Chapter 5

Richard

Her voice was barely a whisper, but it hit me like a freight train. “I’m wet.”

Time stopped. My heart pounded, blood rushing everywhere at once. The air inside the car turned suffocating.

My wolf, Storm, snapped to attention, full of restless hunger. Now. She's ours, she wants us. Feel her—taste her—make her ours.

I clenched my fists, pressing my head back against the leather seat. She’s drunk. She doesn’t know what she’s saying.

She knows, Storm snarled. You felt it. The way she clung to you. The way she ground against your thigh. She knows exactly what she’s doing.

I forced myself to look away from her. Her breath was hot on my neck, her arms wrapped around me like she’d melt into my skin. Her thighs straddled my hips, pressing flush against me with maddening friction. Every time the car hit the smallest bump, her body rocked against mine. Each motion sent a shockwave through me.

She’s in heat, the wolf said.

“She’s drunk,” I muttered aloud. “She’s not thinking clearly.”

She whimpered—an aching, needful sound that scraped against my resolve. Then she shifted again, her core grinding against the front of my slacks, and I choked on a breath.

She needs you. She needs us. Look at her—look at those thighs, that soft little mouth. Smell her. She’s begging you to do something.

I swore under my breath, wrapping one arm tighter around her waist to keep her from falling off me as the car hit another turn. Her coat slipped further, exposing more flushed, fevered skin. I tried to adjust it—tried to help—but my fingers brushed bare flesh and she moaned.

A quiet, sweet moan.

Raise the partition, my wolf hissed. No one will know. She already asked for it.

“Shut up,” I hissed. “She’s Jenny’s best friend.”

She’s ours. Jenny's not who you should be concerned with right now. Amelia is. Amelia, with that tight little dress and that ugly mark that shouldn’t be there. That mark is wrong. We should be the one who gave it to her.

My jaw locked.

From the passenger seat, my Beta cleared his throat and sent a mindlink: We can raise the partition if you’d like.

The car stopped at a light. She whimpered again.

“Drive faster,” I barked.

I looked down at her. She was rubbing again, slow and aimless, like her body was moving without her permission. Her forehead pressed into my neck. Her breath came in short, uneven bursts. I could feel the heat of her arousal through her clothes and mine, and I was sure she could feel my growing hardness beneath her.

“I—Richard—” she murmured.

“I’ve got you,” I said, trying to steady myself more than her.

She shivered. “So hot… I feel so hot.”

Her hands slid under my coat, gripping my shoulders, holding tighter. I let her hold on.

Every inch of my body was screaming. My wolf howled louder than before, thrashing against my mental walls.

Take her. You want her. You’ve always wanted her. This is your second chance, and you’re going to let it slip away?

“She’s drunk,” I said through gritted teeth. “She won’t even remember this.”

She will, the wolf said darkly. And so will you. Every second of not touching her. Every sound she makes. You’ll remember.

I cursed under my breath. I couldn’t take it anymore.

“Pull over,” I told the driver.

The car skidded to a stop at the edge of the estate. Before my Beta could ask questions, I was out of the car, lifting her in my arms. Her body molded against me like it was made to fit.

She stirred as I carried her. “Where are we?”

“My home,” I said. “You’re safe.”

She blinked up at me. Her expression was muddled with confusion and longing.

“You’re okay,” I added, my voice low and soft. “You’re going to be okay.”

I brought her into my private quarters—my room, the one no one ever entered—and laid her down on the bed. She looked up at me, lips parted, breathing shallow.

I moved to step back. “I’ll give you space to rest—”

Her hand caught mine. Her eyes were wide, pupils dilated. “Don’t go.”

“Amelia…”

She sat up, eyes burning into mine. Her arms wrapped around my neck, pulling me closer.

“I don’t want you to go,” she whispered. Then she kissed me.

My heart stopped. My wolf roared in victory.

I kissed her back, and then I couldn’t stop.

Her lips were soft and insistent. She kissed like she needed me to breathe. I held her, tasted her, let the heat between us rise until I thought I’d explode.

My hands slid to her waist, pulling her closer. She made another one of those sweet, gasping noises as she settled in my lap. Her hips rolled once, twice, and I lost my mind.

She gripped my shoulders, nails digging into my back. I kissed her harder. Let my tongue slip into her mouth. Let her taste me the way I’d tasted her.

Her fingers tangled in my hair. My hands traced the curve of her thighs, her hips, her lower back. She was everywhere. She was everything.

I pulled her coat off her completely, letting it fall to the floor. Her skin was hot, feverish. I ran my fingers up the sides of her torso, feeling the curve of her ribs, the tightness of her dress, the shudder of every breath she took.

She moaned my name. Just once. Barely audible.

I growled. I kissed down her jaw, to her neck, to the hollow of her throat.

My hands found the hem of her dress again.

Yes, my wolf whispered. Take her.

Amelia

I opened my eyes and stared at the ceiling.

A chandelier. Ornate, but not flashy. Classic. Elegant. The kind of thing you’d see in a historical mansion or a magazine about power couples.

Definitely not mine. Where was I?

My mouth was dry. My head pounded. Every limb ached like I’d run a marathon in heels. I tried to sit up and winced.

Something was clutched in my hand. I blinked at it.

A man’s shirt, what the hell—

Flashes.

Shots of something. A burning throat. Too many people laughing. Hands on my back. That guy’s breath in my ear. Panic.

Oh god.

I jolted upright, nausea curling in my stomach. Was I in his room?

No. No, no, no. My arms locked at my sides. My legs wouldn’t move. My breath went shallow.

I forced myself to look to my right, heart pounding in my throat.

And then I saw him.

Richard.

Topless, sleeping beside me, and the mark.

A faint red indentation just below his collarbone. Like teeth, my teeth.

More flashes. Heat. Lips. His hands on my hips. My mouth on his neck. The low, guttural sound he made when I bit him.

Oh my god.

I didn’t know how far we went. I didn’t remember how it ended. Did we—

He stirred, exhaling groggily. “What… what happened?”

I opened my mouth, nothing came out. I didn’t know what to say. What I could say.

And then my phone rang. It was Jenny.

I scrambled to grab it. “Hey,” I croaked.

“Girl, where the hell did you go last night? I didn’t see you after you left the ballroom.”

“I—uh—”

Jenny didn’t wait. “Anyway, you are not gonna believe this. I just heard that my dad brought some woman back to his private estate. He had the staff get her clothes and everything. He’s never done that before. I swear, if she’s still here, I’m dragging you down with me to spy.”

My heart stopped.

“Oh,” I said weakly.

“I’m home right now,” she added. “So if you’re nearby, swing by. We’ll hunt her down together.”

Footsteps, getting louder, coming toward the door.

“Dad?” Jenny’s voice rang out, muffled through the wood. “Come down and have breakfast!”

I nearly threw my phone across the room. My heart shot into my throat as I turned to Richard, panicked.

He looked perfectly calm. Unbothered. Like this wasn’t a complete crisis.

“Don’t worry,” he said smoothly.

Jenny knocked again. “Dad?”

Richard reached over and ended the call on my phone without hesitation.

My mouth opened. I couldn’t even form the question fast enough before he leaned in behind me—his breath warm against my ear—and whispered,

“Be a good girl and follow my lead.”

Then—Click.

The doorknob turned.