There’s a terrible cracking sound, and Jaxon’s face snaps to the side. He takes a moment to wipe the blood from his lip before shoving Adrian roughly away from him.
But Adrian just laughs, that same cold laugh again. “Are we going to do this now?” he says. “Really? Is this an official challenge for leadership of the house?”
I look back and forth between the two men, still staring each other down. “Leadership of the house?” I ask, trying to process what Adrian just said. My confusion intensifies. “Wait, who is the landlord? I thought Adrian’s family owned this place. How do you ‘challenge’ someone to be a landlord? Are you going to fight to the death? Is this the Dark Ages? What the hell kind of house is this?”
There’s a moment of silence while everyone takes in my confused monologue. Ben is leaning against the wall, his arms folded, a look of amusement on his face, and Natalia is looking at me in surprise. Then suddenly she bursts out laughing. “You were right, Jaxon. She’s funny.”
I turn to look at Jaxon, whose piercing blue eyes are still shooting daggers at Adrian. Adrian is staring back with just as much intensity. Both men are breathing heavily, their muscles tense and ready for action.
I really hate to admit it to myself at this moment, but something about this whole male display of Alpha-ness is…hot. Heat gathers between my legs as I watch these two powerful men square off. Almost against my will, my mind is suddenly filled with other images…more heavy breathing, intense stares, muscles tightening for different reasons…
Stop it, I scold myself. Focus on what’s important right now.
Jaxon wipes his bloody lip again and I watch his hand tighten into a fist. He pulls back to take a swing at Adrian, but some instinct causes me to jump between them.
“No!” I shout. “Stop! You can’t!” I hold my hands up between the two men. “This is getting too crazy. Is this really all over whether I move in or not? I don’t mind finding a motel without mice for a few nights and then hitting up Craigslist. It’s not worth beating each other’s brains out.”
Jaxon slowly uncoils his fist and takes a step back. I breathe a sigh of relief, but when I turn to face Adrian, my breath catches in my throat.
He’s standing much closer than I realized. Has he always been this tall? I have to crane my neck to look up at him. It makes me feel small, in a good way. His dark hair is falling over his face, his skin slightly damp with exertion.
This close to Adrian’s face, I can see dark stubble covering his jaw. I finally find my breath again, only to have his incredible scent wash over me. Now I can identify more of it…cedar, pine, and some kind of earthiness that I can’t find words for. My eyes practically flutter closed at how good he smells, and I debate about asking him what aftershave he uses. Whatever it is, I want to inhale it for the rest of my life.
I’m vaguely aware of the fact that my breathing has sped up, and Adrian’s chest is rising and falling with the same intensity. I want to reach out and lay my hands on him, feel his heartbeat under my palms. To know what those muscles feel like, not just admire them from afar. My eyes find his. My heart speeds up to find him looking down at me, his eyes now more gold than hazel.
With a jolt, I remember my dream from last night. The wolf’s eyes were gold. Adrian’s gaze drops to my mouth, and I feel that tiny shift of his attention in my whole body. I bite my lip, and suddenly Adrian takes a step back.
I practically stumble as he breaks our connection. I’m not sure how long we were standing like that, staring at each other. I give my head a tiny shake.
Snap out of it, I think.
The room is silent as Adrian stares at the floor. Finally, he glances up at Jaxon. “Fine,” he says. “She can stay. For now.” He turns and stalks down the hall. I stare at his broad shoulders as he departs. For some reason, I feel a sense of loss as he strides away.
Which is crazy. Because the guy was willing to get into a death match over “leadership of the house,” whatever the hell that means.
I turn and look at the others. Jaxon has already hoisted most of my few belongings up onto his shoulders. “I’ll carry your stuff back upstairs,” he says. “Natalia and Ben have to leave for work.”
Ben smiles slyly at me as he steps toward the door. “Sure was nice to meet you,” he says. “The house has gotten way more interesting since you arrived. I look forward to more telenovela shit when I get home.”
Natalia rolls her eyes. “Ignore him. We can get to know each other later,” she says, sending me another warm smile. “So nice to have another woman in the house.”
I watch them both depart, then turn and watch Jaxon walk up the stairs. I’m not sure what else to do, so I grab my remaining suitcase and follow him.
We set everything on the floor of my room, and then I turn to him. “I um…I have some questions for you,” I say.
Jaxon stares out the window for a moment before replying. When he does speak, it isn’t with a response, but with a request of his own. “I know that Adrian can be a lot. But he’s been through some difficult shit lately. So please, just…be patient with him.”
I think back to the intensity of the conflict downstairs. “Are all your roommate disputes like that? Are you going to kill each other over who takes out the recycling?”
Jaxon laughs, low and deep. I feel a flutter in my stomach at the sound. The sunlight pouring in through the window highlights the gold in his hair. For a moment, he reminds me of a figure in an old painting, an avenging angel. He turns to me with a warm smile.
“I told Natalia you were funny, and I was right,” he says.
“Thank you?” I say uncertainly. I’m still distracted by the sight of him illuminated by the sun, and also by the way his shirt hugs his body.
Jaxon laughs quietly again. “You said you had some questions for me?”
“Oh. Yes.” I shake myself out of my daze. “Okay, I thought this was Adrian’s house. Are you all related?”
Jaxon shakes his head. “No, it’s more like we all grew up together. This place belongs to Adrian’s family, so he and Felix will take it over. But because we all grew up together, we live together.”
I still find the situation confusing. Just because you grew up together doesn’t mean you have to live together. But maybe I just can’t relate because I don’t know what it’s like to grow up with anyone, to spend your whole life with the same group of people. My childhood was spent in a series of foster homes. It’s hard to make lasting connections with anyone when you’re an orphan with no permanent address.
Even now, it’s hard to make friends. Misty and I were far from close, and friendship was out of the question. I get along with Victoria, but she’s my boss, and that’s not the same as a friend. I feel a brief moment of the old familiar ache—the loneliness that’s always there, just beneath the surface.
I think back to the fight downstairs. I recall the rush of anger I saw when Jaxon mentioned Adrian’s father. There was so much rage in his eyes before he threw that punch.
“I have one more question,” I say.
“Shoot.”
“Adrian said this room was his father’s. But downstairs just now, you said ‘the kind of man your father was.’ Is Adrian’s father still around? What happened?”
Jaxon looks out the window again. I can see different thoughts play across his face, debating how to answer. Finally, he says, “Adrian’s father was murdered.”
I gasp, my hand flying to my mouth. “That’s horrible! What happened?” I ask.
Jaxon appraises me, another debate moving over his features. “That’s not my story to tell,” he says. “But if I were you, I wouldn’t bring it up. Adrian can be…unpredictable when someone mentions it. As you just saw.”
I nod, a chill going down my spine. “Thanks for letting me know.”
Jaxon shrugs and smiles. “Don’t mention it. Do you need anything else?”
“No, thanks,” I say.
“Okay.” Jaxon steps toward the door, then turns to smile at me. “Hey. I’m glad you’re here,” he says. “Sorry about all…that.”
His words fill me with warmth, and I find myself returning the smile. “Me too.” He turns away. I listen to his footsteps down the stairs, then sit on my bed to think through everything that just happened.
What the hell have I gotten myself into?
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