The alluring Alpha threatened to break down her carefully, hermetically sealed, stronger than steel emotional walls. The heat was just too much. And like any metal, given a high enough temperature, it would melt. She tried to concentrate. How was she going to collect herself? Needing to cool down, she looked for an escape. Setting the last clean dish in the rack, she turned off the water and slipped away past him.
Even as she squeezed by him, she knew it was because he’d let her go. She was practically shaking with arousal by the time she reached the corner to the hallway. She swore silently at the dampness between her legs. Tristan eyed her from the kitchen with a sly grin on his face. He knew. There was nothing she would get past him, except for maybe the secret that lay in her pill bottle.
“Ma lapin, I thought you were done running last night. You faced the wolf. Welcomed him.” He stalked toward her then stopped and placed his hand on the end of the island.
Kalli’s eyes caught his. Looking relaxed and confident, he was deliciously cool, like an ice cream cone on a warm summer day. Ready to be licked all over. She parted her lips, unconsciously moistening them in response. She knew that if he hadn’t smelled her wet arousal that he’d surely seen her nipples, which pressed through the thin fabric of his shirt.
“Last night.” She stopped midsentence as the memory flashed. Bared to him physically, emotionally. Welcoming him into her bed. He’d proved that he was trustworthy, revealing himself to her. Maybe it was time she gave him more of herself, as much as she was capable of, anyway. It might not be enough for him, but it was all she had.
He slowly moved toward her, sensing her internal struggle; the scent of her flooding his olfactory system, the sound of her quickening heartbeat assaulting his ears. But his little rabbit wasn’t afraid; she was sexually excited, wanting him, even if she couldn’t yet act on her feelings.
“Tristan,” she began as he came nearer. “Last night, I needed you. I guess I didn’t really know how much,” she confessed. “Your wolf was…he was…you were magnificent, so beautiful. But you need to know that I’ve never…I’ve never done anything like that before. It was so intimate. I’m…I’m trying to make this work. You saved me,” she whispered, hoping he could understand what she was trying to tell him. Intimacy had always seemed formidable for Kalli, if not unattainable….until last night. She shook her head in disappointment over her lack of articulation.
Her admission floored him. He’d felt it too, but he didn’t understand how hard it was for her to talk about how she felt until now. Granted, he barely knew her, but he wanted to know her. He wanted to know every single thing about her, inside and out.
It was all too much, her arousal, her words. He couldn’t hold back. In two strides, he had her backed against the wall. The wolf had the rabbit cornered yet again, except this time, she wasn’t running. This time, she looked up at him with sad dreamy eyes. Her mouth parted slightly and he struck.
Raking his fingers into her hair, he pulled her mouth to his, sucking, tasting. Kalli felt relieved when he made the first move, kissing her, allowing her to finally act on her passion. As he pushed his tongue into her mouth, she teased hers into his, reveling in the power of his kiss. She moaned, but refused to release him as her hands wrapped around his neck.
Tristan was drowning in her sweet mouth. Needing more, he reached under her knee, grinding his body into hers. His towel came undone, and his flesh met hers.
Kalli felt his rock-hard cock press against her bare belly as his towel fell and her shirt bunched up around her breasts. Lost in his embrace, her lips broke free of his for a mere second, enough time for her to moan his name: “Tristan.”
“Kalli,” he groaned in response, finding her mouth yet again. He planned to thoroughly kiss her until she knew what he wanted from her; everything.
She slid a hand down his strong chest, fingering each ab and then reached down to cup his firm ass. At her touch, he shoved her harder against the wall, letting his own hands wander until he found her soft breast. He pinched a pointed nipple, making her cry out in pleasure, and then bent his knees so that the tip of his shaft ran up and over her mound. As much as he’d like to fuck her up against the wall, and he was about a minute from doing so, he wanted her in his bed with her neck bared to him in submission. The first time he took her, it had to be. She needed to give all of herself to him, no secrets.
A ding from his private elevator alerted him that Logan was about to come into his home. He tore himself away from her lips, peppering her neck with small kisses. “Kalli,” he panted, trying to get her attention.
She was lost in ecstasy when she heard him call her name. Breathlessly, she dropped her leg as he released it from the crook of his arm. She instinctively pulled down the rim of the shirt which had been pushed clear up to her neck. She sighed, “Tristan.”
They each had an arm wrapped around each other, reluctant to let go. Gazing into each other’s eyes, registering the fireworks between them, a voice jarred them out of their erotic trance.
“Doesn’t take you long, Alpha,” Logan remarked. He wasn’t trying to be disrespectful, but was naturally skeptical about Dr. Williams. He’d seen her in his dreams, but still, he was unsure of her intentions.
Tristan growled. “Enough, Logan. Living room, now. Leave us,” he ordered over his shoulder, shielding Kalli from his beta’s view and never taking his eyes off hers. “The sketch artist will be here soon, as will Julie with some clothes. Why don’t you go relax in your room?”
Snapping out of it, Kalli realized what had almost just happened. It terrified her; making love to the Alpha, he’d tear her apart. But like a moth to a flame, she couldn’t resist.
“Yeah, okay,” was all she managed to say, slipping from his arms. She scurried down the hallway toward her room, needing to collect herself.
“Oh, and Kalli,” he called.
She stopped dead in her tracks but didn’t turn around. “Yes.”
“This isn’t over, not by a long shot. We’ll finish this later. I promise.”
Kalli didn’t respond, choosing to flee to the safety of her room. What was she going to say anyway? She had practically thrown herself at him in the hallway. And she knew as Alpha, he could have whatever he wanted, at least that is how it worked in the pack. But she wasn’t pack.
Chapter Nine
Tristan adjourned to his room and got dressed before talking to Logan, who was sitting on the couch reading the news on his tablet.
“Hey,” he greeted him as he went into his kitchen to get another cup of joe. The open layout of his condo was such that the kitchen, living room and family rooms were essentially one large, shared space. “Coffee?”
“No thanks,” Logan replied, not looking up.
“So, did you get my email? Give me the rundown.”
“Yeah, I’m running her clearances right now. Should have some info by this afternoon. Tony’s sending someone over to do the sketches within the hour. Meeting with Chandler is set up; two days from now. Neutral territory. Jersey. It’s all been arranged. And don’t forget the mayor’s charity ball is tomorrow night.”