31. Chapter Thirty-One #3
She kisses me hard, messy, and full of all the frustration she's kept locked inside her for days. I give it back to her tenfold, catching her lower lip between my teeth until she makes a sweet, whimpering sound that makes pre-come spill from my cock.
Then she drops her weight without warning, making my grip on her leg slip lower. Before I can adjust, she twists her knee free, plants one palm against my sternum, hooks her ankle behind mine, and shoves.
It’s one of Shade’s balance tricks, and is irritatingly effective. She doesn't try to overpower me; she uses my size against me.
I could stop the fall, but I don't.
My back hits the mat.
Halley lands on top of me with a victorious gasp, straddling my hips. Her hair has started coming loose around her face, and her cheeks are flushed from effort.
She looks down at me with pure satisfaction.
Now my girl is back.
Then she leans down and bites me, her teeth sinking into the side of my throat, and my whole body lights up beneath her.
"Pretty girl," I growl.
She lifts her head with my throat still caught between her teeth, then releases me slowly, like she wants me to feel every second of it.
"Do you surrender?" she asks.
I flex under her, testing the position, and she answers by grabbing both my wrists and pinning them to the mat beside my head.
"Never."
"Good," she says, and rolls her hips against me.
My pulse kicks as arousal floods through my veins. She feels the change in me through the bond, and her answering smile makes my heart beat even faster.
She has me pinned, thighs bracketing my hips, her hands locked around my wrists as she grinds over the hard line of my cock through our clothes. I could break the hold, and we both know it, but I don't.
Halley notices my lack of fight and releases my hands to brace both palms on my chest. I still don't try to buck her off. "You’re being very well behaved for someone who isn't surrendering."
"I’m biding my time."
"Until when?"
I drag in a breath through my teeth as she rocks against me again. "You'll know it when you see it."
She hums, then leans down until her mouth brushes mine. "I think you like being under me."
My cock jerks hard against her, and her lashes flutter as she feels it. The bond pulls warm between us, full of want and the last bright edges of her anger.
I slide one hand up her side, stopping at her ribs. "Maybe this is exactly where I need you to be for my next attack."
"Uh-huh. Sure."
She kisses me before I can answer. Her mouth opens for mine and the heat between us builds through layers of fabric.
"That’s it," I murmur, lifting my hips just enough to meet her next slow roll. "Use me."
Her eyes dart up to mine and widen.
"You’re not even trying to break free," she says. "You're losing, LT."
"I’m pinned under my mate while she takes what she needs from me." My voice drops as she rocks against me again. "I’m having the best damn time I've had in days, and this feels like winning to me."
She shifts her knees wider on the mat and rolls her hips again, testing the angle through our clothes until the seam of her pants catches exactly where she needs it.
Her hips move with more purpose now, each push and pull dragging her closer. The mats creak under my shoulders and her thighs tighten around my sides.
"You’re doing beautifully," I murmur, pressing my wrists up just enough to make her hold me there again.
She shudders at the praise, then narrows her eyes because she despises how much she likes it.
"That’s it, pretty girl. Keep going."
Her forehead drops to mine, and her breath spills hot against my mouth.
"Viper," she whimpers, and it's a plea and a warning wrapped together.
"I’ve got you," I tell her. "You’re safe to let go."
Her body tightens above mine.
The first wave of her release hits the bond before she makes a sound, and I feel it move through her as she grinds down with a broken little gasp. Her fingers clamp harder around my wrists, holding me in place while she rides it out, flushed and shaking and entirely in control.
Seeing her come drags me over with her. My release breaks through with a rough groan as wet warmth spreads in my trousers.
She kisses me through it, gentle now, as if she’s soothing the Alpha she just defeated.
For a while, neither of us moves. My knot inflates, useless and aching, but I do my best to ignore it.
Her hands loosen around my wrists, but she doesn’t climb off me. She stays straddling my hips with her hair falling around her face, her cheeks flushed, and her breathing still uneven.
I turn one hand slowly, giving her time to stop me if she wants to keep the hold. She doesn’t, and my fingers lace through hers.
The bond is warm and heavy with pleasure, and I feel the last of her frustration losing its grip.
The stress is gone from her scent.
Everlyn’s test still waits in the future, the Human army is still marching toward the Pass, and there is an unfathomable amount of expectation on my little Omega, but here, Halley belongs only to herself.
That is the victory I wanted for her.
Her mouth curves with quiet satisfaction. "I won."
"You did."
She smiles brightly.
"But I also think it was a draw," I smirk, feeling loose and relaxed.