Page 23 of Rook

“Oberon?” Her voice is still heavy with sleep, a husky murmur that could start fires.

“Right here, Stargazer.” I keep my arm wrapped around her, fingers splayed wide on her stomach. She presses back into me, an instinctive motion that has my own instincts rearing up, answering that silent call of hers.

“Feel it coming,” she whispers, shifting again, a deliberate rub this time. “My heat…maybe just a few days out…”

“I know, baby,” I murmur, pressing a kiss to her throat.

Her ass presses back against my already-hard cock, my knot aching to be buried inside her.

“You could tell?”

“I can scent it,” I groan.

The twilight through the window throws a lazy glow over us, shadows playing across Aisling’s face as she moves against me. I can’t help but chuckle, the sound rumbling low in my throat as I roll my hips in response to hers. The friction of fabric between us grates like sandpaper on raw nerves.

“Damn clothes,” Aisling mutters, her voice laced with frustration and something darker, more urgent.

“Let’s get you out of them,” I say, my fingers already finding the hem of her shirt. I peel it up and over her head, tossing it aside without a second thought. My lips find her bare shoulder, trailing fire down her arm. She shivers under my touch, not from cold but anticipation, her breath catching as I unclasp her bra with practiced ease. It joins her shirt in the growing pile of discarded barriers.

“Your hands…” she begins, a gasp cutting off her words as my palms slide over the newly exposed flesh, thumbs brushing the sensitive peaks that harden under my attention.

“What about my hands?” I coax, my mouth following the path my fingers have blazed, tasting every inch of her. I suck a nipple into my mouth and Aisling keens—reminding me we’re not alone in this house, that Rook can almost certainly hear us.

“Always so damn sure,” she says, her back arching into my touch, pushing her into my exploring mouth.

“Only with you, Stargazer.” My voice is a growl now, roughened by desire as I work the buttons of her jeans loose. They’re tight, but I manage to work them down her legs, revealing more of her to my hungry eyes—and oh, how I’ve missed this view, even after only a day.

I can’t imagine losing her.

Not again…not after New Eden.

I hate that I’m the only one protecting her.

“Better?” I ask, my hands now skimming the tops of her thighs, teasing closer to the heat that I know is building within her.

“Getting there,” she replies, her tone a mix of challenge and need.

“Then let’s finish what we started,” I murmur, slipping my fingers beneath the waistband of her panties and pulling them down slowly, deliberately.

With each inch of skin revealed, the air between us heats, charged with the promise of what’s to come. I peel away the last of her clothes, and she’s all ivory skin and sharp breaths in my arms. The air is thick with her perfume, and I’m already drowning in the scent of her.

“Hope you’re ready, Oberon,” Aisling turns in my arms,chest to chest, grey eyes flashing a challenge. “Last time, Gunnar was here to share the load. This time, you’ve got me all to yourself.”

I catch that look in her eye, the playful spark before the fire. “I know what you need, Ais. And it’s more than one alpha can give.” My hands steady on her waist, anchoring her to me.

She bites her lip, that stubborn pride flaring up. “I don’t want—“

“Hey,” I interrupt, thumb tracing the edge of her jaw. “This isn’t about what I can handle. It’s about taking care of you.”

“Oberon—“ Her protest falters as our bodies align, an unspoken understanding passing between us.

“Trust me,” I say. “You know…another male in this house would step up if you need it.”

“Rook?” Her voice is a mix of shock and something darker, more primal.

“Uh-huh.” My affirmation is a whisper against her collarbone as I travel downward, lips pressing a path of ownership across her fevered skin. She shivers beneath me, the anticipation crackling between us like a live wire.

The moment my mouth finds her thighs, she gasps, her fingers tangling in my hair. I take my time, kissing the soft skin, stoking the fire until she’s writhing, desperate for more. “As long as Gunnar’s out there chasing ghosts, we play by new rules.”

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