Page 37 of Ice Rebel

Wasn’t that an arrogant statement?

“Does this mean it’s your turn?” she asked, breaking my philosophical personal conversation.

“Nope. You make a successful shot. You continue until you miss.”

“Cool.”

I didn’t move and neither did she, although she flipped her hair against my face and I did feel obliged to take a deep whiff. Even her hair smelled like fresh flowers.

“You know what,” she said, her tone more in keeping of how she’d been at the gym. “I think it might be a good idea if I took this shot on my own. I mean I wouldn’t want to be accused of cheating.”

With her lips being so close, I had an insane urge to kiss her. But not just any kiss. I longed to throw her up against the wall and shove my tongue down her throat. I’d never had such a reaction in my life. The vibrations lingered along with way too much testosterone.

I backed away with a jerk, immediately rubbing my hands down my jeans. “Sure. Yeah, not a bad idea. You’ll need to do this on your own at some point.”

The way Clementine tipped her head just so before taking a shot and how she offered a smile was fascinating. Forget the kiss. I’d go straight for fucking her like a wild animal.

Oh, that was classy as fuck.

I purposely took another step away, shoving my hands into my pockets as I did. Even they seemed to have a mind of their own.

When she took another shot and it actually rolled cleanly into the upper right pocket, I was thoroughly impressed. Huh…

“Do I get another shot?”

“Yep.” I said, barely able to keep a grin off my face. Should I consider myself an evil man for allowing her to continue without exposing the truth? Well… “You do. Let’s see how far you can go.”

By the time she popped the next one into a side pocket with a spin on the ball, she was jumping up and down. Now this was getting to be too much fun. I allowed her to hear a heavy sigh in expressing my disappointment.

Correction. My supposed disappointment.

“Go again, Clemmie baby. You are on fire.”

“Hmmm… That’s Clementine to you, Roy boy.”

I could barely believe it when she cleared the next shot as well. Maybe I should learn to be very careful around this girl. The success caused a little dance that was way too provocative. She managed to draw the attention of the brutes playing pool at the next table.

When they started paying more attention to how she looked in painted-on jeans than their game, that’s when the possessive man deep within made his appearance.

My family would undoubtedly say my wolf had been awakened since possessiveness was the first order of business for any hungry shifter. Except for one little problem. I wasn’t exceptionally hungry. Well, maybe a little bit, but I had more self-control in my pinky than most did in their whole bodies.

Two things occurred at the same time that challenged all that restraint, the first being she moved around to the other side of the table. Closer to the two jerks. The second being at least one was acting as if they were going to forgo their game completely, especially when she bent over, her butt perfectly positioned only a few inches away from the ravenous beast.

I’d be thankful later Clementine was too busy angling her shot, not paying a bit of attention to me. That allowed me to successfully bare my canines while offering the dudes a single flash of my wolf’s eyes while she wasn’t looking.

One backed away immediately, appearing frightened I’d eat him whole. The other wasn’t nearly as accommodating, narrowing his eyes and puffing his chest up. He took a step. I took a step.

She took the shot.

Two more steps taken and all that I’d said earlier in glowing praise was about to be tested in the worst way possible.

“Go on, wolf man. Or should I call you a prissy hockey boy? Let’s see what you can do.” The guy kept his voice down, but was clearly angling for my reaction.

I’d been exposed to rough guys attempting to put me in my place, asserting their manhood because they were threatened. It had gotten worse during the past few years, enough so I was at the point of being fed up.

“Damn it. I thought I was on a winning streak,” she grumbled and given her keen sense of observation, three seconds later she realized my attention was placed somewhere else.

The guy shot her a look, a leering smile meant to taunt me into doing something I’d regret.