Page 16 of Bound to the Wolf
“What?” Delainey asked.
“Care to make this interesting?” Reece challenged.
“You shouldn’t be here, Reece,” she said. She set two hatchets down on the shelf with a clatter and turned to face him, one hand still gripping the handle of a third.
He shrugged. “I was here first.”
“In the bar,” she corrected. “This is my fucking lane! Oh my god, are you going to piss on the place to claim it as yourterritory? We’re on neutral ground, buddy. Either of us could be here.”
He picked up an axe and hefted it. It was lighter than he expected. The wooden handle was smooth from use, worn pale where dozens of grips had rubbed the finish away, and the head was a simple wedge of brushed steel no bigger than his palm.
“You scared?” he taunted.
“Of you?” she laughed. “Okay, baby, show me what you got.”
Oh, his wolf liked that.
Reece glanced at the target and chucked the axe straight for it. It would have been awesome if the axe had hit anywhere near the circle he was aiming for, but he had been trying to show off and failed miserably.
Delainey burst out laughing and picked up her own axe. She spent her time looking at the target, aiming carefully, and when she threw, it hit much closer to its goal. The blade bit into the second ring with a clean crack, vibrating in the wood, and Delainey rolled her throwing shoulder back with a satisfied pop.
Okay. Reece wasn’t going to let that slide.
He picked up his second axe and took his time. He adjusted his grip lower on the handle, lined up the target, and let the release come from his wrist rather than his entire arm. It buried itself right next to Delainey’s, just as he intended.
“Oh, so it’s gonna be like that,” Delainey said. She picked up an axe and threw it.
Reece matched her.
Then another. Then another, and then they were out of axes, and Delainey’s time was up.
“Good game,” she told him. She dusted her palms together and pointed a blue-tipped finger at him. “If I ever need a lumberjack, I know exactly who to call.” She disappeared into the crowded bar, leaving Reece alone to retrieve the axes at the attendant’s command.
By the time he had finished cleaning up their space and surrendered it to the next team of throwers, Delainey was on the dance floor in another man’s arms.
Reece glared.
What the fuck did she think she was doing?
Her body moved in time to the music, her hips swaying from side to side, the light catching the makeup on her face as she tilted her head up and smiled. The man behind her had his hand on her stomach and was holding her close, but Reece couldn’t have picked him out of a lineup. The guy was average height, maybe shorter, wearing a button-down with the sleeves cuffed—nothing remarkable, nothing that justified beingthatclose to her.
He was focused on watching the tiny shifts in Delainey’s micro-expressions.
He needed to walk away. Maybe get another drink. Maybe leave the bar entirely. Delainey could dance with whoever the fuck she wanted.
He had no claim on her, and he needed to continue to have no claim on her. That was the smart thing to do, the only thing that would maintain any sanity between the two of them.
His body was coiled tight; if he’d been holding his beer glass it would have shattered, and he could feel gold flickering in his eyes. Reece stalked onto the dance floor and shot his arm between the man and Delainey. His forearm caught the man square across the chest and peeled him off her like separating two magnets, the force of it making the guy stumble back a full step.
“I’m dancing with her now.” It came out more growl than words. He had no idea if the man was a shifter, or a witch, or even a human, and he didn’t give a damn.
Delainey raised an eyebrow in challenge, but she did not send him away. The man scurried off rather than argue.
Reece mirrored the motion the man had made, wrapping his arm around Delainey’s midsection and letting his fingers rest on her stomach. His hand splayed wide, and his thumb teased the band of her bra through her shirt. The fabric of that sparkly top was thin enough that he could feel the heat of her skin underneath, and her ribs expanded against his palm with each breath.
Delainey let out a throaty sound that made his cock twitch.
Oh, this was bad. Such a bad idea.
