Chapter 6 #2
“That stuff is expensive. Derek and his friends drink it. Chet is going to throw a fit.”
"Chet owes me.” I stepped closer until the scent of her surrounded me completely and ignored the rage from my beast at the name of the other male on her lips.
Tonight, she would be saying my name as I brought her pleasure. Over. And over.
My gaze dropped slowly over the curve of her hips, the bare skin of one thigh peeking out through the very high slit in the skirt, the curve of her shoulders, of breasts on display like a fucking work of art.
Desire hit me like a physical blow. "And right now," I murmured, lowering my voice, “he owes me private time with my mate. "
Her breath caught.
"Alone." The beast stirred eagerly.
Take her. Feast on her wet pussy. Mine. The beast appeared to have trouble deciding whether to give me instructions or try to fight his way to the surface.
My hand closed gently around her waist, pulling her closer until the warmth of her body pressed against mine. "Where we do not have to pretend."
Her breath hitched softly, the sound barely louder than the wind moving through the palms. "I want that, too."
The words slid straight through my control and into the place where my beast waited.
I held out my hand. She didn't hesitate. Her fingers slid between mine, small and warm against my rough skin. The softness of her palm sent a jolt up my arm that had nothing to do with the tropical night air.
Mine. The beast rumbled with satisfaction.
We slipped away together. The resort had quieted to a soft hush now that filming had ended.
Lanterns glowed faintly along the winding paths that cut through gardens of hibiscus and jasmine.
Palm trees swayed overhead, their fronds whispering in the warm ocean breeze.
Beyond the buildings, I could hear the slow rhythm of waves rolling onto the sand.
Salt and flowers filled the air. And beneath it all…
Her. Tori's scent wrapped around me like a living thing, sweet and warm and impossible to ignore.
The closer she walked beside me, the harder it became to think about anything except touching her.
We moved carefully, staying in the shadows as much as possible. When a security patrol passed, I pulled her gently behind a line of flowering shrubs, my arm wrapping instinctively around her waist. Her body pressed against mine. Soft. Warm. Dangerously distracting.
She tipped her head back slightly to look up at me, moonlight reflecting off her eyes. For a moment neither of us moved. Her breath brushed my throat. My beast surged forward.
Take her.
"Not yet."
"Did you say something?" she whispered.
"Talking to myself," I muttered. It was only half a lie.
We continued toward the far edge of the resort where the manicured gardens gave way to something wilder.
The main property line was marked by a large fence with smooth metal rails, the paint weathered by salt air and storms. Beyond it stretched a cluster of dense tropical trees—tall palms mixed with thick flowering bushes that blocked the lights from the resort.
I stopped beside the fence and turned toward her. "Up," I said softly. My hands slid around her waist before she could protest. She gasped quietly when I lifted her, her fingers catching my shoulders for balance as I raised her easily to the top rail.
For a moment neither of us moved. She sat perched on the fence, her legs on either side of my hips, her hands still resting against my shoulders.
The position brought our faces dangerously close.
Too close. Her scent filled my lungs. The need to feel her body against mine crashed through my control like a storm tide.
My gaze dropped briefly to her mouth. Soft. Full. Waiting.
"Egon," she whispered. My name on her lips felt like a promise. My control snapped tight around the beast clawing inside me.
"Later," I growled softly, even though every instinct screamed at me to kiss her until neither of us could breathe.
"We are almost there." I had given Chet’s team very specific instructions.
I could not allow the beast out to claim her.
Could not take her the way he wanted to.
Upright. Standing. Her back against a wall, arms locked over her head as he thrust into her.
I could not give him that. Not yet. And if I attempted anything even close, I would lose the battle raging inside me to contain him.
Once I let him out, he would not relent until the mating cuffs were on my wrists. And hers.
Reluctantly, I lifted her the rest of the way over the fence and set her down on the other side.
Then I swung over the rail myself and followed her into the darker stretch of land on the outskirts of the resort.
The sounds of the ocean softened as the trees thickened around us.
Moonlight filtered through palm fronds overhead, casting silver patterns across the sand and fallen leaves beneath our feet.
Tropical flowers grew wild here, their scent rich and sweet in the warm night air.
