Malia’s POV
After Ronan left my room to freshen up, I stripped out of my sweat-stained clothes and went into the bathroom. My hair received the most attention as I ensured that every single trace of sand and leaves were removed.
I wrapped the big fluffy towel around my body before stepping out of the bathroom and thanked the goddess I did because Ryder was lying on my bed like he owned it. Technically he did, but still…
I gave a tiny shriek of surprise when I saw him but he just gave me the once over and continued scrolling through his phone.
I decided to ignore him at first. I settled on a chair and plugged the hair dryer into the socket beside it.
His I-don’t-give-a-fuck attitude annoyed me so much that I had to speak despite my initial determination to ignore him.
“What if I was naked?” I blurted out. “You should have given me some sort of warning.”
“I knocked and got no response,” he shrugged.
I waited for more explanation and scoffed when he said nothing more.
I turned in my chair to face him. He was still focused on his damn phone.
“Are you serious?” I began. “When you knocked and got no response, you should have left instead of coming into my room. And besides, I’m sure you could hear the shower running. You don’t even need your special werewolf ability for that.”
He chuckled. “Calm down Malia. I don’t think there’s anything special about your body. You could take the towel off for me to see though. I’ll throw a dollar at anything I’ve not seen before.”
“You……I…. get out…” I spluttered in anger.
“Easy there,” he grinned. “I don’t want you dying of rage on my account,”
I wanted to scream in frustration but I knew that was only going to pleasure him more. Instead, I took a deep breath and continued to dry my hair.
I went into the bathroom to get dressed and locked the door just in case he got any funny ideas.
He was still there when I finished dressing and even watched me as I applied some makeup on my face.
He narrowed his eyes as I got up and gave him a show by sashaying around the room.
“And what’s the occasion? I didn’t ask you to have lunch with me, did I?” He asked.
I rolled my eyes. “In case you haven’t noticed, Alpha Ryder, you’re not the only man in this pack.”
He scoffed and settled back down.
“You should leave. My date is going to be here any moment from now,”
“Interesting,” he murmured. “I presume this date you have is with Ronan right?”
I nodded.
“You didn’t tell me that you and my brother are now a thing,” he said in a deceptively cool voice.
I really wanted to tell him it was none of his business. After all, I owed him no explanation. It wasn’t as if we were in a relationship or anything.
“It’s not a romantic date, Ryder. He’s just buying me lunch as an apology.”
“And please don’t ask me what he’s apologizing for,” I added when he opened his mouth to say something.
He flashed me a dazzling smile and my breath caught in my throat for a second.
“I’ll let you be for now. I have things to attend to,” he said.
“And here I was thinking that you had suddenly become jobless,” I said under my breath.
He chuckled. “You’re lucky I’ve decided to go easy on you and overlook your barbs.”
I placed a hand over my chest in mock gratitude and humility. “Oh, your majesty, you’re so kind and gracious. How can I ever repay your goodness?” I said in my best breathy and throaty voice.
His eyes darkened and he moved close to me, lowering his head so that his lips brushed my ear. “Oh, you will repay me in ways you’d never thought possible,” he whispered in that deep baritone.
I shivered involuntarily as he straightened. He looked at me and smirked in satisfaction.
“Enjoy your date, Malia,” and with that, he strolled out of the room and shut the door behind him.
To my horror, I was trembling. I took a deep breath to compose myself.
What the hell was wrong with these Hawkins brothers? I wondered.
I couldn’t afford to be attracted to any of them. I should focus on getting stronger and looking for ways to break this awful curse.
There had to be a way. I hadn’t believed the Seer when she told Zade and me that there was no way I could break my curse and be able to transform into my wolf.
I was still lost in my thoughts when Ronan knocked on the door and came in.
I vaguely registered his approach.
“A penny for your thoughts, Malia,” he said, lifting my chin with his fingers.
He must have seen the inner turmoil in my eyes because his brows furrowed in concern. “Is something the matter? You can talk to me.”
I offered him a weak smile. “It’s nothing I can’t handle, I assure you.”
His eyes narrowed in doubt.
“Food is going to make me feel better,” I said, offering him a bright smile.
He smirked and without warning pulled me up from the bed. I nearly lost my balance and had to grab onto his arms for support. His hands automatically went around my waist.
I looked up at him and for a moment, I forgot whatever it was I wanted to say. The undeniable look of lust was so evident in his eyes that I was struck speechless.
I watched as he closed his eyes, took a deep breath and gently released me from his arms.
I let my gaze study the floor and wondered why I hadn’t noticed the beautiful and intricate designs.
I heard him clear his throat. “Shall we?”
I looked up to find him grinning at me. I smiled back at him and took his hand in mine.
Together we headed down the hallway and I tried not to think about how good it had felt to be in his arms.