“What’s this?” She hisses.
“I’m hungry and that should cover your Uber.”
Her eyes narrow and she gives him a scathing look, I bite down hard on my lip keeping my face schooled. “You’re un-fucking-believable.”
“That’s what you’ve been saying all night,” he says it loud enough to earn a few chuckles from the table near us.
She snatches the note from his hand and stomps off towards the front door.
As soon as she is gone, Wolf and Hunter fall into a fit of laughter. I can’t help the grin that erupts across my face, even as I shake my head. I know I should be mortified for all women kind, but right now, I’m just glad she’s gone.
Wolf turns his attention to me, “Thanks Red, she just wasn’t getting the message.”
I look away, “Yeah no problem. Maybe you should have ditched her last night, like all your other girls.”
“I would have, but your brother here wasn’t done till this morning.”
My hands shot to my ears, “La la la la.” He laughs and gestures to me that he’s done talking. I let my hands fall away. “You guys are all class.”
They nod and smirk in unison.
“At least now I know how to ditch them if they get too clingy.”
“How?” Hunter asks.
“Let them talk to your sister.”
They burst into laughter again and my stomach churns. The idea of meeting a string of Wolf’s conquests makes me physically ill. I clear my throat and am about to excuse myself when our food arrives. The waitress can’t keep her eyes off Wolf as she puts our plates down and doesn’t leave till he notices her flirty grin and winks.
My appetite vanishes. I pick at my plate as Hunter and Wolf talk shop.
Hunter pays the bill and I turn to him, “Thanks for breakfast.”
“I needed it,” he yawns, and I grimace.
“You should get some rest.”
He nods and stands, “What are your plans for the rest of the day?”
I shrug a single shoulder, “Don’t know. Walk around, get lost a little bit.”
“Want some company?” Wolf’s voice has me whiplashing to meet his gaze.
“You must be tired.” I try the easy way out.
“I’m fine.”
I let out a long breath, “So am I.”
“Great, then it’s settled.”
“How do you—” I clench my fists and bite the inside of my cheek, “I don’t need a babysitter.”
“How about a friend then?”
The word stabs me in the gut and twists. A small cry claws its way up my throat, and I swallow it down. The fight leaves my body.
“Fine.” I’m resigned.
Hunter eyes us then pulls me in for a hug. “Enjoy your afternoon Red, see you later.”
I watch him leave, then make my way out the door. Wolf shadows me outside and waits till I pick a direction.
I walk, letting my legs do their thing without thinking too much about it. London on a Sunday morning is much like any other day but times a hundred. The streets are packed with families, tourists and locals all making their way somewhere. While the hundred-year-old buildings stand like silent witnesses, watching the world go by them.
We stumble into Soho. The crowded alleys full of shoppers and curious tourists wanting a peek at the famous underbelly of this area. I love it for the atmosphere. A concoction of light, colour and history that’s soaked into the stones and clings to the air. I come here sometimes just to breathe inspiration into my veins, and right now, I need to clear my head and pretend that all the tingling in my skin is not the remnants of burning jealousy lingering from breakfast.
We walk idly, silently. Wolf keeps in step as I wander around the streets, soaking up images, shapes, and textures to record later on paper. We walk till we stumble into Soho square, the little, green grass peppered with people soaking up the last of the sun before winter sets in.
I find an unoccupied square of grass where sunlight beams through the gaps between the building and few trees scattered around the place. They are mostly barren, shedding leaves in the light breeze, getting ready for their naked winter slumber. Wolf falls beside me, all tangled limbs and discomfort. I bite down my smile as he stretches his long legs in front of him and leans back on a hand. His shirt pulls open at the chest, and I see a few black lines peak out. He has a tattoo. My curiosity piques but I tear my gaze away, sweeping over the missing buttons. I ignore the harsh pang in my stomach then pull out my sketchpad and observe.
He scans the park, “This place looks very different at night time.” His voice cuts through the hum of the park.
I nod as I look at my surroundings taking it all in. “Different how?”
“It’s full of undesirables.”
“Like you?”
“Ouch,” he smirks at me, and I can't help but smile. “It’s guys like me that keep undesirables like them from hurting people like you.”
“I can take care of myself.” I straighten my shoulders and stare at him.
“Is that why you ended up living with us?”
“Fuck you, Wolf.”
“I would, but I’m too tired from last night.” He winks at me.
Heated anger and jealousy smashes inside me, and goosebumps erupt all over my skin. “I don’t want to know,” I bite out and his smirk evaporates.
“Sure?” His voice is suddenly dark and husky.
“Never been surer of anything in my life. You’re probably a petri dish of STIs.”
“I get checked regularly,” he says it like it’s the most natural thing in the world and falls back onto an elbow, letting the sun kiss his beautiful face.
“Delightful.”
“They always come back negative.”
“I’m sure that’s great for the female population of London.”
The cocky grin is back on his face, and I hate it for all the wrong reasons.
“You’re the worst.”
“Actually, I've never had a complaint,” he winks at me and my stomach knits and roils with all the wrong emotions.
