Page 78 of Brutal Reign
“Once I truly make you mine, babygirl, that’s it. There’s no going back,” he says, eyes darkening as they rake over my trembling form before rising to lock with my own. “So you need to be sure you want this.”
My heart’s pounding so hard that it feels like it’s about to leap from my chest, my lungs starved for oxygen. He’s got me so worked up that I can’t even think straight, and when the corner of his mouth kicks up in a smirk, all I want to do is dive forward and lick it.
“The best things in life are worth waiting for,” he adds, winking at me as he turns away to head for the towel rack.
My mouth falls open in disbelief, but no words come out. It’s like I’m caught in a trance as I watch him walk away, my teeth sinking into the cushion of my lower lip at the sight of his bare ass.Damn, that’s a nice ass.I couldn’t form a coherent sentence right now if I tried, a pathetic whine slipping from my throat asAce nonchalantly pulls a towel off the rack and starts drying off. He darts me a teasing grin before wrapping it around his waist and heading for the locker room door, but I’m still at a loss for words, staring dumbly after him as he pulls it open and steps through.
I don’t snap back to reality until the door swings closed again. Blinking at it, I try to piece together what the hell just happened.
Despite the needy ache between my thighs, I know it’s probably for the best. There are way too many variables at play here, and sleeping with Ace– or Seb– or both– will only complicate things further. I suppose I should be thankful it was my rational mate that I almost lost control with, because at least Ace had enough restraint to walk away. Seb wouldn’t have.
Swiveling around, I crank the shower tap back to cold, gasping at the shock when the temperature changes. Not even the jolt of the freezing water is enough to douse the lingering flames of desire deep within me, though, and I know it’s only a matter of time before we all burn up together.
27
My first tattoo was a Kurt Vonnegut quote. When I stumbled upon it, the words spoke to me so deeply that I knew I needed to get it memorialized on my skin. My dad understood the itch to make it permanent, and he inked it onto the inside of my left forearm as a sixteenth birthday present:“The only proof I needed for the existence of God was music.”
Shifters believe in fate over the various other deities worshipped by humanity, but the sentiment still rings true for me. Music has always been a powerful, divine force in my life. When I’m struggling for answers, I always seem to find them in the bars of a song. When words fail, music speaks.
Not all music is created equal, though, and the song currently playing through my headphones is trash. It’s some overly-produced piece of shit that one of the big labels served up on a platter to appeal to the masses, and the sheep gobbled it up like their last meal. It’s become so damn popular that I can’t avoid playing it at least once a night during my DJ sets, and radio stations call it ‘the song of the summer’.
Summer has ended, but the popularity of the song persists.
Most people wouldn’t know good music if it slapped them in the face. They just follow the crowd, liking what they’re told to and glomming onto whatever’s trending at the moment. The dance floor of the Goldenleaf bar right now is a prime example. It’s packed with sweaty bodies bumping and grinding, screaming along to the words of this moronic song like it’s their anthem.
The only saving grace right now is that I get to watch my girl out there. Hayden dragged her onto the dance floor with the rest of the stampede as soon as this song came on, just like she did the last Saturday we were all here.Riv doesn’t look any more enthusiastic about dancing to the bubblegum pop now than she did then, but it’s cute that she’s indulging her friend, and I’ve got a great view of her from the DJ booth as an added bonus.
She knows it, too. She’s trying to play it off, but I’ve seen her sneaking glances up here, watching me watching her. As much as she insisted that she wanted to hang with her friends tonight, she’s having just as much trouble fighting the pull of our bond as I am. She’d rather be up in the booth with her mates.Where she belongs.
It feels strange to suddenly be open to someone else entering this sacred space. The DJ booth is like my own private sanctuary; I often slip into somewhat of a meditative state up here, where it’s just me and the music. Well, and Seb. He’s always been at my side. He’s the only person I can truly be myself around, so having him in the booth doesn’t disturb my peace.
I don’t think Riv would, either. Anyone else would be an intrusion, but she just fits with us. Always has.
If she keeps shaking her ass like that, we’ll find out soon enough.
I flicker a glance over at Seb to find him glaring out onto the dance floor, watching our girl bump and grind to the beat.She knew exactly what she was doing when she walked in here tonight dressed for trouble. She clearly intended to get a rise out of him, and it’s working.
While most of the girls show up to the Goldenleaf bar on Saturday nights looking like they’re going out to a nightclub rather than a shitty dive, River apparently decided to dress down in a pair of black denim booty shorts, shit kicker boots, and a backwards baseball cap. That’s not what’s got Seb’s hackles up, though. It’s the faded white Foo Fighters tee she’s rocking, cut off at the waist with the ragged hem brushing her belly button. There’s a reason it looks so familiar. It used to behis.
I’m surprised she held onto the raggedy t-shirt for so many years, but I’m not shocked she’s wearing it tonight just to taunt my best friend. River can deny it all she wants, but that girl loves provoking a reaction out of Seb, and vice versa. Keeping the peace between the two of them used to be like a full-time job. Now that the three of us are on speaking terms again, it’s the same shit, but with an added layer of sexual tension. Without me to referee, they’d probably fuck around and kill each other.
I swing my gaze back out over the dance floor, catching River’s eye as she shakes her little ass to the beat. She quickly looks away, still trying to play coy with me, and for now, I’ll let her. I’ve already got the next song queued up, and I keep my eyes fixed on her as I start to slide the crossfader bar. The moment she recognizes the tune, her hazel eyes ping back up to meet mine.
Yeah, babygirl. This one’s for you.
The hoard on the dance floor welcomes the song change; ‘Shivers’by Ed Sheeran is always a crowd pleaser. I stare right into River’s eyes while the lyrics of the first line ring out through the speakers, mouthing the last four words: ‘I want it all’. I swear I can see her cheeks flush from here.
Hayden rudely interrupts our moment by stepping in front of River, looping her arms around her neck to dance, and I chuckle to myself as I glance down at my laptop screen to search for the next song. I like this game.
Can’t say the same for Seb. He’s gonna hurt himself if he keeps glaring like that.
“Maybe you should go dance with her,” I suggest, shifting my headphones down off my ears as I glance over at my best friend.
“I don’t dance,” he grumbles in response. The muscle in his tightly-clenched jaw feathers as he glares daggers into River’s back for a few more seconds, then slowly turns his head to face me. “Aren’t you ready for a break?”
“Soon,” I say, sweeping my gaze over the dance floor again. “Good energy tonight. Don’t wanna bring it down just yet.”
Though Seb doesn’t appear to be satisfied by that answer, he doesn’t object. He knows this is my thing and there’s always a method to my madness.