Page 12

STERLING

The flood of tabloid gossip continued to flow onto my phone even after our public attack on Violet.

Now that we had public sympathy on our side, the tone had changed.

My relationship with Ariel was now framed in a positive spin.

I swiped at another headline that popped up in my notifications, "Billionaire’s Secret Romance!

then “All about Ariel Hayes’s Super Sexy Romps With Soccer Superstar!

” After so many years in the spotlight, I was used to the public dissecting my life, but I hadn’t expected the fury I felt at Ariel being caught in the crossfire.

I found her in the kitchen, wearing her pajamas decorated in books and Jane Austen quotes.

She looked like she just rolled out of bed, with her blonde curls piled high on her head in a messy bun.

An unfamiliar, but not unpleasant warmth filled my chest at the thought of her being comfortable enough in my home to walk around without a care about how she looked.

Her purple glasses were slightly askew as she stared into her coffee like it held the answers to the universe.

At that moment, I realized that I wanted every morning for the rest of my life to start like this.

There was no one else for me. Ariel Hayes was it.

Dean was right. I had to claim her as mine. My wolf purred in approval.

She glanced up at the sound. Sleepy soft gray eyes met mine, but they shimmered with a mix of amusement and annoyance. “I take it you’ve seen the news already? You’re famous now.”

I let out a snort at her awful joke. “Don’t quit your day job, Hayes.” Then, I became serious again. “I’m sorry for dragging you into the public eye.”

She set her mug down and walked across the room to me. Wrapping her arms around my waist, she looked up at me with those big doe eyes. “I knew the risks when I signed up for this job.”

Bullshit. “You signed up to write a book, not to become the subject of one and have a bunch of vultures pick apart your private life.”

“All jobs come with occupational hazards, Sterling. And if this is what it takes to make us work, then in my opinion, it’s a small price to pay.”

I gathered her closer. Somehow, this tiny woman who foolishly burst into my life and had shown me what it was like to have hope again.

The rest of the day was spent drafting PR statements and dodging calls from Ariel’s friends and family. It seemed like news of our relationship had reached every corner of the country. Each time her phone screen lit up, she frowned and shoved it aside.

The reporters were relentless, camping outside my building like they were fighting for front-row seats at the World Cup.

There was no telling how long Ariel and I were going to be prisoners in my home.

As evening fell, we ordered takeout again, sushi, this time.

We ate in the living room, and I opened up my prize bottle of sake which I received as a gift the last time I played in Tokyo.

Ariel curled up on the couch, typing away on her laptop in between bites while I sat on the floor next to her.

Her brows pinched in concentration whenever she got stuck at a particularly challenging bit of prose and had to stop and think.

Whenever her glasses slipped too far down, she would scrunch her nose adorably.

“You’re staring again,” she muttered without looking up from her screen.

“I’m observing,” I corrected her before picking up a piece of uni sashimi and popping it in my mouth.

The sweet creamy flavor and fresh salty scent of the sea melted on my tongue.

“You’re the one who’s always studying me like I’m some kind of scientific specimen.

It’s only fair play that I get to watch you for a change. ”

She glanced up at me over the rim of her glasses.

It was an innocent gesture, but it made her look like a sexy librarian who was going to scold me for misbehaving during quiet hours.

I bit back a groan at the unexpected image.

My cock throbbed against my zipper. Fuck.

Focus, damnit. Those purple glasses should be illegal.

“Sterling, it’s my job to figure you out. It’s not like you’re an open book.”

Her phone rang again, breaking the moment. Ariel glanced at the screen and groaned. “It’s my mom. Again.”

“You should answer,” I said. Even though every instinct screamed at me to toss the phone out the window.

She hesitated, then picked up. “Hey, Mom. No, I’m fine. Really.” She rolled her eyes. “Yes, I know what the news said. No, he’s not holding me hostage. No, I haven’t hit my head.” Ariel sighed before she paused and listened to the other end. “Because I like him, okay?”

