Total pages in book: 101
Estimated words: 95748 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 479(@200wpm)___ 383(@250wpm)___ 319(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 95748 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 479(@200wpm)___ 383(@250wpm)___ 319(@300wpm)
“Say yes.” His voice was rough and edged with something wild. “I could push you there and we both know it. Say it now.”
This felt right. It shouldn’t, but she was tired of fighting. She’d deal with reality later. “Yes.” The word fell from her lips without hesitation. There was no other answer.
Something in him shifted. Something subtle but undeniable. His hands gripped her waist, and he lifted her effortlessly, flipping her onto her hands and knees atop the ancient table. The metal burned against her knees and palms, but she didn’t care. Anticipation coiled hot and heavy in her core.
He pulled her back toward him without preamble, no more waiting, no more holding back. His hips drove forward, and he impaled her in one fierce thrust. Air rushed from her lungs as pain sliced through her, sharp and blinding, only to melt into a liquid warmth that spread through her veins. She gasped, clutching at the table, but he gave her no time to adjust. He pounded into her, each thrust harder, faster, and more relentless.
Her head dropped forward, hair falling into her face, but his hand pressed firmly between her shoulder blades, holding her down and opening her to take every inch of him. He didn’t slow, didn’t ease up. He took what he wanted, his control stripped away, leaving only raw, untamed need. Her pulse pounded in her ears, drowning out everything except the sound of their bodies colliding, the ragged breaths, and the helpless moans torn from her throat.
Pleasure built fast and sharp, climbing higher with every thrust until she thought she might break apart. Her body vibrated with tension, each nerve stretched to the brink until the heat inside her burned white-hot. Then he leaned over her, his breath hot against her shoulder, rough stubble scraping her skin. His teeth grazed her flesh and then sank deep. Pain and pleasure fused in a shockwave that shattered her world, and she screamed as her climax ripped through her, raw and unrestrained.
Her body convulsed with the force of her release, every nerve burning white-hot. Somewhere deep inside her, something shifted as if locking into place. The world narrowed to the heat between them and the sound of her ragged breaths.
As her eyes fluttered open, the metal beneath her seemed to ripple and shift like molten and melding metals, though it remained solid beneath her.
Jackson kept moving, driving her through the aftershocks until she gasped, her cries soft and breathless. When the tremors finally slowed, he withdrew his fangs and flipped her over to sit on her butt with effortless strength, lifting her hips and plunging inside her again.
“Your turn,” he growled, his voice rough and primal.
Instinct overrode thought. Her wolf surged forward, and she leaned up, sinking her fangs into the skin directly above his heart. The taste of his blood hit her tongue instantly. Coppery and powerful, filling her senses with raw energy.
His body shuddered against hers as he thrust deeper, muscles tightening with brutal force. His growl rumbled through his chest as he came, his release surging deep inside her.
She slowly retracted her fangs, licking the wound she knew would mark him forever.
He lowered her onto the table again, his hands brushing her hair away from her face before capturing her mouth in a kiss. Hard, fierce, and possessive, he left no doubt that she was now his.
Forever.
Chapter 32
Mid-morning, the storm finally cleared enough for Jackson to drive, though the interstate remained mostly empty. Snow was piled high on the shoulders, and the wind swept drifts across the lanes. His hands stayed steady on the wheel, but his gaze drifted toward Emily.
She lay curled against the door, her head resting on the glass, sound asleep. Each breath fogged the window faintly, her body still and soft in the warm cab. He adjusted the heat to make sure she stayed comfortable.
They hadn’t slept the night before. He couldn’t get enough of her. Finally having her settled something deep inside him—a place that had been waiting just for her.
Her face, pale and delicate, appeared peaceful in her slumber.
Good. He wanted to give her peace. He had been without family for far too long, and he would hold on to her—his new family—with every ounce of Alpha power he possessed.
Her platinum hair had slipped from its braid, the strands curling around her neck and shoulders. Even in sleep, her body seemed to hold the remnants of their connection, something both fierce and fragile.
Mating had taken its toll on her, which he’d expected. Hopefully, in a good way, that would heal her chromosomes or DNA or whatever the fuck was ailing her.
No way in hell would he lose her now.
He exhaled slowly, tightening his grip on the wheel as snow-covered trees blurred past. Every instinct in his body, tightened and strengthened naturally from their mating, wanted to secure her safely within the territory of his pack. Driving away from that and into Slate Pack territory made the wolf inside him buck and growl in anger.