Page 64 of Captivated By Alphas 1, Fated (The Blood Moon Chronicle #4)
The sound I made seemed to flip some kind of switch in him.
His hand on my thigh tightened until I could feel each individual finger through my pants, and I was pretty sure I was going to have bruises tomorrow.
Bruises in the shape of Jace Carmichael’s hand.
Which was… actually kind of hot? When did I develop a bruising kink?
Tonight was just full of surprises about my apparently nonexistent boundaries.
His other hand slid up to cup my jaw, fingers splaying across my cheek while his thumb pressed against my jaw hinge.
The grip was possessive, controlling, angling my head exactly where he wanted it.
I tried to pull back—not because I wanted to stop, but because I needed to breathe like a normal human being—but his hold kept me exactly where he wanted me.
“Jace,” I managed to gasp against his lips when he gave me a microsecond to remember how oxygen worked.
“Mine,” he growled against my mouth, and okay, that should not have been as hot as it was. Since when did possessive caveman declarations make my insides turn to molten lava? Since tonight, apparently. Tonight was a real eye-opener for my previously unknown kinks.
Then he was kissing me again, hungrier this time, his tongue doing things that should probably be illegal in several states.
When I tried to match his rhythm—participate like an equal partner in this makeout session—he bit down on my lip harder.
A clear warning that said ‘sit back and let the professional handle this.’
And God help me, I did. My spine turned to jelly, my resistance crumbling faster than my dignity around the Carmichael family. The surrender felt natural, right, even as my rational mind—what little remained—screamed questions I didn’t have answers for.
When he finally pulled back, we were both breathing like we’d just run a marathon.
My lips felt swollen and oversensitive, tingling from his assault.
His eyes had gone dark, pupils blown wide, and there was something else—a thin ring of gold around his irises that definitely hadn’t been there before.
Was I hallucinating? Had the lack of oxygen to my brain caused me to start seeing things? Or were Jace Carmichael’s eyes actually glowing? Because that seemed like the kind of thing I should probably be concerned about.
“Holy shit,” I gasped, my voice sounding like I’d been gargling gravel. “Jace, I—”
“My turn,” Adrian interrupted, not giving me a chance to finish whatever incoherent babbling I’d been about to spew.
Oh God. There was more. Of course there was more.
Because apparently my evening had turned into some kind of pass-the-Eli game, and I was the prize.
Which should have been degrading but instead made me feel like the most wanted person on the planet.
My therapist was going to have a field day with this.
Adrian’s hand cupped the other side of my face, turning me toward him, and I got a split second to appreciate how unfairly gorgeous he looked in the moonlight before his lips were brushing mine.
But where Jace had gone straight for the nuclear option, Adrian was apparently a fan of psychological warfare. His lips barely touched mine before pulling away, and I found myself leaning forward like some kind of heat-seeking missile programmed to lock on to Carmichael mouths.
“Patience,” he murmured, his breath warm against my lips, and I wanted to tell him that patience was not exactly my strong suit when gorgeous men were teasing me into sexual frustration.
He did it again—another butterfly-light touch before retreating.
Then his teeth caught my already-tender lower lip and nipped gently.
The contrast between the sting and the immediate soothing sweep of his tongue made me moan—actually moan—like I was starring in some kind of supernatural romance novel.
“There we go,” he whispered against my mouth. “Let me hear you.”
Then he finally—finally—kissed me properly, and I understood why he’d made me wait.
This was Adrian’s specialty: building anticipation until you were ready to combust, then delivering exactly what you needed.
His lips moved against mine with practiced skill that suggested he’d had lots of experience making people lose their minds.
Champagne and summer berries flooded my senses, sweet and complex and addictive.
His hands framed my face, thumbs stroking my cheekbones, and I couldn’t help but think that this was probably what it felt like to be seduced by a master artist. Every touch was deliberate, calculated for maximum impact.
He experimented—changing angles, varying pressure, trying different combinations that sent different types of electricity through my nervous system. I could tell he was studying my reactions, figuring out exactly what made me gasp and moan and turn into a puddle of want.
When his tongue stroked against mine while his teeth grazed my lower lip in some kind of perfect combination, I arched against him with a sound that definitely couldn’t be classified as dignified.
