10. Chapter 9
Chapter 9
Elena
I take a shuddering breath, angry tears blurring my vision as I storm back to my cabin. How could I have been so naive? The intimate moment we shared in my quarters clearly meant nothing to Alex. The way he kissed Cassandra so openly in that dining room cuts deep. Did he ever care for me?
My hands shake so much that I fumble with my key card. Cursing at myself. I want to get to the safety and privacy of my room before I embarrass myself anymore. Suddenly I feel a hand grab my arm to spin me around. Only one person would have the audacity to grab my arm like that. I raise my other hand and let the momentum from the tug allow me to follow through with more force than I could generate on my own.
“Elena, please, let me explain—“
Alex recoils, raising a hand to his reddened cheek as shock flashes across his face. I’ve never struck him before, never had reason to until now.
I shake my head, cutting him off. “Explain what? How you kissed another woman less than an hour after we...after we—“ I refuse to finish that thought. The memory sickens me now.
Alex puts a hand on each side of my body, pinning me to the door but not a single part of his body touches mine. I look down our bodies looking for a single place we’re touching. Part of me wants a reason to lash out for my hurt, but another part longs for his touch.
“Elena, I swear, it wasn’t what it looked like. Cassandra tricked me, she—“
“She. Tricked. You. Into sticking your tongue down her throat?”
“I didn’t stick my tongue down her throat.”He leans so close that his lips almost touch my ear. “In fact, I’ve only had any interest in sticking my tongue—“
My hand whips up and covers his mouth. “Do not finish that sentence.”
He mumbles beneath my fingers. His lips feel so soft and warm against my fingers. I pull my hand away. He stops my hand and brings my palm to his lips. He plants a sensual kiss against my palm, and I sink back against the door needing its strength to keep me upright.
“Why?” I ask.
“I thought the note came from you. I found a note slid under the door asking me to meet for dinner. I thought I was meeting you. Cassandra started kissing me before I even got a word out.”
“She meant for me to see.” A tear slides down my cheek.
“How do you know?”
“I got the same note. I thought I was meeting you for dinner.”
“I’ll have her thrown off this cruise at the first port. I promise you that.”
I bring my hand up to rest on his reddened cheek. “Sorry.”
His hand comes up to caress my cheek. “I want to continue this conversation, but can we go inside your room so we’re not entertainment for the whole cruise ship?”
I turn in the safety of his arms and get the key card to work. We step back to open the door.
Alex’s words cut through the air, his deep voice vibrating against my skin. “I think you misconstrued my actions earlier.”
My heart pounds as I look up at him, his eyes boring into mine. “You mean when you didn’t want to make love with me?” I ask, trying to keep my voice steady.
Alex steps even closer, his warmth enveloping me like a comforting blanket. His next words were a whisper in my ear, sending shivers down my spine. “Yes, you definitely misunderstood.” He tucks a stray strand of hair behind my ear before continuing, “I didn’t want you to think that was all I wanted from you, but I see that I only convinced you I didn’t want you at all. I won’t make that mistake a second time.”
I swallow hard, as Alex moves closer, his deep brown eyes intense with determination. The scent of pine and musk envelops me, stirring memories of our past intimacy that still linger like echoes in the depths of my soul.
“Alex...” I whisper, my voice catching in my throat as he leans in, his breath warm against my skin.
“Elena, I want you to know that my desire for you burns brighter than the northern lights,” he murmurs, his voice low. “When you retreated earlier. I didn’t know what to say because the truth is, I crave every part of you— your mind, your spirit, your body. You are the other half of my soul, and I will not rest until we are reunited, in every sense of the word.”
My breath hitches as his fingers trace the curve of my jawline, his touch igniting a fire within me that I thought had been extinguished long ago. The intensity in his gaze is almost too much to bear, and yet I find myself unable to look away, drawn in by the magnetic pull of his love and longing.
“I want you, Elena,” he says, his voice a husky whisper. “Every fiber of my being aches for your touch, your kiss, your embrace. But more than that, I want your heart, your trust, your devotion. I want us to be one again, as we were always meant to be.”
Alex pulls me closer, his muscular chest pressing against my delicate curves. As our lips meet, the world around us fades away. His warm mouth devours mine, our desires merging without the need for words. My fingers thread through his dark hair, and he responds with a low, primal growl that resonates in his throat. The heat between us is palpable as he unzips the back of my dress. The contrast of the cool air against my skin, a stark contrast to the fire that’s building from our kiss, sends shivers down my spine. But instead of pulling away, he draws me closer, fueling the fire that burns between us.
