Page 43 of Wolf Blood

He and I weren't enemies. It wasn't fair to let people think I didn't want him. If I'd known he was going to attack Ryker for it, I wouldn't have bitten or fucked the enforcer. I didn’t care about Ryker.

I cared about Rhone, though.Just a little.

In some strange, illogical way, he and I were kind of a team. Our best friends were mated. He'd refused to let me die from the beginning, and he was keeping me alive through sheer bullheadedness.

I had an easy way to solve his problem, even if he didn't want to acknowledge that it was a problem.

Leaving my phone on the table, I stood up.

Rhone's gaze followed me, his eyes narrowing.

If I tried to leave without eating more, he would stop me.

I wasn't leaving, though.

I stepped around the table and slid one leg over Rhone's lap before taking a seat there, straddling him.

A tiny crease appeared between his brows. One of his hands was still on his taco, but the other lifted to my waist, like he thought I might fall over if he didn’t hold me up or something.

Before he could ask what I was doing, I took his face in my hands and kissed him.

His utter lack of response, and the way he completely froze, was almost funny.

I pulled away long enough to lean my lips to his ear and whisper, "The enforcers think I don't want you. Kiss me back, and they'll shut up about it."

When I dragged my mouth back to his, his tongue met mine.

There was hesitance behind his kiss.

Uncertainty, maybe.

There was none of that behind mine.

I dragged my tongue over his with reckless abandon, still holding his face in a way that would tell everyone watching that I wanted him and was in control.

I was having my way with the Beta’s mouth in front of his whole fucking pack.

For the first time in far too long, I really, fullyfeltsomething.

Desire, strong enough to take my breath away.

My body always responded to Rhone, but this was more than just my body. This wasme. My dead, black heart. My dark, bleeding soul.

One of my descended fangs grazed his lip as we made out, and his enthusiasm picked up just a tad.

Rhone was still the one who pulled away.

His chest was rising and falling almost as heavily as mine was, his stony gaze moving slowly over my face.

I dragged my thumb over his cut lip, wiping his blood off the broken skin and lifting my finger to my mouth to suck it clean before I slipped off his lap and went back to my seat.

Bloom and Maverick looked like they were fighting to keep shock off their faces as they took the two empty seats at our table.

"That's one way to solve a problem," Maverick said, when the pack's attention had mostly left us.

"You're welcome," I tossed back.

Rhone grunted. "Take another bite."