Page 19 of Forsaken Desire (Ruthless Wolves #1)

I tapped my fingers on the counter, waiting for my break. The front desk had been relaxed for the last two hours. Nothing crazy happening, nor were there difficult customers.

But what I’d gotten sick of was the hushed whispers between Galina and Sasha. It was obvious that word had spread of what happened at the community center.

Lucian was gone in the morning, but he’d scrawled a number on a piece of paper, telling me to call the number and the person on the other end would drive me to work.

As if. I’d walked my happy ass to the bus stop. Today I had an evening shift, so I wasn’t worried about the morning traffic.

The card I’d found on my nightstand burned a hole in my pocket. He was delusional if he thought I wanted any money from him.

I didn’t know what would happen between us, but I wasn’t okay with how he’d handled any of it so far.

“. . . can’t believe she just swoops in and steals someone’s mate.” The too-loud whisper reached my ears.

I stiffly turned toward them and met Sasha’s gaze.

“If you have something to say, say it,” I warned as calmly as possible.

Her eyes widened, making it obvious she never intended to garner my attention like that. I narrowed my eyes while she sputtered.

My upper lip twitched, and I pressed my teeth together so I didn’t snarl at her. Losing control in the middle of work would do me no good. I breathed out slowly and rolled my shoulders.

The click of heels brought my attention to the other side of the counter.

“Take your break, Ms. Garcia,” Ms. Zhao instructed, eyes bouncing from me to Sasha.

I logged out of my account and nudged the keyboard closer to the computer.

With a glare, I met Sasha’s gaze. She kept mine, and I gritted my teeth, forcing myself not to look away.

She matched me in dominance, and the urge to drop my eyes ate at me.

But stubbornness prevailed, and she was the first to look away. Once I mated to Lucian, her dominance wouldn’t affect me any longer—correction, if I mated to him.

I flicked my glare to Galina, and she pursed her lips and looked at the ceiling like it was suddenly incredibly interesting. I strode past Ms. Zhao and toward the elevator.

Lucian would be in his office based on the note he left me.

That he “had a lot to handle.” I huffed and jabbed the button to open the silver doors.

Nerves swirled in my stomach, but I had a right to go shove his card in his face.

He was my fated mate. We were supposed to be one.

I poked the button to the highest floor.

The swoop of the elevator lifting caused my stomach to turn.

The doors swung open, and I stepped onto the carpet.

A ball formed in the pit of my stomach, intensifying the nausea and making me dizzy. I stopped in the middle of the hall, leaning beside the threshold of a slim door leading into the copy room.

My temples hurt like hell. I groaned, rubbing the bridge of my nose.

The swell of dizziness didn’t evaporate, but I couldn’t let myself drown under my nerves.

I breathed in through my nose and exhaled through my mouth.

With my shoulders straight, I strode down the hall, trying not to look out the large windows into the busy, bustling streets illuminated by the lights of the buildings.

The moon beamed through the window, washing me in a comforting energy.

I inhaled deeply and reached the end of the hall that cut sharply to the right.

It opened to an area with a desk and a plastic plant in it.

Behind the desk was wall-to-wall glass, but I couldn’t see through them because of the closed blinds.

Inching a bit closer, I rapped my knuckles on the door.

“Enter.” The barked word jolted me forward. Lucian sat behind the desk, sprawled back in the chair, the top of his button-down undone. “Josephine.” He stood.

“No need to get up,” I replied shortly and walked toward him as I fished out the card in my pocket. I tossed it on the desk, and the heavy metal clattered. “I don’t need your money.”

He frowned and rounded the desk.

“Don’t touch me,” I snapped. A muscle in his cheek jumped, and he shoved his hand through his hair, mussing the strands.

“Allow me to?—”

“No.” I turned my back on him, narrowing in on the shut door. I was only feet away from the exit when arms wound around me, stopping me. His front pressed against my back. I tried to keep walking, but I couldn’t. Squeezing me, he kept me trapped, the long line of his body flush against me.

“Josephine. I was scared.” His blurted words froze every one of my limbs. “I can’t lose you.”

My defenses wobbled.

“I won’t lose you, Josephine. I can’t .” His voice cracked, and my heart splintered with it. I didn’t like my mate in pain. I rubbed the spot on my chest where our bond was easiest to feel.

