Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

“To a man who will never hurt you again. I promise you that.” I reached over, taking her hand in to mine. It was so fucking soft. She was so damn warm and I felt sparks rush against my skin at the simple touch. How would it feel when I touched the rest of her? Because I knew that I was damn well going to be doing that tonight. 

My mate was here and even though I hadn’t wanted one before. There was no way that I was going to let her escape me now. 

I got it, I fucking got what the hype was now. At that moment, I knew that I would do anything for Andreena. Anything to chase those dark shadows from her eyes. I wanted to burn the world around us just for her until we were the only ones that remained. So that no one could touch us.

The thrall didn’t matter. Everything before her just seemed to fall away.

“Spencer.” She gasped, looking down at our hands. 

“Tonight, say it.” I growled and she looked up at me, her deep brown eyes going wide.

“What do you want me to say?” She asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

“That you are mine.” My voice was thick with arousal and I brushed my thumb over the back of her hand. Watching the way that she responded to my touch. Her shoulders trembling just the slightest as her long, dark lashes fluttered closed. The sweet, tempting scent of her arousal grew thick in the air around us until I could practically taste it on my tongue. 

Soon I would be feasting on her until she begged me to fill her with my seed. I was going to claim this woman before the night was over. She was going to be pregnant before the morning sunlight hit the pavement. I’d make sure that she was tied so tightly to me that there was no way for her to ever escape me. I needed her like the air that I was breathing and by the goddess I was going to have her.

“What does that mean? To be yours?” She asked, opening her eyes. Her teeth sank into her lower lip and I wanted desperately to nibble on that tender flesh. To taste her, I knew that she would taste of heaven and temptation. Sweet things that made me want to defile her.

Fuck, I needed her. But I needed to hear her say it first.

“That you would be just that. Mine, mine to worship. Mine to protect.” I bit my lower lip, watching her closely. “Mine to fuck and no one else’s. Mine.”

“Yours.” The whispered word went straight to my dick and I didn’t even know if she realized she had said it or not. It didn’t matter. I had heard her loud and clear. Andreena was mine. 

It didn’t matter that she was married. I would make sure that the paperwork got sent out to her husband in the morning. She wasn’t his wife any more. Andreena was my mate, I was going to claim her and then we could worry about the rest.

If she wanted a big wedding, we would do that. It was a human thing to want and she was human. I would give her new memories to replace the ones that her ex could never hope to give her. She was going to be spoiled and I was going to lay the world at her feet.

Finishing my drink, I pulled my hand from hers. Hating the feeling of emptiness I felt at the loss of her touch even if I knew it wouldn’t last. I wanted her to be with me always. Pushing myself to stand, I walked to the other side of the booth and held out my hand to her. “Let’s get out of here.”

Andreena looked up at me, swallowing hard before she brought her hand up to mine. Her fingers moved against my palm and I pulled her to stand. She stumbled forward and my arm shot out, wrapping around her waist. I hauled her against me to keep her from falling. 

She rested a hand on my chest, looking up at me through the thick strands of her dark hair. “Spencer.” 

“I could listen to you say my name forever.”

Her cheeks colored at my words and I let go of her hand, moving my fingers to stroke them along that splash of color that painted her tanned skin. It was beautiful and I wanted to see just how much I could make her blush. I moved my fingers down the side of her neck where she would bear my claim later.

Her pulse hammered beneath her skin and I felt drunk for the first time in such a very long time. I leaned closer and Andreena closed her eyes, tilting her face towards mine. Her lips pressed together and I smirked. 

So fucking perfect. She was such a good girl and I was going to enjoy everything that I was going to do to her. 

***

Andreena and I left the bar, I didn’t bother taking us back to my car. No, it would be quicker if we walked to the small loft that I kept in the city. It wasn’t much and a part of me wanted to take her back to my home, to keep her locked up safely away. 

If I took her there, my father and the others would surely learn about her before I was ready to tell him that I had found my mate. I didn’t trust my brother not to try to hurt her just to keep from taking over. 

It was something that I would have done to him if the tables were turned. 

“Here we are.” I said, stopping in front of a brown brick building to pull out my keys. There was a keypad against the door and I brought my keys up to unlock the box before entering the code. Closing it back into place, I listened as the tumbler of the lock clicked, signaling that it was open. When it did, I pushed open the heavy steel door. The loft was empty and dark and Andreena gripped my hand tighter as I pulled her into the darkened building and up the metal staircase.