UNTOUCHED (Midwest Alphas) (Book 1) Read Online Free

of my life and I can’t imagine for a second why anyone would choose this life. Maybe I’m just a city kid, but why someone would embrace this over a life of ease and convenience is beyond me.
    I reach the second floor bathroom and push the door open.
    “Oh!” I yelp in surprise.
    Tobias looks back at me as my eyes glide down his bare body. He’s fit and firm, with muscles poking out of his skin at every angle, along with a slew of tattoos covering his body and arms. A towel sits limply around his waist, barely hanging on. He quickly grips it tight to keep it from tumbling down.
    My eyes fall to the bruises.
    They cover his abdomen with a thick, purple color, traveling from his pecks down to his belly button, spaced out like random paint splatter. His ribs seem to have taken the brunt of it with fresh, red marks staining his white skin.
    “Oh, shit!” I cry out and slap my hand over my eyes. “Sorry — Fuck . I’m sorry.” My fingers slip from the doorknob. I reach out to find it again, but I miss it repeatedly. I peek out from behind my hand to find it, but I instantly look at his toned and crushed body again. “Sorry—” I say again as I grab the door handle and pull the bathroom door closed.
    I jump back and rush down the hall to my room.

Chapter 3
    Factory Equipment
     
    The nearest bit of civilization is fifteen miles away in a small town just outside of Rolla. I didn’t catch the name of it, nor do I really care to.
    Charlie drives me around the tiny town, pointing out landmarks and shops and whatever else can be qualified as “local flavor.” It’s a struggle to keep my eyes from rolling out of their sockets. We turn onto Main Street. Much like I recall from old sitcom towns, this is called Main Street for a reason. Every important business is here, from the local grocery store, to the post office, to the sheriff’s office. It’s almost cute.
    Charlie parks the truck in front of the grocery store and we both climb out of it. “I’ve got a few things to pick up while we’re here,” he says. “Stay close to me.”
    I follow him into the store and stay quiet as we drift through the aisles. Charlie grabs random things off the shelf, like condiments and coffee beans, while I try to stifle my yawns and avoid the prying eyes of the other weirdos that live in this town.
    A young woman stands behind the checkout counter with a perky smile glued to her red-painted lips. She looks up at us as we approach and her bright blue eyes immediately fall on me. “Hey, Mr. Eastwood,” she greets Charlie. Her tight, blonde ponytail swishes back and forth behind her head as she speaks.
    “Hello, Amy,” Charlie replies as he reaches behind his back to pull out his wallet.
    She looks at me again. “Who’s this?” she asks. She grabs a ketchup bottle off the belt and quickly scans it before dropping it into a paper sack.
    “She’s my brother’s girl,” he mutters. “Just in town visiting for a little while.”
    Amy blinks in surprise. “I didn’t know you had a niece.” She extends her perfectly manicured hand out to me. “I’m Amy Jones.”
    I reluctantly take her hand and she jerks it up and down in a surprisingly firm shake. “Claire Holloway,” I say.
    “So you’re Tobias’ cousin…” she says, chewing on her lip. “I didn’t know he had one other than Rick.”
    I twitch at the mention of his name. “You know Rick?”
    “Oh, I know everybody ,” she gloats, “and everything about them… mostly .” Charlie clears his throat and Amy turns her attentions back to the groceries. “Anyway, how long are you staying?” she asks me as she grabs the next item off the belt. She moves quickly with expert precision, barely even glancing at the items as she packs them away into bags. “You’re from Chicago, right? I remember Rick being from there. I would love to nibble your ear off about that place over lunch—”
    “Maybe some other time, Amy,” Charlie interrupts.
    She presses her lips