Page 18 of Wolf's Wild Woman

“It was just a matter of waiting for that brute you hooked up with to leave. We’ve been taking turns watching the house since you left the other night. Tsk-tsk, Rebel. I thought better of you than to leave someone bleeding on the floor.”

I glared at him. “Obviously, you didn’t bleed enough.”

“I waited for you.” He moved toward me, cornering me on the stairs. “You were meant to belong to me, the same way your mom does my dad. I was patient. Watching you run around town as if you didn’t have a clue what we were to each other. Do you know what it was like having Rowan Byrd tell me to leave you alone? As if you didn’t belong to me?”

“I’ve never belonged to you,” I told him.

“You’ve always belonged to me!” he screamed, spittle spraying from his mouth. He looked absolutely crazy.

“I always knew your wild ways would lead to stupid choices. But hooking up with one of the James Pack? That’s beyond stupid, even for you.”

“Taylor’s my mate, Benji.”

“You want that brute as a mate, fine. But be warned, Rebbie. Men like him don’t stay with women like you.”

“Women like me?” I growled, but Benji ignored me as if he hadn’t even heard my question.

“He’ll get bored and move on. If he’s lucky, you’ll be ready to move on first. Save him the trouble of having to get away from you. When that happens, who do you think you’ll come crawling back to, little girl?” He snickered, the sound grating on my ears.

“You’ve got to be high if you think I’d ever come sniffing around you,” I assured him. “I’ve never liked you. You’ve repulsed me from the first time I met you.”

“I’m going to enjoy getting you under me. I’ll fuck all that uppity out of you. Won’t think you’re too good once you’ve been broken in real good. Don’t worry. The boys’ll just watch until I get my fill.”

“You’re delusional.”

“And you’re a whore. Just like your whore mother.”

I launched myself at him, screaming like a banshee the whole way. I landed hard against his chest and took us both to the floor. We rolled, fighting for a position of dominance, neither of us giving an inch. My shirt ripped in the scuffle, and his nails dug into my flesh. The bastard liked using those claws on my skin. I kneed and scratched, fighting with all I had. There was no way I’d let Benji get me away from Taylor.

I’d been wrong before. I wasn’t falling in love with him. I was jumping in with both feet and sinking into the quagmire of love. I loved him. It didn’t matter if I’d known him a week or ten weeks or ten years. I loved him, and I needed to tell him.

Benji managed to get the upper hand, pinning me to the floor beneath him. I clawed at the hand he wrapped around my throat and struggled to suck in air as he pressed his thumbs against my windpipe. Not like this. I didn’t want to go out like this. My body buzzed with the need for oxygen. My vision faded, then with a roar, I was free. I choked and wheezed, coughing violently as I fought to remind my throat how to inhale.

I saw Taylor across the room, throwing around Benji as if he were a ragdoll. Another man dropped to his knees beside me and tried to help me sit up.

“Breathe, Rebbie. Come on. Breathe for me. If you don’t get those lungs working, Taylor’s really going to lose his shit, and I don’t feel like dying tonight. I’m Gabe, by the way. The third compadre to Simon and Taylor. Never thought he’d be the first of us to take a mate. Always thought it would be Simon. Of course, Simon might die tonight, too, if he tries to get between Taylor and that fuckwad your mate’s pounding on. Pardon the language.” He turned to look back toward where I heard Taylor fighting. “Shit. Call your mate, Rebbie. Quick or there’ll be nothing left of the little weasel he’s wailing on.”

“Taylor.” It was a croak, probably not much louder than a whisper, but it stopped him mid-swing. He let Benji hit the floor with a thud then scrambled across the distance to my side.

Gabe winked at me, then he and Simon hauled an unconscious Benji out between them, the door closing softly behind them.

“Are you okay?” Taylor asked, his hands all over me, checking every inch of my body while his gaze zeroed in on my throat. I didn’t need a mirror to know it was already bruising. “I’ll kill the motherfucker.”

“I think you already did,” I told him around a cough.

“The fucker was still breathing,” he muttered as he scooped me up into his arms. “Barely.”

He took the stairs two at a time, placing me on the bed before heading to the bathroom. He came back with a cool cloth and a glass of water.

“Put this on your neck,” he ordered, handing me the wet rag. I wasn’t sure what it was supposed to do, but it seemed important to him, so I took it. Then he held out the water. “Slow sips.”

I did as he bid, watching him the whole time. His bruised, bloodied hands shook. If anyone needed a cool compress, it was most likely him.

“I shouldn’t have left you,” he muttered.

“We don’t have to worry about Benji anymore,” I offered, but he only scowled.

“Never again, Rebel. I swear I’ll never let you out of my sight again.”

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