Page 22

TWENTY-ONE

Alexia

I knew I should’ve listened to my gut feeling when I stopped in front of that first wolf during my cleansing ceremony. I couldn’t have possibly known it was Xander, but clearly, my gut reaction was right. Because from the time Xander talked to me on the porch after the awkward night I spent in bed with Kai, I felt something between us—a connection I couldn’t explain. That had been it. How had I never put two and two together? And even after we got closer, when I wished every minute that it had been him instead of his brother. I never even gave myself the freedom to think I could’ve made a mistake. But to be fair, I’ve never heard of someone making a mistake when it comes to the bond.

It doesn’t matter now. What matters is I got lucky enough for my wish to actually come true.

After what we shared last night, I don’t want to be apart from Xander, and it may sound silly, but I miss him. That’s why I’m already in the bathroom wearing one of his t-shirts out of his dresser, loving the way it swallows me whole. Ready to go find where my mate's gotten off to, I brush my teeth and run a comb through my wild hair; it’s a little tangled from Xander tugging at the strands all night, and I don’t bother taming it.

Setting the comb down on the counter, I go back to Xander’s bedroom and rifle through my purse, looking for my birth control pack. My heart beats faster when I reach the bottom of the small crossbody I packed for what was going to be a quick day trip, and I still haven’t seen it. Dumping the contents on the bed, I tuck my lips between my teeth and hold back the frustrated groan that threatens to erupt from me.

I didn’t bring it. It’s in my other bag. Shit. This wouldn’t ordinarily be a big deal, because I haven’t been sexually active in quite a few months, but...

Last night Xander fucked me ten ways to Sunday. With no protection. And he knotted me. All after I told him I was on birth control. I have to tell him. Right? I mean, I can take it when we get back to the chateau and it will only be a few hours late. Surely it won’t make that big of a difference.

When I venture out into the main living area, I realize I have no clue where he is. Shouldn’t there be some kind of like, mate tracking feature or something? I laugh and shake my head. That’s weird. I don’t think that’s a thing, but?—

I stop short when I hear a familiar buzzing. I follow the sound to a room all the way to the other side of the penthouse. I knock once but he doesn’t answer, so I peek my head inside.

“Xander?”

The room is dimly lit with track lighting illuminating the framed art on the wall. In the far corner stands a sleek desk with a bright lamp shining down on it. The buzzing stops and he looks up with a grin. “Good morning, beautiful mate. Did you sleep well?”

My lips turn up into a smile as I look him over, sitting in a leather chair, shirtless with a tattoo machine in his left hand. It hovers over his right, but he lays it to rest on the tray next to him. His hair is loose and his skin is radiant in the early morning light.

“You’re the beautiful one,” I say, crossing the room and pressing a kiss to his forehead. “I slept better than I have in my whole life. You?”

“You exhausted me. I had no choice but to have a good night’s rest. It also helped that you were wrapped around me all night.”

I did hold onto him for hours. The couple of times I woke up I’d discovered that I’d rolled away from him. That would not do, so I wiggled my way back into his arms and tangled my legs with his. I was determined to keep my hands on him until the sun came up.

“What are you doing?” I ask.

He lifts his ungloved hand, showing me the back of it. Where a ring would go on his fourth finger is a swooping A with an offset R. My mouth falls open at the sight of my initials.

I lock eyes with him and smile. “You are making this very official.”

“I am. I never want to be mistaken as anything but yours.”

Shit, that’s hot. I draw my bottom lip between my teeth and take one step closer to him, tipping his chin up with my finger. “That’s really sexy. I want everyone to know that too,” I whisper, leaning in and capturing his lips with mine.

He groans into the kiss and wraps his arm around my waist, keeping the tattoo machine clear of my body. “You’re going to get me hard, and I need to finish this tattoo,” he says against my mouth, his beard brushing against my nose as a smile graces his full lips.

“Oh? Is that so?” I ask, a wicked idea forming in the back of my mind.

“Yeah. Basically anything you do makes me hard, so...”

I hum in response and drop to my knees, running my palms down his bare chest, stopping when I get to his waistband. Sure enough, his cock is already straining against his grey sweatpants.

