Page 30 of Rising Darkness

“Why did you tense?” Kota murmured through the haze of lust, noticing every little nuance about me. That was Kota, seeing things others may miss.

“I don’t want you to leave,” I admitted, searching his brown gaze for any signs of hesitation, of fear or doubt or regret.

Cupping my face, Kota’s thumb lovingly stroked along the curve of my cheek. “I won’t. I’m done running. Done hiding. Done denying myself what my heart truly wants.” He paused and swallowed, and the weight of what he was admitting settled heavily between us. “I want you, kitten. From the moment I barged into the bathroom and saw you lounging in that bathtub, naked and beautiful, I was a goner, I just didn’t know it yet.” He huffed a small laugh, remembering the first night we met, but then he sobered and shook his head. “I’ve fucked up by pushing you away. Constantly running from you every time we got close was the stupidest thing I’ve ever done. But when the bond broke, Lorn, I fucking died inside. I realized just how much I’d already fallen for you.”

“Kota,” I whispered reverently, soaking up every word.

“You have the power to ruin me, Lorn. You could destroy me. And that scares the shit out of me. But no matter how hard I tried to fight this insane attraction, this insane draw, I fell for you. Hard. When our bond disappeared, it was a punch to the chest. And then when you were taken? It woke me up and made me realize just how much I can’t live without you, and how much I’d nearly fucked it all up.” Kota shuddered a breath, as if losing me truly terrified him. “What we have still needs work. I know I’ve hurt you, and I need to atone for that. But I’m done running from you… from this.” He motioned between his chest and mine, and I instantly missed the connection I used to feel toward him, that thread of the blood bond that tied us together as mates. “We’re fated for each other. I want to fix us, and then fix all the shit that’s gone wrong. To put our pack back together with you rightfully at the center.”

I’d never heard him admit he wanted me before, not out loud and in so many words. My stomach fluttered with that newly in love feeling that stole my breath and made my heart pound wildly.

“I want that too. I care about you so damn much, and I want you as my mate. But you’re wrong about something,” I told him.

Kota’s brows drew down, and I could practically see his mind whirling as he tried to figure out what I was saying.

“You said you wanted to fix us,”—I placed my hand on his chest, directly over his heart—“but we’re not broken. You can’t compare what we have against my relationships with the others. Our journey just looks different. We took a rocky, winding path to find each other, but the challenges we’ve faced have only made us grow stronger.”

“Damn, babe. You’re beginning to sound like Chayton, all romantic and insightful and shit,” Axel teased, his usual humor lightening the mood as he squeezed my sides gently. Despite his mirth, I knew he was truly happy that Kota and I were finally talking about things. What Axel wanted most was for us to be a unit. A pack. A family. He’d sworn he wouldn’t bite and claim me without his brother right there with us.

Kota’s lips quirked in a crooked smile. “Shut up, Axel. You’re ruining the romantic moment.” Giving me his full attention, he looked apologetic. Maybe too much so. The mischievous glint in his eyes was surprisingly like his brother’s. “I’m sorry, kitten. You were wooing me. Please, continue.”

“Wooing you? I think it wasyouwho was wooing me,” I stated, but I couldn’t contain the wide grin that overtook my face.

Kota practically growled. “You’re damn right I was.”

Without another word, he swooped in, wove his fingers into my hair, and pulled me in for a demanding, confident kiss.

I giggled against his mouth for a moment before Kota melted my brain with a sweep of his tongue across my lips.

Thank the stars!

With a sigh, I relaxed into him and let him guide the kiss. Our tongues danced together as we devoured each other. And soon, the jovial mood in the room shifted into something far more seductive.

Gone were the sweet words and the promises we’d made, replaced with an urgent need to show each other just how much we meant what we said.

Kota wasn’t running. He was leaning into our relationship, giving himself over to what was between us. Together, we were a fresh canvas, taking everything that had come before, all the lessons we’d learned, all the mistakes we’d made, to create something new and beautiful.

And goddess, his mouth was delicious. The way he kissed me with sweet desperation sent tingles straight through my body that settled low in my belly.

I was already writhing when Axel and Kota shifted closer, pinning me helplessly between them. I could barely think, barely breathe. All I could do was feel as Axel joined in, his mouth trailing a hot line up my throat. Grabbing my chin, he wrenched my mouth from his brother’s and claimed it for himself while Kota effortlessly switched to teasing every sensitive spot along the curve of my throat.

I moaned, loving the way they obliterated all my thoughts while they worked in tandem. Being between them made me feel sexy and bold.

They moved together as if they’d choreographed the best ways to turn me on, sharing my mouth back and forth while their hands roamed. They were everywhere, tangling in my hair, grabbing my ass, splaying over my stomach, cupping my breasts, teasing the waistband of my shorts. And I wanted it all. I wanted tofeel.

“Fuck,” Kota purred against my ear, breathing harshly. “I can’t get the taste of you out of my mind,” he confessed, tortured and ragged, remembering the time he’d finally allowed himself to touch me. “Having my fingers inside of you, then licking them clean, was the hottest thing I’ve ever done.”

Axel scoffed, and I reached quickly behind me to swat at him. I didn’t want him to tease his twin simply because he was less experienced.

“I was just going to tell him if he thinksthat’shot, he needs to try tasting directly from the source,” Axel said, tone drenched in mischief and sin.

I could feel my face heat a million degrees and was sure my cheeks were a bright shade of pink. Didn’t stop me from squirming from the mental picture of Kota’s face buried between my thighs.

Kota groaned, his gaze molten chocolate as he stared down at me with the question blatantly written across his face.

He wants to.

My clit pulsed, my heat intensifying the feeling, and I squeezed my thighs together to seek pressure where I needed it most.

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