“Like I said, I don't want to know.” My hands tighten around my sketch pad, and I look away scanning the park, looking anywhere other than at Wolf—because I’m a big fat liar.
“What are you looking at?”
“I’m not looking at any one thing really.”
“So, what are you doing?”
“Looking to capture something.”
He looks around us then returns his attention back to me, “What do you mean?”
“I mean I want to capture a moment in time, but not the thing, the emotion of the thing.”
His brow furrows like he’s trying to understand me.
“Look at that tree.” I point to a tree. His gaze swings in the direction I point, and he studies it for a few seconds.
“It’s a tree.”
“No, it’s a story.”
“I don’t understand,” he says with a sigh.
“Look at her.”
“Her?”
“The way she’s been stripped naked and put out on display, the way she’s rooted to place, unable to run or hide, the way she’s been exposed just after being draped in the most glamorous coat of leaves. She’s in pain, she’s alone, but she’ll stay and suffer and grow and will emerge stronger and bigger, and her next dress will be even thicker, more lush, and more exquisite.”
He scrubs a hand over his face and looks at the tree, his face twisted as he tries to see the story. “I still see a tree.”
I shrug, “Maybe once I draw her, you’ll see what I see.”
“You’ll show me when you’re done?” His eyebrow arches, “You never used to show me your work.”
“I never wanted you to see the subject matter,” I let slip and my heart stops beating for a short eternity.
I stare at my pad and grip my pencil too tightly.
“How do you know where to start?” he asks, pretending neither of us heard what I said, and m
y heart resumes its pathetic rhythm.
“Just a naked sketch at first and then the real art is in the shading.”
“You’ve always—” his words fizzle out as his phone rings.
He gives me an apologetic look as he studies the number. “Hello?”
A female voice answers on the other end and my insides burn. Wolf bolts up and walks away, his face contorting in anger as he whispers harshly into the phone. He hangs up and slides it into his pocket before returning and squatting in front of me.
“Who keeps calling you?”
“It’s no one.”
“Doesn't feel like no one, Shaw. Whenever they call, you get off all flustered and angry.”
“Trust me, nothing about those phone calls gets me off,” he tries to break the tension, but his face is still set in a frown.
“So, who is it?”
He gives me a long, thoughtful look as if he’s considering his answer.
“Please don't lie to me.”
“I wasn’t going to.” He holds his hands up. “It’s just work stuff. I don't want to talk about it.”
I draw in an irritated breath and let it out slowly, diffusing my irritation. “Fine.”
“Look, I have to go take care of something.”
“Something or someone?” I can’t help the bitterness that creeps into my voice.
“Sorry Red, will you be alright to get home on your own?”
“I swear if you pull out a £20 for an Uber, I’m going to stab you with my 5H.”
He does something between a laugh and a snort, opens his mouth to say something then smirks instead, “See you later Red.”
I watch him go, my body humming with mixed emotion as he leaves the park. I feel like the naked sketch of the tree is looking back at me from my notepad, and I realise at last, that when Wolf looks at me, he will never see anything other than a girl lost in a long line of other women who were able to give him what he wanted.
I clutch the notepad to my heart, feeling the ivy rip through the seeds of hope I keep trying to plant. I reach for my bag, pull out the card, and twist it around in my hand before I draw in a long breath and dial Ethan’s number.
26
Wolf
I’m pacing again, my body chemistry is all over the place—a concoction of mixed emotions which consists mostly of irritation, irrational anger, and pathetic jealousy.
I was pissed when I got home early just to find it empty. It’s nearing midnight and Red still isn’t home. I rip a hand through my hair again and fall to the couch. I snap the remote, turn on the TV then flip channels not really paying any attention to what’s on. I turn it off and bolt out of the couch circling it like a caged animal.
My whole body shakes and burns. I should have gone out for a run, let this flood of emotion seep out of me. Instead, I’m here watching the door, waiting for her to step inside.
I feel eighteen again and Red is out on one of her stupid dates, and I can’t help but want to murder everyone. My loose shirt starts to cling to my back in places, and I’m about to punch the wall when a key jangles in the lock. I throw myself on the couch, grab the remote and turn the TV on, then swipe my phone and lock my eyes on the screen. Their voices drift inside from the other side of the door before it swings open.
She’s giggling and the sound is accompanied by a low husky laughter that has my blood heat in my veins. I look up to see a man pinning her against the door. His mouth is so close to hers, too close to hers. I have to fight every urge in my body not to rip him away and hurl him down the stairs. Instead, I clear my throat and two sets of startled eyes fall on me.
“Wolf? You’re home?” All the happiness drains away from Red’s face, and she puts a hand on the man’s chest and pushes him away gently. He takes a small step back and the constriction in my chest loosens.
“I took the night off.”
“Oh.” She looks lost and I stand to my full height, making sure fuck face at the door knows exactly who he’s dealing with.
“Ethan, this is my friend Wolf. He’s my brother’s housemate. And mine, I guess, till I move out.”
Friend. The word feels like a fist in my guts that grips my insides and pulls viciously.
