Sassy Ever After: Bite My Sass (Kindle Worlds Novella) (3 page)

W
e spent
our first full day splashing around in the river, and now I’m working on the fire before a bunch of testosterone-driven wolves try to do it for us. The firemen will be here soon, and I’m not looking forward to it. Alisha is convinced Roman likes me, and the other two girls are fighting for the mirror so they can impress hunky firemen. I let out a big sigh.

“Tonight will be fun, Juliet,” says Alisha as she approaches me with a drink. “Trust me.”

She hands me a plastic cup, and I take a sip of the contents. The alcohol flavor is strong, and I squint at her. “You’re liquoring me up?”

I told her that werewolves could handle more alcohol than humans because of our metabolism. She winks at me. “I think you can handle it.” Alisha sits in a chair and stretches her long legs out. “Are you going to be nice tonight?”

“I will. I promise to save my best snark for you.”

“Good. Chelsea and Jayden are practically peeing themselves with excitement over this.”

“Yeah.” I frown because Alisha doesn’t seem that thrilled. “You’re not?”

She twirls her foot and smiles as she bites her lower lip. “Logan and I have been texting.”

I recall the calculator comment from the fortune-teller and ask, “He’s the physics teacher at your school, right?”

“Uh-huh.”

“Nice.” That explains why she’s been clutching her phone like it’s her lifeline and grin. “But wait. Didn’t he have to do math to get that job?”

She rolls her eyes. “I know. It’s crazy to think I’m falling for a guy smarter than I am.”

“What have I been telling you all these years? Sometimes we can’t see what’s good for us.”

She raises her eyebrows at me, and I realize what I just said. I cross my arms as if she’s scolding me. “I know.” It’s just that my pride has taken so many blows I’m not sure I can handle another. But maybe I need to anyway, because a human man might not be any better. And Roman does have the look I go for. “I’ll try tonight.”

Alisha stands up and swishes her hands together as if she’s wiping off dirt. “Good. My job here is done. Now I’m going back in to see if there’s some mascara left. You coming?”

“Why not?”

A half hour later, a large black truck pulls up next to our RV, and the four hulking men Alisha and I met in the airport get out. A large cooler thuds on the ground by the fire as Alex sets it down, and introductions are made. Roman offers me a quick smile but focuses on Chelsea as she offers him a drink. I use the opportunity to take stock of his appearance. His shoulder-length hair is dark and thick, and I imagine what it would feel like in my fingers. I take in his broad shoulders, and when he bends down to pull beer out of the cooler, I watch the muscles in his legs flex. If my wolf were a cat, she’d be purring. As it is, I have to turn away before my thoughts go too far.

Alisha must have seen me checking out Roman, because she winks at me before giving her attention to Dean. Sparks fly up as I poke at the fire, and Byron asks if he can help. We get into a discussion about how to cook steak over open flames, and he convinces me he’s competent, so I take him up on his offer to do the grilling. Chelsea put foil-wrapped potatoes on the coals earlier and prepared salads, so there isn’t anything left for me to do. I take a deep breath and go over to Roman to make an effort. He’s talking to Chelsea, and she pulls me into the conversation.

“I was just telling Roman about where we went swimming earlier.”

“It’s so beautiful here,” I say. “What did you guys do today?”

He shrugs. “Hung out.”

Okay.
So maybe he’s still pissed about me not believing they were firemen. “Have you guys worked together for a long time?”

“A few years.” He glances over at Dean and says, “Excuse me,” before he walks away.

Chelsea and I exchange puzzled looks, and she says, “Let’s go check on the salads.”

I smile at her attempt to let me vent about Roman’s behavior. “I’m fine.”

Jayden’s giggle carries to us, and we both glance over at her and Alex. He leans his head down and whispers, “Your dimples are cute.” I don’t think Chelsea can hear him, but their body language is speaking loud and clear.

She nudges me. “How adorable is that?”

“Very.” At least someone is getting attention. I look over at Roman and wonder what makes Alisha think he likes me, because he couldn’t be colder toward me tonight, while just the sight of him is warming me up. I gaze over at Byron and decide to flirt with the cook to take my mind off Roman.

I tell Chelsea I’m going to check on the steaks, and she goes in the RV to start bringing food out for dinner. Beef sizzles on the metal rack as I approach the fire. “Hey, those smell great.”

“Yeah,” says Byron. “I’m struggling to keep myself from eating one.”

I pick up a sharp knife and fork. “We should probably test them to make sure they’re okay.”

Byron makes a face of mock concern. “I think you’re right. Let me.”

