Page 38 of Ly to Me

“You’re avoiding using ‘no,’ aren’t you?”

“Nope.”Fuck. I was.

He smirked. “Right.”

“She sounded like she needed help.”

“You’re not even wearing pants, Ly.”

“Your pants don’t fit me, and it seems like you hid my clothes. Even the ones in my car.” I positioned my hands on my hips and waited.

“You callin’ those things ‘clothes’ is cute.” I scoffed as he continued. “Use a belt. You look better in my clothes, anyway. Always did.”

My stomach did that odd, fluttering thing I hadn’t felt since…fuck. Since high school. I jutted my chin at the bleeding animal to make him stop looking at me like he was. “What’re you doing with that?”

“Same thing I do with the others. Haul ’em out and bury them in the woods.”

“Others?”

A sly grin spread across his face. “I told you—the coyotes around here get hungry.”

I scoffed. “Thoughtyouwere the coyote that was hungry.”

His eyes darkened to that dangerous shade of blue—the inferno. He reached through the gate and latched onto my shirt, then yanked me to him. Only an inch of space and several thin metal bars, one level with my chin, divided us. “I’m worse than them, Ly.” His husky voice rattled through my skin, leeching the sturdiness from my bones. “I’m ravenous.”

Car’s focus darted down to my lips and the breath caught in my lungs as I remembered how well they fit on mine. How warm and soft, yet firm and demanding his kiss could be. I found myself leaning in right before he released me and turned to the coyote.

“Bee’s fine now. It’s Jamie you need to worry about. He says he’s coming by for his things.”

My rapid pulse seemed to falter. “Wait, that means—”

“Yep.” The coyote dripped blood from its gaping mouth as Carver pulled it through the other end of the stall. “Time to be my wife.”

15

Carver

The Kiss

Lyra was already back on the porch by the time I got the coyote to the treeline and started to dig. Having done this more times than I could count with several different kinds of animals, it wasn’t long before I was walking up the stairs, wipingthe dirt and sweat from my forehead while staring back at my wife.

“Better wipe the look of disgust off your face before company comes.”

The glower she gave could’ve scared that coyote off before I shot it. “You’re okay with him coming and seeing me like this?” Her hands swept down the length of her torso, gliding right over her slight curves.

I leaned against the railing, drinking her in. “Absolutely.” In nothing but my short-sleeved t-shirt that reached the middle of her thigh and a pair of boots, she was a sight. I could be pissed at her all I wanted, but no amount of anger would ever mar how in-fucking-credible she looked—especially looking likemine.

Jamie didn’t have to know the details. Just looking at her would tell him what he needed to know.

She crossed her arms over her chest, drawing my eyes to the bottom hem of her shirt. “I’m not fucking both of you, you know.”

Just the imagery of that made me see red. “Remember what I said? If you ever think about fucking him, I’ll kill him.”

She scoffed. “Big talk for an ex-Marine. Don’t you all live by some kind of moral code?” Her eyes scanned my body like that code would be inked on my skin somewhere. I shifted enough to cover the one that would send her through the woods again.

“Dunno what their code is, seeing as I never enlisted.”

Her color paled over, then her eyes darted behind me as gravel crunched beneath tires. “Shit,” she muttered.