Page 89 of Apex of the Curve

Girlfriend. I didn’t know why the title surprised me. I mean, wasn’t that what we were? Still, it had, and a pleasant blush crept into my cheeks as a giddy riot of butterflies took off in my stomach, tickling the underside of my heart that took off in a rapid succession of beats.

“Hi,” I said with a bit of an unsteady laugh. I wasn’t used to being the center of attention. I was used to Copper, who was the absolute ham of the family and my mother’s favored only son, getting all of the attention, which had suited me growing up. I much preferred hiding on the fringes and the shadows and I absolutely hated being the center of attention in this application.

At work, it was different. At work, I was almost performing a role, and I loved teaching what I so loved to do and sharing that with the world. It was the only time I really did feel comfortable with people. When I was selling or teaching. The scrutiny with which Maverick raked me from head to toe with his gaze had me shrinking in my seat.

“Nice to meet you, Aspen,” he said kindly and gave me a nod.

“Nice to meet you, too,” I murmured.

“Gotta admit, Fen’s been keeping you quite the secret and now I see why,” he said.

“Oh?” I asked, slightly intrigued. I mean, I can’t imagine why Fen would.

“Uh-huh, you’re a knockout.”

I choked on the swallow of cider I’d been taking, coughing and sputtering as Fen looked on concerned and Mav pounded me on the back.

“Um, thank you,” I said and wouldn’t look at either of them, embarrassed.

“Shy, too, I take it.”

“Um, yeah,” I said, slightly uncomfortably.

“She is shy,” Fenris said and smiled at me. His smile was everything, telling me that I was alright.

“And a citizen through and through,” Tic grumbled behind him.

“Disrespect my woman one more fuckin’ time, see what happens,” Fen growled.

I froze. I’d never heard him like that before. His whole face changed into something frightening and I bit my lips together, my stomach turning leaden.

“Easy now, big dog. You know how it is,” Mav said.

“I don’t,” I said softly.

“Just takes a while to get to know you, is all,” Maverick said kindly.

“It would be nice to be given the opportunity,” I said pointedly. “It seems as though some of you have already made up your minds.”

I stared past Fen, pointedly at Tic, Vyking’s words playing over and over in my head, take no shit, take no shit, take no shit.

I wasn’t a mean person. I didn’t have that in me, but I would and could stand my ground if the occasion called for it… which apparently, it did at the moment. Tic laughed in my face, practically, took a drink out of his glass and said, “Look at her trying to be all hard and shit.”

“Mav, he don’t quit it. I’ma knock his fuckin’ ass out.”

Maverick looked nonplussed, but thankfully, he was looking at Tic and not Fenris.

“Not sure what crawled up your ass and died, there, Tic, but I’m inclined to agree with our enforcer here. Keep it up, I’ll sanction that fight.”

Tic scoffed like a sullen teenager and muttered, “Whatever.”

“I don’t know,” Mav said leaning back. “Dump Truck, what do you think?”

Dump Truck sat up, rising like a leviathan from the deep, much like Fen had off his couch that first meeting. He was sitting at the picnic table on the other side of Tic’s from ours.

“I say Tic is fixing to have his ass beat. There ain’t nothing wrong with Aspen. Spent all day with her on Sunday. Little Bird and I happen to like her just fine.”

“You’re seriously going to take the side of some citizen trash over your brother’s?” Tic demanded.

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