Alpha’s Badass Mate novel

---- Ashly throws fries at her mate, which makes both Alex and Admon burst into laughter. After teasing Ashly enough, both son and father start eating. The food was simple -soup and fried rice-but Alex couldn't help but notice that his own bowl had what seemed to be a generous helping of chilis in it. He glanced up at Ashly, who glanced back with a mischievous smile. With exaggerated apprehension , Alex scooped up a very small bite and tried it. It was surprisingly good.

Very, very spicy, but otherwise good. And there were actually vegetables in it too, he discovered , though they were hard to taste beneath the overwhelming burn of the chilis. He wasn't actually sure he would have any taste buds left when he finished. "At least you didn't put any chilis in the Adom portion ," Alex said, teasing. Which made Adom nod his head. Ashly scoffed at him. "Of course not," she said imperiously.

''He's seven." They lapsed back into silence, Ashly returning to the letters as she ate. It was nice. Alex thought he could get used to this by eating with Ashly and Adom every day. His breath caught when he realized that he could, that he was allowed to have this, to have them. He ---- wasn't going to cry. He wasn't. It was just that, all of a sudden, he understood how Ashly had felt earlier. "Hey," Ashly said, still looking down at the phone. "Is your sister okay?" "Hm?

Yeah, she is; he got the same symptom as his mother , but she is fine,"" Alex said. And then he had an abrupt revelation and asked, "Can I show youa picture really quick?" Ashly obligingly handed over his phone, and Alex pulled up a photo and handed it back. "Here she is, with her husband and son." "Alex-" Ashly bit out. Alex nodded at the phone. "I want you to know about them; they know about you too," he asked patiently. Ashly looked down at the picture and then rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, I know more." "That's Sammy. My stepsister," Alex repeated. "Oh," Ashly said. Her eyes went wide, and she looked at the picture again, studying it more carefully this time. "Your stepsister?" "Mm." "Well then," Ashly said. "T also want my own stepsister , Dad," Adom requests to Alex, which makes both Alex and Ashly shut their ---- mouths. They lapsed back into silence, except for the clinking of spoons against bowls and Adom's occasional request for help.

It wasn't until they were finished eating and had started clearing the dishes that Alex said, "I'm sorry. For thinking you would do that to me. I even talk bad about our own son." Ashly shook her head. "I'm sorry I didn't make things clear sooner." She looked down at Adom, who was carefully stacking his own bowls, and Alex then looked back up at Ashly. "I'm sorry you had to raise him alone. I am sorry I am not here when you are in pain." Ashly's eyes were suspiciously shiny.

She huffed a little and then visibly decided to make a joke out of it, saying, "You're right. Adom, what do you say we let Dad take care of the dishes today? He has seven years to make up for." "Okay, okay," Alex said, laughing. He got a kiss from Ashly as she passed to collect Adom from his chair, so it was worth it. Alex would gladly do the dishes every day for the rest of his life, as long as Ashly was beside him.

---- That night, after they'd put Adom to bed, there had been endless requests for Alex-'"Can Dad read my story?"; "Can Dad sing to me?" "Can I have two goodnight kisses from Dad?" Ashly had been very annoyed. She'd crossed her arms over her chest and huffed dramatically , Now that you've got Dad, you don't need your beautiful mom anymore?" After she'd been given a second goodnight kiss as well, which seemed to appease her, Alex crawled into bed with Ashly and gave her his own goodnight kiss.

Alex was warm and solid against her and smelled so strongly of mint and pine and love-love-love that Ashly was almost dizzy with it. Her hands slid up Alex's bare back and dug into his shoulder blades. Alex kissed the beauty mark beneath Ashly's lips, then the one on the side of her nose, and the line of them like a constellation along her jaw. Ashly smiled at him, crooked teeth exposed. Alex kissed that beloved mouth, first the upper lip, then the lower.

Then both of them together, Ashly kissing back, tugging Alex down against her. Ashly moaned softly and arched up, spreading her legs to make space for Alex between them. Their hips met, and their bodies rubbed together. Alex's breath hitched , and he bit his lip, turning to nose at Ashly's ear and the side of her neck. Alex snapped the waistband of Ashly's shorts and