Page 3 of Hayes (Alpha Daddies #7)

Chapter Two

As the final words of the ceremony were spoken, Rylee was trembling. She hadn’t expected to be quite this unnerved. She also hadn’t expected to feel so connected to her mate before she’d even seen him. Was he feeling the same…magnetism?

Every inhale drew him into her body. Every breath made her lean closer to him. Thank goodness he’d eventually set his palm on top of her head as part of the ceremony because she’d needed him to support her and keep her from tipping forward.

He seemed to have known it, too. He’d gripped her scalp with his fingertips without a word, keeping her steady. She didn’t think anyone else in the room had been aware of her predicament.

The only people in the ceremonial room besides Rylee and her mate—whose name she now knew was Hayes—were her parents and his. His father, Jonus, had conducted the ceremony. Thank heavens it had been short and was now over.

As both sets of parents left the room, the resounding snick of the door made her flinch.

As if she’d been unable to fully breathe until they were gone, she drew in as much air as she could, shuddering from the experience. The scent of her mate was so strong. His pheromones filled the room. She was confident it was his scent that made her body react.

Rylee had zero personal knowledge about sex.

That’s how it was among girls in the valley.

Very few of her peers had had any sexual encounters with boys.

The marked girls were so guarded by their parents and other adults they never had a chance to sneak around and experience anything.

Some unmarked girls found a way. They slipped out of their homes at night to meet up with guys. They were few and far between.

In addition, Rylee didn’t trust anything she’d heard from any of them. The guys they fooled around with were just as oblivious, so what she’d heard whispered in the halls of school couldn’t be validated.

Rylee’s sexual education had come from her mother. So had Amber’s. Both of them had been given the same lecture. Both had rolled their eyes and groaned when they’d compared notes.

Not enough information.

And yet…

Rylee was panting now that she’d taken a deep breath.

Every inch of her was affected by his scent.

Why on Earth had her mother not told her this would happen?

Every inhale drew more of him into her, making her tremble.

Her breasts felt heavy. Her nipples seemed to ache.

The place between her legs where her mother had told her to expect to take her mate into her body was pulsing and… wet.

All these thoughts and feelings went through her mind in seconds. She was frozen, waiting for her mate to make the first move.

Her gaze was still locked on his black-patten shoes. All she’d seen of him was the hem of his pants and his shoes. His suit was also black. His feet were large. That’s how much she knew about him.

That and his scent…

Finally, his hand slid to her cheek. “Rylee…” He was breathing heavily, too. She could hear the strain in those two syllables.

He squatted in front of her and lifted her chin with his fingers so that their gazes locked.

Her breath hitched. He was so incredibly handsome. Thick, brown hair. Hazel eyes. He had a strong jaw and full lips. He was smiling at her.

She swayed toward him. Her body acted on its own. She wasn’t controlling much of anything.

Hayes easily steadied her with his hands on her shoulders. “It’s powerful, isn’t it, Little one?”

She swallowed, unable to respond. Powerful was an understatement. Her face flushed. Did he realize how affected she was?

“Your knees must be sore, Baby girl. Can I help you stand?”

She found the ability to nod and was shocked when he easily lifted her to her feet in front of the ceremonial pillow she’d been kneeling on. It was impossible to take her gaze off him.

Now that they were both on their feet, she realized how huge he was. Larger than she’d expected from the few Alpha Protectors she’d seen growing up. Far taller than her, and broad.

Unable to resist, she rose onto her toes and reached for his cheek with one hand. He’d shaved recently, but she suspected his beard grew in pretty quickly and there would be a distinct shadow in a few hours.

Hayes cupped her face and set his forehead against hers. When he stroked her mouth with his thumb, she gasped. Her lips parted. Her tongue slipped out to touch his thumb.

His taste… It was exactly what she expected, and that made no sense. It matched his scent, which filled the room. She knew intellectually scent and taste were connected, but she’d never thought much about it.

His gaze slid to her lips, and she parted farther for him, leaning closer to draw his thumb into her mouth. She had no idea what possessed her to do such a thing. She should be mortified, but she wasn’t. She also couldn’t stop.

Suckling his thumb felt oddly natural.

Hayes was panting as rapidly as she was. He stepped closer as his other hand slid to the small of her back. When he suddenly pulled his thumb out of her mouth with a pop, he grabbed her face and kissed her.

Kiss was an understatement. Hayes didn’t just kiss her, he devoured her.

He angled her head to one side and slid his tongue along the seam of her parted lips, demanding entrance.

He didn’t need to. She would give him anything.

She’d already sucked his thumb into her mouth. No way would she turn down his tongue.

And oh heavens… His taste. So much more powerful now that she was licking him. Every inhale continued to draw his essence into her, but she’d never get enough of his flavor.

What was happening? No one had mentioned anything like this. Not the girls at school or her mother. Not a single word about scents or tastes or what would happen to her body when she met her fated mate.

They were moving. For a moment, she thought he was backing her up, but then she realized it was her. She was backing him up. She couldn’t get close enough to him. She wanted more. More of his taste, more pressure. More of things she didn’t understand.

If she wasn’t wearing this stupid dress, she would climb up him. Until just now, she’d thought this dress was the prettiest thing ever, but suddenly it was nothing but a hinderance, keeping her from scaling her mate’s body.

Apparently he didn’t find her dress to be quite such an imposition because he bent his knees, cupped her butt, and lifted her off the floor.

She moaned as she wrapped her arms around his neck and held on, plastering her body as close to his as possible. She wished she could wrap her legs around him, but that wasn’t in the cards, not with the dress and layers of shifts blocking her.

Hayes tucked one forearm under her bottom and smoothed the other hand up under her hair to grip her neck before finally breaking their connection.

He growled. Or maybe it was her. Both she supposed, but his tone was deeper and louder and drowning hers out. “Rylee…” His voice was filled with reverence. He licked his wet lips. “We have to get out of here.”

“Yes.”

“Most Alphas give their new mate a potion so they can sleep on the way up the mountain.”

Rylee frowned. “Why?”

“So they aren’t scared during the journey.”

Her eyes widened. “I’m not scared.”

He blew out a breath. “Good because I don’t want you to sleep for hours after we arrive.”

She didn’t want that either. “Let’s go. Why are we still here?”

He chuckled. “Sassy girl. I love it.”