“Perfect,” he murmured against my lips, then repeated the exact motion like he was playing my body like an instrument he’d been practicing for years.
My hands fisted in his shirt, pulling him closer as he doubled down on whatever magic he was working.
His tongue danced with mine in a rhythm that had my hips shifting restlessly, heat building between my legs with embarrassing speed.
I was going to spontaneously combust right here in the back seat of Cole’s car, and honestly? Worth it.
His hands started wandering, sliding from my face down to my neck, tracing the sensitive skin there before moving to my shoulders. When they reached my chest, his palms flattened against my pecs through my shirt, and even through the fabric I could feel how warm they were.
“Oh God,” I breathed when he moved to kiss along my jaw. “This is really happening. I’m actually making out with two Carmichael cousins in the back of a luxury car while the third one drives and probably judges my technique.”
“Watches,” Cole corrected grimly from the front seat, his knuckles white where they gripped the steering wheel. “And suffers.”
Adrian chuckled against my throat, the vibration sending shivers down my spine. “Poor Cole. Getting quite the show, aren’t you?”
His fingers found my nipples through my shirt, pinching lightly, and I jerked like I’d been electrocuted. The sensation shot straight to my groin, making me arch into his touch with a gasp that he swallowed hungrily.
“So responsive,” he murmured, doing it again just to watch me react. “I wonder what other sounds I can draw from you.”
Oh, he was evil. Absolutely diabolical. And I was completely at his mercy as he worked my chest through my shirt, drawing embarrassing sounds from me that I didn’t even know I was capable of making.
The car swerved slightly, and Adrian pulled back with a grin that was pure sin.
“Eyes on the road, Cole,” he taunted, his hand sliding beneath my shirt to touch bare skin.
The contact made me gasp and jump because apparently my nervous system had been rewired for maximum sensitivity. His palm was warm and slightly rough, and the sensation of skin-on-skin contact sent electricity racing through me like I’d been plugged into a wall socket.
“Fuck you both,” Cole snarled, his voice rougher than I’d ever heard it. “I’m done waiting.”
“Not if I take it first,” Jace countered, his hand sliding up my thigh with clear intent.
Oh shit. They were about to start fighting over me. This was either the hottest thing that had ever happened to me or the most terrifying. Possibly both.
Before I could even think about protesting—not that I wanted to—Jace’s mouth was on mine again. This kiss was hungrier than the first, more desperate, his teeth catching my lower lip in a bite that made me gasp into his mouth.
My world exploded into sensation. Jace’s mouth devouring mine, his hand gripping my thigh hard enough to leave marks.
Adrian’s palm burning against my stomach, his other hand working my chest like he was trying to drive me insane.
The taste of wine and berries mixing on my tongue until I couldn’t tell where one ended and the other began.
I was drowning, caught between them as they each tried to outdo the other. When Adrian’s lips found my neck, pressing hot, open-mouthed kisses to the sensitive skin there, I nearly came apart completely.
“Please,” I gasped against Jace’s mouth, though I had no idea what I was begging for. More? Less? Different? All of the above?
“Please what?” Jace murmured against my ear, his breath making me shiver. “Tell us what you want.”
“I don’t— I can’t—” Words were impossible when Adrian’s teeth were grazing my pulse point, when Jace’s hand was sliding higher on my thigh, when both their hands were under my shirt now, exploring my skin like they were mapping new territory.
This was insane. This was beyond anything I’d ever imagined. This was three alpha predators focused entirely on driving me out of my mind, and it was working spectacularly.
The car took a sharp turn that sent me sliding, forcing Jace to break the kiss. Adrian immediately swooped in for another kiss that left me gasping and clinging to whatever I could reach.
“Enough,” Cole snapped, and suddenly we lurched to a stop in what felt like a small clearing.
Before I could even process what was happening, Adrian’s door flew open and Cole was there, practically dragging Adrian from the car. “Move,” he growled.
Adrian laughed but complied, sliding out with theatrical grace. “So impatient, cousin.”
Then Cole's hands were on me, gripping my waist like steel bands as he hauled me across the leather seat and out of the car.
His scent hit me like a storm—something rich and dark like amber—making my head spin as the cool night air rushed over my heated skin and my feet hit soft earth and fallen leaves instead of pavement.