Page 91 of Big Bad Wolf

He swallowed hard, once, twice, until he could finally breathe. “I don’t think so.” Rafe tried to sound confident in his answer, but now that they were this close, he realized he had no idea how his brother would react to seeing him. Or any other pack members for that matter.

But he didn’t think Knox would hurt them. Not now that Devon was gone.

Ruby nodded like it was settled. “Okay. We’ll suss him out first, but let’s try to find something we can use to help Lena.”

“We will.”

“Thanks, buddy.” She smirked and clapped him on the shoulder as she said it, the word and the gesture combining in an awful gesture of friendship. Buddy? What the hell just happened?

His idiotic behavior from the night before came rolling back to him. He made her come and then he’d rejected her. He’d run away. No wonder she was acting like they were just friends now. What the hell did he expect?

It was what he’d wanted. For Ruby to stay away from him, for her to never find out she was his Mate, for her to be safe. But God, that word, that nickname: buddy. It was something you called an acquaintance, a neighbor whose name you always forgot. An essential part of him curled up and died at the thought of being Ruby’s buddy.

His gaze raked over her as she sat beside him in the truck. Ruby’s jeans were no less erotic than her usual skirts, her lush thighs and ass filling them completely. She looked delicious. Friends sometimes go down on each other, right? He was an idiot and he had no idea what to do next, although his cock had some very strong opinions on the matter. Any half-hearted plans he made last night to keep away from her were rapidly slipping through his grasp.

“Now what?” Ruby met his gaze with a smile.

He had no fucking idea.

Chapter Thirty-Seven

“This is so cozy,” Ruby said as Rafe climbed into the bed of the truck. They’d gone down the road for dinner at a dive bar and now they were getting settled in the back of Rafe’s truck. He’d filled the bed of the truck with sleeping bags and worn comforters, making a nest for Ruby to snuggle down into.

His lips tipped into a sheepish smile. “I hope it will be comfortable enough.”

Nerves fluttered low in Ruby’s belly.

They were parked beneath the towering pines, the sky was clear and filled with bright stars. Ruby lay on her back and breathed in the damp forest air, avoiding Rafe’s gaze. The night was cool and she was thankful for the blankets. Dry leaves rustled in the wind; night hawks called to each other; bats swooped overhead. The forest felt full and alive and so did Ruby. Painfully so.

The truck rocked with Rafe’s weight as he lay down beside her.

“This okay?” he asked even though their arms weren’t even touching.

She swallowed hard. “Yes, very comfortable. Thanks.”

He moved and his shoulder brushed against hers. Solid. He was so damn solid. And this nearness, it was too much. Even out here, under the open sky, she felt like she would suffocate if she didn’t say something, if she didn’t just tell him what she was thinking.

“Rafe.” Her voice was breathy, giving her away completely, but she charged forward. “You feel it too, right?”

She kept her face lifted to the stars even as she felt Rafe turn to look at her. His gaze sent shivers down her body.

“Yes. I feel it too.”

She blew out a relieved breath. “Good.”

He propped himself up on his forearm to look down at her, his silver eyes flashing in the dark.

“As long as I’m not the only one feeling like I’m losing my mind,” she said with a self-deprecating laugh, but Rafe swore, sitting up.

“Goddamn it.”

Ruby followed and sat facing him in the dark. He shook his head, his hair brushing across his shoulders.

“I want you so fucking bad.” He breathed out the words on one pained sigh. “I want you, but I thought it was better for you if I kept you away, safer.”

“You’ve mentioned,” she said dryly, and Rafe huffed a barely there laugh.

Ruby pushed the hair from his face, pressing her forehead to his. “I want you too. You are not dangerous to me.” She whispered the words and he swallowed hard.