“I expected him to be alone,” he said tightly. “So I was waiting for you to leave, but here you are in the backyard in your pajamas. Are you staying with him?”
“A reminder, I was the one who was attacked, not him.” I gestured to the house. “And how is my staying here any of your damn business?”
“It’s not.” He lifted his hands. “I was curious. And I wanted to talk only to him because I was trying not to see you.”
His words stung, which made me even angrier. He shouldn’t have this much of an effect on me. In fact, I should have been ecstatic that he didn’t want to see me, but the fact that the air didn’t smell told me all I needed to know. “Then why did you start talking to me?” If he didn’t want to be around me, then he shouldn’t have said anything in the first place. “I was about to go inside, and you wouldn’t have been forced to have this conversation.”
“Because I thought about it, and I figured you should know too.” He blew out a breath and narrowed his eyes.
Wanting to get back to the actual point, I crossed my arms. “Then tell me-what happened with the bear shifter?”
“There isn’t much to tell.” Griffin ran a hand through his gelled hair, messing it up.
I grimaced. He was somehow even more breathtaking.
But I refused to be distracted. No good would come from it. “Well then, this should be a very short conversation,” I snapped. One minute, I was trying to be nice to him, and the next, I was angry. My emotions had become a yo-yo, and I didn’t know why.
“Remember how that guy who works for Dick-Harold-was taking the bear shifter to the Shadow City jail?” he asked.
“Yup.” Maybe if I was brief, he would get to the point faster.
“The bear shifter somehow knocked him unconscious and got away.” He clenched his hands into fists. “Which means we have no leads to whether he was the only person in on the attack or if it was a calculated move organized by others. Either way, the asshole is somewhere out here again.”
“Wasn’t he cuffed?” Surely the guy wouldn’t have put the bear in the back of a car unrestrained.
Griffin laughed without humor. “Actually, he wasn’t. Harold tied him up with a rope, but the bear shifter pretended to be unconscious and bit through it. He attacked Harold, making him drive off the bridge that leads to Shadow City.”
“A bridge?” I hadn’t seen more than downtown Shadow Ridge and the university, so I had no clue how many ways there were to enter Shadow City.
He waved his hand in a circular motion. “The river surrounds a large island that Shadow City is built on. The bridge leads to the gate to enter. Witches have spelled the city so that the Tennessee River around it appears narrower than it really is, which is why there isn’t a lot of river traffic through here.” He rolled his eyes. “Luckily, Harold came to before the car filled with water, but the bear shifter was already gone. His scent was untraceable. I’m sorry you got thrown into this mess. He attacked you because you were with me. They’re trying to scare me so I’ll try to shut the borders again.”
“Then why were you out here alone?” If the bear could be anywhere, it made sense that he might try to attack me again, but we didn’t know if I was the target or the most convenient wolf body at the time.
“You were too.” Griffin pointed at me. “So, I think that’s a little hypocritical.”
“I thought he was in jail.” In all fairness, if I’d known he’d escaped, my first instinct would have been to track his ass down. But I needed to stay put for a little while longer. I didn’t need my hunters finding me, much as I didn’t want anyone else suffering an attack. “What’s your excuse?”
“My excuse isn’t a good one.” He closed the distance between us again, and he was so close his minty breath hit my face.
My breathing quickened, almost matching the racing beat of my heart. “I didn’t ask if it was a good one. I asked what it was.”
“I wanted to make sure that the bear didn’t come looking for you. I was going to ask Killian where you lived. When I realized you were here, I was planning to follow you home.” He sighed as if what he said next pained him to admit. “Seeing you hurt like that earlier almost made me go insane.”
His words threatened to tear down my walls, but this couldn’t happen. Whatever this was. “I’m with Killian.” It helped that we’d agreed to be exclusive, so this wasn’t a lie. Besides, Killian had helped me, and I couldn’t let my inconvenient reaction to some hot guy screw up my relationship with the only friend I had.
“Yeah, I’m well aware.” A vein between his brows bulged. “Thanks for the reminder.”
“What the hell is your problem?” I didn’t know what was happening between us. Lust? Would having sex with him get rid of this energy? Absolutely not. No way would my first time be with some playboy who got his rocks off by talking about his cream and where he liked it placed.
“Nothing,” he said a little too loudly. “Nothing at all. I mean, I’m ready for him to get over his feelings for you and kick your ass to the curb.”
“Says the douchebag who hit on me in front of the girl who’s trying to manipulate him into settling down.” If he wanted to hurt me, I could return the favor.
“She is not.” He scoffed. “Don’t be crazy.”
Oh, hell no. He had a death wish. I stomped my foot, channeling Luna. “Griffin,” I whined and pouted, sticking my bottom lip out as far as it would go. “You left me.” I straightened, not able to keep up the charade, and patted my chest and rolled my eyes. “You’re right. My bad. She totally isn’t trying to manipulate you.”
“Jealousy is a good look on you.” He wrapped an arm around my waist and pulled me hard against his chest. “In fact, it’s sexy. Maybe I should rile you up more often.”
The tug strengthened to where it felt like two magnets were pulling toward each other.
My body warmed in ways it never had before, and I didn’t even try to move away.
“You are attracted to me too.” He dipped his head, and the world around us disappeared, the connection between us too strong to be ignored. His lips aimed for mine as my rationale left me. I couldn’t remember why this was a bad idea.
The back door jingled and opened. “Dove?” Killian called.