Page 59 of Wants and Needs
Speaking of distractions, I turn to see Liam staring at Tristan, and then see Tristan making crazy eyes at him.
Dirk on the other hand is looking at Liam with hate in his stupid eyes, and Roy... is looking Wolf up and down with obvious lust as he walks right up to them. He stops less than a foot away, uncomfortably close if their reaction—trepidation—is anything to go by.
He’s cut them off from the rest of the group so effectively, and crosses his arms over his chest while Roy starts to tell him how big of a fan he is. Wolf doesn’t even seem to hear it, he just stares Dirk down.
I lean to the left to try and see his face better, and just in time too, because I catch the moment his evil smile begins to form. It’s the one that makes him look like he’s an actual starving, rabid wolf.
“Did you know,” he says, low enough that I have to strain to hear with all the fucking noise. “That I’ve known Liam since the day I was born?”
That seems like a simple and innocent enough question, but it’s not.
“No,” the Dick says, and there’s just enough of a wobble inhis voice to make me smile.
I love it when Wolf makes grown men want to piss themselves. It’s endlessly entertaining.
“And did you know,” he continues. “That he’s the new best friend of five NFL football players?” Dirk opens his mouth but Wolf keeps going. “I mean sure, three of those are quarterbacks, they don’t pack that much of a punch, but one of them is a linebacker who’ll be here any moment, and he can bench press a Toyota if he feels like it, and the other is my best friend and the most feral of them all. So I suggest that it never even crosses your mind to talk to Liam again, is that clear?”
“Are you threatening me?” Dirk demands, trying to sound indignant or maybe threatening. I have no clue what he’s trying to do but it’s not working. He just sounds scared.
“Yes,” Wolf says without hesitation. “I am, grave robber, and I asked, is thatclear?” He growls the last bit.
“Ye-yes, of course that’s clear.”
It’s Roy who answers this time, openly terrified as he looks up at Wolf’s face. He starts pulling on Dirk’s arm to step back, but the grave robber—and Ilovethat my nickname has caught on—looks like he’s about to explode, his face becoming more crimson at an alarming pace.
I maybe love that even more.
“Crystal,” Dirk spits out the word, and looks at Liam for a long moment. “It’s not like I even care?—”
“What is going on?” Liam whispers in my ear, though the volume doesn’t disguise his panic. He distracts me from hearing the rest of whatever Dirk has to say.
“What do you mean?” I ask, and squeeze his damp palm.
“Did you tell Wolf that Dirk—” I can’t bear the vulnerability in his voice so I interrupt him right away.
“I didn’t tell him anything about your past.” I speak quickly. “He’s just acting this way because of everything I explained to them back at the brownstone, remember? What an arsehole he was at Rossi’s?”
While he stares at me I feel this incessant need to have him believe me, believe that I would never betray him.
Finally, his lips tip up at the edges. The smile is here and gone so fast I would’ve missed it if I wasn’t staring right back at him, then he’s back to his normal frown.
“Okay,” he whispers.
I breathe out slowly, then remind myself what we’re here for.
“Come on, let me introduce you to Lyla?—”
“I know Lyla,” he tells me in his dry tone. “I’ve known her all my life.”
“Right.” I shake my head a little.Come on, Carter, get your head in the game. “Let’s greet her and then you can talk to Michelle, yeah?”
“Yes,” he says with a nod, and I see him reach up to touch his bow tie nervously.
“You know your app is awesome,” I whisper supportively. “Just like your algorithm, Liam. You can do this.”
“It’s just...” He trails off and I turn to face him, giving him all my attention.
“What is it?”
