Page 9 of Confused AF (At First #2)

nine

~ Otto ~

“ A re you sure you’re okay?” Vaden asked when we entered our suite at the hotel. “You’ve barely said a word since we left the convention center.”

It had been a long day filled with a lot of ups and downs—mostly downs—and everything had happened so quickly I still hadn’t had time to process it. My current mood, however, had little to do with the expo or Kassidy Bassiago.

When Vaden had told me to think about our relationship, he had probably meant for longer than a day.

I knew he wanted me to take the time to examine my feelings before making such an important choice, and I respected his concerns.

After all, my decision didn’t only affect my future, but his as well.

While I admitted to getting caught up in the moment back in that conference room, I had still been fully aware of my actions. The mating pull had been intense, making me a little bolder than I might have been otherwise, but I had never felt compelled.

I didn’t need time to know my own heart. I just needed him, and the day’s events had only solidified that certainty.

Through all the drama, Vaden had remained my one constant. When the entire beauty world had pointed a finger at me, he had stood firm and pointed it right back. His faith in me hadn’t wavered, not once, and his unflinching belief had seen me through to the end.

No one had ever looked at me the way Vaden did, and more importantly, no one had ever seen me like him. He made me better, stronger, and he gave me the courage and support to go after the things I wanted.

And what I wanted more than anything was him.

“Otto?” He paused inside the common area to set my makeup cases down on the desk before turning to face me. “What’s going on? Are you worried about Kassidy?”

“No.” I stood in the middle of the room, my arms dangling awkwardly at my sides. “In fact, I’d be happy to never think about her again.”

“Chloe?”

I hated that I’d made him worry, but I couldn’t help but smile at his exasperated tone. “No, not Chloe.”

“Something’s clearly on your mind.” He crossed the distance to stand in front of me, taking my hands in his so I could stop worrying about what the hell to do with them. “Talk to me.”

“I could tell you, but I don’t think you want to hear it.”

And the thought of opening myself up to that kind of rejection after barely surviving an attempted assassination on my career made my stomach cramp.

His gaze sharpened, his eyes narrowing at the corners. “Tell me anyway.”

“So, I thought about what you said,” I told him, keeping my words purposely vague as I tested the waters.

His fingers flexed around mine, but his expression gave away nothing. “And?”

Recognizing that single word as a cautious invitation, I took a deep breath and released it slowly through my lips. “And nothing has changed. I still feel exactly the same way I did last night.”

Vaden nodded, acknowledging that he’d heard me, but he didn’t rush to fill the silence. He just stood there, holding the line, waiting for me to make the choice to cross it or back away.

I stepped forward.

“I don’t care if it’s too fast or too crazy. I love you, Vaden.” It felt good to finally say it. Scary, but good. “That’s my decision. I choose you .”

“That’s all I needed to hear.” Then he palmed the back of my neck and crushed our mouths together, his lips firm and unyielding. “I love you, too, Otto. I think I have from the first moment I saw you.”

The confession crashed over me, warming me, filling me with relief. “This is what I want. You. Us.” I pushed up on my toes to claim his lips again. “I’m ready.”

Our bodies collided, our mouths meeting in a tangle of lips and tongues, the heat of the kiss burning away the last remnants of doubt.

My heart pounded hard and fast against my ribs, my entire body vibrating from the force. A thrill of anticipation raced along my spine, and my muscles coiled tight as need flooded my veins.

We continued to eat at each other as we moved toward the bedroom, hands groping blindly to remove the barriers that separated us. Leaving a trail of discarded shoes and torn fabric in our wake, we stumbled through the door and tumbled onto the bed.

Looping a muscled arm around my waist, Vaden rolled me beneath him, pressing me into the mattress with a possessive growl that made my pulse stutter and my cock throb. I clung to his broad shoulders as he settled between my thighs, trying to ground myself amid the onslaught of sensations.

A strangled groan tore from my throat when my hard length slid between the bricks of his abs. Already on the edge, the pleasure was nearly unbearable, and the steady friction against his heated skin threatened to unravel me.

Maybe because of our fate bond, maybe something else, but every sensation felt heightened, every touch more intense. I couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think. I could only feel, my entire world narrowed to the places where our bodies met.

“Fuck, I love the way you smell,” Vaden growled, burying his face against the side of my neck and inhaling deeply. “I love the way you feel.” His hand slid down my flank, then wrapped around my hip in a bruising hold. “I love the sounds you make.”

