Page 80 of Captive of Outlaws

“Tuck, you smooth little bastard,” Will says, getting up toruffle his hair.

“Hey, hey, calm down!” Tuck fights him off. His face is pink. “I don’t kiss and tell.” He looks at me, visibly embarrassed. “Sorry, Maren. It’s just...”

“No, no, it’s fine,” I say quickly, tucking a wet strand of hair behind my ear. I guess they were going to find out eventually. But why isn’t it an issue? I suck in a breath. “Yes, Tuck and I kissed. At the club. And I got a little dizzy. Is that...what was that?”

Rob shrugs, his slick bare skin catching the moonlight. “It’s hard to say, exactly. But best guess is the emotional surge of the moment comingled with whatever power is inside you and...kaboom.”

“Whatever power is inside me,” I repeat. “So you don’t—wedon’t—know what I...am? What I do?” I tip my head. “Am I a shifter too?”

“No real way to know,” Will says. “Not until you actually shift. Until then, it’s anyone’s guess.”

I rub my forehead. “So that’s why you wanted to keep me here. Because of who I am. What I am,” I correct myself.

“No,” Rob says. His voice is strangely husky, his eyes distant, almost pained. “Like I said, we just found out too. Just put it together. Trust me, Maren, if we had known, known it was you...God, we would have—”

“There’s no point in casting blame,” Will says sternly, more to Rob than to me. “All we can do now is try to keep Maren out of trouble and see what powers might manifest.” He looks at me. “You’ll have to be somewhere safe. The reason you haven’t shown anything yet is probably because you’ve been, ah...”

“Abused,” I finish for him. “You can say it. Traumatized.I’m a fucking mess.”

“You’re not,” Tuck says softly. “Not to us.”

I sit, silent, for a long, long moment, shivering suddenly as if I’d just remembered my dress was all wet.

“This is too much,” Rob says. “It’s been a long night, she needs to get inside, and we’re all out here half-naked.”

“No,” I say quickly. “It’s fine. I’ll warm up.”

And that exact moment, Will happens to set down his bourbon. I snatch it up before it even touches the table and toss it back, the caramel burn on my tongue and throat sending warmth to every corner of me.

“My goodness,” Will says, his eyes flickering from his empty glass to my face to—I note with another shiver—my sopping-wet body.

“See?” I say. “I’m fine.”

Rob studies me, amused but not convinced. “That ballgown’s not getting any drier, pretty lady.”

From the corner of my eye, I catch Tuck looking suddenly flustered, embarrassed, like a clumsy puppy version of the golden retriever he is.

He wants me. It’s obvious. The kiss wasn’t enough for him.

And, if I’m being honest? It wasn’t enough for me, either.

I bite back a smile.

“No, it’s not,” I say. I look at the other two, study them, and decide...fuck it. I’ve got to ask.

“Why don’t you care that I kissed Tuck?”

Rob and Will exchange a glance.

“Who says we don’t?” Will mutters.

“She kissed me,” Tuck jumps in. “I mean, I wanted to kiss her. Pretty badly. But I just want to make it clear, I wasn’tgoing to...I know we’re supposed to...”

He shakes his head, eyes intent on me.

“I didn’t mean to start a whole thing,” I say truthfully. “I just wasn’t thinking about your rules.”

“Rules, schmules,” Will drawls. “Since when do we care so much aboutrules, anyway?”

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