Alpha Tate’s POV

Watching Colin kissing her from the window of my office, I go through an assortment of emotions.

Pushing the anger and resentment aside, I try to feel happy for him.

He needs some action.

I don’t care if it’s with her.

Good for him.

I try to turn away, but instead, I step closer to the window, my face nearly pressed against the glass as I try to see what she looks like, but Colin is blocking her from view.

The only reason that I know it is her in the first place is because of her scent.

It almost smells different though…almost…lighter. Oddly enough, happier.

Is this because of Colin?

He deepens the kiss, pulling her against his body.

Fuck!

My fist pounds the wall by the window without me realizing and I extract it from the large hole it created, glancing at the figures on the lawn to see if they heard the noise.

Apparently, they didn’t.

Maybe I need to get laid.

There hasn’t been anyone since Sarah…and even when she was here…

Sighing, I rub my forehead.

Even when she was here, the passion had faded.

She had grown cold, distant. Unhappy.

She said that I wasn’t the same person.

I’m not.

And if she couldn’t deal with that, I’m glad that she left.

Damn it, Colin!

He acts as if he never kissed a girl before.

Well shit. Now I am curious.

I mean, there is no way that she is hot…but what does she look like now?

If she looks decent enough, maybe it wouldn’t be too awful to hook up with my mate, see if it’s really any better than with someone else.

Feeling horny, I try to think of an excuse to get Colin away from her, which by the looks of it, he won’t want to do anytime soon...

Ah, I got it…

Kit’s POV

Colin Anderson is kissing me!

And it feels…ah-mazing!

His hand slides up my side, across my neckline, and slips inside my dress to cup my breast.

Inhaling sharply, he murmurs, ‘is this okay?’, and I tug his shirt closer in response, pure desire taking over, wanting more.

Colin is hitching my leg onto his hip when he tenses, his lips pausing against mine, his heavy breathing blowing against my cheek.

“Ah, hell. Kit, I’m sorry, worse timing ever, but I have got to go. Someone is sick and needs me.”

“Oh.”

My chest heaving, his hand still holding my breasts, I nod, but don’t move.

He can’t leave me now…not feeling like this…

He lowers his forehead to mine and groans.

“I can come to you after…if you want.”

I nod again, his forehead moving with mine.

He grins and removes his hand from under my knee so that my foot falls heavily back to the ground.

Then, with a reluctant sigh, he pulls his other hand from inside my dress.

“I really wish that I could stay…”

“I know. Me too.”

“I’ll text you.”

I nod.

He starts to turn, giving me one last look of regret, then jogs down the street, past the packhouse.

Well. Fuck me.

Feeling all hot and bothered, I adjust my dress and hurry inside, thinking I might take a nice, long bath in my new jetted tub.

The moment I reach the stairs, I pick up on Alpha Tate’s scent, making my nipples harden.

Damn him.

Damn this stupid desire for him!

It’s Colin that I am hot and heavy for…not the man who rejected me.

Kicking my wedges off, I grab them off the floor and sprint down the hall, trying to hold my breath as I run.

Throwing myself inside my room, I slam the door shut and slide down it, running my hand through my hair as I try to catch my breath.

Why is his scent still so strong?

Frowning, I look around the room, wondering if I left a window open, when there is a sharp knock on the door against my back.

My heart rate seems to slow down…all the way down…until it starts beating again…each beat like a large, hard distinct thump against my chest.

Why is he here?

Why is Alpha Tate standing outside my bedroom door?

Can I ignore him?

Will he just go away?

I can’t move. I remain on the floor, crossing my legs to try to mask the overwhelming scent of desire that is surrounding me, cursing myself for wanting him.

“I know you are in there. Open the door.”

Almost as if I cannot control my body movements, I stand, placing a trembling hand on the doorknob, and pull the door open.

It’s the closest I have ever been to my mate besides the brief moment he stood in front of me to reject me.

Have his eyes always been so blue?

So intense? 

His jawline so defined?

He towers over me without my heels on, and I have to tilt my head back to look into his face…and I have to look into his face…because if I look down at his ridiculously hot body where I can actually see his defined abs through his fitted tee, then I might just collapse from horniness right here on the floor.

To resist my desire to touch him, I grab onto my dress, then just clutch my hands behind my back when that doesn’t work.

His eyes dart downward, and I look down to, noticing that my hands behind my back has pushed my breasts upward so that my cleavage is more prominent.

Releasing my hands, I cross my arms over my chest.

His eyes move back to mine.

“Can I come in?”

“I…rather you didn’t.”

He raises his eyebrows and I swallow.

“I am your Alpha.”

“If I stay, which I’m not.”

He folds his arms over his chest now and leans against the door frame.

