“Well, take them back,” Alaric said. “I have no desire to see you right now.”
That was blatantly untrue. If the glassy gleam in his eyes wasn’t enough to prove his arousal, the slick scent wafting off him proved it. My cock strained with need. A fiery passion burned in my chest, demanding I grab Alaric and claim him. It took a great amount of willpower to restrain myself.
“Tell me the truth,” I rasped.
That took Alaric off guard. His eyes widened, searching mine. Then under his breath, he said, “Let’s talk inside.”
Once alone in his hotel room, my cravings proved even harder to ignore. My instinctswantedhim. My civilized nature threatened to dissolve. I was close to devolving into a creaturethat operated on pure instinct. It was a miracle I kept my composure in the spa room. If we weren’t being filmed, I would’ve lost control a long time ago.
Alaric spun to face me with a frown. “You have a lot of nerve marching in here after what you just—”
Gods, he was so beautiful. I couldn’t help myself any longer.
My single remaining thread of control snapped. I crushed my mouth against his, hungry to finally explore and taste him. I was seized by desperation, like Alaric was the first gulp of air after drowning.
He made a muffled sound of surprise when our mouths collided, yet he didn’t shove me away. At first he kissed me back stiffly, as if still irritated, but it didn’t take him long to mellow out. His sweet tongue twisted with mine, joining together in a velvety wet dance.
My dragon instincts flared to life. I wanted to shred Alaric’s robe to tatters, throw him to the floor, and fuck him senseless.
We parted for breath, panting rapidly. Alaric’s cheeks flushed a beautiful shade of rose pink. He was gorgeous.
Alaric furrowed his brows, though he obviously wasn’t that upset. “Excuse me? You think after all that nonsense you can just barge into my room and kiss me?”
That haughty attitude always made me smile. “Yes. I just did.”
He glared daggers, though his shining eyes and flushed cheeks softened the blow. “Hmph. Typical alpha dragon.”
A jolt of jealousy pierced me. I leaned in, curling my finger around his collar. “What other alpha dragons do you know? Should I be concerned?”
I watched the bob of his throat as he swallowed.
“Besides your brothers? None,” he replied.
My finger hooked tighter on the collar. “Let’s keep it that way.”
Alaric exhaled a sardonic laugh. “You’re so dramatic. But sure, if you insist. I’ll refrain from meeting any additional dragons.” He paused. An unexpected softness flashed across his eyes. “Besides, the only dragon worth my time is the one in front of me.”
His words were an arrow straight to my chest. They slipped past all my defenses and burrowed into my beating heart. No other words ever spoken to me had so muchfeelingbehind them. Alaric awakened me to emotions I didn’t know I even possessed.
“Then you didn’t mind the kiss?” I asked, just to be sure.
He rolled his mesmerizing blue and green eyes. “No, you fool. I obviously enjoyed it. You should... do it again.”
A ripple of excitement danced across my skin. I wasted no time gently pulling Alaric in by the collar and pressing our lips together.
He made the cutest mewling sound, sparking another jolt across my electrified skin. My heart pounded. My nose was full of his scent—that rich omega musk mixed with his baby powder perfume—yet I still wanted more.
My fingers itched to rip his clothes off, but Alaric treated his belongings with care, and I knew he’d turn me into a dragon-hide rug if I did that.
“Strip,” I said in a breathy command.
He shivered, but complained, “Oh, now you’re bossing me around?”
“You don’thaveto obey me. But you want to. I can tell.”
Alaric narrowed his fiery gaze. Wordlessly, he peeled off his pale blue cardigan without breaking eye contact with me. He was just as meticulous as he’d been with his robe in the spa room. That was one more trait I liked about him. I could never be with a sloppy, disorganized omega. Alaric was like me in the ways thatmattered, and different in ways that both comforted and thrilled me.
“I’ve stripped,” Alaric stated. “Now what?”
