Page 45 of Crossed Fates

Once inside, I left him in the foyer to go grab a pair of jeans and a long-sleeved cotton shirt. Hardt had made himself at home in my kitchen when I returned, his hands all over my fridge as he searched for something.

When he pulled out two beers, I cautiously accepted one, then stared at him as I popped off the tab. “How’ve you been?” I didn’t actually care, but it seemed like the right thing to ask.

“Good,” he replied. “Well, minus… everything.”

“You mean my brother being murdered?” I arched a brow. “Yeah, that sucks.” Dick thing to say, but I wasn’t in the mood for small talk right now.

He didn’t flinch, but his brow did come down. “Look—”

“Alaric?”

My body stiffened—allof my body—at the sound of Makayla’s husky voice. The way she said my name reminded me of hot, sweaty sex. She joined us in the kitchen, and I nearly swallowed my tongue.

That towel… needs… to drop,I thought, eyeing the too-small fabric wrapped tightly around her long, lithe frame. She had her arms folded across her chest, accentuating her full breasts and providing a sinful display of creamy flesh.

Hardt released a low sound, almost like a growl.

And I found myself wanting to march into my living room to wrap Makayla up in a blanket. Shifters were usually pretty cavalier about nudity, but something about him seeing her in this state had all my hackles rising.

Which smacked of jealousy, and that irritated the hell out of me.

“What do you need, Makayla?” The question came out in a harsh tone, my wolf striving for dominance as I attempted to force him to heel.Not. Now.

Her eyes narrowed, but she smiled—a smile I imagined would shrivel a lesser man’s balls. “I don’t have any clothes.”

Oh, right.I set my beer on the counter and stalked past her without another look, going straight to my room. After searching through my things for something small enough to fit her, I finally found a T-shirt and a pair of sweatpants that were too feminine to have been mine at any point, which probably meant they belonged to a girl I’d slept with on those rare occasions when I’d come home. For a brief moment, I wondered if that would bother Makayla, then chastised myself for caring at all.

Clothes in hand, I retraced my steps to find that Makayla had stolen my beer. She’d also ventured from the kitchen into the living room. Hardt must have followed her because now he stood near a window. He was smiling and his eyes were undressing her—not exactly difficult in her skimpy attire—and possession welled up inside me.

I hated Hardt for ogling her.

I hated myself for being jealous.

And I hated Makayla for being so damn gorgeous.

To her credit, she looked uncomfortable, which should probably have made me less of an asshole. But I was agitated and feeling hostile. And since I couldn’t show weakness by attacking Hardt, Makayla became my target.

I reclaimed my beer and set it on the table. Then I slapped the clothes against her stomach, gripped her elbow, and walked her into the hallway.

“You should cover up the goods, or we might get the wrong idea and you’ll find yourself being double-teamed,” I drawled. Then I raised an eyebrow suggestively. “Unless you’re into that kind of thing, then by all means, baby, drop the towel.”

Makayla rolled her eyes and marched past me. “In your dreams,mate,” she tossed over her shoulder. I snagged her arm before she went too far and maneuvered us around until I had her pressed up against the wall. I shackled her wrists with my hands and held them above her head, letting the clothes and towel pool at our feet.

“Oh, I’m sure I’ll dream of you tonight. But it won’t be about sharing you. It’ll be about chaining you to my bed and using your body like my own personal playground.” I placed my lips at her ear and ground my erection into her naked mound. “And you know what I’m going to do, Makayla? I’m going to make you climax over and over until you beg me to stop. Or maybe I’ll push you to the edge, only to drag you back down, then do it again and again until you beg me to let you come. Either way, you’ll beg, baby. You’ll crawl, too.”

Makayla scoffed, but it came out breathy, almost like a moan. “Not happ—”

“Are you sure, sweetheart? Because I’m willing to bet you’re fucking drenched right now.”

She sank her teeth into her bottom lip, drawing my gaze to the freshly healed skin. My wolf growled in disapproval, eager to bite her again and ensure the claim lasted this time.

Then she shook her head, denying her arousal.

I smirked, fully aware of the lie. “If you’re not dripping for my cock, then you won’t have any need to get yourself off, will you?”

Her jaw hardened, her teeth digging deeper into the pink flesh. “Nope,” she managed to croak.

I shrugged and released her. “Okay.”