Ch. 4 A Chicken Fight

Dillon’s POV

I was moments away from slaughtering every male wolf on this beach. As soon as she stepped off the trail into the open, every man here was leering at her. Then she peeled off her cover-up to reveal the skimpiest, sexiest little pink bikini I’d ever seen, way too much of her smooth, tan skin on full display. And when I saw them all eye-fucking the shit out of her, lusting over what my wolf and I considered ours, I couldn’t stop the angry rumble that erupted in my chest.

With every passing day, my wolf grew more and more possessive of Zoe. He insisted on being close to her whenever possible and barely tolerated anyone touching her. Dorian was adamant that we try to pursue her, refusing to acknowledge her obvious disdain for me, insisting we could make her love us if I would just make the effort.

It was Dorian’s influence that pushed me to go to her room this morning, intent on asking her to spend the day with me. But before I even had a chance to knock, I heard her giggling on the phone with that fuckin’ asshole, Landon, telling him she’d be right down. So against my wolf’s will, I walked away.

“Go back! She’s ours, not his!” Dorian barked at me as I forced my footsteps away from her door. 

“No!” I growled back at him, daring him to argue with me. “I’m not going to grovel just so she can humiliate me with her rejection. She already has a date and even if she didn’t, I doubt she’d agree to go with me. So just drop it!” 

“Pussy!” He hurled the insult at me then stomped away.

I’d been in the common room, grabbing my bag and about to head to my car when Zoe came flitting down the stairs, looking like a Goddess damn angel. She jumped into Landon’s arms and Dorian shoved forward before I could stop him, snarling when the asshole called her “his girl.” I quickly forced him back but I was sure everyone heard us.

All the way to the beach, I obsessed over the thought of her with him. I couldn’t stop torturing myself, wondering about the extent of their relationship. Was it just an innocent teenage flirtation or was it more? Did she let him touch her intimately? Was she fucking him? My wolf raged inside me at that possibility.

By the time I reached the lake I’d managed to push Zoe from my mind, determined to enjoy the day off and not let her get to me. But all that went out the window the minute she arrived. I felt her presence before I even saw her, and as much as I pretended to be interested in the conversation I was having, I couldn’t stop myself from glancing in her direction every few seconds.

“What the fuck, Dillon?” Blair scowled at me when I shook her off and snarled at Zoe when she stripped down to nearly nothing.

But I couldn’t be bothered to acknowledge her outburst, too busy drinking in every inch of the little goddess in front of me, all while scolding her for sharing her gorgeous body with every other man on the beach. Needless to say, she didn’t appreciate my concern, telling me to fuck off then shutting me out. Why couldn’t I ever say the right thing when it came to her?

Blair had stalked away, angry at being ignored. But Karla had quickly taken her place, buzzing in my ear about going to the bar with her later but I wasn’t paying attention. I may have been pissed about all the guys ogling Zoe but it didn’t stop me from doing the same. 

Zoe’s body was a work of art, perfectly proportioned for her lean frame. I’d seen her naked on the night she shifted and she’d looked amazing then, But she’d definitely filled out even more since then. Unfortunately, I wasn’t the only one who noticed it.

Thankfully, Reegan and Ryan made their way over to me, rescuing me from Karla’s unwanted advances and saving me from the embarrassment of sporting the raging hard-on that had been quickly growing as I lusted over Zoe’s body. But when I expressed my gratitude, they took the opportunity to rib me about it.

“Are you feeling okay, bro? Since when does Dillon Kane turn down an opportunity to get a girl drunk and take her home?” Reegan teased.

“Please! I don’t have to get them drunk!” I bantered back, laughing with a humor I didn’t feel. ”But seriously, I’m hoping for something a little more substantial, and a little more permanent.”

“Oh really?” Ryan commented dubiously. “Who’s the lucky lady?”

“I’ve got my eye on someone.” I admitted, involuntarily glancing towards Zoe, hoping no one noticed. “I’m not ready to talk about her yet, though.”

