Chapter 16: Jamie

16

JAMIE

I didn’t sleep a wink. Or at least, that’s what it feels like as I drag myself out of bed and into the bathroom to freshen up for the day ahead.

A pair of stormy grey eyes kept disturbing my dreams. Even when he’s not here, Dean Reynolds is consuming my thoughts. Scowling, I’m furious at myself for reacting so strongly to a man I don’t even trust.

No ghosts, he says. But I don’t buy that for a second.

Just because my wolf has the hots for him doesn’t mean I should forget what I came here for. I want Wyatt to win the competition, yes, and it’s true it’s not safe being a lone female rogue, but those aren’t the only reasons I entered. I have questions I want answered, but I doubt Dean will tell me anything. He’s too stubborn, and he’d have to stay in the same room as me for longer than five minutes for that to work. But maybe I can find someone else who will.

First things first though, I need to make sure I get through the first round and can stick around. I decide to put last night behind me. Dean didn’t kick me out, and hopefully, I didn’t humiliate myself lusting after the intense alpha.

Toothbrush hanging out of my mouth, I’m pulling out something comfortable to wear during whatever cruel trial they have planned for us today when there’s a soft knock on the door. I sniff, but I can’t scent anything with toothpaste filling my mouth.

Maybe it’s Lynn. I could always ask her about the former luna. She might know something about what happened to her, especially if she works closely with Dean.

Pulling open the door, I’m about to invite her inside, when a wave of masculine scent almost floors me. It’s not Lynn standing on my doorstep, it’s Dean. His damp black hair hangs across his forehead, and his chest is bare. From the flush on his cheeks and the tiny mud splatters dotted across his tanned skin, I’m guessing he was out for a run. A long, hard one.

I want to reach out and touch him, but instead, I clasp my hands behind my back, unsure how to react after last night. Are we back to alpha and competitor?

When the toothpaste in my mouth starts to burn my throat, I remember what I was doing and leave Dean standing there while I run to the bathroom to spit. When I emerge, Dean’s already invited himself in and is closing the door quietly behind him.

We’re all alone.

His scent floods the bedroom. I thought this space was huge before, but with Dean’s big frame seeming to fill it entirely, it feels claustrophobic now. He takes his time revealing the reason for his visit while I stand there awkwardly and wait as his eyes scan every surface, looking for what, I don’t know. Finally, he returns his attention to me, his expression unreadable, but the tension in his shoulders tells me this isn’t a friendly chat.

I fold my arms across my chest, suddenly very aware that I’m braless under my oversized T-shirt. Thankfully it’s long enough to cover my lacy underwear, but barely. Tugging at the hem, I try to pull it further toward my knees, and as I do, Dean’s scorching gaze travels up my bare legs to glare at the strip of fabric blocking his view. His chest rises as he breathes deep, waiting a beat or two before exhaling slowly.

“I came here to apologise for last night,” he starts, ignoring my request. “I got carried away.”

My wolf is crushed. I have no idea what she expected. We seem to have wildly different expectations of how this was going to go.

“Dean, I know the dance was just for show. You don’t need to worry about me getting the wrong idea and acting butt hurt.”

My wolf has her own opinions about the handsome alpha, but I’m not going to admit that to him.

I climb up awkwardly to sit on the mattress, attempting to keep my dignity intact while also getting some space from this man, who seems to have sucked all the oxygen out of the room.

“I get it. I’m a rogue. Your pack is probably giving you shit for even talking to me. It’s no big deal. I’m used to it.”

Dean regards me curiously as I shift up the bed toward the pillows. He takes a step toward me, but his silence makes me nervous, so I continue to ramble as I scooch further away, aware my unguarded breasts are now jiggling with each move I make.

“It’s actually a pleasant surprise to be accommodated somewhere indoors, and not in some broken down old shed.” Like most packs that begrudgingly allowed us to stay.

He growls and moves even closer.

“So, while you are a pain in the ass, you’re not that bad. For an alpha, anyway. Most of them are intolerable.”

The longer I speak, the darker Dean’s mood seems to get. “Are you finished?”

Pouting at his clipped tone, I nod.

“Good. If you’d let me finish, I wanted to apologise for last night, because our public display has put you in a position today where you’re going to have to deal with all sorts of gossip, when you should be focusing on your race.”

