Page 21 of Cruel Alpha: Season Two

So, in an act of true desperation, I grab her arm as she attempts to pass me on her way to make a quick exit. The second I stand and tower over her, my mouth crashes down on hers.

If she won’t believe what she hears, I sure as hell hope she believes what she feels.

“I need you to understand,” I say, breathing the words against her lips, because I can’t stand the thought of her pulling away. “You’re all that matters to me, Annalise. More than anything.”

She resists, attempting to put distance between us, and I’m certain she’ll continue with her plan to storm off, leaving me to suffer and drown in regret.

“I don’t believe you,” she whispers, and I swallow those painful words with another kiss before offering a suggestion of my own.

“Then, if words aren’t enough… let me show you.”

11

Everything and Nothing Less

Caspian

The hurtthat’s flooded into her eyes is almost more than I can stand. And as my words linger between us—my request that she allow me toshowher that she is, in fact, everything I could ever need or want—I place one hand on her waist. Then, with the other, I undo the buttons that trail down her back.

A sharp breath leaves her, but she doesn’t stop me. Although, I’m certain she wishes she had the strength to do just that. But if she’s anything like me, we become weak in one another’s presence, unable to fight our urges, unable to do what we knowto be right. Like now, as I undo the final button, and her dress loosens, falling halfway down her arms to reveal the thin, black lace bra that barely covers her breasts.

Her breathing is erratic, and it isn’t easy keeping my hands in one place. However, in this moment, it’s more important that she feels my heart, not the many other parts of me that would love to be all over her right now. But that thought begins to fade when I sense that she’s still tense. So, I stop and lift her chin, forcing her gaze to meet mine.

“Annalise, tell me what you’re thinking. Please.”

At first, she only blinks up at me with her large brown eyes, but when her lips finally part, she has my undivided attention.

“I know what this looks like. I know what this mustfeellike—allowing you to kiss me, allowing you to touch me. It looks like forgiveness,” she says. “But no matter what happens tonight, I need you to know it doesn’t mean I’m okay. It doesn’t mean I’m not still pissed at you.”

I nod, and as if her words aren’t enough, tears well in her eyes, and they break my heart. I don’t want to hurt her, don’t want to complicate the simplicity and ease we’ve somehow grown into. But I’ve never felt my back against the wall quite like this, leaving me perfectly stuck between a rock and a hard place.

“I just… Annalise, I?—”

She cuts me off by capturing my lips with a rough kiss. Like she means to take action before she can talk herself out of it, but nowI’mthe one who’s conflicted.

“Maybe we shouldn’t?—”

“Please, just… shut… the fuck… up,” she breathes against my mouth, punctuating each phrase with another kiss. By the time she finishes speaking, I’m not sure whether to keep going or pull away.

Women can be so damn hot and cold, so up and down, but this one… she drives me absolutely wild. I can’t help but wonderif she knows she’s the only soul on this planet who could ever eventhinkof speaking to me this way. I’m also wondering if she knows how much I fucking want her.

A deep groan reverberates inside my chest when she parts my lips with her tongue. It’s my undoing, and every ounce of fight I had inside me is gone. Her dress falls to the floor, and she pulls away just long enough to step out of the delicate cloud of fabric that’s been her prison today. Underneath, a pair of dark underwear that match the bra have me practically salivating. My cock throbs against the front of my pants, begging to be set free, begging for a very specific form of relief. The kind that can only be found inside her, buried deep within her tight, drenched pussy.

But I try to focus, remembering that this isn’t about me, despite feeling like I could actually die from depravation.

I pull her closer, feeling the heat of her skin as my hands roam over her back, her hips, her ass. She sighs when my kiss travels down to her neck, then she melts against me.

“Today was tough,” she admits, and I pull away when I hear the emotion in her voice. “No, don’t stop.”

I’m confused why she’d want me to keep going, but it’s possible this is what she needs. My touch, the distraction from all that went wrong today.

“I will always stand up for my maidens, oranywoman being spoken to that way in my presence,” she adds, and it’s not a surprise. Anyone who knows her heart wouldn’t expect anything less. “And I also need you to accept I will always have ill feelings about there being other mates. That won’t change. Even if I learn how to hide it over time, there will never be a day that I accept not being the only one.”

I squeeze her tighter, kissing her shoulder now.

“I shouldn’t have to share the… share the man I…”

Her words trail off there, but she doesn’t have to finish the sentence for me to understand.

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