“Sure, man.” Ryan’s voice lost its teasing edge, dropping the subject.

The next thing I knew, we were all in the water, splashing and laughing like a bunch of idiots.

“Who’s up for a game of chicken?” I blurted out of nowhere.

I had no idea why I’d suggested that. Other than the fact that Zoe had gotten in the water, her blond hair slicked back and water droplets glistening on her skin. I had the overwhelming urge to run my hands all over her body, to feel her wet skin pressed against me.

“Let’s do it! I call Ryan!” Kat cheered, climbing up his body like a spider monkey and slinging herself onto his shoulders. The guy looked like he’d won the damn lottery.

“You’re all mine, darlin’!” I grabbed Zoe’s wrist and pulled her into my chest, not giving her a choice. She willfully ignored the double meaning in my words. 

“B-, but” She sputtered, and I could feel her glare boring into me but I ignored it.

“Up you go!” I said, crouching down and lifting her onto my shoulders.

“Ugh!” She grumbled but didn’t argue.

Julia climbed on Reegan’s shoulders and the game was on. Ryan and Kat went straight for Reegan and Julia. I dodged around the edges as I watched the girls try to knock each other over, hoping it would take a while.

“What are you doing! We can take them down while they’re distracted with each other!” Zoe shouted, indignant at my reluctance to join the fight.

“Who knew you were so ruthless?” I teased. “Someone has a competitive streak.”

“You sound surprised for someone who’s known me for three years. Though I shouldn’t be shocked, as busy as you are with all your extracurricular activities.”  Her voice held a tone of resentment that stung me to my core, but I pretended not to notice.

“Jealous, are ya?” I goaded, refusing to let her know how much her words hurt.

“Ha! You’re fucking hilarious!” She scoffed at me. “Now get in the fight!”

But I ignored her. The second she’d settled on my shoulders, my fingers sinking into the soft skin of her thighs to hold her in place and her warm pussy pressed up against my neck, I knew I would do everything to keep her there as long as possible. There was no way I was going to let someone knock her off my shoulders until I absolutely had to.

“High five, babe!” Ryan celebrated when Kat took Julia down. 

“One down, one to go!” Kat announced jubilantly, and they headed in our direction.

“Bring it!” Zoe invited, waving them towards us. 

The girls collided, jolting Ryan and I as we struggled to keep them on our shoulders. I was sure my fingers would leave bruises, I was holding onto Zoe so tightly. And though I knew I was going to hell, I couldn’t stop picturing Zoe naked as she wrestled with Kat. Thank fuck no one could see my boner beneath the murky water. 

“Yes! We won!” Kat exclaimed as Zoe splashed into the water, causing me to keel over too. 

As soon as my head broke the surface, I could hear Zoe coughing and I immediately started to panic. Was she choking? I swam over to her and rubbed her back, waiting to see if she could clear all the water she’d sucked in. Less than a minute later, she was shaking me off, straightening her spine.

“I’m fine!” She insisted, then turned to Julia “Let’s play for second place!”

Julia agreed and who was I to argue if it meant getting Zoe back on my shoulders. She beat Julia easily then we all switched partners. The game went on for a while but I’d lost interest the second I lost Zoe as a partner. By the time everyone else grew tired, I was ready to call it a day.

“Hey! Good game, darlin’!” I offered my palm for a high five from Zoe as we exited the water. 

“Yeah, you were a pretty good partner.” She tapped my hand with hers and I could hear the reluctance in her voice at the admission. 

“Was that actually a compliment?” I asked, feigning shock.

“Don’t let it go to your head. You’re a Gamma, a strong warrior. You’re bound to be good at something, no matter how much it pains me to admit it.” She smirked, then walked away.

I should have been upset at her snarky comment but I was too distracted by her sweet little ass as she walked away to care about her words. I knew Blair was hoping I’d come by later but that wasn’t going to happen. I might only have my hand for company, but my mind would be spending the night with Zoe in that knockout bikini!