by Ava Benton
I wouldn’t let him see how insecure I suddenly felt.
He waved in reply, just a single wave of his hand.
Dick.
Couldn’t even be bothered to say anything. His dark eyes were narrow; his face was a handsome mask.
I couldn’t read it. What was he thinking? He didn’t move, either, just stood there watching.
“Come on out!” I teased. “The water’s great! I’ll really wake you up.”
“I’m already awake,” he called out. “But thanks.”
Ugh. What a stick in the mud.
I threw him a wide smile and started paddling in his direction.
“You don’t like swimming?” I teased. I would get a reaction from him if it killed me.
“No, I like to swim. But I’m on patrol right now. I got interrupted before.”
“Oh. Gotcha.” I kept moving toward him—slowly.
What would he do? Run away? Probably. He was too busy with his nose up Daddy’s ass to know what to do with himself when a woman was too close to his precious personal space.
How could I ever have thought he was cool?
The memory of the night we met flashed in front of me.
He was so sexy, so commanding, my toes curled. And the way he had looked at me. Just a few quick glances that made my heart race.
Our eyes had locked at one point, and I had forgotten to breathe. Nobody ever did that to me before.
But he went away. And he came back a totally changed person. Mr. Ass Kisser, Mr. Important. Always in Jordan’s cabin, always walking around with a self-important look on his face.
I should’ve known things wouldn’t last the way they were going. Nothing good ever did, not for me.
Somehow, the thought of that kept me moving in his direction. I was allowed to skinny dip, damn it, and there was nothing he could do about it.
My feet touched the bottom of the lake, and I kept moving forward—slowly, one sure step at a time—with my eyes on him.
He didn’t look away. He didn’t even flinch. Like he was daring me to keep going.
You’re an idiot. Stop this. Stop it now.
No way. I had gone too far.
I couldn’t let him intimidate me. Nobody intimidated me, and I couldn’t let him make me forget who I was.
Meanwhile, my shoulders were out of the water.
My upper chest.
I took another step.
Another.
His jaw clenched, or was it my imagination? Maybe a trick of the light?
The warm air hit my breasts, then my stomach.
My knees shook uncontrollably as I took one step after another, exposing my full self to him as I walked up to the bank.
In seconds, we stood face-to-face.
My heart raced out of control, and my knees felt like they might give out at any second, but I held my head high as water ran down my bare skin in rivulets and puddled at my bare feet.
His eyes never left my face. “Don’t you think you should put your clothes on and find something better do?”
4
Drew
What a stupid thing to say. Of all things, I could’ve said, that was what came out of my mouth?
That?
Her eyes widened—deep pools of amber light that seemed to go dark. “Yeah. I guess I should,” she said in her rich, throaty voice.
I didn’t dare take my eyes off her face. I wasn’t sure if I could trust myself otherwise. Bad enough I had checked her out while she had her clothes on.
“So? What’s stopping you?” I asked when she didn’t move.
I heard her breathing and was sure her chest had to be moving up and down but wasn’t about to look. If I did, I might never be able to stop looking. And for sure, I would have to do more than look.
“I was just wondering what your problem is, I guess. You’ve never seen a naked woman before?”
That was so funny, I had to laugh. “Uh, yeah. I’ve seen naked women before.”
“Oh? More than one?” She raised an eyebrow, challenging me.
“Yeah. More than one. A lot more.”
“Ah. Okay. But if I said I had seen a lot more than one naked man, what would that make me? You’re practically bragging about it. If I laughed and got that locker room tone in my voice like you have just now, that would make me a slut.”
“I would never call a woman that,” I said, not joking anymore.
“No?”
“No.”
She nodded slowly. “Okay. I believe that.”
I smiled. “Well, I’m glad you believe that. I’ll be able to sleep well tonight, knowing you believe that.”
She let the comment slide. “So why won’t you look at me, if it’s not a big deal?”
Something stirred deep inside—something I slammed a lid on before it got out of control. A hell of a lot of good a hard-on would do me just then. “Why are you so desperate for me to look at you?” I asked, raising an eyebrow to mirror her.
“I’m not desperate. I don’t have to ask men to look at me. They just do.”
“You’re right. They do.”
“So?” She held her arms up as she shrugged. “Are you intimidated?”
“No.”
“Mm-hmm.” One corner of her full, luscious mouth quirked up. “You’re right. I have things to do. I should get dressed.”
She turned around, still smiling, and when her back was turned, I gave in and took a long look at her ass.
Jesus wept. My hands clenched into tight, painful fists when I caught sight of that perfect pair of round, firm cheeks.
They practically begged to be touched, for me to sink my teeth into them before…
My eyes snapped up, and I stared at the back of her head.
The water had slicked her blonde hair straight back, and I caught glimpses of the colors underneath.
Pink, violet, blue, green, yellow.
Water ran from the ends of her hair in a line down her back, between her… damn it.
I kept looking at her ass, and the way her hips swayed a little when she walked, and her long, lean legs as she bent down to pick up her things.
