Page 33 of Redemption in the Dark (The Righteous 5)
Maeve smiled, and his nostrils flared, his fists clenching as Unole grabbed her hand and shook a little too enthusiastically while his eyes roamed over her body. He was tempted to lay the guy flat out on his back.
“Unihelisda tsidenadadoliga,” Unole said.
Maeve blushed, a deep red spreading across her cheeks and his muscles flexed as he forced himself not to pummel the man. It was irrational.
“Wow, that was beautiful. What does it mean,” Maeve asked.
Before Unole could answer, he jumped in. “He said, it’s nice to meet you.”
“Oh, likewise. I hope to see you around, Unole,” Maeve said Unole’s name like she was sucking on a sweet treat, and he was ready to kill as his eyes flicked between them.
“We have a new face in the barn.” He interrupted the staring contest between the two. “Viho is settled in stall seven. See that the pregnant mares are kept away from him. They don’t need to be bothered with his affections,” he said and wasn’t sure if he was talking about the horse or Maeve and Unole. “I’ll speak with you tomorrow, Unole. I need to show Maeve around and get her settled in.” Taking her by the elbow, he guided her away from Unole before he decided to follow through on killing the man.
“See you tomorrow, Waya, and I hope to see you again real soon, Maeve.”
Maeve waved over her shoulder as they made their way up the stairs to the front door. Duke ran inside as soon as he got the door open. He flicked on the lights to see the dog curling up on the couch.
“What the hell, Wolf, you were being so rude to your friend,” Maeve scolded as soon as the door was closed.
“I told you not to think about it,” he uncharacteristically grumbled as he made his way into the kitchen. Maeve was following him, and he was relieved to be away from Unole and have Maeve in the house, but he was also pissed off and couldn’t figure out why.
“First, I know you mean sex, and I wasn’t, although your friend is really fucking hot. Second, why are you pissed off? You’re the one that keeps turning me down, not the other way around.”
She stood in the doorway, hands on her hips as her mouth narrowed into an angry little pout. He wanted to kiss that look right off her face.
“He’s not my friend. I barely know him,” Wolf said, opening the fridge.
He pulled out whatever was bad and slapped it into a pile on the table while taking anything worth salvaging and putting it on the counter to make dinner. Shopping was a must on the list for tomorrow.
“And if that’s not your ‘I want to fuck you’ face, then I must have been reading you all wrong these last couple of weeks,” he bit out and shot a glare in her direction.
The problem was she was right. He was the one that had turned her down, but he had good reasons. However, it didn’t mean he liked seeing her openly flirt with another man. He’d seen her fuck an entire room and hated that it bothered him when she was just a mark, but now she was seeping into his pores with each passing day. He couldn’t shut off his growing feelings for her.
“Okay, let’s back this train up.” Maeve jumped in. “I thought you said only friends and family call you Waya? So why do you allow him to call you that if you barely know him? And just so you know, I wasn’t giving him my ‘I want to fuck you’ face, not that it’s any business of yours. I was simply being nice.”
“I call bull on all that, and he can call me Waya because he’s from my tribe, while you’re an outsider,” he practically growled and then hated himself for the irrational outburst.
“What the hell is wrong with you? You brought me here. If you didn’t want that, you should’ve left me alone on the trail, and I would’ve found my way to safety.”
He had no idea what was causing this kind of reaction to a simple interaction.
What the hell was wrong with him?
He gripped the counter and took a deep breath.
“I just need some air.” He pushed away from the counter and pointed down the hall. “The spare bedroom is down the hall on the left, and the bathroom is beside it.”
He walked past Maeve, and she reached out and snatched his wrist.
“It’s not him that I want,” she said, her voice laced with a sweet and alluring venom.
His eyes searched her face as the touch of her hand on his arm seared into his skin. His pulse began to pound as he fixated on her lips.
“Just stop resisting.” She stepped in so close that he could feel the heat from her body pressing through his clothing and igniting his skin on fire.
Those eyes that could melt any heart stared at him from under thick lashes that could’ve easily been butterfly wings. He swallowed hard and took a step back from her, not even sure where he found the restraint.
“I’m not unaffected by you, Maeve. I’d have to be blind not to see how beautiful you are, but I told you I can’t sleep with you and my reasons are valid.” He tugged on his wrist until she finally let go.
