My omega instincts didn’t care about easier. They wanted to surrender to this—to him—to finally stop fighting.
I was so tired of fighting.
I wanted to run. I wanted to stay. I wanted to push him away and pull him closer. I couldn’t reconcile the two warring parts of myself—the lawyer who’d learned that independence was survival, and the omega who whispered that maybe, just maybe, I didn’t have to do this alone anymore.
He moved faster now, the slap of his hips against my ass obscene, only outmatched by the wanton sounds coming from me…and him.
“Sylvie,” he panted, his breath no longer steady, “you feel amazing. So fucking good.” The unexpected profanity had me clenching, and he let out a low groan. “You have no idea how badly I want to—” He cut himself off.
“What?” I asked, turning my head toward him.
He let out a sound somewhere between a chuckle and a moan before running his nose along my cheek. “I can practically hear your brain overthinking. Guess I’m not doing a good enough job.”
Kenai kissed me, shifting my hips so with each stroke I felt every inch of him dragging across the deepest part of me. My eyes rolled back as he picked up his pace.
“Come for me again, baby,” he rasped.
For once, it wasn’t hard to obey. He thrust deep, grinding against me until I fell apart again. This one was stronger than before, my walls gripping him tight with each wave as I moaned into the blankets.
“Fuck…” Kenai kept moving, but I felt him twitch inside me. “Sylvie, my?—”
He broke off as I felt a tiny prick at the back of my neck—hot and cold all at once, like the shock of stepping into an icy puddle while trying to catch a cab.
But then he pulled away, and the feeling was gone.
I rolled over to see him sitting back on his knees, skin flushed and eyes defocused. But he shook his head, antlers sparkling as he refocused on me. He flashed that snow-white smile again before moving to lie beside me.
“Feeling better?” he asked, pulling me against his side.
His heartbeat was steady beneath my ear, slowing from its frantic pace. I was feeling better—the heat dulled to something manageable, almost pleasant—and my body felt loose and satisfied in a way I couldn’t remember ever feeling before. I tucked my face against his chest as more stupid tears rose in my eyes.
“You okay, baby?” Kenai’s voice was a rumble, soft and concerned.
I should say yes. I should make some quip, keep this light and transactional like I’d promised.
But he was running his fingers through my hair. And he’d been so careful with me, so attentive.
No one had ever?—
My throat went tight. This was too much. I’d felt too much, let him see too much. The way I’d fallen apart in his arms, the sounds I’d made, how desperately I’d begged for him. That wasn’t compartmentalized.
That was vulnerable—and I didn’t do vulnerable. Ever.
“I need—” My voice came out rough. I cleared my throat and pulled away from his warmth, immediately missing it and hating that I missed it. “I need to clean up.”
Kenai’s hand lingered on my arm. “Sylvie?—”
“I’m fine. Just…give me a minute.” I grabbed my discarded clothes and fled to the bathroom before he could say whatever soothing thing was forming on his lips.
Before I could let myself want to hear it.
Chapter Nine
Sylvie
The water in the shower felt freezing, even though I could see steam rising to the ceiling. I turned the dial toward cold until my teeth were chattering. It didn’t help. All I could think about was Kenai—and what had just happened. How Ineededit to happen again.
I pressed my forehead against the cool tile, trying to get myself under control. Sure, I liked when a man was dominant in bed—reallyliked it—but I wasn’t some simpering fool. I was one of the top employment lawyers in New York, for fuck’s sake. I’d argued cases in front of federal judges. I’d gone toe-to-toe with corporate legal teams that had ten times my resources—and won.
