I settled between her legs.
I was the mountain. I was the heavy, immovable object. I spread my knees wide, creating a cradle for her hips. I leaned forward, my hands finding purchase on her thighs, my thumbs brushing the incredibly soft, sensitive skin of her inner legs.
"We're here," I said, pitching my voice into that soothing, rhythmic cadence. "We're all here. No gaps. No exits. Just us."
"It's so loud," Tessa gasped, her head rolling back against Anders’ shoulder. "My head... it's screaming."
"Then we'll get louder," I promised.
I leaned down. The scent of her, blackberries, sea salt, and pure, concentrated heat, was violent this close. It made my mouth water. It made the Alpha in my hindbrain roar to bite, to claim, to mark. I shoved that beast down. She needed service, not conquest.
I pressed my mouth to the inside of her knee.
"You are safe," I murmured against her skin, letting the vibration travel up her leg.
I kissed my way up. The vast expanse of her thigh was a landscape I had dreamed of for years. Now, she was here. Real. Tactile.
"Simon," I said, not looking up from my worship. "Use your hands."
Simon made a broken noise, half-sob, half-growl. I saw his hand move in my peripheral vision, those long, ink-stained, artist fingers. He didn't hesitate this time. He didn't apologize.
He reached down and touched her wetness.
Tessa arched off the rug, a cry tearing from her throat. "Oh! God, yes."
"Good sound," I praised instantly, moving my face closer to her center. "That is a perfect sound, Tessa. Let it out. Don't hold it in."
"It's too much," she whimpered, her hands clawing at Anders’ forearms where they crossed her chest. "Everyone is watching."
"Look at me," I commanded.
I crawled up her body, hovering over her, blocking out the room, blocking out the shadows. I filled her field of vision completely. My shoulders, my face, my eyes.
"Who is watching?" I demanded softly.
She blinked, her grey eyes hazy and unfocused, then sharpening on my face.
"You," she whispered. "Daniel."
"Just me," I agreed. "And Simon. And Anders. The choir is gone, Tessa. The audience went home. It's just the pack."
I lowered my mouth to hers.
I didn't ask. I took.
It wasn't a gentle kiss. It was a seal. I covered her mouth completely, swallowing her gasp, pressing her head back against Anders’ shoulder. I gave her my tongue, thick and heavy, sweeping into her mouth with a rhythm that mimicked what she needed below. I tasted her shock, desire, and the metallic tang of adrenaline.
Simon took the cue.
While I occupied her mouth, silencing the ghosts with pressure and taste, Simon slid two fingers inside her.
I felt the jolt run through her body. She clamped down on my tongue, her teeth grazing me, a desperate, reflexive bite. I didn't pull away. I growled into her mouth, a low, approving rumble that vibrated through her skull.
Mmm-hmm.
I broke the kiss, just an inch, just enough to speak against her wet, swollen lips.
"That's it," I praised, my voice a rough velvet purr. "Take him. You're so tight, sweetheart. So hungry. Squeeze him."
