Page 31 of Ruthless Alpha

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I couldn’t help smiling back.

“Yeah. Yeah, it’s pretty fucking cool,” I agreed. “I kind of like having you at my mercy like this.” I didn’t know what had compelled me to say it, but later, I would absolutely blame it on the sword. No matter what Eve said, that thing had an agenda. I felt Xander’s breath hitch, the jolt in his chest traveling down that string of light until I felt it against my palms. I tugged the weapon toward me, thrilled when Xander took an unsteady step forward at the same time.

“You’re humoring me,” I said, breathless, and he shook his head.

“Nah. It wasn’t—it’s not that you’re suddenly stronger than me, but it’s like I was… compelled? Like my body moved without my brain’s permission.”

That sent a satisfied thrill through me—it was about time he got a taste of the way he made me feel. I tugged again, and he took a steadier, more certain step forward. I did it again. And again. And again. With every step of his slow, halting journey, my heartbeat grew a little faster, my breath coming in shallower gasps. What was I going to do when he reached me?

It was too late to be asking that question, because he was already there, within touching distance.

“You gonna let me go?” he asked, his voice low and rough.

“I don’t know how,” I confessed, and he smiled.

“Just do it,” he said. “Let go.”

I dove down inside myself again, feeling for the place my magic sprang from. I could have done it, could have broken that fragile thread, but I hesitated. What if I could never access it again? What if once I broke it, it was broken forever?

“Rosie?”

One large, rough hand came up to cover mine on the hilt of the sword—and the world turned upside down.

The weapon fell from my fingers, clattering unnoticed to the ground as the rope of light flickered and went out. The place where Xander touched me burned. My heart was going to beat out of my chest. My breath caught in my throat.

When my eyes met Xander’s, it was clear I wasn’t the only one so affected. A rumbling growl was building in his chest, eyes intent on me. I knew what this was, and so did he.

The mating bond.

It didn’t make sense—this wasn’t how the bond worked, and we both knew it—but that didn’t stop us crashing together. The kiss was artless and desperate, but it was the best kiss we’d ever shared—the best kiss of my life—and it sent hot shivers all the way to the tips of my fingers and toes.

“Fuck—” Xander panted as he tugged at my shirt, ripping the loose tee over my head. “Fuck, I—I knew it had to be you.”

Then he was on his knees, covering my breasts with wet kisses, reaching around to unclasp my bra. Perhaps I should have been concerned by the ease with which he achieved his goal, but I was too busy luxuriating in the soft heat of his mouth on the sensitive skin. The moment I was free from my lace and wire prison, his mouth moved to my nipple, sucking and nibbling at the pert nub. Every lick and tug sent heat pulsingbetween my legs, and I couldn’t hold back a high whine, burying my fingers in his hair.

His hands weren’t idle while his mouth worked; they were busy with the fastenings of my pants. Or was that only one hand? It must be, because the other was stroking my back. There was so muchsensation, from the sharp bites he left on my breasts to the cool air hitting my bare legs as he tugged my pants down and helped me step out of them.

“You’re so beautiful,” he breathed, as if it were the truest thing he’d ever said. His hand slipped between my legs to where my underwear was damp with arousal, running a single finger over the ruined cotton.

I whimpered, unable to protest even if I wanted to. My body was begging for his touch, demanding things I had no knowledge of. I shifted, spreading my legs to make room for his hand between my thighs, and he let out a soft, awed breath.

I was trembling as he pushed my panties down my legs, reverent, like this was a sacred ritual he was honored to perform. He pressed a soft, close-lipped kiss to my sternum as his fingers found the hungry, wanting space between my legs. I was so wet, his fingers gliding across my aching flesh, rubbing and coaxing until he found one perfect spot that made me cry out and grasp his shoulders for stability.

“Good girl,” he purred, lining up a single finger with the slickness at my entrance.

When he slipped in, it was so much more than I’d ever experienced, even on the few occasions I had let my own hand wander between my legs. I barely knew what to do with myself, but he was playing me like a familiar instrument, crooking that finger to press against something I didn’t even know I’d had inside me.

I was already gasping, incoherent with pleasure, when he lined up a second finger alongside the first. They were so much thicker than my own, and it burned slightly as he pushed them both inside. It was a good burn, just on the edge of overwhelming, and he cooed more praise into my ear, kissing and licking and nipping his way down my neck before picking up where he’d left off with my breasts. Every touch of his lips and every pump of his fingers sent me higher, and I was teetering on the edge of something terrifying when he stilled, his fingers still deep inside me.

I gave a petulant whine as he drew them out slowly.

“You’ve got to take one more first, angel,” Xander said, and I felt another warm, blunt pressure at my entrance.

“That’s so—I don’t know if I can,” I gasped. Two of his fingers were already so much. He pressed another kiss to my sternum.

“You want my cock, Rosie?” he whispered.

The words went straight to my pussy, and I felt myself clench around nothing, his fingers stroking my twitching entrance as I felt him smile against my skin.