Page 23 of Bad Blood Alpha

Chapter 9

Embarrassing, much? Kira pulled her draken princess dignity around her like a cloak. “I was not salivating.”

And she didn’t have to be useful, either. Since when did princesses have to be useful?

Nonetheless, she didn’t want people thinking she was following Flynn around, panting over him. Because she certainly was not.

The memory of him kissing her thrust itself into her mind. The way his chest felt under her hands, the hard planes of his pecs, his lips devouring hers, the way he smelled like wild desert heat…

“Whatever you say, Princess,” Jasmin said. “But you may want to remember that this is a crew full of predator shifters. They can smell arousal and sex pheromones from across the room.”

Shit. Could they? “I could have lived without knowing that,” she muttered.

Jasmin smirked.

They stepped into the main part of the cabin, and for a minute Kira forgot Flynn and his lips and the way he made her feel.

She’d been raised in a castle, and then a mansion. But those were huge, and cold—stone and marble and drafty oversized rooms. This was…

Homey. Inviting. Not at all what she’d pictured when she’d imagined Flynn’s crew of brawlers.

In front of her was a curving staircase that led up to a loft. To the right was a living area with a vaulted roof and a big stone fireplace, and to the left was a large kitchen with a granite breakfast bar, opening into a comfortable dining area with a hewn timber dining table.

Kira felt a pang almost as deep as the one she’d felt looking at Tank and Lissa. In all those formal, beautiful places she’d lived, she’d longed for someplace that felt…cozy. Welcoming.

Here, there were deep leather couches and warm wood paneling everywhere she looked. Cards, beer bottles and drink glasses covered the coffee table, as though the crew had been interrupted in the middle of a game.

Discarded clothes were scattered randomly, making it look like there’d been some kind of orgy, but more likely everyone had Changed in a hurry, leaving them behind.

Damn, she shouldn’t have thought about an orgy. Now she was back to the memory of Flynn’s lips…his hands…

Concentrate.

Jasmin had moved into the kitchen, and was measuring coffee into the coffeemaker.

“So,” she said. “Hit me with it. What kind of trouble are you in? And, more important, how likely is it to blow back on the crew?”

Kira started. “What makes you think I’m in trouble?”

Jasmin rolled her eyes. “Well, you’re sure as hell not Flynn’s date.”

Oh, really?And what the hell was wrong with her? “What makes you so sure about that?”

Jasmin made a derisive sound. “Hello? Bullet wound? Unless gun battles are your idea of date night.”

Oh. Right. Flynn had mentioned being shot. Kira raised her eyebrows. “I prefer candles and a nice bottle of wine, myself. But I’m not so sure Flynn wouldn’t count a shootout as a date.”

That surprised a snort of laughter from Jasmin. “You might be right about that.” Her eyes narrowed. “As long as you’re not the one who shot him.”

Kira said drily, “I’m not sure Flynn wouldn’t count that as a date, either. But I didn’t. Not my idea of foreplay.”

Jasmin smirked again. “What about digging the bullet out afterwards? Bare chests, rippling muscles, wounded warriors…”

Annnd, they were back to flashes of her and Flynn making out, high on battle adrenalin. Flynn backing her against the wall, his hard body pressing against hers…

Kira caved. Jasmin could probably smell the pheromones anyway.

“Okay, that was kind of hot,” she admitted.