Page 18

I stare after my best friend, wondering if letting her get hauled off by the possessive Alpha is the right thing to do.

“Hey, don’t worry. Nixon would never hurt her,” Flint assures me.

Shaking my head, I glance over at him and wish I could explain all of the jumbled thoughts whirling through my brain.

“Trust me, I know. Otherwise I wouldn’t still be standing here. It’s just…” Looking back over my shoulder, I see no trace of the pair that just caused quite a scene on the beach. “Is it wrong that I’m a little jealous?”

Beside me, Rafferty’s gruff laugh is strained. “You and me both, my man. Fuck. Did you see her ass straining against her dress when she was face down, ass up on Nix’s shoulder?”

Flint rolls his eyes. “Pretty sure we all did, Raff.”

The other Alpha sighs. “I’m going over to the cabana bar to drown my frustrations for a bit. Lord knows I’m not heading back to that house until I know it’s safe, cuz I’ll be damned if I’ll be able to hold myself back right now.”

He stalks up the beach, heading for the boardwalk that will take him closer to the villa. Can’t say I blame him. My own willpower is miniscule at best.

“I’m going to go grab those drinks,” Flint murmurs. “Want to take a walk while we avoid the villa?”

I nod, looking out over the rays of the setting sun shining off the water. “Yeah, that sounds good. Thanks.”

He doesn’t say anything else, just walks toward the bar, and my thoughts shift back to my best friend.

It’s not like I’ve never watched Elle leave with a guy before. I have. On multiple occasions. I’ve been her wingman more times than I can count.

But this is different.

The Alpha that snatched her up like a feral beast has known her for over a decade, long before I came into her life, and he’s spent a bulk of those years denying his feelings. He’s earned a little time alone with her. Assuming she doesn’t fight him on it, that is. But that’s the catch, right? What if she finally gives in to this thing building between her and the pack and no longer needs me ?

“What’s put that scowl on your face?”

Flint hands me a plastic cup of beer and motions toward the water. Without question, I follow. Gentle waves crash against the shore. The sand we kick up gets into my loafers, but I ignore it in lieu of checking out the Alpha beside me.

It’s so easy with him, I realize. Where Raff is ready with a quick jibe and sarcasm whenever I’m around, and Nixon is this large intimidating presence, Flint just resides in the periphery of my thoughts, never being too much .

No, he’s… just enough .

Just enough, what, dumbass?

I wrack my brain, trying to figure that out.

“You’re still pretty lost in thought over there. Should I be worried?”

When my eyes meet his, he’s studying me with this curiosity that lights something wild in my gut. The scruff on his face is nearly a full beard, somehow making him look even more rugged and handsome. His arms fill out his black dress shirt, the ever-present bracelets wrapped around his wrist. One particular charm catches my eye, a rose with a thick visible thorn on its stem, and I suddenly want to ask him what meaning that holds so I can learn all there is to know about the man beside me. Then my gaze catches on the thick thighs straining against the material of his shorts, showcasing the powerful legs that his sport requires.

The hotshot hockey player.

Who in the hell ever would’ve guessed I’d find that attractive?

Not me, that’s for damn sure.

Though maybe I shouldn’t be so surprised. There’s something about him, some inner vulnerability that reminds me so much of Elliott.

“Okay, what is it, Sy? You officially have me freaking out.”

I shake my head, trying to get my thoughts in order. “I’m sorry. My brain is just all over the place. Worry for Elle and wondering what this means for her and me, while also trying to figure out this thing between us.”

His smile makes him look almost boyish. “I want to talk about that last one.”

A grin splits my face, but I keep my eyes forward. “I don’t keep secrets from her.”

He nods, taking a swig of his own beer. “So how does she feel about…” He motions between the two of us. “This?”

I shrug. “She didn’t seem opposed.”

He hums, his lips lightly pursing before he tips the cup back up to his lips. “You should…um…probably know that I’ve never actually done this before.”

My eyes meet his. “Which part?”

“The dick part.”

I swallow down a moan that’s threatening to choke me. I can count on one hand the number of encounters I’ve had with the same sex, both fumbling blowjobs in a bathroom stall to ease aches my best friend created. Not something I’m proud of, but one does what one must to avoid a really embarrassing problem.

“Oh. Well, it’s not like I’ve had a lot of experience with that either. Never anything that went too far, anyway.”

Flint clears his throat.

We’ve walked down the beach to a darkened cove away from the fire dancers and other guests. The sun is nearly gone, the moon not quite fully in the sky, offering a little privacy for this awkward conversation.

