Page 16

FIFTEEN

Alexia

When I wake up the next morning, Xander’s arms are wrapped around me, our legs tangled together in a mess of limbs—and we’re naked. I’ve woken up in his arms before, but never quite like this. The hardness at the small of my back tells me that he’s enjoying this position as much as I am, and I smile as I take his hand and slide it down to cup my breast. My nipple hardens just from the touch of his palm, and I bite my lip to hold back a hiss. Keeping my lip safely between my teeth, I push back against him and close my eyes when I’m reminded of just how big he is and what he did to me in the truck bed the other night.

His thumb brushes back and forth and I feel his lips pull into a smile next to my ear. “Tempting little wolf, you had me going out of my mind last night.” He grinds his hard cock against my ass. “And now I have you in the flesh.”

I turn my head and smile up at him. “It feels good to have your hands on me first thing in the morning.”

I’m quickly learning that this man doesn’t disappoint. He pulls on my nipple, causing me to arch into him. Taking advantage of my stretched torso, he glides his hand between my legs. The sensation of his finger tracing my seam and his naked body pressed into mine already have me aching.

“Xander,” I groan, clenching around his fingertip. “I can’t tell you how much it turned me on to be near you all night in—” He pushes his finger further in and adds a second, making me inhale sharply before I continue. “in wolf form. I’ve never been aroused during the full moon before, and goddess, I needed you so bad.”

He runs his tongue along the side of my neck, and I shiver. “You don’t understand how much I wanted you, Alexia. How badly I wanted to claim you , make you mine.”

“It felt different than just being turned on, though. It felt even different than it does now with you. It was more intense. Do you know what I mean?” I ask, my voice pitching higher when he adds a third finger.

“Yes. But I have to be honest... right now, all I’m thinking about is this pretty pussy and how good it would feel around me. Last night, I wanted it to be mine. I wanted you to be mine, Alexia.”

My hips buck, following the steady pace he sets, his thick fingers deep inside me and his breath at my neck. And his words... he wants me. The knot in my stomach pulls taut. And in a matter of seconds, he has me covering his fingers in my desire.

“You were already so wound up for me, weren’t you?” he teases in my ear, and I smirk.

Turning over to face him, I grasp his hard-on in my fist and squeeze, drawing a whimper from his lips. “It would seem that you’re wound up too, sir,” I say, tugging on his shaft before rubbing my thumb over the slit on his tip. “Cock already leaking for me and everything.”

He thrusts into my hand and whispers, “Say it again.”

I replay my words and cock a brow when I think I stumbled upon what has him pulsating in my hand. “What? Sir?” He moans as the word leaves me with a sigh. “Or I could just call you daddy.”

He groans, and it’s a sound laced with pure bliss. I’m not surprised to learn that the things that turn him on drift into the forbidden.

Good thing they turn me on too.

“Is that a yes, daddy?”

“What do you think, Alexia?” he growls as I speed up my efforts on his cock and lean forward to kiss him.

“I think I just found a new nickname for you that’s about to have you coming apart all over my hand,” I whisper against his lips.

He presses his thumb to my clit, taking me by surprise as his fingers move in and out of me at rapid speed. “Only if you come with me.”

“Yes,” I moan as my body grips onto him, unraveling all over his hand, even after I just came a few minutes ago. It doesn’t matter. With Xander, I think I could come all day long and never get tired of it.

“That’s my good girl. You did so well for me,” he says, warm ropes of his cum decorating my hand.

“I love to hear you talk like that,” I say before I can stop myself, and he grins as he reaches over to the bedside table and pulls a tissue from the box, cleaning up our hands and his stomach.

“Good, because I don’t think I can hold back with you, Alexia. Something about you just makes me come unglued,” he says, tossing the tissue in the trash can. “Don’t move.” He jumps up and puts on his robe before disappearing into the hallway.

