Ruler (Wolves of Royal Paynes #2) - Kiki Burrelli Page 0,31
same time.
I tried pushing back from the table before everyone else crowded in, but Faust and Jazz blocked my route on either side, and the twins bracketed up so close it would have been impossible to slip quietly away.
Knox rotated the screen so everyone could see it. The midday program was on. It had been so long since I'd watched television, years since I'd seen a news program. For several seconds, I just sat in awe—until I realized what it was they were reporting.
"A Northern California resident has gone missing, and his family is asking for your help."
The screen shifted, moving the two reporters sitting behind a desk to the left side so there was room for a picture on the right. My face smiled back at me.
"Storri Warler was last seen by his guardian and family friend, David Grouse. He asks citizens to keep an eye out for Storri but warns if you see him to call this number or 911."
The picture portion of the screen changed again to show a second picture taken around the same time as the first. I remembered that day in the choir room. I'd been having a rough time, and Mr. Grouse had gone out to the nearby coffee shop to get me a smoothie. Mr. Grouse had suggested we take a selfie, that smiling would help me feel better.
I thought it had.
Now, I saw my smiling face next to his and wanted to throw up. I pushed back from the table. The need to get away from that face felt more like a reflex than fear. My chair slammed violently into the bodies standing behind me, and my breaths came in short gasps. Not even Dog's front legs draped over my lap could calm me. My mind was on high alert, believing danger was near and I needed to get away from it.
"Let me go!" I pushed back like a butterfly trying to push through a pile of stones. The twins didn't even look at me but at Faust, with matching inquisitive expressions.
Faust stood, lifting me from the chair in the process. He brought me against his chest, much like how he'd carried me from the tower, and despite my panic, my arms and legs wound tightly around him. "Watch the rest. Find out all you can." He strode for the exit while I buried my face in his neck.
Faust brought me down the hallway to the room I'd slept in. He shut the door behind us and only then did he set me down. "I'm sorry. They should've warned you."
Now that I was away from the picture, my reaction to it felt silly. "No, it's okay." The strength of my reply was lessened by my continual gasps.
"You don't have to apologize, kitten. Just breathe. In through your nose and out through your mouth." He demonstrated with a deep, even breath.
I watched his nostrils flare. It was easier to concentrate on one part of him rather than the whole of his parts all at one time.
"The twins absolutely should've warned you. It just slipped their minds, but I'll make sure it doesn't again."
Great. Now they would hate me. "Don't say anything. I don't want them to be upset."
Faust lifted an eyebrow. "They won't be upset, Storri. Anyone worth your time will never be upset when you ask for respect and kindness."
How was I supposed to keep up any walls between us when he continued to be so amazing? It wasn't just his words, but how he spoke, how he stood. He had a wide stance, strong legs, and a trim waist. He wore a white V-neck and worn jeans, but on him, he looked like one of those guys on the cover of the naked magazines I used to try to sneak a peek at behind the privacy screens on the magazine rack at the gas station.
If only I'd been brave enough to buy one, I might've been a little better prepared for my awakening libido.
I watched the vertical indent on his neck. What would he taste like if I licked him there? What would it feel like? For me, it would probably just feel like I was licking skin, but how would it feel for him?
How did you ask a person something like that? Can I lick you? If he were an animal, I'd simply ask him. But if he were an animal, I wouldn't want to lick him the way I did now.