“I don’t want anything from you,” she lied, even as her body leaned into his heat.
“Your body’s telling me something different.” His voice dropped to a rumble that vibrated through her chest. “You’re wet for me right now, aren’t you?”
Heat flooded her face at the blunt accusation, made worse by its accuracy. She could feel the slickness between her thighs, her body preparing itself for his claiming, despite every rational thought in her head.
“Keep fighting me and see what happens,” Dom warned, his alpha energy surging.
Valeria struggled against him one more time, a token resistance that they both knew was meaningless. She couldn’t access her bear strength, couldn’t match his power, couldn’t do anything but stand there and let him cage her against the wall.
“Enough.” Dom’s patience snapped like a breaking wire. His lips crushed down on hers with bruising force as his tongue possessed her mouth.
Valeria’s shock lasted exactly one heartbeat before her body betrayed her completely. Her knees went weak, her resistance crumbling like paper in the rain. She kissed him back with desperate hunger. Her bear purred with satisfaction, finallygetting what it had been demanding since the moment she’d first seen him. This was her alpha, her mate, the man destiny had chosen for her.
When they finally broke apart, both gasping for air, Valeria stared up at Dom’s face in shock. The careful control he’d maintained was gone, replaced by raw hunger that made her stomach flutter.
“This doesn’t change anything,” she whispered.
Dom’s smile was sharp with satisfaction. “It changes everything.”
He was right, and they both knew it. And now there was no going back.
Chapter
Fifteen
The pretensethat she didn’t feel the mate bond pulling at her, crumbled with that single, devastating kiss.
“I shouldn’t want this,” she said, her voice breaking.
“Your bear knows what she needs,” Dom said, his hand cupping her face. “Stop fighting it.”
Valeria’s bear purred beneath her skin. Not to fight, but to surrender to the mate she’d been craving since the moment she’d first seen him.
“Look at me,” Dom commanded, his thumb tracing her lower lip.
Her eyes met his automatically, body responding before her mind could protest. This close, she could see the gold flecks in his eyes. Valeria stood frozen against the wall, every nerve ending alive with anticipation. His gaze traveled over her like a physical touch, and her nipples hardened beneath the oversized sweatshirt.
“You’re beautiful when you stop fighting,” he murmured.
His hands found the hem of the oversized sweatshirt, lifting it slowly. Valeria raised her arms. The cool air hit her hot skin, making her gasp. Dom’s hands skimmed up her sides, callused palms leaving trails of fire on her sensitive skin. His hands cupped her breasts, thumbs brushing over hardened nipples until she whimpered with need.
“Your tits are fucking perfect,” he growled, his mouth descending to capture one peaked nipple. “Made for me.”
His words sent liquid heat pooling between her legs. When his teeth scraped gently across the sensitive flesh, she cried out, her knees going weak.
“Bed,” he said. “Now.”
Valeria’s legs moved without her permission, carrying her the few steps to the narrow bed. Dom followed, his presence overwhelming in the small space, his alpha energy wrapping around her.
When the back of her knees hit the mattress, she sat heavily, looking up at him with a mixture of fear and desire. This was happening. She was really going to do this, consequences be damned.
Dom stripped off his shirt, revealing a chest marked with tattoos and old scars. Her mouth went dry at the sight of him. He was all muscle and controlled power, built like the warrior he was.
“Lie down,” he commanded. “Arms above your head.”
She obeyed without thinking, settling against the pillows with her wrists crossed above her head. Dom’s weight settled beside her on the narrow bed, one large hand wrapping around both her wrists to pin them in place.
“Keep them there,” he said, his grip firm but not painful. “Don’t move unless I tell you to.”
