Page 57 of Reckless: Collision

“Oh?” She rolls her hips with deliberate precision, her pulse visibly jumping at the base of her throat when she feels the evidence of what she’s doing to me pressing against her core. Her pupils dilate until only a thin ring of green remains, the scent of her arousal spiking from citrus to something heavier, richer. “What mistakes would those be?”

“Never—” My hands find her waist, fingers digging into the soft flesh hard enough to leave tomorrow’s evidence. The sensation of her yielding beneath my grip sends alpha instinctsroaring through my bloodstream. “Get—” My voice drops another octave, the sound barely human as her body arches in response. “Cocky.”

I flip us in one smooth motion, using momentum and body weight to reverse our positions. This time I trap her completely—thighs pinning her legs, hands securing her wrists above her head, chest pressing her into the mat. My hips settle against hers with deliberate pressure, the thin layers of workout clothes doing nothing to hide my arousal or the heat radiating from her core. The mat beneath us creaks with our combined weight, our harsh breathing creating a rhythm that matches the drumming of my heart against my ribs.

Her gasp sends fire through my veins.

“Is this how you train all your students?” Her voice comes breathier than usual, but that defiance still sparks in her eyes. “Or am I special?”

“You’re trouble.” The words rumble from my chest as I lean closer, drawn to the pulse racing in her throat. “And you know it.”

“Maybe you like trouble.” Her fingers curl against my chest, not quite pushing me away. “Maybe that’s why you keep letting me provoke you.”

Christ. The scent of her arousal mingles with citrus and sweat, making my alpha howl. Every instinct screams to claim, to mark, to own.

“You think I’m letting you do anything?” I shift my weight, pressing her harder into the mat. Letting her feel exactly how much control I’m clinging to.

Her breath hitches. “I think—fuck.”

“You think what?” I drop my head, letting my lips brush her ear. “Tell me what you think, little beta.”

“I think,” she arches against me, the movement pure sin, “you want me to run. Just so you can chase me.”

The truth of it hits like a physical blow. Because she’s right—some primal part of me wants exactly that. Wants to hunt her, catch her, break her wild spirit just enough to make her submit without destroying what makes her burn so bright.

“You have no idea what I want.” But even as I say it, my lips trace down her neck, tasting salt and sweat and destiny.

Her hands slide up my arms, nails digging in just shy of pain. “Then show me.”

I raise my head, finding her gaze dark with challenge and heat. One kiss. One taste. That’s all it would take to shatter this fragile boundary between us.

The training room door slams open.

“Well, well.” Jinx’s amused drawl cuts through the air like a blade, the training room’s temperature dropping several degrees with his presence. “This is an interesting training technique.”

I don’t move immediately. Can’t move, really, with my muscles locked in combat between instinct and reason. The alpha in me strains against its chains, urging me to sink teeth into the pulse point visibly fluttering beneath her jaw. To drag possessive hands down her body while maintaining eye contact with my second. To make it abundantly clear through scent and sound and primitive display that she’s?—

My fingers dig into the mat beside her head, leaving permanent indentations in the foam. Not mine.She’s not mine. The thought fractures through my consciousness like broken glass, each shard cutting deeper than the last as I force my body to respond to command rather than instinct.

“Fuck off, Jinx.” The words come out more growl than speech.

“No, no.” He strolls into the room like he owns it, amusement rolling off him in waves. “Don’t stop on my account. I’m just here for the show.”

Cayenne’s laugh vibrates through every point where our bodies touch. “Sorry, Havoc. Private lesson.”

“Is that what we’re calling it?” His grin turns feral. “Because from where I’m standing, it looks like Ryker’s finally going to?—”

“Enough.” I push away from her before I do something stupid like actually claim her in front of him. The cold air between us does nothing to calm my raging cock or my alpha’s demands.

She sits up slowly, that damn smirk still playing on her lips. But I catch the tremor in her hands, the way her pulse still races at her throat.

“Same time tomorrow?” she asks, all fake innocence.

“Six AM,” I counter, just to watch her scowl.

“Seven.”

“Six-thirty.” I cross my arms. “And next time, actually sleep instead of trying to wear yourself out.”

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