Page 73 of Who Owns You?

“Darius.” I shoot out of my seat and rush over to him. I grab one of his hands, hoping that if I have hold of him, he won’t run. “We need to talk.”

Darius glances past me into the room at Eloise. He gives her a small nod of acknowledgment before meeting my eyes. He looks paler than normal, and my stomach twists in knots. His expression is not impassive in the slightest. He looks sick at the prospect of speaking with me.

“What can I help you with, Charlotte?” he asks, voice all calm, cool, and collected.

Behind us, Eloise rises and leaves the sitting room through a small side door, leaving me alone with my alpha mate.

“Eloise told me a bit about my parents. Apparently they were old too.” I laugh, the sound once again mildly hysterical. “And they had a lot of power, and my mates are supposed to help me temper the power.”

He stiffens at the words but pulls me deeper into the room, sitting me in the same tall wingback chair I’ve since learned he prefers. He doesn’t speak again until he has tucked me in with a blanket Julius made for me.

“I can’t.”

“Why can’t you?”

“I’m not a good alpha.” His voice goes soft, eyes turning glassy. “I’ve abused my powers as the alpha and made my nest-mates distrust me. I won’t allow the same thing to happen with you.” He takes both of my hands and kisses each of my knuckles. “My sweet mate, I won’t ever have you believe I’ve taken advantage of you.”

My mouth flaps open and closed, unable to form words as my mind races. I repeat his words over and over in my head. I can see it, just the barest bit, and he’s being way too shitty to himself.

“Stop that,” I finally say.

“Stop?” Darius asks, sinking to his knees beside my chair, still holding my hands reverently. “I’m doing this for you, forus.”

“No, I don’t think you are. You’re running away because someone pointed out a mistake you made,” I say, shocked by my brazenness. “Have you tried apologizing? Showing them it won’t happen again?”

Darius pauses, shifting his eyes down to my hands. He grazes his fingertips over each of my fingers as he mulls over what I said.

I huff out a breath, trying to loosen some of the tension in the room.

“You are so wise, little mate,” Darius chuckles, pressing delicate and sensual kisses against my fingers.

I can’t help but get a little hot under the collar of my new sweater. Julius made it for me, and the green is the same as his stone form. I’ve been wearing it any chance I get, but it’s not the most breathable piece of clothing I own. I tug at the neck, blushing deeply.

“I wish, I’m just…Charlotte.”

“Charlotte, Charlotte Ryan. Beautiful witch, excellent painter, with a beautiful heart and a clever mind,” he whispers, gazing up at me with lust pooling in his dark eyes.

My center instantly grows wet, soaking my underwear and possibly the crotch of my overalls.

“I have to say, I’ve had all my mate’s cocks, but not yours. My alpha has been staying away.” I tease him gently, pulling him closer by our joined hands.

He chuckles, breath shaking as his eyes rove hungrily over me all tucked up in his chair. “I’ve been wallowing in self-pity, I suppose. How can I ever make you forgive me?”

I pause and purse my lips, making a brief show of slipping one hand from his and tapping my index finger against my chin. “I think if you dick me down, then I’ll think about forgiving you.”

Darius’ eyes shine, and he grins at me, showing off more teeth than is polite. “Anything for my mate.”

In one swift move, Darius takes me into his arms, throws the blanket that was wrapped around me into a far corner, and shuts the book that Eloise had left open, pushing the table far away from us. I gasp and clutch his neat dress shirt, ruining the perfect press of it with my sweaty hands. Surprising me further, Darius takes a seat in his favorite chair and sits me on his lap, facing him.

“I think this is going to be fun.” He undoes the straps of my overalls with deft fingers and tugs them down to my waist. He lifts my sweater and T-shirt before ogling my breasts clad in a lace bra.

I’ve upped my game a bit at Kennedy’s recommendation. Now that someone actually looks at my underwear, I want to make it worth looking at. Kennedy nearly burst my eardrum when I told her about my mates before giving me a variety of websites that ship to the middle of nowhere in Ireland.

“Perfection in the flesh,” he breathes, pulling me close and kissing the daylights out of me.

His mouth is so hungry on mine that it takes a heartbeat for my mind to catch up. His desire melts me. I press against him, wanting every inch of him against me, inside me.

I groan.

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