Page 37 of Hunted Temptation (Alpha Nights: Unlikely Heroes #4)

MARLOWE

Protect, care for, love, and honor. Those are some seriously huge promises, and I want them all to come to fruition. Every single one of them. I love everything Hale said last night.

Simply everything .

Inwardly, I begged for him to kiss me last night, but he didn’t.

I don’t know what he’s waiting for, but I need him.

I need to feel him inside me. Stellan wakes me up early, though I know it’s not time for anyone in their right mind to get up for the day, so I feed him a bottle, change him, and rock him back to sleep.

Slowly, I place him down in his crib, praying to everything that is holy he doesn’t wake up during the transfer. Thankfully, he doesn’t. I stand from the crib, slip out of the bedroom, and stand in the hallway.

Shifting my attention down the hall, I sink my teeth into my bottom lip as I take in the closed door at the end. I know exactly where that door leads. I’ve stood outside it a million times, contemplating slipping inside to nose around at his things. I haven’t ever done it… But I wanted to.

That’s not what I’m contemplating right now, though.

He’s there, lying in that big bed all alone and asleep.

All alone. My feet move without my brain directing a single move.

In fact, I turn my whole brain off, shut it down completely as I reach for the doorknob and gently twist it, pushing the door open and slipping into the darkened bedroom.

I’ve completely lost my mind, but I’m going to be marrying this man.

I’ve never been a sex-crazed person. Even when all my friends were going crazy over boys, I wasn’t interested.

I blame my at-home traumas for that, but I have to put all of that behind me, because this is marriage, this is my life, my future, and my son’s, too.

I leave the bedroom door open to cut any necessary noise and also so I can hear Stellan in case he wakes up, but I really hope he doesn’t. The way he is, though, he could get going and ruin this whole thing.

As I move toward the bed, I try to go slowly. I contemplate taking all my clothes off on the way, but decide against it, because this is out of the norm for me. Taking off my clothes would be extreme.

When I crawl into bed beside him, I am careful with my movements so as not to wake him up.

But before I even make it to the top of the bed to lie beside him, he’s rolled over and wrapped his arms around me, rolling us so that I’m on the bottom.

I gasp at the move, my eyes widening as he hovers above me.

“What are you doing, sweetheart?” His voice is husky and so sexy that I have to press my thighs together to attempt to alleviate the ache between my legs.

“I don’t know,” I exhale.

He hums, lowering his head. His mouth so close to mine that they almost touch, yet they don’t. Instead, he’s so close that I can feel his warm breath fan over my face. I don’t know if this is the wrong move, but I make it anyway.

“If we’re going to be married…” My words trail off.

He laughs softly, lowering his face so his lips barely touch mine. My heart slams against my chest, and my belly tingles. I don’t know what is happening. I feel like my body is being set on fire from the inside out.

“Then we need to be together?” he asks.

God, I feel so stupid. I shouldn’t be here.

My face heats as I try to think of something to say that doesn’t make me sound dumb.

But I have a feeling nothing could save me at this moment, so instead I press my lips together.

I know my cheeks are bright red, and I’m glad the room is dark so he can’t see them.

“Because I agree, Marlowe.”

Before I can respond, although I have no idea what I want to say, he slams his mouth against mine. My lips part in surprise. He takes the opportunity to slip his tongue inside my mouth and taste me.

Oh.

My.

God.

Amazing.

HALE

Gliding my hand down the center of her body, I slip my fingers between her legs, pressing them against her pussy.

Marlowe makes a noise in the back of her throat, and I begin to apply a bit more pressure.

She whimpers, and I am forced to pull my mouth away in an effort for both of us to catch our breath.

I hook my index finger in the center of her panties and tug them to the side. Slipping my finger through her folds, I grunt at the wetness that greets me. She’s soaked. I swirl my finger around her clit in circles. She lifts her hips, meeting my strokes.

Shifting up slightly, I look down at her as she begins to move beneath me. I want to watch her come, but before that, I need to taste her. Reluctantly, I slip my hand from between her legs. I hear her let out a noise of frustration, no doubt because she was climbing closer to the edge.

As I move down her body, my lips touch her skin, my tongue flicking against her, tasting her sweet cunt. Perfection . Complete fucking perfection. If I was on the fence about marrying her, I’m not now. I could taste this sweetness every day until I die and be blissfully happy.

She lifts her hips, meeting my tongue’s strokes, then I feel her fingers bury in my hair, gripping the strands tightly. “Hale,” she exhales. “So good.” Her words come out in breathy pants as she climbs higher and higher. “I’ve never… Oh my god. Please. I’m going to come.”

And then she does.

Her taste floods my tongue.

Closing my eyes, I lap up every single drop.

Once her breathing returns to normal, I turn my head to the side to touch my mouth to her thigh before I move up her body. My cock is hard and ready for her. I want to slam into her and pound her into this mattress.

I don’t do that, though.

I may not know much about women and babies, but what I do know is that she hasn’t had sex since Stellan was born, and she likely wouldn’t want me fucking her hard and fast. Shifting myself forward, I move so that the head of my cock is pressed against her center.

She lifts her hips, and I slip inside her, just the tip. My eyes close slowly, and my arms tremble as I hold my body above hers. I am trying really fucking hard not to just ram into her.

Marlowe’s hands grip my biceps, her nails digging into my flesh as I slowly sink inside her warm center. My eyes focus on hers, and I watch as they close as she lets out an exhaled sigh while I slide completely inside her. I stay still, allowing her to adjust to my size.

“Yes,” she breathes.

Lowering my head, I touch my mouth to hers, tasting her as I begin to rock in and out of her tight heat. After a couple of strokes, she begins to relax and then lifts her hips to meet mine.

I move, trying to keep my thrusts even and in a controlled tempo. It is taking every single fiber of my self-control to keep from fucking her hard. With each thrust, I grind my pelvis against her clit, which causes her to whimper. She continues to lift her hips, meeting mine with each stroke.

Every fucking stroke is perfection. Her pussy is perfection. I touch my mouth to hers again, slipping my tongue inside her, tasting her fully and wholly. I’m on the edge, so close to falling over. I could come instantly, but I’m trying to hold back. I’m not sure how much I’ll be able to.

She moans.

I match that moan, grinding my pelvis against her clit until I feel her legs trembling, and then my control, the loose hold I had on it, snaps. I fuck her. Hard and fast. My hips thrust in and out until my orgasm takes over. Burying myself deep inside her, I come.

Hard.

My arms tremble as they threaten to give out. Lifting my head, I look down at her, my gaze searching hers. “Be my wife,” I whisper.

“Yes,” she exhales.

Gently, I pull out of her and roll onto my back, but I don’t stay there for long. Quickly, I reach across the bed and gather her in my arms, holding her against my side. She rests her cheek against me, her arm slung over my waist.

I run my fingers up and down her back as I breathe. Fuck. I don’t know how this happened. I fell in love with the woman I’m going to marry.

Fell deep in fucking love.