Page 30 of Brutal Reign
Fuck.
Oh Fuck.
I whip around to face the wall, suddenly all too aware of where my blood’s rushing. My cock thickens against my thigh,hardening at an alarming rate. Squeezing my eyes closed, I try to think of something–anything– other than the naked girl across the room, but my brain is short-circuiting, mind drawing a blank.
Fuck, fuck, fuck.
“What’s the matter, Seb?” River calls, a taunting lilt to her tone.
I flick a glance at her over my shoulder, clocking the little smirk tugging at the corner of her lips.
Ace was right, she’s changed. River barely used to recognize her sexuality, let alone wield it like a weapon. Right now, she knows exactly what she’s doing, and the fact that I can’t control my reaction to her is goddamn infuriating.
A low growl leaves my throat as I jerk my head sideways to face the wall again.
Deep breaths, Seb. Think of car crashes. Hunter attacks. A global extinction event.
No matter how hard I try, I can’t get this fucking boner to deflate. I shut my eyes and lean into the shower spray, water cascading over the contours of my face while I draw ragged breaths.
Luckily, River doesn’t seem intent on proving her point further by drawing out her shower. Within a few minutes, she cranks the faucet off and heads over to the towel rack, pulling one off the top and wrapping it around her dripping body. As she heads for the bench, I chance another glance in her direction and her eyes immediately lock on mine. Her lips curl in that same smug smirk as before as she picks up her clothes from the bench, tucking them under an arm before turning to head for the door to the barracks.
I grind my molars as I watch her go, now seething with fury. River knows my impulse control issues better than anyone, soshe of all people should know not to test me. Not when I’m teetering this close to the edge.
The moment the door snicks closed behind her, I shove away from the shower with a growl, cranking the faucet off and storming across the locker room to the towel rack. I snatch one of the fluffy white towels in a death grip as if it’s her skinny little neck, rubbing it over my body before securing it around my hips and stomping over to the door.
I shouldn’t go after her. Deep down, I know that, but I’m too far gone. Ace isn’t here to talk me down.
The door bangs loudly against the wall as I throw it open, marching down the aisle of bunks with a purposeful stride. When I come up behind River rifling through the cubby at the end of her bunk, she startles, hazel eyes widening like a doe caught in the headlights of a speeding car when she pivots around to face me.
“The fuck are you playing at, Riv?” I snarl, getting right up in her space.
She readjusts the tuck of the towel at her chest as she rocks back a step, lifting her chin and meeting my cold stare unwaveringly. “I have no idea what you mean.”
“Yes, you do.”
“No, I don’t,” she snaps. “Back off.”
“Make me,” I growl, leaning in closer.
A flare of copper ignites in her irises as her wolf presses forward in warning. “Don’t make me let my wolf out on you,” she grits out.
“As if she could take mine,” I snort disbelievingly.
She lowers her chin, leveling me with a glare. “Bet.”
I scoff a laugh. “Oh yeah? Care to test that theory? We can go out to the woods and settle this right now.”
Her body visibly tenses as she averts her eyes. “No.”
“You sure?” I press.
River’s brows pinch together in frustration, a little crease forming between them as she slaps a hand against my chest and shoves me back. “Just leave me alone.”
There’s something suspicious in the quick shift of her demeanor; something she isn’t saying. She might’ve changed over the past three years, but that doesn’t mean I can’t still read her like a fucking book.
“You hiding something, Riv?” I taunt, pressing in closer until her back meets the cinderblock wall.
She cuts me another glare, slapping a hand against my chest to shove me back again. I dig in my heels, refusing to be moved, and that’s when I notice the pleasurable little sparks simmering between our skin from every point of contact.