He’s back in a few seconds with a warm washcloth, cleaning me up so gently that it nearly brings tears to my eyes. He looks up at me and must see the emotion swirling in them because he says, “What’s the matter, baby?” He tosses the cloth to the side and crawls up to me, cradling my face in his hands.

“Nothing!” I say, placing my hand on his chest. “It’s just that no one’s ever—cleaned me up before. Not even with a tissue, much less a warm washcloth.”

“What I’m hearing is that you never had a man take care of you. I want to do all the things that make you understand how much I’m growing to adore you. And not just the sexual stuff. I want to hear about your day and listen to you rattle on about your favorite pastimes. I want you to take me on adventures to learn everything there is to know about you. I want to know you inside and out, and when I think I have you all figured out, I look forward to you surprising me with something new.”

My heart skips a beat, and I pull him down to my lips so I can kiss him. “That sounds perfect.”

And no part of me regrets that desire. None.

“Work out?” I laugh. “Here’s something new for you, babe. I don’t work out.”

Xander crosses his arms over his chest and glares at me. “I don’t care if you work out or not. I’m not leaving you up here by yourself. You can bring your book and your rocky road ice cream downstairs and enjoy it right there where I can see you.”

I smirk. “How’d you know I was going to eat some rocky road?”

He cocks his head to the side. “Really? You eat it every night after dinner. It’s been your favorite ice cream since you and Carrington were kids.”

The fact that he remembers that makes me weak in the knees, but I stand my ground. “Okay, that’s cute that you remembered. One point for you. But it smells down there. Like boys and jockstraps.” He snorts but I keep talking. “I’ll be fine. It’s not like you’re leaving the house or something.”

“I just—” He brushes his fingers through his hair and blows out a breath. “I know you’ve been thinking about the Jeep and what happened at the overlook that night. I want to keep you in my sight and safe. I don’t want you to be scared.”

My heart melts. “How did you know I’ve been thinking about it? I haven’t said anything.” I thought I’d been good about hiding it, but I guess not. Or he’s just that good at reading me already.

“Alexia, I know you. I can see when you’re in your head. And I can just tell you’re still thinking about it.” Raising a brow, he asks, “Am I wrong?”

I roll my eyes. “No. But still. It will be fine. Carrington is here, and we can catch up on some of our favorite trash TV. Things have been rocky between us since I got here, and some best friend time might do us some good.”

The way he gnaws on the side of his cheek tells me he is struggling with this, but he relents. “Please don’t let her talk you into going anywhere.”

“Don’t start waving red flags, Xander,” I say, turning to walk away and waving at him over my shoulder. “Enjoy your workout.”

“Beautifully impossible woman,” he grumbles before heading toward the doorway to the basement.

I shake my head and go to the freezer, bringing truth to his prediction by pulling out the ice cream and helping myself to a few scoops. Carrington comes into the kitchen just when I’m finishing up.

“Hey, Care. Want some ice cream? I thought maybe we could watch some Netflix tonight if you aren’t doing anything.”

She looks at me dubiously. “You mean you aren’t stuck up Xander’s ass tonight?”

I heave a sigh and set the ice cream scoop on the counter with a clatter. “Carrington, how many times do we have to go over this?”

She matches my posture and leans over the counter. “Maybe one more time because I still don’t get it.”

Gritting my teeth, I nod once. “Fine. You don’t have a mate yet, but I want you to put yourself in my shoes for a second. Okay?”

“Okay,” she says, and I’m surprised she’s so willing to be empathetic.

“Let’s just say you went through the cleansing. You were on parade for the entire ceremony, and you thought you found your mate.” She opens her mouth to speak but I hold up a finger to silence her. “No, I’m not done. You thought you found him, and just when you thought you were getting somewhere with him, his father attempts to force him to sleep with you. Then after all that, he literally runs away . He disappears. Poof . He rejects you in the most embarrassing and honestly, impersonal way. Carrington, would you really be hanging around hoping he’ll come back? The only reason I haven’t left is because my parents would be so disappointed. And honestly, Xander. Because it sure as hell hasn’t been your hospitality the last few days!” I blurt, and even though I didn’t mean to say it, I’m glad I did. She needs to know how I feel.

