“And whose fault was that?” Daniel didn’t look all that sorry. If anything, he seemed to enjoy that he’d done that to her.
“Yours.” Her tone came out sharp.
He clicked his tongue. “All I said was that you needed to tell me what you wanted, clearly. That’s how this works, all of it. If you want something, you need to say it. We’re happy to give you what you want—within reason—but you’ve got to learn to ask.”
She stood beside Kyle, one hand picking at the nails of her other.
He thought back to what she’d said to him, about her father, to the bastard who had taught her she wasn’t good enough.
He doubted she’d had the chance to ask for much of anything in her life. She seemed like thepull yourself up by your bootstrapssort of woman, the kind who would rather go without than just ask.Obviously, she is. She went without last night because she just didn’t want to voice it.
He was glad Trent wasn’t out there. Trent was always the softy, the one who would give in. He’d have taken her in his arms and told her he’d take care of it all.
Soft-hearted idiot.Trent might like rules, but he also bent over backward to take care of those around him.
Kyle, however, could be hard if it was in her best interests, and this was.
Alison drew her hands into fists and squared her shoulders.Ah, there’s that steel will.
“I don’t want to have sex with you.”
Kyle nearly grumbled at that, because it wasn’t at all what he’d hoped she’d say.Force her to talk and that’s what she comes up with?
Before he could say anything or show his disappointment, she kept going, as if she needed to get it all out at once. “Not yet, at least. But I’m carrying Trent’s scent already. I don’t know what I want to do, not exactly, but I want to…try.”
Not specific, but a hell of a lot better than before.
Kyle glanced Daniel’s way, wanting to get a consensus on whether that was clear enough for him.
The curl of Daniel’s lips said he had no issues with the request, and thank fuck for that. Kyle wasn’t surehe could have just turned around and left if Alison’s begging wasn’t good enough.
Still, he wanted to check on things. “If this is just about scent, I think you know we could remedy that with something lessintimate. Not that hard to get you to wear our scent.”
And…fuck…even that made Kyle wish he’d been sitting. He considered all the ways he could have her wear his scent without actually touching her. It made him picture her down on her knees, as she had been the night before, and he’d stroke himself until he came. She wouldn’t even touch him, but he wanted to rub that into her skin, to make sure she wore his scent while he told her what a good girl she was.
“I know,” she answered, and her side-eye toward Kyle said she’d picked up his arousal, his reaction to their conversation. “What I said last night, I meant. I’ve never had the chance to experience this, and clearly you know what you’re doing. I want to try.”
Kyle gave up being passive. She’d made her wants clear, and heneededto touch her. He grasped her collar, tugging it until she was in front of him—careful not to grasp her chin—until she looked up at him. “We won’t fuck you, not yet. Any other lines you don’t want crossed?” He leaned in, her breath sweet and hot against his lips.
“Don’t kiss me,” she said.
He hid his disappointment. Limits were limits and he’d obey hers, even if it was hard to imagine not taking her lips. “Okay, sugar.”
“Okay? I thought you’d argue more,” she whispered back.
“Why would I do that? There are plenty of other places on your little body to enjoy, and I plan to explore each and every fucking one of them.”
Chapter Ten
Alison couldn’t breathe. What was she supposed to say back tothat? Each time she thought she could handle the alphas, they’d prove again why she couldn’t.
She’d shored up her courage to approach them, to ask, feeling confident and sexy, like some vixen. She’d expected to walk up, in control, and tell them exactly what she wanted.
And yet a few words from Kyle had her breathless and needy.
Which wasn’t fair at all.
And yet, even when she couldn’t seem to gain ground, she didn’t feel unsafe.Uneasy? Unprepared? Out of control? Absolutely.
