Page 13 of Rogue Games

8

DEAN

There is absolute silence as I stare at Jamie, lost for words. She’s stunningly beautiful and extremely pissed off. Fire burns in her striking gold eyes as she glares at me, cheeks pink with indignation.

My words may have been harsh, but my wolf is insistent. She can’t be allowed to enter the games. My wolf is immediately protective of her, yet strangely silent.

“You just said we could enter the games,” she points out through gritted teeth, annoyingly correct in her assertion.

“That was before—” I trail off when I see Wyatt’s eyes widen a fraction, warning me not to finish that sentence. She’d be the only female competitor. I can’t turn her away. There are other she-wolves visiting with their mates or siblings, but none have tried to enter.

None except the little spitfire who’s trying to stare a hole in my head as I gather my thoughts.

One of Jamie’s slim hands lifts to her hip. A sliver of her olive skin is just about visible between her dark top, now soaking wet and clinging to every delicious curve, and the waistband of her black trousers. The silky skin looks soft and smooth, tempting my fingers to brush along the delicate curve and inch the material higher to reveal more.

“Before what?” Jamie asks, tilting her head, her tone deceivingly quiet, but deadly.

She’s daring me to say what she knows is on the tip of my tongue. Her black hair hangs in loose ringlets around her tanned shoulders, and I’m strangely fascinated by the way each damp wave catches the fading light. A drop of water hangs from the end of one strand, and I have the inexplicable urge to reach out and catch it.

“Before…” I begin to speak, but then suddenly Callum’s voice is shouting inside my head.

CALLUM: Don’t say it. DON’T FUCKING SAY IT.

Suddenly I remember where I am, and who I’m talking to. To my right, one of my men frowns, and I can almost hear the cogs whirring in his brain as he assesses the situation.

She’s a rogue. She’s not going to win. Why does he not just toss her out?

My wolf does not like that idea one bit. There’s something about her… a familiarity that I can’t quite place. He wants to know more, and I’m more than a little intrigued myself. One look at Wyatt tells me that if she goes, he goes, which wouldn’t be fair to him. I’ve already taken a shine to the big man. I love a good underdog story and he’s already proven he’s got nerve.

I can’t wait to see how pissed off the rest of the entrants will be when he rocks up tonight.

“Before I knew you were the one who’s been stalking me for days.” I step closer to her, looming over her, bordering on intimidating, being a bit of a dick so I have an excuse to get near, and suck in a deep breath. That scent. My wolf is salivating as he lets it swirl around our mouth and imprint itself in our brain. I can practically taste her on my tongue.

Despite her slightly dishevelled appearance from taking a dip in the water, she’s clear eyed and articulate. This woman isn’t like any other rogue I’ve come across, where too long spent in animal form gives their aura a feral edge.

Testing her temperament, I lean and whisper close to her ear. “At least your brother came to speak with me personally, instead of hiding, very badly, I might add, in the trees, like a coward.”

Stepping back, I watch to see how she reacts. Eyes narrowed, she tries to incinerate me from behind thick, dark lashes, but that’s to be expected.

My comment is rude and unfair, and my wolf is unimpressed with my attempts to bait her. She did an impressive job of keeping herself concealed. At the launch, I’d go so far as to say she was excellent. I never caught her scent. Somehow, I could feel her close by. My wolf recognises her rather than her scent. That shouldn’t make sense, yet somehow, it just does.

Moving in a circle around her, just like I did with Wyatt, I enjoy how her heartbeat picks up as I inhale her heavenly smell again. Her reaction pleases my wolf and riles him up at the same time. Jamie’s wolf rises up inside her, not happy about being inspected so closely, and having me at her back, but Jamie keeps her under control. Which is pretty good for a rogue who’s not as used to dealing with dominance and hierarchy.

“It was hardly days.” She scoffs, trying to distract her animal from its discomfort. “And it was the other competitors I was studying.”

Not me. She doesn’t say those words, but that’s the point she’s making.

I huff, knowing that’s a lie. She can’t fool me. I could feel her eyes on me. She’s just either too proud, or too cunning to admit that.

My body reacts as I pass behind her, wanting to press my nose to her neck and draw more of her fragrance deep into my lungs. My wolf is intrigued, but silent.

The wind shifts, and her long, dark brown hair whips around. The temptation to catch a long strand as it flutters toward my face, just to touch and feel how soft it is, is overwhelming.

Never has a beauty captivated me like this. And yet still, the animal inside me says nothing.

He’s protective, not wanting her near the dangerous competition, but he doesn’t seem to share my fascination with this wild woman before me. Even more staggering, I’m more than a little disappointed, despite her being exactly the opposite of what I should want in every way.

Wyatt is tense, not liking how much attention I’m paying to his sister. It’s easy to tell who he left his pack to protect. The idea of her placing herself in danger here is… unsettling.

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