Rejection—and not even the kind from a mate—is one of the hardest things for me to deal with. And she knows that. She’s known that since we were kids. And her treating me the way she has since I got here, taking everyone else’s side but mine most of the time... it’s felt like rejection. I don’t expect her to necessarily “get it,” but I thought she could at least understand how I feel and respect that as my best friend.

“I understand that what Kai has done is crap. I really get it. But do you understand that he is my twin, the person who has been here for me my entire life? I’m between a rock and a hard place, Alexia. You’re my twin’s mate and my best friend. I want what is best for both of you. I don’t want him doing what he’s doing, but I think you’re treading on dangerous ground with Xander.”

“There’s no dangerous ground being tread on because nothing’s going on between me and Xander,” I lie, and even though it’s to protect us, denying the depth of my feelings for him out loud pains me.

She holds up her hands in surrender. “I’m not saying there is, but you’re hurt and he’s disconnected himself from his family. Raw emotions like that lead to stupid decisions. I would hate to see either of you in trouble.”

The desperation in her voice pulls at my heartstrings. This isn’t just about Kai. It’s about me and Xander. And this entire fucked up situation. She is literally stuck between all of us, and I’d never make her choose. Never.

“Well, you don’t need to worry about it. I’m just trying to get through the day, Carrington. That’s all.”

She sighs and runs her fingers through her hair, and she looks exhausted. “Okay. I just love you all too much to watch you self-destruct.”

“ I’m not going to self-destruct. I don’t know what everyone else is doing,” I joke, and she cracks a smile. “But I’m going to be okay.”

“All right. Listen, I think I’m going to go to bed, and we can start over tomorrow,” she says, covering her mouth as she yawns.

“Sounds good. I do love you, Carrington. Even when you’re mad at me.”

She comes around the island and pulls me into a hug. “I’m not mad at you. I just worry about you. I love you too.” She takes a bite of my ice cream and leaves the kitchen, waving over her shoulder.

I take my bowl and turn off all the lights except for the side table lamp next to the couch. With the remote in hand, I flip through the television until I find my favorite comfort show.

As I settle in with an episode of Cold Case Files , my thoughts turn to my best friend. I know Carrington can’t truly understand where I’m coming from with all of this, but to be fair, I can’t completely understand her point of view either. We just have to do our best to compromise in this situation.

Sometime between finishing my bowl of ice cream and one episode of Cold Case Files , I must have dozed off because a new episode has started. I click the TV off, pick up my bowl, and head into the kitchen.

But when I turn to make my way into the dimly lit room, an arm wraps around my throat from the back, causing me to drop the bowl, ceramic shattering to the wood floor.

I start to scream, but the person claps their hand over my mouth and says, “If you scream, I swear to the goddess I’ll snap your neck.”

My eyes widen and I thrash around, fighting to get away from whoever this is, whoever has snuck into the house to attack me. I don’t scream, but I do attempt to speak, begging him to let me go in a muffled voice that doesn’t even sound like words.

“Stop fighting me, woman,” he grunts, fumbling in his pocket for something. And when I feel the cold metal of a blade against my throat, I freeze. “That’s it.”

A chill runs through me. Something about this voice sounds familiar, but I can’t place it. I move again in one more attempt to set myself free from his grasp, but this time, he isn’t so kind with the knife.

He runs it along my skin and cuts the sensitive curve of my neck, not deep enough to kill me but deep enough to hurt. Tears leak from my eyes, and he slams me against the wall, trapping me between it and his bulky body.

I can’t see anything. He’s wearing a ski mask, a hoodie, and gloves. No part of his skin is showing and the only thing I can make out are his eyes. But they’re an unnatural white color. Contacts. It makes him even more terrifying.

