Page 43 of Tiger Bitten

Ren was his to protect instead.

Chapter Thirteen

The fridge and pantry of the little barn apartment had been stocked with snacks and a variety of drinks, and one of her favorite travel treats of all time. There were two bags of powdered donuts, and she was starving. Ren and Mars would need to head to the main house soon for dinner, but she just needed a little treat before they went. Mars had fucked her again after a nap, and now he was outside at his truck. She pushed the curtain aside and smiled to herself as she watched him pacing in front of the apartment, on his phone. He looked up at her and winked, then pointed at the phone. Hotel, he mouthed.

He must’ve been cancelling their rooms in the city.

The butterflies kicked up as she realized she would get two nights sleeping in the same room as him. Ren popped another powdered donut in her mouth and then returned to the bathroom to finish drying her curls with the diffuser she’d packed.

Stellan might be an asshole, but he’d apparently noticed Mars’s suitcase by the front door when he’d drugged and abducted him, and brought his luggage along.

The dynamic between the Ledger brothers was a strange one.

Ren looked at herself in the mirror. She would need to tell him soon.

Just the thought of it made her look away from her reflection and shake her head. Where did she even start? He would look at her differently. Would he like her still?

She honestly didn’t know.

She was a freak of nature, and she didn’t want to admit what was wrong with her until he was attached to her. It would give her a better shot at keeping him. Hopefully.

The thought of losing him now felt impossible. It would hurt. Badly.

Ren put some eyeliner on and then some tinted lip gloss, then crunched up her hair a few times and shook out her curls. It was warm near Salt Lake City, and she was dressed in blue jean shorts and a teal halter top, with some Birkenstock sandals and an ankle bracelet. She had a zip-up hoodie to bring to the big house in case it got chilly for the walk back later.

“Ren?” Mars asked as he came back inside.

“I’m in here,” she called, unplugging her diffuser.

She turned to find him leaning into the open doorway, his hands on the doorframe, and his bright blue eyes drinking her in.

“You look pretty,” he murmured.

He would probably make her blush for her whole life.

Ren drifted to him and wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged him. He stood up straight and wrapped her in an embrace that felt so damn good.

“I have an admission,” he said. “I know.”

She froze, and opened her eyes, focused on the texture of the bathroom wall. “What do you mean?”

“I know what Stellan texted you, and I know what you said back.”

“We don’t have to discuss that now,” she said, feeling defensive. “It was a knee-jerk reaction response, and it’s all good,” she rambled, backing out of his hug and busying herself with tidying her toiletries on the bathroom counter.

“Hey, I think it’s okay to talk about it. I felt bad pretending I didn’t know.”

“Okay,” she said, forcing a bright smile. “It was way too fast, and I knew it, but it felt good to hear it, and when I found out it wasn’t you who sent the text, I was embarrassed. I still feel embarrassed. Can we move forward now?”

“I’m…” Mars frowned and shifted his weight. “Sure. I just don’t think you need to be embarrassed. I’m going to get Stellan back for doing that, but—”

“Mars,” she pleaded, her cheeks on fire.

He studied her face and then dipped his head in a nod. “Yeah, okay. We don’t have to talk about it. I’m sorry. He’s a lot.”

Subject change time. “I found powdered donuts.”

Mars’s dark eyebrows raised. “Interesting. Where are they?”