“Nice to meet you,” Fuck face mumbles and offers me a hand. I make sure to squeeze a little extra hard before retracting my hand. He pulls away and rubs his palm with his other. Pathetic satisfaction slithers through me.
“So, we thought we might have a nightcap.” Red looks at me and her face tells me she wants me to make myself scarce.
“Oh, well, sorry. I’m in the middle of watching something,” I say, and all our gazes swing to the TV. It’s news in some foreign language.
She glares at me with an annoyed questioning look.
“One of the boys is over there with a client,” I lie smoothly not even knowing where ‘there’ is.
Red’s eyes grow wide and she tilts her head meaningfully. I pretend not to notice as I turn back to her date, “Nice meeting you Emmett.”
“It’s Ethan,” he corrects, but I’m already halfway to the couch settling in to watch subtitled news.
I sink into the couch, my gaze secured on the TV as they stand silently and awkwardly at the door. When they realise I won’t leave, I hear him say he had a good time, she agrees and promises him a raincheck for the nightcap. He says he can’t wait, and I hear the desire in his voice. I want to strangle him till the only noise he makes is a pained gurgling sound. My jaw is so tight, it aches, and my head feels like it might explode when she finally gets rid of him and the door closes.
A second later Red’s gorgeous body is blocking my view, and I can’t help but rake my eyes over her before I meet her dangerous glare. That seems to make the situation worse, but I can’t help myself. Her short, short skirt drives high enough up her thighs to show off her shapely legs, and her tight as fuck singlet pushes her up her perfect tits, clinging to all the stunning curves of her body that make mine hard.
“Watching the news?”
“Well, I was till you blocked the TV,” I huff at her.
“Fuck you Wolf.”
“Looks like that’s what you were about to do with Evan over there.”
“It’s Ethan,” she corrects on an exasperated sigh, “and what’s it to you what I do?”
“I don’t like him,” I say plainly, biting back the irritation that creeps up my spine.
“You’re not the one that’s meant to like him, I am. And I do, and seeing as me and you are just friends, be a fucking friend and leave the lounge next time.”
I brush my hands through my hair and swallow down my agitation, “It’s my fucking house.”
“Well, you’ll have it back soon enough.”
“What the fuck does that mean?”
She glares at me for another second then turns away and goes to the kitchen. I scramble from the couch and follow, watching her as she flicks her violet hair to the side revealing the length of her neck. I want to sink my teeth into it. I feel her eyes on me and I realize I’ve held my gaze too long. Fuck.
“You’re moving out?” I keep all the emotion out of my voice.
“Maybe.” She throws it out like it’s nothing and my fists clench into tight balls.
“What does that mean?”
She shrugs with one shoulder, and I can’t help but trace the lines of her neck with my gaze. “It means maybe I’ll move in with Ethan.”
“That little prick? You’ve known him for all of ten minutes.” Anger flares inside of me and I’m picturing my hands closing around that man’s throat.
“He’s not a prick, he’s a lawyer. Successful, intelligent, kind.”
It’s like she’s trying to throw it in my face, all the things she thinks I’m not.
“We’ve been dating a while.”
“Three dates, is not a while.”
Her eyes grow in surprise, “Keeping tabs on me?”
Fuck. I glare at her deciding silence is better than a confession.
“You’re pathetic.”
“I’m pathetic?” I take a step closer to her, “That man is just another version of your last string of boyfriends, you’ll be back and crying to Hunter in a month.”
Her hand moves in a swirl and she slaps me hard across the cheek. It’s barely a sting. I scoff, “That’s all you got?”
She swings a second time—harder—but I stand there and smirk. When she tries for a third, I grab her wrist and hold it easily between us. She yanks it out of my grasp, and I let her. Red glares at me, her eyes drenched in disdain.
“Screw you Wolf,” she says as she steps around me.
Without thinking, I swivel and grab her nape, jarring her and turning her towards me. I pull her close—so close that our breaths mingle—and her lips feather my own and there is nothing between us but a few angry particles of air. My heart rips through my ears and screams, as heat floods me all over. I could take her, I could sink myself into her, bruise her lips with mine and claim her. Her eyes burn into mine, and I want to believe I see the same desire inside them. Her hands slide up to my chest slowly, gliding along all my tight muscles, her touch burns. Her hands rest on my chest for a beat and she heaves.
I release her and she smirks before turning and leaving the kitchen.
She fucking smirks, and I have to grip the cabinet to stop myself from running after her and wiping it off her face with my cock.
I draw in a frayed breath as my heart thrashes in my chest, and her door slams shut.
27
Ten Years Ago
Wolf 18, Red 15
Wolf
Hunter shoots a couple of zombies on the screen and I keep looking at the clock. It’s like time has decided to stand still. I declare it my enemy as another thirty seconds go by. Agonisingly slow.
My skin prickles with irritation and I pace around the small lounge. I’ve been looking forward to spending some time with Hunter on a rare evening off. But when he causally informs me that Red is out on a date, the news tip my nerves.
“You got anything to drink?”
Wolf (A Little Red Riding Hood Retelling) (Brother's best friend romance) Page 10