Page 24 of The Bookseller and the Alpha (Witch Twins #1)

Luc

I poured myself a second cup of coffee, and sipped it slowly, letting the bitter flavour bring me to full wakefulness as I slouched in the doorway to my bedroom.

Calypso still slept in my bed. My fingers tightened on the mug as a surge of possessiveness filled me.

My mate was in my bed. Wearing clothes of mine.

I suppressed a purr of satisfaction. I had lain awake for most of the remaining hours of the night after Calypso had changed into my t-shirt and shorts and dropped off to sleep.

I’d been angry. A little angry at her for suggesting that I might peek while she changed, but mostly angry at myself.

Because I had wanted to peek. I had wanted to do much more than peek.

I had wanted to capture that smart tongue, swallow her gasp of surprise and plunder her soft mouth.

My offer to help undo her buttons had been well-intentioned.

She had been hurt and the last thing she needed was being hit on while she was vulnerable.

Most women would freak out when they woke up in a strange man’s bed, but she had handled it smoothly after the first moment of panic.

I thought I had my own emotions under tight control, Beast locked as deep as I could force him. I had been wrong.

I offered to undo her buttons. Then the sweet smell of her arousal reached my nostrils and I came unravelled, Beast roaring to life.

Take her , he had demanded. She is ours.

Need pulsed in my breastbone and I wanted to reach out and haul her against my bare chest. I had locked my arms behind my back, afraid that I was about to lose control.

And because I was angry at myself, I’d snapped at her.

Told her she had insulted me. And my sensitive, beautiful mate had apologised.

She had apologised to me, when I was the one at fault.

I was disgusted with myself. I had promised she would be safe and I had nearly ravaged her like the Beast that I truly was.

Even my dreams had been of her; Calypso riding me, her glorious hair falling around her shoulders, her head thrown back in ecstasy as I pounded deep inside her, filling her, hearing her scream my name as an orgasm took her, before I pumped my cum into her welcoming body.

I’d woken with my cock aching and hard as a rock, pressed against her luscious ass.

The shorts I’d given her had ridden up while she slept, and my hand rested on her bare thigh.

A shower had helped, but only because I’d gripped my cock in my own hands and pumped; once, twice. My release was so intense that I saw stars behind my eyelids and I collapsed against the tiles, breathing harsh in my throat. Water washed away the evidence.

I was a Beast. I didn’t deserve her, but I would never let her go.

I straightened in the doorway when I heard her breathing change.

She is awake, purred Beast. Take her now .

Calypso stirred on the bed, and her eyes fluttered.

I turned my back and went back to the kitchen, toward my open laptop.

Billy had sent me a report overnight, with photos of the damage in the apartment and details of the building’s security.

Which was complete shit. I had taken care of that already.

Then I’d spoken to Sam. His version of the events was similar to Caly’s.

Someone had used a portal to break into my mate’s apartment.

Fucking unacceptable. I rubbed at the ache in my chest. Even with increased security, I wasn’t going to let her stay in her apartment alone until we’d resolved the threat.

And I had no idea who would want to burn that much magic to get to her.

I’d emailed an update to my team but it fitted none of the usual patterns.

Too much magic for a basic burglary, and she wasn’t a high-profile target for a kidnapping.