Chapter 11 #2
My lips trace the curve of her throat as I stroke a gentle finger in and out of her. Hurting her isn’t the goal, at least not for the moment. I have to prove to myself that she wants this, that once the chaos of her mind is calmed, then her natural instincts will take over.
The clench of her inner walls is so subtle that I almost miss it.
Gratification burns along my senses. “At least part of you is awake for me. Isn’t it, princess?”
She gives no response.
Aside from the quivering of her cunt as I push a second finger knuckle-deep inside of her. Her eyelids don’t so much as twitch when I grind my thumb in a hard circle on her engorged clit.
When I nip at her neck with the bare edge of my teeth, she releases the softest gasp. But she still remains perfectly still even when I bite down hard enough to taste the sharp tang of her blood.
Even when I shift my hips between her thighs and rest enough of my weight on her that it forces the air from her lungs in an audible huff.
Even when I glide my cock into her wet heat.
Even when I began to gently thrust, rocking so slowly that the mattress springs barely make a sound.
I am so much gentler with her than I want to be, distantly mindful of the lingering tenderness from her heat but also because I’m at war with myself.
I desperately want her to wake to a vision of the Alpha, acknowledge the hold we have over each other.
But when those darkly vibrant eyes open, I know the best I can hope to see is resignation.
The worst, condemnation.
Even though she came back to me. She signed a fucking contract that spelled out exactly what I expected of her.
Anger rises. The rage that I thought would finally be under control after cementing this bond. That frustration is the white-hot obliteration of a supernova, so overwhelming that it overwhelms every other feeling and consideration.
This is the part of me that wants to absolutely destroy her, to shatter her like glass into a million pieces so I can put her back together again. All this pain and struggle will create a beautiful mosaic, priceless work of art that I will treasure for the rest of my days.
And she just won’t fucking let me.
I know she’s scared, I given her every reason to be terrified. But haven’t I kept her safe, haven’t I given her everything I can?
Why won’t she just give in?
Why won’t she just let me love her?
I slam into her hard enough that the headboard bangs against the wall, a steady beat with each punishing thrust.
Her insides quiver in response, her body responding whether she wants it to or not. Because this is what we are. Alpha and Omega. If this is all I ever get from her, then I’ll take it.
I press my mouth hard against her in a move too violent to be considered a kiss.
“Who is your Alpha?” I demand between bites and licks at her slack lips. “Say my name.”
I shift my hips in the hard rhythm that elicited the strongest response during her heat. She might think that she wants a gentle, loving Alpha but her body needs it hard and brutal.
“Say my fucking name, Maya.”
“No.”
I still for a flashing a second, my gaze shifting to wide open purple eyes.
The anger that I expect to see in those violet depths is absent. Instead, she regards me through a deep well of resignation.
“You can’t make me,” she softly adds.
Her calm resolve is like fuel on a fire. A curtain of red obscures my vision, and I respond to it with the same energy of a raging bull.
It takes everything in me not do something I can’t take back.
My hand comes up to rest against her neck, shaking from the effort it takes not to press down. “Why are you such a bitch?”
She releases a stuttering breath, though there is no hint of fear in her eyes. “Maybe because you keep raping me in my sleep.”
The accusation is infuriating.
“Rape? Are you fucking serious?” I rear back, glaring down at her. “You’re clenched around me like a vice and dripping all over the sheets?”
Her eyes widen in obvious surprise. Then she speaks slowly, as if enunciating unfamiliar words for a small child. “Just because my body responds doesn’t mean I want this. It doesn’t mean I want you.”
The words are a missile strike, and I feel them like a knife to the gut.
But the momentary ache is immediately replaced by irritation.
I may not know the details, but I’m not an idiot. Maya came here with ulterior motives, because she wanted something from me. My strength and power are what drew her back to me, but she only values those traits when it’s convenient.
She needed an Alpha. And now that she has one, she wants to treat me like an attack dog on a leash.
Maybe I should have got down on one knee and offered her a crown on a satin fucking pillow while she writhed on the floor like a bitch in heat.
Maybe I should have left her there and assumed that no one else would take advantage of her unexpected heat.
Maybe I should cut out my knot and declare myself a beta.
No. I made sure she stayed safe. And I gave her the ultimate choice when I already had permission in the form of her signature on a damn contract. I did what any Alpha would do. I did what an Alpha is supposed to do.
And now she hates me for it.
It’s too fucking much to tolerate.
Her body still pulses gently around me. She must have been moments from her peak before she woke up. I give another hard thrust and she gasps.
“My pretty little hypocrite.” I place a gentle kiss against her cheek, and she stiffens in response. “I’ll make you a deal. If you can hold out without coming for the next minute, then I’ll never touch you again without your express permission.”
The air thickens with tension as I keep my gaze locked on Maya’s. Her defiance only sharpens the fire inside me, igniting something primal. She might think she’s winning this little game, but I refuse to let her see the cracks in my armor.
“One minute,” I repeat, thrusting deeper, relishing the way her body quakes at my command. “Count it down.”
