One of Them

34

I could feel Wolf's dick hardening under my foot, the feel of his arousal was all I needed before I withdrew my foot from his lap. The action clearly taking him by surprise as I watched his face harden more, his eyebrows pulling together in confusion. I continued to smirk at him leaning myself back in my seat, adding to the distance between us incase he tried anything himself under the table. 

It wasn't much longer before our stare down was interrupted however, the servants of Valen's mansion coming through what I assumed was a passage back to the kitchen and carrying with them trays of steaming food. The appearance of the servants seaming to draw everyone out of their conversations and turning expectantly in our seats. A younger guy dressed in fancy clothes came and stood next to me, lowering the dish he held and setting the meal down for me to see. I was surprised to see some sort of stew set before me, I'd half expected the meal Valen served to match the decor and dress of the place we were in but the familiar scent of slow-cooked meat and well-seasoned vegetables wafted to me through the air. My stomach grumbled with the smell and I quickly looked up, embarrassed by the outburst in the silence. 

I was drawn to Valen first, his sudden laugh bright and so unlike the normal calm and collected self he usually showed. I could feel my stomach flutter and had to turn back to my meal to calm myself down; something about his smile was so real and open and I hoped I'd be able to see more of that side of him...

"Well, I'm glad to see you have an appetite. I probably should have asked earlier if you liked stew..." Valen's voice still held a tone of amusement as he spoke. 

"It smells wonderful; beef stew is actually one of my favorite meals, although it's been years since I've gotten to have it." I dug into the meal, not trusting my stomach to stay quiet or my thoughts to wonder somewhere I didn't want them to be right now. The spoon hit my tongue and along with it came the savory flavors of the food. I hadn't had anything to eat since yesterday and with everything that's been going on I must have overlooked how hungry I'd become. I was nearly halfway through the bowl when Valen spoke again.

"So, Sky, are you comfortable in the room I provided? Is everything to your liking?" His words drew me back to what had occurred earlier that evening and I glanced up at Wolf who had gone back to avoiding my gaze. I smiled, bringing another spoonful of the delicious meal to my lips. Pausing, I continued to stare straight at Wolf's head as he kept it lowered and focused on eating his own stew. My lips drew into a smirk as I replied to Valen's question.

"The room is wonderful, I can't thank you enough for your generosity. I especially like the bathroom, the shower in particular is my absolute favorite. I can see myself spending a lot of time in there..." I opened my mouth and ate the spoonful of stew I had, making sure to keep my eyes locked on Wolf the whole time. 

The first thing to happen was Gage choking on the stew he had scarfed down, he clearly hadn't expected that and neither had the other guys who were seated around me. Valen seemed confused but his smile held that amused smirk, Axton made a fake puking face and then continued with his meal, and as Wolf's eyes locked with mine I could see some of the heat from earlier return only for a second before it vanished again and he was back to his scowling face.

Gage was still coughing as Valen spoke up again. "Yes.... Well I'm glad the rooms are finally getting some use after all this time. I'm also pleased to see the meal is to your liking? Would you care for seconds? It's my grandmother's recipe so I usually have the cook prepare a pot full for me when I come to stay at the mansion."

"This is your grandmother's recipe?"

Valen's face lit up with the question. "Yes, she would often prepare this when I would visit so it's become a nostalgic taste in a way."

I grinned as I replied "She sounds like an amazing grandmother. And a wonderful cook as well, the stew is delicious. I remember every winter, Ax and I would try to help Mom make her dumpling and beef stew but I always had such a hard time peeling the potatoes. Ax had to help me so many times, I would always end up hurting myself and then Mom would have to help bandage me up as I cried. You remember that Ax? And Mom never complained about me helping, even if it took twice as long to make the stew she'd just smile and..." My voice trailed off as I looked around the table.

Everyone had gotten deathly silent, their faces showing a range of worry and concern as they all stared back at me. Even Wolf was finally looking at me only he wasn't scowling like before, he looked more like he didn't know what to do. And as I felt the first few drops of liquid hit my legs I realized why they had those expressions on their faces. 

I was crying.

I reached up and ran my fingers across my cheek, unable to understand where the liquid was coming from and as my hands wet with the salty sweet tears I looked back up and around the table. 

"Oh...I-I'm so sorry. I think I need a minute..." and with that I got out of my chair and left through the large doorway we had entered through, unsure of where I was even heading but knowing I needed to get away from the table and their questioning eyes. Get away from the worry on their faces and calm myself down from whatever had happened.

I had just rounded a third corner from the dining room when I felt a hand grab my arm, yanking me backward and nearly slamming me against the wooden panel that lined this hallway. Rough hands kept me from fully hitting the hard surface and I opened my eyes slightly to see what had happened, not having realized I had closed them when anticipating the collision.

Bright green eyes stared back down at me, the gaze swimming with a flood of emotion that I was unused to seeing in that particular stare. We stared at each other a second before I realized that Wolf's chest was pressed into mine and I could feel his heavy breaths as if he'd just been running. I looked at him questioningly, ;leaving only a second before I felt his heated lips crash into mine.