Shades of Jealousy

Scarlett

A ll day I have not been able to think straight. How can I when all I can think about is the fact he kissed me, got turned on by it and groaned in satisfaction? Maybe it's just a plaything to him but it is dangerous.

Fuck he kisses so good… But when he kissed me, it's terrifyingly scary to admit, but in that moment, I was ready to forsake it all just for that kiss to continue.

Until reality hit me. Hard!

It was a dangerous move that he made. Imagine if Mama or Dad found out? Just thinking about it makes me shudder, but that didn't stop me from replaying that kiss again and again all through the day.

But the truth is, it should never have happened, no matter how good it had felt. I'm glad I was the one who pushed him away. Imagine if the smell of my arousal had reached him. Goddess.

I now walk over to my shoe shelf and pick out some black hooker heels, as Mama would call them, and put them on, satisfied with the added six inches. I look in the mirror, topping up my lipstick, ruffling my hair before applying some fragrance.

My heart skips a beat as I stare into the mirror. Who am I trying to impress? I close my eyes, trying not to think of the way his eyes raked over me.

Biting my lip, I look around my room, trying to calm my emotions. Why does he even want me to come along?

Will he try to get the names out of me? I don't think he'll do that in front of Indigo, but it's still weird. Or does he want to suss out if I might tell someone which I definitely won't?

I sigh heavily, glancing at my grey walls. The feature wall is grey wallpaper with a silver geometric diamond pattern on it. Black curtains and bedding stand out against the plush grey carpeted floor. There are pops of red around the room in the form of some ornaments, some cushions, and my beanbag near my heaving bookshelf. I have way too many books.

My favourite colour is red, followed by black and then grey but it is a certain shade of blue that has been playing on my mind lately. I sigh heavily and leave my room, not sure what the night will bring.

Will I regret agreeing to go?

I can only imagine them both ganging up on me. I hear Indigo protesting about me ‘ruining' their sibling time as I walk down the stairs. I roll my eyes.

"But Mama! She needs to pack for tomorrow!"

"And so do you, you can both do it when you get back or in the morning, now enough," Mama replies firmly.

"Yeah, I'll deal with it later. So where are we going?" I ask.

"Patience, Red. You'll find out," Elijah says, our eyes meet, and I look away quickly hoping Mama didn't sense anything is off. She's quite perceptive and I feel like they'll somehow realise we kissed, although I know that's insane.

"Whatever," I mutter as Indigo opens the door and rushes out.

Elijah's gaze runs over my legs before he cocks a brow, glancing at my heels, but thankfully he doesn't say anything before leading the way out.

"We don't get to take your Audi?" Indigo looks appalled as Elijah smirks.

"Sorry, Pixie, that's for two, and since we have a third wheel joining us-"

"On your damn offer," I growl. "We can take my car... never mind."

Elijah smirks at my blunder.

"Even if it wasn't totalled, I never want to be seen in that pile of junk again."

"Shut it. We aren't all spoiled with sports cars," I remind him scathingly.

"I can smell something burning. Jealousy actually looks good on you," he taunts. I narrow my eyes but before I can reply, he opens the garage. "I think you forget I have my old car, too." He spins his keys on his fingers before tossing them up and catching them as he heads towards his jeep.

Indigo rushes to get the front seat, as if I was going to take it from her. I know I'm the damn third wheel here.

"Luckily you got those heels on, wouldn't want you struggling to get in," he mocks softly before he snickers as I get in the back.

"Shut it," I growl, turning to yank the door shut, but to my surprise he shuts it before I can, making my eyes widen. Watching him get in the front, I mask my surprise as I cross my arms, settling into the seat behind his.

Indigo starts talking to him and I remain silent, staring out into the darkness, enjoying the tranquillity that a nighttime drive can bring you. Elijah has the windows down slightly and the wind is blowing through my hair.

He's put on some music on low, which only makes it more soothing.

I smile, feeling alive. It's weird how nature makes me feel content, makes me feel something. At times I just feel numb, but right now with all the trees, the smell of fresh dirt, the half-moon peeking out from behind the clouds, it all feels magical.

I slide my window down fully, sticking my head out and close my eyes, Indigo's voice becomes a distant hum before it disappears and it's just me and nature. A place no one can hurt me.

My wolf comes forward and I open my eyes, knowing they are silver as I gaze up at the moon.

After a moment I realise I'm being watched, my heart skips a beat and my gaze snaps to the rearview mirror where my eyes meet Elijah's. For a second, they darken before I look away, my stomach fluttering.

He's your stepbrother, Scarlett. Remember that , I remind myself. I have to stop thinking about that kiss. Why am I going crazy with thoughts of him?

Like before, I need to pretend they don't exist or is it because this time he's paying me attention?

Attention that could be the ruin of me.

We first hit the arcade where I wander off, leaving Indigo and Elijah to play their games together. She dropped a hint at least five times on the way here that she wished I wasn't here.

I'm at the pinball machine, and I'm hitting a pretty neat score.

"Scarlett? Is that you?! I've not seen you in here before and I've known you for a while."

I glance up for a second, recognising the guy before I return to my game.

"Oh hey, Brayden, yeah, I don't usually come here," I answer, focusing on my game. Brayden is one of our regular male clients at the salon, and he's only a year older than me.

