Chapter 12: Thorne

Chapter Twelve

Thorne

M erry motherfucking Christmas to me. The day itself might be four or five days away—probably four, since it must be after midnight—but scenting Lennox’s arousal is all the gift I need.

Well, that and her delicious little body pressed to mine every day for the rest of eternity.

It’s an easy enough process to dispose of the fuckwads.

The taller of the two rouses as I’m dragging him out the back door, but a quick kick to his skull does the job.

I ensure he’s breathing before going back for his jackass friend. Once he’s tossed on top of the other guy, I close the door. I’ve already ensured it can’t be opened from the outside.

My lip burns from where the shorter guy got in a solid hit, but very little could derail my mood.

Rocking back on my boots, my head tilts as the massive alpha exits his office.

I heard Lennox call him Bear, which is strangely fitting. He’s taller than even I am, with a thick build that speaks to sheer physical power.

The chatty waitress I got stuck with gave me a quick recap of what happened last night. At least, the version that was told to her by the security guy.

Truthfully, Lennox is unpredictable. She’s always been a bit of a wild card. I wouldn’t be shocked if she was trying to find someone to hook up with last night.

Only, the owner interceded.

His eyes narrow when he spots me.

Everything is so fucked.

There was a time when I had no doubts that Lennox would choose me over anyone else.

Those days are long gone.

“She’s feverish.” He crosses his arms over his chest. “I need to help close up and make a sign. Dry Dock is officially closed until New Year’s Eve.”

“Would you like help?” I ask, trying to determine why he’s telling me this.

“Hank is still clearing everyone out. She shouldn’t be alone.” His head tilts toward the door. “She seems convinced you’re not a threat to her but torn on whether or not she trusts you.”

I sigh heavily as I mentally prepare another speech. This is going to get tiresome.

“I can recognize a feral alpha when I see one,” Bear says. “Hurt her in any way, and I’ll kill you. I have acquaintances that will tow your body a few miles offshore and feed you to the crabs. Keep that in mind.”

I chuckle, and I don’t even know why. Part of me can respect his straightforward approach. The rest of me doesn’t like being challenged.

He spins around and walks toward the club, calling over his shoulder, “She’s waiting for you.”

My heart skips a beat while my body lurches into motion.

I come through the door, and a large, dark wooden desk sits straight ahead. There’s a desktop computer and files, but for the most part, it’s tidy. There’s a dog bed in the back corner, and the right wall is covered in pictures.

Barely focusing on any of that, I scan to the other side of the room.

Lennox lies on the sofa on the left wall. She’s on her side, with her knees pulled up to her chest, and she’s engulfed by a jacket that must belong to Bear.

It’s only a few strides until I’m directly in front of her.

My knees hit the wood flooring with a thump. It doesn’t feel great, but I’m more focused on Lennox. Her eyes are clenched closed, and her lips tip downward.

“Aww, kitten.” I brush her hair away from her face, tucking it behind her ear. “You’re looking a little rough.”

“This is all your fault,” she says, and her hazel eyes pop open. They’re glassy and red, more than I’ve ever seen them. “Your stupid manly display of alphaness…” She huffs. “Broke my system. You gave me a fever.”

She sounds so indignant that I struggle to hold back a laugh.

This is the Lennox that I fell in love with. She’s open and honest, a little goofy at times, and so sincere, it’s impossible to keep my walls up.

“Fucking hell, I missed you,” I say, bending to brush my lips over her forehead. “I’ll be happy to help get your fever down.”

Alarm pulses in my chest as I pick up on exactly how hot she is. It might be a higher fever than even the spikes she experienced in New York.

“I’ll be fine.” She blows her lips together as she exhales heavily. “I’m not going to forgive you because you knocked those guys out. A few really incredible orgasms aren’t going to wipe the slate clean, either.”

“But they’d be a nice start?” I know as soon as the words are out that they were a mistake. Her entire face contorts in pain, and she curls even tighter in on herself.

Lennox has always smelled electric to me. It’s an indescribable scent that appeals to me like no other smell ever could. However, when she’s aroused, it holds hints of the way everyone else describes her scent.

For a long time, I had no idea what the electric thing meant, but as her perfume floods the air, those thoughts slip away.

Delicate orange cream, with citrusy notes that are sharper than her scent normally is, combines with hints of vanilla to create an enticing smell that makes my nostrils flare.

Omega arousal is one thing. It’s hard enough for an unbonded alpha to be around without losing their head, but omega perfume?

That’s an entirely different ball game.

Omegas perfume when they’re close to their heat and around compatible alphas. It’s a honeytrap of epic proportions, that tends to knock out all rational thought from the mind of the alpha.

Still, this isn’t two-hundred years ago, when society assumed biological responses equaled consent.