As my fingers trace under his suit jacket, I tug it off his shoulders, determined not to be the only one undressing this time. There’s still too much fabric between us, too many buttons standing in the way of our skin-to-skin contact. I yank, and the buttons fly as I touch his chiseled abs. Every touch sends a jolt of electricity through both of us, as if we’re two pieces of a puzzle fitting together, completing each other in ways we never thought possible. We’re lost in each other, consumed by a need that surpasses all boundaries and limitations.
He sweeps me up in his arms and lays me on the bed, separating us for only a second while he removes his pants. I move to remove my own panties, but he shakes his head as he slides in beside me completely naked.
“I’ll remove them when we’re ready.” He whispers close to my ear.
He kisses the skin just below my ear and heat floods my core.
“Alex—“ The tiniest moment of doubt sneaks in.
“I’ve already said I won’t make the same mistake again. Do you doubt me?”
I shake my head not trusting my voice. The movement makes my breasts move drawing Alex’s attention. With a slow smile, he slides his hand from my hip up my back to the clasp and releases them. Then he uses one hand to cover the left breast while he lavish attention on the other. I arch into his touch hoping to draw him closer. My fingers threaded into his hair.
As Alex’s skilled hands and lips continue their sensual assault on my breasts, I can no longer stand the delicious torture. I wrap my legs around him, desperate for more contact, more of him. My panties are the only barrier between us now, and the friction between our bodies brings both exquisite pleasure and maddening frustration.
“Alex,” I moan, arching my hips against him.
He chuckles against my skin before trailing a line of kisses down my stomach, his warm breath sending shivers down my spine. His hands slide up my thighs, pushing my panties aside as he goes, leaving a trail of goosebumps in their wake. He stops just short of where I need him most, teasing me.
I can’t take it anymore. “Alex,” I growl, my voice a mix of need and frustration. “Don’t make me beg for something I’ve already told you I want.”
He looks up at me, his eyes dark with desire. In one swift motion, he rips my panties off me, the fabric giving way to his impatience. His hands grip my hips as he positions himself at my entrance.
“I won’t make you beg this time,” he growls before plunging himself deep inside me in one hard thrust. There’s no teasing or testing the waters this time; it’s just the raw, primal need we both craved for years. His movements are hot, hard, and relentless as he claims me as his own once more.
As Alex sets a brutal pace, I can feel the years of loneliness and longing pouring out of him with each thrust. His deep, primal growls echo in my ears, fueling my own desire. He trusts me to take all of him, every inch of his need and passion, and he isn’t holding back or hedging any bets. The knowledge that he believes in my strength, that he does not fear breaking me, sends my own ecstasy soaring higher than I ever thought possible.
His hands grip my hips as he drives into me, his body a furnace against mine. Each movement is like liquid fire coursing through my veins, reigniting the embers of our past love and fanning them into an inferno that threatens to consume us both. Our bodies are slick with sweat as we move together in a primal dance as old as time itself.
I arch my back to meet his every thrust, welcoming the delicious friction between us. Our eyes lock as our breaths become ragged gasps for air; this time there are no more secrets between us, no more barriers to stand in our way.
As our bodies move in perfect harmony, the world around us fades away, leaving only the two of us and the inferno of passion raging between us. Alex’s grip on my hips tightens, his thrusts becoming even more primal, more desperate. Our release draws nearer with each passing second.
In that moment, a part of me wants to look away, to close my eyes and hide from the intensity of the moment. But I force myself to keep them open, to etch every single detail into my memory. That’s when I see the fleeting glimpse of his eyes shifting to the deep amber of his bear form. The sight sends a thrill through me, both thrilling and terrifying at once. His teeth lengthen as he angles his hips just right.
Just as suddenly as it appeared, it’s gone. In its place are Alex’s dark brown eyes filled with desire and love for me and only me. He pinches my nipple hard enough to send a jolt straight to my core as he claims my mouth in a deep, passionate kiss that swallows my scream as we both climax together in an explosion of color and sensation unlike anything I’ve felt since that fateful night under the stars so long ago. The night before Gregor told me that he’d found my Pack and was sending me to live with them.
As Alex’s body stills inside mine, I send that painful memory back to the recesses of my mind. Tonight isn’t about the past; it’s about us, here and now. With a newfound sense of determination, I roll him onto his back and straddle him, our positions reversed from moments ago.
“Isn’t it better when we both get what we want?” I quip, trying to lighten the mood.
Alex chuckles and pulls me down for a sweet, sensual kiss before he breaks away with a smirk. “This view beats the slamming door,” he says, his eyes roaming over my naked body.
I blush under his heated gaze. The years of separation fall away like they never existed as we lose ourselves in each other’s arms once more.
“You know what this room has that we never had before?” I ask.
“What?”
“A shower big enough for two,” I say as I walk to the bathroom again.