Her breath hitches, and for the first time her anger breaks through the obvious mask of disinterest.
“This little game doesn’t mean anything,” she huffs.
“Easy to say when you know you’re going to lose.
” I slide my palm under her thigh, lifting it high so I can sink deeper inside her.
Maya squirms beneath me, caught in the clash between instinct and rebellion.
I lean down, brushing my lips against hers in a slow tease before biting at her bottom lip again.
“But keep fighting if you want—just know I’ll enjoy every moment of it. ”
With each thrust, I push her closer to that precipice where pleasure collides with anger. The way she tenses around me tells me she’s on the edge, just one more shove and she’ll tumble over into bliss.
Her pupils are blown black from compelled pleasure, but that doesn’t stop her eyes from narrowing in determination.
Her eyes narrow in determination as she fights to maintain control. “I won’t give in to you.”
“Good.” I press harder against her neck, relishing the soft pulse beneath my fingers while using my weight to pin her down further. “I wouldn’t want it any other way.”
I angle my hips to strike that perfect spot inside her, the one whose location I’d made a point of finding and memorizing during the frenzy of her heat. Her entire body tenses up in reaction, every muscle shivering with the fight she is waging with herself.
Every inch of her screams defiance while simultaneously pleading for release. The contradiction entices me more than anything else ever could.
“Fifty seconds left,” I taunt, savoring how close we are to breaking points—both of us.
She bites back a moan as I thrust again, more forceful this time, eliciting an involuntary gasp from those perfect lips. Her body shifts slightly under mine; that’s all it takes for me to know she’s teetering on the edge.
“Don’t think about how good this feels,” I whisper against her ear before licking a line up to her temple. “Don’t think about how much you want to be filled up with my knot.”
I feel her body shudder beneath me, her resistance weakening with each calculated thrust. Maya’s eyes flutter closed momentarily before she forces them open again, determined not to give me the satisfaction.
“Forty seconds,” I whisper against her ear, my voice husky with desire. “Your body’s already surrendering even if your mind won’t.”
She turns her face away, but I catch her chin between my fingers, forcing her to look at me. The mixture of defiance and unwanted pleasure in her expression is intoxicating.
“I hate you,” she breathes, but there’s a tremor in her voice that betrays her.
“Hate me all you want, princess. Just say my name when you come.”
I adjust my angle, hitting that perfect spot that makes her inner walls clench around me. A small, strangled sound escapes her throat—not quite a moan, but close enough to tell me she’s fighting a losing battle.
“Thirty seconds,” I taunt, maintaining my rhythm. “Think you can last?”
Her nails dig into my shoulders, breaking skin. The sharp sting only fuels my determination. I drop my head to her breast, taking a nipple between my teeth and tugging just hard enough to make her arch beneath me.
“Fuck you,” she gasps.
“You already are,” I counter, smirking against her skin. “And you’re loving every second of it.”
I snake a hand between us, finding her clit with my thumb and circling it mercilessly. Her thighs begin to tremble, and I can feel her control slipping away like sand through fingers.
“Twenty seconds, Maya. Say my name and I’ll let you come.”
Her eyes flash with renewed anger. “Never.”
The challenge in her voice sends a surge of heat through my veins. I increase my pace, driving into her with controlled force while keeping my thumb working against her sensitive bundle of nerves.
“Ten seconds,” I growl, feeling my own release building. The tightening of her inner muscles tells me she’s right there with me, hovering on the precipice.
Her breathing comes in short, desperate pants. Sweat glistens on her skin, her purple hair splayed across the pillow like a royal crown. Even in her defiance, she’s magnificent.
“Five...”
Her eyes lock with mine, a silent battle of wills.
“Four...”
Her back arches involuntarily, her body betraying her mind’s commands.
“Three...”
A whimper escapes her lips as her control fractures.
“Two...”
I feel her begin to pulse around me, her orgasm crashing through her despite her best efforts to hold it back.
“One.”
The glare doesn’t leave her eyes, even as moans in completion. “Cillian!”
“Fuck, Maya.” The surge of pleasure as I reach my own release is all that keeps me from strangling her. “I hope you’re working that little joke out of your system, because it really isn’t funny anymore. You’re staying on this knot until you tell me what I want to hear.”
The knot has us tied together face-to-face, close enough that I don’t miss the sarcastic lift of her brow as if to say who’s joking?
“Cillian,” she calls out loudly again, voice clear and deliberate.
Logan freezes above me, his eyes widening in shock. The mattress shifts as Cillian stirs behind us.
For fuck’s sake, can’t a guy enjoy an afterglow for a few damn minutes? “What are you doing, Maya?”
“If I’m yours, and he’s yours, then maybe we should stop pretending we’re not all in this together.” She meets my gaze with open challenge as she raises her voice to near shouting. “Wake up, Cillian. I need you.”
I’m almost impressed with the underhanded tactics.
Fine. Round one went to me and now she wants to go best out of three.
As his head slowly raises from the pillow, I brace myself to face the next phase of this game.