"Why not?” I can hear the smile in her voice.
"She's fourteen," I grind out.
"I'm seventeen. Age is just a number, man.” He shrugs. “Besides, skin privileges are no big deal. Stop being such a tight-ass, man. You’re worse than the maternals.”
Meiying squirms in my arms in an attempt to get away, but I shift her around, putting her firmly behind me before stepping up and getting in Damian's face with a low and threatening growl. "She's too young for you, so knock that shit off. No guy here is going to let you put the moves on Liu’s little sister."
Despite having to look up to meet my stare, Damian doesn't back down. “Did it sound like I was asking for permission?” I let my wolf bleed into my eyes and his beast rises up in challenge, but I’m something this asshole didn’t expect.
Less than two seconds pass before he curses and looks away, but rather than leaving it there, he takes a deep breath and tries to level me with his stare again. My wolf snarls and rakes its claws against my flesh, eager to put this pup in his place, but before I do anything that will land me on Isa's shit list, like beating her friend to a pulp when I’ve already proven I’m the more dominant of the two of us, I wait for him to avert his gaze again and then turn on my heel.
I grab Meiying by the arm, pulling her with me as I go. "Desmond, let go of me," she complains, but her steps follow. A glance over my shoulder shows Josué with a hand against Damian's chest while he mutters something in his ear. Whatever it is he’s saying, it keeps him in place, and that's good enough for me. Kid’s still growing into himself and his instincts are riding high, but they’re pushing him in the wrong direction, which is towards a fight with me he has no chance of winning.
I drag Meiying around the side of the house where no one can see us and press her up against the brick exterior, my arms caging her in on either side and offering her zero chance of escape.
Does she look worried? Not one fucking bit. The girl looks pissed and ready to raise hell.
“What is your problem! You had no right—” she snarls, her tigress rising up in her gaze as she shoves against my chest, but despite her shifter strength, it's like a kitten swatting at a bull. I barely feel it. "You can't manhandle me like that. You are not my keeper. And you do not get to dictate who I hang out with."
"I have every right," I grind out the words and her eyes flare. Shit. I didn't mean for that to come out. The girl gets in my head. Under my skin. She is so goddamn infuriating.
"What is it exactly that gives you the—"
No answer is a good answer, so instead, I close the distance between us and capture her lips with my own to shut her up. At least that's what I tell myself. She jumps, but I don't let that deter me. I step forward into her space, pressing my mouth more firmly against her own and deepening the kiss while grabbing her beneath her thighs and lifting her into my arms. Her legs wrap around my waist instinctively and I press her back against the house. A small moan passes across her lips and I want to hear it again, so I press my hardening cock against her jean-clad center and grind my hips against hers.
She gasps, tearing her mouth away and sucking in a lungful of air. I nip at her full lips and trail kisses down her jawline. Her neck. All while thrusting my hips against her, letting her feel how badly I want her right now.
"What are you doing?" she asks with jagged breath.
I don't answer. Instead, I capture her lips again and drink down her soft sighs and sweet moans. If I were being honest with her, I'd say I had no fucking clue what I was doing, but as soon as I open my mouth to speak, all of this stops, and I'm not ready for that to happen just yet.
I shake out the memories from that day and focus back on the here and now.
“We’re not friends,” Meiying retorts, arms folded across her chest and mouth pressed into a tight line.
I shrug like her words don’t affect me.
“We’re not even friendly,” she adds.
She’s not wrong. Since that kiss, shit between us has gone from bad to worse. Meiying and I are like cats and dogs, or oil and water. We don’t mix. When we do, things get heated and not in a good way. It’s my fault for the way things are between us, and I’m man enough to own that, but when I pressed my mouth against hers and swallowed her soft cries of pleasure I knew right away it was a mistake.
“I’m friends with him.” I nod in Zheng’s direction. “And I’d be a shit friend if I didn’t at least offer to help the guy out. We both know he’ll do most of the heavy lifting while you and your mom talk with whoever is running this show.”
Her nostrils flare and I can tell she’s barely keeping herself in check. I love it when she gets like this. All fire and brimstone, ready to raise hell to get what she wants. But before she can say anything else, her mom tugs on her arm. “Meiying, leave the poor boy alone. He’s only trying to help.” She tugs on her daughter’s arm, who reluctantly follows, throwing one last look my way before admitting defeat.
I give her a small wave and her eyes narrow even further. She’ll come up with a way to get me back.
I’m looking forward to it.
83
Meiying
Ihate him. I hate him. I hate him. I repeat the mantra a dozen times in my head until I convince myself it’s the truth. Why does he have to be so infuriating all of the time? My tiger rakes her claws beneath my flesh, though not in an angry way. She’s intrigued by the stupid wolf, though why, I have no idea.
Mom doesn’t give me long to dwell on it before she marches me right through the front doors and to the left down a long hallway. We pass a living room, dining room, and kitchen before coming to the open door of an office with a small gold placard that reads, “Housemother.”
“Knock, knock,” my mother calls before stepping inside, pulling me right along with her.
