Page 50 of Stella

I pulled myself away from her. “I’m sorry.” My voice was gruff. “I shouldn’t have presumed.”

Stella fished a set of keys out of her little purse. “Oh, you should presume. I just want to be somewhere more private.”

I looked around. I’d been about to take her against the wall of the dining hall. I swallowed hard. “I never lose control like this.”

“Good.” Her eyes flashed, and she lifted her chin. She pointed at a small cabin a short distance away.

“If I beat you to the door, you’re gonna have to do everything I say.”

I raised an eyebrow, my adrenaline spiking at the thought of chasing her. “And if I win?”

“I’ll have to do what you say.”

“Deal,” I said.

“Alright.” Stella tensed. “On the count of—"

I took off. My instincts screamed at me not to leave her behind, but she would be fast, and I needed to be faster.

Stella let out a squeak of surprise, and then ran after me.

It had been years since my regular trail running, and I realized I wasn’t as up to par as I’d thought. I preferred weights and the treadmill.

I couldn’t run at full speed unless I wanted to twist an ankle.

With a peal of laughter, Stella shot past me.

Instincts drove me again, and I followed close on her heels. My breathing got louder as I put on more speed, following her on instinct alone. As we approached the cabin, the last leg was uphill, and she lost some momentum.

Sensing victory, I shot past her. Jumping up three low steps, I hit the porch and then the cabin door, right before Stella.

Stella slapped her hand against the door a second later, then dropped her head in defeat before turning to lean against it while she panted for breath.

“Open the door, Stella.” I crowded into her and pressed her against the wood, covering her mouth with mine. Because we were both panting hard, it was like I was breathing for her, and I inhaled the smell of her: clean sweat and her thickening peach and orange perfume. She moaned against me, fumbling with the key. I helped her get it into the lock, and we tumbled inside.

It was a small, clean cabin, smelling vaguely like lemon and eucalyptus. It had been recently cleaned.

Stella took a few steps away from me. She put her hands on her hips and lifted her chin in challenge.

“What are you going to do to me now that you’ve caught me?”

Her breasts heaved against her dress, and her perfume was spreading everywhere. I grabbed her wrist and yanked her against me so I could nip along her jaw.

She squirmed, sharp citrus and the sweet tang of peaches enveloping both of us. I turned her and shoved her against the wall, not hard enough to hurt, but with enough force to sate my alpha instincts.

Her scent grew sharper, assuring me that she was with me on this. “Simon.”

As I thrust my hips into her ass, Stella cried out, leaning forward to get more friction. My heartbeat crashed in my chest, adrenaline and desire coursing through me. “I’m going to take you. Over and over.”

She shuddered. I held her pressed against the wall with one hand and let the other roam. I cupped her breast and she keened. So sensitive.

I wasn’t looking for an omega, and she wasn’t looking for an alpha but, in this moment, we were perfect for each other. The push-pull that set our designations sometimes at odds with each other and sometimes a perfect fit finally lining up.

She pressed her ass back against me in a rhythm while I rubbed my cock on her. I pulled the neckline of her sundress down and nipped her shoulder, licking her salty-sweet skin.

She keened again, her head leaning back against me. Her scent mixed with Jerrick and Evan and the combination was so intoxicating that I couldn’t even joke about them not satisfying her enough to have her panting for me.

My cock grew hard, impossibly hard, my knot already swelling. I couldn’t wait. Both of us were in blinding need. She was soaked with slick. She could have slid off Jerrick’s and Evan’s dicks and she would still be rubbing against my cock.

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