Chapter Twenty-Two

Alton shut the door to the hotel room half an hour later, leaving no one but himself and his mate inside the room. It hadn’t taken much to convince Liddie she was in serious trouble and needed to walk out of the hotel into the custody of the Arcadian Council without causing a scene.

He turned around and stalked toward his mate. “You want to switch rooms? Or even hotels?”

“Why would we do that?”

“This place smells like your crazy receptionist.”

Joselyn giggled, reaching for him as he closed the distance. “I don’t want to take the time to do either one of those things. I need you naked on top of me about two minutes ago. I’m wondering why it’s taking you so long. They’ve been gone for almost thirty seconds.”

He smirked. If the scent didn’t bother her, he wasn’t going to let it bother him. He intended to drown it completely out with their rampant pheromones before they had a chance to take many more breaths.

“I should be mad at you,” he stated, unable to put any oomph behind his words. He was so damn glad she wasn’t hurt, it was hard to remain angry.

“Probably, but I was only thinking about your safety, Alton.” She grabbed his shirt and tugged him until their torsos were lined up and touching. “I alerted my dad. He contacted your dad and the Council. Everyone was working on it. The only thing you could have contributed was causing more stress for everyone if they had to worry about you too.”

“I would have driven faster.”

“My point exactly.”

“You were here alone with that woman for over an hour.” He shuddered. She was right. He would have freaked out and made things worse for her, but he still didn’t like his mate keeping him in the dark on something this important. “Don’t ever do something like this again, Jos. If you’re in danger, I want to know.”

“Hey, you lied to me too. You said you were just leaving the apartment when you were already halfway here.”

He flattened himself to her front, threaded his hand through the hair at the base of her ponytail, and gave a slight tug. “You can’t seriously compare my desire to surprise my mate with candy and roses to a crazed lunatic waving a gun in her face.”

“Where’s the candy and roses?” She gave him a huge fake smile, ignoring the point entirely.

“Metaphorical.”

She switched to a fake pout. “And you promised me a spanking too. You going to renege on that now also?”

He rolled his eyes. “It would seem, based on the scent of your arousal, that a spanking would not be a deterrent to you no matter how hard I swatted your sweet bottom.”

“Probably not, but you could try.”

“Another time. I have something else in mind for tonight.” He lowered his lips to hers to shut her up and change the tone. He’d been scared out of his mind when he arrived and found those two council members in the lobby. She was right about one thing—he would have freaked the fuck out driving for an hour knowing a lunatic was holding a gun to his mate. He’d never admit it, but she was probably right about not telling him.

Now all that fear needed an outlet, and he intended to expend it by fucking.

She moaned into his mouth, and he swallowed the sweet sound of her voice. Her hands crawled up his back under his shirt, grounding him and reminding him she was his and she was safe.

He’d meant to arrive at the hotel and finally slow things down a bit. They’d been bound together for two days, and every time they’d had sex so far had been in a rush of need that never abated. His plan for the evening, now that they were no longer anywhere near Silvertip and everything happening between their families, had been a slow seduction that ended with soft, gentle lovemaking all night long. Neither of them needed to work tomorrow. They could take their time. They could stay several nights. Whatever they wanted.

But now? Things were different. Now he wanted to fuck her hard to remind himself she was real and alive. His cock was demanding. And her desperate scent equaled his, filling the room with her pheromones. Slow and gentle was no longer on the menu.

She broke the kiss, gasping for air as she trailed kisses down his face, rapid nibbles that sometimes accompanied scrapes of her teeth as she lowered to his neck.

He released her hair and stepped back. “Clothes off. Now.”

She held his gaze as she divested herself of every stitch while he did the same.

And then he grabbed her waist and lifted her onto the bed, shoving her back several feet and then climbing between her legs. He inhaled deeply, his eyes fluttering as the feminine scent of her sex was more fully unveiled.

He pressed his cock to her entrance, holding her head with both hands. “You need more preparation, baby?” His voice was hoarse. He wanted to be inside her. Now.

“No. Alton, God. No.” She lifted her hips to his.

He thrust forward so hard she gasped, her mouth falling open. Her eyes rolled back in her head, and he searched her mind to find pure bliss. Nothing more. No hesitation. Not an ounce of hesitation.

This new rougher side of her was heady and attractive. He was going to have to come up with creative ways to fulfill her lust for dominance. Wouldn’t be a problem. He had a duffle bag full of new toys with him, including the ropes and blindfold he’d threatened her with. Before they left this hotel room, he intended to make use of at least half the items in the bag.

When he pulled halfway out and slammed back into her, all train of thought fled. Nothing felt better than having his mate wrapped around his cock. And it was inconceivable, but the sensation was so much more intense now that she was his in every way.

No matter what happened in the coming weeks and months, he would never regret binding himself permanently to Joselyn Arthur.

The rest of the world could go to hell as far as he was concerned.

All that mattered was being with his woman. Every day. Anytime he wanted. As often as possible.