Page 291 of Claimed By the Rival Alpha
When she pulled back, she was smiling, her cheeks tinged apple-red. Her legs were open, and I saw that her hand was sticky with her own wetness. Such a lewd sight of my mate, who was normally so composed and professional.
I wanted her again. Now.
I helped her to her feet, then switched our positions, lifting her and putting her down on the counter. She let out a gasp. My cock was still pulsing from when her mouth had been on me, and I was still rock-hard. I wanted more of her. I leaned over her, pressing my lips to hers as I eased inside her.
She trembled as she gripped my shirt with one hand and flattened the other on the counter beside her to keep herself steady. I put my hand over hers, enjoying her silken warmth, drinking in every sweet, shuddering moan. Bryn wrapped her legs around my waist, giving me even deeper access. As a reward for her eagerness, I rubbed my thumb against her clit.
She broke the kiss to gasp, “Night—yes, yes, yes!”
I nuzzled into the spot where her neck met her shoulder, felt the powerful beating of her heart against my lips.
“So good,” she cried. “So fucking good…”
I continued to make love to her, to the music of her desperate pleas, until I felt her muscles contract around me. She stiffened, her nails tearing through my shirt. The ecstasy of her orgasm took her, and I groaned into her shoulder, letting her pull me along with her. Coming a second time was a joy that was reserved only for my mate. I pressed a kiss to where her pulse beat the strongest, then pulled back to look into her face.
“It needs more paprika,” I said, running the back of my hand over her cheek.
She blinked at me, her gaze teary and unfocused. “Huh?”
I chuckled, then pinched her gently. “The stew.”
She looked at the stove, where the stew still bubbled away, then burst out laughing. “You know what? I think I agree with you.”
After, Bryn added some paprika to the stew, and we sat down for dinner.
“Tell me how your day went,” I said.
“Pretty good. We got the garden prepped for the winter frost, and I asked everyone how safe they felt here.”
“What did they say?”
“Most of them felt safe, but some of the kids have been getting into fights at school.”
I frowned. “I haven’t heard about that.”
“Neither have I. Two women almost got into a fight about it, but Tavi stepped in and calmed everyone down.”
“Thank the Fates for that.” After assuring the Kings Council that things were going well, I could imagine their reaction if they heard that parents had started fighting each other because of their pups. And the fact that it was Tavi who stepped in was great to hear. “Tavi’s come a long way.”
Bryn smiled a little. “She really has. If you’d seen her, you would’ve been very proud. She helped me keep an eye on Jasmine.”
“Jasmine Howler? What was she doing there?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know, but I think she wanted to sabotage our progress.”
Annoyance speared into me. “I should’ve expected her to pull some shit like that.”
“Don’t worry, it didn’t work. The topic of the kids who went missing came up, and one of the women told everyone how she lost everything after her son’s disappearance. It touched everyone there, even Jasmine. She even said that you were the best person to look into these disappearances.”
Surprise replaced my frustration. “She did? Really?”
“Yeah. It shocked me.”
“Huh…do you think she meant it?”
“It might be silly, but I do. Everyone came together to comfort this woman—including Jasmine and the two women who almost fought. It was beautiful.” It must have been, because Bryn was tearing up just at the thought of it.
I covered her hand with mine. “I’m glad that things didn’t go south and you and Tavi had it handled.”
