Page 93 of Pride
She narrowed her eyes at him. Her makeup was smokey, and the lips were glossy. The raspberry flavor watered his mouth.
“I don’t know, Parker. Would you?”
“I don’t need to lie, Alice.”
Only those afraid lied. Parker managed expectations.
“Not only do I think you’ve got ulterior motives for tonight, but you still haven’t told me what your plan is if we’re separated. Don’t tell me some bullshit about not needing one because you’ve got everything under control.”
“But I do.” He grinned and toyed with her garter, letting a single claw distend from his fingertip to tickle over her skin.
She shook her head and lifted her eyes to the ceiling, but he caught the glimmer in them. The unshed tears. His claws retracted.
“I just have this feeling I can’t shake.” Her brows puckered in the middle. “You’re so sure everything will go according to plan?”
“You’ve known me for two years, Alice. When have my plans failed?”
“Um. The night you let go of my hand on that rooftop.”
“That’s different.”
“You’re right. Forget it,” she said, sighing. “This is your plan, not mine. Stupid me for thinking we were equals. Who do you need me to be tonight?”
He stared at her, letting her words sink in. This would all make sense by the end of the night, and then she would see he trusted her the most.
“Alice, up until now you may have lived your life according to what others wanted, but I only need you to be you. That’s the only person I want you to be. Are you sure you’re okay?”
“I’m fine.”
Her posture said anything but, and he needed to set her right. He couldn’t have his stoic warrior queen go out like this. His eyes darted to where his bionic hand gripped her gently and suddenly all he could think of was how he’d lost that arm in the first place—his stubborn pride. Maybe she’d been a little right. He’d never planned to lose the arm. His plan had been to take Alice down with him, at the very least, but then their mating bond triggered, and he’d forgotten which way was up.
But it was too late to doubt himself now, and if things didn’t go according to plan, then Alice would remain in the dark. This was for her benefit.
His bionic hand traced down her stomach and skimmed over the silk waistband of her underwear.
She sucked in a breath. “What are you doing?”
“Demonstrating my perfectly fine motor skills—how well this hand works now.”
“Parker,” she gasped as he traced lower over her mound, pressing in to tease her sensitive flesh over the silk. He kissed between her breasts, right on the clasp of her bra. “I’ve got it all sorted, Alice. You know me. Let me take care of this. Trust me.”
“But—”
He softly circled his metal finger over her sweet spot, eliciting a small whimper from her. A wiggle. An arch into him.
“I want you to relax tonight,” he said, nuzzling into her neck, nipping at her ear lobe. “Nothing will go wrong. These people will leave, and we’ll have their biometrics.”
She started panting, gripping his hair. He loved how responsive she was to him, how every bit of tension in her body released, how she gave herself over to him. This language was one he’d always understood. She might worry, but when he had her like this, he knew exactly where her heart lied.
“I’m going to get you off, Alice,” he said, increasing the tempo of his finger. “And then I’m going to fuck you, right here, right now, while our enemies are walking around on that terrace a few feet away. That’s how confident I am of tonight’s plan.” They locked eyes, hers feverish and his steady. “You trust me, don’t you?”
She nodded. “Of course.”
“Then let me take care of things. Of you.”
He kept his touch gentle but firm, never once faulting. But it wasn’t enough. He needed to taste her. So he slid the silk down her hips and laid her on the chaise. He found her sex wet as he licked straight down the middle. She came apart under his tongue in minutes. He was inside her moments later. His slow thrusts turned into fast, passionate love making until his release barreled through him.
When they were both spent, his mate’s fire returned to her. As he helped her dress, she looked at him with the same snarky spark in her eyes that he’d fallen in love with. She was once again the same woman who’d air-kissed him as she fell backward out of a plane. He was sure she had words for him about his impromptu claiming, but she kept them to herself. She let him have this moment, and in turn let herself have it too.
