Feral (17 page)

“
Thaleia, I have to apologize for something.”

“For spanking me in the pantry?”

“No,” he snorted, “you challenged me three times.  You deserved that.”

My breath
left my lips in a gasp of outrage.  I stopped mid stride, my feet planting themselves obstinately in place.  Naturally, my hands went to my hips.  “I did not!”

“You certainly did.  In front of my whole pack the first time.  The second time was in your room.  The last time was in the pantry.”

“That was hardly a challenge!”

“It is in my home.”

“Did you ever stop to think that we come from two different worlds?  I can’t fall into your definition of normal in a day.”

“And for that reason I’ve shown considerable restraint.”

“
Restraint
?” I exclaimed.  “You degraded me in front of half your family!”

“I closed the door.  Nobody saw a thing,” he disagreed.  But I saw the corner of his lip twitch.  “And I didn’t use my belt.  The most
I hurt was your pride.”

‘My pride’ hurt for nearly a day. 
And my anger toward him piqued with renewed fervor.  As I picked up my pace again, I stewed in the bitter injustice.  The fucker enjoyed spanking me.

Behind me, Icarus grumbled under his breath, but I couldn’t hear
what he said.  He fell into pace again beside me, brooding.

“Did you use the belt on Hailey
the other day?”

“Yes.”

“You did?  God, if she didn’t hate me already, she certainly hates me now.”

“Why
would you think she hates you?”

“Well, for obvious reasons, but she paid me a visit the other day to discuss the physics of female lycanthrope anatomy.  Thanks for sparing me of that humiliation, by the way.”

I could now understand his puzzled expression as he held my tampons in his hand.  It was a waste of six fifty-nine, but the checkout aisle of Wegman’s was neither the time or place.

“I didn’t realize she was
conversant in the subject.”

“
Oh, she’s conversant all right.  Apparently, she saw a lot during her time in the big woods.  She enlightened me on the absence of menstruation, while gaining the fuck-me-I’m-fertile effect multiplied by the ninth power.”

“In estrus.”

“Who cares.  She compared me to a ‘bitch in heat.’ And there was nothing nice about it.  She’s like a female Damien Omen.  Creepy little shit.”

“I agree
she has issues, but I don’t think she hates you.”

“
I
have issues,” I disagreed.  “
She
is an abomination.”

Icarus’s jaw tightened. 
“You’ll find a way to get along.”

“I already have.  It’s called avoidance.”

“That seems to be your approach across the board.”

“Yup.”

And that effectively signaled the end of our conversation.  I think he actually preferred the freak child over me.  I couldn’t decide if it smarted or not.  I chose not, because that would denote that I cared what he thought.  And I didn’t.  After all, I didn’t have to like him.  I only had to be respectful of his rules.  Like a parent.  Yes, a tall, dark and handsome, single parent.

“Turn here,” Icarus said, pointing at the gates of Rock West High School.  “Bacchus and Caius are at practice.  You can use the track and they can take you home afterward.
  I have other things to do.”

Like ditching me.  I guess
our dislike was mutual.

Approaching the stadium, I could
foresee the end of one painful situation and the start of another. 
God don’t let this be football
, I chanted in my head. 
God, don’t let this be football
.  I’d rather have a tea party with Hailey than face a certain, loathed quarterback right now.  I’d rather gnaw off my right leg.  I’d rather take a romp in the sheets with my alpha male.

“What do they play?”

“Soccer.”

Unconsciously, I let out a pent up breath.  “Thank God.”

“Have a thing for soccer?”

“No, I just swore off football players.  And I have this secret fantasy I’d like to play out with the twins.”  It involved using them to fend off Mike Dougherty tomorrow
should he erroneously think I’d give him the time of day, and by fending off, I mean with physical force.

Beside me, Icarus tripped over his own two feet, but he was able to
recover himself before he hit the ground.  “I’ll make sure they’re at the field before I leave you alone.”

Soccer was in full practice, I found
, as we circled the massive concrete bleachers.  Two dozen bronzed, male bodies speckled the field, glistening with sweat and grunting with effort as they pushed the ball from one end of the field toward the enormous goal net at the other.

The godly display of masculinity left me breathless and gaping as I rounded the fence and stepped onto the track.  My pace slowed significantly.  Perhaps I’d been
staring at the same three hundred faces at Rock East for too long.  Yes, fresh minds were all I needed.  Fresh minds housed within a field of glorious, half-naked bodies.  Lord, I could have a new one every day for a month.  This was almost as much fun as shopping for Coach purses during a season sale.

“You’re gawking.”

“I’m single.  It’s allowed.”

“Over Marcus so easily?”

“I thought you were leaving?  Look, there’s Bacchus now,” I said dismissively, pasting a smile on my face and showing off my best beauty pageant wave.  “See, all safe and protected.  You don’t need to hang around.  Remember you have better things to do.  Like imps to pet.”

A third voice joined our soirée, resonating from the sidelines. 
“Thale?”

Oh God.  (
Shiver)  “On second thought.  Stick around.”  Picking up my pace again, I prayed Icarus would follow.  God, if you ever loved me at all…

“Who is he?”

“Nobody.”  Michael freakin’ Dougherty, I hate you to the fiery pits of Hades.

“
Thale!”

Icarus stole a second look over his shoulder. 
“He seems to know you.”

“Knew.  Past tense.  He’s nobody to me now.”

“Thaleia!” Michael pressed.  “Damn it!”

“You want me to get rid of him?”

“Yes.”

“What’re you willing to do for it?”

My jaw clenched.  “Anything.  Just do it now.”

