Page 31 of Bound to Enemy (Wolf Billionaire #3)

CHAPTER 2

SHAWN

“ A re you trying to get under Alexander’s skin, or is this something else?” Ethan asked me as the car drove down the uneven streets leading to Mark’s Bar.

It was the third time this week that we were making this trip, and as much as I wanted to give all the credit to the fact that I loved getting under my father’s skin, I just couldn’t.

I genuinely loved talking to Arlene and getting to know her more every time we spoke. Ever since our first conversation, I’d been hooked.

I shrugged and then responded, “I’m just getting to know her.”

“I understand trying to care for the downtown district, but if your father knew you were ‘getting to know’ a downtown wolf, it would send him to an early grave.”

I laughed softly, the idea of my father’s reaction almost comical. “Maybe that’s a bonus, but it’s not the main reason.”

Ethan sighed, running a hand through his hair. “You’re playing a dangerous game, Shawn. Arlene seems great, but you know how your father is.”

I sighed and resisted the urge to roll my eyes. “Can we go just one night without talking about the man?”

“We certainly can, but I prefer having fine wine at Riley’s instead of the urine-like beer at this bar.”

I smirked at him. “But doesn’t it make you feel so alive?”

“You only get an adrenaline rush because you’re doing something you shouldn’t be.”

“I get it,” I said, my tone serious. “But I can’t help it. Every time I’m around her, I feel… alive. She sees through all the bullshit, and she doesn’t care about the Eltons or uptown power plays. She’s just…Arlene.”

Ethan gave me a thoughtful look I’d seen a lot over the course of my life.

“If you’re serious about this, you better be prepared for the fallout.”

I nodded, accepting the challenge. “I know. But I’m not backing down, and we have no idea what will happen next,” I reminded him. “It’s just a fun feeling for now.”

The car pulled up in front of the bar, and I felt a rush of excitement. We both stepped out of the vehicle; this time, we were dressed to blend in.

The Elton pin I’d had on the first time was nowhere to be seen. We wore some of our oldest track pants and loose polo shirts, and no expensive jewelry.

It had taken about two tries, but we’d hacked the system of blending into the crowd without drawing unwarranted attention to ourselves.

I spotted Arlene inside. She was wiping down the bar, her hair falling in loose waves around her face. She looked up, and our eyes met for a few seconds before she looked away.

Ethan nudged me. “Go on, Romeo. Just remember what I said.”

I nodded. “Sure.”

I headed to the bar and slipped into a seat, which was quickly becoming my usual spot.

“You’re back,” Arlene said in a monotone voice.

“I couldn’t stay away much longer.”

“You should. This place is unsafe for men like you,” she said, wiping a mug.

“Men like me? That sounds very offensive.”

“It sounds offensive to be a rich, purebred wolf who attended Oliver’s College scholarship-free, play tennis at Johnson’s with perfect little girls and their perfect little skirts, and end the night at Riley’s with expensive wine and caviar?” she said as she slid a beer over to me.

My finger rounded the rim of the glass, my eyes on her. “Wow, that was a spot-on read.”

She smiled. “And then one night you discover that there’s a world beyond your million-dollar mansions and annoyingly privileged life, and then you become infatuated with a bar waitress because you think she ‘sees’ you, and when the serotonin dies down and the high fades, you look for the next person who can make you feel that way again.”

I was shocked, not just because of her directness, but because it was spot-on. “Wow, that’s pretty much me.”

She shrugged, proud of herself. “I know.”

I took a sip of my drink. “You’re perceptive.”

She leaned on the counter and faced me, her presence invading my territory as her scent filled my nostrils. It took everything in me not to reach out, taste her lips, and run my fingers through her hair.

“So what’s the real story?” she asked in a whisper, which made her even sexier.

I took another sip of the beer. Ethan was right; it tasted like urine. “There’s no real story. You have me figured out.”

Arlene shook her head. “I don’t believe you.”

I blinked at her. “You really should.”

Her dark eyebrows pulled together as her eyes searched mine. My self-control was hanging on by a thread. It was almost laughable that she made me feel this way.

“But I think there’s more to you.”

I tried to look as nonchalant as always. “There isn’t.”

“There is.”

I didn’t have the hidden depths she might have thought I did, and I hadn’t been lying when I said her read was pretty good. The only thing that went through my head was what she would look like lying on her back on my bed as I did questionable things to her. It wasn’t the most ideal thought, but it had been all I could think about for days on end.

“Fine.” I raised my hands in surrender, throwing caution to the wind. “There’s more.”

“I called it!”

I smiled at her almost childlike joy.

“I’m in love with you,” I said with the straightest face I could muster, trying not to crack a smile.

Arlene reached out over the counter, breaking through a barrier she never had before. She grabbed me by my arm. Every single muscle in my body locked up, and heat traveled up my arm like flames were consuming me.

I stayed ramrod-straight in my seat as her laugh rang through the bar. She threw her head back, the sound coming from the pit of her stomach.

Our banter and bouncing off each other had been happening for the past few days. But it had always felt like I was a customer and she was the server. She was the actress, and I was in the audience watching her performance unfold, but never really being a part of it myself.

