The Alpha's Unclaimed Mate novel Chapter 21

Chapter 21: Zero to Fated Mate in Sixty Seconds

The next time she woke, the moon was up, and Dex’s arms were around her.

Their legs were intertwined and her back was against his chest like it belonged there. Like she was made for him. Because she was.

His shirt was off and his skin touched hers.

She blinked, disoriented and his arms tightened around her.

She was not going to ask where his shirt went. That was a conversation for a version of her that could form sentences near a shirtless man.

"You’re awake," he said, kissing her ear.

He said ’you’re awake’ like a greeting and kissed her ear like a punctuation mark. She was not equipped for this dialect.

Aegon: She liked that. Do it again.

Heat crept into her face, but she liked it and he knew she did. He could feel it.

Aegon: She is flustered.

Everything his instincts told him to do had been right so far, so he wasn’t holding back.

"Where are we?" she asked, sliding her hand over his, intertwining their fingers.

"We are in my quarters. I moved you with a portal. Saves me trips."

’Saves me trips’ was doing an enormous amount of heavy lifting for, ’I refused to let you out of arm’s reach and moved you in here while you were unconscious.’

"Dex..."

"What?"

She didn’t finish the thought. Because his thumb was tracing slow circles on her hip, and whatever protest she’d been assembling lost its funding.

Instead what came out was, "Your bed is way better than the ones in the infirmary."

Dex’s laughter rumbled low in his chest, a warm vibration against her skin as he pressed his lips to her temple.

She shifted, rolling onto her back to gaze up at him.

Without waiting, he captured her mouth in a kiss that struck him like a thunderbolt. The kiss deepened, slow and hungry, igniting a fire within him. His tongue sought entry, and she parted for him.

Need sharpened every nerve. His hands roamed over her, each touch leaving a trail of heat that spread through her skin.

Lower still, his fingers dipped between her thighs, pressing against her heat.

He started kissing down her neck.

Then he caught it. Her arousal. The scent of it flooded his senses, and rational thought disintegrated.

Pulling her back to his chest, he sat up abruptly with her leaning on him. It was easier to keep his wolf at bay this way, the closeness grounding him even as desire surged.

One hand slid up her camisole, his thumb brushing over her nipple. His other ventured down the front of her shorts, fingers finding the sensitive bud between her legs. He slid a finger inside her, circling her with his thumb. The sound she made nearly ended him.

Her breath came in shallow bursts, and her trembling had nothing to do with cold. She had read about this. Heard whispers about it from other girls who spoke in giggles and knowing glances. None of them had mentioned the vulnerability. The way it cracked you open and dared you to stay.

"Dex... I..." she started, her voice breathy, overwhelmed by the rush of sensations flooding her.

He cut her off.

"Let me touch you," he murmured against her ear. "I want to make you feel good."

She wanted him to. She did. But this was new territory.

Before her mind caught up, her instincts answered. Her hips moved with his hand, riding the finger inside her. Her head fell back against the crook of his neck, the full weight of her surrender pressing into him.

"That’s it." The hunger that threaded through his voice, both thrilled and terrified her.

The command in his hands, the authority he wore like a second skin, lit something in her she hadn’t known was there. A moan tore from her throat and she arched into his touch.

Something was happening deep in her core that she had no framework for. She writhed against him, hips chasing something she couldn’t name. She was close, and she didn’t want to fight it.

Her fingers dug into his forearm, and a sound broke from her throat that she didn’t recognize as her own. She didn’t know if she was about to shatter or drown, and the not knowing made her grip him harder.

"Let go for me," he whispered, his breath hot against her ear.

The pressure turned into an all-consuming blaze, and then it hit.

Pleasure ripped through her in a blinding wave, and she convulsed in his arms.

For three full seconds, she forgot who she was. Where she was. The world whited out, and the only thing that existed was the pulse between her thighs and the arms holding her together.

"Just like that," he whispered, breathing her in. The scent of her release nearly broke what was left of his restraint.

She had no idea how much discipline was holding him together, his control slipping every second.

He wanted to taste her. He needed it; the compulsion was primal.

He flipped her onto the bed. Then, at Alpha speed, he tore her shorts clean off and ripped her camisole in two.

Laughter broke through her breathlessness at how ridiculous he was.

"Was that necessary?"

"Yes," he answered without a shred of remorse.

Then his gaze dropped, and every trace of humor evaporated. The sight of her short-circuited his brain.

She resisted the urge to cover herself. Instinct screamed to cross her arms, to shield herself, because no one had ever seen her like this. Bare and exposed.

"So fucking beautiful," he said to himself, then immediately started kissing down her neck. He continued down her body his lips leaving a trail of fire on her skin.

Serena’s pulse thundered when she realized he was going to kiss her down there. She stiffened, unsure how she felt about it. She hadn’t showered since the day prior.

The second he pressed his lips to her, she froze. He was gentle at first, then he sucked her clit hard, arousing her to a degree she hadn’t realized was possible.

"Hang on to me, baby," he whispered, surprising himself. ’Baby’ slipped out of his mouth, but it felt so natural.

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