CHAPTER SEVEN

CHAPTER SEVEN

Settled on her recliner in the reading nook, Bree briefly looked away from her paperback as she grabbed her cup of hot chocolate and took a sip. A good story never failed to pull her in, but she was struggling to really get into it. Just as she’d struggled to relax in the bath or during her yoga session. The latter had helped soothe her body, though.

She knew some people felt wiped after yoga, but it always helped her unwind and release the tension from her muscles, leaving her feeling “good tired.” The muscles in her arms and shoulders had certainly needed the help, since she’d spent a good portion of her afternoon painting.

Valentina had stayed a while, despite that Bree had fully recovered from the drugs by noon. The woman had been keeping an eye on her, but her actions had come from a good place, so Bree hadn’t complained.

She was happy to finally have the house to herself, though. She’d gotten messages, calls, and visits from pride mates all day. Although she appreciated their concern, she needed alone time. Sadly, that alone time hadn’t helped much. Her mind was just crowded with so many damn questions and—

Her skin prickling in awareness, she glanced up from her book. Her stomach did an annoying little flip of excitement, and her cat went from languid to alert in a second flat.

Alex.

Quickly boxing up that excitement and wrapping metaphorical duck-tape around it, she asked, “Tell me, how would you feel if I just breezed into your home without an invitation?”

Leaning against the doorjamb, he lifted his brows slightly. “Well, it’s you, so I can’t say it would bother me.”

Well, it’s you? What did that even mean?

His gaze slowly and boldly raked over her, taking in her black silk pajamas and bare feet. Her pulse quickened under his intense, blatant perusal. And shit, had her nipples just pebbled? Fuck, they had.

Her cat stretched, preening like an idiot, enjoying his attention.

Bree twisted the lever at the side of the recliner to straighten it. “So, you’re back from checking out Marino and his agency?” she asked, somehow keeping her tone level despite feeling flustered by the rising sexual tension.

His eyes snapped back to hers, gleaming with something that made her stomach twist. “Yes.” His nostrils flared. “You’ve been painting again. You finished off the walls in the third bedroom yet?”

And how, exactly, had he known that she was in the middle of painting them? Bree plopped her book on the arm of the recliner. “You went nosing through my house when you were here last night, didn’t you?”

“I had to do something while I waited for you to wake up. I was surprised by the … interesting toys … you have in your nightstand.” He pushed away from the doorjamb and then headed down the hallway.

Fighting a blush, Bree followed him into the cozy, contemporary kitchen. She sighed as he started peeking through her cupboards. “I take it you’re here to share what Marino told you.”

“You hungry?”

“What? No.”

He tossed a bag of beef jerky on the island and then slid onto one of the stools.

She frowned. “I have beef jerky?”

He grunted. “You’re looking a lot better than you did earlier.”

“I’m feeling a lot better. So, Marino?” she prompted.

Alex tore open the bag of jerky with his teeth. “He didn’t tell us anything. Couldn’t. He was already dead when we got there.”

She blinked. “Dead?”

“Yes.” In between bites of jerky, Alex told her about the sight he’d found on entering the agency. “We paid each of his employees a visit. None know the name of the mysterious client, so we can’t confirm it was the hyena. It’s highly probable that it was him, though. Just as it’s highly probable that he’ll make another attempt to get his hands on you.”

She raked a hand through her hair. “Fuck.”

“Yeah,” he said, his eyes following the movement of her fingers. Rising from the stool, he tossed the empty bag of jerky into the trash can and then started rooting through her fridge.

“I appreciate you coming to tell me.” She didn’t add, “You can go now,” but it was right there in her voice. Did he leave? No. Which was mega inconvenient, because she couldn’t be around him and not think of sex.

Having him in her home, taking up her space like he belonged there, sucking the air right out of the kitchen—and looking far too delicious while he did so—was not good for her sense of equilibrium. Especially while all those pheromones and dominant vibes he gave off wreaked havoc on her feminine parts.