It does help me understand that she might not have liked my cocky reply, but her body is fully down for a few no-strings-attached orgasms.

“I meant what I said,” I tell her, giving her forehead a final kiss. “I fucked up before, but I’m here to make it right, no matter how long it takes.” Sliding my hand between her side and the couch, I lift her. It takes a little maneuvering as I move to sit on the cushion and bring her to rest over my lap. “If you can’t ever find it in your heart to forgive me, then I’ll still be around, watching and protecting you from a distance. My heart made its choice months ago. You’re it for me, Lennox.”

“I hear you,” she groans, wiggling around my lap. “But I ache so badly that your voice is annoying me. You’re hotter when you don’t talk.”

“Sorry.” I work a hand between us to run my fingers over her leggings. Lennox groans against my T-shirt, and her hands slide along my sides. She bumps my holsters and we both freeze.

“I thought you said you quit the DEA?” She repositions her hands lower and circles my stomach instead.

“I did,” I assure her, pinching her lower lips between my pointer and middle fingers. “I’ve got all my licenses up to date. I made enemies over the years. Unfortunately, more than the ones who were brought to trial.”

“Got it.” She stretches up, burying her face in my throat. “Dammit, Thorne. I wish you didn’t smell so good. It would make it easier to hate you if I didn’t have to fight my biology at every turn.”

“I think you’d hate me less if we weren’t so compatible. Shit, that didn’t come out right.” I apply firmer pressure on her lower lips, until they part, and aim one of my knuckles for her clit. “I ached to be with you too. A huge part of me wanted to tell my superiors to fuck off, but if I had left before testifying, I would have been charged with obstruction of justice and anything else they could have made stick. My boss was over my bullshit. I didn’t want to have to change my name and ask you to change yours. Not to mention, some truly terrible individuals would have walked free without my testimony.”

“Not one of your logical points is making me come,” she whispers, flicking her tongue over the skin of my throat.

I chuckle.

She seriously thought I’d ever let her get away?

Fat fucking chance of that happening.

I give her pussy a squeeze with the backs of my fingers. Moving to the top of her leggings, I slide my hand under the material and search for the band of her panties.

I’m not shocked when I don’t find one. No wonder I could feel every detail of her cunt so perfectly under the leggings.

My hand works lower until I can feel exactly how slick she is.

This isn’t just normal arousal.

She’s completely drenched.

The material of her leggings seemed damp, but this is unreal.

I’ve heard the first heat is the worst, but I’ve never participated in one to know.

“Thorne,” she whines, her head falling to the side as she tries to ride my hand.

As if my head wasn’t foggy enough, the sound sends a pulse to my aching cock and makes the edges of my vision blur with a fuzzy haze.

Fuck me.

This isn’t good.

I’ve got a permanent surprise that I refuse to show her until she’s well on the way to forgiving me. That means my cock is out of commission for the moment, so I settle for shoving two fingers inside her.

It takes my breath away, feeling the way her inner walls cling to my digits. It almost feels like I should have started with just one. I can’t fathom how my knot ever fit inside her with the way I struggle to stretch even the two fingers.

My entire hand is soaked by her pussy already, but I’m more worried about the way she slams her face back into the crook of my neck.

“Be careful,” I warn. “My beard left scratches the last time you did that.”

“More,” she begs, moving her hands to dig into my shoulders. My jacket hides some of it, but the scratching sound leads me to believe she’s clawing at the leather. “Thorne, it hurts so bad…” She goes on, but it’s muffled by the way she speaks right against my skin.

My cock throbs against my jeans. It’s trapped to my thigh, and every grind of her ass makes it jump in response.

Knotting would help alleviate the pain she’s in. My instincts are sure of it, and what I’ve been taught of alpha and omega biology says the same.

Goddamn feral alpha logic.

I am not shoving my cock back inside her perfect little pussy until I know she’s willing to at least try to forgive me.

The pad of my thumb bumps her clit as I work my fingers deeper. My free hand wraps in her hair at the base of her skull, giving her a vicious tug.

The dirty little thing moans so loudly, I wish I had a third hand to slap over her parted lips.

“Are you trying to entice the big guy in here to join us?” I ask. “Or are you hoping he’ll kill me, so you can be done with me once and for all? Just going off size alone…” A dark chuckle radiates from my lips, out around Bear’s office. “I don’t have high hopes your pussy will survive him. He’s a fucking beast.”

“He really is big,” she moans. “But so is your mouth. Remember the whole you’re hotter when you don’t talk thing?”

Using my hand in her hair, I pull her face to mine. “You’re so fucking lucky I love you. If I didn’t, I’d pull my hand free of your pussy and have you tossed over my lap before you could blink.”

