AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Again,” was all he said, before he dunked again, this time for ten seconds.
When he had reached ten dunks, he turned and waded out of the water. His limbs were shaking, but he seemed calmer.
When he reached his clothes lying on the bank, he grabbed his t-shirt and started patting himself dry. I tried hard not to stare. I didn’t swing that way, but he was a beautiful specimen of a man, especially in the moonlight. His pale skin seemed almost carved from stone by a master sculptor. Each muscle outlined and highlighted to perfection.
The way he submitted begrudgingly to my demands while leaking dominance had a weird reaction in my body. I wasn’t interested in him, but the thought of directing him while he was fucking Lexie had me aroused.
I shook my head, trying to get the image out of my head before my hard-on became obvious and made things awkward. If I kept going, I’d need a dunk in the river.
“Feel better?” I asked gruffly, having to clear my throat to get my voice working properly, while Sam put his pants and shoes back on and slung his damp t-shirt over his shoulder.
He nodded as he looked up at the sky and took a deep breath. “Yeah. I couldn’t stay away. Her scent blindsided me, though, and I was already riding the edge.”
Sam turned and finally looked me in the eye. “Thank you.”
I nodded, acknowledging it simply. Thanks weren’t something I needed or sought. I would do anything for Lexie, including getting her potential mate to calm his farm. But I could respect a man who would give it willingly.
“Why are you helping me?” Sam asked. The question saddened me.
“Because you needed help, and I was there.”
“Yeah, but you could have kicked me off the farm, sent me away. Instead, you’re here helping me. That’s the closest I’ve ever come to losing control over my beast as my rage spiraled. Aren’t you afraid I’m going to hurt her as soon as you turn your back?”
I thought Sam was taunting me at first, but he was watching me with a confused expression.
“No,” I said, and realized I meant it. I felt a strange kinship with this wild beast of an alpha. “I knew you weren’t angry at her. You were angry at yourself.”
Sam’s head reared back in shock, and my sadness for him increased tenfold. Had none of his mentors or guardians trusted him to handle himself, or realized where his anger originated? I didn’t know what his life had been like since he disappeared from Maia’s, but I got the impression there hadn’t been a lot of understanding or support. Or even help.
I wanted to kick someone’s ass, but it wasn’t his. He suddenly seemed very young and unsure. As if I’d shaken his world.
“Is that what you’ve been told all your life? That you’re dangerous?”
He didn’t answer, but his silence was enough. It told me everything I needed to know.
“How did you know that would work?” Sam asked, changing the subject. I let him. I needed to earn his trust before I’d get his story.
I gave him a casual shrug as I looked out to the forest, checking for movement and making sure we were alone out here.
“I used to make Damon get into ice baths when we were on tour and he was about to rip the head off one of our commanding officers. It was enough to shock his system into calming down, so he could process things and make better decisions.”
Sam frowned at that. “Why do you keep comparing me to Damon?”
If he didn’t know, I didn’t want to be the one to tell him.
“I’ll let you figure that one out,” I said, as I turned and walked away. Damon’s secrets weren’t mine to give away. It wasn’t my place, but I had my suspicions about Sam.
He and Damon were a lot alike. They just had different coping mechanisms to deal with the insane levels of dominance pouring off them. Damon trapped his inside with iron control, while Sam let his stream out, then burned it off until it was manageable.
“Can I ask you a question?”
I sighed as I turned around to find Sam standing in the same spot, not moving.
“You just did,” I replied with a wink, trying to lighten the moment.
He rolled his eyes. “Who are you to Lexie?”
I stiffened slightly. There was so much I wanted to say, but couldn’t. I dug the toe of my boot around in the river pebbles while I figured out how to answer that question for him when I couldn’t even answer it to myself.
