Page 22 of Alpha’s Wife

“You keep beating me,” I tell her, voice low, “because I spend the whole game watching your mouth instead of the board.”

The flush of color races across her cheeks as expected, but she doesn’t look away. “Well, that’s a terrible strategy.”

“Agreed. Worst one I’ve ever run,” I say, standing and walking around the table. She stands, and I’m not sure if she’s going to run or meet me halfway; instead, she hesitates, and I see the conflict dancing in her eyes as I come to stop in front of her. “Tell me to stop, Selene. Say it, and I won’t force anything.”

I find that I mean it. As much as I want the magic, want her to bend to me, want to take everything she has, I won’t force a woman. The magic doesn’t even work that way, though part of me wonders if that’s really true, given the number of alphas who raised hell over the years by securing a bond witch. Maybe it’s just a rumor started to pretty up the reality of how the power was wielded.

I watch as she seems to run through the available scenarios, a war flashing behind her eyes, knowing she could run, and yet her feet don’t move.

Instead, she closes the distance and kisses me.

It’s clumsy and fierce, completely without practice, and yet it nearly undoes me where I stand. She kisses like she’s never done it before, all instinct and innocence, and the second I realize that I’m her first, my wolf comes up roaring, and something in my chest cracks open.

For a second, it’s like time suspends and the kiss deepens as we both sink into it. I notice her hand shake as she clings to my shirt, and the tremble against my chest nearly undoes me.

I take her face in both my hands to calm her. “Easy,” I murmur against her mouth. “We’ve got time for this. Let me.”

Kissing her deeply, I feel her soften against my hard body, and her fist remains tangled in my shirt, but the tremor fades. When she gasps, I swallow her moan. When she presses closer, I lift her clean off her feet, and her legs wrap around my waist like they’ve done it a hundred times. I carry her down the hall to my room, because this is clearly her first time, and I won’t take her against the kitchen island.

But I will take her.

I lay her down in my bed and follow her onto it, bracing over her, and for just a moment, I take in the sight of her—flushed, breathing hard, hair falling all around her, and her eyes guarded but dancing with desire.

“Last chance,” I tell her, and my voice isn’t steady. “Tell me to stop.”

She shakes her head. “I want to know what you feel like.”

Her words make me pause, hitting somewhere deep within me. I want to know what she feels like, too. I stop being careful, stop second-guessing, and peel her clothes from her body. I feel the tension building in her as more and more skin is revealed: the line of her throat, the soft curve of her breast, the dip of her waist, and the soft curve of her thighs. She’s shy, one arm coming up to cover herself, but I catch her wrist and press it back into the bed.

“No,” I say, low, my wolf itching to rise. “Let me look at you. You’ve no idea, do you?”

“N-no idea about what?” she asks, her voice full of nerves.

“What you do to me.” I drag my mouth down her body to show her instead, because I don’t think I even have the words to explain right now. I close my lips around her nipple, and she arches off the bed with a cry that goes straight to my balls, and I work her, earning more cries, unhurried until she’s shaking and her hands tangle in my hair.

I fight the urge to take her too fast, even though my cock is straining and my wolf is riding me hard to get what he wants. He wants her. I deliberately slow myself, knowing she’s not ready and not wanting to spook her. I relish the sharp catch in her throat when I scrape my teeth along her collarbone, the low, broken sound when I drag my thumb across her nipple, and the way she says my name as she surprises herself every time she does it. Her hands are everywhere, and they feel like a brand. I can’t get enough of her touch.

I drag my shirt over my head and watch with satisfaction as she takes in my body, the flush returning to her cheeks. “Like what you see?” I murmur, dipping my head to kiss her stomach. “Tell me what you want.”

She squirms under my touch, and I place a hand firmly on her chest to hold her down as I begin to kiss down her body. “I want…I don’t even know what I want.”

I chuckle. “I do,” I tell her, moving lower and pressing a kiss to the inside of her thigh. “Let me show you.”

She goes tense, and I look up the length of her body and see uncertainty flashing in her usually defiant eyes. “Trust me,” I tell her. It comes out rougher than I meant it to, because asking her to trust me feels ridiculous considering the circumstances, and yet she nods.

She trusts me. With this at least.

I settle between her thighs and taste her for the first time. She’s slick and so responsive, crying out as soon as I graze her clit, it’s almost unbearable as her sweet syrup hits my tongue. I take my time, learning what makes her gasp, what makes her beg—I love hearing her beg. When she’s pleading for more, I slide one finger into her, feeling just how tight she is, how new this is for her. My wolf wants me to bury my cock in her and feel her channel tighten around me, but for now, I suck on her clit and begin to slowly pump my fingers in and out of her.

“Ronan.” My name sounds like a broken plea. “Please.”

“I know,” I say through gritted teeth as I add a second finger, working her open gently, as I feel her orgasm building. I have to reach down and hold my cock firmly to stop myself from coming with her. The sounds she makes are so erotic, and the taste of her coming on my tongue is almost too much for me to hold back. She comes apart with me sucking her clit, shaking as her juices soak my fingers.

I pull back, standing and shaking off my pants. I fist my cock and watch as her eyes go wide at the sight of it—I don’t blame her; I’m big, and right now I think it’s bigger and harder than it’s ever been.

“Eyes on me,” I tell her, moving over her and bracing right at her entrance. “I’ll make it good.”

Her eyes are uncertain, but she nods, and I notice the way her hips adjust, rolling slightly as I line myself up and begin to ease into her. I watch her face for a flicker of pain, and when it comes, I lean down and kiss her. She’s tense, and I pause, buried partway, locking my muscles against the urge to drive home.