After a short walk, I found the place I had been searching for.
A rustic gazebo sat in the middle of a small clearing surrounded by thick trees, their branches woven tightly enough to hide us from any prying eyes on the ground or in the air.
The ground was soft with sand and scattered leaves, and the distant murmur of the ocean drifted faintly through the trees.
I paused and scanned the shadows carefully.
No cameras. No lights. No watchers. We were alone.
A fact I did not trust to be true in my suite.
The tension in my shoulders eased slightly.
I led Tori to the enclosure, pleased to find the private staff had prepared the place with a small table close to the ground, a collection of plush pillows and blankets, and a string of small lights that I bent low to plug into the power supply in the wall.
Soft, twinkling lights filled the area around us.
Tori smiled. “Now it feels like we really are among the stars.”
I knelt and opened the basket I had brought with me. Inside was a thick blanket and a picnic the catering staff had put together for me. Tori's eyebrows lifted as I spread the meal out for her on the small table.
"You planned this?"
"I am a Warlord," I replied. "Strategy is important.” I looked at her. “Especially when I need to win.” Winning her heart was literally life or death for me. Life or fucking death. Now that I’d found her, I couldn’t go on without her. Neither could my beast. “You have not eaten.”
“How do you know?”
“I pay attention.” Every movement. Every breath. “There was no food on the beach. And you did not eat when they dressed and prepared us for tonight. You must be hungry.”
“I’m starving. I could eat a horse.”
A horse? “I will endeavor to acquire one for our next meal.”
She laughed softly as she settled beside me on one of the pillows, tucking one leg beneath her.
“It’s just a saying. I don’t really eat horses.
” Her dark eyes lit with humor that made me want to kiss her even more.
The sight of her seated next to me in the soft lights nearly unraveled me.
The skirt she wore had ridden slightly higher, revealing the smooth curve of her thigh.
Her top shifted when she moved, exposing another tempting strip of bare skin.
My gaze lingered longer than it should have. Her cheeks flushed.
"You're staring."
"I am appreciating." My beast approved of that answer.
I pulled the bottle of wine from the basket and uncorked it with the twisting metal device—a trick I had learned from watching far too much human television since my arrival on this planet. Although now, I was thankful to speak my mate’s native language.
I poured two glasses. She picked hers up and held it out to me in a toast. “To new beginnings and second chances.”
She was my new beginning. My new life. My everything.
The liquid was sweet and sharp when I swallowed, warming my throat. Nothing like Atlan wine. But pleasant enough. I passed a small sandwich to her. Our fingers brushed. The contact lingered.
Tori leaned closer to me on the blanket, her shoulder brushing my arm. The warmth of her body made the restraint inside me tremble. Her voice dropped to a whisper. "I've been thinking about being with you all night."
The confession slid through me like fire as she eagerly ate the sustenance I provided. My beast swelled with satisfaction. She needed. We provided. It was an honor to care of her. Our mate.
"I watched every woman flirting with you tonight," she continued, her fingers tracing absently across the back of my hand. "And I wanted to throw them into the ocean."
My beast purred with savage approval. "I wanted to break every male who looked at you," I admitted.
“What men? You mean the camera crews?” Her head tilted toward me slowly. Our faces drifted closer. The night air felt thicker somehow. Warmer. Charged.
“Any male. Even the elder fool waving his long wooden stick.”
She choked on a sip of wine and laughed wildly, her head back. Throat exposed. “Merlin? You wanted to kick Merlin’s ass?” Her laughter faded, her gaze dropping to my lips. "I guess we're terrible at pretending," she murmured.
"Yes. I hate every moment I can’t touch you." My hand lifted slowly to her face, my thumb brushing her cheek with the same care I would give a fragile weapon. "I think," I said quietly, "we should stop pretending.”
Her breath caught. And the longing between us tightened until it felt like the air itself might break. Before I could stop myself, I leaned forward and traced her full lower lip with my thumb.
She froze.
Fuck. Had I scared her?
For a long heartbeat neither of us moved, the warm night air pressing around us, the distant ocean rolling softly against the shore beyond the trees. Then her breath shuddered out. Her hand slid into my hair and tightened, pulling me closer.