Page 24 of Claimed By My Fiancé's Brother

“That’s none of your business,” I bit out.

Alexander was nonplussed.

“You’re my mate. That makes it my business,” he deadpanned.

Listening to his words, an outsider would think he cared about me. But I knew better.

Alexander was only talking about this because he knew how much it bothered me. He’d found a weakness of mine, and he wouldn’t be happy until he’d poked and prodded at it to his heart’s content.

“Your mate?” I growled. “This relationship isn’t real—or have you forgotten your own words?”

Alexander gripped my arm and tugged me closer to him, his voice dipping to a low, deadly cadence, his icy gaze steady on mine as he spoke.

“As my mate, you are an extension of me. When you act weak, you make me look weak, and I will not tolerate that.”

With a smile on my lips and daggers in my gaze, I took a step closer to him, invading his personal space.

“For someone who lost a duel and his position as alpha heir to his younger—and much weaker—brother, you sure have a lot to say.”

Alexander’s face hardened as his grip on my arm tightened slightly.

“Eleanor, don’t push me.” His voice was barely above a growl.

I lost my smile.

“Then don’t fucking push me either,” I snapped, pulling my arm out of his hold and walking away from him as fast as my legs could carry me.

That asshole. Who did he think he was?

At least one good thing came out of his eavesdropping—all the pain I’d felt earlier had been converted into anger toward Alexander.

Returning to our room, I headed straight for the shower in a bid to get ready for bed before Alexander returned.

Showering with him in the room would be…unwise, especially in my current emotional state. Lara would push until my baser instincts took over.

After my shower, I took one step out of the bathroom before freezing.

Alexander was already in the room, seated on the bed and staring at me.His gaze moved down my towel-clad body, and my cheeks flushed.

My entire body shuddered with the sort of desire a mere look shouldn’t have warranted. My nipples pebbled beneath the towel.

I tried to reinforce my mental hold on Lara, but my desire remained. We’d been at each other’s throats mere minutes ago, but now I was fighting the urge to either run back into the bathroom or take another step closer to him. Hell,severalsteps closer to him.

I’d thought emotions only ran this high with true mates, but I’d been wrong.

Those icy blue eyes burned with an emotion I couldn’t describe as Alexander stared at me.

I couldn’t run back to the bathroom. That would be admitting defeat.

So I took a second step and entered the room, feeling the cool air move across my wet skin, causing me to shiver.

Yes, it was just the air, not Alexander.

Goddess, how was I going to share a room with him without doing something extraordinarily stupid?

I walked toward the closet, but I froze when I heard the creaking of the bed as Alexander stood, followed by the padding of his footsteps behind me.

I didn’t turn to face him. I just stood completely still, my heart racing and my breath coming way too fast.

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