Kade and Santiago glare venomously at me. They don’t try to disguise anything from their expressions or their body language. If my brother was here, I’d kill him too.
A small noise stops all the outside noise and torpedoes everything inside me to her.
Quinn is on her side, her hair stuck to her face, hiding her eyes. She’s made herself as small as possible, and the A/C is running, adding an arctic wind to the bathroom.
Pushing my way through the dogs and grabbing a few of the towels, I flick the shower off and bundle her into my arms.
Santiago tries to block my way, “Where are you taking her?”
“My suite.”
The dogs are glued to my side, not allowing any space as we move through her room, making her guards move out of the way if they don’t want to be bitten or bowled out of the way.
I can’t afford to look down at her face yet. I need to get her away from them and safely tucked inside my space. Not even the obvious sound of each clicking their safety off stops me.
“Either of you try to stop me, and I will tear you apart for putting her at risk,” I growl under my breath.
The dogs form an impenetrable shield when I have to change the way I’m holding her. And when the door to my lock disengages and I make it inside with her and the dogs safely, I take my first full breath of air since I realized.
“Dorogaya moya, mne tak zhal’, chto menya zdes’ ne bylo.”
I call her my darling, safe in the knowledge it’s only her and me here. And the dogs, but they have never divulged any of the other secrets. My apology for leaving her alone to suffer will be on my lips until she hears the words herself.
Instantly, the stress and tension wash off me. I will keep her forever. And keep her safe.
QUINN
The haze and heat let up and stops consuming. The sensation of being swept away still threatens. It lingers under my skin, ready to take hold again, and it will, but right here, right now, I’m aware.
I have no idea how I got here, but I know where here is, which is weird but not too.
Aleksei’s scent is everywhere and on everything. It’s quite literally the only thing I can smell, taste, and feel. His scent is as unique and mysterious as he is. The complex, rich profile of it is a combination of earth, wood, smoke, and the heady notes of a primal predator. I get why agarwood features in so many colognes now, although the thought that anyone else can get the smallest hit of him drives me straight down a rabbit hole.
I sit up at the same time a door opens.
He walks in, wearing suit pants and a crisp white business shirt. He leans against the doorjamb, looking like a god. Thecollar of his shirt is open, and he’s rolled up the sleeves, his thick forearms on full display. My core clenches at the sight.
Heat-addled is the only way I can explain the surge of confidence that has me letting go of sense and logic and responding to him on a baser level. I sink against the pillows on his bed and watch him with the same shameless interest as he watches me.
Without realizing, he’s taken a lot from me, but it’s like what was important was seeing him, and now everything around me is falling into place. I’m in his suite, dressed in one of his shirts and the panties I had on earlier. They’re damp, a combination of the shower from earlier but also the pooling slick of my heat.
“Are you okay?” he asks, his eyes on my face. His shoulders are locked tight, as if he’s fighting not to look anywhere else. “I felt your emotions spike.”
I hum to answer him but also to deal with another wave of warmth. Being around him is disarming. There should be warnings or alarms blaring in my mind, but my self-preservation is gone, a big part of my focus now tunneled on him being my Alpha. How we happened will be a discussion for another time, and maybe he doesn’t want me as his, but that doesn’t stop me from dragging the sheet down and undressing.
In this bubble of time, nothing but us exists. My designation turns me into a puddle for this Alpha. After being denied anything to do with him, now I’m a slut for him. And while I could put a stop to it, for a handful of precious seconds, I don’t. Who would?
“Aleksei,” I whine, letting my legs fall as I use my fingers to soothe the need of seeing, smelling, and hearing him.
He doesn’t open his mouth to speak. Through our bond, I get everything he’s conveying. He’s worried but knows we’re past that. He’s changed, exactly like I have. He’s as starving and asdesperate as I am. He wants to plunge back inside my body and knot me stupid.
“I want that,” I murmur, my eyes rolling back as I sink into the pleasure he’s remembering.
It might not have been ideal with everyone watching, but there’s no denying it was incredible.
Aleksei takes a step closer, indecision still marring his beautiful face. “He’ll kill us if he finds out.” His accent is more pronounced, his voice low and commanding, but it’s just him and me. For now.
“He won’t find out,” I promise him. And it’s outlandish to think I could ever hide our connection, but I am confident, considering I’ve hidden that Santiago and Kade are mine too.
