Grace unwrapped herself from Brodie, all but springing backward in fact, one hand flying to her mouth, the other to the front of her shirt. She stumbled, her knees like jelly, and would have probably fallen if Brodie hadn’t moved immediately toward her. He took her gently by the elbows, pulling her to him, then shifted her behind him as he turned toward their surprise visitor. That his instincts had been immediately to assist and protect, to shield her from this sudden intrusion, did absolutely nothing to help her regain her equilibrium. Every one of her X chromosomes all but quivered in response to his XY alpha display. As if she hadn’t gotten enough alpha from him already. That was the single most carnal thing she’d ever experienced. And that included actual sex. Holy . . . wow. “Langston,” she finally managed to rasp out. Putting her hand on Brodie’s shoulder, she moved next to him. “It’s okay. He’s a friend.” Still feeling wildly out of sync with the sudden change of events, she took a short, steadying breath and turned to look at her dear friend, mentor, and architect.
