Iwas barely holding on to the ragged edges of my control. After everything we'd learned about Aegis and the darkness they'd hidden beneath their polished, professional exterior, my skin was crawling with the desperate need to see Linden. Touch her. And reassure myself that she was safe, secure, and mine. I couldn't shake the image of her hurt or in danger, and it had wound me tighter than a spring.
I stalked through the clubhouse toward the kitchen, my pulse hammering and every muscle in my body locked tight. My mind was filled with vivid thoughts of Linden beneath me, her body pliant and trembling as I claimed her again and again. She was an addiction that had gotten under my skin quicker than I thought possible.
After pushing through the door, my eyes immediately locked on her. She stood at the kitchen counter with Stella, carefully spreading icing over a pan of cinnamon rolls. Her honey-brown hair was loose, curling softly over her shoulders, and she laughed softly at something Stella had said. The sound was sweet, cutting straight through the tension that had knotted itself painfully in my chest.
But it wasn't enough. I needed more. To hold her, to lose myself in the warmth of her body until the dark thoughts finally faded.
Without a word, I strode across the kitchen. Stella glanced up, her eyes widening slightly as she read the intensity in my face. But Linden didn’t notice me until my hands were already reaching for her. She gasped as I scooped her effortlessly into my arms, lifting her from the floor without a second thought.
“K-Keegan?” Linden's voice was startled but not afraid. She sensed what I needed even before I said a word, her arms coming around my neck and her body fitting against mine like she belonged there. “Is everything okay?”
“It is now,” I growled, adjusting my grip to make sure I didn't hurt her despite the possessive energy humming through me. “But I need you, little dove.”
Linden didn't protest as I carried her swiftly through the clubhouse. The second the door closed behind us, I locked it and set her carefully on her feet while still keeping her pressed close against me.
My palms framed her face, holding her steady as I crashed my mouth against hers. The kiss was hard and rough, filled with every ounce of desperation, fear, and anger I'd felt over the past few days. I kissed her like I needed to leave no doubt she belonged only to me.
She moaned softly against my lips, arching into me, her hands gripping my shirt as if she needed me just as badly. When I finally broke the kiss, my breathing was harsh. I pressed my forehead to hers, my eyes closed tightly as I fought to keep myself in check.
“Little dove,” I rasped, my voice gritty with barely restrained need. “You need to understand that I am hanging on by a fucking thread. What I want to do to you right now isn't gentle. I want to fuck you, Linden. Hard. Rough. Over and over, until you'rehoarse from screaming my name and can't walk without feeling me inside you. Until you're dripping with my come for days, and there's no doubt in your mind that every inch of you belongs to me.”
Her breath caught, her body trembling softly against mine. Her green eyes met my gaze, wide and dark with need, her cheeks flushed pink. I tightened my grip on her face, my thumbs brushing across her jawline.
“I don't want to hurt you,” I warned her gently, but my voice was edged in steel. “But the animal inside me right now isn't caged. It's raw. Primal. If you're not ready, walk away, little dove. Tell me to stop, and I'll figure out how to get my shit together.”
She didn't hesitate. Her eyes locked on mine with absolute trust, her voice soft but steady as she whispered, “I don't want you to cage anything, Keegan. I want every part of you. Take whatever you need.”
The second she gave me permission, whatever thin restraint I’d been clinging to snapped.
I crashed my mouth back on hers, devouring her with all my hunger. My hands fisted in the back of her shirt and tore it up and over her head, breaking the kiss for only a second. Her bra went next, quickly tossed away. Fabric hit the floor somewhere behind us, forgotten. My palms found her breasts immediately, dragging over the soft, warm curves before I bent and sealed my mouth over one tight nipple.
She gasped, her fingers diving into my hair as I sucked hard, drawing the peak deep between my lips. I didn’t ease into it. I bit down just enough to make her cry out, then soothed the sting with my tongue, flicking and circling until her knees trembled.
“Mine.” I moved to the other breast and gave it the same ruthless attention. “These perfect fucking tits belong to me.”
She arched into me, breath coming in quick, needy pants. “Keegan?—”
“That’s it,” I growled. “Say my name while I mark you up.”
My hands weren’t idle. I squeezed, pinched, and twisted the tight buds between my fingers until her hips started to rock forward in search of friction. I left my teeth on her skin, not hard enough to break it, but enough to leave deep red impressions blooming across the creamy curve of her breasts.
“Gonna look so damn pretty tomorrow,” I rasped. “My marks everywhere.”
Her thighs pressed together instinctively, and I dropped to my knees in front of her before she could catch her breath.
I grasped the center of her panties and ripped them away in one rough motion, tossing the scrap of lace aside without ceremony. She stood naked in front of me, flushed and trembling, her pussy already glistening.
“Fuck,” I breathed, grabbing her hips and dragging her forward until her slick heat brushed my mouth. “Look at you. So wet, it’s dripping down your thighs.”
I didn’t give her time to respond. I latched onto her pussy like I was starving.
My tongue dragged up her slit in one long stroke, and she cried out, her hands clutching at my shoulders. I sucked her clit hard between my lips, then bit down lightly, just enough to make her body jerk. “That’s my girl. You like it rough, don’t you? Enjoy when I own this sweet body.”
She whimpered, hips bucking as I licked and sucked, my hands sliding around to grab her ass and haul her tighter against my face. I buried myself between her thighs, devouring her with messy, hungry strokes. Biting at the soft flesh of her inner thighs, then soothing her skin with my tongue.
Her orgasm came fast. Her whole body seized, a broken sob ripping from her throat as she clamped down around my mouth.
“That’s right. Let me feel it. Taste it.”