“Listen here, bitch, you’re going to do what I say, and you’re going to do it now,” he demands, and I nod, just wanting to keep him happy enough that he doesn’t slit my throat. “Is there anyone else in the house?”

Immediately, I know I have to lie, shaking my head vehemently.

“I’m surprised your watchdog left you alone.” He slides the blade against the other side of my throat. Warm liquid flows down and along my collarbone. The sting left from the slice burns. Tears stream down my face. I have no clue how deep he cut, but it doesn’t matter. My attacker is far from done.

“You’re useless to me. Every drop of value you have vanished when you fucked this all up,” he says, his hot breath fanning across my cheek.

I struggle against his hold, fighting not only the threat to my life but this man’s hateful words. He is ripping into me in more ways than one. I thrash in his arms, flailing my feet as I scratch at him. The decorative table behind the couch screeches against the floor as I kick it. The vase on top tumbles to the ground, shattering and leaving water and flowers scattered across the floor, startling him enough to lift his hand from my mouth for a moment.

“Let me go,” I scream, doing anything I can to make a ruckus.

He drags me along with him as he heads toward the back door. If he gets me outside, all chances of survival will vanish. I will be as good as dead.

Carrington bounds into the room then, and her eyes widen when she realizes what’s happening. “What the actual fuck is going on? Let her go!”

The man points the knife at my chest and says, “Take another step, blondie, and I’ll stab her through the heart.”

A sob wracks my body. “Please stop,” I beg, more tears slipping down my cheeks. “You don’t have to do this.”

He laughs, a sinister sound that will haunt me for the rest of my life. Looking down at me, he hisses, “Oh, but I do. And now I’m going to have to kill her too because she’s seen me.”

“But she can’t even see your face?—”

He’s talked too much though, run off at the mouth for too long and not paid attention to Carrington. When I hear the click of the safety, I know she had time to slip into the hallway where the gun safe is. Thank the goddess. As long as he doesn’t have a gun too.

“Let her go, asshole. Now, or I will shoot you. And get the fuck out of my house,” she growls, and something about the way she says it must convince him because he tosses me hard to the floor and darts out the back door.

My knees hit the wood hard, and I cry out, blood pouring down my neck and slipping onto my arms to drip on the floor. “Fuck,” I gasp, trying to catch my breath.

A bang comes from down the hall, causing me to almost jump out of my skin. It doesn’t take long for me to realize that it was the basement door hitting the wall. Xander rounds the corner and stops dead in his tracks. He goes wide-eyed as he stares down at me. Sweat drenches his shirt and he heaves for his next breath.

“Alexia! What the hell happened?” he says, rushing to my side and dropping to his knees.

I open my mouth to speak, but the pain in my neck still has me stunned, so Carrington fills in the blanks. “I heard some noise down here, so I came down to check, and some man was in here, dragging her toward the back door. He had already sliced her throat, and she was bleeding. He told me he was going to kill us both if I made a move, but Lex distracted him long enough for me to grab a gun. I pointed it at him, he threw her down and ran out the door. I don’t know what happened before that, she’ll have to tell you when she calms down a bit.”

Xander growls and says to Carrington over his shoulder, “Go get me the first aid kit, please. In the hallway bathroom.”

“Okay, I’ll grab a towel and a new shirt for her too. That one is all bloody,” she says, darting out of the kitchen.

He whispers heartfelt apologies as he examines my wounds. Every whimper and hiss out of my mouth sends him on a new plea for forgiveness. It hurts when he touches the cuts, but he is also so gentle with me. “The cuts don’t look deep enough for stitches, but they’re bleeding pretty bad.” He grabs a paper towel from the roll and applies pressure as he keeps asking me questions. “Are you having any trouble breathing?”

“No,” I say, running the backs of my hands over my wet eyes.

Xander pulls me into his lap and rocks me back and forth. “Fuck me for leaving you alone. I’m so sorry I lost track of time.”

