Page 33 of Queen of Ashes and Scars
A tearful chortle pops out of his mouth. “Then don’t marry Sebastian Chastain.”
“It’s political chess. I need to make the smartest move here.” I smooth down his turned-down collar, and goosebumps rise beneath my fingertips as I brush the tender flesh of his neck. “I’m marrying Sebastian in less than an hour, and we will find a way to makethis”—I peck his lips—“work.”
He shakes his head like the repetitive motion will somehow be enough to change my mind. “I won’t let you do this.” He grips my waist with enough passion to haul me away from this castle—this life.
In his arms, I feel like I don’t need to be queen, but that’s fucking dangerous.
“You won’t let me?Letme? I didn’t mean to read your thoughts back in the Jeep, but I did. You were about to deny me your affectionfor my own good. Is that what’s going on? Do you think you were right about that, too?”
His jaw clenches at the outburst. “No.”
“You let my brothers order you aroundfor yearslike a wolf on a tight leash…” My chest heaves, the fury stirring up a buttload of emotion as I hook one finger around his tie and let it slide all the way down to his stomach. “You’re arguing for my independence and yet fighting me on my own choices… you don’t want to marry me, but I can’t marry someone else… how does that make sense?”
“I apologize,my queen, but I don’t agree with your decision.” He looks dangerous as his hands follow the curves of my body to my ass. “Is there anything I can do to change your mind?”
I flash him a wicked grin, my beast loving the tint of desperation on him, craving the games we play together. “You have my permission to try, Mr. Beaumont.”
The dark gods know I’ve waited long enough for this…
The sexual tension between us is about to melt my insides. Alec kneels in front of me and traces a fiery path up my bare thighs, the skirt of my summer dress allowing him plenty of access. The sex with Leo somehow left me needier than I was before, and I hold my breath as Alec rips my underwear from me and sinks two fingers inside my soaked entrance like he owns it.
“Who are you that wet for, Lucky?” he growls.
I have to admit this conversation planted quite a few ideas in my newborn vampire brain, but I can’t admit to that. “You.”
He removes his fingers, leaving me empty and calling my bluff.
“All three of you,” I say softly.
He kisses my neck with a smirk. “Better. Don’t lie to me. Not ever.”
I love it when he gets all dark and dangerous. He looks ready to punish me for marrying another man, and I’m not at all against it. I’ve been dying to feel him inside me again since that aborted sex-capade on the roof. He stands tall in front of me, grabs the front of my dress, and tears it off me in one swift, dark motion.
I shudder in response, desperate for him to touch me. He curls up around my naked body like a snake. His hands drag across my naked stomach to my breasts, and my eyes snap open in surprise when he gives them a rough, unexpected pinch. I tear off his clothes in response, the impatience and anxiousness of my looming wedding somehow making everything more vivid. I trace the ridges of his stomach on my way down his sculpted body, and his abs clench when I grab his thick erection.
He grips my wrist, his golden-rimmed gaze beckoning. “No games. I need to take younow.”
A yelp of surprise escapes me as he picks me up in his arms and kisses me until I forget to breathe. He spreads me out on the duvet and hikes my legs up to his right shoulder before he rams inside me without preamble, my legs held tightly together instead of spread, which makes the feel of his thrust even more potent.
Alec holds me at just the right angle to use my body for his pleasure, the desperate snaps of his hips driving me mad.Fuck, so hot.
It’s a revenge fuck, but I’m about to implode, his length hitting that sweet spot inside me that makes me beg, stretching me over and over again. “Please, Alec.”
The defined lines in his arms are mesmerizing as he picks up the pace. “I’m going to make you come so hard, you’ll be thinking about me when you’re with him.”
His movements are a perfect mix of power and control. I can’t get enough of him. What if he doesn’t accept my choice?
This could be our last time together.
Somehow, the combination of his wild thrusts and being terrified of losing him pushes me over the edge, and Alec falls right along with me. We’re left spent and shuddering in each other’s arms, murmuring in prayer for a long minute, the violence of the sex rivaled only by the sweetness of the aftermath, his hands tangled in my hair, his lips soft on my throat.
My heart aches at the thought that this could be the end, and I push Alec over on the bed and climb on top of him, peppering his chest with kisses and settling in his arms like an explorer planting his flag in a newly claimed piece of land.
“Hum-hum,” a loud throat-clearing sound resonates behind us. “We have to get you ready for the wedding, my queen,” Emilia says from the doorway.
Two handmaidens spread on each side of her and sneak glances at the naked soldier below me, their cheeks heating up. Their blood pumps a little wilder, and they exchange knowing looks, a grin threatening to show on their faces. If I were a man, no one would bat an eyelash at this situation, so I decide to treat it as normal. This is not something to be ashamed of, and the double standard ends now.
“Give us another five minutes,” I order softly, and they quickly disappear from view.