“You aren’t?”

I shake my head, licking my dry lips.

He makes a face.

“Not even for Colin?”

My mouth falls open.

“Mmhmm.”

He looks past me, pushing off the doorframe and stepping around me into the room.

I turn around to gawk at him.

Alpha Tate.

Inside my bedroom.

His scent swirls around me…and I can sense his desire…for me.

He locks his eyes on me, as if he knows exactly what I’m thinking.

“Shut the door.”

Without looking away, I reach behind me and shove the door shut.

“You look different.”

“So do you.”

“Not as different as you.”

I don’t know what to say to this.

I feel I look the same as I always have.

Maybe a little curvier.

Longer hair.

Less acne.

Straighter teeth since I spent five years in braces that I made monthly installments on.

But other than that…same me.

“I need a release.”

What?

Shaking my head, almost as if coming out of a stupor, I give a weak laugh.

He raises an eyebrow at me and pulls his shirt over his head and tosses it onto the bed.

Oh.

Well.

Hello there sexy body that I want to run my tongue all over.

No!

Kit, no way!

I take a step backward and shake my head.

He has a lot of nerve coming in here and telling me he needs a release…as if I’ll just drop panties for him after what he did. 

“No.”

“No?”

“Uh uh.”

“Why not? You desire me, you need release too, I can sense it.”

“Not by you. No thank you.”

His eyes narrow.

“By Colin?”

I nod, taking another step backward so that my back hits the door.

“I’m your Alpha…and your mate.”

“You rejected me.”

He lifts a shoulder nonchalantly, like this is unimportant.

No big deal.

Didn’t completely fuck up my life.

Anger courses through me, like fire in my veins as the urge to hurt him like he did me overtakes me.

Lifting my chin, I glare at him through narrowed eyes.

“I, Katherine Aster…”

Before I can say anything more, Tate’s hand is covering my mouth.

I automatically grasp onto his wrist with both my hands and slide partially down the door.

His touch is doing things…things I only ever heard about, read about…but never experienced in all my times with other men.

No…this is the mate thing.

The tingling from his touch, my body humming from his so close to mine, his scent making me dizzy, weak-kneed, like I’m intoxicated…but in a good way.

“Don’t say it. Not yet.”

He widens his eyes.

“Let’s have some fun first.”

I close my eyes, wanting his hands to move lower…to do exactly what he wants to do…but…my pride…

His hand moves to my neck and his lips brush against mine.

It’s like an electric shock that rushes through my entire body.

He hesitates, pulling away just enough so that his eyes lock on mine, he frowns, looking confused, then he moves in again.

It’s nothing like it was with Colin.

It’s a million times hotter…and as much as I want to resist…I find my hands splayed across his chest, roaming over his shoulders, trailing down his bumpy abs…

He grabs my hands and lifts them over my head, pinning them to the door as he presses against me, pushing my lips apart with his tongue.

Gripping both my wrists into one hand, he trails the back of his fingers down my arm, the side of my face, my neck…my side…then he starts to gather the bottom of my dress into his hand, inching it up little by little…

Moaning softly, I stand on my toes, trying to make it easier for him…thrusting my hips forward eagerly…

My dress is hiked all the way up to my hip now, and Alpha Tate hooks his finger along the hem of my panties, running it along until his finger grazes my center, making me gasp and wiggle against the door.

He moves his hand upward to press my stomach against the door, forcing me to stay still before he moves his hand lower again, pulling aside my panties and slipping a finger into my wet, ready, and willing core.

Throwing my head back against the door, I bite my lip, trying to be quiet as he starts to move his finger inside of me, his thumb skillfully rubbing my clitoris as he does so.

I want to touch him back…I want to throw myself against him, run my hands down his body, shove my own hand down his pants…but I can’t. He has my hands still pinned above my head against the door.

The familiar pressure starts to build inside of me…but at the same time…it’s different…bigger…and oh my god…

My body pushes hard against the door as the explosion of release spasms throughout my body, making some sort of weird moan, grunt-like, scream coming out of me before I collapse forward against Alpha Tate’s hard body, my freed hands resting on his pecs.

Holy hell…

I can feel Alpha Tate’s heartbeat under my hand, and I splay my fingers over it, wondering if it’s racing because of me…

Like mine is because of him.

He bends, placing his hand behind my knees, and lifts me against him, carrying me over to the bed and softly lying me down on my back.

Reaching up, I place my hand around his neck and tug him towards me, but he stops a few inches away.

His face looks pained.

Abruptly, he pulls away.

Sitting up, I look at him questioningly.

“Goodnight.”

And with that, he exits the room and I’m left staring at the bedroom door…wondering if that really just happened…