Her entire body trembles, curling toward me. “Why does everyone assume I would be opposed to that?”

I crook my fingers, plunging in and out of her dripping core with more force.

“Is that what you’re missing, kitten?” I coil my hand in her hair even tighter and give her the bite of pain she seems to be asking for. “You want someone to completely take the choice out of your hands? To spoil you rotten and punish you when you’re being a brat?”

She nods as her teeth dig into her lower lip. Her cheeks are bright pink, and her chest heaves on every grind of her hips to meet my hand.

“I will gladly carry all your burdens for you,” I growl. “I’d fucking kill to watch your tits bounce as you ride my fingers.” Tilting her head to the side, I eye the spot I want to make mine.

It changes regularly.

If I was fucking her from behind, I’d be staring straight at the base of her neck.

It’s a personal favorite when I consider where I want my claim.

There’s something primal about biting her there like an animal as I mount and rut like a legitimate beast.

I’m not half as civilized as I pretend to be.

My baser instincts scream to toss her to the floor and fuck into her like an animal. Then I’ll bite her ass so deep, she can never truly escape me.

She can work on forgiving me once I know she’ll never get away.

Fuck.

I’m on the verge of turning rabid.

“Thorne,” she chokes out, bouncing up and down on her knees instead of grinding.

Oh yeah, she’s close.

Based on the way her inner walls quiver and slick spills down my hand, she might even be there now.

I shove my palm against her clit with firmer pressure and rake my fingers against her G-spot.

The scent of her arousal is all my instincts can focus on, and her begging moans don’t help me stay clear in the least.

My jeans are going to have a wet spot from all the pre-cum I’ve dribbled feeling her dry fuck me.

Too many goddamn layers of clothing.

If I really tried, I could have her leggings and my jeans out of the way in three seconds flat. I’d probably come within five strokes, but embarrassing myself might be worth it.

Her mouth falls open as her eyes get even glassier, and incoherent begging spills from her lips.

The way her cunt locks down on my fingers takes my breath away. She fights my hold in her hair, shoving her mouth to mine.

I wasn’t going to kiss her without asking, but since she initiated…

I growl as our tongues clash.

Feeling her sob against my lips and the way her core wrings my fingers sends me over the edge.

It’s been a long four months without her, and I was already on edge. My balls get tight as her ass grinds my jolting cock against my thigh.

I haven’t come in my pants since…ever.

This has never happened.

I’m probably going to have some chafing from the way the denim rubs against my exploding cock, but it’ll totally be worth it. It’s insane to recognize how long her orgasm goes on for. She’s still a shivering, jolting mess, whining into my mouth as I come back to reality.

My eyes pop open as she pulls back to breathe.

The way her chest rises and falls in rapid pants makes me feel like a fucking king.

I finally release her hair to flatten my hand on her back.

My instincts are on full alert.

She’s not allowed to run now that she got what she wanted.

There’s no way I wouldn’t pounce.

I really would trap her to the wall or the floor and fuck her like an animal with my teeth buried deep in her soft flesh.

Her gaze meets mine, and she moves a hand to cradle my jaw. “God, that was really good.”

I stretch my fingers, smirking. “It always is.”

She nods. “This room doesn’t seem big, normally, but my instincts hate it.”

It takes very little effort to twist enough that I can lie her down on the couch. The hard part is keeping my hand in her pussy while I crawl over her.

I’m barely situated before she wraps her legs around mine and her hands behind my neck.

The urge to kiss her is almost too strong.

I settle for nuzzling my nose to hers.

“This is better. Thank you.” She sighs a contented sound. “I don’t want to upset you, but I’m still not over everything…” Her brow wrinkles at the same time her nose twitches. “Did you come when I did?”

I snort.

For the first time in too many years to count, my face burns, like maybe I’m blushing.

“Ohmigod, you did,” she accuses, laughing.

“Yeah, kitten.” I bite her cheek without breaking the skin. “Four months felt like forever, when I was used to slipping inside you on the daily.” I pull back enough to stare into her hazel eyes as I say, “No one else. I haven’t been with anyone since you.”

Her eyes widen, but her face softens.

Our breath mingles with our faces only inches apart, and it feels more intimate than all the times I’ve been inside her.

That dickhead persona I had to strap on every day made it hard to let anyone in.

Even her.

She didn’t get to know the real me, because he didn’t exist when I was surrounded by the Barretts.

The pang that hits my chest takes my breath away.

I was really fucking unfair to her.

“I kinda hate that I believe you,” she whispers, glancing away.

I move my face, bumping her cheek with mine until she looks at me once more. “One day, very soon, you won’t doubt me anymore.”

Now, I just have to figure out how to turn that statement into reality.