Page 30 of Fated to the Alpha

“You know who I am.” The dragon backed her against the wall.

“No, I don’t. You’re scaring me.”

“Fear and excitement can be the same. Remember your childhood. The—”

The dragon’s mouth stopped moving, cutting off Shane.

“I do remember. It’s you. After all this time.”

“Yes, it’s me.” The dragon stalked closer, and the girl pressed herself into the brick wall. “And I know you remember me from before. Think back. To another life.”

“What are you talking about?”

“You know we belong together. You are my destiny and I am yours.”

“I know it. I remember. How is that possible?”

“It doesn’t matter. All that matters is that I found you. You’re here now. With me.”

Shane was talking even when the dragon guy wasn’t, and Kimberly missed her line. She felt his stare on her, the smoldering heat of his attention making her go red hot all over.

Kimberly turned and met Shane’s burning eyes, and she realized they weren’t playing parts anymore. Her blood quickened in her veins and breaths came out shallow, half-held, afraid that anything heavier would break the moment.

His hand came up to gingerly cup her cheek. The shock of his gentle touch jolted through her and straight to her core. The tenderness of the touch, and the feel of his skin on hers and all it implied, made the place between her legs tingle way too early.

And it had been so long since she had been in this situation with a man that she didn’t know what to do with her shaking hands. But if she moved just an inch, she thought everything would come unraveled, that Shane would pull away, realize that being so intimate with her wasn’t a smart idea for an alpha, and she would never get this chance back. For just a second, she wanted to be that selfish. So the empty pizza plate stayed in her lap as his fingers slipped into her hair.

“I can’t go to sleep one more night without knowing if your kisses have changed in the last ten years.”

All at once, she went liquid and leaned in to let him capture her mouth with his. It wasn’t planned. Wasn’t expected out of tonight. Wasn’t expected at all, depending how things developed between them. But still, it was everything she imagined it would be. He was soft and tender as his lips moved and caressed hers.

When his tongue teased the seam of her mouth, he didn’t need to knock twice before she let him in. He tasted like the four slices of loaded pizza, savory and full of flavor. Their tongues brushed and played, not like teens trying to figure out how to kiss, but like two adults who knew how to make this perfect.

Kimberly let her plate drop to the floor, and one hand shot out to grip the front of his shirt like a lifeline as she drowned in the kiss. With one smooth move, Shane eased her back onto the couch cushion, his powerful body suspended over hers as he wedged himself between her legs. One arm encircled her waist, guiding her into a sharp arch so they pressed together. They definitely didn’t get this advanced back in high school.

Heat coiled low in her belly at the feel of the fabric gliding along the skin of her thigh, as his kiss made her wet with longing she hadn’t felt in years. It was all happening so fast, so deliciously fast that she didn’t have time to form a real thought of resistance to any of it. If she judged correctly, this was all happening just as quickly and spontaneously for him as well. Years of missing one another had built up to this moment and Kimberly had no way of knowing if it would stop.

His fingers tangled in her hair and with one tug, their mouths disconnected so he could make his way down her jaw. His lips and tongue worked magic down the slope of her neck, her insides sizzling and aching for more with every raspy breath.

But one move, one tiny change, dunked her in a rush of cold, and the moment was shattered. His hand closed into a fist on her hair, and she felt the play of sharp teeth on her neck.

She knew that feeling. She hated this feeling. All of a sudden, they were too close. He held her too tight. She couldn’t breathe.

Caught. Trapped. Not safe.

Kimberly forgot it was Shane, but she couldn’t unscramble herself to realize that before she squirmed and fought back against him. She brought her legs around to put a barrier between them, nearly digging her knees into his stomach and chest.

“Stop! Let go!”

Shane instantly released her and lifted himself on the couch to make space between them. Kimberly rolled off the cushions and tried to jump to her feet, but her legs got caught up in her skirt and her knee slipped on the paper plate. After a minute of desperate fumbling, she was by the sliding glass door, both hands wrapped around the handle and ready to yank it open.

Need escape. Need help.

“What’s wrong?”

His voice broke through the blind hysteria and tears of shame and fear stung at the corners of her eyes. She wouldn’t turn around. She couldn’t bear to see the look of confusion in his eyes, the questions she couldn’t answer.

Her legs buckled, but she forced herself to stay upright. She wouldn’t crumble. Not again. The first panic attack in weeks and it had to be with him. Checking herself, the worst was noticeable. Her wolf cowered within her soul, just as traumatized as her.