Now, she had broken the fourth wall, and I had no idea how to behave. Rather than feeling relieved, I was somewhat thrown off by her reaction. My stomach turned at her reaction toward the idea of me loving her.

It was absurd in real life, and we both knew this, but she didn’t have to make it as obvious as she did.

I plucked her fingers off my bicep one by one. “I don’t think it’s that hilarious.”

“Oh, but it is. I have zero chances with you, and I know men like you want…certain things from women.”

“And what do you think my wants are?” I asked, curious.

She faltered, and a look passed through her green eyes before I could tell what it was. “As much as I loved standing here and chitchatting with you, I need to work.”

“Or do you?” I slipped a wad of hundred dollar bills toward her and waited.

“What’s this?” she asked in the monotone voice that always made it hard to figure out what she was feeling.

“I’m buying your time.”

I waited for a frown, a gasp, or even a slap on the face at how crude I was for implying that her time was for sale, but Arlene did none of that. Instead, she took the money from me and slipped it into her apron.

“You have me for the next five minutes.”

I raised an eyebrow. “I can’t believe that worked.”

“It’s a lot of money, and you’re downtown. Of course it worked.”

I nodded. “Fair. So what about me being in love with you is laughable?”

She looked at me like I’d just said the dumbest thing in the world. “Come on, you just bought five minutes of my time for six hundred dollars.”

“Seven, actually.”

She smiled, which revealed sparkling white teeth, and pushed a strand of stray black hair behind her ear. “ That is laughable.”

“I still don’t follow.”

She sighed. “I’m not blonde or purebred, I don’t even know the first rule of tennis?—”

“The player serving must stay behind the baseline,” I quipped.

She smiled and looked away, which made our conversation even hotter. “I have no idea what a baseline is.”

“You’ll probably know all about tennis by my fifth visit here.”

She nodded.

“This is the part where you say you’re looking forward to it.”

“I’m a downtown hybrid wolf who runs a six-hour shift at a rundown bar, and I basically live on the tips I get from talking to bored customers like you,” Arlene said in one breath.

“Ouch.”

She shrugged. “I was just being honest.”

“And what’s that honesty supposed to do?”

“Make you run for the hills?”

I smirked. “You’re doing a pretty terrible job, then.”

Ethan slipped up beside me. “We need to skedaddle,” he whispered after giving Arlene a small smile.

“It’s barely been thirty minutes.” I tried to keep the apparent whine from my voice.

“There’s a small crowd heading here after watching a match. They’re still high on the thrill, and mixing that with alcohol is a bad situation. We don’t want to be caught in the crossfire. No one gives a fuck about two uptown boys around here; our privilege won’t keep us safe.”

Ethan was right like he always was, and most of the time, it irked me. He’d always been the one to stick to the rules, ever since we were children, and sometimes, I wanted him to just take a risk.

I turned to Arlene. “How much longer is your shift?”

“I’m rounding up now,” she responded.

“Alright, we’ll just drop you off at home when you’re done.”

Ethan and I headed to the car to wait for her as she finished up in the bar.

“We’re dropping her off now? Is this safe?” he asked from the front seat.

“What harm would it cause?”

“Uh, I dunno. Maybe she’s working for rogues and is getting close to you as a way to steal information.”

I scoffed. “ I got close to her .”

“That’s what you think.”

Our conversation came to a halt when Arlene slid into the car. She told the driver her address, and he input it into the GPS.

She turned to me. “Seeing each other outside the bar feels a bit scandalous, doesn’t it?”

“Not necessarily.”

We passed by a street bright with lights, and I spotted a stain on her upper cheek.

“I think you have ketchup on your cheek,” I informed her.

“Where?” she asked, blinking and rubbing at her face.

“Your left cheek.”

“Is it gone?”

“Not quite. ”

I dipped my thumb into a bottle of water, wetting it, and then reached for her cheek. To be honest, I thought about wetting it in my mouth, but I was trying not to be a freak. The unsteady beating of my heart flooded my ears. Arlene’s breath caught in her throat as I cupped her cheek, and my thumb stroked her soft skin, rubbing back and forth.

In the dim glow of the moonlight, I noticed her eyes shut, and every cell of my body burned to retract myself, to put some distance between us, because I shouldn’t touch her like this. It blurred too many lines.

But I couldn’t help it as I breathed in her vanilla scent. Her eyes snapped open as I pulled my hand away, a storm clearly brewing in her head. I dropped my hand to my side, trying to appear unfazed while her chest rose and fell with each ragged breath she released.

What just happened?

This was the most reaction I’d gotten out of her, and I should be thrilled, but I wasn’t. Whatever she felt, I did too, and I was terrified of the feeling. This was meant to be a game.

“We’re here, ma’am,” my driver announced as the car rolled to a stop in front of an apartment complex.

Arlene swallowed as she said, “This is my stop.”

“Well, goodnight,” I said as she stepped out of the car. “And just so you know…” She turned around to face me. “I’m into brunettes rather than blondes. And a hybrid wolf who works at a rundown bar downtown is just my type.”

Arlene smiled, and by the glint in her eyes, I could tell it was genuine. “Noted,” she said, and headed into the building.

Ethan turned to me. “What are you doing, man?”

I smiled. “I have no idea.”

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