Page 46 of Big Bad Wolf

“So, I might have made things worse,” she said.

“Worse?”

“Uh, yeah.” Her arms were suspiciously empty of blankets. Good. Outside would be better. “I may have told Lena we’re sleeping together.”

“You what?” He nearly choked on his surprise.

Ruby winced. “I’m a terrible liar! Especially when it comes to Lena. I can’t lie to my twin. She always knows. She was looking at me with those moonbeam eyes of hers and I panicked!”

Moonbeam eyes. That was a perfect description of Lena’s eerily pale eyes, but Rafe didn’t have time to appreciate Ruby’s flowery language right now. Not when she’d said out loud the thing he had been trying very hard not to think about. Sleeping with Ruby. A growl started low in his throat, and he couldn’t stop it from spilling out into the quiet of the little house.

“You panicked and the first thing you thought to tell her was that we’re sleeping together?”

Ruby flushed pink. “She already thought that anyway after your surprise naked visit the other day. It was just easier to go with it.” She put her hands on her hips in that way he already liked too much, the way that said she wasn’t backing down.

“So, you told her…”

Ruby sighed like he was the one being difficult. “I told her we’re seeing each other. I said you might be spending some nights here. That’s all. No big deal.” She tilted her chin up to look at him and goddamn if he didn’t want to take that ruby-red bottom lip between his teeth and ruin her make-up completely.

“Okay,” he said because he was an idiot who was never finished punishing himself for past sins.

“Okay.” Ruby nodded once and then turned back toward the stairs. “Come with me.”

He followed her up the creaky steps, worn smooth with age. He kept his eyes on her feet instead of her ass. Mostly, anyway. That damn skirt was flapping at him like a red cape to a bull. Upstairs, Ruby led him down a narrow hallway to the second bedroom on the left.

The room was small, like everything else in this house. It was clearly built by gnomes or something. Ruby’s bed took up one entire wall. Under the only window sat a desk covered in stacks of books and a small lamp. Two closet doors filled the other wall. A worn braided rug hid most of the old wood floor. He leaned against the faded daisy wallpaper next to the door as Ruby’s scent wrapped around his throat like a vice. He would not survive the night.

Ruby’s gaze flitted around the room like she was seeing it for the first time.

“Maybe this was a terrible idea.”

Rafe looked at the thin rug and then at the full-sized bed. Neither option was particularly promising. Not that he would dare to think he could sleep in the bed.

“How light of a sleeper is your sister?”

“She sleeps like the dead.”

“Perfect. Turn around.”

Ruby’s eyes widened but she obeyed. She’d had enough shocks for one week. The last thing he wanted was for her to see him change. He closed his eyes, letting his body rearrange itself. Bones shifted and muscles transformed. Fur sprouted from his skin. His hearing sharpened. His sense of smell nearly killed him. But this was better. He’d be more comfortable on the floor as a wolf, and he’d be ready if anything happened to threaten Ruby.

Most importantly, as a wolf he couldn’t do any of the incredibly stupid shit he was thinking of doing right now. With him as a wolf, Ruby was safe.

When he was done, he brushed against Ruby’s hand. She sunk her fingers into the fur at his neck and if wolves could purr he sure as fuck would have.

“Alright, wolf-man, let’s go to bed.”

Rafe woke up to the sound of soft laughter. He lifted his head from where it had been tucked beneath his tail. It was still dark, but a soft glow was emanating from Ruby’s bed. Rafe stretched and rested his chin on the edge of the mattress.

“Sorry,” Ruby whispered. “Did I wake you?”

Rafe huffed and nudged her free hand. Her fingers in his fur was something he was getting far too used to.

“I couldn’t sleep. Bad dream.” She waved her phone at him. “Thought I would watch a little Golden Girls to calm me down.”

Had he been in human form, he would have loved to tease her about that, but as it was he just huffed again. Ruby cocked her head, studying him for a minute before patting the spot beside her.

“Do you want to come up?”