Page 47 of Knotting else Matters

And then there was Olivia—fingers drumming against the dashboard, her head bobbing to the beat of whatever ridiculous playlist she’d just connected to my stereo.

“Whooaaa, we’re halfway there! Whoa-oh! Livin’ on a prayer!” she sang, loud and shameless, her voice a wild, unrestrained echo that bounced around the cab. She slapped my arm for emphasis, grinning like a madwoman.

I shot her a dark, warning look. “Is this a concert, or are you trying to scare away the wildlife?”

“Oh, don’t be such a grump.” She leaned over, cranking the volume up even louder. “This is classic. Pure, unfiltered, sing-your-heart-out rock.”

“I thought you had taste.” I muttered, gripping the wheel a little tighter, but she just laughed, that wild, bright sound that cut through the sweltering heat.

“You wouldn’t know taste if it bit you,” she shot back, leaning back in her seat, her fingers already scrolling through her playlist. “Fine. If that’s too ‘primitive’ for your Alpha sensibilities, how about something more… on the nose?”

The next song kicked in with a pulsing, upbeat rhythm, and the unmistakable synth beat of Duran Duran’s “Hungry Like the Wolf”filled the cab.

“Oh, you think you’re funny?” I asked, but I couldn’t stop the faint, crooked smile tugging at my lips.

“Funny? No. Hilarious? Absolutely.” She grinned, leaning back in her seat, her voice rising again as she sang along. “I'm on the hunt, I'm after you—”

“I think we both know who’s doing the hunting here.” I shot her a sideways glance, letting the faint, lazy smile linger.

“Oh? You think you’re the big, bad wolf?” She arched an eyebrow, crossing one leg over the other, the faint, teasing smile never leaving her lips. “Pretty sure I remember you chasing me down. Or have you forgotten who kissed who first?”

“I remember you falling apart in my arms.” My voice dropped, a low, rough murmur. “Clawing at my back, moaning my name—”

Her cheeks flushed, but her smile didn’t falter. “Confidence is cute, but I’m still not sure you’re as tough as you think you are, Alpha.”

I leaned back, letting one hand rest casually on the wheel, the other slipping from the gearshift to trail along her knee, tracing slow, lazy circles against the soft denim of her jeans. “I think I’m tough enough to have you screaming for me again.”

“Oh, please.” She brushed my hand away with a laugh, her gaze flicking back to the road. “I bet you’re all bark and no bite.”

“Keep pushing me,my sweet chaos,” I murmured, letting my fingers trail just a little higher, just enough for her to feel the faint, teasing pressure. “And I’ll show you exactly how sharp my bite can be.”

She shivered, her smile faltering for just a heartbeat, and I felt a warm, smug satisfaction coil in my chest. But she recovered quickly, snatching my hand and shoving it back toward the gearshift.

“Eyes on the road, Alpha. I’d hate for you to get us killed before I have a chance to prove you wrong.”

I laughed, a low, warm rumble that seemed to fill the sweltering heat of the cab. “Oh, I’m not getting us killed. I’m far too eager to see how far I can push you.”

“Big words.” She reached for the volume again, the beat of the song still pulsing around us. “Let’s see if you’re as good with your driving as you are with your mouth.”

“Careful, Olivia.” I leaned back, a slow, lazy smile curling at my lips. “I haven’t even started using my mouth yet.”

Her breath hitched just slightly, the faintest flush creeping up her cheeks, but she covered it with another laugh, her gaze fixed on the endless stretch of sunlit road ahead.

I let the music fill the silence, the rhythmic beat thumping in the background as the fields blurred past, the sun beating down, the wind sweeping through the open window.

But my gaze kept flicking to her—the wild, defiant light in her green eyes, the faint, annoyed curl of her lips as she tried to fight the smile tugging at them. And gods, I didn’t think I’d ever get enough of this—enough of her, wild and reckless, burning through the heat like a wildfire.

The highway was a twisted, shimmering ribbon of endless asphalt, the heat dancing off the road in hazy waves. And then it wasn’t. It was a sea of brake lights. A long, agonizing line of red that stretched to the horizon.

“Are you kidding me?” I muttered, gripping the steering wheel, my fingers tapping in a slow, frustrated rhythm.

“Relax,Wolfzilla,” Olivia sighed, leaning back in her seat, her fingers already dancing over her phone. “It’s just traffic.”

“Traffic caused by what?” I growled, craning my neck to see, but the pickup in front of us was a massive, rusted beast that blocked any hope of a view.

“Accident, probably,” she hummed, her gaze never leaving her screen. “Or maybe the gods just decided to punish you for being insufferable.”

I shot her a dark look, and she only grinned, tapping out something on her phone.

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