Chapter 273
LUCIAN
When she saw it was me, that part big her I knew would always fight me took over. She jerked away from me so fast she almost fell into the damn hole again.
I yanked her back. She fell against me.
My feet weren't planted firmly on the ground so I overbalanced and fell. She fell right along with me, right on top of my chest.
I heard the breath hiss out from between her teeth. Her eyes were as wide as saucers.
She panted. Her chest rose and fell aa she struggled for breath with our faces inches away from each other's, almost touching.
I focused on how angry I had felt to see her almost falling into the ditch. I focused on that because I damn well didn't want to focus on how good her body felt pressed against mine. How right it felt.
"Why can't you look we're your going?" I said and I was pleased to note my voice sounded almost normal.
And if I sounded a bit breathless, I had just taken a fall, damnit!
The sound of my voice seemed to bring Willa back to her senses. She planted her little hands on my chest, used it to quickly push herself off me.
Then she shook her hands around like touching me burned her. She began to dust her clothes off.
"Thank you," she murmured, but didn't meet my eyes. "I didn't see that spot."
"Obviously," I said. I got to my feet, much more slowly. "You really should watch where you're going. You're not in the planned predictable school environment anymore. You're out in the wilds. If you manage to get yourself killed on this trip, I won't be responsible."
She shot me an annoyed look from under her lashes. She kept dusting her clothes even though there was nothing on them now. I got the feeling she was doing to keep her hands and mind busy.
Then she asked, "Why are you here and not with Naomi?"
So this was the thanks I got? I couldn't say I was really surprised though. I was even a little surprised she had actually said 'thank you' even though it hadn't sounded as if she had meant it.
"Any particular reason you're suddenly interested in my movements?" I asked her more sharply than I had intended.
Naomi and the others were quite far away and I didn't want to be reminded of the fact that one or more of them could possibly pop up at any moment.
Willa raised one shoulder in a shrug. "Just asking."
She skirted around the ditch, started to walk away. I pulled her back.
I hated how she always wanted to leave me but always wanted to hang around other guys. Couldn't seem to get enough of their company, in fact.
"What?" she said and jerked her arm out of my grasp.
"What?" she repeated, her voice tight when I just kept staring down at her, wondering what she saw in those other guys that she didn't see in me.
I heard myself saying, "Why did you kiss Theron in the parking lot?"
I pressed my lips together but the words were already out. I would be damned before I told Willa to forget I said anything.
I really wanted to know why too. The memory of that kiss had haunted some of my more recent dreams.
"Not that it's any of your business, but Theron is my boyfriend. You don't see me or anyone else complain when you and Naomi go about sucking each other's faces."
That word 'boyfriend' brought the fury simmering under the surface back. I took a step forward. Like a frightened little mouse, Willa took one back.
"I can claim you whenever I want," I reminded her. "Don't you ever forget that."
"You can't-"
"You're pushing me, Willa. One of these days you'll push me too far and then I'll do it. I'll claim you." I barked out a laugh that had no humour in it. Only frustration. "My stupid wolf certainly wants to. He makes me follow you around all the time just to make sure you're safe. He makes me think about you all the time. Feel what you feel." My voice rose to a near shout. "You're driving me out of my damn mind and yet you still go around kissing other boys!"
Willa's mouth took on a slightly mocking tilt. "You always make that same threat that whenever you want to kiss me. Don't be shy, Lucian. Just admit how you can't help control yourself whenever you're around me. Saying the truth for once won't kill you."
I gave her some space.
"You're delusional!" I said.
"Am I?" she said dryly.
She turned and started to walk away again. My instincts took over then. I yanked her back, threw my arm around her, crushed her to my chest.
In the end there was no choice really, I thought as I slammed my lips down on hers. Willa was the one I wanted to kiss all the damn time.
Sometimes wanting her got so bad it felt like I was loosing my mind. She was like an addictive drug.
I just had to keep coming back for more no matter how hard I tried not to. How could I even stay away when she called up both the tender and dark side of me?
She challenged me at every turn. She mocked my obvious desire for her as if she didn't feel it too!
Willa wanted me as badly as I wanted her and if that wasn't true, why was she returning my kiss so eagerly? Why wasn't she pulling away and putting a stop to this madness?
My hand came up to cup her chin. I deepened the kiss.
Willa's hands fisted in my shirt. She made that whimpering sound in her throat. Her warm tongue teased my lips, my teeth, the inside of my mouth.
My other hand ran down her back to cup the curve of her ass. Somewhere closeby a twig snapped.
She jerked away, looked around with wide, scared eyes.
"Is someone there?" she whispered.
Why the hell was she acting like someone finding us kissing was a crime? The answer came then.
Theron.
She was still trying so damn hard to remain faithful to that pale creep. I wiped my lips with the back of my hand and stalked off.
***********
WILLA
Several minutes later and I still hadn't got myself under control. My lips were still tingling and if hadn't heard that sound, I would still be kissing him still.
Why couldn't I ever get myself under control when I was around him, mate bond or not?
I turned my face up to the sky, shut my eyes and tried to get the very vivid memories of the kiss out of my head.
"Lucian? Really?"
I started up, my hands slipping a little on the grass.
Riven was leaning against a tree a few yards away. I looked around. There was no one else in sight, so he had been talking to me.
"Riven," I said. "What do you mean?"
"Oh come off it, Willa. You know what I'm getting at. I saw you kissing Lucian."
The snapping twig.
It hadn't been some animal as I had almost gotten myself believe. It had been Riven watching. Maybe he had even heard our conversation. My heart sank at the thought.
"I didn't think you were that kind of girl," Riven went on.
"What kind of girl?" I said harshly.
Riven was obviously implying something and it was insulting.
"That kind of girl," he repeated. "The kind that fawns over Lucian. The kind that lets him do anything he wants to them." He closed one eye in a wink. "If you know what I mean."
I got up, dusted my hands.
"Go fuck yourself," I snapped and left.
I heard him come after me.
"Naomi will be dying to know who kissed her boyfriend today," he said. "You know how crazy she is about Lucian. What do you think she would do to the girl trying to steal her man? Maybe I should tell. I think it's only fair to, don't you?"
I stopped walking so abruptly Riven nearly crashed into me. He caught himself in time.
"Are you blackmailing me?" I asked.
Riven's eyelids drooped, giving him a sly look.
"I wouldn't have put it so bluntly myself," he said with an oily smile. "But since you've said it, I'll say yes. But don't think of it as blackmail. Think of it as the price you'll pay for a friend to keep your secret. I'm not even going to ask for much." His voice dropped to a confidential whisper. He rubbed his crotch. "Just one blow job. Just one and..."
He mimed zipping his lips shut. I stared at Riven, hardly able to believe that this was the same guy I had liked.
He had dropped the shy Mr nice guy act now. He was watching me closely with an expression of shrewdness and eagerness. I was suddenly glad Lucian had made the creep move his tent away from mine.
Riven moved impatiently.
"So what's it going to be, Willa?" he said and I was immediately reminded of Devin. "I really like you and I really don't want to tell."
Nice, caring romantic Devin, that was until he decided to show his true colours. I wasn't such a fool as to fall into another blackmailer's trap. Next he would be asking for sex.
"Do your worst, asshole!" I said and walked away.
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