Page 15 of The Bear's Fated Mate
Sheer anger shot through Alex. First, he didn’t look silly, and second…what the hell was wrong with his grandfather’s eyesight? Was he going blind as well as senile?
Cold fish?Lara?
His response came out far icier than he’d typically use with the family patriarch. “How about you take care of your wife and I’ll do as I damn well please?”
“Watch your manners, boy,” Grandfather Giles scolded him sharply.
Alex bowed slightly. “Of course. If you don’t mind?”
Before the old man could protest, Alex added the wine glasses he held to the tray Grandfather Giles was balancing. Then he turned on his heel and marched double time back to the table, leaving his elder to move more cautiously as he struggled to keep everything vertical.
He leaned in to press a kiss to his grandmother’s cheek. “Have you been taking good care of my Lara?”
Grandmother Laureen blinked at his casual claiming, but less than a second later her smile widened to include Lara as well. “It’s been lovely. Did you know she went to my alma mater for college?”
“I did not know that.” Alex caught Lara by the hand and tugged her to her feet just as Gramps arrived rather red-faced and puffing from having to dodge others to get to their table. “Excuse us. I need to speak with Lara privately.”
“It was nice to meet you.” Lara had to toss the comment over her shoulder as Alex kept a firm grip on her wrist and all but dragged her toward the side of the room. “Alex. Slow down.”
They were drawing attention, which was pretty much what he wanted. “I need your help,” he told her bluntly. “Play along.”
Maybe the repeat of her order from earlier in the evening helped. Her demeanor changed instantly. Instead of fighting him, she flowed at his side, strong and delicious, like honey-scented danger.
“What’s wrong?” she asked quietly, scoping out the area like the trained security expert she was.
There. A few feet before them was the storage room the extra chairs had been brought out from earlier.
Alex twirled Lara then used his body to press her backward until she was pinned by him to the solid wood surface. Gloriously soft curves and heavy breasts meshed against his torso while lust shot through his system.
“Don’t hit me,” Alex ordered. “And don’t wiggle. I need you to kiss me. Right now.”
Her gaze darted over his shoulder, and for one split second he wondered if she would call his bluff.
Then she leaned in and pressed her lips to his. Her hands wrapped around his shoulders, fingernails digging into his muscles. Enthusiasm and fire burned in her kiss as if she’d been waiting her entire life for this opportunity.
The desire to tease his gramps changed to driving need.
Alex cupped the back of her neck with his right hand and dove in one hundred percent. Her taste rushed him, her torso shifting slightly against his in a way that made it impossible for her to miss the two-by-four rising beneath the front of his dress slacks.
Behind them, muted conversations continued as most of the room carried on devouring the delicious tidbits. But his gramps was watching; Alex was sure of it.
Good. Cold fish, indeed.
He twisted the door handle, catching Lara before she fell then following her into the darkness.
“What—?”
The door clicked shut, and her question was swallowed by his mouth as he went back for more. He’d unleashed the beast, and while they wouldn’t gotoofar, stopping now…?
No way. Not unless she called him off.
Thank fuck Lara seemed to have no intention of making that call. She was the aggressor, and even with her wolf claws in, she still scratched his shoulders hard enough to leave stinging lines of pain as their tongues tangled and hungrily fought for more.
She rubbed against him, moaning in frustration.
Alex slid a hand down to tug her dress high enough he could catch hold of one leg and hitch it over his hip. The heat of her core pressed to his groin, and only the knowledge that there were people, including family, outside the unlocked door stopped him from shoving open his zipper and taking her right there.
“Yes.” Her enthusiastic moan rippled over his skin in a wave.
