Page 7 of Curvy Hostage Mate (Gold Wolves Black Ops #4)

For the hundredth time in about a week, I was arguing with Chris. And for the hundredth time, my assessment that he was a conceited, arrogant, controlling jerk was confirmed.

“I’m going stir-crazy in here,” I complained.

“I don’t have any update on Cain yet,” he argued. “I’m sorry, but I can’t let you go out in good conscience. At least not until I know he’s taken care of.”

“And if that never happens?” I asked. “Am I going to be stuck here forever?”

“You’ll stay here for as long as I decide you need to.” He raised an eyebrow. “Honestly, I would have thought you’d be grateful.”

“Grateful?” I repeated, not bothering to hide my incredulity. I was supposed to be grateful to this asshole? When I was being controlled as much as I had been when I was a slave?

He shrugged, kicking his feet up on the coffee table as he continued staring intently at me. I tried to ignore the way that look seemed to warm my insides and make my stomach lurch with need.

“I saved you from Cain,” he said. “A simple ‘thank you’ would be nice.”

“Saved me by kidnapping me,” I corrected. “If you let me out, maybe even let me see my sister, then I might consider what you did something other than kidnapping.”

“And you don’t think you’re being a tad dramatic?” he drawled.

My fingers curled into a fist, surprising even myself. “I don’t think it’s dramatic to want to be allowed to walk around free,” I said. “Especially after everything I’ve had to deal with the last few years.”

Concern and maybe a touch of guilt flickered across his face. “I promise it won’t be for long,” he said. Then, the resolve and arrogance came flooding back as his expression hardened. “Trust me, it’s for the best.”

“I don’t like being controlled like this,” I said, though my voice came out far more timid and uncertain than I wanted it to. A small waver in my words made me hate myself a little. Why the hell couldn’t I just have some backbone?

He looked genuinely confused. “I’m not being controlling. I’m taking the lead.”

“There’s a fine line,” I retorted.

He shrugged as if unconcerned, or maybe he just disagreed. “It’s just the way things have to be for right now. You’ll have to trust me.”

I rolled my eyes, folding my arms as I glared at him. God, had he ever not been a controlling jerk? I hated everything about him. The cocky swagger, the obnoxiously attractive smirk, the bulging muscles, the piercing hazel eyes that I wanted to drown in. Everything about him screamed arrogance.

Not for the first time, I wished I were my sister. Kendra would stand up for herself. She wouldn’t have any qualms about calling Chris a jerk and demanding him to actually take her seriously. She would have managed to get him to listen to her.

“Please, just let me go,” I said.

He stared at me levelly. “No.”

I glared, anger flushing through my body.

“This is ridiculous,” I grumbled as I pushed myself off the couch.

Without even looking at him, I strolled across the room to the door.

I was done with his bullshit. I was going to go looking for my sister.

If he wasn’t going to help me, then I would do it myself.

I marched to the door as if he weren’t there. My fingers had barely brushed the handle when a strong hand wrapped around my wrist, gripping it tight. Chris appeared at my side, unsmiling as he looked down at me.

“Let me go,” I said with gritted teeth.

“Not until you see sense,” he said, his expression blank.

I tried to wrench my hand out of his grip, glaring up at him. He held on even as I twisted and pulled. I tried not to pay attention to the heat radiating off him, or how my skin felt electrified where he touched me. He stayed motionless, continuing to hold onto me with seeming effortlessness.

“Let. Me. Go,” I grit out.

“Not now.”

He pulled me against him, pinning me against his body as I tried to push away from him. His arm snaked around me, holding me tight against hard muscle. Every inch of my body heated, despite myself. I tried to convince myself it was just anger. Looking into his eyes, I knew I was lying.

I stopped struggling, seeming to forget how to breathe for a moment. That electricity seemed to ripple through me, settling between my legs as I became painfully aware of every inch of him that pressed against me.

Time seemed to stand still. I wondered if he noticed the same things I did. If he felt that same heat and energy.

“I’m trying to help you,” he said. “I can’t do that if you won’t let me.”

That strange need and lust for him that had temporarily preoccupied all other thoughts switched off at those words. I glared up at him, once again hating that arrogance and his obvious need for control.

“I never asked for your help,” I snapped, once again trying to pull away.

He gripped me tighter against him, making any struggling near impossible as his arms stayed wrapped around me. “Well, too bad.” He gave me a feral grin, his teeth sharpening. “You’ve got it. And I’m not going anywhere anytime soon.”

“You are the absolute worst,” I hissed.

