Page 37 of Warlander Beast Cat

His words had come out so growly, so angry. So sexy.

“Who?”

“Nobody. Nobody but you. You aren’t filler, Cadence. You never were. Throw the goddamn axe.”

“W-what?”

“You have three turns on this game. Throw the axe.”

“Oh. Oh!” She stepped back out of his arms, but felt the loss of the warmth there.

“Can I join in?” a woman asked.

“No!” she and Kru said at the same time, but when she noticed it was Lucia who asked, she softened. “Sure. You can be on my team. Did you leave the speed-dating, too?”

“Yeah. I made out with Steve a little, but he was boring to talk to.”

“Steve is boring. Okay,” Kru muttered as Cadence hid her smile.

Cadence pressed her cool fingertips to her blushing cheeks. That kiss had scrambled her thoughts. Had Lucia seen that? “Look, maybe you should remember his number. You could go out on an actual date with him and see if the make-out chemistry is still there.”

Lucia narrowed her eyes. “Why would I take dating advice from you? You screwed up relationships with two guys in our Crew, and you are currently single.”

Cadence pursed her lips and nodded. “That’s fair.” Geez, Lucia was good at humbling a person.

Out of the corner of her eye, Cadence could see Sasha headed this way, her drink in hand. A snarl rattled up her throat as a feline smile painted the woman’s face.

“Aw, shhhhit,” Kru murmured. “Whatever it is you want, the answer is no.”

“I noticed you are down a player. I can fill in. I’ll be on your team,” Sasha said, sidling up to Kru.

“Team’s taken,” Cadence said in a steely voice. She didn’t know what overcame her, but she reached over and grabbed the front of Kru’s jeans.

He tensed and looked shocked as hell, but he didn’t move. And then they sat there in that moment, rage building on Sasha’s face. Lucia was grinning like a psychopath. Kru had spilled half his beer when Cadence had done her dick-grab, and Cadence didn’t know how to get out of it as Kru’s boner woke up in her grip. She pursed her lips, then cleared her throat delicately. “He’s mine.”

“Oh is he?” Sasha purred, her dark eyebrows arching up high. “He didn’t tell you then?”

“Sasha, enough.”

“Tell me what?” Cadence asked as the tiger’s snarl in her throat softened. She had a bad feeling.

Sasha lifted her left hand and stuck up her ring finger. On it sat a thin white-gold band with tiny diamonds all the way around it. “He’ll always be mine. You were a distraction while I was figuring things out, but that’s all you are. What’s your name again? Cadence, is it? Daughter of Harrison and Audrey. Let me guess. Tiger?” Sasha’s smile looked cruel as she lifted her chin higher into the air. “Unhand my mate. Now.” The last word had a snarl in it.

Rage boiled through Cadence as her gaze tracked the movement of that ring as Sasha lowered her hand to her side. Absolute, overwhelming rage. And hurt. And confusion…

She flinched away from Kru, and stared at the floor for a three-count before she dragged her gaze up to him.

He was shaking his head. “It’s not what you think.”

“She’s your mate. You gave her that ring?”

His lips parted, but whatever he was planning on saying, he changed his mind. His thoughts made him wince, but she didn’t care about his hurt right now.

He’d kissed her.

He’d kissed her and changed everything.

She really was filler.

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