“Just go ahead and get back to work, and I'll take good care of you,” I purr, dipping my hand under the elastic and pulling his cock out.

“You’re asking the impossible from me.” His eyes flutter shut as my lips graze the tip of him. He slips his fingers in my hair and pulls me closer as he bucks farther into my mouth.

I draw him in deep and suck hard, slowly pulling away. “Please, I want to watch you work from this position.”

Xander moans as he releases me and picks up his tattoo machine. It takes a little maneuvering on both our parts. I find myself tucked beneath his desk as he leans forward, and the buzzing fills the air. His forehead wrinkles with concentration as I descend on him again and he sets to work. He stops several times to brush his ink-stained hand through my hair and catch his breath. I try to take it easy on him, but it’s so damn hard when I’m addicted to his taste.

I swirl my tongue up and down his shaft several more times, sucking harder and faster, and finally, there’s a clank on the metal tray, signaling he’s done with his tattoo before I’m yanked up onto his lap. I squeak as my legs spread around his waist, open for him to see.

He grins as he strokes his cock lazily, eyeing my soaking wet slit. “I see my naughty mate didn’t bother with panties this morning.”

I smile, slip my fingers into his hair and pull. “Rarely if ever do I bother with panties. You know this.”

“Just another one of the million reasons I love you.”

My heart races at his declaration. Maybe I shouldn’t take it so literally; everything about us is so brand new. But the mere thought of him loving me has my insides melting and a hundred butterflies flapping their wings in my stomach.

“You love me?” I ask, my voice just above a whisper.

“It felt so natural to say.” He tucks my hair behind my ear and studies my face. “I love you so much, Alexia.”

My eyes fill with tears. I’ve never felt so emotional over a man before. It’s one reason I was so unsure I’d ever find the one . Watching my friends fall in love, my brothers find their mates... I never thought I could feel this much for another person. That was until this man walked into my life.

“I love you too. And not just because we found out we’re mated. I think—I think I’ve loved you ever since you talked me through that high-speed chase. I just didn’t think it could ever happen for us.”

He holds up his hand, showing me the finished tattoo. It’s nothing like the art he inked onto my body, but it’s beautiful in its simplicity. “I will always be there to take care of and love you. Being the perfect mate for you is the most important thing to me.”

“You are the perfect mate.” I take his hand and place it between my legs. My fingers cover his as I push two of them inside my aching center. “So fucking perfect.”

We both hiss at the same time, and I take him in my fist. “I need you. Your fingers aren’t enough now that I know what it feels like to have you inside me.”

“I’m at your mercy,” he says, slipping his fingers out of me and sliding both of them between his lips, his eyelids fluttering shut in ecstasy like he’s tasting nectar from the gods.

Right then, I remember the missing birth control pack. I don’t move, frozen in thought over what to do. Xander looks at me with his head tilted to the side.

“What is it? What’s wrong?” he asks.

“I need to tell you something,” I whisper. “Please don’t be mad.”

“What are you talking about?” he asks, pushing my hair out of my face and running his thumb over my lip. “I’d never be mad at you, baby. What’s wrong?”

Taking a deep breath, I rub my lips together and say, “Remember when I told you I was on birth control?”

His eyes darken with an emotion I can’t quite place. “Yes?”

“Well, I am, but I—I went to take it this morning and it wasn’t in my purse. I left it at home. So my dose will be late today and—” My voice quivers but I keep going. “That means I could get pregnant. I probably won’t because it’s not like I’ve missed a lot, but I didn’t—I didn’t mean to mislead you. I just forgot I switched purses and?—”

He growls and grabs me by my waist, lifting me so I’m hovering right over the tip of his erection. “Are you telling me that there’s a chance I could have put a baby in you last night?”

My heart leaps into my throat as I nod. “Yeah, I am.”

“And you thought I would be less than thrilled by that?”

I shrug. “I wasn’t sure, but it didn’t feel right to not tell you.”

“Would you want that?” he asks, lowering me just a centimeter so my clit brushes against him.

I hiss and say, “Yes, I would.”

