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His growl is a rumble deep in his chest. His claws are still out when he stabs his pointer finger at me. “Now, don’t you pull that shit on me.”
“Don’t like it when I play your game, do you, Ryker?”
“Damn it, Gemma, this isn’t a game!”
Nope. It isn’t. Because if it was? I’d be having a lot more fun than I currently am. Especially since I’m naked, Ryker’s naked, and there’s a whole big, empty bed behind us.
Earlier, I needed a distraction to keep me from dwelling on how much I missed him, so I pulled a thirteen-hour shift at the bar.
Our nakedness and the allure of that bed? They’re the types of distractions Idon’tneed.
Reaching around him, I snatch the comforter, yanking it from the bed before wrapping it around me.
Ryker sucks in a breath, his cheekbones seemingly jutting out from his face at the force of it. “What are you doing?”
“What does it look like? I’m getting ready to leave.”
“I thought you were going to spend the night.”
No. He expected that he would bone me into unconsciousness and then I’d fall asleep in his arms. Even though I always head back to my apartment at some point during the night when he’s in town, Ryker always insists that I stay.
But I don’t. I can’t. I’m not sure if it all started our first night together when I left him beneath the Luna or if it’s my inability to truly accept that he’s choosing me, but I’m always gone by morning and he knows that.
Did he think the fang would change my mind? If so, he has another think coming.
I turn away from him. “I’ll see you later, Ryker.”
“I’m going back to Accalia in the morning,” he calls after me. “But this conversation isn’t over. If I can get away, I’m coming back tonight and wewilldiscuss this, Gemma.”
Huh. We will, will we?
Okay. I know it’s immature. I know I’m choosing to walk away instead of talking this out like a respectable female.
Oh, well.
I shoot my middle finger in the air and storm the rest of the way toward the stairs.
4
My wolf snaps at me as soon as we step outside of Ryker’s territory.
It doesn’t matter that I can sense him. That, on the other end of our strengthening bond, I canfeelhim. She’s just majorly pissed that I’m walking away from him when his wolf, like usual, tried to compel us to stay.
She wants me to turn around, to march back inside of that door, and to finally turn Ryker’s rented townhouse into a den for the two of us. No surprise. Even though he’s never come out andsaidit—Luna forbid Ryker actually explain himself to anyone unless he has to—that’s exactly what he’s trying to do.
First, a den for us in Muncie, then a cabin together in Accalia. He has our life together all planned out. All he’s waiting for is for me to fall in line.
But I can’t do that, either. I have an apartment of my own, responsibilities of my own, apackof my own—and, until I make up my mind one way or another about Ryker, I can’t stay in his rented place any longer than I already have.
I glance back at the front of the townhouse, inwardly snap at my wolf to settle down, then shove my hands in the back pockets of my jeans as I march away from him. Before I stormed out of the front door, I had only stopped long enough to yank on my tank and my jeans. He’s probably not gonna be happy when he sees I left my bra and panties behind, but I had to bolt if only because it rubbed my wolf the wrong way that the stubborn alpha didn’t come rushing after us.
He did the same thing the night I first left Accalia. Instead of chasing after me, he stayed behind with his pack council. And, sure, I know that he was covering up for me when my hotheaded actions put my alpha nature on display, but by choosing to stay, I disappeared from Accalia—and then I didn’t see him again for a whole freaking year.
That won’t happen again. I’m not going anywhere, and as soon as we both cool off, he’ll track me down again. I’m sure of it. And, this time, there’s nowhere I can hide from him.
As I stomp down the street, I can feel the weight of his canine nestling between my boobs. The fact that I didn’t rip it off and throw it at him should’ve been enough for him for now, but it’s not. Nothing I do is good enough, and I know exactly why.
Ryker Wolfson won’t be satisfied until he owns every single part of me.
