Page 29 of Alpha Wolf's Arranged Bride
“My real name is Rex Stanton. I was born here, in Rose Hollow.”
“So, what the fuck were you doing in Eccles, pretending to be James Drent? Why the hell did you leave me—and where did you go? Not even your own pack seems to know where you went!”
Her questions sink into me like physical blows, and I close my eyes, hardening my heart. I can’t tell her about Wolf’s Shadow and my mission. I don’t want to compromise the operation, my pack, or her and Jarrod’s safety.
There is also a righteous anger of my own rising in my chest, and it’s fueled by the images in my mind of her being with another man.
I have no right—I left her.
I don’t fucking care! I’m still jealous!
“I’ve answered one of your questions,” I say. “Now it’s your turn. Who is Jarrod’s father?”
“Excuse me?” she says, taking a little step back.
I follow, keeping our faces inches apart. “Who is his father? You must have hooked up with him not long after I left. Is he still around? Does Jarrod know who he is? What kind offamily do you have? For all I know, Eccles isn’t serious about this deal, and his real father might come and claim him!”
As the words leave my mouth, I realize I’m terrified of losing the boy. It’s completely nuts, but after only a couple of days, I can’t imagine my life without him.
“Oh, don’t you dare,” Scarlett snaps. “Don’t try to make this about me. You’re the one who fucked me over. I’ve done nothing wrong!”
“Maybe not!” I shout, moving even closer to her. “But I deserve answers just as much as you do!”
“I don’t care—”
Scarlett’s temper finally peaks, and I know she’s about to yell at the top of her lungs. I know her so well that I can see her anger crackling in her eyes, like fire is leaking through her soul to dance across her skin. She looks incredibly beautiful, and her scent is getting stronger and stronger, engulfing me and blurring all my senses.
I don’t want her to wake Jarrod, and I don’t know what to do, so I just obey my instincts.
Not a great plan, but all I’ve got right now.
I grab her arms and yank her against my chest, pressing my lips to hers. Every inch of my skin seems to scream with absolution as I feel her pressed up against me. At first, she struggles a little, but then her hands grip my arms, her body bends against my chest, and she tilts her head back, opening her mouth to my kiss.
All my anger and uncertainty rush away, replaced by the intense thrill of having her in my arms again. I didn’t truly realize how much I’d missed her until this moment. I’d beenkeeping my own feelings at bay to protect myself, and I’d done far too good a job at it.
Now there is no denying that it isn’t just my body that wants this woman—it’s my heart and soul, too. I deepen the kiss, tightening my grip on her as I tease her lips with mine. All the pain and hard questions fade, and there is nothing except the bliss of having her with me again.
From the way Scarlett squirms against me, wrapping her body around mine, I know that she missed me, too.
Chapter 9 - Scarlett
I can’t do this!
The thought rings through my entire body like an alarm, warning me to let go, pull back—just get away!
But I don’t want to.
My mind slips away as the needs of my body overtake my senses in a powerful wave. Letting go of my fears, even for a moment, is just as seductive as Rex’s mouth on mine.
I let my hands slip around his waist and press my body up against his, writhing against him. Turning my head up, I open my mouth, begging him to deepen the kiss.
He groans softly, squeezing me even harder as his tongue flicks against mine. There are no thoughts in my head, no pain, and nothing holding me back. The uncertainty of the last few years melts away as if it never was.
Heat burns through me, warming my thighs and setting off a throbbing ache deep inside me. Every inch of my skin seems to become supercharged, and I brace my hands against Rex’s back so I can rub my body against his.
Rex pulls back a little, looking into my eyes as his hands roam down my back. He smiles, his eyes wide and full of love.
That’s what I thought that night—