I bowed up from the bed with a choked moan when he scraped the tip of his fang over my erect nipple, the small sting of pain sending a jolt straight to my groin.

He continued to torment, mapping every inch of my body with his hands and lips, holding me right there on the edge in that floaty place between pleasure and pain.

When he rolled me onto my stomach and leaned over me to reach for the nightstand, I buried my face against the comforter and whimpered in relief.

I barely heard the click of the bottle cap over the raggedness of my breath, but I still trembled, my body greedy with need and anticipation.

“Fuck, that’s pretty,” Vaden purred as he slid a slick finger along my crease and rubbed against my tight opening. “Deep breath, baby. Relax for me.”

The mattress dipped as he positioned himself behind me, his muscular thighs bracketing mine and his flared crown nudging against my hole. My eyes rolled back in my head, and the air exploded from my lungs when he pushed inside, his thick cock parting the muscles and stretching me wide.

My inner walls spasmed, protesting the invasion, and I screwed my eyes closed as the pressure built to almost intolerable levels. Fuck, he was big, the hard length filling me so completely I didn’t know where I ended, and Vaden began.

“Breathe,” he coaxed, running his hand down my bare back in soothing strokes.

He pulled back, easing off a little, then inched forward again, over and over, until the tight muscles finally gave way. I took a deep breath as the pressure faded and pushed back, rocking into him to signal my readiness.

Vaden started slow, blanketing my back as he set a steady, deliberate pace. His lips ghosted over the back of my neck and across my shoulders, pulling a deep shudder and a quiet moan from me.

Desire swelled, hunger and need clawing inside me, and I pushed into him again, pulling him deeper in a silent plea for more. In response, his tempo increased, his hips snapping hard and fast, driving into me with enough force to push me up the mattress.

I scrambled for purchase, my hands fisting around the comforter as I fought to brace myself. Before I could get a steady hold, however, Vaden’s strong arm encircled my waist and pulled me upright on my knees so that my shoulders pressed against his chest.

Taking my wrists, he lifted my arms over my head and guided them around his neck. I locked my arms in place, clinging to him as he plowed into me, driving us both toward the brink of no return.

His long fingers dug into the flesh around my hips, jerking me back on his cock with every demanding thrust. I teetered, poised on the edge, needing just a little more to push me over.

“Mine,” Vaden growled against my ear.

Just that one word unlocked something inside me, and I instinctively tilted my head, baring my neck in offering and submission. The roar that followed shook the windows and vibrated against my back, the only warning before he struck, embedding his fangs into the apex of my shoulder.

I had expected it to hurt, but I felt no pain. A wave of heat washed over me, stealing my breath and sending currents of electricity racing through me. My cock jerked, my stomach clenched, and Vaden’s name burst from my lips as I came, my cock detonating in ropes of pearly cream.

Dizzy from the pleasure, I sagged against him, barely managing to stay upright as he pumped hard and fast through his own orgasm. His growl of completion reverberated through the room, and his rhythm faltered as he spilled himself inside me, filling my depths with his release.

Still trembling from the aftershocks, my eyes snapped open when the soft end of his tail pressed against my cheek. The insistent pressure urged my head to the side, and I gasped when Vaden claimed my mouth in a hard, possessive kiss.

The taste of copper bathed my tongue, and I swallowed reflexively, my chest tightening as another pulse of heat shot through me. Unable to stop myself, I cried out, the sound muffled against his lips, and the next thing I knew, I was falling, tumbling into the void.

When I came to again, I found myself stretched out on the mattress beside my mate, my head spinning and a curious tingle fluttering over my right palm. I lifted my hand to my face to investigate, a contented smile pulling at my lips when I saw the intricate lines etched into the skin.

My mating mark. Proof that Vaden belonged to me. Only me.

“Yes, it’s permanent,” he teased, his voice quiet and husky. He held his hand up, showing off the matching mark on his own palm. “You’re stuck with me now.”

“Funny, I was just thinking the same thing about you.” Laughing quietly, I curled closer and pressed a soft kiss to his lips. “Lucky for you, I’m exactly where I want to be.”

I drifted into a contented haze, wrapped in warmth and lulled by the steady rhythm of his heartbeat. For the first time in what felt like forever, my soul settled, and my mind quieted, anchored by the certainty of belonging.