Chapter 39 #2
I lost the battle to control my anger after that comment and grabbed her forearms, hauling her against my chest with a growl. The book fell from her hands onto the floor.Her one hand fisted against my chest, bunching the fabric of my shirt between her fingers, trying to find purchase.
“What do you mean? You wanted me to use you and then cast you aside?” I asked, my grip on her bare arms tightening. I pulled her closer, growling.
My breath fell on Rose's face. I was too angry to rationalize that she had probably found this long before even our mating ceremony took place. Before she started sleeping in my bed, curled up to my wolf. But all I could ponder was how could Rose ever think I'dwant anyone else but her?
“Your feelings will change with time. Once the novelty of us wears off. Once the urge to mate is gone,” Rose replied simply. “And I want you to be happy, even if it’s not with me.”
“Why? Can’t you think about yourself for once? Why are you always trying to be so damn selfless?!” I screamed the last part, biting back the urge to shake her.
How dare she? How dare she even think of herself as an obligation?
Did she just view herself as a means to an end?
Or was it something else? My world seemed to spin on its axis as I asked in a small voice, “Do you not want to be with me anymore? You had feelings for me, I could tell when I saw your memories. Do you want to be with someone else now? You hate me that much after—”
My head snapped back when Rose, with surprising strength, pulled out of my grasp and slapped me soundly.
“Don’t you dare!” she began, her chest heaving, hair in wild disarray coming out of its bun. I couldn't help but think of an entirely different situation that would make her look like this.
She pushed me away from her. “Don’t you dare stand there and tell me what I want! How could you—” Her suffocated voice broke for a minute. “How could you even think that when you know all I’ve ever wanted…”
And then she stopped, barely able to hold in her words before spilling her confession.
“What?” I asked urgently, taking two steps towards her, crowding into her personal space again. We were so close that Rose could see the tick in my jaw, the bob of my Adam’s apple as I swallowed.I dipped my mouth close to her ear.
“What have you always wanted, Rose?” I asked achingly.
“I’ll give it to you. I won’t blame you if you hate me now.
But, Rose, I think…what I feel for you….
it’s not just because of your turn. These feelings were there long before that.
” I swallowed the lump in my throat. “I’d do anything for you.
..I… I care about you a lot. I’d…I’d do anything to see you happy.
Do you want me to leave? I’ll leave the pack if that’s what you want.
I’ll leave, for you. Tell me what you want, and I’ll give it to you. ”
Rose stilled.
“You once said that being the alpha of Bloodfire Phoenix Pack is your dream and you would never give it up even for the girl you love,” Rose said softly.
“I can leave anything for you, Rose. I care for you that much.” I said with nothing but sincerity in my tone.
The dam of emotion in my chest seemed to burst as I spoke again
“Rose, you have no idea how much I would do for you. Please…tell me what you want,” I pleaded.
It seemed as if time stood still as I waited with bated breath. In that moment, she was my judge, jury, and executioner all wrapped into one beautiful package.
“You.” Endless weeks and months of aching, of wanting, seemed to spill out in a single word, begging to be heard on the merest breath of a whisper.
I heard it. My lips crashed over hers, arms clamping around her waist like a vice so I could pull her so intimately against me that she felt the evidence of my arousal growing against her hip.
Rose gasped into my mouth and I took that as an invitation to deepen the kiss.
My tongue dipped into her mouth, exploring her more intimately than I ever had before and my every nerve-ending was on fire.
There were no sparks. No. Fireworks were exploding across every inch of my skin, leaving us both breathless in this moment of passion.
I didn’t hold back, trying to pour my feelings for her into that one kiss.
Sweet relief that Rose still wanted to be with me spurred me on as I willed her to understand the ferocity of my feelings for her.
When Rose pulled back breathlessly, my lips found the curve where her neck and jaw met, nibbling my way across her skin to finally reach her ear.
“Aiden…stop,” Rose whispered gently, palms splayed flat against my chest, trying to push me back.
“I can’t,” I breathed into her ear. “Now that I know you still feel the same way, I can’t stop.”
I kissed the skin behind her ear. Rose gasped, my blood sang.
“We can’t. Not in the library.” She exerted more pressure on my chest.
“We can,” I growled, nudging her backwards until her backside hit the table.
Cupping her butt, in one fell swoop, my other hand brushed aside the aged tomes, some of them falling to the ground as I pushed Rose back further until she was lying on the table, gasping for air when I pulled away to kiss down her throat.
A primal growl emitted from my lips upon reaching the area I had marked her.
My canines itched to come out again and bite her there.
Her hands grabbed bunches of my hair and she gasped again when my tongue dipped into the hollow of her throat.
My luna moaning and panting against me spurred me on.
My hands held her arms in a vice-like grip, afraid to let her go.
I pulled back to look down at her, admiring the way she lay beneath me, her curls falling around her on the table, surrounded by those books of hers she loved so much.
“Been wanting to do this since the first time I had you alone in the library on campus,” I said gruffly.
It was that simple admission that did Rose in.
Before I knew it, she was pulling me back down, ravaging my mouth with hers, parting her legs to nestle my hips between hers.
My hands ran up and down her thighs possessively, enjoying the delicious feel of the cut-off area of her denim shorts where the fabric ended and silky skin began.
My warm fingers trailed up and down a few times before going up to squeeze her backside and then going back down to gently squeeze her thighs.
Our tongues danced together. Rose clutched my collar, holding me to her as if her life depended on it.
Finally, I could kiss her how I wanted to.
“Oh.”
A new, amused voice spoke up. We pulled apart, Rose snapping her legs shut as I cursed.
“Maybe I should come again later,” Mom said in a teasing voice, watching Rose clamber off the table, adjusting her clothes. Her tank top had ridden up and one of the straps had been pulled down.
“Did you need something, Mom?” I jerkily said, hands in front to hide the tent in my pants.
Mom held up a familiar navy blue and silver invitation.
“It’s another Alpha’s Regional meeting. This time the Silver Creek Pack is hosting. Lunas are required to be in attendance as well. Just like last time.” Mom gave Rose a sideways glance.
Rose was looking anywhere but at Mom. I knew she couldn't even bring herself to think about the fact that this time it was Alistair Evans who would be hosting the event.
“Remember to wear the family pearls, dear,” Mom quipped. “We’ll also have to order a new dress for you.”
Rose looked at the floor, nodding before making her way past Mom to rush out the door. Preferably, she wanted to run somewhere far away from me and my mother .
Mom stopped Rose with a gentle hand to Rose’s arm as she attempted to brush past her.
“You know,” Mom began in a pleased voice. “The kids and I can move to one of the nearby houses. I don’t want you to feel as if you have to confine your sexual activities to your rooms just because of—”
Rose began shaking her head furiously, looking at the floor before mom could finish the sentence while I exclaimed, “That’s enough, Mom!”
Mom chuckled. “Aiden, it’s completely natural. Your father and I—”
“No, Mom! You’re not helping!” I cut in warningly.
Rose kept looking determinedly at the floor.
“The books!” Rose choked out in horror.
Suddenly she was back inside the library on her knees, picking up the books that had fallen to the floor. “These books are ancient and we just…you just…”
Rose glared up at me with grievance.
Mom laughed. I rolled my eyes heavenward.
“I’m getting out of here. You females are going to drive me crazy,” I muttered, striding out of the room before anyone could say another word.
“Trust you to be more worried about books after a hot make-out session.”
My parting remark made mom laugh harder.
Rose sniffed in disdain, gathering the old books, making sure their spines were still intact.