He leans up to press his lips to mine and whispers, “Sink down on my cock, little wolf. Show me how much you want it.”

When I look down at him, he’s watching where we’re about to join so hungrily that it instantly makes me wetter.

I slide down a little further, just over the tip, and he whimpers like what I'm doing to him is driving him mad. Dropping his hands to my hips, he presses his fingertips into my flesh and squeezes hard. “You like it when I tease you?” I whisper, leaning down and brushing a kiss over his lips, slipping down another inch or so in the process.

“Yes. I’ll gladly let you torture me if it means this tight cunt is the reward.”

He means it. We’re obsessed with each other. As long as whatever we’re doing ends in our pleasure, nothing else matters. It’s a sexy thought to think of all the possibilities, all the things I can do to his body to make him feel good. And no matter how much I tease, I would never deny him this.

I take him fully into my body and rock my hips over him. He wraps a hand around my waist and another around my neck like he refuses to pull out of me now that he’s in.

Using the hand around my neck, he pulls me closer. His tongue drags along my collarbone and up to my ear. “I knew my mark would look good on your skin,” he says, moving his mouth back down and licking over the tender spot he left last night. “Now show me what it feels like to be yours.”

My jaw goes slack at his words, and I grind over him harder, rubbing against his pelvis in the most perfect way. He thrusts up into me, and when he hits that spot inside me that had me seeing stars last night, I cry out his name.

“There you go, baby,” he whispers in my ear. “That’s what I like to hear.”

I clench my walls around him before pulling myself off and then slamming back down, earning a deep moan from him. “Yours is the only name I’ll be crying out like this for the rest of my life,” I murmur as I kiss down his jawline and back up to his lips.

“Good. I just need one more from you. Choke my cock one more time.”

I groan as I glide him in and out of me. It feels good taking him so deep, but it’s not enough. “I need more. Tighten your fingers around my throat.”

“Like this?” he says, while squeezing.

“Yes.”

He slams his other hand down on my thigh, stopping me from squirming. “Don’t move,” he demands before reaching behind me.

My heart hammers against my ribs as he reveals his tattoo machine. He clicks it on and tilts my head back. “Do I have your permission to permanently mark what is mine?”

“Yes, daddy.”

He groans and brings the needle to the space just above the curve of his thumb and index finger. “I need you to stay very still for me, baby.”

“I will,” I whisper, fear and lust creating a heady mixture inside of me.

With slow steady hands, he guides the needle over me. I clench around him, whimpering at the sting to my neck. It doesn’t last long, just two short strokes, but it’s enough. I’m right on the cusp of another orgasm.

“You feel good with my needle on your skin,” he says, turning off the machine and dropping it to the desk.

I’m dying for friction because I’m about to explode, but I follow his command and stay still. “Xander, please, can I come now?”

“Since you ask so sweetly.” He drops his hand between us and rubs my clit just once, and I’m gone.

“Come with me,” I whine, meeting his eyes, which are already flaring blue like they were last night.

I hold just as much power over his body because he shudders beneath me, filling me to the brim. He thrusts into me like he is willing every drop to remain inside, but some still slides down my thighs, leaving a sticky mess.

Xander falls back into the chair and pulls me against his chest. He peppers kisses on my forehead as he tells me all the ways he loves me. I’m cherished and safe in his arms. Nothing can hurt me as long as he’s here to protect me.

“Will you tattoo your initials on my finger?” I blurt, breaking the silence as we bask in the afterglow.

He chuckles and says, “The X I left on your neck wasn’t enough?”

“Yes, but I want something that everyone can see at all times.”

“All right.” He turns me in his lap, wrapping his arms around me, and places my right hand on the desk. Leaning into my back, he looks over my shoulder and tattoos an X and S in a pretty script that looks somehow both strong and dainty. It doesn’t take long and when he’s done, my soul soars at the sight. This is forever. We are forever.

I look up over my shoulder at him and smile. “I love it.”

“I love you .”

“I love you more.”

He chuckles and kisses my temple. “That’s an argument I don’t think either of us could win. Let’s agree to a tie.”

My heart swells and I nod. “Deal.”