“Dinner?”

“Call me Julia fuckin’ Childs.”

“No
, dinner out.  The two of us.  Call it a date.”

“Who the hell are you,
Satan himself?”  The man lived to make my life hell.  Why in the world would he want dinner with me when we couldn’t even get along during a short jog?

Unsympathetic, Icarus shrugged. 
“Take it or leave it.”

“
Thale!”

“Fine.  Dinner
.  Just the two of us.”  Grasping my arm, Icarus used my momentum to spin me into his arms.  I hit hard, my breath leaving my lungs in a whoosh.  I glared, deceived, hearing Michael’s footsteps drawing closer.  “What the hell are you doing?” I hissed.

“Getting rid of your friend
.”

I was still shaking my head when his lips met mine. 
I pressed my mouth closed.  He worked patiently around my reluctance, following the edge of my lips with small nips and teases.

“Open,” he drawled, his eyes alight.
  “Need to make this convincing.”

I shook my head.

“Open,” he demanded this time, tickling the inside of my skull.  My lips parted of their own accord, allowing him access to the recess of my mouth.  He flooded it with his tongue, cutting off my objection with a controlling stroke.  I promptly rolled into an undignified moan, molding myself to him like a pair of fondly worn jeans.

Surprised with my weak strength of control, I bit the tip of his tongue.  He flinched and drew back enough to breathe a reprimand over my lips.  “Be nice now,
Thaleia.”

Hearing
the caress of my name from his desire-laden voice overruled my senses and sent a shiver down my back.  It took all my strength to lock my knees so that I didn’t collapse while he inundated me with a hunger that left me wanting.

What could’ve been minutes later
when Icarus concluded his kiss, I was appalled to find myself pinned between the fence and his body, rubbing myself against him in a number of inappropriate ways.

“Easy,” he murmured,
feeling me stiffen.  “Give me a minute before you run off.”

“Is that…?” I gasped, feeling
the unmistakable bulge trapped between his hip and mine.  “Oh my God.  You have to be kidding me.  Don’t you have any control?”

Raising an eyebrow, he stared pointedly at me in accusation.

“That’s not my fault.  Ok it is,” I said, when his expression shifted to amusement.  “But it doesn’t mean anything.  I don’t even like you.”

“I beg to differ.”

“Can’t we argue this someplace else?”

“Not yet,” he said, pressing his hips to mine, so that I could feel the affect I
had on him.  Apparently, he had no qualms over public displays of erection.

“Ugh!
”

“What happened between you and
Malibu Ken?”

I rolled my eyes. 
Even if he was asking only to distract himself and relieve his carnal spontaneities, I wasn’t sharing.  Ex’s were as taboo as bodily functions.  “I’m not discussing that with you.”

“It might help relieve tensions
.”

“So would a sharp jab of the knee.”

“I didn’t mean me.  I meant you.  Talking about it.”

“No.”

“I take it he was a football player,” he pressed, fishing for information.  That much I could give him.  Dougherty made it pretty obvious anyhow.

“One of.”  Dropping my head, I winced.  “God that sounds awful. 
I didn’t mean it like that.  I meant dated.  I don’t sleep around.”

“I didn’t
think you did.  If knowing my past makes you feel less uncomfortable, I haven’t slept with anyone since I was your age.”

Impulsively, my eyes narrowed.  He was leveling the playing field. 
Baiting me to talk.  And damn if it wasn’t working.  How long had he abstained?  Was it even possible for a man like him?  In his prime?
Dear God
.  No wonder he’s been a hot mess where I’m concerned.

“How old are you now?”

“Twenty eight.”

“
Ten
years?”

“I’ve been busy.”  Raising his cousins
after their parents died.  “See how it works, Thaleia?  I tell you a little of my past; you tell me a little of yours.  It’s simple.  Painless.  Swear.”

“
Ok. I did something stupid.  I got hurt.  I learned my lesson.  The end.”

“Why
are you being so difficult?”

“Because I don’t want to talk about it.” 
I’d never told anyone before.  Just Benny, but only after he guessed.  Anyone else could stick it.  I didn’t need their opinions and accusations.  “And I don’t need your reproof or sympathy.”

“I take care of what’s mine.  Whether you hate me or not.  You’re one of us now.
  If he’s going to be bothering you, I want to know.”

“I can handle him; I just wasn’t prepared to see him today.”

“I can force you to answer me.”

My jaw clenched
, well aware of his talent for vocal coercion.  My lip quivered, fueled between anger and humiliation.  “I slept with him two years ago.  After prom.  And then I found out it was all a bet he had with his friends.  I heard them bragging about it afterwards.”

Understanding settled over his features. 
“And then my morons the other day…”

I gave one sharp and turned my head, hiding the traitorous tears that rimmed my eyes. 
His morons dredged up old demons.  True, I had never buried them.  They sat on my shoulder, constantly whispering words of distrust and doubt.  They’d saved me from sleeping with Marcus countless times, reminding me of my past and preventing me from repeating my mistake.

Icarus tucked a lock of hair behind my ear and cupped my chin.
  I promptly jerked it from his grasp.  The memory hurt, but the humiliation of reliving it, with him, under duress, stung worse.  He was wrong.  I didn’t feel better.  In fact, I wanted to give him a sharp jab of my knee then ask him if
he
felt better.  I think he would agree that extracting pain was not the solution to ones problems.

“It’s not at all like riding a bike.”

“What?”

Running hi
s hand into his hair, he sighed despondently.  “It’s been ten years since I’ve pursued anyone,” he reminded me.  “It’s not like riding a bike.”