“You know,” I begin, needing him to understand I’m not trying to push for more than he’s willing to give. With Elle’s job on the line and our agreement whispering in the back of my mind, I’m a little overwhelmed with everything as it is. “I’m not in a rush. We can?—”

One second, we’re walking side by side. The next, he’s pushing me up against the trunk of a tall palm. With his hand planted above my head, his free hand takes my almost empty cup and drops it somewhere in the sand. Then it slides around to my lower back, and when I glance up, I can make out his blown pupils and the way his nostrils are flaring as he takes a hit of my scent.

His has gone bitter with his nerves, but I still breathe him in. Taste the chocolate on my tongue while a hint of frost lingers on my lips as his breath brushes past them. There’s something about being the sole source of this big, attractive Alpha’s nerves that has power flooding my veins.

“Sy…”

My hands reach up, landing on his hips, pushing under his shirt until I can feel the warmth of his skin.

“What do you need, Flint?”

“I don’t know. I just…”

My fingertips play with the button of his shorts, giving him time to object. When he doesn’t, I push the tiny piece of plastic through the hole and slowly lower his zipper. My fingers slide into the opening, palm caressing against the length of a long, rock hard cock.

“Tell me to stop, and I will.”

“Don’t. I want this. Want you .”

My palm slides up and down, fingers curving around his girth to stroke him slow and steady.

His forehead hits mine. “Fuck, Sy.”

His breath is ragged against my cheek as I lean into him for a better angle. I’m not expecting it when his free hand slides up my neck and cups my jaw. Or when he turns my face until our lips meet. The kiss is slow and hesitant, our mouths moving together as we discover each other.

This is a first for me too. The intimacy of a kiss with another man. It’s always been quick and nameless and impersonal. This… This is not that. He’s consuming my thoughts and igniting my desire in a way only one woman ever has.

He takes the lead, his hand directing my head and maneuvering me until I’m angled just the way he wants. When he licks across the seam of my mouth, my lips part for him, and he greedily takes the opening. His tongue spears in, tangling with mine as we make out like a couple of teenagers. The entire time, his hips continue to rock against my hand until my fingertips skim over his swelling knot.

“Fuck,” he rasps against my mouth, the word ending in a slight chuckle. “I’m gonna come in my pants again.”

“Do you want to come somewhere else?”

His eyes flick to mine, and even in the growing darkness I can see the flash of need that sends fire racing down my spine.

“You want to suck my cock, handsome?”

“Does my Alpha want me to?”

The question is intended as a tease, but something about using that word my has soul-deep yearning sparking to life somewhere deep inside me.

His growl rumbles through the night, making my dick twitch in my pants. I’m so fucking hard I swear I almost come from the sound alone.

“Get on your knees.”

Dropping to the sand at his feet, my fingers wrap around his dick and pull it free. “I’ve only ever done this once before, but I know what I like, so…”

Before he can respond, my lips wrap around him, my tongue darting out to lick away the precum that’s gathered on his tip. The hand on my jaw slides up into my hair, fisting lightly as the veiny underside of his dick slides along my tongue.

“This is going to be embarrassingly fast,” he murmurs after a groan. “Slide your hand into your pants and stroke yourself. I want to come with you.”

It’s not his Alpha bark, but it might as well have been. I comply, undoing my own button and zipper with my hand, then wrapping my fingers around my aching length.

Establishing a rhythm, I work us both into a frenzy, thankful we’re far enough away from the crowd that the sounds we’re making won’t reach innocent ears. Then I take him in deep, roughly jacking myself off as his head hits the back of my throat and my lips press against his knot. Reflexively, I swallow and his fist tightens in my hair.

“Holy shit. Just like that, handsome. A few more seconds. Swallow me down. Every drop.”

He throbs against my tongue as my chest tightens in search of oxygen, but I don’t move. My hand is moving faster on my own dick, my impending orgasm pulling my balls up tight.

“I’m coming! Fuck, Sy.”

With the first splash of his cum down my throat, mine explodes onto the sand, and I’m forced to swallow down his load while I continue to milk my dick for my own.

Seconds that feel like minutes go by as his grip loosens and his thumb absently rubs the spot to soothe the slight ache. When I pull back, I suck in a much needed breath of air, my chest heaving with the power of my release.

He offers his hand, and I gratefully allow him to help me to my feet since I’m not completely sure I could do it on my own with as wobbly as my legs are. Silently, we right our clothes, sharing secret grins any time our eyes meet.

“Think it’s safe to head back?” he asks, grabbing our plastic cups from the sand.

“Maybe we should sit out by the pool just to be sure?”

“Good idea. C’mon.”

We walk back toward the villa, the moon high in the sky. We don’t fill the quiet with any words because none are necessary. I can sense tonight was the beginning of what I hope will be our future. This was fun and easy, a small snapshot of what it would be like to be with Flint. But as much as I enjoyed the ease of our connection, my thoughts shift to Elliott, praying that whatever is happening there is as potent and life-altering because now that I’ve had a taste of them both, I don’t want to give either of them up.