"It's a nice surprise. I actually didn't realise it was you, but I should have known. Only you could look this good," he says, his voice dropping a little.

I look up at him, his light grey eyes are fixed on me as he smirks. He's a handsome guy, medium build, almost six-foot tall with light brown hair, but he doesn't hold a candle to- stop!

"Thanks," I say, remembering what Elijah had said this morning. Get laid.

I clench my jaw and curse when I miss the ball and the game ends.

"Shit!" I sigh as I step back.

"I'm sorry, damn I distracted you. How can I make it up to you?" he asks apologetically.

"It's cool."

I suddenly feel the hair at the back of my neck rise and I know whose burning gaze that is. So I smile. "How about a game, if I win you buy me slush, and-"

"And if I win, you promise to watch a movie with me?"

I smile. Oh babe, that ain't happening. I'm a werewolf, I'm faster.

"Sure," I reply as he looks around, his gaze landing on the Double Dragon machine.

"Let's see if you're any good over there," he suggests.

"Ouch, you will really lose," I reply. Yeah, I don't come to the human arcade much, but our packhouse has a gaming room. Boy, I grew up playing these games for free.

We begin playing and I'm easily winning. I'd do better if it wasn't for that constant feeling of being watched.

Although I can hear Indigo's screams of happiness when she beats him, someone's definitely distracted.

"Damn you're good," Brayden says, nudging my shoulder with his arm.

I smirk. "Yup, I hope you're not a sore loser! There! YES!" I step back punching the air as I look at him smugly. "Told you I'm good."

He chuckles. "Yeah, ok, one more game. I'll buy you an extra-large tango blast if you win again?" he sounds a little gutted.

"Hmm, tempting. Alright, deal. Foosball?" I suggest pointing with my thumb at the foosball table that no one is using.

"Sure."

We head over and we fix our bars, placing the ball in the centre. "Alright, let's see if you're any better on this one," I challenge as we begin playing. I chuckle, but to my surprise, he's good at this one, better than I anticipated.

He chuckles. "I'm not usually a sore loser, but I do hope I win, so I can take you out-"

"And who the hell are you?"

We both glance as Elijah stands there, his shadow cast over the table between us, his jaw clenched as he glares at Brayden, and to my absolute irritation he places his hand on two of the bars, bringing our game to a sudden stop.

"Elijah!" I hiss in frustration, making Brayden glance between us.

A human, Elijah. So, tone it down .

Not that I need to explain shit to him.

You shouldn't be trusting anyone, especially after what happened yesterday.

"Elijah… Brayden is a client at the salon, one of my regulars," I explain out loud as Brayden nods, holding his hand out. We were simply enjoying a game.

His gaze dips to my breasts. Yeah, and he was enjoying way more than just a game, he adds pointedly, making my heart skip a beat.

Not everyone is a perv like you.

Actually a pair of bouncing tits, yeah any straight man would stare, he counters coldly as Brayden clears his throat, snapping us from our mind-link argument.

"Hey man, nice to meet you and you are?"

"My stepbrother, Elijah," I introduce begrudgingly, glancing up at Elijah. His jaw ticks and I don't know why, but that just makes me find this entire situation a tad amusing.

"Ah brother, cool. Nice to meet you, Elijah," he says, glancing down at his hand that Elijah hasn't accepted, before he awkwardly lowers it when he's continued to be ignored.

"Just stay out of our way," Elijah warns.

"I can take care of myself-" I begin when he turns his eyes on me and I stop. He's pissed.

What the hell did I even do to piss him off like that?

"Let's get out of here. We'll go grab food," Elijah says coldly, grabbing my wrist.

I frown, trying to pull free without making it obvious.

"Sorry Brayden, I'll see you next week?" I ask, not wanting to bring more attention to us than we already have.

"Sure, see you then." He winks at me, and Elijah's grip tightens.

Why the fuck are you flirting with a human? His voice is harsh as it echoes through the mind-link.

My brows furrow. I wasn't, but so what if I was? I reply, yanking free from his hold as Indigo comes running over, looking between us.

"What happened?" she asks curiously.

"Elijah was being an asshole, like usual," I answer, glaring up at him.

"She was flirting with humans."

"And if I was, you got an issue with that?" I ask icily. You said get laid, and if I want to choose a human to fuck, I can do that. I give him the finger before turning and storming off.

"Red!" he growls, catching up to me as he grabs my arm, making me glare at him. "Pixie, go get us a table at John's."

"Ok…" she answers, looking at us with confusion before shaking her head. She turns and runs off across the floor to John's XL Burgers.

Elijah yanks me closer, our faces inches apart. "You need to be careful. You know they're looking for you," he says quietly.

"He is a human. He isn't one of them. I told you I have known him for years. What's your problem, Elijah?" I whisper venomously.

His eyes darken to that dangerous cobalt blue as his wolf comes forward.

"Respect, Red."

"Why? Because you're my Alpha? Actually, I might be one too. Remember?" I whisper tauntingly, smirking smugly as I yank free. "Oh, and stop manhandling me. It's annoying."

I storm off towards the burger place, my heart racing. I might defy him, but it does make me nervous knowing that he is not just a sexy alphahole but also a strong and dangerous alpha wolf.