Page 112 of Claimed By the Band

The simple trust in her voice makes my throat tight. I capture her lips in a gentle kiss, pouring all my protective instincts and growing feelings into it. She responds immediately, melting against me with a whine that goes straight to my core.

"Besides," she murmurs when we break apart, "I'm more worried about what they might do to Asher or other omegas if we don't stop them."

"Always thinking of others," I say fondly, kissing her throat. Her scent grows sweeter as I nip at the marks we've left there, faded as they are. And I can't stop thinking about how I want to put a permanent mark in their place. We all do. I feel it like a current of understanding that runs through our pack without words, but not now.

Jordan is right. No one is truly safe right now, and when we mark her—if she allows it—I want there to be no lingering fears in her mind. No doubts.

She shivers, pressing closer. "Silas," she breathes.

"Yes, beautiful?" I ask, sliding my hands under her borrowed shirt to stroke the soft skin of her back.

Instead of answering, she kisses me again, deeper this time. Her fingers tangle in my hair as she rocks against me, drawing a growl from my throat. I can smell her arousal building, her omega scent turning headier with each passing moment.

"Need you," she whispers against my lips. "Want to feel you inside me."

The words send heat straight to my cock. "Right here?" I ask, already helping her pull her shirt over her head. She's not wearing anything underneath, and the sight of her bare skin in the dim living room lighting makes my mouth water.

"Right here," she confirms, working at the button of my jeans. "I want to ride you."

I groan at her words, at how far she's come from the shy, hesitant beta we first met. Heat or no heat, she knows what she wants now. And what she wants is us. Is me.

Together we manage to get my jeans open and pushed down just enough to free my cock. Jordan's already wet when I slide my fingers between her legs, her body eager and ready for me.

"So perfect," I murmur as she positions herself over me. "Made for us."

She sinks down onto my length with a gasp, taking me deep in one smooth motion. The tight heat of her body makes me growl, my hands tightening on her hips as she starts to move.

"That's it," I encourage as she finds her rhythm, rolling her hips in a way that has us both gasping. "Take what you need from me."

I watch in awe as Jordan moves above me, her head thrown back as she sets a steady rhythm. My hands slide up her sides, mapping every curve and dip of her body. She's so different from how she appeared when hiding her true self—all soft skin and gentle slopes where angles used to be.

"Beautiful," I murmur, trailing my fingers across her ribcage. She shivers at my touch, her inner walls clenching around me deliciously.

She whimpers as I lean forward to capture a nipple between my lips, her movements becoming more desperate. I can feel her starting to chase her release, but I want to draw this out. Want to savor every moment with her.

"Slow down," I tell her gently, gripping her hips to guide her into a more languid pace. "We've got all night."

Jordan makes a soft sound of protest but follows my lead, her movements becoming deeper and more deliberate. The new rhythm lets me feel every inch of her wrapped around me, hot and tight and perfect.

"That's it," I encourage, sliding one hand up to cup her breast. She arches into my touch with a gasp that makes my cock throb inside her. "Let me worship you properly."

Her cheeks flush at my words, but she doesn't look away. That's progress—she used to hide from any kind of praise or attention. Now she lets me see how it affects her, how it makes her scent bloom.

I trail kisses across her collarbone, tasting the salt of her skin and the sweetness of her scent. My teeth graze the spot where I want to leave my mark—where we all want to mark her—but I resist the urge. Not yet. She needs to feel completely safe first.

"Silas," she breathes as I suck another temporary mark into her throat instead. Her fingers tangle in my hair, holding me close as she continues to move above me in that maddeningly slow rhythm.

"I've got you," I murmur against her skin, sliding my hands down her back to cup her ass. The position lets me guide her movements even more, helping her maintain the easy pace that's driving us both crazy.

Her breath hitches as I hit a particularly sensitive spot inside her. "Please," she whimpers, trying to move faster again.

"Patience," I tell her with a gentle smile, keeping her steady. "I want to feel every inch of you."

She shivers at my words but doesn't argue, letting me control the pace. Her trust in me, in all of us, still amazes me. After everything she's been through, she chooses to let us see her like this—vulnerable and wanting and completely herself.

My hands roam her body as she moves, memorizing every curve and sensitive spot. The way she gasps when I brush my thumbs across her nipples. How she trembles when I trail my fingers down her spine. The little sounds she makes when I grip her hips just right.

She leans down to capture my lips again. I lose myself in the taste of her, the feel of her body moving with mine. Everything about this moment feels perfect—the weight of her in my lap, her scent, the way she sighs my name between kisses.

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