Page 34 of Wolf

We stare at each other with a message I can’t decipher but my body recognizes it just the same and I’m about to fall into his arms when he comes to his senses and shakes his head.

Grabbing my arm, he pulls me around and taps my head, saying, “Ain’t got no brain bucket. You’ll have to ride bare.”

He pauses after his statement before his brows twitch, and he straddles the bike. Nodding because I assume he’s talking about a helmet, I follow as he urges me to slide in behind him.

“Feet here,” he rasps.

Once I’m situated, he starts the bike, the low rumble vibrating between my thighs. Suppressing a gasp, I wrap my arms around his waist as we roll away and he says, “Hold on tight.”

He’s nice and warm and I snuggle deep as the world whips around us but he’s so big, he shields most of the wind. Which is good because I’m not dressed for a moonlight bike ride.

Once we’re free of the crowd, he accelerates and I squeak, hanging on tight. We fly down the highway, the sound of his bikeloud and I raise my head, a huge smile overtaking my face. I feel weightless as he takes the turns, my heart in my throat while I stare at the stars above me.

This is freedom and the aching ball in my chest unravels the further we go. I never want the moment to end. I’m on the back of a biker's ride, with the wind in my hair. I can hardly believe it.

By the time we reach our destination, the events at the field have faded. My skin is buzzing with excitement and my heart feels like it might fly from my chest.

Wolf makes a turn, and I tighten my grip, staring at the man at the gate as Wolf accelerates toward a building beyond. The man raises a fist and grins, the piercing in his lip undulating under the movement.

When we stop, Wolf kicks the stand and waves at me. With a smile, I dismount and turn toward what I presume to be the entrance.

We’re parked outside a squat building surrounded by bikes with the rough sound of heavy metal music thumping from within. I admire the chrome and leather before turning toward the party.

Anticipation zings in my veins until Wolf grabs my arm and says, “Hold up.”

When I look into his eyes, I suppress a shiver at his stern beauty while my stomach swoops at his proximity. I can smell his cologne or maybe it’s just him, leather, and something spicy but it fills my nose and makes my knees weak.

His brows lower the longer I stare, and he looks away, working his jaw. After a deep exhalation he says, “You’re here to see your sister only. You’re lucky I brought you, at all. Don’t mingle. Don’t drink. Just…don’t.”

With a trickle of disappointment, I dip my chin, but he chuffs. “Don’t even. I told you—“

“Yes, I don’t belong,” I say in a chilly tone. “Can we get this over with?”

Maybe I wear long shirts to cover my skin, and I’m not allowed to have my hair down. Maybe I say shoot and can’t hold my alcohol but I’m not what he thinks.

I don’t belong here. Fine but I don’t belong in that other world either. I guess I don’t belong anywhere.

Wolf grabs my chin, his eyes glittering, and I suck in a breath, both fear and arousal tumbling through me. “No back talking. I don’t like it.”

“Right. Got it.” I know my tone is snotty, but the man is getting on my last nerve.

I understand I shouldn’t be here. He doesn’t want me here. Can’t he leave me alone to lick my wounds?

“…annoying as fuck,” he huffs and I blink, following along as he pulls me through the entrance.

The sound immediately assails me, the heavy guitar riffs pounding in my ears. A low haze hangs in the air and the bitter tang of alcohol tingles my nose.

To my right is a bar, with a fierce-looking guy behind it. He’s pouring a drink, his meaty hands engulfing the bottle of alcohol. I trace his tattoos with my eyes before turning to my left.

Two pool tables sit surrounded by more burly men and women in slinky dresses and short shorts. Beyond is a series of couches, with writhing couples, some in a tangle of limbs I can’t piece apart.

I spy a dangling appendage and squeak averting my gaze as heat fills my cheeks.

Wolf is walking ahead of me, and I follow blindly before my gaze lands on a man across the way. He’s sitting on a stool, his face twisted in a painful grimace with a woman who’s got her head in his lap. It’s both beautiful and raw.

I’m pulled from my reverie when Wolf grabs my chin and says, “Eyes on me.”

“Why?” I ask, the words popping out of their own volition.

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