A Touch of Scarlet (Wolf Secrets #1)

Chapter 20

Chapter 20
Cade

I drummed my fingers on my steering wheel and stared up at Annika's house. She should have come out by now, shouldn't she? I checked the clock - 5:55. No, I'm early. My hands were sweaty and my tie seemed to be choking me. Should I go to the door? Did she forget?

I made a split second decision and got out of the car. Her front lawn looked neat, but not exceptionally beautiful. The front door was next to the garage and tall trees dotted the sides of the lawn. Two potted plants winged the doorway. The door swung open before I could even knock. Inside stood a tall man with brown blonde hair that looked about twenty, a hard expression on his face.

"You must be Cade. Come in." He held the door open a little wider to invite me in, but it felt like he was inviting me to my death. I stepped inside and he shut the door behind me.

The living room was an assortment of rich browns scattered around the room. Two couches faced each other, flanking a coffee table and two recliners filled the other gaps. Large cabinets lined the walls. Photographs of Annika, Clarissa and a few other people filled the tops of the cabinets and the open spaces of the walls. Some of the photos featured the guy who had invited me in. The guy invited me to sit on one of the couches. "Annika's still getting ready-"

"For the last time, I am not wearing that!" Annika's frustrated voice filtered downstairs. The guy in front of me shook his head, a ghost of a smile on his lips.

"That's okay. I can wait a while." The guy turned his attention back to me and narrowed his gaze. He looked me up and down, taking in every little detail. My heart was hammering too hard and my thoughts were too scattered to care.

"My name is Nathan Pentz." He said, sitting back. "I'm a friend of Annika's. I just want to let you know that if you do anything to hurt her, I will personally make sure that they won't find your body."

"Shut up, Nate. You know I'm perfectly capable of doing that myself." Annika appeared around the corner, grinning playfully. My breath caught in my throat when I took in her appearance.

It was nothing like the Annika I'd met at school. Nothing like the Annika at the amusement park. She wore a black short sleeved dress that ended at her knees. The neckline stopped just above her cleavage, covering everything. Dammit. Black boots covered more than half her legs. She was holding a black purse that blended in with the rest of the outfit.

Her hair was loose and curled slightly at the tips. Around her neck was the necklace I bought her and wing earrings decorated her ears. I couldn't see any make-up other than dark, smoky powder covering her eyes, making them look darker and intimidating. There was only a little lipstick on her lips, making them look plump and kissable. Control yourself, Cade! I shouted at myself.

"You look beautiful," I breathed. A tinge of read spread over her cheeks and she looked down at the ground.

"Thanks." She lifted her eyes to me and smiled. "You don't look too bad yourself. Quite handsome actually."

Clarissa appeared behind her, holding a pair of high heels. When she saw me, she hid the shoes behind her back and smiled.

"Hello Cade." The sound of something hitting the floor echoed through the room as Annika made her way toward me, Clarissa following hot on her heels. Nathan stood up and looked Annika up and down. My hands balled up at my sides in envy. He shouldn't be looking at her like that.

"That dress is too-"

Annika cut off Nathan's comment with a wave of her hand. "It's not anything, Nate."

She turned to me and grinned, taking my wrist in her hand. "Come on, let's go."

"Don't forget your jacket, Annie!" Annika cringed as a little girl appeared in the doorway, an older woman in tow.