Surviving Passion by Maia Underwood Page B

people down there, and there was so much chatter the noise sounded surreal and overwhelming. Selena had a very difficult time focusing on one conversation without being distracted by all the others. She bit her lip in concentration and spotted the two men that had come out to greet them earlier. Ben’s droll tone was easy to distinguish.
    “So you left all those supplies for some chick who can sew. Way to go, Dan.”
    “Yeah Ben, and you’re gonna ride back and get ‘em for me,” Dan threatened, looking as cheerful as she had ever seen him.
    “Like hell I am,” he muttered, making his long face look longer still.
    “I won’t give you too much of a hard time about it,” said Cal. “I mean, God damn .”
    As before, he stood with his arms folded and his legs far apart. A strong alpha attitude radiated from him, Selena observed, but he still managed to look unassuming somehow. Maybe it was the blue eyes and his easy smile.
    “Keep it in your shorts, Cal,” chided a woman before snickering to another. He shrugged unapologetically at them.
    Selena took a moment to survey the two girls. The one who had spoken was of African descent with a pretty face and a confident manner. She was probably about Selena’s age. Her friend looked more introverted and at least ten years older. Her limp, mousy hair and long torso gave her a slightly masculine appearance.
    “Lust all you like, but don’t cry to me if you get stabbed,” Dan told them, looking peeved.
    The same girl giggled with delight. “I gotta meet this girl now! Someone finally managed to give him a hard time. Poor Dan.” She guffawed sarcastically, adding, “I hope you didn’t think anyone was gonna feel bad for you .”
    “I’m with Gina,” Ben said flatly.
    “Me too,” chimed a blonde. She was sitting close to a very big man with a ponytail and beard. They had their backs to Selena, so she couldn’t see their faces.
    Dan acted as though he hadn’t heard them, and Selena was momentarily distracted by a pair of men that stood apart from the others. One of them was bragging loudly about some amazing thing he’d done while hunting. He was short but loaded with bulky, undefined muscle. He looked shifty and there was something obnoxious about his attitude. Selena disliked him immediately. The man he spoke to looked lean and older, with wisps of grey in his black hair. He was Asian, but Selena couldn’t say what country his lineage had come from. His face was totally inexpressive, so she couldn’t gather much from him.
    Selena’s focus returned to Dan as he began to speak again.
    “There’s something else,” he told them. A subtle change in his voice held Selena’s attention. She frowned as everyone else hushed, even the pair of men standing apart from the others. Dan seemed to be eyeing the big guy with the blonde girl.
    “They’re back,” he said.
    Suddenly there were several voices at once.
    “How many?” Cal asked.
    “Where?” inquired another.
    “Was Jake with ‘em?” the big guy demanded.
    “Bear—“ Dan started, with his brows knit together seriously.
    “Was Jake with ‘em?” the man pressed, in a quiet but dangerous tone.
    “Yes,” came the grudging reply after a moment’s pause.
    Selena’s brow furrowed. What kind of enemies had these people acquired, she wondered. Squabbles often broke out between various bands, she knew, but based on their reaction, it seemed a safe bet that this conflict was particularly serious.
    There were, of course, gangs of men who took what they wanted from others rather than going through the trouble of working for it themselves. Selena figured that the men she’d run into were just such people. Perhaps the conflict was with the very same group? What did this Jake do to Bear? Selena wondered, watching the big man.
    Dan’s answer had rendered the group momentarily silent just as Blaire approached with a basket of small apples.
    “What’s all the fuss about?” she asked no one in particular.