Alpha Male Incorporated: Take Control by Marie Rochelle

and there stood Thorsten behind her, looking big and powerful. She had to admit the air of self-confidence surrounding him in a crowd was sort of attractive.
    Taking her eyes off his body, her gaze locked with his and the devilish gleam shining there. “Mr. Irizarry, what are you doing here? I thought a playboy like you didn’t roll out of bed until after the sun had gone down and your usual hangover was gone,” she tossed back.
    Instead of getting angry like she expected, Thorsten laughed at her. The warm, deep richness of the sound surprised her. “Raya, can’t you ever greet me with a smile and a kind word? You treat me like we are enemies instead of friends.”
    The nerve of him! He wasn’t her friend and they both knew it.
    “When did I ever admit to being friends with you? We haven’t been around each other enough to even be acquaintances.”
    A light breeze blew around them, making a lock of Thorsten’s well-groomed, dark hair fall forward on his forehead. The tantalizing smell of his aftershave somehow captured her attention more than it had before. She tried to look away from him, but couldn’t.
    “How can you tell me that with a straight face?” Thorsten questioned. “You know it isn’t true. I know a lot about you. Sahara loves bragging about her best friend to anyone who will listen.”
    She felt his hand brush her hair away from her neck before his fingers slid sensuously over her bare arm. Raya started to move away but was halted by an iron grip on her wrist.
    “Where are you going?”
    “I need to leave. I have other things to do today. I can’t spend all day at the farmers market. You know how it is when you’re busy with other things in your life.” She had to get away from Thorsten because being this close to him was bothering her for some reason.
    “Since your schedule is free today why don’t you spend it with me?” he suggested, pulling her closer to him. “I’m free myself and I think we need to clear the air between us. We didn’t get off to the best start. I mean, most women are able to handle my conceit. I didn’t know you wouldn’t be able to, which is okay. I can tone it down for someone like you.”
    Insulted, Raya jerked her wrist away from Thorsten. For a minute, he almost came across like a civil guy. He almost fooled her but not quite. “What do you mean, someone like me? Are you talking about a smart woman who can hold an intelligent conversation for longer than five minutes without using the word like twenty times?”
    In a defensive gesture, Thorsten folded his arms across his wide, muscular chest. He may not have bulk on his body similar to his cousins, but he was fit all the same. “Are you implying I only date airheads and can’t handle a woman of your education?” he demanded, staring down at her.
    “If the ego fits,” Raya snapped, then brushed past him and blended into the passing crowd before he could find a way to stop her.
    Moving through the other shoppers, she headed for the strawberry stand she noticed off to the side when she was walking around earlier looking for cauliflower. She hoped they were fresh enough to make strawberry shortcake for tonight. She wasn’t a huge sweets person, but her mother had taught her a recipe that was to die for.
    When she was taking home economics in high school, it had gotten her an A for the class and the talk of school for an entire two weeks. The main thing that made it so good was the fresh strawberries—not canned or frozen, but fresh. Something about them being cut up and added to dessert made everything taste more scrumptious.
    As she continued her way towards the opposite side of the farmers market, Raya nodded at a few familiar faces. Most people around here interacted pretty well with each other, particularly when it came to telling each other about the best stands to visit for the perfect fruits and vegetables. She was halfway there when suddenly a hand reached out and pulled her behind an empty stand