Page 40 of Cruel Mate

And he was almost sure that Layla was trying to entice him. Every day, she wore short dresses, the shortest of shorts, low-cut tops that showed her growing breasts, and the smell of milk that was beginning to produce within them was just as intoxicating to Zander. The knowledge that she was fertile, that she carried his child, and that she was preparing to care for it only made him want her more.

It took all he had in him to control himself. Besides, he had promised himself that if this was it, he was going to do things differently. He wasn’t about to treat her like one of the many women he’d met and fucked over the years.

Layla was different. She was glowing. And he could barely keep his hands off her.

One night, as she placed a jug of her amazing lavender lemonade on the dining table before him, Zander’s gaze inadvertently traveled to the rising hem of her skirt. The mound of her buttocks showed just beneath, and the scent of her wafted into his nostrils so strongly that his cock hardened uncontrollably. Only the table he was sitting at disguised the fact.

Yet she seemed to have heard his gasp as she straightened up and asked, “Is everything alright?”

Zander bit the inside of his cheek. He couldn’t take it anymore. In a split second, he had already imagined all of the terrible things he would like to do to her right there on that dining room table.

The dinner she had cooked smelled divine, but not nearly as tasty as she did, and he found he was not hungry at all for food, but for her.

Clearing his throat, he said, “Will you excuse me for a few minutes? I remembered I have something I need to do.”

Layla scowled at him but nodded. “Don’t be long. Your food will go cold.”

Zander nodded acknowledgment and forced himself to stand, hoping that she would not notice his rock-hard arousal.

Luckily for him, she looked away just in time, taking her seat and he hurried from the dining room straight for the bathroom.

He couldn’t hold it any longer. His arousal was painful. His cock throbbed so hard he feared it might explode if he didn’t do something about it.

Perching on the edge of the bathtub, he turned on the tap to the sink, hoping to muffle any noise he might make as he unzipped his jeans and gripped a hold of himself.

Damn, it felt so good to touch himself, but it felt even better to imagine that it wasn’t him at all.

Tilting back his head, he closed his eyes and pictured Layla’s face smiling back at him.

He gritted his teeth, imagining all too easily how she might stroke his cock, how she might drop down to her knees and take him into her mouth, caressing the tip of his manhood with her tongue.

“Fuck!” he exclaimed breathlessly. He quivered so badly, he had to hold onto the edge of the tub with his free hand.

This wasn’t the first time he’d had to sort himself out since marrying Layla over a week ago, but it was the first time he hadn’t managed to hold off until they’d headed off to bed in different rooms.

It was the first time he didn’t find himself imagining her pleasuring herself across the hall while he stroked his own cock.

He pictured her kneeling before him on the bathroom floor, staring up at him with his cock in her mouth. It made him feel dirty, disrespectful and needy, and yet he had to. He couldn’t control himself around her if he didn’t take care of this problem in his pants.

“Fuck!” he growled again, louder this time.

“Zander? Is everything okay in there?” Layla called from the hallway, and Zander’s hand halted immediately. His entire body quivered with pain at the lost orgasm, and he stifled a huge groan.

“I…I’m fine. Go back to the dining room,” he said through gritted teeth. “I’ll be there in a minute.”

His tone was breathless. Even to his own ears, he sounded as if he was in pain. And in truth, he was in pain. The scent of her wafting under the door was too much to bear. He wanted to stalk across the room, open the door and pull her inside.

Instead, he remained stock-still, gripping the bathtub even harder as he prayed for her to leave.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Layla called again. “You sound like something is wrong. Shall I come in?”

He heard her hand on the door handle and froze. “Don’t come in!”

But it was too late. The door clicked open, as if Layla hadn’t been able to control herself.

And when their eyes met, Zander’s face burned red-hot with embarrassment.

“Oh!” she exclaimed as she glanced momentarily at his cock, still gripped firmly in his hand.

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