AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I shoot him the middle one.
Ryker laughs. “Don’t tempt me, sweetheart. It’s a long ride up to Accalia. I already know we can make it work in the backseat of your Jeep.”
I snort, taking the next turn that will lead us out of Muncie. “You’re such a horndog.”
“Of course I am. When my mate is as sexy as you are? If you had any idea how often I have to fight the urge to mount you, you’d run away screaming.”
Gripping the steering wheel, I look at him. I have a tease halfway to my lips—something along the lines of “you make me scream half the time anyway, what’s the difference?”—when I see that a few noticeable lines are furrowing his brow.
Worrylines.
Huh.
That’s new.
13
Iswallow the tease, then try not to sound too concerned when I ask, “Hey… you okay?”
“I’m fine. Why?”
Ryker’s hand is clasped around the bar that frames my open Jeep Wrangler. Because my wolf can’t stand to be contained inside of an enclosed vehicle, there’s no roof, no windows, only a solid bar that I could hang a tarp on to protect the seats. And he’s clutching it like it’s a freaking lifeline.
If I didn’t know any better, I’d think he was nervous.
But why? I’m a good driver, I keep my distance from the cars around me, and I’m only going five miles over the speed limit. We’re wolves. We live for speed. If anything, he should be pointing out that I’m going too slow.
Hmm. Up ahead, there’s an intersection. The Honda in front of me takes it easily, but the traffic light has gone from green to yellow. In a split second, it’ll be red. I jam my boot down on the gas, zooming through the intersection just as the color shifts.
I flare my nostrils.
I’ll give him credit for his control. Most shifters wouldn’t even notice the slight tang to his scent, the nerves slipping out just past what he can contain.
Huh.
Tapping my brakes lightly, slowing my Jeep down so that I’m actually hitting the speed limit, I shrug. “Okay. Just checking.”
He looks at me out of the corner of his eye. The faint worry lines are even more noticeable as he narrows his gaze at me suspiciously. “Mm-hmm.”
I give him an innocent smile. “What?”
“Don’t ‘what’me, Gemma. I’m fine. I’ve been in a car before, you know.”
“I didn’t say anything,” I point out. I don’t have to. His nervous scent gives him away, and that’s not all. Taking one hand from my steering wheel, I tap the bar on my side. “But you might want to retract your claws. Way you’re going, you’ll slice right through that metal bar you’re clinging to.”
Ryker’s head shoots toward the bar, finally noticing his death grip on it. He’s squeezing it so tightly, his shifter strength is actually bending it out of shape, and that’s nothing compared to the points of his razor-sharp claws digging into the frame.
He relaxes his grip, dropping his hand into his lap. He glances my way again. I expect him to try to cover up his unease, maybe mumble an apology for messing up my Jeep. But he doesn’t.
Instead, he says, “Two hands on the wheel if you don’t mind, Gemma.”
Oh, yeah. Something’s up with him, all right.
It wasn’t really an order, I decide. More of a request. And, honestly, even if itwasan order, my mate’s spooked. Taking my hand from the bar, I slap it back on the steering wheel.
“Better?”
“Yeah. Thanks.”
