Page 65 of Forced Alpha Bride
“Sure, fine,” I say blandly.
“You just seem… different. To last night.”
“I’m worried about the pack,” I reply. “The attack was bad, and people are hurt. Now we have more wolves out in the field. Maybe I should be at the hospital, or the council, and you should be on patrol.”
“Maybe I should be,” he says, grinning. “But I want to spend a bit more time with you before all the shit goes down.”
I find his words chilling and his grin predatory. It feels like he’s referring to events he knows are coming. Things he’s been planning for a long time.
What have I done? I’ve caused the downfall of the whole pack just because I couldn’t keep my damn legs shut!
We pull into the driveway. The townhouse looks more like a prison than a home. I open the car door slowly, trying to hide the fact my hands are shaking. I give some serious thought to just running, but I know from experience that he’ll easily catch me—and now he has the legal right to do anything he wants with me.
Because we’re consummated. Now I belong to him. Last night, that’s exactly what I wanted. How could I be so stupid?
Damon hums to himself as he unlocks the door. Smiling, he turns to beckon me inside. I shiver when he touches me as I walk past, and he misinterprets my response.
“We can go and play again, if you like,” he says, coming up behind me to whisper in my ear. He clamps one hand on my shoulder, squeezing hard as he nuzzles my neck and runs his other hand up my leg.
“I don’t want—” I begin.
“Oh, come on,” he murmurs, grazing my ear with his lips. “I saw how much you enjoyed yourself last night. Don’t be shy, Winnie. I adore giving you pleasure.”
I’m trembling in his hands, and now it’s not fear. Arousal is rushing through me, turning my nipples into hard points and making every inch of my skin painfully sensitive. Deep between my legs, that sharp, intense ache is back, and it makes my clit throb as I can feel myself start to get wet.
“I can tell you want to,” he whispers. “I’ll get the chains, if you like.”
“No,” I stammer, relieved to have found my voice. “Let’s get something to eat, okay? I’m not ready to… play again.”
“Okay,” he says, backing off to take my hand so he can lead me down the hall. “We can save the good stuff for later.”
A sigh eases through my lungs as my immediate fear fades, but I know my reprieve won’t last.
He will try again… and maybe he won’t stop if I say no.
Shockingly, my arousal doesn’t fade at that thought. Instead, it gets worse.
Why am I so turned on right now? This doesn’t make any sense!
Damon continues to hum happily when we enter the kitchen, and I sit down at the table, miserably staring at myhands. He wanders around, going through the cupboards until he finally looks at me and frowns.
“I know you said you’re okay, but are you really? You look so down.”
“Like I said, I feel bad about the state the pack is in,” I say. “Maybe we aren’t doing our duty—”
“Oh, come on,” he grins. “We can have tonight together, and it won’t do any harm. Things are nice and quiet, and I’ve got my phone on, ready to receive reports from scouts. Leave all that worry for tomorrow.”
I look up at him, trying to keep the suspicion out of my expression. All of this sounds exactly like what someone would say if they were pulling a double cross.
“Winnie,” he says, sitting down across from me and taking my hand. “I’m genuinely concerned for you. I don’t like seeing you like this, especially after last night. I need you by my side. You’re the most important thing in the world to me.”
Because you need me to gain control of the other packs! You can use me to force their cooperation when you let Valentine Creek take over Gryphon Eyrie!
My earlier thought of him bringing peace to the packs looks like a foolish child’s dream. All his behavior so far clearly points to him wanting to bring in his father’s people for a hostile takeover.
He lied to me when he said he’d never been there… he lied to everyone. He’s working with them and always has been. I should have listened to Krista and Regina. They were trying to protect me!
“I’m just tired,” I answer, looking into his eyes with as much determination as I can muster. “Can we just havesomething to eat and not talk about this? I want to get to bed early so we’re well-rested for whatever happens tomorrow.”
