Page 13 of Alpha Rising (Secrets of the Northland Shifters)

In thenextsecond I found myself across the room. My head flew back and bounced against the wall. It might have hurt if there’d been time to register the pain.

Instead, I was befuddled. Transfixed by Reese’s glowing green stare, this time so close that our noses touched.

“Is this the part where we...um...mate?” I asked, the word feeling awkward and foreign in my mouth.

“Probably,” he said. My blanket had fallen away in the rush of movement, and I could feel the heat of his solid body pressed against mine.

“And what if I don’t want to be your mate?” I asked.

“That’s a different question,” he said huskily, the lion still lingering close to the surface.

“How’s it different?”

“Mating is a verb.Beingmy mate is a noun and a commitment.”

“So...” I said, correcting myself. “We’re going to havesexnow.”

“Probably,” he repeated.

“And what if I said no?”

He closed his eyes as if in relief. “It would definitely help this situation if you did. Do you want to say no?”

I swallowed hard and when he opened his eyes, I shook my head. “I’m not saying no.”

“Damn,” Reese said, sounding defeated. “Wrong answer.”

His mouth crashed down on mine with a kiss so searing I wondered if he was on the verge of shifting again.

But I quickly discovered he was not only in perfect control ofhimself, he was in control of me.

His kisses made me lean into him, trying to get closer even though our bodies were already flush. His hands moved over my skin, stroking my arms, my breasts, the curve of my hips, then sliding around to squeeze my ass so hard I thought he meant to mold it into a shape meant only for him.

Between his hands and his mouth, there was no part of me left unexplored. That is except one, and that part practicallyweptfor his attention.

Slowly he eased us both to our knees, then onto the nest of blankets beside the wood-burning stove.

My legs parted of their own volition and heat washed through me, stronger than before, the fire stoked by Reese’s wandering hands.

I fought to remain in the moment, to remember each touch, each murmur, each kiss and groan. Because I knew in my heart this wouldn’t last forever. Soon I would have to leave him, and—knowing what I was only just beginning to understand—I couldn’t let him take this too far.

This was a verb, not a noun. I could love him now, in the moment, but I couldn’t commit myself to him. And he needed the opportunity to tie himself to someone else after I was gone.

But try as I might to stay rational, each kiss, each lick of his tongue made me doubt my self-control a little bit more. How bad would it be to tie myself to this perplexing man, this thrilling creature?

I reached between us and took his cock in my hand. It felt amazing. Long. Thick. Silky soft over iron hard.

Reese drew back, and the cool air that seeped between our bodies had me blinking with surprise. His dark hair was mussed, and he looked so beautiful I could cry.

He reached down and pulled my hand away, then he cupped my breast and sucked my nipple into his hot mouth. I arched my back as my breath came faster and his hand wandered down to the curve of my hip, then a whisper-soft touch between my legs.

My body convulsed as arousal shot through me. His finger circled, applying the most perfect amount of pressure, both teasing and intentional.

He knew what he was doing, and I became a creature of sheer sensation. It frightened me how easily my rational mind could slip sideways whenever he touched me.

“You’re like liquid silk,” he purred, and I felt that rumbling vibration across my skin and through my body.

Andthatgave me an idea.

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