Page 24 of Rejected By the Alpha

“Faster than you, at least,” she teased.

I put the chairs up on the tables she had already finished, and before we knew it, we were done.

“I’m going to be honest, I don’t think I’ve ever finished night clean-up this quickly before,” I said as we put our supplies away. “Are you ready to go home?”

“Still need to finish my drink,” she said. “I’ll share if you ask nicely.”

I couldn’t resist her teasing. “Oh, please, my darling,” I said in mock servitude. “I am parched. May I have a sip of your delicious beverage?”

“Not a chance!” she said. The drink was halfway gone now.

“Please?” I asked, moving in closer to her.

She looked up into my eyes, and I saw her pupils widen. Her mouth opened slightly, and her eyes darted down to my lips. She handed the cup to me, and I took a swig before placing it on the counter. Her eyes had remained fixed on mine, and I knew it was now or never.

I placed both hands on either side of her face and leaned in. My lips met hers tentatively, but when she immediately kissed me back, I felt all the barriers between us strip down to nothing. Our mouths crashed together passionately, and I tasted the drink on her tongue, exploring her mouth with my own.

Her teeth caught on my bottom lip, nibbling gently as she pulled away before bringing me right back in. I felt my head spinning as I forgot to breathe, wondering if this was what ecstasy felt like.

For years, I had waited to be with her again. Now, I could finally show her just how much I wanted to be with her.

Our kisses before were tame compared to now. I felt like I needed to make up for the years I hadn’t been with her with this single moment, and I found myself pushing the boundaries further and further.

I picked her up easily and set her on the barstool behind her, wrapping her legs around my waist. Leah gave a sharp intake of breath and looked at me in surprise. I wondered if I had misjudged her interest, but she wrapped her hands around the back of my neck and pulled me in to kiss her once again.

I took her greedily, allowing my hands to roam over her body. My hands found her breasts and squeezed. I moaned at the feeling of her firm, luscious bosom in my rough palms.

My hands roved down to the fastening of her jeans, and I began to unbutton them roughly. Her hands faltered on my biceps, and I stopped abruptly.

“Is this okay?” I asked uncertainly.

Leah didn’t respond right away, but a blush crept into her cheeks. She looked down at the floor, and I felt more than saw that she was backing away from me.

“I like kissing you,” she said quietly.

Realization hit me as I removed my hands from her waist and placed her hands gently in mine. I sighed, disappointed with myself for taking liberties with her before asking if she was ready to move forward physically with me. I was horrified that I had been so rough and demanding. What kind of man takes a woman’s virginity in a bar?

Chapter 12 - Leah

My hands felt cold and clammy as we finished closing up the bar and headed home. I was mortified that Killian decided to stop kissing me after I had hesitated with his advances. It was clear to me that he didn’t want me—not like that. He had just been caught up in the moment, and I had been available. Something I did had snapped him out of it, and he had realized he held no interest in me beyond our formal obligations to one another.

“Before you go to bed, can we talk?” Killian asked when we got home.

Here it comes, I thought.He’s going to clarify boundaries and let me know that nothing like that will ever happen again. Hope you enjoyed your last kiss, Leah.

“Yeah, sure,” I said, following him to the couch. I placed my hands on my lap and twisted them together to hide that they were shaking.

“I wanted to check that you’re okay,” he began. “I think I came across too strong with the physical stuff, and since it’s pretty obvious you don’t have experience with that, I wanted to apologize if I took it too far.”

Although he wasn’t wrong, something about the way he phrased it made me irrationally angry. The implication was there—even if he didn’t spell it out—that I was inexperienced because I was undesirable.

“I’m fine,” I snapped. “And I’m not sure my past experience is any of your business.”

Killian looked at me questioningly. “I’m your mate,” he said. “Everything about you is my business.”

I scoffed at his statement. “Considering you haven’t told me much about yourself, I’m not sure that’s accurate.”

“Then let’s change that,” he said. “I want to know about you, and for you to know about me. So, Leah… are you a virgin?”

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