Chapter 23
TWENTY-THREE
My front door flies open with a bang, and Alder pushes me through, his lips on mine in a frantic kiss as our hands tug at each other’s clothes.
The need in me is growing by the second as I claw at him with desperation, and I don’t even know what I’m looking for.
I just know that the big, dark, angry void inside me started to close when he showed up…
And I can’t deny how good that feels.
Alder practically rips my sweater off as he pulls it over my head, barely even breaking our kiss, and throws it across the room.
“Not this one,” he mutters before dragging my bottom lip between his teeth and taking my mouth again.
I don’t have time to even think about what that means as he pins me against the wall at the bottom of the stairs and grinds into me. Heat spreads up my spine, scattering every thought in my head so my only focus is the feeling of him against me.
My hands slip under the edge of his cut, and I push it off his broad shoulders to let it fall to the floor. Then I push him back just enough to let my eyes rake over him.
He stands just a bit taller than me, and his black T-shirt clings to every inch of rippling muscle in his chest and arms. His dark eyes are fixed on me as I look over him, taking in the details that make him him.
The tree tattoos on his neck, his dark hair framing his face and brushing his collarbone, his beard, which is long enough to scratch my skin just right, his ink-covered arms and hands…
and the leather holster, holding his gun against his ribs.
My eyes rest on the gun, and a deep breath fills my lungs. Some kind of brutal reassurance seems to fill me every time I see it, and I’m not sure what that means.
He has the power to destroy, hurt, and break anything that comes too close. And I know he could do that to me if he wanted to.
Because when I ask… he does.
I reach out to brush my fingers over the worn leather strap, tracing it down to the gun. Then I wrap my hand around it and pull it free.
Alder just watches me as I hold it and run my thumb along the slide, feeling the cool steel and power I have in my hands.
When I lift my eyes to his, he lets out a low moan.
“It looks good on you, baby.”
I step into him, reaching up to wrap my arms around his neck as I keep the gun in my grip, and pull his mouth to mine. My lips crash against his, and the contrast of steel in my hand and heat against my lips has something primal rippling through me.
I need more.
As if he can read my mind, Alder grabs me, lifting me to straddle his hips as he walks up the stairs. He sets me down when he reaches the top, keeping his lips on mine the whole time.
I push him into my bedroom, shoving my hands beneath his shirt and pushing it up, desperate to feel more of him.
He breaks the kiss just long enough to shove his holster off and toss his shirt aside before taking me against him again in a heated kiss.
I set the gun on the dresser so I can feel every inch of him, sliding my hands over his warm skin as his muscles flex beneath my touch.
I pull him closer, clinging to the raw energy he brings with him, and breathing it in like I need it to live.
We both kick off our pants as we move further into the room, but suddenly Alder pauses, pulling away to flick his gaze around the space. Then, he pushes me into the bathroom.
When I give him a confused look, he just shakes his head.
“Baby, I’ve been in a nasty-ass holding cell,” he says, closing the distance between us in the bathroom, and placing his hands on my hips as he stares at me like he’s about to ruin me from the inside out. “I need a shower first. And you’re coming with me.”
A heavy breath leaves me, and his grip on my hips tightens.
Something about the fact that he was locked up just hours ago seems to have my senses stirring as they all seem to lock onto him at once.
I’m suddenly very aware of his touch, the way his chest rises and falls with heavy breaths, and his piercing gaze.
I want to touch him, taste him, feel him… in every way I can.
So I step closer, reach past him, and turn on the shower.
His lips find mine again as we step under the warm spray, and his rough hands roam over me, gripping and exploring like he owns me. His beard scratches at my jaw and chin as he kisses me harder, and I fist my hands in his long, wet hair, tugging him closer until he groans into my mouth.
The cool tile wall hits my back as he pushes me into it, pinning me with the full force of his body. I feel every ounce of what he’s capable of as his hips grind into mine and his hands hold me still.
He could hurt me.
He could tear me apart.
And I want him to. I need him to.
But Alder breaks our kiss to glance around the shower before grabbing my body wash from the shelf.
I watch him, unable to do anything else, as my eyes drag over every part of him as he lathers the soap across his chest and shoulders.