“So, anyway, you should—” Bree paused at the sound of knuckles rapping on the front door. Great.

Letting out a heavy breath, she strolled down the hallway and looked through the peephole. Calvin. Opening the front door, she smiled. “Hi.”

His grin was all charm. “Hey. Thought I’d stop by and see how you were.”

“Thanks,” she said, stepping aside to let him pass.

“I was here last night, but you were out of it.”

She shrugged. “Tranquilizers will do that to a girl.”

His grin widened. “They will. But you look good for someone who—” He froze only one step into the hallway as he spotted Alex leaning against the kitchen countertop, his cell phone in one hand and a carton of orange juice in the other … looking right at home.

Calvin’s mouth went tight. “Alex.” His voice always took on a hard edge when he spoke of or to the wolverine; they’d never gotten along, for some reason.

Alex briefly flicked his gaze from his phone to the visitor and grunted.

And that was pretty much how the cousins always greeted each other. If you could call it a greeting.

“Want coffee?” she asked Calvin.

“No. I won’t stay. I just wanted to see how you were. And, of course, keep you company for a while if need be. But I see you have that covered.” His eyes cut to Alex and hardened, but the wolverine was chugging back juice while reading something on his phone, paying Calvin no attention.

Okay, that wasn’t entirely true. Alex appeared to be paying him no intention. But Bree knew the guy was fully aware of every move Calvin made and every word he spoke.

Calvin turned back to her, his brow creased in concern. “I heard what happened with Moira. I’m sorry, Bree. She just—”

“You don’t have to apologize for her.”

“Yes, I do.”

“It’s not like I’m not used to her making a scene.”

“You shouldn’t have to be used to it,” Alex rumbled, his eyes still on the screen of his cell. “She should just leave you to live your life.”

Calvin cleared his throat. “Yes. Well. The news that you’ve forsaken Paxton … it hit her hard, Bree. And then Mom got her all riled up.” He sighed. “She’s worried about you after what happened last night. Bernadette, I mean.”

Not worried enough to shove aside her anger to so much as send Bree a text message, but whatever. “You can assure her that I’m fine.”

An uncomfortable silence fell because, really, what else was there to say? Well, she could ask him about the necklace—a necklace she’d tossed into the decorative wishing well in her backyard—but she’d rather not ask him in front of Alex.

“Well, I’ll leave you to relax,” said Calvin. His smile shrunk as his gaze once more landed on his cousin. “Alex.”

Not even bothering to look up from his phone, the wolverine only grunted. Again.

Once Calvin was gone, Bree returned to the kitchen. “You were rude.”

“I know.”

“It’s not nice to be rude.”

“I don’t care.”

“Yeah, I got that. Why is there so much tension between you two?”

Feeling his metaphorical hackles lower now that Calvin had gone, Alex pocketed his phone to give her his full attention. He shrugged. “Some people just don’t see eye to eye.” The truth? Each male recognized that the other wanted Bree, and so neither had any time for the other. Alex’s beast loathed the shithead on principle. “What are you going to do?”

“About what?”

“Calvin. He wants you. Now that you’ve made it clear you’re not waiting for Paxton to come for you, he’ll soon make a play.”

She blinked. “You’re serious?”

“I’m deadly serious.” Alex was surprised she hadn’t sensed that for herself.

“But … I’m the predestined mate of the guy’s twin. Shouldn’t he find that, I don’t know, weird?”

“Probably.” Just as Alex should find it weird that he wanted the mate of his cousin, but it would never be enough to keep Alex away from her.

The person who’s not ready is you.

Fuck, she’d been bang-on with that. He just hadn’t wanted to face it.

“Bernadette would kill him if he made a move on me,” she said.

Alex nodded and drained the last of the juice from the carton. “She would see it as him trespassing on his brother’s territory. I doubt Ruben would like it much either. But I’m not sure if their disapproval will hold Calvin back.” He binned the carton. “Will you give him a shot?” Even Alex heard the note of barely contained menace in his voice, so it didn’t surprise him that she tensed.