“It’s not your fault, Xander,” I say, meaning every word. “I’m not upset with you. You didn’t hurt me.”

He brushes my hair out of my face and presses a kiss to my forehead. “Who was it?” he says suddenly as Carrington comes into the room with the supplies in her hands, dropping down next to us. “Who did this to you? Did you recognize him at all?”

“No. I couldn’t see anything. He was wearing a ski mask, covered head to toe and even had white contacts in. He kept saying I ruined something, that my blood wasn’t worth a damn thing because I’d messed it all up,” I whisper, watching Carrington unpack the first aid kit.

The two of them lock gazes above me and he says, “Only one person feels like she ruined something.”

“Do not start in on Kai. He would never,” she snaps.

“I never thought he would leave this family behind, yet here we are. He had to be angry to leave the way he did. And what changed to make him want to leave? Mating with Alexia.”

She slams the antiseptic cream into Xander’s outstretched hand. “You are crossing a line.”

“Then who was it?” he demands.

“I don’t know. Maybe it was you. Where were you when this all happened? You just happened to reappear after the fact, all sweaty and out of breath?”

He shakes his head as he runs a wet cloth over my neck, cleaning away the blood. Carrington and I watch him, waiting for his reaction. I know I wouldn’t hold it together too well if someone just accused me of attempted murder, especially of someone I care about.

“I got lost in my thoughts on the treadmill,” he finally says.

I’m a little taken aback. Not that I wanted him to start yelling or anything, but I definitely expected him to say something more like, “Are you out of your mind? I would never hurt Alexia.”

Something about the way he’s responding isn’t sitting right with me.

“That’s it? That’s all you have to say?” Carrington says incredulously.

“What do you want me to say? I think we all know it wasn’t me. And I would be outraged that you just accused your own brother of viciously attacking a woman, but to be fair, I just accused our brother of the same thing, so what would that make me?” he snaps, placing a butterfly bandage over one cut, and then the other. “I should have never left Alexia alone.”

The pain laced in his words hits me hard. I hate seeing him like this. “I told you to go,” I say.

He finishes bandaging me up and sighs. “I had a gut feeling and I should have listened to it. For some reason, someone wants you dead.” He glances at Carrington from the corner of his eye. “I’ll clean this mess up. You get her tucked into bed.”

“Good idea,” she grumbles, helping me to my feet.

Before she leads me out of the room, I look back over my shoulder. “Are you going to?—”

“Yes,” he says, somehow understanding my unspoken question. All I want to know is what he’ll be with me tonight. “Just go get in bed.”

I swallow hard and let Carrington wrap her arm around my waist. I can walk with no trouble, but I am feeling very shaky after that encounter. I’ve never been so scared before, not even during my first shift as a child or when I was being watched in the fitting room.

Carrington’s tucking me into Kai’s bed and is about to turn away to cut out the light when I grab her hand. She looks down at me and says, “You okay?”

“What Xander said, I don’t think it was Kai. I don’t believe he’d do that. Besides, that guy was way too big to be him anyways.”

Carrington sits next to me on the edge of the bed and lets out a sigh. “Yeah, I’d know if it were him, and it wasn’t. And I don’t really think it was Xander either. I was just pissed.”

I can’t help but laugh at the idea of Xander hurting me. “I know it wasn’t Xander. He wasn’t tall enough, and that wasn’t his voice. It was familiar, but... not at the same time.”

She shudders. “I hate knowing someone was in the house like that and we didn’t even know.” She squeezes my forearm and gets to her feet. “Need anything?”

“No, I’m okay.”

“All right. If you do, just call me. Your phone is right there on the nightstand. I’m right across the hall.”

“Got it. Thanks, Care.”

“What are best friends for?”

As she leaves, I am grateful for the precarious truce we’ve called, but I’m still horrified at the fact that I was attacked and wondering who the hell did this to me.