Page 76 of The Sterling Acquisition
“Oh, you know how it is. Rogue Alphas who don’t have the same kind of training you do at resisting biological urges—not that I would ever suggest you’d be anything less than professional, of course. And then there are the things living out in the Static Zones. Berserkers, mostly.”
The message was clear: don’t fuck up the virginity thing. Dante had already resolved to do exactly that, no matter what, and he was just trying to figure out the best way to keep Orion while losing as little of himself as possible.
Too late for that,he thought with dark amusement.I already lost more of myself than I care to admit. The question now is whether I can live with what I’m becoming. And whether I can think clearly enough to get us out of this alive when every instinct I have is focused on claiming him.
“I’ll handle the situation appropriately,” he said.
“I’m sure you will. Safe travels, darling. Call when you reach friendly territory.”
The line went dead, and Dante pocketed the phone just as they crested a small hill. A loud groan from the back of the van made him flinch. The sound went straight through him, bypassing every rational thought and triggering an almost overwhelming urge to find Orion and fix whatever was making him sound like that.
This is getting dangerous,he realized.I can’t drive this distracted, and entering the Neutral Zone checkpoint like this is asking for trouble. Better to handle this now than risk both our lives because I can’t focus.
Dante pulled off the main road onto a dirt track that led toward a cluster of abandoned buildings—the kind of place where privacy could be bought with violence if necessary.
Tactical decision,he told himself as he parked behind a rusted-out grain silo.Can’t complete the mission if I wrap us around a tree because I’m too busy thinking about what Orion’s mouth would feel like wrapped around my—
He killed the engine before that thought could finish itself.
“Orion,” he called out, his voice rough with strain. “We need to talk.”
The response was a breathless, desperate sound that made Dante’s resolve crumble entirely. He climbed into the back of the van, pulling aside the false panel to reveal Orion curled in the cramped space, his face flushed and his breathing ragged.
Holy hell.Orion’s pupils were dilated, his lips parted, and there was a sheen of sweat on his skin that made him look like he’d been carved from marble and then brought to life for the sole purpose of driving Dante insane.
The urge to claim him swelled in Dante’s chest, a primal need to make Orion irrevocably his.
“You’re a fucking mess,” Dante said through gritted teeth, grabbing Orion’s arm as he pulled him to his feet.
“K-keep your hands off me,” Orion shot back, but the words came out more like a plea than an insult. His eyes were glassy with heat and the kind of desperate need that made rational thought impossible.
Every instinct Dante had was screaming at him that Orion needed him, needed his touch, needed his protection.He doesn’t mean that. He wants your hands on him. He needs them.
“Do you know how fucking distractingyou are?”
Orion’s response was to swing at him—a weak, unsteady punch that Dante caught easily, his fingers wrapping around Orion’s wrist. The contact sent a jolt through his system, every nerve ending suddenly focused on the skin-to-skin contact.
“Really?” Dante asked, his voice deceptively mild. “That’s the best you can do?”
Orion’s answer was to try to bite him, teeth snapping at Dante’s throat. Dante jerked back, then slammed Orion against the side of the van hard enough to rattle the whole vehicle. The violence felt good in a way that should have concerned him.
“Better,” he said, and kissed him brutally.
Orion bit his lip in response, hard enough to draw blood. The taste of copper flooded Dante’s mouth, and he groaned, his hand tightening in Orion’s hair.Fuck, that’s good. The fight in him is what I want.
“Keep your hands off me,” Orion gasped, trying to knee him in the groin. Dante caught his leg, using the leverage to pin him more completely against the wall.
“GET OFF!” Orion snarled, thrashing against Dante’s hold.
“Getting there,” Dante replied, his free hand wrapping around Orion’s throat. Not tight enough to cut off air, but enough to make his point. “But first, you’re going to learn some manners.”
Dante drank in every struggle, every defiant sound. His biology was singing with satisfaction at Orion’s resistance.This is what I want. This fire, this defiance. Not some broken, compliant shell.
Orion’s response was to slap him, the crack of palm against cheek echoing in the cramped space.
“Good,” he said, and returned the favor—a sharp slap snapped Orion’s head back. “Now we’re bothbeing honest.”
The slap caught Orion off guard, his cheek flaring red. His mouth fell open in shock as tears sprang to his eyes.