“He’s Paxton’s brother.”

“That’s not an answer.” Alex prowled toward her, liking the sound of her pulse spiking. “Will you give him a shot, Bree?” he pressed.

She lifted her chin. “Do I need to remind you that that’s none of your business?”

A growl rattled his chest. He’d figured she’d say something like that. Alex cupped her jaw and put his face close to hers. “You’re very much my business, baby girl,” he whispered, his eyes following the path of his thumb as he brushed it over her soft, plump lower lip.

His gaze snapped back to hers just in time to watch her pupils dilate. And then the scent of her need rose up between them and perfumed the air.

That scent threw him back to another time, another place. He remembered the feel of her tongue sliding against his, her teeth grazing his lip, her nails pricking his shoulders, the heat of her pussy pressed against his thigh, and that little sound she made just before she came. Fuck.

She swallowed and stepped back, making his hand slip away from her jaw. “We’ll just have to agree to disagree on that.”

His beast rumbled a growl, annoyed that she’d put space between them. He urged Alex to lunge. Subdue. Dominate. To take what he wanted. And shit if Alex didn’t long to do exactly that.

He clenched his fists, fiercely conscious of how close she stood, of how easy it would be to reach out and take what he’d craved for so goddamn long. It was excruciatingly hard to hold back when a primitive, greedy hunger beat at his skin and battered at his control. That hunger taunted him. Teased him. Tempted him to act.

“Anyway, thank you for personally delivering the news of what happened at the agency. It was very much appreciated.” She gestured at the door.

Hell if he was leaving yet. “Have you talked to Mateo today?”

She sighed. “No.”

“He wanted to be here with you last night. It gutted him that he was sent away. He cares for you. A lot. Always has.”

“And I’m sorry that it hurts him that I don’t care for him in the same way that he cares for me, but that’s not something I can change.”

“So, what, you guys finally got around to talking about his crush on you, and the talk went south?”

“Something like that. Now, like I said before, I appreciate you coming here to bring me an update—”

“So eager to get rid of me,” he mused.

Bree gave him a bland smile, a little pissed by how easy her body was for this male. “Maybe I have plans to play with the toys in my room and you’re being something of a silicone-cockblocker.” He shot her a heated look that made her all tingly. “You were certainly something of a cockblocker last night at the Tavern,” she reminded him.

“Was I?”

“Chasing off Freddie was unfair to me. It was a total asshole-move that you had no reason to make.”

“Oh, I had every reason to make it. The guy’s a user; he sees women as objects. He wouldn’t have been good for you.”

He wasn’t wrong there, but … “I get to decide that. Not you. What did you say to him anyway? He scampered out the place like you’d lit his ass on fire.”

“I just pointed out that he needed to treat you well if he wanted to live. Think of it as a test of his strength and guts. He failed it by letting me scare him off. He wouldn’t have made a good partner for you.”

“Who says I went there last night looking for a potential partner?”

Alex’s eyelids drooped. He growled low in his throat. “You just wanted to fuck, huh?” he ground out. “Is that what it was?”

And then … it was like there was a spark in the air. Air that suddenly seemed thick and hot and muggy, like just before a thunderstorm. Flexing her fingers, Bree took a ragged breath. “Well, a girl’s gotta eat.”

Just like that, the shutters disappeared from his gaze. Those dark, hooded eyes stared into hers, held her captive … glittering with a naked greed that seared her soul. A bolt of electricity jarred her entire body, making her heartbeat kick into high gear.

She felt it happening; felt her body roar to life. Her hormones went wild. Her nerves turned ragged. Her breathing sped up. Pinpricks of sexual awareness teased her skin.

He dragged his gaze down to her mouth. And then lower. And lower. And lower. Honest to God, it felt like he was peeling off every layer of clothing. It was a slow, methodical, blindly intense eye-fuck. Just being the focus of it made her damp. It was torture and pleasure and the ultimate tease. She felt vulnerable and nervous yet totally electrified.