She whirled around and probably caught me staring.
I didn’t look away fast enough. Her tits were incredible, the kind every boy fantasizes about when he discovers the difference between him and girls.
Full, firm, so perky they laughed at the laws of gravity, with rosebud nipples that made me press my lips together or else lick them hungrily.
She reminded me of one of the centerfolds in the magazines Dad always tried to hide from us but was never quite smart enough to keep out of our hands. Soaking wet, too, shining in the sun. A fantasy come to life.
I looked at her face again and thought she was trying to hide a smile.
Oh, that bitch.
Playing with me, feeling smug because I was a red-blooded man and she was a gorgeous, naked woman.
Like there was a man alive who wouldn’t look when she was parading herself around like that.
In a flash, I had myself under control again.
She thought she could play games, did she?
“Who has the next patrol?” I asked, looking straight at her.
I wouldn’t look away again. My teeth were clenched so tight; it came out as a growl.
She blinked. “Uh, Max and Lance? I think?” She hooked her bra, then shrugged into a t-shirt.
“You think? You don’t know? I thought you were the one who made the schedule.”
Her face went stormy. “I did. But I don’t have it memorized.”
“You should. This way, you always know if somebody’s missing or just on patrol.”
She rolled her eyes. “I’ll keep that in mind.” On went a pair of khaki cutoffs and sandals.
She wasn’t like her friend Daniela, who always wore perfectly curated outfits that made her look like a million bucks.
Or Layla, with her free-flowing hippy vibe.
Nia wore whatever her hands touched f
irst that morning—but I still couldn’t take my eyes off her. Nobody could. She had that inner magnetism.
“You should. I mean, you want to be a leader around here, right?”
That hit a nerve; I could tell. A major one, judging by the way she glared at me. If looks could kill, I’d be floating face-down in the lake.
“Newsflash. I am a leader, and I was one way before you showed up. And unlike you, I earned my leadership through time and work. Not through blood relation.”
“Is that what you think?”
“I don’t have to think it. I’ve seen it.”
I growled under my breath. “Maybe if you hadn’t shot your mouth off to a reporter, I wouldn’t have needed to come here at all.”
That was the kill shot.
She almost withered a little.
I opened my mouth to apologize almost the second it was out there, but she was too fast for me.
I watched her walk away with a sinking heart. “Hey, Nia…” I called out.
She ignored me.
“Damn it,” I muttered as I turned back to the water.
Leave it to me to take things too far.
She was already pissed at me, and I finally understood why.
I was a threat.
All of us were, but for some reason, she zeroed in on me. Probably because I was spending a lot of time with my dad and she was used to doing that. I took her position away—and she chalked it up to nepotism.
I didn’t want her position. I wished I could get her to understand that. Leading the group was never in my plans.
I had no desire to take Dad’s place, and I was sure none of the others did. If anything, we wanted to put an end to the running and let them all lead normal lives. Did she hate that, too? What would her life look like if it weren’t for Dad and the rest?
I didn’t know anything about her and had likely just killed any chance at ever finding out.
I knew it bugged her that she hadn’t been smarter about talking to Alice. Why did I have to go and throw it in her face?
“Because I knew it would hurt her and I wanted to hurt her,” I whispered to myself.
That wasn’t like me, not really.
No matter how much my family got under my skin, I had never deliberately said something that I knew would hurt them just to get back at them.
She brought out something in me that I wasn’t proud of.
I spun on my heel at the sound of footsteps.
My mirror image was coming at me—except there was fury in his eyes. “You fucking bitch,” Carter snarled.
“Oh, this? Grow up,” I snapped back. I wasn’t in the mood for his bullshit.
He didn’t care. “You just had to go running to Daddy, didn’t you?”
“And you can see why, can’t you? Wake the fuck up, man. I know you care about her, but she’s not a fucking genius just because she came up with an idea to help which would only make things worse. I could see it right away. Maybe you need to take a step back and rethink your priorities.”
“She’s one of my priorities now,” he snarled.
We were face-to-face, just inches from each other.
I realized I had never come so close to shifting in the middle of a fight with my brother. It would’ve been so easy, too, just letting go and tearing at him. I needed to tear into something right about then.
“Good for you, but you can’t lose sight of everything else. Like the safety of everybody involved, including her. Admit it. You’re just pissed because Dad called you out, and you know he’s right, so you’re even more pissed.”
“I’m pissed because I can’t trust you with anything anymore. Not when I don’t know if you’ll run to his cabin and blab to him.”
“I wasn’t blabbing. I was telling him something I knew would affect the entire group. And you know he was right! Don’t you want to get even with those assholes for what they did to Mom?”
“Of course.”
“So why the hell are you in my face right now, Carter? Is it really that hard for you to admit when you’re wrong?”
The muscles in his jaw jumped, and a low, ominous growl rumbled deep in his throat.
He wanted to shift, too. I could feel it.
When we were dire wolves, we didn’t need to talk. We could just give in to the anger. That would’ve been the easy way out—and we never did that to each other. I wouldn’t fight him that way.
