Page 56 of Mortal Shift
“Sure, forwolves.How many humans have run in the hunt?”
He scrubbed a hand over the back of his neck, looking the closest to bashful I’d ever seen, and it was freaking adorable. And that was so totally not the point.
I shook my head.
“How am I supposed to run with the pack on two legs?”
“I don’t know,” he admitted.
“And what happens if I can’t keep up?”
“I don’t know.”
“Or if I fall in the middle of the pack?”
“I—”
“Oh, let me guess. You don’t know? Shocker.”
I whirled away and he caught my wrist and spun me back to him.
“I won’t let that happen,” he said firmly, and then released me. “That’s what I was going to say.”
The tingles raced across my flesh, and my breath tightened in my chest. Then I snapped out of it and took a step back.
“Right. And I’m just supposed to believe that, am I?”
His frown deepened. “Why wouldn’t you?”
“Oh, I don’t know, maybe because you’ve been making my life a walking nightmare since the moment we first met? Or perhaps it’s because you’ve done such a bang up job of looking out for me so far. Or, gee, maybe it’s because every time I start to trust you, you take advantage and then leave me standing there, exposed.” The image of myself in the corridor, flustered, frustrated, and very, very aroused came flooding back to me, and color creeped up my cheeks. I started down at the protruding roots of the tree behind him, and added in a whisper, “Alone.”
There was no sound but the wind rustling the crisp autumnal leaves, and then abruptly his body was against mine, his arms gently encircling me, his thumb softly stroking my shoulder. Then he hooked one finger under my chin and tilted my head back, and touched his lips tenderly to mine, and just like that, every fear, every anxiety, every doubt in my mind melted away to nothing, and my body molded itself against his, urging him on, urging him to explore and taste me, and—
—And I wasnotfalling for this shit again. No fucking way.
I pulled back and slammed my palms into his chest, shoving him away.
“Is this some sort of joke to you?” I spat, glaring up at him. Pretend hurt flashed through his eyes, and I slashed my long hair through the air, trying to rid myself of the feel of his hands on me. “Don’t try that bullshit with me, because I’m not falling for it. Not this time. You don’t get to swoop in here and pretend like you give a damn just for kicks. I am done falling for your tricks, you hear me?”
“Tricks.” His mouth twisted bitterly. “Right. You would think that.”
“Damn right I would. I see right through you, Cole.”
“You don’t see a fucking thing. I’m right in front of you and you don’t seeanything.”
“I….” I tried to make sense of his words through the haze of anger and hormones and the desire to rip off his shirt and climb him like a tree, none of which was even remotely helpful right now.
“Oh, what, you don’t understand? Shocker.” His cold mimicry of my voice stung worse than any of Thaden’s bites. I screwed my eyes tight a moment, praying they’d be dry when I opened them again, and sucked in a breath of the cold, damp air.
“You know what, Cole? This isn’t my world, okay? I wasn’t born into this, and I didn’t ask to be here, and I didn’t ask to have all this bullshit dumped on me. I’m not trying to ruin your life, okay? I’m just trying to live mine.”
“Are you…crying?” He sounded horrified, and I palmed my eyes, mortified when my hands came away wet. Iwascrying. Shit.
He closed the gap between us again, then stopped just short, one hand hovering uncertainly mid-air.
“Oh, why do you care?” I snapped in a trembling, pitiful voice that I hated almost as much as the tears; almost as much as this asshole standing in front of me. Almost.
“I care,” he said simply. I snorted.
