The wordpleasehits me harder than it should.
She climbs onto the bed, curling into the blankets. The fire in the main room throws just enough light down the hall to cast a faint glow over her hair. She looks up at me, and something in my chest shifts.
I sit down on the edge of the mattress, far enough away not to crowd her, close enough that if she reaches for me, she’ll find me.
“You’re safe, Cam,” I tell her, and I mean every word. “We’ll keep it that way.”
There’s a pause—soft, fragile—and then she exhales like she’s been holding her breath for hours. The sound settles into my bones.
“Dane,” she says, and I understand.
“Want me to hold you?” I ask.
Her gaze flicks up to mine, and she nods. “Yes.”
That’s all it takes for me to wrap my arms around her, pulling her gently into my chest. She’s warm, soft, her heartbeat quick under my hand where it rests at her back. She fits against me like she belongs there, but I keep my touch respectful—just enough pressure to let her know I’m here, that she’s not alone in this.
For a while, we just breathe. My chin rests near her hair, catching that shifting edge to her scent—heat threading deeper now, spiced and sweet in a way that’s pulling at every instinct I have. I hold the line, locking my muscles against the urge to tighten my arms, to pull her even closer.
Then her breathing changes. It’s subtle at first, but it makes my pulse jump.
“I wanted you,” she says, voice low but certain, “because I know you’ll take control. And right now… that’s what I need.”
Her words hit me like a match dropped on dry tinder. My instincts surge forward, fierce and certain, but I force myself to check her eyes. “You’re sure? You know what you’re asking?”
“Yes.”
That single word snaps the leash inside me. The alpha in me answers without hesitation. I tilt her chin up with my knuckles, drinking in the sight of her flushed cheeks, the soft parting of her lips, the heat in her gaze.
“I want to taste all of you,” I murmur, the promise rough in my throat.
Her breath catches, and she doesn’t look away.
I can already feel my control shifting, reshaping, sharpening into something that will keep her safe while giving her exactly what she needs.
Chapter fifty-three
Cam
The room is dim, shadows stretching across the old wood floor, the only light a thin wash from the shuttered window. I’m warm—too warm—and not just from the heat simmering under my skin. Dane’s arms are still around me, steady as stone, but the stillness between us is charged.
When I finally lift my head, his eyes are already on me, that deep, controlled focus that makes my chest tighten.
“Lie back,” he says, voice low but not rough. It’s a command wrapped in care, and it rolls over me like warm rain.
I do as he says, my pulse fluttering as I sink into the soft nest Theo made earlier. The faint scent of herbs clings to the blankets, but it’s already being overtaken by the sharper, richer scent of Dane—pine and storm air and something darker that makes my mouth go dry.
He doesn’t touch me right away. Instead, he kneels beside the bed, his hand braced near my hip, his gaze sweeping over me like he’s memorizing every detail.
“You’re beautiful like this,” he murmurs, and my stomach flips. He slowly removes his shirt, and my heat broils at the sight of his bare chest.
Then his hand is on my ankle, slow and deliberate, fingertips gliding up my calf. The drag of his touch makes my breath stutter, and heat pools low in my belly.
He’s not in a hurry. Every inch he covers feels like it’s claimed, teased, tested. When he reaches my knee, his thumb circles lazily before he moves higher. The air between us thickens, scented with my own rising need, something I’ve been trying not to acknowledge until now.
Slowly he strips the clothing from me, and from himself, his large cock already dripping with precum. The heat ripples through my body, and I give a soft moan.
Practically panting, Dane leans over me, his weight braced so I can feel his heat without being pinned, feel his cock against my thigh, hard and ready. His lips find my throat first, slow and exploratory, pressing soft kisses before his teeth graze the skin just under my jaw. The nip sends a shiver racing down my spine.
