Page 25

Alec’s beast moved through his eyes, revealing the possessive, deadly creature beneath the tan skin and easy smiles. Then he shrugged. “I’ll seduce her. She won’t realize she never had a choice.”

“What about her mind? If she’s that fragile—”

“I won’t charm her.” A wicked light entered his eyes. “I won’t need to.”

“You think that will work?”

He lowered his chin. “Lachlan.”

Fair point. Still… “Seducing her could be a slow-moving process, given the wedding drama and now this line in the sand from her mother. You said she shied away from you today in the gallery. She’s obviously confused by her feelings for us. It might take time for her to come around to the idea of two men at once.” I leveled a look at him. “And patience is most certainly not one of your virtues, Alec.”

His nostrils flared as he recognized his line from the day before, and I didn’t need his mental gifts to know he was thinking of what had followed. He ran his gaze down my body, taking in the plain white T-shirt and loose trousers I’d pulled on after my shift. Voice gruff, and maybe a little begrudging, he said, “How was your hunt?”

“Uneventful.”

“Boring?”

It was my turn to shrug. “It’s better when you’re there.” Alec wasn’t pulled by the moon as I was, but he was still a predator—maybe even more so, given his lineage. Most of the time, he joined me when the moon’s draw became too hard to resist. But we couldn’t risk leaving Chloe unattended. Not when her presence in the castle put a target on her back.

“So you’re saying you missed me,” he said. Between his smirk and the heat building in his eyes, he liked the idea of that a lot.

“I wouldn’t go that far.”

“Liar.” He put his arms over his head and stretched, his abs flexing and his ass lifting off the chair. “I can smell your deceit from here,” he said on a lazy exhale.

I stood and drifted over, letting my gaze wander over his tanned chest. “It’s a wonder you can smell anything after all those cigarettes. Thanks for doing that in my room, by the way.”

“Sorry. You ken I only smoke when I’m horny.”

I shoved the ottoman aside, and his feet hit the ground. “So you’re horny, hmm?”

“Aye,” he rasped, his head tipped back and his eyes glittering with unconcealed lust. His erection bulged under the sweatpants, and his pulse throbbed hard in the side of his neck. When I stepped between his knees and knelt, his breath caught. “What are you doing?”

“Figure it out.” I pulled roughly at his sweats, yanking them off in a couple of quick tugs. His erection sprang free, the tip already dotted with moisture, but I ignored it. “Hands above your head. Hold onto the back of the chair and don’t move.”

He obeyed with an eagerness that was almost comical. Alec was always up for anything, and his adventurous streak was one of the things I loved about him. He was as dominant as any male, but he was usually happy to let me take control. Some might view his willingness to submit as a weakness. In reality, it was part of his strength. He was confident enough to know what he liked, and alpha enough to go get it.

And it was incredibly satisfying to give it to him.

I pushed his knees wide, then smoothed my palms up his powerful thighs and over his rippling abs, avoiding his shaft entirely. He swallowed thickly, and his lips parted as his heart rate picked up. I took my time exploring, lust surging in my veins at the feel of his chiseled body under my hands. When I reached his nipples, he twitched and bit his lower lip.

Sexy as hell. In the back of my mind rose an image of Chloe doing the same thing. And just like that, I wanted them both in my bed. Needed them both at my mercy.

But right now, Alec was losing control.

“Touch my cock,” he gasped, starting to writhe. “I need it bad, Lach.”

“Not yet.” I pinched lightly at his nipples, smiling when he hissed and squeezed the back of the chair in a white-knuckled grip. I plucked at the flat, dusky peaks before running both hands down his flanks to his hips, which he lifted again and again, clearly longing for me to turn my attention to his dick. But I paid it no mind, instead caressing him everywhere else. His silky inner thighs. His hard calves lightly dusted with golden hair. His long, bare feet.

Everywhere but his cock and the tight sac underneath.

He squirmed, his swollen shaft bobbing against his stomach. “If you don’t suck my dick, I’m goin’ tae die.”

“You always say that.”

“I mean it this time.” His eyes narrowed to green slits, and his voice was half growl, half whimper. “Fucking tease. I should kick your arse.”

I stood and pulled my shirt over my head, heat prickling down my nape at the way he drank me in like a man dying of thirst. When I dropped my trousers, he squeezed the chair so hard the tendons in his wrists stood out. Despite his threat, we both knew he wouldn’t break position. I’d told him not to. It was as simple as that.