That grin widened, something like amusement or excitement flickering in those obnoxiously handsome eyes of his. “There’s the fire I’ve been waiting for,” he said. “I knew it had to be in there somewhere.”

The comment took me by surprise. My brow furrowed. Fire? “What are you talking about?” I asked.

“You’ve got more spark than you realize,” he said. “I figured you had to, considering your sister. But I hadn’t seen it until now.”

He was still holding onto me, but I barely noticed as the words washed over me, muddying my thoughts. I didn’t have a spark. That was Kendra. I’d always been the mousy, timid one.

“You’re crazy,” was all I said.

He shook his head. “You just don’t realize how strong you are.”

All of a sudden, his hand seemed to electrify me.

I was painfully aware of how close he was, how I could drown in his eyes.

I wondered what it would be like to kiss him, to run my hands along those hard muscles rippling just beneath his shirt.

An overwhelming need for him slammed into me with so much force that it honestly caught me off guard.

A loud crash and the sound of splintering wood broke through the moment, shattering whatever strange hold the shifter had on me.

My thoughts about him scattered as I rounded toward the sound.

My stomach dropped, and fear gripped my insides as the door flew off its hinges and several hulking men stormed inside.

Chris spun around, his hands slipping off me as we both took several steps back.

My breath caught in my throat as terror filled my veins.

I took several steps back as my eyes darted from face to face, hoping that I was just imagining recognizing every one of them.

But no. I knew the scar running down the largest one’s neck, and the beady stare of the one behind him.

Cain’s men. Despite Chris’s assurances, they had found me.

In an instant, Chris was in front of me, hand sticking out as if expecting me to dart around him.

For the first time since he had grabbed me, I was relieved he was here.

I watched as his hands lengthened to sharp claws, ready to tear into the first person who even thought of taking a step closer to me.

“There you are,” the one in front, a shifter named Pieter, said, smirking broadly as he leered at me. “Cain’s been looking for you. You gave him quite a scare.”

He took another step forward, and Chris let out a low, threatening snarl.

“Get any closer, and you’ll regret it,” Chris warned.

Peiter snorted, sounding almost bored. “Cool it. You’re lucky that Cain cares more about getting her back than making the shifter who took her pay. If you hand her over now, then we can all walk away happy.”

“Pretty sure she would disagree with that,” Chris said.

“She’ll do what she’s told,” Peiter said. “Just hand her over, and we can be on our way. If you want to make a big deal out of this…” His fingers lengthened to claws, and he gave a smile that was more like a sneer, showing a mouth filled with sharp teeth. “Then we can do this the hard way.”

I couldn’t see Chris’s face, couldn’t see how Pieter’s words might have hit him. But the low growl that reverberated from his throat as he stepped further in front of me told me his answer before he gave it.

“Go to hell,” he said.

Pieter stopped smiling. He glowered in disgust and annoyance.

“This is your last chance. Give us the girl,” Pieter said, finally some edge entering his voice.

“No,” Chris said.

Pieter let out a low, threatening snarl. “You know who you’re dealing with. Don’t make this harder on yourself. Hand her over.”

“And then what?” Chris snapped. “You’ll waltz off and leave me be? You seriously expect me to believe that bullshit you spun about me being able to walk away from this?”

A harsh laugh that made my stomach crawl rippled through the group at the statement.

“Of course not,” Pieter sneered. “You forfeited your life the moment you took her out of the Underside. You’re going to die.

The question is whether or not we make it quick and painless for you, or if we get to draw it out.

” His sneer turned into a sinister grin.

“Between us, I’m hoping you pick the latter. ”

“Yeah, well, I’m always one to shake convention,” Chris said. “And all of you can go fuck yourselves.”

A low growl escaped Pieter’s throat as he glowered at Chris. “You need to be more careful,” he warned. “You don’t know who you’re dealing with.”

“A bunch of idiot thugs?” Chris retorted. He pushed me further behind him, blocking my view of the others, or maybe blocking their view of me. “She’s not going anywhere.”

“She’s Cain’s property. If you hand her over now, we’ll make your death quick. If you don’t, we’ll tear you limb from limb.”

“Lovely,” Chris drawled. “That really makes me want to work with you.”

Pieter let out another threatening snarl. He took a step forward.

“Get the hell out of here before I kill every last one of you,” Chris snarled.

The words weren’t even fully out of Chris’s mouth when Pieter lunged forward, turning into a massive wolf as he jumped through the air, claws outstretched, heading straight at Chris.