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“She’s not pushing me anywhere, I’m choosing to leave. There are a lot of factors behind my decision. She was one of them.”
“And what about the people you’ll be leaving behind?”
“My parents and extended family members are dead. There are people here who I care for and who’d probably miss me, but none of them need me here. They have their own lives—I’m just hanging on the periphery of theirs. Look, this isn’t some spur of the moment decision. I gave it a lot of thought.”
“All the redecorating you’re doing … You’re freshening up the house for whoever moves in after you’re gone.” He swore in Russian. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
She frowned. “Well, quite frankly, it’s simply not your business.”
The deep growl that rattled in his chest and sawed at his throat was a feral thing. A chill swept over her skin and, honest to God, every hair on her body stood on end. That animalistic sound hadn’t just come from him, it had come from his beast.
Her wary cat hissed and arched her spine, her hackles rising.
“Wrong, Bree. Every fucking inch of you is my business,” he said, his voice low and thick. “Every. Inch.”
As stunned as her cat, Bree stared at him. “Are you high?”
“You’re not leaving.”
“Alex—”
“You’re not. Going. Anywhere.” His eyes changed as his beast pushed close to the surface. The animal stared out at her—bold, unflinching, enraged. There was a warning there to back down. There was something else in those eyes, too. Something that made her skin prickle and her breath catch: Territorialism, pure and primitive.
He blinked, and his eyes returned to normal. “You’re going to tell me what all these factors are that spurred you into making this decision. I will then fix them, and you will stay here. Understand? Tell me you understand, Bree.”
“No. I don’t understand. I don’t get why this bothers you so much. I expected you to be at least partly glad that I’m going. Once there’s some distance between us, this attraction you don’t want will fade, and the next time you see me I could even be mate—”
Alex snapped his hand tight around her throat before he could stop himself. His beast flexed his claws, snarling. Because the thought of her bound to another male … it was too much.
It felt like his entire being thrummed with rage. He’d had to lock his muscles tight to stop his furious beast from forcing the shift. The animal wanted to bite her, mark her, demand her submission.
“Careful, Bree,” Alex whispered. “Be very, very careful.”
She didn’t cower, didn’t show any fear. She just stared him right in the eye—sure and confident. Yeah, that was his girl.
“Why?” she asked. “Why is this such a big deal for you?”
“Have you so quickly forgotten last night?”
“You say that like it was more than sex.”
“Jesus, do you think I’d fuck the woman who’s the predestined mate of my cousin unless that woman meant something to me?”
Her lips parted. She shook her head, as if struggling to absorb his words. “You were just fucking me out of your system.”
“I might not have admitted it to myself until I was balls-deep inside you, but I went to your home last night with the intention of finally having you.” He’d just been so fucking tired of fighting the relentless hunger; so fucking tired of being around her, knowing he had no right to touch her. “I knew it wouldn’t be a one-time thing. Knew I’d want more. I took you anyway. And I’m going to do it again.”
He wanted more of that taste that had lived in his system for six, long years. Wanted everything he could get. He was done fighting her pull—it had been an exercise in futility. He’d made the official decision to embrace this thing between them … only to discover that she’d secretly made plans to leave.
A fresh wave of anger washed through him and his beast. Gritting his teeth, Alex drew in a long breath through his nose and dug deep for calm.
“Again?” she echoed, curling her fingers around his wrist and giving it a hard tug.
He didn’t free her. He flexed his grip on her slim throat. “I held you like this while you rode my dick last night, didn’t I? I collared you the entire time. I squeezed just a little when I sensed you were close to coming. Just like that, you fucking exploded.” He gave her throat a light squeeze; her pupils swallowed the color of her eyes. “My baby likes it a little rough, don’t you?”
She narrowed her eyes, clearly going for “agitated,” but a hint of need spiced her scent. It made his beast rumble in satisfaction.
Alex slid his hand around to cup the side of her neck. “You’re going to stay, and we’re going to let this play out.”
