Chapter 3

Keshera 

My lips hit his roughly, fueled entirely by the burning humiliation from the arena and my desperate need to prove him wrong. 

For exactly one second, Dexter went completely rigid against my hands. I thought I’d made a massive mistake, that he was going to shove me away, laugh in my face, and tell Liam how pathetic I was.

Instead, a low sound ripped from his chest. His large hands suddenly clamped onto my hips, lifting me off the ground. He completely took charge, taking absolute ownership of the moment with a desperate, consuming intensity that made my head spin. His fingers dug into my waist, anchoring me against the hard lines of his body, whilst his tongue traced my lower lip, tasting, demanding, pushing past my weak defenses. 

Panic and a rush of unfamiliar adrenaline spiked through my veins. I shoved hard against his solid chest, breaking the contact.

My feet hit the floor, and my knees instantly wobbled, threatening to give out completely. I stumbled back, pressing my spine against the wall to keep myself upright. My heart was thumping so fast it physically hurt.

Oh God. What had I done? 

Dexter. My brother's best friend.

"See?" I gasped out, trying to sound haughty, though my voice shook violently.

I wiped my mouth with the back of my trembling hand. 

"This isn't... you see, this isn't my first time."

Dexter didn't answer. 

"Dexter?" I whispered, the false bravado draining out of me.

He was suddenly sweating profusely, a sheen of moisture glistening on the back of his neck. His broad chest heaved violently under his grey hoodie, his breathing so ragged and harsh it sounded like a cornered animal tearing for air.

When he finally snapped his head up to look at me, all the breath left my lungs.

His eyes. They had changed. The familiar, mocking dark brown was completely gone

 Was I seeing things? What the hell was happening to him?

"Leave," Dexter gritted out, his voice completely unrecognisable. 

"Leave the room, Keshera. Right now."

"What?" 

"No. I can't leave you this way. You're shaking. Are you alright? Let me get you some water—"

"Get out!" 

He suddenly moved. He crossed the distance between us with a speed that didn't make any logical sense, completely defying physics. In a blink, his burning body had me pinned flush against the wall. His hands planted on either side of my head, caging me in.

I froze. The heat coming off him was searing, completely unnatural.

"Dexter," I breathed, terrified to make a sudden movement.

 He lowered his head, burying his face right into the curve of my neck. I felt the cold tip of his nose graze my hot skin as he inhaled deeplym He was breathing in my scent like he was starving, his jaw brushing against my collarbone.

"I am trying so bloody hard to fight this," he rasped against my pulse point, his hot breath burning my skin.

 "But I can't."

"Fight what?”

His heart was beating furiously, far too fast for a normal bloke. 

"Dexter, you're scaring me."

"You have no idea what you're getting yourself into, little one," he murmured, his lips trailing dangerously high up my neck.

"What? I can't just—"

"You shouldn't have touched me," he growled.

 "You shouldn't have brought that scent into my space. Not tonight. Not when I'm like this."

He didn't give me time to process the bizarre words. His open mouth dragged across the sensitive skin beneath my ear. And then, I felt it. The sharp, agonizing scrape of teeth.

I cried out, arching off the wall as he bit down hard into the tender flesh of my neck. A sharp, stinging pain tore through my skin, but a second later, it was flooded with an intense, blinding heat that shot straight to my core, altering the very chemistry of my blood. The pain instantly melted into an overwhelming, dizzying euphoria that made my legs completely give out.

Dexter caught my weight effortlessly, pressing his hips flush against mine as his teeth sank deeper. My fingers dug desperately into his hair, a whimpering sound escaping my throat as something deep and fundamental shifted inside my body, reacting to the venomous heat of his bite.

"I'm sorry," he groaned as his tongue soothed the wound he’d just made. "I almost forgot your human body couldn't handle it."

My eyes shot open. 

"Human body?" 

"What the hell does that mean?"

Dexter suddenly lifted his head, his golden eyes blazing with possession, and captured my lips in a devastating, breathless kiss.

"Dexter—stop," I gasped against his mouth, but my hands were already pulling his shoulders closer, completely betraying my own words.

"I can't," he growled against my lips.

"The moment you bit your lip in front of me tonight, Kesh, I was done. And then you put your mouth on mine?"

"You're out of your mind," I breathed.

"What did you do to my throat? Why does it feel like—"

"It feels like you belong to me," he cut in, his golden eyes burning into mine as he pressed his body between my parted knees.

 "Because you do. My wolf chose you the second you walked into this flat three months ago, but I tried to keep my distance for Liam. I tried so bloody hard."

"Your... what?"

"Don't talk," he muttered, capturing my mouth again before I could make sense of the word.

 His tongue traced the roof of my mouth, demanding everything I had, while his large hands cupped my face, tilting my head back to give him better access.

Every point where his skin touched mine felt like live electricity. I whimpered into his mouth, my fingers tangling in his damp hair, tugging him closer until there wasn't a single millimeter of air left between us.

"Dexter," I whispered against his jaw as he dragged his lips down to the sensitive dip of my collarbone. 

"I feel... strange. I feel like I'm burning up."

"That's the bond, Kesh," he rasped. 

“What bond!”

“What the hell are you talking about.”

"Tell me to stop," he gritted out, his voice raw, his hands tightening on my hips until it almost hurt.

 "Say the word right now, Keshera, and I'll walk out that front door. I'll leave the country if I have to. But if you don't..."

"Don't stop," the words slipped out of my throat before my brain could stop them. "Don't you dare stop."

Dexter let out a rough, broken groan.

He pulled me to the absolute edge of the counter, his mouth locking onto mine in a feverish, intoxicating rhythm. Every touch was heavy, possessive, and impossibly tender. 

When he shifted, pressing himself flush against me, a sharp gasp tore from my throat. A blinding wave of pleasure and heat flooded through my veins, so intense it made tears spring to my eyes. It wasn't just physical; it felt as if a heavy metal cable had suddenly snapped into place, tethering my soul directly to his.

"Look at me," Dexter commanded softly, his forehead resting against mine as his hands bracketed my face.

I opened my eyes, struggling to focus through the haze of pleasure. His golden gaze was fierce, locked entirely on mine.

"You're mine now," he whispered, his voice vibrating deep inside my chest. "No more Drey. No more fake interviews. Just me."

"Just you," I echoed, completely powerless against the tide of emotion crashing over me.

We stayed locked together in the quiet kitchen as the minutes blurred into an intoxicating blur of hushed whispered promises, desperate touches, and a deep, electric connection that claimed every inch of my body. By the time he lifted me off the counter and set my feet gently back on the floor, my legs were trembling so badly I had to lean heavily against his chest.

Dexter wrapped his arms around me from behind, burying his face in my hair, his chest heaving as he caught his breath. His hands rested gently over my flat stomach, his fingers broad and warm.