Page 31 of Brutal Reign
River sucks in a shallow gasp, abruptly yanking her hand away as if touching me burned her. “Why do you care, Seb?” she grumbles, folding her arms tightly across her chest.
“I don’t,” I lie.
“Then leave me alone.”
“Nah, I like watching you squirm.”
She huffs out a breath, rolling her eyes. “Why are you such an asshole?”
“Why are you such a tease?” I growl.
“I’m not.”
I lean in, the tips of our noses brushing. “Liar.”
I don’t know how we wound up like this, but suddenly we’re way too close, our panted breaths mingling in the sliver of space that remains between us. River tips her head back to rest against the wall behind her, sultry eyes beckoning my advance, and as soon as I edge forward, she abruptly lifts a knee between my legs.
“You have two seconds to get the fuck away from me before I crush your balls,” she warns.
That threat is what it takes for reality to finally come crashing back in on me.
What the fuck am I doing?
I shove backwards with a scowl, shaking my head as if that’ll clear the fog clouding my judgment. With each step, it slowly dissipates, until the full weight of my actions settles over me with startling clarity.
“Watch your back, Jacobsen,” I snarl, pointing a finger at her menacingly.
“You’d better watch your own, Walker,” she snaps back, and before I can even blink, she’s dropped her fucking towel, standing there radiating confidence with her hands pinned on her bare hips.
As much as I hate it, I know when I have to admit defeat. At the sight of that body, I’m immediately tongue-tied, every coherent thought in my head screeching to a halt. All I can do is turn around and leave, stomping angrily across the barracks to my own bunk while River basks in her fleeting victory.
Little does she know, this is far from over between us. It never truly has been.
11
“Are you serious?” Avery gasps, clutching a hand to her chest as her mouth falls agape.
I’ve just finished giving her the play-by-play of what Seb pulled in the barracks before dinner last night, and my gossip-loving cousin is eating up every scandalous detail like candy, as I knew she would.
“Yeah,” I deadpan, mentally exhausted by the game of mental jump rope I’ve been playing since, yet still at a loss for why Seb has suddenly gone from ignoring my existence for years to these stupid bullying tactics. “He went totally aggro on me for no reason,” I grumble. “Like, what the hell is he even trying to prove by getting all up in my space like that? That he’s top dog? If he thinks he can intimidate me, then he’s got another thing coming.”
Avery clucks her tongue, shaking her head in disapproval. “He clearly doesn’t know who he’s messing with.”
“Think he might’ve gotten the idea when I threatened to squash his balls,” I declare triumphantly, cracking a smile.
Her eyes light up with twisted delight. “You didn’t…”
“Damn right I did!”
A proud grin stretches her lips as she extends a fist in my direction. “That’s my girl.”
I lean forward to bump my knuckles against hers, laughing as I fall back against the sofa cushions.
Avery and Cam recently started a new division of the security squad aimed to clean up loose ends with the shifter hunters, and their headquarters at the complex has easily become my favorite place to hang out during afternoon breaks between training sessions. Specifically, this comfy couch in the back of the room where Avery posts up with me for much-needed girl talk.
“He’s ballsy, I’ll give him that,” she muses, leaning an elbow against the armrest and twirling a strand of blonde hair around her finger.
“Right?!” I agree, scoffing.