Page 2 of In Control

Slowly, his eyes rake up my throat before returning to meet mine. His brow lowers and my knees turn to jelly.

I’ve never been at the mercy of an alpha before, never piqued one’s interest. It is … intriguing.

I tear my eyes from him and lean down to whisper in my mother’s ear.

“I’m going to use the bathroom.”

As much as that dancer has held me entranced, I never wanted to be here. But wanting and having to be here are two different things. There was a time when I jumped at every opportunity to attend an event like this. But now there’s always that doubt lingering in the back of my mind. Will he be here? At an event like this, it’s always a possibility.

My mother slides her knees to the side and I squeeze along the row of people, conscious the entire time that the alpha is still watching me.

In the aisle, I gaze up at him again, meeting that stare which now seems hungry. Then I lift the hem of my dress and saunter towards the exit, hips swaying, giving him my best show.

Out in the foyer, it’s cool and goosebumps raise along my arms. I take a deep breath. My skin tingles with anticipation.

Have I caught my fish?

The long elegant bar with its mirror running the full length of the room stands empty. I stroll that way, anyway, finding a jug of water and several glasses.

I pour myself some, half watching the mirror.

I know immediately when the alpha enters the room, before I spy his warped reflection in the dimly lit mirror, before I hear his feet pad across the plush carpet. I sense him. His presence. If I was an omega, I’d know by his scent, but it’s not until he’s closed the space and I can see his dark eyes in the reflection, closer now, even darker, that I catch the faint whiff of his scent.

Dark too, like treacle.

I inhale, sucking his flavour across my tongue.

I take another sip of water, leaving a red imprint of my lip on the glass, and lower it to the bar.

Turning slowly, I find him so close we’re almost touching. Warmth and dominance radiate from his body, and, despite my heels, I have to tip my head back to meet his eyes.

“I’d ask you to buy me a drink,” I say, a smile hovering on my lips, “but the bar is closed.”

“I don’t think you came out here for a drink, little one.” His voice is deep, reverberating in his broad chest. It’s like a growl, a growl dipped in honey. It has that shiver shimmying down my spine again.

“No, I didn’t.”

“No, you didn’t,” he repeats, bending so our eyes are level.

Up close, I observe the colour of his. Not jet like they’d appeared in the theatre. A mahogany brown with a rim of gold.

“You’re very beautiful,” he tells me, reaching out to trace a fingertip down the column of my throat. “Do you taste as good as you look?”

I go to open my mouth, to give him one of my quick retorts, but his mouth has replaced the pressure of his fingers and he kisses my throat.

I guess we’re skipping the small talk, sliding straight past the flirtation, heading straight for the seduction.

I certainly don’t have a problem with that.

The man smells like something I’d like to eat and his lips are plush and tender on my skin. Tender, with a hint of power.

I’m only mortal. Like every other woman on the planet, I’ve fantasised about an alpha’s mouth on my throat, about his strong alpha teeth snapping through my flesh.

I sigh, tipping my head back, leaning against the bar. His large hands come to claim my hips and he holds me still as he kisses up my neck to my ear, nipping at my lobe before whispering in the shell.

“Come with me, little one.”

No pretence at asking me if this is what I want. No …

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