Page 26 of Wicked Savage Wolves
Rafael doesn’t say anything. He just stares, his eyes narrowed into slits and the guy backs up, hands lifted in surrender. “Yeah. Sorry. Let me get out of your way.” He gives Rafael a nervous chuckle as he moves.
I expect Rafael to shove past him leaving me behind but instead, he turns back, grabs my wrist, and hauls me after him. I brush up against a few of the players, but as soon as I come into contact with them, they step back, wary expressions on their faces.
“I’m perfectly capable of walking,” I say, tugging on my wrist.
He either doesn’t hear me or chooses to ignore me. His hold is gentle but firm. I’m not going anywhere unless he releases me.
We exit the house and find Jordy wearing a neon pink bikini top over his bare chest and string bikini bottoms over his dark blue boxer briefs. I have no idea how he manages to make it look good. But he does.
Jordy has tattoos as well and his chest piece is on full display. A gothic portrait of a woman with her hair flying back and a mix of sparrows and ravens flying around her with strands of her hair lifted in their beaks.
It’s surprisingly beautiful. When he catches me staring, he rubs his chest and bites his bottom lip. His eyes grow hooded and he lifts his brows in a suggestive manner. Rafael steps in front of me with a growl and Jordy explodes into a fit of laughter.
I spot Desmond beside him, his shoulders shaking. His lips are pressed together, and I can tell he’s fighting to contain his own laugh but in the end, he fails.
“Rafe, if you could see your face right now.”
I move forward to gauge his expression but the mask he usually wears is firmly in place. “Well, uh, I’ll let you guys do your thing.” I inch around Rafael and head back toward the fire, my eyes scanning around for Zheng. When I spot him, there’s a girl in his lap kissing his neck. I can’t make out her face but…
My steps falter.
I look again and yep, it’s Georgia. The bitchy girl from earlier.Awesome.
Warm breath on my neck catches me off guard and then I hear his voice. “Looks like your boy is busy tonight.” His voice is low, his tone suggestive. “Fool. Going for that when he could have had this instead.” His fingers brush up my spine and I release an involuntary shiver.
“No one is havingthis,” I snap, hating what he’s implying. “Besides, we’re just friends. He can go after whoever he wants.”
Another caress, this one along the back of my hip. “Yeah?”
“Yeah.”
Rafael’s fingers tighten on my hip into an almost bruising grip as he draws me tight against his body. “What if I decided I want you?”
My breath hitches. He’s still behind me, trailing his lips up the column of my exposed neck. It’s not a kiss. The touch is featherlight, but it feels like he’s marking me, branding me as his. “I’d tell you to screw off.”
“Liar.”
I step away from his body, instantly missing his warmth.
“Come with me.” He twines his fingers with mine and despite knowing better, I allow him to lead me toward one of the larger cabins.
“Where are you taking me?” I ask.
He smirks over his shoulder. “You scared, vanilla?”
I scoff but continue to follow him, my steps hurried as I try to keep up with his longer strides. “Hardly.”
The cabin is empty aside from the two of us and I take everything in. Much like the outside, it looks more like a regular home than a cabin. A large leather sectional takes up most of the room in front of a wood-burning fireplace. And the kitchen and dining area look like they came straight out of a magazine.
Rafael watches me as I soak everything in, gauging my reaction though I’m not sure what he’s hoping for. Everything inside screams expensive, but it’s tasteful and you can tell that each piece in the space was carefully thought out.
Looking at it makes me think of movies in front of the fire huddled up with friends. Josué and Selena and I would do that sometimes. And sometimes Damien or Kai would join us. Before she did what she did. Before my mom died.
We’d watch stupid movies and eat popcorn. Josué always poured a bag of Swedish fish in my bowl so I could find sweet surprises. We’d fight over who got to eat the last one and the night almost always ended with Selena sprawled out on our only sofa, Josué and I on the floor. He’d lean against the sofa with me lying beside him, my head in his lap.
I think of what it would be like being huddled up next to Rafael in front of that fire and warmth spreads inside my chest. It wouldn’t be like when I watched movies with Josué. There would be no easy carefree affection.
“What are you thinking?” he asks, stepping closer to me.
