Page 38 of Ethan
Dean laughed, rough and a little dazed. I wiped my damp lower lip with the back of my hand, fighting the flush in my cheeks.
“Want to get out of here?” I asked.
“My place?”
I shook my head, words tumbling out before I could stop them. “Mine’s closer.” Then, almost under my breath, I added, “Who knows how thin your walls are.”
For a moment, Dean’s eyes glinted molten gold, desire sharp and unmistakable. My pulse stuttered. I wasn’t sure if he’d heard me, but judging by that look, maybe he had.
Chapter 9
Dean
The night airhit me like a shot of adrenaline. It was cool, crisp, and threaded with the lingering warmth of the bar behind us. I couldn’t stop grinning.
Ethan had actually invited me back to his place.
Ethan. Back to his place.
The words looped in my head like a broken record, disbelief trailing in their wake. I tried to play it cool as we walked toward his car, but inside I was buzzing.
My wolf paced excitedly under my skin, ears perked, restless with possibility.
“Did you mean it?” I asked, risking a glance at him out of the corner of my eye. “About me coming over?”
Ethan gave me a side glance, his mouth quirking in that way that made it very hard to think straight. “I don’t usually say things I don’t mean.”
My heart did something stupid and enthusiastic in my chest. I rubbed at the back of my neck, swallowing the grin that threatened to spill over.
“Right. I just… I wasn’t sure I heard you right. Thought maybe I was imagining things,” I said.
“You weren’t.” He unlocked the car with a beep. “Get in before you ruin it.”
I barked a laugh and slid into the passenger seat, fingers already tingling with anticipation. I didn’t know what else the night would bring.
Maybe just some coffee, maybe a little more, but I didn’t care. It was Ethan. And he’d chosen me.
Ethan got in beside me, keys poised in the ignition, when both our phones started going off at the same time. The twin shrills pierced the silence, and my stomach sank.
Ethan cursed under his breath and fished his phone from his pocket. I did the same, glancing at the caller ID.
Griffin. Dang it.
I picked up. “Yeah?”
“Dean, emergency,” Griffin said without preamble, his voice tight. “It’s Connor. He slipped out of the pack house while everyone was at dinner. We think he ran into the woods. He hasn’t come back.”
Connor was Micah’s age, I recalled. The buzz that had been lifting me all night vanished in a second. “How long’s he been gone?” I asked.
“Too long. Enforcers are already out, but if you’re close by, we could use more eyes,” Griffin said.
“I’m on it,” I said quickly, already unclipping my seatbelt.
Ethan was still on his call, brow drawn tight. I caught enough to hear Cooper’s voice on the other end.
“Yeah,” Ethan said, sighing. “I’m on my way now. Keep him stable until I get there.”
He hung up and met my eyes.
