Page 161 of Twisted Trails
Mason grabs my upper arm, pulls me to him, and buries his face against my neck. “I would love to kiss the shit out of you right now.”
My breath catches. “Is that a yes?”
“Yes.Yes, I want to sign with you guys,” he says into my skin. “That was the dream from the start, to be on your team. I don’t fucking care what the name is or how big the bus is. I just want to ride on your side.”
I hug Mason back tightly, grounding myself in the warmth of it before whispering near his ear, “But don’t tell anybody yet, okay?” He pulls back and nods. “Finn doesn’t know yet. I just needed to know what you guys thought first. My dad is still doing paperwork, so it’s notofficiallyofficial yet. I want to make sure we’resurewhen we tell him.”
“I’m a void,” Mason promises, but when he glances over at Luc, something in his jaw ticks.
I turn to see that Luc looks like someone just insulted his rat, his baguette, and his mother in one sentence.
Mason clocks the mood shift and clears his throat. “I’m gonna finish the track walk with Greer and the juniors. Might get some local intel. Thisishis mountain, after all.”
And then he just walks off.
I blink after him, confused and a little annoyed.
Sir. Why are you leaving me alone with a brooding Frenchman?
He’sourboyfriend. This is a group project.
I turn back to Luc, who is now full-on pouting, stormy expression still locked in place, but with the unmistakable pushed-out lower lip.
“What’s with you?” I ask, folding my arms.
“Nothing.” He crouches and leans down to inspect the berm we’re standing next to.
I squint. “You never look at lines, what the hell are you—” My mouth stops working. “Wait. Are you mad at me?”
“No,” he says flatly.
“So you don’t want the team to happen after all?”
“I never said that,” he mutters, not looking at me.
I huff, take a few steps, and drag my hand down my face. “Then what is your fucking problem, Luc?”
He glances around, sees we’re still alone on the stretch, then grabs me. One second I’m upright, the next I’msquealing—high and uncomfortablyfeminine—as he hauls me up and over his shoulder.
“Luc! Put me the fuck?—”
He’s already stalking off the trail, boots crunching over undergrowth, and then we’re in the trees. There are still faint voices that echo from the track, but no one is in sight. Just branches, shadows, and bark I already hate.
I fucking hate trees.
Luc sets me down and barely gives me a second to breathe before he backs me into a trunk, heat rolling off him in waves, all tall limbs, muscle, and rage.
“You want to knowmy fucking problem?” he growls, hands planted on either side of my head. “I just told you I’d get you on my team. That I’d make everything happen for you.”
“Jesus, yeah, and that’s nice of you, but I don’t need you to—” I start, but he cuts me off.
“That’s my fucking problem. You don’t need me? Why don’t you want me on your team, huh? You want Greer and Mason, but not me?”
I blink, startled. “What the hell are you talking about?”
But his eyes, they’re not angry. They’rehurt.
Shit, did I just fuck this up?
