If that shaman wanted to find us, connect the dots, he’d be able to, no matter how discreet Dimitri thought he’d been. Our mating had been in the local paper in the marriage announcements. An online search for Dimitri’s name, a look at a photo of me in my un-werewolf-like glasses, my father’s sudden retirement, which would be news by Monday…it wouldn’t be that hard.
But I found that I didn’t care. Fuck it. If my family’s reputation suffered, that could be their fucking problem. My job would be to keep the company on an even keel and make sure it didn’t affect us more than we could recover from.
And that’d be the type of challenge I’d face throughout my career, and hopefully rise above with grace. I smiled up at the stars. Okay, so I had one thing to look forward to.
“It doesn’t matter that much,” I said. “I’m grateful. Doubly grateful because you kept at it even after I blew you off. I was so focused on putting one foot in front of the other. Tunnel vision.”
Another silence fell. “It wasn’t just that. You believed him,” he said at last, very quietly. “On some level, you bought into the bullshit. That you weren’t good enough. That you needed an alpha to tell you what to do. If you’d been in the mindset of questioning him, you’d have figured it out a long time ago. You’re smarter than me.”
My cheeks glowed, luckily probably not noticeable in the faint moonlight—at least if he wasn’t paying attention. But when I dared to turn my head, to really look at him, I found him already fully focused on me, eyes intent and gleaming.
For a moment, I lost myself completely. It’d almost happened before, his eyes drawing me in until I forgot to breathe, until the world faded away. This time, I had no defenses left.
I knew I had to get it together, present my case rationally and calmly. He needed money. I had it, and I’d have a lot more of it once my new salary kicked in. Fucking me satisfied him enough for a longer-term arrangement to work, right? And we got along well. Better than well. Swimmingly, even. Living with him had been so easy, so pleasant, soright.
But I couldn’t get the words out. Silvered by the moonlight, Dimitri held me in thrall with no more effort than it took him to exist. Black hair gleaming like part of the starry night sky, eyes like pewter, his hard features contrasting with the softness of the faint smile on his lips as he looked at me…
“Fucking hell,” he rasped. “Brook.” He reached out, cupping the side of my face, sliding his long fingers into my hair and caressing the corner of my mouth with his thumb. “I’m sorry. I can’t not do this anymore.”
That didn’t compute, but before I could force my brain to function, he’d wrapped his other arm around my back, tipped me over it, and covered my mouth with his.
Dimitri’s lips were hot on mine, firm and demanding, and he teased mine apart with his tongue, sweeping inside to claim me.
Not that it took much effort. I opened for him, welcoming him inside, electrified joy sparking through every nerve. He kissed me until I couldn’t breathe, until I writhed in his arms, my cock stiff and aching and my body on fire, and held him so tightly in turn that I didn’t think I’d ever be able to let him go. I climbed him like a tree, swinging my leg over so that I could straddle him, thighs spread wide around his, desperate to get his cock where I needed it. Inside me, fuck, I needed him inside me, filling me until I couldn’t even moan anymore, until nothing existed but his knot stretching me open and making me his.
Dimitri slid his hand down under my ass to hold me up, the effortless strength of it driving me wild. He could take my weight with one arm, he could manhandle me any way he wanted, hold me down, own me…
When he broke the kiss, I whimpered and tried to chase his mouth, nipping at his lower lip. More, I needed more, I needed him to never, ever stop.
“Wait,” he panted. “Brook, baby, wait. I need to—mmph,” because I’d captured his mouth again. “Stop,” and this time it came out a breathless gasp. He tugged me away, fingers tangled in my hair, and tipped my head back out of reach. His eyes dropped to my bared throat. “Fuck, that’s not helping.”
I licked my lips and moaned like the slut I’d become for him, and he shuddered under me, the hand on my ass gripping me almost painfully. “I don’t want it to help. I want you to lay me out on the car and fuck me. Or the ground. I’m not picky.”
“Yeah, well, I’m picky for you.” He leaned in and kissed my throat, once, like he couldn’t help it, his lips lingering. “I’ll fuck you,” he whispered against my skin, the vibrations shooting straight down to where I wanted him inside me. But he had me pinned—although that didn’t help either. “I’ll fuck you all night, all day, all fucking week without stopping. But you need to tell me what I am to you, first.”
“What you—oh, fuck, Dimitri—you’re my mate. My alpha.”
He bit down, snarling, so rigid under me he felt like stone. The pain lanced through me, so much headier than pure pleasure.
When he let me go, he lapped at my bruised skin. “I am your mate,” he growled between licks. “Fuck. Fine. I’m your fucking alpha, Brook, and I’m not going anywhere. You fucking understand? Call me your alpha one more time, and I’m never leaving you.”
He was never leaving me.
Not because I’d offered him another chunk of money, but because he wanted me.Me, Brook, with all my imperfections.
“Alpha,” I gasped, and he surged up, carrying me with him as he moved quickly away from the car. I wrapped my legs around his waist and let him jounce us wherever he wanted to go, kissing him at the same time, laughing when he tripped and cursed, because everything was pure joy, fizzing through my veins like champagne.
I didn’t realize what he had in mind until he let me down, mouth still molded to mine, nibbling at my lips and chasing me, and stripped off his jacket.
He tossed it on the grass and then toppled me down after it, and I squawked and fought him. “Dimitri! That’s a custom tailored jack—mmm,” and I forgot about the tailoring and everything else in that possessive, devouring kiss.
It was a good thing I’d lost interest in the state of our tuxes, because he tore mine off of me with a combination of claws, single-minded determination, and brute strength, seams popping and fabric ripping and buttons flying.
I didn’t even have a chance to worry about the lack of lube. Dimitri shoved my legs up and open and dived in, eating me out until I screamed and tugged at his hair, coming all over myself.
He swiped up my come, slicked his cock with it, and slid home.
I stared up at him, transfixed, gasping for breath. Silhouetted by the pale moonlight, muscles straining, he could’ve been the stunt double for that demon lover in the book I might or might not have read to ragged shreds. His eyes glowed brighter than the stars, pure gold in the darkness, and fixed on me with overwhelming intensity.
