22
I’d felt a pull toward Alec since we met, but I struggled to let him in. Now, every inch of me was drawing us closer. Desperate to feel his skin against mine, I slid my hands under his shirt and up his bare chest. It was as if my very soul was waking, urging me forward to complete the bond with him.
Alec quickly pulled his shirt over his head and tossed it aside. His mouth claimed mine in the most hungry, intense kiss I’d ever felt. My body responded, heat growing low in my belly, wetness already spreading between my legs. I kissed him back, hard and fast and a little sloppy as I tried to also undo the buttons I’d just fastened.
His fingers joined mine, the two of us unwilling to break the connection to stop and take my shirt off. We were moving backward, closer to the bed, as we continued the attempt to remove my clothes.
Alec pulled away, breaking the kiss. I wined, desperate to feel his lips on mine again. With a growl, Alec pulled the fabric of my shirt apart, buttons popping as they gave way.
Finally free of the shirt, I tossed it aside and took the opportunity to remove my pants. I looked up at my mate. “Why are your pants still on?”
He smirked. “That’s an excellent question.”
“Off. Now.”
He slowly worked the top button before lowering the zipper painstakingly slow. Frustration built, and I growled. “Hurry up before I tear them off.”
Pants still around his hips, he lunged forward, grabbing me and planting his lips on mine once again. He kissed me hard, slipping his tongue in. I moaned into his mouth, my tongue finding his and matching it stroke for stroke.
I wasn’t going to forget about those pants, though. I reached down and slid them from his hips as low as I could before breaking from the kiss.
“What are you waiting for?” I was panting.
Alec’s eyes were heavy with lust and I knew he wanted me as much as I wanted him, but he was hesitating.
“What’s wrong?” I demanded.
He stepped out of his pants, leaving only his boxers between me and what I really wanted. And from the tent in those, I knew he was just as ready as I was.
“Last chance,” he warned. “We can’t undo a mating bond.”
“Will you stop?” I asked. “I want you. I am choosing you. I was going to choose you over my mate without feeling a bond between us. I want to be with you.”
He grinned. “I want to be with you, too. But the choice needed to be yours. After everything you’ve been through, I need you to know your choices matter. You have the power to control your own life.”
I took a step closer to him. “I am the shifter queen. I’ve never had more power or more choice in my whole life and I still choose you. I’d choose you every time.”
“The shifter queen and a feral wolf,” he shook his head, “who’d have seen that coming?”
“How about the shifter queen and her king?” I rose to my toes and softly kissed his cheek.
Alec shivered, then he slid a hand around my waist. “You know I’ll have your back for the rest our lives.”
“Is that what this is all about?” I asked. “You’re still trying to atone for what you did?”
“I’m never going to forgive myself for that,” he said.
“Alright. Tomorrow we’ll go fix that. You and me, we face my old pack, together. But right now, I don’t want to think about them. I want to think about your hands on my body and your lips on mine.”
I hooked my fingers under the waistband of his boxers and pulled. He didn’t object. Once he stepped out of them, I grabbed his hand and led him to the bed.
The kisses were gentle this time, slow, passionate, full of emotions that neither of us could ever define. We tumbled onto the bed together, wrapped in each other’s arms, our bodies intertwined as one.
Hands caressed skin, fingers ran through hair, lips trailed kisses everywhere. This was so different from the other times we’d been together. Our other experiences had been hungry and tense. This wasn’t the same. It was deeper, slower, more intentional. Not that there was anything wrong with hard and fast; I liked that too, but this wasn’t that.
Alec settled between my open thighs, his hardness pressing right outside my entrance. My fingers trailed along his back, feeling the movement of his muscles as he kissed my neck. His lips moved to my chest, before his tongue found each of my nipples in turn. I gasped as he licked and sucked each of the sensitive nubs. My hips lifted and lowered in anticipation as he worshiped my body with his mouth.
Breathing fast, the need to have him inside me was overwhelming. I reached down and stroked his shaft, causing him to pause. He groaned and adjusted his position, so it was easier for me to reach him. I moved my hand faster.