Page 91 of Brutal Reign
Hey, it was better than interrupting.Though they probably wouldn’t have minded if I came up to watch. River seemed to enjoy my eyes on her in the DJ booth, and Seb never passes up an opportunity to show off like a damn peacock.
All things considered, it’s probably for the best that I left them to their own devices. They needed to work out their shit amongst themselves– which they clearly did, because when Seb climbed up into his bunk at midnight, he moved like he was ten pounds lighter. And hereekedof River Jacobsen.
Strawberry chapstick, pine, and a subtle trace of motor oil. The scent wafts to me on the breeze; River’s signature brand of temptation. My wolf perks up as it registers, chuffing in satisfaction. He pulls on the threads of the bond, my chest tightening as the invisible tether between us strains.
River jolts upright, ripping her earbuds out and snapping her head back and forth in alarm. Spinning around in a circle, her hazel eyes scan her surroundings, searching intently.
“Come out, stalker!” she calls.
Shit, guess the jig is up.Slinking from the cover of the trees, I step out onto the path, beaming a grin at River as I jog ahead briskly to meet her in the clearing.
“If you want to run with me, you can just ask, y’know,” she scolds as I approach, folding her arms over her chest and popping out a hip sassily.
“What fun would that be?” I drawl, running my tongue over my teeth as I give her an appreciative once-over. “People are only themselves when they think nobody’s looking.”
“Spoken like a true stalker,” she scoffs, rolling her eyes.
A chuckle rumbles in my chest as I shrug a shoulder. “Hey, at least I enjoy my hobbies.”
She arches a dark brow. “Meaning?”
“Well, you obviously hate running. And as I recall, you also hate waking up early. Wouldn’t it be easier to just sleep in, show up late to practice, and get your conditioning in by running punishment laps?”
A little puff of air escapes her lips, brows pinching together.Guess she’d never thought of that.
“Whatcha listening to today?” I ask, eyeing the earbuds clutched in her fist.
She unfurls her hand, extending them toward me in offering, and I pluck one up, tucking it in my own ear and tapping it to play. The chords of a familiar guitar rift tickle my brain, the corner of my mouth lifting in a smirk.
“These guys again?” I muse, pulling it out and handing it back over.
“They’re great,” she declares as she tucks her earbuds in her pocket. “It’s actually annoying how great they are, because it’s impossible to get tickets to see them.”
“Hm,” I grunt, my expression not giving anything away.
She’s going to lose her shit when I give her these tickets.
“I should probably be focusing on training camp right now, anyways,” she adds, waving a hand in a gesture of indifference. “It’s a Friday night show, and I’d be kicking myself for staying out late when I had to wake up early for practice on Saturday.”
Sure thing, babygirl. You’ll be whistling a different tune when I surprise you with the tickets.
“Yeah, probably,” I mumble, stepping in closer. I need to steer this conversation in another direction before I let something slip– and naturally, my mind goes right back to where it was when I was lying in the dark, stroking my dick to the mental image of her writhing in pleasure. “Seb give it to you good last night?”
Her body stills, breath puffing out in a short burst. “Wh-what?”
I slide an arm around her waist and tug her in, leaning down to run my nose along the column of her neck and inhaling deeply. “I can smell him on you,” I growl.
“Does that bother you?” she breathes, tilting her head to give me better access as I trail my lips up to her jaw, nipping the curve of it with my teeth.
“No, just makes me want to leave my scent on you, too,” I murmur.
She slides her palms up onto my shoulders, pressing her body tight against mine and reaching up to stroke a palm over the top of my buzzed head. “Do it, then,” she pants.
I chuckle against the shell of her ear, nipping the lobe. “Nah, not yet.”
River gapes at me as I let her go and rock back a step, smirking.
“What are you waiting for?” she huffs in frustration. “Are you not…” she suddenly trails off, throat bobbing with a hard swallow as she averts her eyes. “Are you not attracted to me or something?” she mumbles softly.