Page 301 of Alpha Mates

It had been straight-up hell, and I felt shit about it, but Emitt said this was “important for step two.” Judging by the way Aiden perks up now, his black eyes flooding with hope, it seems he was right.

“Yeah,” he says quickly. “Of course!”

Switching the lights off, we slip into the living room, but while he sinks onto the couch, I take the lone armchair. His frown is immediate.

When we settle in to watch something, his head is usually in my lap, or we’re cuddled close. Some part of us is always touching—hasto touch—but not tonight.

“What?” I ask, mirroring the confusion on his face.

“You just …” He pauses. His frown deepens. “You usually sit with me.”

My heart twists at the hurt in his voice, and I nearly break. But I can’t. Things are, surprisingly, going according to plan. If I carry on—hold the line—I’ll have him exactly where I want him.

“Not always,” I reply, tilting my head. “And I’m right here.”

We’re sitting next to each other, with only a small gap between the couch and my chair, sotechnically,that’s true.

“Yeah, never mind,” Aiden mumbles, and—oh Goddess, it takes everything inside of me not to climb into his lap, wrap my arms around him, and apologise until I go hoarse.

A piece of me worries about this ending badly, but I don’t think it physically can. In the worst-case scenario, Aiden would unknowingly escapemy trap, and we would go to sleep. Our wolves would be horny tomorrow, but at least I could tell Alex I tried.

In another case, he got riled up enough to break the ban and took care of all of this for us. But in the best case, things will go my way.

I lean against the arm of the chair and I pretend to watch the action movie Aiden turns on, putting as much distance between us as I can without it lookingtoodeliberate.

Waves of discomfort ripple through our bond and I feel his eyes on me throughout the movie. He doesn’t speak though—until I fold my legs, and my propped foot ends up closing the distance between us.

Aiden wastes no time and slides a hand over it, his touch gentle and surprisingly innocent, but I still draw it away. He stiffens, his stare burning a hole into the side of my head while I keep my attention on the screen.

After a minute, he reaches for me again.

“Aiden, stop,” I scold, feigning annoyance as I unfold my legs and shift just out of his reach.

I swear I hear his heart stop, but even if that’s imagined, there’s no mistaking the way his jaw drops. Honestly, I shocked myself as much as I did him, but I cling to my cool front, digging claws into it, because I can’t afford any slip-ups now.

Not even a minute later, Aiden springs to his feet.

I look up at him, heart plummeting in the torturous seconds that pass before he steps forward and slides himself onto my lap. Turning itself around, my heart pushes itself into second gear.

“What are you doing?” I ask while Aiden buries himself into my neck. “Aiden,” I groan like I’m not mentally fist pumping right now.

“I just want to be closer to you,” he whispers as he breathes me in.

“I—”

“Please,” he begs, voice cracking as his grip tightens like I might disappear.

Moon Goddess, save me, he’s adorable.

“Okay,” I say, letting my hand fall to his back.

My touch is gentle, but he still jerks a little, making me smile as I rub his back. Releasing a measured breath, Aiden snuggles himself into me, not even bothering to watch the movie anymore. I don’t comment on it because I’m not watching it either.

I focus on maintaining my soothing touches while I let my other hand slide over his thigh. It’s slow, too slow to suggest anything overt. But the way his breathing staggers in my ear suggests otherwise.

My attack on his body is a silent one, but still deadly. I trace his most sensitive spots, and He melts in my arms as I coax his body to wake for me. It’s subdued at first, harsh breaths that morph into low moans as my fingers pass over every inch of exposed skin.

By the time the movie finishes, he’s panting and his gaze is basically dripping in lust.