Her cat pressed against her skin, wanting to rub up against him. Bree was pretty sure he sensed her feline’s interest, because a growl vibrated his chest.

He didn’t step away, though. He remained unnaturally still as his eyes once more blazed into hers, dragging her into his orbit, stripping away all her defensive layers, withholding nothing from her. Everything he was feeling was conveyed in that stare—his reluctance, his frustration, his hunger. It was so intimate, so absolutely fucking hot, that it turned her brain to pudding.

Anticipation charged the air until it crackled. The tension built and built, rubbing at her raw nerves. It felt like any second now she’d simply explode. And that kind of pissed her off, because she did not want to feel this way. She did not want to crave someone she couldn’t have.

She embraced the anger, hoping to use it to drown out the arousal pounding through her. It didn’t work. It just seemed to make her edgier. As if each state had fueled the other somehow.

His jaw hard, he ate up that last little bit of space between them. “Who was it that you wanted last night, Bree?” The lethal whisper trailed down her spine, leaving goosebumps. “Who?” The word was a whip.

Hmm, it appeared that she wasn’t the only one who was pissed. Well, good.

“Who, Bree?”

“Does it matter?” she snarked.

His eyes flared with … something. “Yeah, it fucking matters,” he bit out.

“I don’t see how—”

“It was a simple question. Answer it.”

She planted her hands on her hips. “Just where the hell do you get off on acting like I owe you answers to anything?”

“Who did you want?” he growled, his warm breath fanning her mouth. That growl was as thick with need as it was with anger. “Tell me.”

Goddamn tenacious bastard. “Jesus, Alex, it was no one in particular, okay,” she burst out.

“No one in particular? You just wanted to get yourself some? Take care of an itch?”

“Well, like I said, a girl’s gotta eat.”

He slammed his mouth on hers and sank his tongue inside. Just that easily, her body went up in flames. Her anger gave way to the sheer elemental need she had no way of fighting.

Alex feasted on that taste that had haunted him for six fucking years. He licked. Nipped. Plundered. Ravaged her mouth in a kiss so explicitly carnal they might as well have been fucking.

She kissed him back—it was no tentative response. She was every bit as frantic and hungry as he was. Her hands clung to his shoulders as she arched into him, grinding against his dick, driving them both to madness.

She fisted his shirt and tugged. He helped her yank it over his head, and then he clawed off her silk pajama top. Soft hands landed on his chest, and he’d swear he could feel her touch under his skin. One of her hands slid down to cup his dick through the denim.

Alex snarled. He had to fucking have her. He lifted her, intending to carry her upstairs. The wet heat of her pussy pressed against his cock through their clothes, inviting and tempting him. No, they weren’t going to make it to the bedroom.

He took her to the floor, eating at her mouth, pouring hungry growls down her throat. His dick throbbed like a son of a bitch, so full and aching he could burst. He ground against her clit, lost to a need so powerful and visceral that neither of them stood a chance against it.

He wanted her there. Now. In every fucking way he could get her.

Alex licked and kissed his way down her throat and over to the swells of her breasts. He flicked open the front clasp of her bra, releasing the round, full globes. And then he froze at the sight of her nipples—tight and rosy and fucking pierced. One more thread on his control snapped.

Bree sucked in a sharp breath as he roughly drew one nipple into his mouth while squeezing the neglected breast with his hand. She sank her fingers into his hair, arching into him, needing him inside her more than she’d needed anything in a long time.

Alternating from one breast to the other, he pinched and twisted her hard nipples with his fingers; he tugged on her piercings with his teeth and flicked them with his tongue. Every move sent streaks of pleasure to her aching core.

She felt so empty. Hot. Desperate. But he wouldn’t be rushed—something he made clear by ignoring her every demand for more, as if she hadn’t even spoken.

Growling, he thrust a hand into her panties and speared two fingers inside her. “I want this pussy full of my come.”

Bree moaned and whimpered as his fingers pumped, scissored, and swirled. God, it was almost like he’d taken a crash course on how to please her, because he touched her exactly how she liked it, exactly where she liked it.

