That was when everything changed.
Alina appeared at the entrance of the room, scanning the area until her eyes landed on me. Her lips did that adorable thing where they pursed before thinning, as determination bled into her steel gaze. It was the look of a woman on a mission, and Alina wore that expression often.
“Lincoln?” she asked as she came to stop in front of me, reaching up to cup my cheek. Her blue eyes were searching me for answers to questions I could easily sense, despite her ability to know my feelings and thoughts through our bond.
It was sweet that she was giving me the chance to feel like I could explain or withhold if I wanted.
I leaned down, pressing a kiss to her forehead as I wrapped my arms around her. Truthfully, I loved the way her presence grounded me in the now instead of letting my mind fester in the memories of the past.
I’m okay, Spitfire. Just having to work through the past.
Her face burrowed into my chest as her fingers trailed along my back, making a shiver run through me at the light touch. Understanding bled through our bond before I felt her concern fast on its heels.
You need to shower and get some sleep. You’ve been going non-stop the past two days. You’d never let me do that to myself, so it’s time I put my foot down in return.
My nose wrinkled slightly as I thought of my current state. It was less than ideal, but she was right, things had been non-stop.
Come, I’ll show you to my room, and you can get cleaned up there. I need to check with Drake to see what the sleeping situation is while you do that.
We parted, and she tugged on my hand, pulling me toward the staircase in the foyer.
I was curious about what the sleeping arrangements would be as well. If Drake thought he was going to stick Andrei and I together in a bed while he took Alina in his, there would be a problem. So far, we’d managed to be respectful and understanding with each other, but it was still early, and the thin truce we’d seemed to call could be easily broken.
She quickly led me down the corridor toward a massive room that was definitely fit for a queen. A large sitting space was off to the right, a vanity perched next to the large expanse of windows at the far wall…and the bed, damn. It might be the largest bed I’d ever seen, sitting to my left, a large four post bed littered with cream and white pillows.
“Take your clothes off,” she demanded before padding into the adjoining bathroom. “I’m going to get the shower going now.”
A knowing smirk worked its way onto my face as I followed her instructions.
She would never have to tell me twice to get naked, and if she thought I was going to let her leave this room without joining me in that shower, she was sorely mistaken. I craved the feeling of her body trembling for me. I needed to hear her moans echo through the room, settling my nerves about what this relationship would look like now that we were all connected by theConiunctabond.I needed the reassurance that only her body could sing to me.
Maybe that was selfish of me, but I couldn’t help it. I’d played as nice as I could for the sake of her happiness, but there were still ways in which I needed the reminder that I wasn’t replaceable in her life.
I hated the thought of Alina being caught in the middle of the three of us, but there would undoubtedly be a moment of tension with us all being thrust into this living situation. She’d handled our posturing and inability to initially comprehend the thought of having to share our mate as well as anyone could have expected, but this was still hard to work through.
Moments of doubt, insecurity, and fear had twined through me since I realized that this was the only way I could have her.
Was it even possible for her to not have a favorite or to spend her time between all of us equally? I wanted to think that she could make that happen, knowing how stubborn and headstrong she could be when she felt convicted.
Steam flowed into the bedroom as she stepped through the door from the bathroom and found me stroking my already hard cock, a wolfish grin on my face. She swallowed, her throat bobbing hard as her mouth popped open and her eyes ran over my body. My nostrils flared as I scented her answering arousal.
Fucking game over.There was no way she’d leave this room until she came on my cock at least twice.
The pink of her tongue caught my gaze as it darted out to wet her lips. It was as if she was in a daze before she shook her head and blinked rapidly, holding her hands up. “We cannot do this right now, Linc. They’re going to come looking for us any minute!” She hissed, eyes darting behind me as if they would suddenly appear at the mere mention of it.
Crossing the space between us, I grabbed her throat, groaning at the way she let out a breathy sigh of arousal at the move. “Then I guess we’d better be fast, Princess,” I murmured, backing her into the bathroom and closing the door behind me with my foot.
She squeaked and ducked under my arm, darting for the door, but I was still quicker than her. With time, she would develop her speed and strength, but as a fledgling, she didn’t stand a chance against me. Grabbing the edge of her hood, I halted her long enough to race in front of her and lean against the door, smirking in victory.
“You know I love it when you fight me, Princess,” I murmured, voice thick with desire as I thought of forcing her to her knees to choke on my cock.
The way she was so perfectly matched to my own preferences sexually was something I’d never stop being thankful for and wanting to explore. However, there was a very thin line of this primal chase part that bordered on a forceful way that I wasn’t cool with. She loved when I took control from her, and I would continue to push her and learn her boundaries, while also learning all of her tells to ensure I never cross the line of her comfort.
The way her eyes heated as she clenched her thighs together confirmed what I felt from her right now.
What she said aloud to me was what she thought she should be saying, but it wasn’t what she wanted. She wanted to writhe on my cock as I brought her to the edge. She wanted me to remind her how delicious the feeling of floating on the edge of her consciousness could be with my hand around her neck or my cock shoved down her throat as I pinched her nose.
My cock twitched as I felt her acceptance of the knowledge that only I could give her that.
