AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I didn’t see the whole board. I couldn’t tell you the positions.”
“Did we succeed in preventing the queen’s sacrifice?”
“Yes, the white bishop was sacrificed instead. Why?”
“Bank statement came in today. Had that on it. Made me remember why I wrote it. Still reabsorbing everything I put together for your brideprice. The usual mess your brother makes of things he doesn’t understand.” He caressed my cheek with the brush of one thumb. “I will stay out here if you like. I know you don’t like the pack to see you unsettled, but I know when you are.”
“We weren’t there long.”
“I worry what’s on your mind,” he said, still caressing my cheek. “You seemed much happier in Florida and Montana. When we got back here, it was like part of you snuffed out, and I haven’t seen it since.”
“Don’t be dramatic.” I leaned into his hand anyway.
“My instincts tell me something is not-right.”
“Your instincts have a gift for understatement.”
He gave me a final caress. “Don’t keep secrets from me. You and I don’t do that between each other.”
He kissed me gently, then went into the back.
[Sterling] >> Come see me
I sighed and looked up from my trig. I guess it was easier to summon me via text than wander all the way out of the back just for me to go back to where I’d started, but… oh hell. How was it any different than someone shouting at me from the stairs?
Sterling was in the gym, clad only in running shorts, and it was a lovely view. The scent of sweat hung thick in the air and droplets ran down his chest and slicked his silvery hair a dark pewter. He was probably doing eight-minute miles, long legs keeping an enviable, effortless stride. He was barefoot.
The being barefoot mystified me. He was not a small man, and that was a lot of force crushing down on a naked human foot. But I could watch all the rest of it for another solid ten or fifteen minutes. Pull up a chair, sip a cold drink, we probably even had some of those little fancy umbrellas or plastic swords to give it an appropriate poolside meat-market feel.
He cut the treadmill.
“So why are you running barefoot? Because barefoot won’t toughen your wolf-form pads.” I tried to decide what I liked better—the way his abdomen moved from his breathing, or the lines of his strong shoulders, or how he looked in those shorts. Nothing like a little blood flow everywhere.
Shoulders. Definitely loved the dry, sinewy, defined look of his shoulders.
“Felt like it. It manages the stress of the city,” he said, dripping sweat onto the treadmill. Beads of sweat cut rivulets down his chest and arms, and dripped off his jaw. He didn’t reach for his towel. “I think I know what Demetrius is talking about.”
My attention yanked off his physique. “What?”
He shook his sweaty head. “I don’t think Apharia has anything to do with it. Or at least, Apharia isn’t what this is really about. I need your help to confirm my theory. On my laptop you’ll find a map of North America. Outline all the pack territories for me. Like you did for Ronald’s deal.”
“Please,” I said dryly.
His lips curved in a sharp smile that sent tingles along my skin. “Please.”
Nothing so insincere ever sounded so exquisite. I bit my lip. Only Sterling could make sweat look that good. Like a statue in the rain. “I’ll need a few hours.”
Bell Of Shame
Cye and Jun were bustling back in just as I returned to the front of the flat.
“We’re back!” Cye scurried in from the living room, jangling like an oncoming sleigh.
“What the hell are you wearing?” I almost dropped the laptop.
“I lost the last hand of Go Fish on the way home.” He tugged at the red velvet ribbon with the huge bell dangling from his neck.
“And it’s a Bell of Shame? Bells are supposed to chase away bad luck!”