He upped the pace, pumping his fingers so hard that his palm slapped her clit with each thrust. “That’s it, take them,” he growled into her ear. “That little noise you make before you come … I want to hear it again.” He hooked his fingers, found that spot that made her gasp, and drove his fingers deep over and over.

She exploded with a choked cry, her pussy rippling around his fingers. She didn’t even have time to come down from her orgasm before he’d slid down her body and dragged off her pajama bottoms and panties.

“Want to taste you.” Alex cupped her ass, lifted her hips, and fluttered his tongue through her slit. “Fuck, I like that.”He buried his face in her pussy with a soft growl. He gorged on her, sipping and licking and stabbing his tongue deep.

She shook and bucked, flooded by so many sexual endorphins she almost felt drunk on them. He shoved two fingers inside her again just as he suckled on her clit, setting off a powerful quake in her pussy. And then she came again. Hard. Long. Loud.

Alex licked his lips, wanting more of that taste but needing to be inside her. As she slumped to the floor, panting and shaking, he tackled his fly and let his aching cock spring free. He slowly eased his body over hers, giving her his weight, and wedged the head of his cock in the entrance of her pussy. “Eyes on mine,” he said.

Slightly dazed electric-blue eyes locked with his, spearing him with a look so hot and carnal he almost came right then. “Fuck me,” she breathed.

Snarling, he brutally slammed into her, but she was so damn tight he couldn’t drive his whole length inside. Alex caught the back of her knee and hiked up her bent leg as he reared back. “You’re gonna take it all.” He rammed his cock home, burying himself inside her with such force that the breath stuttered out of her.

Her inferno-hot pussy greedily clamped down on him, and a groan slid through his clenched teeth. “Can’t give you gentle right now.”

“Not looking for gentle.”

Good. He fucked her hard. Every thrust was deep. Pitiless. Unrelenting. He’d come here tonight for this, and he knew it. Accepted it.

“Wanted this for years.” Hammering into her, he relished her every response—the little moans she made, the hitches in her breath, the prick of her nails, the way she arched into him.

His release was already closing in on him. He wouldn’t be able to hold it back for long. Not when she made him feel more territorial than he had of anything in his life.

He grunted against her mouth. “Sweetest, greediest pussy I’ve ever fucked. See how well it fits my cock?”

Wound so tight with the need to come, Bree dug her nails into his back, careful not to pierce the skin. But it was hardwhen he was feverishly pounding into her, dragging his long, fat cock over super-sensitized tissue.

No one had ever fucked her like this. No one else had ever taken her with such sheer sexual aggression or made her feel so … mastered, for want of a better word.

She was lost in him and she knew it. Lost. Burning. Frantic.

He adjusted his angle, finding a spot that made her gasp, and then he was hammering into her again, bumping that spot with every thrust. “You like that, Bree? You want more?”

“Fuck, yes,” she hissed, and he gave her what she wanted. The friction built and built, sending her higher and higher, until she was on the very verge of exploding. Her pussy fluttered, tightened, heated. And she felt the long shaft inside her swell.

“Milk my cock, baby girl. I want every drop of my come inside you.”

Maybe it was his order, maybe it was the thumb that flicked her clit, maybe it was the growl that vibrated with authority—whatever the trigger, her body shook violently as her orgasm barreled into her. Wave upon wave of white-hot pleasure surged through her, trapping a scream in her throat. Her back bowed, her head fell back, and her pussy rippled.

Fingertips bit so hard into her thigh she was surprised he didn’t break the skin. Alex cursed into her neck as his thrusts turned wilder, rougher, and more frantic. His cock went impossibly thicker as he jammed it deep and exploded with a growl. Burst after burst of hot come splashed her inner walls.

Limp and sated, they both lay like that for a while until he finally rolled off her. She was about to get up when a hand pressed against her stomach, staying her.

“Don’t clean up,” he said. “I’ll be fucking you again soon, and I want to feel my come inside you when I do.”

Her brows lifted. Well, now.