Page 46 of Strelitzias in Spring

Serena

“Wolf—” His name barely leaves my mouth before Wolf rushes in, grabbing the bottom of my thighs and hoisting me up, forcing me to wrap my legs around his waist and hold on for dear life. His mouth crashes to mine, greeting me in an open-mouthed kiss that betrays all the need, all of the desire, that he harbors. I meet each lash of his tongue, battling for dominance in a kiss that takes me by surprise.

Just when I’m getting used to the cadence of the kiss, he changes it; the thrust of his tongue softens to a caress, and the harshness becomes gentle, like he’s savoring the taste of my mouth, drinking me in.

Wolf breaks from my lips, kissing a path from my mouth, along my jawline, and down my throat. Stopping at my pulse, he nips my skin before sucking on the bite, leaving a mark that will be more permanent than his position in my bed.

“Goddamn, princess. You taste like a fucking dream,” he murmurs, drawing my skin back into his mouth and giving me another mark.

“Wolf!” I scream out his name, equal parts scolding and pleasure. “You’re bruising me.”

“Suck it the fuck up.” He descends again, biting my throat a third time before soothing my flesh with his lips and tongue.

I’m so lost in the ministrations he’s paying against my neck that I don’t realize we’re moving until my back is pressed against my wall, supporting my weight as Wolf pins me against it, trapping me so that I’m barely mobile. The hands that were at my thighs coast up my body, grazing my waist, molding to my chest until they reach under my arms. Exerting pressure on my joints, Wolf lifts my arms above my head and captures my wrists in one hand.

I’m fully supported by Wolf and the wall in this position, unable to move as he squeezes my wrists tighter. “You’re going to drop me,” I breathe out, my lips moving against the side of his head as he presses a kiss right below my ear.

A chuckle travels through Wolf’s body at my words. “You’re as light as those butterflies you love so much.”

“I—”

“Shh. The only words I want to hear out of your mouth are, ‘Yes,’ ‘Stop,’ or, ‘Wolf.’” He says the words against my ear, finishing his statement with a hard bite to my earlobe.

“Oh my God,” I murmur, shivers wracking my body.

“I’ll allow that one, too.”

The hand not gripping my wrists in a vice trails up my waist, pushing my shirt up to reveal my script tattoo. Wolf bends his legs, making my hold shift from his waist to his upper abdomen, and he leans in, kissing my ribs and using his tongue to trace theMariposaetched on my body.

“I like seeing my artwork on this golden skin, princess. It’s giving me all kinds of ideas of what else I can give you.” He stands back up, shifting my body so that my legs are locked against him. The moment my ankles meet, I feel the outline of his erection right where I need him most. Unable to stop myself, I grind my pelvis against him, groaning at the heady mix of pain and pleasure his concealed cock is giving me.

“Please,” I mutter, continuing to shift against him, arching my back as best I can to get the most contact. I’m under no illusion; I know the only reason that I’m able to move, able to grind against him, is because he’s allowing me to do so.

His hand snakes around my body and grips my back at the same time he steps forward, pressing our bodies flush against each other and halting my movements. “I’m going to release your hands now. I need you to grab onto my shoulders, princess. Do you understand?”

“Wolf.”

“No. I’m asking if you understand. Otherwise, I’ll stay in this position all fucking night and watch your body grind against my cock, giving you a little relief but nowhere near what you need to come. So, I’ll ask you one more fucking time, do you understand?”

“Yes.”

“Good girl.” He releases my wrists, and just like he said, I drop my hands to his shoulders and hold on, desperate to see what his next move will be. Tomorrow I’ll chastise and mentally slap myself for giving into the whims of a man,thisman, so damn easily. But tonight, I’ll let myself be immersed in the fantasy he’s presenting, one that I never knew I wanted to live out.

Moving to my couch, he holds me like I weigh nothing and lowers. His hands move to my face, cupping my jaw with a reverence that makes this encounter seem more intimate than it is.

“Goddamn, you’re beautiful,” he sighs, annoyance seeping into his words as though my appearance is a detriment to him. The words seem to set him off because as soon as they settle between us, he leans forward, taking my bottom lip between his. I open instinctually, giving him access to my tongue and inviting him in, physically begging him to get lost in the kiss with me. He doesn’t disappoint, treating my mouth with the same rough treatment that he gave me at the shop and when I opened my front door. I meet each of his bites with one of my own, drawing his bottom lip into my mouth and sucking on his flesh.

Wolf is the first to break the kiss, pulling back while simultaneously moving my body away. I open my mouth to complain, but the look he gives me, one that’s somehow both feral and passionate, renders me silent.

“Stand up and strip.”

“What?”

“That’s not one of the words, Serena.”

“Wolf,” I rasp, unable to keep the surprise out of my voice.

“I said, stand up and strip.” His eyebrow raises, a perfectly masculine brow that has a scar slicing it in half. I stare at the division and twist my lips as I realize that his eyebrows are a metaphor for how whatever decision I make right now—listen to his bossy commands or tell him to stop and throw his ass out of my apartment—will be a critical turning point in my life.

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