Tangle of Need (Psy-Changeling #11)(107)

“Only a best friend would find his nerves hilarious.”

“God you’re adorable, even when you’re talking loud enough to wake the dead.”

“I’m whispering,” she pointed out with another scowl, and, rubbing her hand against the bristles on his cheek, got up. “Drink this coffee or I’ll open the curtains.” Energetic and busy as he was, she’d never had to deal with him so surly in the morning—it was fun discovering this unexpected facet of his personality.

“Don’t give me orders. I’m the alpha.”

“I don’t care.”

“Come here.”

“Do I look like it’s my first time tangling with a wolf?” Reaching down, she pulled the sheet off him, exposing the nude length of his body, his skin golden even in the dim light.

Oh my.

Really, he had no right to be so gorgeous.

Painful as it was to turn her back on the delicious man in her bed, she went to the curtains. “You now have thirty-five minutes and these curtains are … open.”

No sound.

She turned to find he had a pillow over his head.

Laughing, she bounced onto the bed and kissed her way down his spine. “Fine,” she said, utterly in harmony with the world, “let’s stay in bed all day.”

“Teasing wench.” He got rid of the pillow. “Who am I comm conferencing with?”

“Selenka Durev in Moscow.” The two packs had an informal arrangement to share information, and this was a “touching base” kind of a chat. “You know how quick-tempered she is—she might take it as an insult if you’re late.” A kiss to his nape. “I’ll turn on the shower.” As she got out of bed and did so, she realized she was smiling. No matter his mood, there was no man she’d rather wake to find next to her.

When he walked into the shower and asked her to remind him of the points he was meant to go over during the comm-conference, she felt the tie between them grow deeper, more nuanced. He hadn’t asked her because she was a novice soldier. He’d asked her because she was his mate, and he needed the reminder. Just as he’d allowed her to see him hungover. A simple thing, a small vulnerability, but it meant everything coming from an alpha wolf.

IT was a terrifyingly happy week after that interlude by the pool that Adria found herself toe-to-toe with Riaz. “Don’t give me an ultimatum.” Martin had thrown too many of those at her during their years together, until even the hint of one made rage erupt in her bloodstream.

“It’s not an ultimatum,” Riaz said, his tone a silky threat. “It’s a warning. I’ve let the issue of shared quarters slide a hell of a lot longer than I should have. You’re mine. You live with me. End of story.”

Her wolf bristled. “It’s not an inevitability.” And it wasn’t as if they ever slept apart.

“Fuck that. If I wanted to live alone, I wouldn’t be in a relationship.” Twisting her braid in his hand, he held her in place. “So your thinking time has just run out.”

She dug her claws into his chest, saw him wince. “Let go or I’ll rip this T-shirt, too.”

Respect on his face. “I’ll let go … after this.” The kiss was hot and angry and refused to allow her any distance.

She was still growling in fury when she ran into Indigo not long afterward. “Don’t ask,” she snapped the instant the other woman went to open her mouth. “Not when I saw you making kissy faces with Drew five seconds ago.”

Indigo held up her hands in surrender. “Hey, we fight. Drew just makes it damn hard to stay mad at him. Do you know what he did today?” She answered her question before Adria could respond. “He lined the dashboard of my vehicle with miniature teddy bears with sad faces. I mean, come on! Not fair.”

Adria laughed despite herself—because Indigo was holding one of those adorable tiny bears as she gesticulated. “You have it so tough, boo-hoo.”

Indigo mimed throwing the soft toy at her. “See? I never get any sympathy.” Tucking the bear into her jeans pocket, where it watched them mournfully, she said, “So?”

Adria shook her head. “I’m going for a run.”

“I’ll come with you.”

“Go away,” she muttered. “I want to be alone.”

“Get over it. You’re in a pack.”

They ran in silence for over half an hour, ending up on a high mountain meadow dotted with wildflowers and huge broken rocks thrown around as if by a giant’s hands. Taking a seat on one of those rocks after quenching her thirst at a fragile waterfall hidden nearby, she said, “Sorry for being snippy.”

Indigo, seated on the ground with her back to the sun-warmed rock, reached over to pat her on the shin. “You’re allowed. What did Riaz do?”

“He’s demanding I move in with him.”

“Hardly surprising,” Indigo said, stretching out her legs. “He’s a wolf. Pack is everything, and his woman is where it begins.”

Those words again—his woman. “I made the decision to be with him,” Adria whispered, “but I never thought I’d fall so hard, so deep, until his name is written on parts of me Martin never touched.” It was the first time she’d consciously accepted that fact … and the fear that came with the knowledge. Martin had hurt her, but Riaz, he could savage her. “He does these things and they take my breath away, make my chest hurt.”