Page 40 of Savage Trap

Elvi

I wake to the bed dipping beside me and Arben lifting me into his lap. He’s sitting on the edge, still dressed in his suit minus his jacket, and I blink up at him through the soupy dawn light. “Did you get any sleep at all?”

The last thing I remember is Link storming out, Sunshine steering me into a shower, then falling face-first into bed.

But instead of giving me an update on his night, he says, “Rory and Cam are in the gym, and Lincoln just came back. He’s sleeping with Kelly in the other room.”

I nod, wincing at the pang in my chest when I think of our fractured pack. “I really messed up,” I sigh, watching his face as he cards his fingers through my hair. “I’m sorry I was so reckless.”

Arben makes a low humming sound in his throat. “You’re all here. Safe, and in one piece.”

“Are we?” I grab his hand and squeeze. “Our bonds are weak. Everyone’s pissed. We’re not even sleeping in the same bed.”

He tips my chin up, placing a soft kiss on my lips. I can’t help but cling; it’s been too long since I could take these moments with him for granted. But he eases back and looks into my eyes. “You never answered Lincoln’s question. Are you really interested in luani i vogël?”

I bite my lip, thinking of the way I feel when Nate is around. “I think so. I mean, I like him. And I want to get to know him better.”

Something flickers in Arben’s eyes as he brushes his thumbs over my cheeks. “Is it because he’s the first one you get to choose? The rest of us you… të trashëguara.”

Inherited? I scoff. “My stepbrothers, maybe.” I wrinkled my nose, remembering how they tricked their way into my life. Assholes. “But I chose Kelly for sure. And you were always my first choice, Arben.” He gives me an amused look and I jab him in the ribs. “What? You were!”

His head dips again, and this kiss is the burning, claiming sort that makes my toes curl. And when he draws back, his smoky leather scent is clinging to my tongue, and the rumble in his chest is pure possessive beast. “My love, ‘choice’ suggests you weren’t already burned into my soul.”

I roll my eyes, but of course it’s exactly what I want to hear. “Well, I’m choosing you now. Over sleep.” I kiss his chin. “Over coffee.” A peck on the corner of his mouth. “Over bacon.” I lick my lips for that last part and he groans and starts to ravage my mouth like a starving man. I grin as he pulls my sleep top over my head, one massive hand mauling my breasts while his teeth press against the edges of his mating bite. I shiver at the pulse of pure need that floods our bond, his tongue sinfully hot as it lathes the scar.

I scoot backward enough to unbuckle his belt, his fingers digging into my hips as I peel down his waistband and pull out his cock. It’s a two-hand job, his body shuddering as I stroke and squeeze.

“Get rid of my shorts,” I pant as I dig my knees into the bed, rising up to give him room to work. He pops a claw and slices them off, a black light glowing in his eyes as I stretch over him, naked and dripping. But as his hands come around to grip my ass, I hiss, and I can taste the satisfaction in his scent. “Did you like spanking me?”

“I live for every sound I can summon from your body, my love.”

I narrow my eyes at him. “Even if it makes me cry?”

There’s a hard note in his voice as his fingers stroke their handiwork. “Tears dry faster than blood.”

“So that’s your excuse?”

He tilts his head, all softness gone from his face. “Will you think twice before hurling yourself into the next den of sadists and degenerates? Because if a few swats give you pause, then every tear was worth it.” I’m working up a frown when he kisses the tip of each breast and murmurs, “But I carry the scar of every one on my soul.”

His hot mouth opens, sucking gently on my nipple, and I rock over him, pulling on his hair as pleasure shoots down my spine. “Just as well you have a pretty tongue,” I moan, closing my eyes and sinking into the sensation. “When you’re not lecturing me, I mean.”

“It’s also very agile,” he purrs, licking his way up my collarbones and then across his mating mark. “Shall I give you a demonstration?”

“Later,” I tell him as I scoot forward and rub myself on his cock. “Right now, I want to take your knot and ride you hard, so I feel you deep in my body all day.”

“Who has the pretty mouth?” he mutters, shoving down his pants and notching himself at my opening. Arben is the biggest of all my mates, and the time apart makes me a little wary of taking him so quickly. But my body also wants what it’s missed, slick dripping down my thighs as he slowly pushes his way inside.

“Know that I punished myself as much as you,” he growls into my hair while I fist his shirt and rock over his lap. “Watching them kiss you, opening you up and giving you pleasure, and forcing myself to stand apart. Only Rory suffered more.”

I smirk, my eyelashes fluttering as he slides home. By body clenches, holding him tight despite the sting of the stretch. “I didn’t see,” I murmur, pulling at his shirt until I can feel his hard, warm flesh. “Did he obey you and not touch himself?”

“He came three times, but all hands-free,” he mutters. “I’m not sure it was a very good lesson.”

I laugh into his shoulder, but he’s starting to move, and my mind is stripped of everything but him. This dark, dangerous man who punishes himself with my pain and rewards me with pleasure.

As if reading my thoughts, he goes still and cups my face. “I love you, princeshë, with everything that’s in me. That means you get the dark and desperate beast more than the gentle lover.”

“I don’t care,” I tell him, pressing my mouth to his neck. Soaking him in. But also wishing I could push my way under his skin and hold him tight forever. “I want it all. I love every part of you, Arben.”

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