Maybe I should just get it over with. Fuck her and be done with it. I know once that’s over, I’ll lose interest. I always do, like clockwork. There’s that first rush of attraction, desire, and excitement. And when it’s over, it’s over. Most of the time, I can’t remember what I was so aroused by in the first place. Pussy is pussy to me.
“You know, I’ve been trying to meet you ever since you got here.”
I am almost too irritated by an unwelcome female voice to come up with anything pleasant to offer in response. Is there anything about me at this moment that screams Please, come up and say a bunch of stupid shit?
I turn my head to find a fairly cute blonde standing close enough that she’s practically wearing my jacket. “Excuse me?”
“I’ve seen you around, and I was hoping we could get acquainted.” She offers a smile that leaves no room for questions. “My name is Hannah.”
“Hi, Hannah, I’m—”
Her laughter is high-pitched and a little too loud. “That’s adorable. Like I don’t know who you are.”
“I don’t like to assume.”
“That’s refreshing. You don’t let your position go to your head.”
Sure. “So, Hannah, are you having a good time tonight?”
“Yes, but I could be having a better time.” Her eyes sweep over the room before her nose wrinkles. “I mean, don’t get me wrong, this is nice and everything. But I can think of a few things I’d rather do tonight than mingling and kissing everybody’s asses.”
“I understand what you mean.”
She turns the full force of her smile on me, and I have to admit she’s pretty cute. Curvy, lush, and, most importantly, eager. That goes a long way, especially when I’ve been nursing an almost constant hard-on for days. No amount of jerking off can satisfy my hunger. I’m going to start chafing soon.
“Do you?” She looks me up and down, moistening her already glossy lips with the tip of her tongue. “I got that feeling about you.”
“Exactly what feeling is that?”
“That you like a little bit of excitement. Me, too. I guess that’s what drew me to you.” She winks.
Yes, I’m sure my position in my pack had nothing to do with it. “I’ve had a lot of excitement lately, but I’m sure you know about that.”
“I know you fought hard. We’re only as safe as we are right now, thanks to you.” She gives me a coy look, batting her eyelashes. “I was thinking maybe I could thank you personally.”
Two things happen simultaneously.
First is the stirring of my cock. He needs some attention, and she’s practically stroking me right here, in the middle of all these people, her hand lingering dangerously close when she rests it on my thigh.
Second, I feel a pair of eyes staring holes into me. I look over my shoulder, searching for the person they belong to—and knowing who I’ll find. Forrest must have excused himself since Lili now sits alone. Alone and staring at me before turning her focus on the girl who’s an inch or two away from openly groping me. I wouldn’t need to feel her wolf to know what she’s thinking. Death, murder, rage. She’s ready to kill.
My cock twitches again, thickening. Talk about killing two birds with one stone. She needs to remember how this works. She wears my mark, meaning she belongs to me, but I don’t wear hers, and I think I’m going to remind her of that.
“Come on.” I turn away from Lili and smile at the wolf whose name I’m going to forget before the night is over. “Let’s find someplace quieter where we can get to know each other a little better.”
17
LILI
He can’t be fucking serious, but he is. He saw me sitting here, watching, and still left with her. With her! Of all fucking people, he has to pick Hannah? Hannah, who, unfortunately, has two working eyes again? Was it too much to ask for her not to heal?
And now he’s walking out without one more look at me.
Nobody has to tell me what they’re going to do.
I’m going to get up. I’m going to stop them. I even start to stand. I’m that ready to go, ready to tear every hair out of her head just for the hell of it. Then I might tear at other things. Starting with her throat, and I want him to watch. I want him to see every last bit.
“Sorry, didn’t mean to leave you on your own.” When I don’t respond right away to Forrest’s return, he touches my arm. Even as images of brutal carnage dance through my mind, my wolf rejoices at his touch. Because as far as she’s concerned, he’s her mate, the one who’s meant to be. It’s like she didn’t quite get the hint that he rejected us.