“Steer clear of me for a while,” he snarled. “Consider that your only warning.”
I was making friends right and left.
5
Nia
I wanted to die of shame. Whenever I remembered facing him and the look on his face when I did, the way he spoke to me… it was enough to make my skin crawl.
“I’m sure you just threw him off,” Daniela said, sitting cross-legged on a rock.
She looked like she could be posing for a magazine spread. I wasn’t exactly a clumsy person, but her gracefulness was enough to make me feel like a klutz.
“I bet you did,” Layla giggled.
I glared at her—the giggle died in her throat as if I had thrown a switch. “You ditched me back there.”
“I saw him coming, and I left so you two could be alone,” she said with a shrug. “Sorry.”
“You left me naked in the middle of the lake with somebody you know I loathe.”
“You don’t loathe him,” she said in a gentle voice.
“How would you know? Don’t tell me how I feel.” I turned away with my arms wrapped around my midsection.
I wanted to die of shame, and she was laughing about it.
“Hey, you’re the one who thought you could make him squirm,” she reminded me. “If you hadn’t gotten out of the water, he wouldn’t have been a dick.”
“He’s always a dick,” I muttered under my breath.
“I thought you liked him,” Daniela said. “What am I missing?”
I sighed deeply. “That was before.”
“Before what?”
“Before he started distracting Jordan,” Layla said.
“Layla.” I glared at her again.
“Well? That’s what you told me.”
“Is that true?” Daniela asked. All innocence.
“What is this? I thought the two of you were supposed to make me feel better. I confessed what happened and now I wish I hadn’t.” I sat with my legs folded under me in a patch of thick, green grass.
“I’m sorry,” Layla said. “Really, I am. I’m sorry I ran off like that, too. It wasn’t right. I should’ve known better.”
“Ah, it’s okay,” I waved her off. “You’re right. I was the one who tried to get under his skin, and he ended up getting under mine. My plan backfired. Only person to blame is me.” I covered my face with my hands. “Ugh, I can’t imagine what he must think of me now. I hope he doesn’t tell his brother or those cousins of his.”
“They’ve been away all day, Roan and Slate,” Daniela said. “So, I doubt he would have the chance to tell them.”
“I don’t think he’s like that,” Layla added. “We’re not kids anymore.”
“That’s true.”
“Besides, so he saw you naked. Heck, you’ll probably have a hard time keeping him away from you now,” Daniela giggled.
“Don’t say that. It’s the last thing I want.”
“Stop kidding yourself,” Layla said.
“Hey—you don’t like when we tease you about Lance, do you?” I snapped back.
She looked away.
I sighed. “Yeah, fine, I liked him when he first got here. But I don’t appreciate the way he walks around like his shit doesn’t stink all because Jordan’s his father.”
“He does seem a little full of himself,” Daniela said.
“A little?” I scoffed.
“Here’s hoping they’re not around for much longer,” Layla said.
“You really think that’s possible?”
She shrugged. “Well, we’ve been patrolling for da
ys, and it doesn’t look like anybody followed us here. We seem safe enough.”
“Safe enough,” I repeated, shaking my head. “Do you think there’s any such thing?”
“Jordan has kept us safe all this time,” Daniela said, leaning forward. “He knows what he’s doing. He knows who we’re up against.”
I stared off into the distance. The sky was starting to darken. The stars would be out soon. “Will there be a hunt tonight, do you think?”
“I hope so,” Daniela said, rubbing her stomach. “I didn’t get much last night, and I’m pretty hungry.”
“Same here. The guys were pigs.” Layla wrinkled her nose and oinked.
I had to laugh.
“Good. I would love a long run.” I leaned back on my elbows and looked up at the sky.
There was a soft breeze which carried to my nose the smell of prey. There wasn’t nearly as much good hunting at the beach—that was one good thing about running away to the lake, anyway. The mountains on three sides provided all the food we could ask for.
“The three of us should hunt on our own, or get more of the girls together and go in a group,” Daniela suggested.
“Jordan would never go for that—and neither would I.” I looked over at her. “You just never know. It’s better if we move in a pack.”
“You really think a handful of bad guys would be any match for us when we’re hunting?” Layla asked with an arrogant tone. “I would just love the excuse to tear somebody’s throat out. I’m always so hungry lately, too. Nobody better get in the way of my next meal.”
“Don’t get in Layla’s way when she’s hangry,” I snorted, and the three of us laughed. “Even so, I would rather be safe. I agree with Jordan on this.”
“You usually agree with him,” Daniela pointed out.
“Because he knows what he’s talking about.”
“All right, all right. I’m not disagreeing with you,” she said. Even so, she sounded defensive. I told myself it was because I sounded like I was picking a fight.
“Sorry. I just wish I understood what the hell is going on lately. Everything’s different.” I took a deep breath and kept looking up at the sky, where stars were starting to pop out. “You’re the only family I ever had, you know? Just you guys.”