That lands closer than I’d like. “Ava, not a damn person in that courtroom actually thought you were unprepared or emotional,” I growl. “If anything, it made me look like an asshole.”
“Youarean asshole,” she hisses.
I grin, feeling more alive than I can remember in a very long time. I don’t know what it is about fighting with this woman, but it is addicting. “And yet, you’re here. In the middle of the night.”
She opens her mouth, then shuts it again, eyes narrowing like she’s trying to decide the best place to strike.
I tilt my head and lower my voice. “Did you come here to yell at me, Ava… or to prove to yourself you could?”
She rolls her eyes. “What the hell does that even mean? I think the fact that I’m here proves that I can. I told you, let’s take the gloves off. Say what you need to say to me so it’s out of your system and we can get some damn work done.”
I stalk forward another step. “And what do you think I’m holding back? That I think you’re an ice queen who lives togrind people to dust under her Louboutins? Because I do.” Even as I say the words, while they are true, I know it isn’t all I think about her.
Her lips twitch, just shy of a smile. “Finally, some honesty. Took you long enough to admit it.”
I laugh. “I never hid those opinions. Just couldn’t say it out loud so directly in the settings we typically find ourselves in. You aren’t special. Bit predictable, really.”
“Predictable? Please. As if you aren’t. Do you know you linger and follow me out of the courtroom every single day? You can’t stand not having the last word.”
I hate the truth in that. “Probably because you never shut up long enough to let anyone else have it.”
She lifts her chin, smug. “Maybe because you don’t say anything worth hearing.”
I’m right in front of her now, close enough I can see how deeply green her eyes are, and the tiny flecks of gold within them.
Like the woods back home at the height of summer, with sunlight dappling between their leaves. The thought catches me off guard with its poignancy.
My voice drops, rough. “Careful, Ava.”
Her eyes spark and narrow. “Or what? You’ll hit me with another second-rate insult?”
I feel the last thread of my restraint snap. With a growl, I grab her by the back of the neck and crush my mouth to hers.
She freezes for half a second, caught off-guard, then grabs the front of my t-shirtand pulls me to her. The kiss is more like a collision than some passionate embrace. There’s no romance, only heat. Her nails dig into my chest, and I shove my hand upwards to grip her hair and tilt her head back so I can get better access to her mouth.
I back us up so that she’s pressed to the wall, plunging my tongue past her full, plump lips. That muted scent of oranges strengthens slightly, until I swear I can taste it. So fucking sweet.
I want more. My alphaneedsmore.
I release her hair and reach down to cup her ass with both my hands, hauling her upward so that she’s forced to wrap those impossibly long legs around my hips as I hold her. The position forces her skirt upwards on her thighs, and I feel the heat of her pussy against the front of my pajama pants.
It makes me nearly feral. I’ve never really understood when they describe an alpha rut before, but I think I do a little more now. I want to tear the fabric between us away. Howdaresomething separate me from what’s mine?
That thought sobers me some, the possessiveness in it confusing. I almost pull away, but she makes a needy whine in the back of her throat as her tongue slides along mine, her fingers twirling into my hair and tugging.
And I’m lost again.
I carry her to my bedroom, never breaking from the kiss. I toss her onto my bed, rougher than I usually would. “Take off your fucking clothes,Ava,” I demand.
I expect her to fight me. To tell me I’m insane.
Instead, she captures her bottom lip with her teeth, and a beautiful flush stains across her cheeks. Oh, she enjoys being bossed around, at least a little. Noted.
She quickly scrambles out of her jacket, tossing it off the side of the bed, and unbuttons her shirt as she pulls it up and out of her skirt. This reveals a pale, icy blue bra that looks like it’s made up of very expensive lace and the twinkle of a tiny diamond in her belly button.
It pulls another growl from my mouth. Ava has a penchant for pushing the boundaries of fashion, and I’ve actually seen a fair amount of her body in various gowns. But here in the seclusion of my bedroom, with only my eyes feasting on her, it feels different. Special. More intimate.
I pull my shirt over my head and toss it aside before quickly pushing my pajamas off my hips so they pool on the floor. Her eyes widen as she looks over me, and it makes me smirk.
