slipped and fell into your vagina, then was so scared by it, he started shaking around, there’s really no excuse he’ll be able to provide?”
Her head jerked back at my words, her brows lowering even as her lips quirked up. “No.”
“Right. Okay.” I stepped aside so she could go, fighting the urge to follow along with her.
That would’ve been letting Blake off the hook too easily.
He ran his palm down his face again, an obvious tell he had when he knew he was wrong.
I should email that fact to the other attorneys in the state of Massachusetts.
“Come in and we’ll talk this out.” Turning on the charm, with a healthy bit of smug, Blake tilted his head. “We’ll unpack your car, order in breakfast, and get this figured out since you have nowhere else to go.”
My stomach sank at his words because they were true. I’d milked my time in my old apartment for as long as I could, but I hadn’t been able to get another extension.
As of that morning, I was officially homeless.
But even that didn’t make me stupid.
I rolled my eyes. “You’re out of your mind if you think I’m still going to stay with you.” I jerked my thumb behind me toward the beast. “I’d rather move in with him.”
“Aye,” the deep voice rumbled behind me. “You should, lass.”
Glancing over, I got momentarily lost in the thick accent that laced his words. When what he’d said sank in, I offered him a small smile for backing me up before shifting to scowl at Blake. “See? I’ve got options, and you won’t have to lie to anyone about where you’re going.”
“I did go out last night with the guys,” Blake asserted, “but while we were at the bar, she came on to me.”
“Then you should’ve told her no!” I shouted, throwing my free arm out. “It’s easy. ‘Would you like some pussy?’” I lowered my voice to sound like a man. “‘No thanks, I’m on a pussy diet.’ Bam! Done.”
There was a definite chuckle behind me.
“It’s been two months,” Blake said, his tone almost whiny. “Men aren’t made to go that long.”
“Are you serious?” Glaring at him, I snarled, “No. Are you fucking serious? Two months isn’t a lifetime. Jerk it like a normal person.”
“It’s—”
Then, like some sort of mad woman, I impulsively whipped
around to the beast and asked, “You could make it two months with only your hand, right?”
Something changed in his expression as he gruffly answered, “Aye.”
A quick burst of that visual popped into my head. It, along with the way he looked at me and his accented voice, were enough to make my brain go fuzzy. My voice was airy as I said, “See? It’s possible.”
“I know it was dumb,” Blake said. “The guys found out we hadn’t—”
“How?”
“How what?”
I spoke slowly because, for a book-smart man, he was an idiot. “How’d they find out? It’s not like it’s stamped on your forehead.”
He cringed as he shrugged. “It came up in conversation, and I told them.” Puffing his chest out, he seemed proud of himself when he added, “At least I didn’t lie by bragging and saying we’ve had sex.”
“No, you whined like an entitled prick.”
Ignoring my insult, he continued his attempt at a justification. “They were saying you were stringing me along. That a woman doesn’t make a man wait that long unless she’s after his money. I started buying into it.”
“Well, now you don’t have to worry. Install a fucking revolving door to accommodate your Macy’s Parade-sized line of women for all I care.” The hold on my temper was long gone, as was my filter. “But just know, none of them will ever suck or ride your dick as fucking magically as I would’ve.”
It wasn’t necessarily true, but I could tell by the way his face fell, the blow did the damage I’d wanted.
He looked forlorn. “I know I fucked up, okay? With you moving in, it was one last fling before we settled down. She was supposed to be gone before you got here.”
I quirked a brow. “That doesn’t make it better. That makes you an extra-big idiot, as well as a scuzzbag, for having a one-night stand in your own home the night before someone was supposed to move in.”
“We can make it—”
“No, we can’t.” Suddenly exhausted and over the whole damn thing, I gripped my box tighter to stop myself from throwing it at his stupid head. “Don’t call me again.”