Page 33 of Savage Desire

Thankfully, Minnie smirks, offering me a wink as she nods toward the left. “Good. Wylder is manning the bar. Let's go get a drink,” she declares, tugging us in his direction without waiting for a response from either of us.

I spot him first. His head is down, his stare fixed on whatever he’s doing behind the bar, and I bask in the moment, taking the time to drink him in like he deserves.

Things might be complicated, but the eye candy is always appreciated.

His white fitted t-shirt highlights his bulging muscles, his veins prominent even at this distance. It should be a sin. The cords of his neck are tense and the glare on his face is wicked until his eyes meet mine and they soften.

I exhale a sigh of relief, one I hadn't realized I was holding, but it's exactly the look I was searching for today in Combat. The one I didn't get, but so desperately needed after the traumatic few days I’ve lived through.

It doesn't last long, though. His eyes turn dark and twisted, but in an entirely different way. Goosebumps rake over my skin.Excitement blossoms in my gut. It looks like he's ready to eat me alive, and I feel like I'm ready to let him.

As we near the bar, uncertainty coils in my stomach after Bryony’s words earlier. It feels like what happened between us after combat was… wrong… forbidden. A shiver runs down my spine at the thought and my thighs clench together.

Why does that not sound as bad as I was expecting?

“There’s my little witch,” he states as we finally reach the bar, paying nobody else any mind as he keeps his eyes locked on me.

I falter under his stare, shifting on my feet as he takes me in, his gaze touching every part of me from head to toe.

“Wylder, we want shots,” Minnie calls out, and he rolls his eyes before offering me a wink. He turns to the line of liquor behind him and I don’t protest. I don't even pretend to look at what options there are. Everyone here knows I have no clue.

The quickest moment passes before a bottle is placed on the bar between us and I swiftly realize it's tequila. Again. Apparently, it’s now our shot of choice.

With his gaze locked on mine, he offers out a wedge of lime and a small container of salt for the girls to prepare their hands, just like he did to me on fight night. But instead of reaching out to put the salt on my hand like he did then, I watch as he licks his own finger, trailing the salt along the skin, and places the wedge of lime between his teeth.

His intention is clear. Even for me and my overwhelming na?vety.

I'm certain my face is as red as it can be when he holds the shot glass out to me, filled to the brim with liquor. I know what's expected of me, and I can’t bring myself to not follow through.

I hear Minnie count to three beside me, but my attention is locked on him. Wylder holds his hand up to me first, and I run my tongue all over the salty layer against his flesh. His pupilsdilate, as I'm sure mine do too, before I reach for the shot, tipping it back and letting the burn trail down my throat.

He's in my face a moment later, lime wedge pressing against the seam of my lips, and I part them just enough to bite into the citrusy fruit. The ghost of his lips around the wedge is enough to make me sway on my feet.

My mind is abuzz, my body alight, and just as quickly as he came, he disappears again.

“That was hot,” Bryony declares, and I dip my head, embarrassed at their observation as I hear Minnie chuckling in agreement. “Where's everyone else?” she asks, thankfully, changing the direction of the conversation.

Minnie sighs. “Tatum doesn't do too well at these things. He'll likely be hiding away in his favorite spot with his drawings,” she explains, a flash of the little maze not too far from here flickering in my mind.

Wylder collects the empty glasses along the bar as he offers further explanation. “Asher is dealing with his uncle.” A look passes between Minnie and Wylder, and my gut clenches.

“Every time he's mentioned, nothing good seems to come of it,” I blurt, instantly worrying I’ve overstepped the mark, but the look Minnie gives me is one of… trust?

“You're absolutely on point with that. We should drink to it,” she insists, waving at Wylder to give us another shot, but the moment is interrupted when I'm knocked sideways, stumbling over my own feet to the sound of a girl cackling beside me.

I spin around, confused by what's going on, only to find Lincoln sandwiched between two blondes, both hanging off his every word and clinging to his flesh like it's a lifeline.

My face heats, pulsing with a mixture of jealousy and embarrassment as he laughs at something one of the girls says. It's clear I'm nothing more than an afterthought now. A fact that leaves me confused. He declined me and my virginity in onemoment, and stole it the next. Maybe he didn’t steal it, not when I offered it up so willingly, but now my existence is nothing more than an inconvenience.

I’m standing here right now and it’s like I don’t exist as he relishes in the attention of the girls he’s plastered between.

At least it’s not Bianca, I guess. Either way, I'm determined to not let it get the better of me. Instead, I take a step back away from the bar, noting Minnie’s furious face and Wylder’s glare aimed at their Alpha.

“I’m going to dance,” I announce, sensing a hint of disappointment from Wylder, but he doesn't openly object.

“Save a dance for me, Little Witch,” he says with a reluctant wink as Bryony and Minnie fall into step with me. I nod over my shoulder as I go.

I barely make it to the center of the dance floor, my hips swaying to the beat, before I spot Sian off to the side, engrossed in an intense conversation with Terence. My eyebrows gather in confusion as I stare at them. Despite the dark setting, Terence’s busted, battered, and bruised face is undeniable.

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