I give him the utensils, and he cuts the edge off a steak. He lifts it up and holds it out for me to try. Instead of taking the fork I lean in and bite a section of it off. Closing my eyes, I let out a moan and use a flirty tone when I say, “That tastes so good.” I grab his hand and pull the meat to my mouth. “I need a little more.” I take another nibble.

He lets out a low sound as his wolf reacts and leans in to snatch the rest of the steak with his teeth. I glance over Byron’s shoulder at Roman’s glare, and I smile. Maybe he is interested.

But my satisfaction is short lived because Alisha storms over and grabs my arm as she says to Byron, “We’ll be right back.” She drags me behind the RV. “What the hell is wrong with you?”

Shame makes my cheeks burn. Alisha is the only person who can get me to back down, and it’s not a comfortable feeling. “I didn’t think he’d care.”

Alisha puts her hands on her hips. “Really?”

“Okay, that was a stupid move. But—”

My best friend’s brow lowering makes me stop talking. She says, “It was stupid. Now, go back there, and behave yourself.”

I begin to walk toward the group when she grabs my arm again. I turn around, and she grins. “Did you see how jealous he was? He so likes you.”

“Yeah.” But then I scowl. “But why is he being such a jerk?”

She says, “He’s a guy,” as if that’s answer enough.

When we get back to the group, it’s time to eat, and as we do, the guys begin to tell us about their job. It leads to an exchange of stories between all of us, and by the time it’s dark, Roman and I are back to being civil to each other. The big success is Jayden and Alex, and the only way his friends can get him to stop kissing Jayden good night is to start driving away, making Alex chase after the truck to jump in.

It’s so adorably romantic that my heart aches, wishing it happened to me. Jayden walks toward us with her hand on her mouth before she asks, “What can I do to help clean up?”

Alisha hands her the salad bowls. “Take these inside, and try to float back down to earth.”

Jayden grins at us before she walks away, and once she’s inside, Alisha says, “It’ll happen for you too, Juliet.”

I smile at her as the RV door clicks open, and I hold it for her to go through. As much as I want to believe Alisha, I’m not so sure. While Roman and I are attracted to each other, all we manage to do is play hurtful games. I’m done with relationships like that, and I refuse to be sucked into losing my heart to another cocky werewolf who appears to hop from mate to mate.

Is it too much to ask for someone like Alex, who tells Jayden her dimples are cute and can’t stop kissing her? Why do I end up being attracted to a guy who flirts with my best friend to see if I care? Tears of frustration burn in my eyes as I gaze up at the sky and listen to the faint howls of wolves running through the forest. I wonder when the ceremony is, and for a brief moment, I flirt with the idea of trying to find out with the intention of searching for the dark-gray wolf Alisha and I saw in the woods. But I know that’s just as futile as trying to make something with Roman work. I push my worries aside and check the fire before I paste on a smile to look happy for Jayden and go inside.

T
he next morning
, Jayden announces Alex and his friends are coming back to take us on a hike. I do my best to keep my eye roll to myself, and I pitch in to make lunch as we get ready. When Jayden emerges from the bedroom with a high ponytail and a silly grin, I let my annoyance go. She’s glowing with her crush for Alex, and of course I want to help foster it along. And if it turns out they’re true mates, I’ll be happy to welcome Jayden into the werewolf world with open arms.

A sealable plastic bag snaps as I shut it, and I say, “Lunch is ready.”

Chelsea says, “Bring it over here, and I’ll distribute everything evenly between our packs.”

“I can take more,” says Alisha. “I’m in training.”

“I’ve got it,” says Chelsea, and I grin at Alisha for thinking she could tell our friend what to do.

The rumble of the guys’ truck catches my attention, and I say, “Jayden, why don’t you go outside and wait for Alex. They’ll be here any minute.”

Alisha raises her eyebrows at me, and I nod. It’s nice to share tiny things like my acute hearing with her, and my decision to tell her my secret is reinforced in my mind.

Chelsea asks, “Where’s the sunscreen?”

“In my bag,” says Alisha. “I showed you already.” When Chelsea opens her mouth to ask more, Alisha says, “We’ve got everything, I swear. Now, let’s go.”

“Fine,” Chelsea says as she hoists her pack onto her back. “But if we forgot something, I’m blaming you.”

Alisha salutes the back of her as Chelsea leads us out of the RV. We get outside just in time for me to see Roman hop out of the truck, and he flips his hair out of his eyes to look right at me. My wolf notices, and before I realize it, I offer him a big smile. He gives me what I think is a genuine smile back. I’m such a sucker for this guy. My insides warm up in reaction.

Jayden and Alex are holding hands. She glances at me, Chelsea, and Alisha and says, “Alex said we’re going someplace special.” She bounces on her toes a little, and her joy is infectious. “Are we ready?”

