Page 26 of Deadly Wolf Bite

“I wouldn’t mind seeing you try it with Razor,” I joke.

He flashes a grin as he runs a hand up my thigh and along the edge of my panties.

I draw in a sharp breath as anticipation builds.

“Grey,” I manage, my emotions swirling with the need for this to be real. No pretending. No more lies between us than the one I’m already being forced to live. “Do you mean this?” I whisper as he trails kisses down my throat.

He pulls away, and I feel suddenly lonely without his hands and mouth on me. “You think I would do this with you if I didn’t mean it?”

“I don’t know.”

His expression flashes with irritation but then he calms and says, “Give me your hand.”

Tentatively, I place my hand in his. He grips it firmly and uses his other hand to pull the giant engagement ring off my finger.

“What are you doing?” I ask, terrified he’s changing his mind.

Maybe even pretending is too much.

“This ring was chosen by someone on my father’s payroll. It’s a symbol of the evil that brought you here. It’s all wrong.” He hesitates, his gaze scanning the kitchen behind me. “Come here.”

With my hand still firmly in his, he leads me into the kitchen and pulls open a drawer. He rummages and comes away with a twist tie. Then he wraps it around my finger, twisting until it’s formed a ring.

“What is this?” I ask.

“It’s real,” he says simply. Then he drops the engagement ring back into my hand. It feels heavy on my palm. “And it’s your choice. You can wear the twist-tie, which is something I chose without being ordered to do so and a symbol of my feelings for you. Or you can wear this gaudy diamond my father bought.”

My heart flutters then races. “Your feelings for me…”

“Are real as fuck, Lexi.” His voice dips earnestly low, and he steps closer, his eyes fastened intently on mine. “That dinner the other night—when you got sick? It was my way of showing you that you matter to me. You’re the most important thing in my life now.”

My heart melts into a pool of warmth. “I thought it was a chance for the paparazzi to see us together.”

He shakes his head. “No one asked me to take you to dinner. It was all me.”

“I didn’t realize…” A lump forms in my throat as I imagine him sitting at the table alone, waiting for me—while I was busy agreeing to betray him.

Guilt slams into me.

As much as I wanted this declaration from him, it only makes things harder now.

I look away, but not before he frowns at the pain I must’ve let show.

He grimaces, misreading it. “Fuck. It’s too fast, isn’t it?” I start to answer, but he shakes his head, cutting me off as he grips my arms. “I know the situation is fucked up. And that I have to earn your trust. But dammit, Lexi. I want you. Tell me how to earn you. What can I do?”

It’s not a question I’m expecting, and for a moment, I’m at a loss. He’s made it clear I’m more than just a convenient distraction or a means to an end in this war with his father. But letting myself believe him is terrifying. If he’s serious, it makes my betrayal so much worse.

I’m not just betraying him; I’m betraying myself.

Because the truth is, I want to earn him too.

“Earning trust isn’t something you do just once,” I say, hating myself a little more with every word. “Especially when this world and the people we’re up against are constantly chipping away at it.”

“I get that,” he says. “Believe me. I’m very aware that the only reason you’re here is because I’m forcing you.”

“It’s not the only reason,” I say softly.

Hope blooms in his dark expression. “It’s not?”

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