Page 74 of Bound By Alphas 1: Bound

I meant it to be quick—just enough to satisfy this maddening pull between us. A pressure valve release. Nothing more. After a brief touch of our lips, I pulled back an inch, already feeling dizzy from even that minimal contact.

Cade’s eyes darkened, the blue almost swallowed by his dilated pupils. “Not enough,” he growled, one large hand cupping the back of my neck.

Before I could respond, he pulled me back to him, eliminating that inch of space I’d tried to create. This time, there was nothing quick or simple about it. His mouth claimed mine with purpose, his lips firm yet surprisingly soft as they moved against mine. When his tongue traced the seam of my lips, requesting entry rather than demanding it, I opened for him without hesitation.

The kiss transformed from exploratory to consuming in an instant. Cade’s hand tangled in my hair, fingers brushing against my sensitive fox ears and making me shiver. His other arm wrapped around my waist, pulling me flush against him until I could feel every hard plane of his body. He was still wet from the ocean, his skin cool against my sun-warmed body, creating a delicious contrast that made me gasp into his mouth.

I should care about getting soaked. I should care about sand getting everywhere. I should care about my tail wrapping possessively around his waist like it had a mind of its own. I should care about a lot of things that became completely irrelevant as Cade deepened the kiss, his tongue sweeping into my mouth with commanding precision that left no doubt who was in control.

His kiss was demanding, consuming—everything I’d tried to convince myself I didn’t want. Each stroke of his tongue againstmine sent electricity racing down my spine, pooling low in my belly with an intensity that made my knees buckle.

A small, desperate sound escaped me—something between a whimper and a moan that I would definitely deny making later. Cade growled in response, the sound vibrating through his chest where it pressed against mine, the primal noise making my fox nature practically purr with satisfaction.

When we finally broke apart, I was trembling and breathless, my hands somehow having found their way to his shoulders, fingers digging into hard muscle. The mate bond pulsed between us, demanding closer, deeper, more.

“We should head inside,” Cade said, his voice rough in a way that made my knees weak, his thumb brushing across my lower lip as if memorizing its shape. “It’s getting cold.”

“One more,” I heard myself say, fingers curling into his shoulders. “Please?”

The word had barely left my lips before Cade descended on me again. This time, there was nothing controlled about his kiss. His mouth crashed against mine with raw hunger, his lips parting mine instantly. His tongue swept inside, not asking permission but claiming territory, stroking against mine with desperate intensity. I tasted salt water and something uniquely Cade—rich and intoxicating.

He kissed me like a man starved, like he’d been thirsting for this exact moment for years. His hands gripped my waist, fingers digging in just shy of painful, before suddenly lifting me off my feet. I gasped into his mouth, instinctively wrapping my legs around his waist without breaking the kiss. My tail coiled tighter around him, as if afraid he might put me down.

Cade growled his approval, the sound vibrating between us where our chests pressed together. One of his hands slid down to support my weight, cupping me in a way that made heat flood my entire body. The change in position brought certain… partsof our anatomy into alignment in ways that short-circuited my brain completely.

I could feel him, hard and insistent against me, even through our clothes. The evidence of his desire made me dizzy with want. His mouth moved from my lips to my jaw, then down to the sensitive spot where my neck met my shoulder. When his teeth grazed my skin there—not quite a bite, but a promise of one—I made a sound I’d never heard from myself before, high and needy.

“You’re playing with fire, little fox,” he growled against my throat, his breath hot on my damp skin. His free hand found my fox tail, fingers stroking through the fur in a way that sent sparks of pleasure up my spine. God, that nickname should not be as hot as it was, especially when I was sporting the literal features to match.

“Maybe I want to burn,” I whispered back, my voice unrecognizable to my own ears—breathy and desperate. I tangled my fingers in his wet hair, tugging him back up to my mouth, surprising myself with my boldness. My filter was apparently on vacation, along with my common sense and self-preservation instincts.

Cade allowed me to guide him back to my lips, but before our mouths met again, he paused, pulling back just enough to meet my eyes. His own were dark with desire, the blue almost swallowed by black, and something else—something possessive and primal that made my fox want to submit completely. The intensity of his gaze made me want to hide and preen simultaneously.

“Is that all you want? Just this?” he asked, his voice rough with restraint, his body rigid with tension beneath my hands.

I knew what he was asking. Knew I should say yes, should keep this simple, should protect my heart from whatever thiswas becoming. Should remember all the reasons this was complicated and messy and probably a terrible idea.

Instead, I heard myself whisper, “More.”

Something dangerous and beautiful flickered in his eyes—triumph, hunger, and something that looked almost like reverence. “Then we shower first,” he said, already turning toward the house, carrying me as if I weighed nothing. “You’re covered in sand, and I taste like salt water.”

“That’s very practical of you,” I managed, trying to sound sarcastic despite the way my heart was racing and my body was screaming for more contact.

“Trust me, little fox,” he replied, his voice promising things that made me shiver despite the warm evening air. “There’s nothing practical about what I plan to do to you.”

I was so, so screwed.

And I couldn’t wait.

Chapter 14

The walk back to the house felt like a dream—or maybe a fever-induced hallucination. Cade carried me like I weighed nothing, which should have offended my independent nature but instead made everything lower than my belly button tighten with anticipation. My fox tail swished behind us, curling possessively around Cade’s arm of its own accord.

I’d been in Cade’s wing of the mansion before but never like this. Never with my legs wrapped around his waist, my fox ears twitching with every breath he took, and his hands leaving burning trails on my skin. The space was ridiculous, really—more luxury apartment than bedroom, with floor-to-ceiling windows offering spectacular views of the mountains and forest beyond.

This is a terrible idea, my brain helpfully supplied as Cade shouldered open the door to his en suite.Monumentally terrible. Epic levels of?—

“Want to share a shower too?” Cade’s voice was dark honey and sin, effectively shutting up my internal warning system.

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