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Other than a satisfied rumble as she soothed away any imagined sting, the man was quiet under her ministrations. So docile, in fact, Devin forgot her mistrust as her thoughts wandered left of center.
The man had grabbed her from the hands of danger, carried her away from the promise of more violence, only to act less than gallant and set her on edge. It was easy to remember the warmth of his hand on her thighs when he pointed out her ripped skirt, the way his thumbs had dug into the soft flesh in the cradle of her hips as he held her between his legs.
“I don’t even know your name.” Muttered on an absent-minded breath as she leaned in to get at a nasty looking gouge by his ear, Devin squeaked and jumped at the loud rumble of his chuckle.
It was so cliché she would have rolled her eyes and groaned had she not found herself caught in the Alpha’s arms again. The silky material of her knee-high stockings slipped over the lush pile, toppling her into his lap once more. Arms around broad shoulders, she was cradled against the rockslide of his laughter as he held her close.
“Call me Bo.” Hands slid to her hips, fingers flexing over the swell before he set Devin back on her feet between his legs. Trunk like arms came around her thighs to encircle her in a careless prison. His head tilted to bare the scratch she’d been inspecting. Silent as the demand had been, it was as clear as the blue of his eyes.
Clearing her throat, Devin stomped down on her fear and fought the urge to bite and slap, to run from the male as fast as her feet could carry her. He wasn’t pawing at her… yet. It would be all right if she remained calm and gave nothing away that could be perceived as interest. Fighting in that moment would only accomplish angering the Alpha, and in that state, they were often only appeased one of two ways. Fighting and sex were separated only by the thinnest of lines.
Without the solicitous care she’d shown before, Devin cleaned the deep scratch that wasn’t half as bad as it first appeared. Blood smeared across his tawny skin, making it seem deeper and larger.
It didn’t take long for her to inspect and clean the remaining wounds. Since he kept her at his front, she ignored any that were just visible across his bare shoulders. It would have meant leaning into him or, Gods forbid, stepping even closer to get to them.
“I think you’ll live after all, Bo,” Devin said with a stiff smile that struggled to be even a shadow of good humor. A shuffle backwards brought his hands flush against her thighs, cupping her ass. With a gasping squeak, she stepped forward again.
“Aren’t you going to tell me yours?”
“Devin,” she stammered out in a voice tight with strain.
“Thank you, Devin,” Bo said, head tipping forward until his nose was mere inches from her shoulder. His breath came warm and humid against the sudden chill of her skin as he hovered near the place her scent would be strongest. On a low rumble that refused to state its intentions, he added, “But you missed some.”
“I, um… can’t reach…”
Devin knew the words were stupid before they’d tumbled off her tongue. With her thoughts swerving, crashing into one another in great explosions of fear-stained scenarios, all wrapped in the rich musk of the Alpha, she’d been helpless to stop them.
Bo made a considering noise, and then his hands were on her legs, pulling her forward. Fingers skimmed up her thighs, slipping under the hem of the torn skirt to graze the swell of her backside. Whether it was her harsh inhalation or a part of his plan, fabric flipped up for a brief moment before his palms skated over cloth to her waist. Hands flexed over the clenched muscle of her sides, moving her flush against the wide expanse of his chest.
“How about now?” The growling resonance was terrifying, painful in its clarity as he leaned his cheek against her. His heady scent enveloped her. Dangerous and spicy, chilies mingling with the warmth of cinnamon, taken in on every breath.
“I, um, I should…” Devin gave a terse shake of her head to banish all thoughts of how muscle moved against her as he breathed, how large and strong his hands were at the small of her back while he held her in place. “I should go rinse this out and then I can take a look.”
She felt his smile against her skin, knew that he understood her plan to evade. The point was driven home as his hands moved down, circling around her thighs just under the hem of her skirt. Effectively hobbled to the spot by the loose clasp of his fingers, Devin let out a slow, controlled breath to hold on to the frayed edges of calm.
“You smell good.”
“I really should—”
“Finish what you started.”
Fear sluiced through her, a cold rush of acid that singed her nerves into a raw, jangled mess. He knew it, would have to be dumb and blind to miss the acrid scent of it, and she felt his smile broaden as he pressed it against the bared skin between neck and shoulder. The press of teeth behind the imagined softness of his lips sent a shiver clawing down her back.
Through a gray tinged haze, she watched her trembling hand reach out and begin dabbing at his back. It didn’t matter what she did. It was all to get her closer. With her arm over his shoulder, she was curled around his body. Every movement, each breath, had his skin rubbing against her in as many places as possible.
“I’m done.” And she was. Every scrape and welt seen to, the washcloth was patterned in pale pink. She left no straightforward path for him to claim she hadn’t seen to his… needs.
Leaning back, he kept his hands on her, holding her there as he looked into wide violet eyes that hid nothing from him. He was a predator, and a vicious one at that. She’d been stupid to think anything less and had gotten herself into this mess.
It remained to be seen if she could get herself out of it.
Clear blue gaze dissecting her, he remained quiet for a time. Fingers kneading at her thighs, spreading the skin by the smallest increments, he considered her.
“Thanks again, Devin,” he said, self-satisfied and lazy in speech, if not in actions. The dark pink of his tongue slipped across his lips as his gaze seared its way down her body. “I find that I need your help with something else though.”
“I didn’t touch you anywhere else!”
“And therein lies the problem.”
