Page 25 of Wicked Savage Wolves
It takes longer than I like, but eventually, he nods.Good.
I follow Isa through the crowd of people, shoving against bodies when they get too close. This is why we don’t open up our cabin. I don’t like people in my space. It agitates my wolf, making my hackles rise and my temper flare.
She leads me back to a bedroom and as soon as I step inside the dimly lit room, I shut the door. I exhale in relief and Isa laughs. “Not one for crowds?” she asks.
“Not one for idiots,” I retort.
She smiles and digs through her bag until she retrieves a black two-piece swimsuit. The bottoms are taller, like they’d go past her hips, and the top is a thick band that ties in the back. Interesting. “No slutty string bikini?”
She shakes her head. “Not really my style.” She holds her hands out, but before I accept it, I pull off my shirt and let the fabric fall to the floor before unbuckling my jeans.
She sucks in a breath. “What are you doing?”
I can’t help my grin at her freaked-out tone. She’s a wolf. She should be used to this sort of thing. When I look up and see her eyes locked on my abs, heat simmers in my chest and my dick twitches. Her gaze rolls over me with blatant interest and my smile widens. I shove my jeans down, leaving my black boxer briefs on and then step out of the jeans, discarding my socks and shoes along with them.
“Like what you see?” I ask, holding my hands out wide with a wolfish smirk on my face. I know I look good. Her expression only confirms in.
A delicate hand reaches out as if to touch my tattoos and I wait, eager to feel her hands on me though I can’t explain why.What is it about this girl that draws me to her?
My right arm sports a half sleeve filled with an intricate Aztec totem signifying each of our Pack Clans. Wolf, Cat, Feloidea, Muridea, Canidae, and Bear. Beneath the totem read the words, ‘Perdono al que roba y al que mata, porque quizá lo hacen por necesidad, pero nunca perdono al traidor.’ I forgive the one who steals, and the one who kills, because perhaps they do it out of necessity, but I never forgive the traitor.
Isa traces her finger over each letter, her lips barely moving as she whispers, “Family through loyalty.”
I nod having grown up hearing the same words. “It’s what forges Pack bonds.”
Her smile is small and sad, and I have to fight against the urge to comfort her. She isn’t one of mine. She isn’t Pack. I put instinct aside and do nothing beyond wait as she turns her attention to my remaining tattoo. An Aztec devil mask on my left collarbone, that climbs up my neck and down over the top of my bicep and pectoral.
My gaze heats as I watch her eyes drink me in and my wolf senses the need coursing through her. It isn’t strictly for physical contact though I can tell she craves that as well. But beneath desire is the need to belong. Her fingers trail over the edges of the design in a gentle caress. I’m not sure she realizes she’s still touching me.
I breathe in her scent, cataloging each individual smell. Vanilla, cinnamon, and chili. It’s sweet yet seductive and carries a punch of spice at the end.It suits her perfectly.As soon as the thought enters my mind, my wolf perks up as if to agree. I can feel his attention on her. Interest and an insatiable sense of curiosity. He shoves against my control, eager to get closer to the she-wolf standing before me.
A growl vibrates deep in my chest and she jerks back, her hand falling to her side as though she’s just now realized she’d been intimately close. A pretty blush stains her cheeks drawing me closer. I step into her space before she can retreat and wrap my hand around her delicate wrist. “You gonna give me the suit?” I ask, letting my wolf bleed into my voice.
She shivers.
Isa is maybe five-two to my six-one. A tiny little thing so she’s forced to tilt her head back to meet my gaze and she holds it for the briefest of seconds. All it would take is me dipping my head a few inches to catch her lips with my own, but I don’t. Her eyes glaze over as they flick to my lips. Her heart rate quickens, my acute shifter hearing picking up on the rapid staccato. She licks her lips and I trail the movement.
“Ww...What?”
I quirk a brow, maintaining control of my body’s response to her despite the lust I feel. “The suit,” I say again, tugging on the material that’s clutched in her hands.
“Oh. Oh!” She drops the fabric like it’s hot to the touch and steps back, her face even redder than it had been before. Taking the swimsuit, I stretch the top over my chest, the fabric barely able to tie in the back over my broad chest. Then I hold up the bottoms and meet her gaze. “I’m not sure these will fit over my legs, but if you want me to try, I will. Or…” I trail off and wait.
She swallows hard, licking her lips again. “Or what?”
I toss her swim bottoms back to her. “Or I can go like this. My boxer briefs don’t cover much more than those would.” I point to the swim bottoms. “More leg but less abs.” I lift my shoulders in a shrug. “It’s your call.”
“Oh. Yeah. Sure. That’s fine.”
11
Isabella
Idon’t know why I care that Rafe is wearing my swimsuit top. It’s just a stupid top and it doesn’t even carry my scent. But he’s wearing it and it’s mine. My stomach flip-flops and I toy with the teal bracelet on my wrist. Following him out of Zheng’s room, I try to slow my racing heart, knowing he’s likely heard it. How embarrassing.
The crowd presses in on us, forcing us to take a few steps back until Rafael shoves one of the humans out of his way with a two-handed shove. He’s wearing a football jersey as are a bunch of other guys, making them easy to spot. I know without even having to ask that the shifters don’t do extracurriculars.
The guy whirls on Rafael with a fist raised as if to swing, but suddenly halts before dropping his hand back to his side. “Hey, Rafe. My man, uh…” He rubs the back of his neck. “Sorry, man. I didn’t realize it was you.”
