AARYN

Aaryn prayed none of the others were paying attention to notice how his heart pounded as he and Elreth walked out of the council building and farewelled the last of the Alphas. The entire night—four hours!—had been pure torture, watching her, smelling her, needing her.. and having to let her mingle with all those males when all he wanted to do was get her alone somewhere and strip her naked and take her until she screamed.

When they finally clasped each other's hands and turned down the trail towards the royal meadow, Aaryn was beginning to sweat. His only saving grace was that Elreth seemed as tense as he was, just as urgent.

Neither of them spoke as they broke into a run down the trail towards home.

He'd intended to take her to the Weeping Tree, but he suspected that, like him, she didn't want to waste the extra time it would take to get there.

They sprinted on the trail, Aaryn pulled just past her, then dropping back again to run at her shoulder and watch her ass while she ran.

By the time they reached the meadow, he was aching, straining against his leathers. Luckily, Elreth didn't slow either and they ran, shoulder to shoulder, into the cave. But as they turned the corner to the door, Aaryn caught her around the waist, and tugged her into his side as he slid to a halt to close the door behind them and throw the bar across—he was taking no risk that they would be interrupted.

"Good thinking," Elreth said, slightly breathless, though not from the run.

Aaryn turned from placing the bar and didn't even speak, just stared down at her, both their chests rising and falling too quickly.

Elreth met his eyes and her smile grew. "So what do you want to do now?"historical

"Take off your shirt."

She put her hands to hips and smiled wider. "Be my guest."

"No, Elreth, that was an order. Take. Off. Your shirt."

Her pupils flared. She didn't move or breathe for a moment and he thought she might challenge him—she'd been in Alpha mode all day. It would be natural to make him fight for it—and he was ready to do it.

He took the single step to close the distance between them, head bent down so their eyes stayed locked, but he didn't touch her—his skin prickling at the nearness of her, so close he could feel her heat even through his clothes.

"Elreth."

"Yes."

"Take off your fucking shirt."

One side of her mouth twisted up and she looked like she might say something cheeky. If she had, he would have shown her the only kind of playing he was willing to wait for tonight. But with a shaking breath, she reached up to the buttons on her shirt and began working at them—far too slowly in Aaryn's opinion. But at least they were making progress.

As he spoke, he watched her fingers slip and turn, pinch and push as button by button, the shirt was slowly coming open. "Watching you tonight," he growled, "was torture. At this point my cock has formed to the seams of my leathers."

"Poor baby," Elreth breathed, her fingers hesitating. "Do you want me to—?"

"Elreth, buttons," he snapped.

She giggled and put her hands back to her shirt, popping the last button right down, just above the waistband of her leathers, then began tugging the tails of the shirt out of her pants.

Aaryn watched, catching glimpses of warm, pebbled skin. But she was careful, the vixen. Not allowing the shirt lapels to fall open fully.. never giving him an eyeful of her beautiful body. Just snatches and glimpses.

When she'd finally pulled the shirt all the way loose, she let it fall, hanging from her shoulders, a strip of warm skin down the middle, but still nothing revealed.

Aaryn growled. "Now your leathers."

She didn't argue, but her fingers moved very slowly. "What about you?"

Aaryn lifted an arm to grab his shirt from the neck at the back and pull it forward over his head. It was a move she'd told him she loved to watch because it made his shirt suck against his body and trail up.

He couldn't see the appeal himself, but as he tossed it to the side, her eyes flared with light and heat and he made a mental note to do it more often.

She popped the last of the buttons on her leathers and the two sides fell apart revealing a triangle of her most private skin, so pale it almost glowed at him in the dim light of the cave. But she didn't do anything else.

He dragged his eyes up to meet hers, lifting his brows in a question.

"Just awaiting orders," she said breathlessly.

Aaryn's entire body saluted her. And he changed his plan.

Letting a low growl putter in his throat, he shucked off his own pants and kicked them aside, pleased to see her chest rise faster at the sight of him and smell her desire ratchet higher.

"In that case," he rasped as her eyes raked him from head to toe, "don't move."

She tilted her head, but did as he'd bid and stood there, hands on her hips, the shirt gaping slightly, but still not revealing what he really wanted to see.

He'd intended to take her—hard, fast, and aggressive. To own her and make her submit. But she had given herself, surrendered her control so quickly.. and now she stood there waiting..

Mentally, Aaryn shifted gears, though his beast howled against the delay.

Swallowing hard, his heart pounding in his chest, Aaryn moved to stand at her side, then reached up to the neckline of the shirt and pulled it slowly, slowly to the side, letting the fabric drag across her nipples until he'd bared her breast and shoulder.

Elreth didn't move, but her breath got very shallow.

Barely touching her, he drew the sleeve of the shirt down her arm, slowly, then followed it with his lips, gently, softly, down, taking hold of her wrist and lifting the arm to draw the sleeve off in a long, slow slide that raised goosebumps and made the hair on her arm stand straight.

When he finally tugged the sleeve free and loosed her hand, he let that side of the shirt drop to hang from her other shoulder, then lifted her palm and opened his mouth against it.

Elreth's breath caught when he flicked his tongue against the hollow of her palm.

"I love you, El," he croaked against her skin.

She nodded quickly. "I.. love you too.."

"I'm going to show you how much," he whispered, then slowly dragged his fingertips up the underside of her arm until she shivered.. "Really, really slowly."