Page 23 of Heroes & Hitmen (Windy City Wolfpack #1)
“To my pack in Colorado,” he replies easily.
“My brother’s Alpha, but not the kind your father is.
He’d take you in, put you up, give you a clean slate.
You’d have to change your name, lay low for a while, but you’d be safe there.
Protected. And most importantly, free to do whatever the hell you want. ”
“Start over,” I murmur, letting the idea roll around in my head like a loose marble.
He nods. “It’d mean giving up everything, but better than ending up with that dipshit your father wanted you to mate, right?”
Definitely.
“And if they come after me?” I challenge.
Ares grins, white teeth flashing. “Let them try, babe. The six-pack alliance has taken down far worse threats than Gage Morgan.”
“I think you underestimate the lengths he’ll go to settle a grudge,” I mutter.
“No, I just don’t care,” he scoffs, cocky as ever. “I’d do it anyway.”
I huff a laugh, licking icing from my fork. “You really think you could put on a good enough performance for Alpha to evade the death penalty?”
He leans in, eyes locked with mine. “I can be very convincing. I’ve already gotten him to believe me once, right?”
He’s not wrong about that.
My mind spins, mulling over the possibilities as I finish off the rest of my cupcake. I’m not sure what’s scarier– attempting an escape, or the notion that it could actually work . That I could finally be free to live my own life on my own terms.
It’d be hard to say goodbye to the people I love, but I was already prepared to do that just a few days ago. This way, at least I get to choose my own future when I leave rather than having my fate rest in the hands of someone like Elias Burke.
The more I think about it, the more it excites me.
“We’ve got a month to figure things out, get our ducks in a row,” Ares says, his hand dangling loosely over my shoulder. “Plenty of time to pull this off. I’ll talk to my brother about logistics, look into getting you a new identity.”
“And in the meantime, we just keep playing house,” I muse, thinking aloud.
“Exactly,” he replies as he leans closer, all warmth and temptation. His eyes dart to my mouth again, hand lifting to cup my jaw. “Hold still, you’ve got a little something right…”
Before I can react, he leans in and licks icing from the corner of my lips. The contact is quick, but the heat it sends through me is nuclear.
“What the hell, Ares?” I stammer, jerking back, face on fire.
He shrugs, grinning wickedly and looking far too damn pleased with himself. I barely have a second to recover before he leans in again, murmuring, “Kiss me.”
My heart stops. “What?”
Ares subtly inclines his chin, eyes darting sideways. “We’ve got an audience, babe.”
I follow his gaze, and sure enough, a couple of girls from my pack are staring at us.
Or, more accurately, they’re making heart eyes at Ares, giggling and whispering to one another.
Pretty rude for them to be looking at him like that considering the fact they’ve been told we’re mates , but I guess some women have no shame.
My eyes flicker back to Ares, his copper hair gleaming in the sunlight, dark eyes focused solely on me– and suddenly kissing him no longer seems like the worst idea.
We do have to keep up appearances, after all.
I lean in, intending to give him a quick peck on the lips, but the moment our mouths meet, the world tilts. He cups the back of my head as he opens a little, deepening the kiss, and I melt into him. I forget that this is supposed to be performative. That it’s supposed to be fake. I let go.
Heat licks up my spine as I kiss him hard, tasting every inch of his mouth as he devours my own. It’s all-consuming, better than it has any right to be, and when I finally pull back, we’re both breathless .
“You sure you don’t wanna go with option one?” Ares teases, grinning like a goddamn idiot.
I roll my eyes and smack his arm, but it’s half-hearted. My whole body is humming like a live wire, every nerve ending alight.
I check my watch nervously, heart still beating fast as I fight to regain my composure. “I have to get going,” I mutter, swiping at the corner of my lips with a thumb. “Gotta swing by the library before my next class.”
Ares dips his chin in a nod, reaching beside him for the cupcake box and offering it to me. “For the road?”
A smile tugs at my lips as I take it from his hands, never one to turn down sugar. Then I push up to my feet, grabbing for the strap of my bag and slinging it over my shoulder.
“I’ll walk you,” he offers, rising to stand beside me.
I don’t need an escort, but I also don’t put up any resistance when I start down the path and he falls into step with me.
We walk side by side through the chaos of midday campus, his hand grazing mine once, twice, until finally I just let him take it.
It feels so good that I almost forget why I’m supposed to resist.
When we get to the library, I stop and pivot in his direction. “This is it,” I say, throwing a thumb over my shoulder toward the building.
He nods, then without warning, bands an arm around my waist and yanks me in, kissing me hard and fast. I cling to his shirt, barely keeping upright, the cupcake box nearly slipping from my other hand.
When he pulls back, I’m dizzy, breathless, even more off-kilter than before. I glance around the path, not seeing anyone from the pack in sight.
“Who was that for?” I pant.
His lips slide into a grin. “Me,” he growls, voice rough. “See you at home, sweetheart.”
My mouth drops open, but words don’t come. All I can do is watch mutely as he turns and starts walking away, my head still spinning, body pulsing with wild energy.
There goes any hope of me concentrating for the rest of the day.