Page 87 of Trust No Alpha
But I wasn’t done. I was eighteen and strong from years of Father’s harsh conditioning. He was fifty and had been alone far too long.
As he turned from me, I jumped up in one fast motion and tackled him. Part of me was holding back because I didn’t really want to best him, or hurt him. My fury was, at worst, affectionate.
Thorne fell back against the kitchen island, his upper body hitting a glass that went skittering off the edge. The crash sent pieces of crystal flying.
Struggling, Thorne pushed me back. We were both almost the same height, but though I was slightly slimmer, my muscles were younger. Bigger.
I did not allow him to budge me this time, and when I pushed him to the floor he went back hard. I landed on top of him and he let out a loud, “Omph!” sound.
Quickly, I pinned his arms above his head and straddled him with my thighs. His eyebrows shot up and he kicked uselessly as I held him down.
“This is me holding back,” I said, looking down at him.
“What makes you think I’m not holding back?”
“Are you?”
He squirmed again but failed to topple me.
“Father trained us every day. Plus, I’m thirty-two years younger than you.”
He grimaced. “Are you calling me an old man?”
“Are you an old man?” I teased. I knew his age, but Alphas retained their youth for decades.
“Let me up,” he said with a sigh.
I backed off, standing and reaching down to offer him a hand up.
When we were both standing, Thorne shot me a disapproving look, his gaze roaming up and down my body. My skin heated under that gaze.
Saying nothing, Thorne went to the kitchen closet and got out the broom and dust pan.
I held out my hand. “Give those to me. I’ll clean it up.”
He did not argue as I swept, but watched me warily. I loved the attention, but I wished he’d use his words and talk to me.
I knew I’d made an impression on him and he was thinking about my offer. Impatience revved me up but I didn’t want to push him further. I loved him and knew he’d talk to me when he was ready.
When we were done cleaning the kitchen, Thorne continued his silent treatment.
I put on a movie and we watched in silence. I leaned against him, my hand on his thigh, but he didn’t move to touch me in return, which smarted.
As we got ready for bed, I had an idea.
I turned to him as he pulled off his sweater. “I’m taking a quick shower.”
He stared at me, unblinking, before turning away. His behavior was very unlike him, which meant I was probably winning him over to my way of thinking.
Suppressing a smile, I entered the warm fall of water and cleaned myself thoroughly. After I stepped out, I made some more bodily preparations. A little awkward, yes, but more to the point I wanted to do this not only for him, but for myself. Even if we could never achieve the mate-bond, I wanted to experience him inside me. As an Alpha, I never imagined bottoming for anyone, but life is funny in ways we can never predict.
I lubed and stretched my hole and when I was satisfied, I entered the bedroom naked, my hair still damp down the center of my back.
The lamp glowed by the bed and Thorne looked wrapped in shades of bronze light and shadow. His dark head bent and I saw he was reading.
Wanting him to look at me, I cleared my throat.
Thorne glanced up. He had a look about him that was almost nervous. I’d never seen him nervous since the day I’d met him. Thorne might be a loner and the silent type, but he was never unsure.