My time in prison allowed me a hyperawareness of tone of voice. How people said things and the underlying aspects—especially threats. And that sentence was a threat. He wouldn’t lose me, because he wasn’t going to let me go, even if I wanted it.

I growled, keeping my spine straight. He was physically stronger than me. He was a fucking Alpha. Realistically, I wouldn’t be able to escape him if I wanted to . . . but did I want to?

Just as I knew his threat rang true, I knew the pain in his words was true as well.

He didn’t know everything about me either. I was lying to him about who I truly was—a murderer.

Last night, I’d tossed and turned, playing with the idea of not being with him. It hurt, and I didn’t want that.

“Why does she think she still has a claim on you?” My voice broke, and heat flushed my face. The vulnerability in my tone couldn’t be hidden. I was jealous and hurt.

His silence stretched a moment longer.

“Our parents arranged a mating between us when we were children. I went along with it. It was my duty—that had been drilled into me.”

He exhaled so hard his body shuddered. I blinked away the sheen glazing my eyes. He felt so warm against me. My heart hurt. I didn’t want to be without him.

“You promise not to keep anything from me anymore?” My question told him my decision.

“Yes.” He sighed into my hair, his arms squeezing me hard. “Thank you.”

He shuddered.

“I have something to tell you about myself, too,” I said, and licked my lips. “But I can’t right now.”

“You never have to worry, Princess. Nothing you tell me will ever make me sway from you.”

His words were a balm over my fear. My body became goo against him.

I let out a shaky breath. I’d missed the comfort of his arms. Simply being in his presence caused me peace I’d never felt before. With him, I didn’t care about what my memories held. Nor where I’d spent most of the time I did remember.

He cupped my jaw, pressing his lips into my hair. He inhaled deeply, and his cock throbbed against my ass.

“Fuck, I missed you.” He turned me in his arms and clasped my jaw, kissing me like his life depended on it.

His palms slid down to my hips, squeezed, and he corralled me backward until my butt hit the desk. He nestled between my thighs, his arms banding around my body, pressing against me so hard, it cut my breathing off. It felt like he was trying to mold us into one.

His proximity caused our mate bond to vibrate, fusing my chest with heat.

A groan slipped from my lips, and he nuzzled the side of my neck.

Shivers wracked my body, and I moaned, my hips wiggling on the hard surface of the desk.

He popped open my chinos and tugged the zipper.

His hands delved into both my pants and underwear, and he inched them down to my knees, where they dropped to the floor.

He caught my lips, and his fingers delved into my pussy. The touch shocked me even though I knew it was coming. He tipped my chin up, and his tongue flicked against mine, lapping and claiming like I was the last bottle of water in a desert.

All I could think about was his knot and how it had swelled inside me. The utter pleasure that came from it wasn’t something I could ever forget.

He pulled back to rip open the top of his pants and reached inside them.

The zipper sounded loud and mingled with my harsh breathing.

His hands spread my knees, exposing my damp sex.

The bottom of my shirt kissed the top of my thighs, but he grabbed my knees and scooted me to the edge of the desk, making the shirt rise.

He cupped the back of my head and angled me down to see between our legs.

“Watch me take your sweet pussy.” The tip of his wet cock neared my slit. Watching him slide inside me was one of the most erotic images I would ever see. My channel throbbed around him, clamping down on his length. He groaned, and his cock twitched.

Another inch pushed inside, and my lips parted with a breathy exhale.

I whimpered, my fingernails digging into the surface of the desk.

Slick dripped down my inner thighs with his next pump.

I was so wet. The sounds of his cock pumping into me fired through my blood.

My legs twitched, and the pants leaving my lips echoed in my ears.

“Yes, my precious mate. Mine,” he groaned and picked up his pace. “You take my cock like you should. Because it belongs inside you. I am yours, Princess. Always.”

He let go of my neck and pressed forward, his torso against mine as he invaded my space, pinning me.

I sighed, trembling, as my head fell back and I picked my hips up to meet his thrusts. He kept a grip on the nape of my neck.

“I will never again hurt you,” he grunted, thrusting in so hard my teeth clicked together.

The moonlight caught his eyes, and they reflected, making them seem illuminated from the inside out.

He slid his cock inside me, fire rippled across my lips, and I cried out. My legs twitched at his thrust.

“My darling mate.” He continued claiming me, murmuring and groaning in my ears.

I wouldn’t be able to walk straight with how hard he pounded into me, and I couldn’t get enough.