Free Caged Wolf (Wolves of Willow Bend Book 2) by Heather Long Page B

knuckle. The dark scents occluding her sweetness diminished. “I write code,” she said, a shy note clinging to the underside of the words. “For videos games.”
    “Seriously?” A.J. blinked. The information didn’t match with the image he’d constructed.
    “Yes, seriously.” She angled her face upward to meet his gaze. His heart kicked at his ribs. Every time their eyes met, the link struck him like a physical blow. Yet, he remained eager for the pain—because this particular hurt felt good. “I’ve always liked computers, I like code, and I have a knack for it.”
    “That’s cool. Do we know any of the games you’ve worked on?” Tyler again. Really, his brothers needed to butt out.
    “Mostly what I’ve done is some backgrounds and some physical animation.” She paused, then cast another sideways look at A.J. He read the question in her eyes. Surprise, followed by a rush of pure pleasure, knocked his bad mood aside. Requesting his permission eased his growing obsession. He wanted her alone, without his damn brothers, but he could afford patience with the gift she’d given him.
    Nodding, he squeezed her hand again. “What kind of animations?”
    “Um,” she hedged. Her scent changed again, only he didn’t taste the same fear or upset he had earlier. This was a new one, adding a sharper, more piquant note to the tartness of the strawberries he associated with her. “I did some of the new lands in Savage Predators…”
    The name meant nothing to A.J., but Linc halted abruptly, forcing them to do the same. Tyler circled to stand next to his brother and they both stared at her. “Don’t ever tell Mason,” they said it in perfect chorus. The aggressiveness of their posture wasn’t lost on A.J. and he eased Vivian behind them and glared at his brothers until they dropped their gazes.
    “Fuck, A.J..” Tyler held up his hands. “We’re not mad, but Mason’s been really cool about stuff. He’s not Toman and he doesn’t have a stick up his ass, but he also doesn’t put up with bullshit.”
    Linc slapped the back of Tyler’s head before A.J. could. “Lady present, dumbass.”
    Tyler winced and shot Vivian a chagrined smile. “Sorry. Ma’am.”
    “What’s wrong with her work?” Because Vivian could say whatever the hell she wanted to whomever the hell she wanted.
    “Nothing.”
    Not interested in being left out since he had no idea what the game was, he looked to her. “What’s Savage Predators?”
    “It’s one of those action thriller games,” Linc offered, but A.J. waved him off. Focusing on Vivian, he wanted her to tell him.
    “It’s a role playing shoot ‘em up game. You have to hunt down monsters and find clues, solve puzzles and more…”
    Sounded fine.
    Vivian moistened her lips, and blew out a breath. “The most recent update included werewolves.”
    Huh . Explained his brothers’ reactions. “Are they the bad guys?”
    “Some of them are,” she admitted with a wince. “Some are willing to help others. I designed the piece where the humans become the wolfmen.”
    “It’s pretty sweet,” Linc added. “They have this wicked sprout of fur and they look more like Anubis dogs than wolves, but if your character gets transformed…”
    “If you knew, why did you ask?” He glared at his brothers.
    “Because you didn’t.” Tyler shrugged, seemingly unrepentant. Linc opened his mouth to say something, but A.J. silenced him with a look.
    “So you make magic with computer code.” A.J. studied Vivian. Was she embarrassed because she worked as a programmer or because she’d made werewolves? “And I have a lot of faith in how the transformation plays out.” She had personal experience after all.
    Upset rimmed her scent once more. “I would never—”
    “Shh.” He touched her lips. A mistake, because it made him want to kiss her again, a desire he had to keep in check with his brothers present. “I know you didn’t. I know you wouldn’t. Tell me one thing, though.