Page 94 of Bound By Pain
Fuck. If I could go back and kick my own ass, I would. I’m tempted to sign myself up for the next recruit training session just to let them pummel some sense into me. But I know Bea will worry if I come home with a black eye and bruised body.
The silence that stretches between us on the drive back to Starburgh isn’t exactly awkward. It’s… tentative. Like we’re both waiting for the other shoe to drop.
Parking in the lot next to our building, I flex my hands on the steering wheel, centering myself. Whatever Bea decides when we get up there, whatever she needs, I’ll make sure she has it whether that’s me or another one of her mates. She won’t have to sit with her emotions alone ever again.
Movement at the entrance of the lot distracts me. Fury roars through me when I see the same kid from outside Marcus’s apartment. Protective instincts flare to life, and I’m out of my seat and rounding the car before I can process the thought.
I sweep Bea into my arms and bolt into the building, shoving her into the elevator and using our keycard to lock it until it reaches our penthouse.
“Lex?” Worried eyes blink at me.
“Get into the penthouse and call Creed. Tell him to come home. Now.”
The doors close, locking her inside, and I turn on my heel. The security guard behind the desk rushes to ensure the elevator doesn’t stop until it reaches our floor, practically shutting the building down to protect my Omega.
Knowing she’s safe here, I stalk back outside. I will never act violently toward a minor. Not after the terrible experiences I had in my childhood. But if this kid thinks he can shadow my Omega, working for the man stalking and threatening her?
He’s going to learn a very hard lesson about messing with my mate.
CHAPTER 38
Lifein the penthouse has been tense since Lex discovered one of Marcus’s lackeys hanging around the building two days ago. I’d returned from helping Bea’s parents to find him holding the kid up by his collar and using his bark to force answers from the teen.
Answers that yet again led us nowhere.
How does a man like Marcus keep slipping through the cracks? He’s a mid-tier Alpha. No superpowered bark or bulking frame to aid his ability to control others. Even within the Eternals, he’s nothing but a middleman. A grunt.
So why is someone putting in so much effort to conceal him? What dirt does he have on them? And how did he get it?
Glancing up from the glass of whiskey I’ve been twirling in my hand, I study Starburgh. He could be out there. Biding his time and plotting another way to torment my mate.
“I thought Lex was the broody one.” Bea’s arms wind around my waist, her face pressing into my back. Relaxing in her grasp, I rub my palm over her forearms.
“We both know he would win that championship with his world-class grumpiness. My brooding skills are a novice in comparison.”
She laughs, hot breath warming my back through my cutoff. Her arms adjust, slipping into the open sides so she can feel the bare skin of my stomach.
“Are you feeling okay? Hungry? Horny?”
Her head shakes, and she squeezes me tighter. “No. Just need to hold you.”
Turning, I slip the front of my shirt up and tuck it over her head. “Naked movie cuddles? You can warm my cock?”
The shudder that wracks her body makes my lips twitch into a knowing smirk. I’ll be surprised if we make it through the weekend without her heat starting. She’s been clinging to us and hoarding our clothes. Signs I know are from her baser instincts pushing to the surface.
“Mmmm. That sounds amazing,” she hums. I lift her into my arms, hands gripping her ass as I carry us down to the theater. It’s dark, and I spy a pile of blankets already waiting for us.
Setting her on the edge of the cushions, I let her make a mini-nest while I turn on the TV and grab drinks from the mini-fridge. I snag a few packs of her favorite snacks, just in case she changes her mind.
My breath whooshes out when I turn around. The sight of her glorious body bared beneath the dim lights and waiting for me… Fucking magical!
I toss everything into the corner, just outside the nest, and quickly strip my clothes off. Her skin is warm but not feverish as I crawl up her body. Electricity singes my nerves with each spot of contact, bringing the permanent desire I hold for her to a frenzied peak.
She turns to her side, head lifted so I can slip my arms around her. I curl around her back, biceps acting as her pillow. Gripping her thigh, I lift it over mine, grinding my hardness against her soaked pussy. Slipping inside of her is mind-blowing. Every. Single. Time.
“Fates, sunshine. I’m obsessed with the way you feel wrapped around me.”
Bea laughs, wiggling her hips to tease me further. I palm her ass and thrust hard into her once, twice, before stilling. “Okay, what are we watching?”
