“Do you really think putting it off is going to make the end result any less violent?” Finn asked her. He glared at the door.

“I don’t know,” Elin answered honestly. “But killing the former alpha less than an hour after you spared his life in the challenge fight won’t help with being the new Alpha now.”

Finn’s lips pressed into a thin line. Then, with effort, he smiled. A softness came to his eyes as he reached out and cupped Elin’s cheek with his hand. “You really are amazing.”

Elin’s heart jumped, then thudded. Nobody had ever called her amazing before.

Very deliberately, her mate—her arranged mate—pulled her into his arms. His fingers combed through her hair, sending prickles of pleasure washing over her scalp. Elin closed her eyes, leaning into Finn with a groan. Everything had pent up so much tension in her body that she felt like she was ready to fly apart. If only he’d agree to the sort of falling apart they’d both enjoy…

To her surprise, his hands came back to her face. He tilted her toward him and pressed a kiss to her lips. It started soft but soon grew feverish, like Finn couldn’t control himself. His tongue ran along her lower lip, demanding entrance. Elin was more than happy to give in to his demands. She moaned as their tongues tangled.

“We still don’t have condoms,” she murmured, hating to bring it up—but she couldn’t enjoy the way he moved from her mouth and kissed the hollow of her throat if she didn’t know how he planned to deal with that.

“I know. I’ll worry about that.” Finn buried his nose into her skin and inhaled deeply. “You don’t smell like you’re ovulating.”

Elin’s eyes widened. “You can smell that?”

Finn smirked as he stepped back, pulling her with him. It was his usual careless smirk, the one that made her blush and giggle as though she was a schoolgirl experiencing her first crush.

“Your scent grows stronger,” he explained. “But it’s at its weakest right now, and at this time of month, you’re usually close to your period.”

He led her up the stairs and into a bedroom. Elin’s mind whirled. He kept better track of her cycle than she did. It pointed to one undeniable fact—he really, really didn’t want children. The thought sent a pang through her, but she pushed it aside.

The two of them were alone in this big, strange house. As Finn undid her jeans and slid his hand between her legs, she was more than happy to let him. He was the Alpha, and she was his Luna, at least for the time being. If they couldn’t have love and children, at least they had lust. They had sex to connect them.

And that was enough, at least for right now.

Elin tangled her fingers through Finn’s hair as he teased her, his fingers moving in a familiar pattern. There was too much between them—too many clothes. Impatiently, she yanked at the hem of the T-shirt that hid his body from her. Finn laughed as he withdrew his hand. She whined at the loss of the sensation, then took the opportunity to pull her jeans down.

Their clothes soon lay scattered over the floor. Finn’s hands roamed over her body, moving slowly, worshipfully. He traced over her ass, leaving fire in the wake of his touch.Elin savored the feeling as she explored his body. He was so very good-looking. His compact muscles were hard beneath her fingers, the heat of his skin a comfortable contrast to the coolness of the room.

“You are so beautiful,” Finn murmured, lowering her onto the bed. He pulled one of her thighs up over his hip, his fingers digging into her soft flesh.

Elin grinned back at him. She knew she had a pretty face, symmetrical with nice eyes and a pleasant mouth. But she never thought of herself as beautiful when looking in the mirror. Seeing herself through his eyes, though… it made all the difference.

“And you are a good man,” she answered, knowing he doubted that as much as she doubted her beauty. “Youare. You have such a big—”

He cut her off with a kiss. It was a wild kiss that caused heat to shoot straight to her head, making her forget what she was saying. His hand returned to its place between her legs. There was no teasing this time as he found her bud of nerves. His touch was just soft enough to be savage, to make her hips jerk forward. Elin cried out into their kiss, grabbing his shoulders to stabilize herself. Her eyes flew wide.

Oh, but that felt good! How did he know exactly how to touch her? Exactly how to make her react the way he wanted?

Finn smiled at her as he pulled back, easing off enough to let her suck in a deep breath. “Fuck, but I love how responsive you are.”

“Mmmmm,” was all Elin could say back.

She rocked her hips back into his hand, wanting more touch, more friction. She panted, knowing she was a complete mess already. “Finn, I need you inside of me.”

“Elin—”

“Please,” she begged, desperate for him to be closer, for them to be pressed so tightly together she didn’t know where she ended, and he began. She reached down between them and grasped him in hand, pleased to find he was already hard. “I want you so badly, Finn. Please. Don’t make me wait.”

Something shifted in Finn’s eyes. Some look that she couldn’t quite understand. Was it vulnerability? Did he understand she was asking for more than just sex? That she was begging him for connection, even if it was just physical? She stroked him lightly, staring into his eyes. Or was he hesitating only because they didn’t have protection and he hadn’t meant to be inside her?

With her free hand, she cupped his face. “You make me feel so good. I don’t think you understand how much I—"

Another searing kiss cut her off. A burst of frustration went through her, but she bit it back. So, he wasn’t willing to talk about emotions right now. Didn’t matter. He was here. She was here. That’s all that mattered.

She bucked her hips, tipping him to one side. Elin rolled their bodies so she was on top. With one hand still on him, she guided him inside. She moaned at the sensations that swept through her. Finn gripped her hips, his head falling back as he let out a soft gasp.