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This slick, sleazy way he’s projecting himself is a total turn-off. I can’t tell if it’s a front he’s putting on or if it’s actuallyhim, but it’s not winning Javi any points in my book.
“Sorry,” he quips, sitting up and lifting his hands in surrender. “Best behavior.”
I press my lips into a tight line, giving him a shallow nod. Because I want to get to know him, but I’ve gotta get past this superficial layer first to see if there’s more beneath the surface.God, I hope there is. Just looking at him makes me want to jump his bones, but I need more than just physical attraction.
“So what about you, what are you into?” I venture, twirling a strand of hair around my finger. I usually braid my hair to get it out of the way, but I left it down tonight. And put on makeup.And wore a cute top. Because yeah, I wanted to look good for him. I don’t care much for superficial bullshit, but I’m still a girly girl at heart.
Javi shrugs noncommittally, kicking a leg up to cross an ankle over his knee. “Not a lot of time for hobbies since we move around so much. I worked road construction at our last spot, did some roofing work before that.”
That piques my interest.Now this is information I can use.
“Where at?” I ask, keeping my inflection casual.
“The construction? Or the roofing?”
“Both.”
“Construction was in Nebraska,” he replies, threading his fingers together and cracking his knuckles. My eyes immediately gravitate to his arms as he does, the muscles bunching and flexing with his movements. “Roofing was in Iowa.”
“Dang, you reallyhavegotten around,” I murmur.
“Not as much as you’d think,” he says, a slight smirk curling his lips. “But we stay on the move. Since I became Alpha we’ve been relocating every three months, and so far, the hunters haven’t caught up.”
“When was that?” I question, mentally filing away every piece of information he’s giving me.
“About two years ago.”
“Was it your dad’s position, or…?”
Javi shakes his head, his dark eyes flickering down to the dusty floorboards. “No. I’ve never met my father.” He returns his gaze to mine, the muscle in his jaw feathering. “It’s just me and my mom. Our pack’s alpha was a piece of shit, he wasn’t doing his duty to keep us safe. So I challenged him.”
“And clearly you won,” I say with a respectful tip of my head.
“Of course I did,” he declares proudly, sitting up a little straighter and squaring his broad shoulders. “He didn’t take his role as alpha seriously. I do.”
I’ve never seen a challenge for the role of alpha play out firsthand, but from what I’ve gathered, they can get pretty brutal. Some packs ascribe to the rule that the challenger has to actually kill the former alpha to take his place. I can’t help but wonder if Javi had to take it that far; if he’s got his former alpha’s blood on his hands.
“So you said that your brother’s Alpha?” he asks, pulling me back from the dark path my mind started to wander down.
“Iver, yeah,” I breathe. “You met him the other day. He took over for our dad last year. Ours is the Westfield pack.”
He swipes a hand over his chin, considering. “And the other guys that were with you?”
“Madd’s the alpha of the Goldenleaf pack, and Tristan isn’t Alpha yet, but soon,” I reply easily, letting my guard down and slipping into comfortable conversation. “He’s from the Riverton pack. His sister Sloane is actually Madd’s fated mate, they found out last night.”
Javi snorts in amusement. “Well that explains his reaction when she introduced herself.”
“Yeah, he’s always been like that over Sloane,” I say, chuckling softly as I recall the way Madd went full caveman when she approached Javi. “Since we were kids, really. The two of them and Madd’s twin sister Avery were like a little tribe growing up, they were inseparable.”
He cocks a brow. “And where do you fit into that?”
“I don’t,” I reply with a shrug. “I mean, I’ve always been close with them, but not as tight as those three. My closest friend is Andie Raines, she’s the daughter of the Stillwater pack’s alpha.”
Maybe I’m giving away too much, but when he’s not trying to be a smooth operator, Javi is surprisingly easy to talk to. Something about him makes me want to spill all my secrets.
It’s probably lucky that my phone vibrates at that moment, interrupting our congenial banter. I shift my weight and lean over to slide it out of the back pocket of my jeans, frowning when I see the text message on the screen from one of the IT staff that encountered a problem with our software, asking for my help.
“Shit, I’ve gotta go,” I mutter, pushing to my feet and leaning over the table to blow out the candle. Extinguishing the flames plunges the cabin into darkness, wisps of white smoke curling up from the trio of charred wicks.
