Bad Wolf (Wild Men 4)

Without a second thought, I reach over to help him. He stills when I touch him, doesn’t lift his eyes, but lets me tie the small knot, securing the band in place.

“Thank you,” he says, his voice a little rough. “I… Damn, I really appreciate it.”

I nod, my hand still resting on his wrist. It’s his inked arm, and the thin scars scattered on his skin tickle my palm. His pulse ticks under my fingertips, fast and uneven, when I trace the nearest scar.

“JJ…”

He pulls his hand away and rubs at his eyes. Then he shoves his chair back and staggers to his feet. For a long, frightening moment, I think he may fall, his knees buckling slightly, but he catches himself and walks over to the coffee maker. I don’t dare ask again if he’s okay, let alone ask about the scars, or the bracelet.

That almost kiss made things even more awkward between us than they used to be, and here I thought it wasn’t possible. He jams a filter into the machine, measures out the ground cof

fee and fills it up with water, his movements jerky. The muscles in his back shift and glide under silky bronze skin, distracting me, as he starts the machine percolating.

His shoulders rise and fall, and he braces his hands on the counter, bowing his head. From the top of his muscled back to his long legs, he is…

Beautiful. So very beautiful. No wonder all the girls want him.

Damn.

“So… Saturday a week from now.” His voice is still rough around the edges, but when he straightens, pours the coffee and returns to the table with two mugs, his step is steady and there’s no sign of anything dark in his expression. “You said you’re going, right?”

Either he’s an excellent actor, or I really imagined the pain I glimpsed in his eyes, and I don’t know which is freaking me out more.

I drag one of the mugs toward me as he takes again his seat across from me, my gaze snagging on the leather band, which is back where it belongs.

“Well, I can’t think of a way to bow out of this one without pissing Ev off.”

“Then go.” He pushes the sugar pot toward me. “You said you wanted to become more sociable and shit. Go and shine.”

Yeah. Put that way… I did say it, didn’t I? It’s what I should try and do.

“It’s not hard,” he says and gives me one of his wicked, lopsided grins that send butterflies tumbling in my stomach.

Well, it really looks like the awkward moment has passed… For him, at least.

“Easy for you to say.” Easy for you to do, to pretend nothing almost happened between us. I glare at him as I grab the sugar and dump two spoonfuls into my coffee. “I need a crash course in sociability.”

“Yeah.” He chuckles, not denying it. “And I need training in shopping.”

“You’re serious about this, aren’t you? Why is shopping a problem for you?”

He blows on his coffee, his expression distant. “I’m afraid to spend. Afraid to make the wrong choice, and give away my money for something useless. Hell, I don’t even trust banks. I hide my money inside my room.”

My mouth hangs open. “Are you serious?”

He nods, looking sheepish.

“But you have to pay for things, right? Rent, bills, food? How do you do that, if you have trouble spending?”

He shrugs. “I force myself to do it. I mean, I don’t spend much on food. I eat at the café and the taco joint where I work, mostly. I save the rest.”

“What for?”

He puffs out a breath. “For colder days? For when I lose it all again.”

My mug clatters when I put it down hard. “Why would you lose it all? Zane is training you, and I bet he’s got a job lined up for you when training’s over. He and Rafe and the others… they don’t seem to me the kind to kick people out on the curb.”

“You can never tell, though, can you?” His eyes narrow. “It doesn’t matter. That thing you said, about a crash course…”