A primal satisfaction flared in my chest at her casual admission.

She glanced over at me for a moment before looking away. “Look, I’ve got to go. See you next weekend, okay? Love you!” She hung up a minute later, tossing her phone onto the couch. “Sorry about that.”

“Don’t be.” I wanted to wrap myself around her like a blanket and devour her lips until every bit of myself was melded with her.

Ariel cleared her throat and stood up. She gathered the empty takeout containers and stacked them inside the delivery bag. She tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear nervously. “I should get some sleep. It’s late.”

I jumped to my feet and grabbed her elbow.

“Ariel.” Her vulnerable eyes gazed at me and all I could think about was kissing her until her lashes fluttered closed.

It was time to stop running. My thumb traced her silky soft cheek and before I could fuck it up and talk myself out of it, I dipped my head and crashed my mouth onto hers.

We were past gentle hesitation. I was ready to take what was mine.

Her breath hitched before melting into a soft kittenish moan.

It wasn’t gentle. Teeth and tongues collided with zero subtlety.

It was fire and need and weeks of pent-up passion crashing into one searing moment.

My hands slid into her hair, knocking her glasses askew as I pulled her closer.

She made a sound against my lips, half-laugh, half-moan, and then we were moving, stumbling back toward the bedroom, shedding layers between frantic kisses.

I backed Ariel against the door, my mouth claiming hers in a hungry kiss.

She tasted like alcohol from the sake and a sweet flavor that was all Ariel.

It was a heady mix that made my blood run hot.

I had to consume her. My hands roamed her body, greedy for every curve, every line.

I was going to possess her, to make her mine in every way.

Her hands clung to my arms, her fingers digging in as she pulled me close. The sting only excited the wolf. It clawed at my chest, testing the boundaries of my control. Mine! The beast roared for me to take her and dominate her. To mark her as ours.

“You drive me crazy, you know that?” I murmured against her lips.

My hands slid up to tangle in her hair. I gripped the blonde curls tightly, wrenching her head back to expose her neck.

She gasped, her eyes widening with surprise and desire.

I leaned down, my mouth finding the soft flesh where her neck met her shoulder.

My teeth grazed the soft spot where her pulse was so close to the surface.

I taunted us both with how easy it would be to sink my teeth in and mark her.

Every untamed instinct roared approval as I imagined my teeth breaking skin, branding her where anyone could see.

Her breath caught in her throat. She pressed her body to mine until her heart pounded against my chest. I released her hair, my hands moving to her blouse.

I undid the buttons slowly, my eyes never leaving hers.

She swallowed hard, her chest rising and falling rapidly as I stripped her bare, one piece of clothing at a time.

Once she was naked before me, I stepped back, taking in the sight of her.

She was so small, so delicate compared to me.

I felt like a monster looming over her, a beast ready to consume her.

Her eyes watched me, wide and eager behind her glasses.

I cupped her generous breasts and brushed my thumbs across her nipples until they hardened into peaks.

She was the perfect blend of soft curves and wild heat that beckoned my hands to follow them.

My palms traced over the gentle curve of her tummy and the dip of her hips, becoming familiar with what was mine.

All mine. Her chest heaved with rapid breaths as I stroked her.

And when her eyes dropped to my belt, my cock jerked in response, as if it felt her touch.

“On the bed,” I ordered, my voice leaving no room for argument. She complied, sitting on the edge of the mattress, and worrying her bottom lip between her teeth as she waited for my next command. She was nervous, but she wanted this. She wanted me.

Her trust in me and willingness to obey was overwhelming.

Every part of my body and brain felt that this was perfect and right.

I stalked towards her and her lips parted in anticipation.

Fuck. Wasting no time, my hands gripped her hips and pulled her to the edge of the bed.

I stood between her knees and felt like a beast, my body towering over her.

The wolf clawed to the surface. Mate her. Dominate her. Mark her.