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I rock back onto my heels, scrubbing a hand over my face in frustration as I flop back on the other end of the couch. “And?”
“It didn’t live up to the hype,” she mutters.
“Then he obviously wasn’t doing it right,” I scoff, my gaze raking down her form. “A woman like you should be worshipped,” I say, undressing her with my eyes as they climb back up to meet her own. “Pleasured until your voice is hoarse and your thighs shake and you forget your own name.”
Her pupils dilate, her tongue darting out to lick her swollen lips as she stares at me. The skin around them is red, rubbed raw from the stubble on my face, and I make a mental note to be sure to shave next time.
The look in Lo’s eyes is so open and vulnerable for a moment, but then something in her expression suddenly shutters and I can practically see her walls slamming up. “The other guy talked a big game, too.”
“I assure you I can back it up,Cariño.”
She scrambles to stand up, smoothing her hair and dress, obviously flustered. “Yeah, well, we should probably pace ourselves. I mean we’ve known each other for what, three days?”
“We’re mates.”
“We’restrangers.”
I squeeze my eyes closed in frustration, huffing a breath through my nose as I pinch it between my thumb and forefinger. “You’re right,” I concede, dropping my hand, opening my eyes, and rising to stand. “I’m sorry, I got carried away. We should keep getting to know each other.”
Her brows lift in surprise as I step toward her, taking her hand. “You mean it?”
“Of course,” I drawl, maintaining eye contact as I lift her hand and press my lips to her knuckles. “You’re worth the wait,Preciosa.”
A rosy blush stains her cheeks as I lower her hand, not breaking my gaze.
“I… I should probably get back,” she stammers, pulling away and retreating a step. “Thank you again for dinner. This was…”
“A good date?” I finish for her, my lips curling into a smirk.
“Agreatdate,” she clarifies, her face lighting up with a genuine smile. “Thank you, Javi.” She tucks her hair behind her ear, that blush still on cheeks as she turns away and starts for the door.
I swear my balls are already turning blue.
“Text me when you get home?” I call after her. “So I know you made it safe.”
She pauses to glance back at me over her shoulder, nodding her head. “I will.”
10
“Dang, Sloane, I’m impressed,” Avery remarks as we follow behind the last of the squad fighters trickling in from the woods through the gate of the complex. “You did awesome today. Your accuracy is really improving.”
“You think?” she asks hopefully, bouncing on the balls of her feet as she swivels around to soak in the praise. She’s been struggling with firearms training since we started last month, but if today’s target practice session was any indication, she’s officially turned a corner.
“Definitely,” I confirm. “All that time you’ve been putting in on the VR simulator has paid off.”
She beams with pride, twirling one of her dark curls around a finger. “You’ll have to tell Madd that. He’s been giving me shit about all the late nights.”
“Probably because he’d rather have you in his bed,” I tease, an unexpected stab of jealousy spearing through me as soon as I say it. Sloane and Madd were confirmed as fated mates on the same night as me and Javi, buttheydon’t have to sneak around and hide what they are to each other. The mate bond didn’t turntheirlives upside down.
They don’t know how lucky they are to have something so blissfully uncomplicated.
Unlike Javi and me, Madd and Sloane make sense together. Though they’re laughably opposite in appearance, with Madd clocking in at over six feet tall and petite little Sloane barely coming up to his shoulder, they’ve always had this intense connection simmering between them. It’s been obvious to everyone since we were kids, so it came as no surprise when the moon confirmed they’re fated mates.
“It’s too bad he had pack business to deal with today so he couldn’t see your skills for himself,” Avery comments, steering the conversation away from her brother’s sex life.
“Or maybe that’s why I improved, because he wasn’t around to distract me,” Sloane jokes.
The three of us reach the side wall of the complex and I stoop down to collect my gym bag, sliding the zipper open and rifling through it for my phone. Avery and Sloane continue to chat, but I barely hear them- I’m immediately distracted by the notifications waiting for me on my phone screen.
