Page 12 of Sassy Embrace

He didn’t doubt she could stand on her own, but he could tell mentally that she was shaken up. She’d voiced her reservations about assisting at the club earlier. Then she was attacked by no other than a vampire, the relationship she was hired to nurture.

He sensed her anger and frustration at being tricked and not having the upper hand. It was a deep feeling as well, one that took Claude off guard. It was as if he could hear her actual thoughts inside his head, but it came out as a jumble of clouded emotions and feelings.

He brushed the sensation aside, thinking they were both simply shaken. Her cheeks were bright red and eyes watery from the exertion, and it struck him how lovely she looked in her frazzled state.

Claude considered other states she may find herself in, looking equally as deliciously disheveled.

Claude noticed her clenching and unclenching her fist, a silent indication of the turmoil brewing within her. His eyes roved to her lips. They were firmly set in a straight line. He reached out, cupped her face, and guided her gaze to meet his. His thumb gently brushed over the scar that marred her left eyebrow, a bold testament to all the battles she had fought.

And won.

She pulled away abruptly, breaking their intimate connection. He let his hand drop to his side but kept his gaze locked onto hers. Her eyes blazed with an intensity that made him shudder, not with fear but with excitement. He knew Leigh was far from weak. She was a warrior with an iron spirit and resolve that could rival the best in his clan.

“I want answers,” she demanded fiercely, her voice echoing in the quiet club. Her anger didn’t intimidate him, neither did it deter him from wanting to unravel the mysteries hidden behind her eyes.

“And you’ll have them,” he responded calmly but assertively, “But not now. I’ll report this incident back to Aria.”

Her brows furrowed with confusion and wariness. “She said her name was Kim, and if her mate were still alive, she would be the one responsible for rebuilding and rebranding this club.”

He brought himself closer to her. So close he felt the rise and fall of her chest as she breathed manically. Whether with fear or desire, he hadn’t quite figured out yet.

“I assure you I know nothing of a Kim unless she gave you a fake name.”

She opened her mouth, but seemingly knew better than to argue. He covered her mouth with his hand. He saw the pulse in her neck quicken as her eyes surveyed his body. He could no longer withhold the attraction he held for her. He just had to act on it or he would lose his mind.

“I know far better things you can do with an open mouth, dear,” he said as the thought of her down on her knees with his dick in her mouth sent the blood rushing south.

His hand moved further down and grabbed her throat. “This can go two ways,” he said. “We can leave right now, go to Aria, and handle this, or…” He tightened his fingers around her neck. “Or you can let me fuck you in this unfinished club and give us both what we need right now.”

He watched the rage waver in her eyes, a glimmer of uncertainty and hidden desire flickering beneath her intense gaze. She swallowed hard, the movement pushing against his hand still holding her throat. His heart pounded in his chest, matching the rhythm of her rapid pulse, both attesting to the raw tension and anticipation swirling between them.

He scoffed at the silence that ensued, a low chuckle that reverberated in the quietness of the club. "Tick tock, Leigh," he teased, eyes gleaming with thinly veiled ardor.

With a swift motion, she grabbed his wrist, wrenching it away from her throat.

"You're an arrogant bastard," she snapped at him.

His lips curled into a smirk at her words. "And you're a feisty one," he replied, running his fingers through his hair. "Makes me want you even more. So. Choose, Leigh," he coaxed. His voice dropped to a dangerous purr. His fingers teased the hem of her shirt, daring to creep underneath and meet the heated flush of her skin.

Images swirled before his eyes – her straddling him in the half-finished club, their bodies entwined in a reckless dance of passion, pressing kisses down her, her submitting entirely to the heat that had been brewing between them since their first encounter.

He heard her breath hitch, and he knew she wanted it– no, needed it – right there and then. Seeming to abandon all reason, all sense of duty or decorum, she grabbed his face.

There was an undeniable sense of triumph in his smile as he nodded approvingly. His fingers slid down her neck and traced a blazing trail over her collarbone and chest before he tugged her closer until their bodies were flush against each other's.

He lowered his head to kiss her neck. Any other wolf would have had their reservations about a vampire near their neck, but she was lost in her own desires, needing her release. She tilted her head back, granting him better access. His actions elicited moans and whimpers from Leigh that further fueled his need to be buried inside her.

Her tongue darted out to wet her lips, a clear sign of nervous anticipation.

He knew then that she had decided. The lights of the deserted club danced in her eyes as she met his gaze with a thrilling blend of defiance and desire. "I choose," she rasped, her voice barely more than a whisper.

Without breaking eye contact, her hand slowly moved to the waistband of his denim jeans, her fingers trembling slightly as she fiddled with the button. A grin spread across his lips as he watched her slender wrist and fingers work their way to the zipper. Her eyes fluttered shut for a moment as she took in a deep breath, exhaling it slowly, before putting her hand into his pants.

His heart pounded against his ribcage like a wild beast trying to break free as he felt her touch encase him. His breath hitched in surprise and pleasure, the coolness of her fingers setting his boiling blood ablaze.

Their bodies were awash with adrenaline, their hearts beating so hard, he could hear her pulse in his ears. They filled the silence of the club with life. They were wrapped around eachother in an intimate embrace, oblivious to their surroundings. The unfinished walls around them served only as distant witnesses to their escalating passion.

Each heavy breath he took mirrored hers and a sudden urge seized him, an urge to claim every inch of this woman.

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