Page 29 of Brutal Reign
My jaw clenches in frustration. “Why?”
“Said she wants it,” he murmurs, flicking ash off the tip of the joint. “That people change.”
“That’s bullshit,” I growl. “It has to have something to do with her dad passing her the Alpha rank.”
“Maybe,” he shrugs. “Either way, you two are gonna have to learn to play nice.”
“Is that what you’ve been doing?” I scoff.
Ace rolls his eyes, taking another long drag off the joint. “Just trying to keep the peace.”
I snatch it back from him as soon as he lowers it from his mouth, my hackles raising. “Whose side are you on, Ace?”
He arches a dubious brow. “Is that even a question?”
I puff on the end of the smoldering joint, scowling as I lower it and kicking the toe of a sneaker against the dirt. “You’re right,” I mutter. “Sorry. I just…fuck, you know how it is being around her.”
“Brings up old shit.”
“Yeah.” I stab my fingers through my hair, blowing out a long breath. “Ignoring her isn’t gonna work.”
“I know.”
“So what do we do? Keep trying to make her leave?”
“Worked the first time.”
I pass the joint back to him, frowning. “I’m gonna hit the showers,” I grumble, stuffing my hands into the pockets of my athletic shorts. “Meet you in the dining hall?”
Ace gives me a subtle nod, the smoke curling around his face as he puffs on the roach of the joint.
Pivoting on a heel, I start in the direction of the squad complex, passing through the gate and making my way across the vacant practice field. When the dinner bell rings around here, everyone flocks to the dining hall. It’s no surprise that the halls are empty when I enter the building, the barracks a ghost town. I grab some fresh clothes from the cabinet at the end of my bunk before heading for the locker room, glad to find it just as empty as the hall and barracks.
Even though my stomach’s grumbling in protest for putting off dinner, it’s a rare privilege around here to shower in peace. Chandler always acts like it’s a coincidence when she turns up to shower at the same time as me. She routinely claims the shower head right next to mine, as if the pathetic display she makes of batting her lashes and prancing around naked will make me suddenly want her. Back in the day, I might’ve gone for a girl like that, but not anymore. She’s too fucking eager. There’s no element of challenge in it worthy of my time.
Of course, right as I’m soaping up under the shower spray and that fleeting thought crosses my mind, the biggest challenge of my fucking life walks in. River stops cold as soon as she spots me, hazel eyes flickering with indecision as the locker room door swings closed behind her. She obviously came in here to shower– she’s got a stack of fresh clothes in her hands– but now that she’s seen me, she seems to be reconsidering that decision.
“What’s wrong, afraid to take your clothes off in front of me?” I taunt, arching a brow as I twist beneath the spray to face her fully, my heavy cock flopping against my thigh. “Not like I haven’t seen it before, but you should probably get dressed in here afterwards like everyone else does rather than parading naked through the barracks for attention.”
River narrows her eyes on me angrily, lips twisting in a scowl. “Fuck you,” she hisses.
“Dare you,” I smirk, gliding my hands over my broad chest to rinse off the soap.
Much to my disappointment, she doesn’t take the bait. Her arctic glare remains fixed on my face as she bites out, “In your dreams, dickhead.”
A chuckle rumbles in my chest as River flips me the bird, stomping over to the bench and tossing her clothes down. “You got your girlfriend waiting in the wings to steal these?”
“Maybe,” I reply, flashing her wolfish grin. “You scared?”
“More like annoyed.” She spins around, putting her back to me as she starts stripping down. Out of habit, I politely avert my eyes.
Well, for a second or two, at least. When I hear her feet slapping against the tile on her way over to the shower, I dart a glance over my shoulder, unable to resist sneaking a peek.
All the girls around here are fit, but River Jacobsen is next level. She has the kind of body men fantasize about– legs for days, dangerous curves, soft in all the right places… her full, perky tits are perfectly symmetrical, and don’t even get me started on that ass of hers. It’s like a juicy peach just waiting for someone to take a bite out of it.
According to her, someone already has. And the thought of that makes me murderous.
It’s no surprise that River chooses the furthest shower from mine, switching on the tap and rocking back a step to wait for the water to get to temperature. She holds her palm under the spray to test it, and a few seconds later she steps beneath the stream, eyes falling closed as the water cascades over her supple olive skin.