So, he’s concerned about people giving me shit, not him. It’s almost chivalrous, except that’s not the full story.

“That’s not true,” I say quietly. I should keep my mouth shut, but that’s never been my forte.

Dean tenses and narrows his eyes at me. “I don’t know what you mean.”

With a weary sigh, I wave away his pathetic attempt at playing dumb. Now is not the time.

“That’s not how you really feel, but fine. You tell yourself that. Is that all you wanted to say?”

Dean’s cautious expression morphs into one of annoyance. He’s not used to being dismissed, and I’m not even attempting to hide my lack of interest in continuing this conversation. “Do you genuinely want to know what I really think?” he asks, moving closer until he’s standing at the side of my bed, staring down at me.

I’m afraid to say yes as his blazing eyes burn into me, so I nod, a barely noticeable bob of my head.

“I think that I should be sorry, but I’m not one bit. Because rogue or not, you’re the most captivating woman I’ve ever met. And I can’t be sorry when I enjoyed it so damn much.”

Dean’s fingers wrap around my ankle as he leans down, one hand cupping my chin and forcing me to look up at him.

“But you’re an alpha, and I’m a rogue.”

Dean doesn’t deny that it would never work. Instead, his hand strokes up and down my calf while he speaks. “I’m judging the competition. I have to be impartial. And I have a duty to my pack, to my alpha, to think with my brain and not my...” We both glance down at the erection straining the front of his shorts and I swallow hard. It’s huge.

His fingers stroke my jaw, his thumb sliding up to brush gently against my lower lip. I get a tiny taste of him as I push my tongue forward, and his eyes blaze as he sees it touch his skin.

“Then why are you here?” I ask.

He bends down, jaw clenched, forcing me to lie flat. The hand on my knee slides up even higher until his fingers are splayed over my upper thigh. His chest, slick with perspiration, gleams in the pale morning sunlight.

I imagine our bodies slippery and wet, sliding against each other as he pounds into me. I want to pull him to me, but instead, I dig my nails into the mattress and pray for strength.

“Damned if I know.” Dean’s lips are so close to mine, that if I rocked forward, just an inch, we’d kiss. But I’m not going to be the one to give in. His mouth ghosts across mine, and my eyes fall shut, a wave of pleasure washing over me as I breathe him in and savour his presence looming over me. “I just couldn’t stay away.”

Pounding on the door interrupts our moment. Dean’s eyes darken, his wolf receding once more. He blinks hard, as if waking from a trance and only now realising exactly what he’s doing.

“Fuck,” Dean mutters, scrubbing a hand down over this face. Standing abruptly, he steps back and regards me with something close to suspicion in his eyes. As though I’m weaving some spell that calls him to my room and forces him to seduce me.

“Jamie, breakfast. Let’s go get some food, we’re going to need our energy.” Wyatt’s a morning person, and his enthusiasm at this hour of the morning is jarring. My brother bangs on the door once more, and I stare at Dean, frozen in place.

Go , he mouths, hiding his presence, and my heart drops. I’m just a rogue. Of course, he doesn’t want to be seen coming out of my room.

“Go on ahead. I’m just out of the shower. You can have your first breakfast while I’m getting dressed,” I call out to Wyatt. Sliding to the edge of the bed, I tug down my T-shirt and stand.

“Good idea.” Any time you tell Wyatt to eat, he thinks it’s a top plan.

His footsteps retreat, but then suddenly, he’s back. “Was Reynolds here? The place reeks of him.”

Dean’s jaw clenches, and he looks up at the ceiling, eyes squeezed tight.

“I know, it stinks, right? He came by to give me some shit, tell me again what a bad idea it is for a female to enter the competition. How he doesn’t want me here.”

Dean’s gaze snaps to me, and his eyes narrow.

“What a dick. I thought he was better than that,” Wyatt comments. “Don’t be long. I can’t promise there’ll be any food left if you spend all morning up here doing your hair.”

“Yeah, what a dick.”

Wyatt leaves for real this time, and I turn to look at Dean. He’s mad, but I don’t care. When he opens his mouth to speak, I stomp to the bathroom, snatching my clothes off the chair as I pass.

“You let yourself in. I’m sure you can let yourself out.”