“Let’s go,” I say. The nylon straps of my pack hum as I tighten them on my shoulders. We set off on the trail, and I listen to the easy banter that goes back and forth with our group as we climb the gentle slope. It doesn’t take long for sweat to form on my face and create a sheen of moisture on my arms. I stop to take a sip of water and let the group move ahead of me so that I’m the last one. Roman turns back and halts when he sees me.

“Can we talk?” he asks.

I’ve caught up to him, but he doesn’t move. “Sure. What’s up?”

He lowers his voice. “I’m curious. Why are you hanging out with humans?”

The hair on the back of my neck stands on end as I move to the defense. “We went to college together, and they’re my friends. Why?”

“I didn’t mean for that to sound like criticism.” He takes my water bottle and puts it in the loop of my backpack for me. The odor of his musk is strong from sweat, and I immediately flash to the dark wolf Alisha and I saw in the woods.
Oh my God. It’s him.
Because I’ve always seen him in the company of three other male wolves with strong scents, I never put the two of them together. “It’s not a common thing for my pack to do,” says Roman.

“Oh. Well, we have a university in my town, and I happened to hit it off with Alisha right away freshman year. Blending in with humans is what my pack does, and I guess ending up with a group of them just kind of happened for me.”

“I can see that.”

I recall the way Roman’s wolf sniffed me and made it clear he was interested, and a tiny smile forms on my face with the knowledge. Roman starts to walk again, and while my wolf couldn’t care less about what we’re getting into, I feel the need to test the waters and find out if he’s a player. I ask, “Why do your friends call you Romeo?”

“Because they like to torture me. I made the mistake of reacting to it negatively once, and now they won’t let it go.”

“You guys seem close.” Leaves tickle the skin on my arm as I brush by them.

“We are. We have to be close in our line of work.”

“About that. I’m sorry I doubted you the first time we met. You have to admit, it does sound like a line when four hot guys say that to a pretty blonde.”

Roman stops, and after I get two steps ahead of him, I turn to find out why. He asks, “Did you just call me hot?”

“Like you don’t know that.”

“Huh.” He starts walking again. “My friends are, but nobody’s ever called me hot.”

We’ve fallen far enough behind the group that I don’t worry about anyone hearing us any longer. “Maybe they would if you didn’t scowl so much.”

He reaches for my hand, and I flinch when he takes it, because his touch feels too good, too familiar for me to resist. He asks, “Can’t you feel our attraction?”

My voice is shaky when I say, “Yes.”

Roman stops us again and stares down at me. His chest heaves with his ragged breathing, and he grabs my face in his hands with a roughness that hurts. But the pain is fleeting because he crushes me with a kiss that takes my breath away. He moves one hand down to cup my bottom and tug my body against his. I moan into his mouth as his tongue tangles with mine in an awkward way. His clumsiness turns me on. It’s as if he can’t think straight and any smooth moves he has are failing him. The fabric of his shirt is damp in my hand as I clutch at his back to hang on for the wild ride. I’ve never experienced a kiss like this.

He releases me just as abruptly as the kiss started, and I gaze at his mouth to notice his lips are ruby red and swollen as he says, “I like you.”

A grin covers my face, but it falls quickly when I recall the female wolf in the woods yesterday. “Tell me the truth. Was the female yesterday a mate?”

He shakes his head. “She wants to be, but it’s not right.” Roman rubs his hands on my upper arms, and his touch sends a delicious shiver of desire through me.

I say, “Good,” and reach up to hold his shoulders as I stand on my tiptoes. “Because I want to kiss you again.”

I take control this time and nibble at his lips before I dart my tongue into his mouth for a smooth dance that sends shock waves of pleasure all the way to my toes. Now Roman moans, and I take my time lightly scratching my nails down his back to make him shudder. The scent of his arousal floods my nose, and I have to break away before we go too far. I step back and say, “They’re probably wondering where we are.”

Roman nods, and I take great pleasure in the knowledge that I left him speechless. I notice our friends ahead on the trail. Byron says, “There you are. We were about to send out a search party.”

I say, “I needed a break to catch my breath.”

Alisha tilts her head at me as if she knows why, but she doesn’t say anything as she smiles like she has a secret. Dean isn’t as discreet and says, “Is that what the kids are calling it these days.” He steps back to clear the way for Roman. “Lead the way,
Romeo
.” Roman punches Dean as he passes him, and Dean winks at me as I go by.

We may not be as romantic as Alex and Jayden, but our awkward start works for me. I follow Roman up the hill as my wolf basks in her win.