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Bru: Anyway, see you in a bit. Want to chat before we go. I’ll grab you before we leave.
I wanted to talk too, and hoped, as I shoved my hands in my pockets, I’d nut up enough to tell him about everything with cars. It was still hard for me to talk about, but I felt I gained a little bravery after I circled Bru’s neighborhood a couple times. The front door of the house was open when I came back, but so was the bus.
I headed toward the latter. If the door was open, the guys were probably still moving things in and out. I didn’t want to be in the way, so I decided to just find my seat. I planned to sit at the front of the bus, but a wolfish specter stopped me in my tracks.
Blood literally pounded in my ears, Ares taking up about a bus seat and a half with his broad frame. His eyes closed, he had his hands tucked under his arms, his earbuds in and a hood up under his thick jacket. Chunky curls had pushed their way from beneath the hood, and when his nostrils flared, so did the gold hoops in his nose. He had two on one side that lay close together. I had one myself, silver.
Why are you looking at his nose?
Why was I looking at him at all, and I didn’t anymore when I rushed past him. I basically ran and didn’t stop until I made it to the back of the bus.
But that certainly hadn’t stopped his effect.
His familiar spicy scent filled half the damn bus, and I resented it immediately. I resented the feeling it gave me, and how it reminded me of Christmas morning. Call it being in the midst of the holidays, but I hadn’t really been able to place it before. It had always just reminded me of home and that welcomed feeling of security.
Safety.
That was such bullshit when it came to him, and of course, he noticed someone pretty much sprinting past him. He navigated that large body in his seat, and since he was a full head above it, he hadn’t had to turn much. Instantly, we locked eyes, and when I thought he’d dismiss me and turn back, he didn’t.
He got up.
Like actually got up, tucking away his phone and everything. My throat closed in like I was going into anaphylactic shock, and I didn’t breathe once when he grabbed his seat and stepped into the aisle.
I shrank immediately, not knowing what to do, but it turned out I didn’t need to at the sound of voices. Soft, feminine, they caused Wolf to turn around.
Cursing, he shook his head and didn’t give me another look before he retook his seat.
What the fuck?
I didn’t know what was up, but he was back in his seat by the time two girls made their way on the bus. One, I recognized right away. I mean, his sister looked just like him except for the fact she was a girl and a fraction of his size when it came to overall bodily dimensions. If Wolf was a girl, he’d definitely make a pretty one, and that fact was proven with his sister, Sloane. She had a short coat on and her curly hair up, and even though she wore oversize sweatpants and high-tops, she was still a freaking knockout. Actually, because of her laid-back dress, the juxtaposition between her and the other girl she was with hit a little harder. That girl also had her hair up, but her black wool coat and heeled booties were certainly different from Sloane’s airport attire. Her friend even wore stockings, which was different, and she was a whole head shorter than Sloane.
Both girls stopped in front of Wolf, and Sloane borderline sneered at him.
“Why are you here and not helping the other guys?” she asked, her frown evident. I’d certainly seen some of that in the kitchen, but not just from her.
It seemed Wolf was on the bad side of a few people in his life, but as I didn’t care, I stared out of the window. I had my camera bag, which more often than not doubled as my purse since I didn’t like to leave it around. It was my father’s and meant a lot to me. I held it close as I studied snow-coated trees but couldn’t help when Wolf’s voice divided my attention.
“Already loaded everything Dad wanted me to load,” he said, pointing upward, and I blinked. I hadn’t noticed the bag storage before. I supposed I’d been too busy trying to get away from Wolf, but the evidence of his claim was there. Bags lined pretty much the majority of the bus (on both sides), and I was wondering if he’d left anything else for the other guys to bring on.
Wolf lounged back in his seat. “Figured it was best I get out of the way after that,” he said, and I glanced up to curiously find my own bag. It was right above my head, which was obviously a coincidence. He wouldn’t have been able to know where I would sit and wouldn’t have cared enough to make sure I had access to it.
Coincidence.
It definitely was one, and something about what Wolf said made Sloane laugh. It was dry and accompanied her headshake.
“Probably a good idea,” she said about the same time the girl she was with lifted her hand at Ares. She said hey to him, her voice high-pitched, cheery. It was certainly the opposite of the energy given off by both twins, and with a chin-tip, Wolf gave her back her hey.
The exchange was brief, but I think only because the smaller girl tugged Sloane’s sleeve. Sloane spotted me then, and both girls made their way back to me.
Awkward, I just kind of sat there and let it happen, well aware Wolf was gazing back here too. I wondered what he’d been about to say to me before, but stopped. I really didn’t give a fuck what he had to say, and odds were, he’d probably been about to chastise me for my decision to come along. That’d been his MO in the past.
Cutting off my attention from him, I lifted a hand at Sloane. She waved, and her friend really waved. I mean, the girl waved so hard I thought she’d take off in flight, and seeing her close up, I took a moment. She had red cheeks. Like redder than mine, which said something as I got really red on my best day. I did when I was embarrassed or nervous, or for any reason since I was a redhead and, well, genetics. This girl wasn’t one, a brunette, and had a face that struck me as so familiar when she got close. Bright blue eyes, she appeared doll-like and mantel ready.
“Hey, Fawn,” Sloane said, and the girl was bouncing beside her. Like she was excited, and that kind of made me smile. I didn’t know why. It was just the girl’s energy maybe. Sloane put an arm around her. “This is Bow Reed. Thatcher’s sister.”
Thatcher Reed, of course, and I did see that now. Despite being the biggest Legacy guy, he was a pretty boy. He didn’t have this girl’s face, but they were clearly related.
I shook Bow’s hand, and she did that just as hard as the wave. I laughed. “Hey.”
