The Raven Four Books 1-3 - Jessica Sorensen Page 0,38
should be afraid of her uncle ’cause he’s the sheriff.”
Zay picks up a pool stick and rests his weight against it. “I did hear that.” His gaze fastens on me, the corners of his lips spasming. “Maybe you’re right, Hunter. She is amusing.” But he says it like it’s not a good thing.
“And you’re kind of moody,” I retort. “Seriously, you’re like the most hot and cold person I’ve ever met.”
He lifts a shoulder and gives a lazy shrug. “I’ve been called a lot worse.”
“I’m sure you have,” I reply haughtily.
Zay mutters something with a shake of his head.
Jax straightens his stance and crosses the room, stopping in front of me. “We can take you home, but after we have a little chat.” My lips part to reiterate my earlier concern, but he puts his finger against my lips. “That’s not up for negotiation.” He lowers his hand from my lips then crosses his arms. “If you want us to, we can talk to your aunt and uncle about you being late. Or we can help you make up some bullshit story. I really don’t care, but we’re talking to you before you leave.” With that, he turns around and strides toward the doorway. “I have to go reset the alarms.” Then he exits the room.
I raise my brows at Hunter. “Is he always so bossy?”
Hunter chuckles. “That’s actually pretty mild compared to how he can be.”
I crinkle my nose. “I’m not sure I can do that bossy. Maybe he should take that into consideration before he tries to force me into you guys’ circle. It seems like we’re gonna clash.”
Hunter moves beside me and drapes his arm over my shoulders. “Actually, little raven, I think you might fit in perfectly with us.”
“I completely disagree. Jax is way too bossy for me. And you”—I point at Zay—“are pretty bossy, too, but you give in pretty easily, so it’s not as intense as Jax.”
Zay’s brows dart upward. “That’s … What …?” He shakes his head. “What the hell’s the matter with you?”
“You’re just irritated ’cause you know I’m right,” I reply in a semi-teasing tone. “You may get mad, but from what I’ve seen, you like to storm out and have a temper tantrum instead of confronting the problem.”
His brows lower as his shock erases. Then he sets the pool stick down and ambles toward me with his hands stuffed into the back pockets of his pants. “I assure you that I’m just as scary as Jax. In fact, most people—the smart ones—think I’m scarier.” When he reaches me, he crosses his arms and stares me down intimidatingly. “And I may not confront the problem right away, but only because I like to plot out what I’m going to do. That way, I can make sure the punishment is nice and cruel.” His lips twist into a smirk. “Just the way I like it.”
“I have no doubt that you do,” I tell him. “All I’m sayin’ is that you don’t seem as bossy or as intense as Jax.”
When his face twists with repulsion, Hunter chuckles, drawing me closer to his side.
Maybe I should step away from him, but … I don’t know, his arm around me feels nice. Foreign but… nice. “This is going to be amusing to watch,” he remarks.
Zay scowls at him. “You think it’s funny that she’s pissing me off?”
Hunter shakes his head. “Nah, she’s not pissing you off. She’s frustrating you because you’re not used to people being so blunt when they’re around you.” When Zay’s eyes scorch with annoyance, Hunter stage-whispers to me, “I think one of those temper tantrums you mentioned is coming.”
Zay glares daggers at Hunter. “If you don’t knock it off, I’m gonna start plotting against you.”
“Oh, come on, Zay, you know we’re just messing with you. And I think, deep down, you kind of like it. And I know you’re not going to do anything to me or to her.” Hunter rests his cheek against mine. “I mean, look how cute we are. Would you really want to do anything that’d mess up these pretty faces?” Then he whispers to me, “Hurry and bat your eyelashes at him. He’s a sucker for that shit, whether he’ll admit it or not. Although, most girls don’t have the balls to do it to him.”
Not totally believing him—Zay doesn’t seem like the kind of guy who’d go for the whole batting eyelashes thing—I still do what he instructs anyway, fluttering my eyelashes at Zay.