Suds blur the dark ink on his skin, the white bubbles softening lines of trees, skulls, and script.
The scent of sandalwood and oak mixes with smoke in the steam, and as he steps towards me again, his dark eyes never leave mine.
He lifts his hands and places them flat against my chest, soap and water trailing down my body as he works the suds into my skin.
Each pass of his hands over my muscles feels like it strips something away, as layers of tension, anger, and sadness are washed away with the suds.
My eyes drop to watch the water and bubbles swirl down the drain, carrying those pieces of me with it.
If only it were that easy.
Then Alder’s fingers slide under my chin and tilt my head up. His eyes lock on mine, and his dark gaze is so fucking full. Wild energy pulses behind them, the madness in him on the verge of breaking as he waits for me to let him loose.
I huff out a breath and hold his gaze. “Do your worst.”
An almost wicked grin spreads across his face as his hands clamp down on my hips with bruising force. The sudden pressure sends a jolt through me, awakening every nerve ending with a warning and an invitation all at once.
Then he turns me around and shoves me hard into the wall, his chest pressing against my back while his strength pins me in place.
He leans in close so his lips brush my ear. “Just so you know, Doc, I’m fucking you this time.”
I suck in a breath, unable to conjure up any kind of fight against that.
He chuckles darkly as his hand lands on my ass, and I feel his hard cock press against me. But then he reaches up to adjust the showerhead and drops to his knees behind me.
A wave of heat rushes through my chest and spreads outward like liquid fire, setting every inch of me alight with anticipation. My muscles tighten as each of his hands grab at my ass, spreading me open with a grip that leaves no doubt about who’s in control.
My breathing quickens as I wait for him, and he keeps me strung so tight it’s almost painful. And when his warm tongue finally slides over my hole, my forehead drops to the tile as a deep, guttural groan claws its way out of my throat.
“Fuck, baby,” Alder growls as he squeezes my ass tighter. “You don’t know how long I’ve been waiting for this.”
“Then shut up and do it,” I say, bracing myself against the wall as I wait for him to just keep fucking going.
But instead of continuing, he stills. Then he slaps my ass… hard.
I whip my head around to glare at him, but he just looks up at me with wild eyes and a small, infuriating pull at the corner of his lips. Then his head tilts slightly with warning as he waits to see what I’m going to do.
The tension rippling through me grows to something more than want. It’s a messy collision of defiance and need, and power and surrender. I want to push back. I want to tear into him, and I want to make him earn it.
But I also want him to do it again, and again… and put me in my fucking place.
I reach back and slide my fingers through his wet hair, gripping tight at the roots. His dark smile stretches wider, and then his hand comes down on me again, even harder this time. The sharp sting flares, and goosebumps spread across my skin despite the warm water pouring down around us.
“Good boy,” Alder murmurs, staring up at me with a look that borders on reverence, though there’s nothing gentle about it.
I pull his head forward to my ass, and he doesn’t hesitate. His tongue pushes into me with force, and I groan, holding tight to his hair as he works his tongue in deep, licking and circling as he sends waves of pleasure through my body.
My grip stays tight in his hair as my body lights up from the inside, and pressure quickly builds.
He holds my hips tight as he fucks my hole with his tongue, bringing me closer to begging for release.
It’s almost overwhelming in a way that makes it hard to breathe, think, and just be without falling apart.
And when his hand slides between my legs to stroke my hard, aching cock, I nearly lose it.
My knees buckle, and I brace myself against the wall, panting and groaning as I rock back into him.
He continues to work me with a hunger that feels endless, and I match his desperation.
The scratch of his beard against my skin and the rough grip of his hands clash against the slick heat of his tongue as it glides over my hole, drawing pleasure and pressure from every angle until I can’t tell where pain ends and need begins.
“Fuck,” I mutter, pushing back into him as I ask for more.
He hums into my ass as he strokes me, and the vibration is almost too much.
I slap his hand away and turn to face him, but he doesn’t move. He stays on his knees and just looks up at me.
I stare down at him, taking in the sight of the Basin Kings VP on his knees for me. This man, who can put anyone on their knees just by walking into a room, and views time in a jail cell as just another day of business.