Page 28 of Ranger's Justice

“Not a challenge.” My voice drops lower without warning. “A fact.”

Cassidy steps even closer, close enough that the scent of her—something warm, addictive, uniquely her—wraps around me like a damn noose. I should take a step back, put some distance between us before this spirals into something neither of us are ready for. But I don’t.

“You act like you have all this control,” she murmurs, tilting her chin up so her breath is warm against my throat. “Like you can just order me around, tell me what I can and can’t do, and I’m just supposed to fall in line.”

“You should.”

She laughs, quiet and sharp, before pressing a finger to the center of my chest. “But I won’t and we both know it.”

My muscles lock. “Careful.”

She leans in, her voice dropping to a whisper. “Or what? You going to bite me? You may be able to shift into a wolf, but you’re not a beast. You are the one in control and you and your men use your wolves to protect and serve.”

Heat surges through me, the pull of her, the challenge in her eyes, something deeper, more primal, scraping against the surface. My wolf is damn near clawing at me to take control, to stake a claim, to remind her exactly what kind of man she’s provoking. But I hold it back, keep my instincts on a short leash, because Cassidy isn’t a woman you control.

My fingers curl around her wrist, yanking her flush against me. She lets out a sharp breath, but she doesn’t fight me. Her pupils dilate, her pulse thrumming against my grip, but she doesn’t back down. She never backs down.

“You really want to find out what happens when you push me too far?” My voice is little more than a growl, low enough that the men on the other side of the room won’t hear, but she does.

Her lips part, her throat working as she swallows, but she doesn’t answer. Instead, she just watches me, waiting, daring me to make the next move.

She’s trouble. The kind you see coming a mile away, but don’t bother avoiding. Because deep down, you don’t want to. She has no idea—not really—what will happen if I lose control. She doesn’t understand what she’s playing with.

I don’t want to want her. I don’t have the luxury of wanting her. But I do.

The way she looks at me—like she already knows I’m holding myself back, like she’s daring me to snap—is enough to make my blood burn. I can still feel the way her body pressed against mine back at her apartment, the heat of her breath against my skin, the sharp edge of her defiance.

She’s not afraid of me, but she should be. She crosses her arms, her gaze heavy on me. I can feel it.

Then she says, "Maybe you should take a compliment when it’s given."

"That what that was? Seemed more like you testing your luck."

Her voice dips, low and smooth. "What if I am?"

I make the mistake of looking at her. Our eyes lock, and the air thickens, humming with something neither of us will name. Then my patience snaps.

The only thing I register is her. I toss her over my shoulder and take her into my bedroom, kicking the door closed behind us. I set her down, pinning her to the nearest wall—her spine pressed up against it, my body caging her in.

"You don’t know what you’re playing with, Marlow." My voice is low, rough, dangerous.

Her breath comes faster, but she tilts her chin up, eyes burning into mine. "Then maybe you should tell me."

I clench my teeth, fighting the need clawing up my spine, the hunger wrapping itself around me like a noose.

"You think this is a game?" My fingers tighten at her hips, making damn sure she feels every inch of me.

Cassidy’s breathing hitches, but she doesn’t back down.

"No," she whispers, her fingers curling into the fabric of my shirt. "I think I scare you to death."

A growl rumbles in my chest before I can stop it. She’s playing with fire, and I should walk away before we both get burned.

But I don’t. Instead, I pin her harder against the wall, my lips grazing the curve of her jaw, my grip on her hips like iron.

"I don’t scare, Cassidy."

She shudders, her body betraying her, heat pooling between us. She swallows, her pulse hammering against my mouth.

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