I stuck out my chin, leaning closer to him. “Gotta love that alpha arrogance. Well, am I your type?”
“Yes,” he replied without hesitation.
That sudden response made my heart skip. Why was I affected like this? A swirl of excitement sprinted through me at the thought of this cold alpha jerk finding me attractive.
We stared at each other silently for a beat, something sparking and dragging me closer to him. With me standing on the steps, I was closer to his height and our faces were only inches apart. I dared him to make a move with my eyes.
He did not disappoint, closing the distance between us with his lips. The heat of his mouth on mine made my heart race. He pressed to me tightly, forcing my mouth open with his tongue, and I did not resist. I felt his tongue tangle with my own, sending a zap to my core. His hands moved to my lower back, right above my ass. My body pressed harder against his chest, and I felt him come alive. The feel of him was impressive against my nether region. I wanted to see him, touch him. My mind a haze of lust.
I ground my hips against him, and he snarled in my mouth, sending delicious shivers through me.
He pulled back slightly, resting his forehead on mine. “Keep that up, and I will take you right here.”
And just like that, my pussy electrified. Something about the way he said that let me know he was absolutely serious. It seemed the captain had been on edge for a while. This most likely explained his poor attitude. I didn’t want to test him and scare poor Zelda with the noise we’d make. Something told me Xander wouldn’t mind.
I kissed him again, then sucked on his lower lip. He lowered his hands to my ass this time, and I let him keep them there. The feel of his large hands on me, squeezing me, made me drip with need. Despite my mind’s refusal to cave, my body wanted him. I had to get away. I wasn’t ready to give in to him yet. He was my captor, after all. Even if he was hot as hell, he still pissed me off.
I moved from his mouth and licked the side of his neck with one long stroke. He shivered slightly, grinding against me and squeezing my ass almost painfully. “Been a long time, huh? Too bad, but you can’t have me,” I whispered before slipping away from him and heading back up the steps.
I could feel his eyes on me as I moved away. My legs felt stiff as boards, threatening to betray me and run back to him with each step I climbed. However, I would not. I had to stay strong. Captain Yosef was finally not going to have his way.
CHAPTER7
YOSEF
Every muscle in my body ached to chase after Lila, push her down on the steps, and take her from behind. I didn’t care that others were around. I wanted her. She wasn’t an omega, but there was something about her that had an immediate hold on me. My dick ached so badly in my slacks that I had to adjust myself. How did this woman do this to me? My mind was a jumbling blur when it came to her. I understood why Xander was affected, but I wasn’t going to be so distracted. Perhaps it was better to get rid of her now before I got too entranced. She was a mage, after all. Who knew what magic she was holding over us to keep her here? Maybe my thoughts of her weren’t really my own. I needed to turn her in.
I rubbed at my face as I retreated back to the kitchen. Xander gave me a thumbs up, and I ignored him before flopping down on my seat, still feeling dazed.
He leaned toward me. “She has that kind of effect on you, doesn’t she?”
I thrummed the table with my fingers, agitation growing. “She shouldn’t.”
“When was the last time you let a woman get under your skin like that? It’s delightful, mate.”
“She could be using magic.”
Zelda sighed and turned to us. “If she is using magic, it’s not working, now, is it? You still were very impolite to her.”
I glared over to my housekeeper. She was more like family, so I didn’t mind how she spoke to me. She wasn’t wrong, though. Still, I couldn’t be too kind to the mage. “I should take her to the court.”
Xander tossed his fork down on the table, face full of agitation. “C’mon, mate, you know what they’re going to do with her. She’s too precious to just be a servant.”
I knew that. Our king and queen were smart enough to want to do more with a mage rather than just put her to death or into servitude, despite what we’d told Lila. They’d make her a warrior for them. She would still never go home. “They can have her serve with us. Maybe under me.”
Xander scoffed, crossing his arms. “You can hope. Or they would put her under someone else. You want our Lila with another command?”
I raised an eyebrow at him, leaning my forearms against the table.Our Lila?He was definitely getting too attached. Yet, he had a fair concern. Did I want Lila with anyone else? If she was going to be used, I wanted to be the one who did it. I was in favor with the king and queen, but they didn’t always make decisions based on personal feelings. That was a benefit and a problem. They could send her with a scouting command, and they were full of fae who did not respect boundaries, especially with beautiful, stubborn humans like Lila. She would have to fight day and night to protect herself. I could scare her as much as I wanted, but I did not hurt innocents.
There was something about her that intrigued me. Resistant, confident, sexy. I wanted more of it. I did not know what she had done with Xander, but he was positively smitten and dead set on bedding her. I could step back and allow him to pursue her, but that streak of jealousy would not leave me. I wanted to know her body as well. I wanted what Xander was starting to have with her, and it tormented me. I felt weak. I did not need her distraction. Other than her body. I didn’t need to know her. To grow attached. That would only lead to my downfall.
A hand waved in front of my face, and I looked to Xander as he retracted his hand and sat back. He looked completely concerned. I half-suspected that if I said we could not let her stay that he would run off with her.
“I won’t give her to the court yet,” I stated.
He dropped his shoulders, looking relieved. It was actually surprising seeing him so intrigued by a woman. I wasn’t sure if we’d be bachelors for life, but it was turning out that way for us. We’d found each other long ago as misfits and rebels. I came from a military family but had taken my time getting disciplined, unlike my older brother, who was the prize of the family. I was the disappointment, doing everything to embarrass the family, although not purposefully. I just wanted to be free. To live against the rules. Along my way, I had connected with Luca, the third in our close circle. He was a man of few words but loyal at the core.
It wasn’t until my father was killed by what we first thought was an enemy faction that I, along with Luca, gave in and joined the military to appease my father’s last wishes. I was not ashamed to admit that Luca kept me on the straight and narrow in the beginning. Luca was not a leader, he was the ultimate soldier, and I fought hard to keep him in my regime due to his desirability.
