When Libby informed Harper that Alex was in the garden, Harper hesitated for a brief minute before sprinting to the garden to meet him.
"What if Gillen finds out that I sneaked out of the room? There are guards everywhere," she had said to Libby.
"Don't worry about the guards. Now go. He may be injured!"
"What?"
"Harper, go!" Libby urged her out of the room, and she was forced out.
Her heartbeat pounded in her ears as she leapt over the box hedge and pushed her legs forward, kicking up grass and moss behind her. As she turned away from a looming clearing and headed deeper into the woods, she could feel the wind blowing behind her.
The evening breeze took the scent of freshly cut grass with it as she sprinted past the clearing and into the trees, where she eventually came face to face with him.
She gave him a quick once-over before saying, "You're not hurt."
"I'm not. Well, aside from some bruises and minor wounds. You should see Makani. I feel really sorry for me," Alex replied.
"Well, I meant－" she sighed and paused. "Well, what choice did you have?"
"I know. Come with me." He took her hand in his, and the two of them ran around a grove of poplars. They skidded to an abrupt stop just before they were about to collide with the towering metal gate.
"And here I am thinking you've found a hidden route to get us the hell out of here," Harper said, trying as hard as she could to appear calm. But as soon as their gazes locked, a look of uncertainty flashed from within her eyes, and a look of fear of rejection and loneliness flashed from within Alex's.
"Were you scared when you thought I was hurt?" Alex asked, his voice silky and deep. He took a hesitant step forward and extended his hand toward her.
Harper stood captivated, unaware of the thread that seemed to be drawing her towards Alex. She looked at his outstretched palm and raised her eyes, expecting some kind of rudeness from him, but she soon reminded herself that this was not the same Alex she had known before.
She took a few steps forward and cautiously moved her hand up to his. She gasped as the warmth of their hands spread throughout her body the moment their hands touched.
"I...I was worried," she said as she moved closer to him and ran her fingers along his scuffed hand. "We need you and Lucas to be in top physical condition when we escape this hell."
"I understand..." Alex muttered. His hands ran Harper's arms up to her cheeks. "Don't worry, I understand, Cuddle Bear."
"Alex…" Harper whispered and leaned into his touch.
As his warm breath exchanged with hers, Alex leaned forward and ran his nose along hers.
"What do you want?" she asked, her eyes wandering over his half-naked body.
"This…"
She could feel his lips hovering above her, anxiously waiting. She took a deep breath, rose to her toes, and met his lips with hers. His plush lips took hers, tugging it until she groaned gently, allowing him access for their tongues to probe each other. Her mouth was overwhelmed with his flavor, and desire flooded her blood.
As their lips and tongues battled for control, Alex groaned in her mouth. He wrapped his arms around her waist, pushing their hips together, his erection pulsating on her stomach. She slid her hands over his muscular chest and buried her fingers in his hair. He palmed her round ass before gripping her thighs. She moved quickly, wrapping her legs around his waist and locking her ankles behind him.
"Alex…" Harper moaned. He hoisted her, and pushed her forward until her back came into contact with the smooth bark of a tree. With wet, hot kisses down her neck, past her collarbone, and down the mounds of her breasts, his lips created a trail of pleasure. He slid his hands behind her knees and gently lowered her feet to the grass beneath them.
"How I've missed this," Alex leaned in and tenderly took her clothing off. He palmed her breasts, then sucked each nipple into his soft mouth, moved down her body and sank to the ground on his knees. His kisses traced their way down her navel and over to each hip bone.
Slowly, he pulled down her lightweight undergarment, parted her legs, and put her left leg over his shoulder. He ran his nose through her moist slit. Her fingers scratched into the bark as she bit my lower lip in anticipation of what was going to happen. When his tongue touched and began to teasingly part her wet folds, she took a deep breath and sucked it in.
With Harper's satisfaction as his only goal, he lapped and ate her up and almost lost control. Harper shut her eyes, moaning under her breath at the feelings that had overwhelmed her senses. When he flattened his tongue and licked wide, straight lines up and down, he heard Harper's broken cry of ecstasy. This prompted him to do more for her, so he dragged a finger through her folds and gently slipped it into her opening while his tongue swirled around her sensitive spot.
Harper whimpered. She now had both of her hands in his hair.
Alex stiffened his tongue, swiping up and down in quick motions, while his fingers kept up their pace inside her. It successfully provoked a quiet cry from her.
He kissed her over and over again, feeling her grip on his hair tighten as he continued, this time sucking at her throbbing clit. She groaned, her legs parting wider instinctively, while he lost himself in the scent of her.
"Oh…Alex…" Her breathy grunts prodded him on, prompting him to push his tongue into her mouth and make love to her with his lips and tongue. She let go of his head and leaned back, arching towards him, aching for more.
He looked up and slid her leg off his shoulder before rising to his feet.
She opened her mouth to protest, but all that came out was a gasp when the tip of his hard length grazed against her dripping mound, triggering the anticipating tension between her legs. She gripped his shoulders and stared up at him. This was becoming too much for her. The intense desire in his gaze told her she wouldn't have to wait long.
Alex kept his hands on her waist and pressed his forehead into hers, licking his lips. "Please, Harper, be mine. "I want you all."
“Alex, I…”
“Do you want this?”
Harper was now breathing heavily. “Yes…I want this…”
“I want this too.”
Their lips collided again, and they both fell to the grassy earth beneath them. She reached up and ran her fingertips along the collar around his neck, which was stopping him, and the rest of the fighters, from shifting into their wolf form. While he balanced on one elbow, his other hand trailed down to line himself up.
"I can't believe this is happening. I've become desperate to be with you." With yearning eyes, he looked down at her.
Harper could feel his tense muscles hanging on by a thread to keep him in control. One solid thrust and he was fully inside her. She gasped, closed her eyes, and parted her mouth. He adored that look on her face.
"Again..." she moaned, her hands gripping his shoulders tightly. He stayed, enjoying how tightly she wrapped herself around him, and then he carefully pulled out before ramming himself back in.
After a few pulls and thrusts, the pleasure became so intense that her moans turned into panting. Something in Alex flipped at the sound of Harper's pleasure. His eyes glaze over, and his rolling thrusts become more aggressive. His palm went down Harper's thigh, tilting her hip to meet his even more, and she began to claw at his back as each stroke hit a specific point.
Just as she began to feel the familiar flutter in her stomach, Alex pulled out and leaned back.
Harper whimpered, grasping for him.
Smirking, Alex remained silent. He loved it when Harper let go of herself. He flipped her until she was on her hands and knees, then gripped her hips. With one powerful thrust, he slid back inside her, and she clawed at the grass as her eyes rolled to the back of my head.
He ran a palm down her spine, never slowing down his thrusts. She shivered as the wet sounds of their skin meeting filled the corner of the garden.
"I could do this for the rest of my life, Harper," he said, and Harper's cheeks flushed. In sync with his thrusts, his right hand left her hip and snaked between her legs to rub her swollen nub.
"Ah, Alex..." Harper cried out, and her muscles started to stiffen and shiver. Alex could sense she was getting close. He could hear it in her labored breaths and felt it in the way her cock was squeezed so tightly inside her. She was getting close, but something was keeping her from going all the way. He'd been with her long enough to know her too well not to notice.
"Harper, you need to let go." Alex said. "Let go, my love."
"Alex…" Harper panted, her voice muffled.
"Please let go for me...
"I've got you..." True to his word, Alex's fingers didn't let up until they pushed her over the precipice.
Harper's mouth hung open, her eyes pressed tight, as she rode the powerful waves of euphoria that were devouring her body. She mewled at her climax, her legs writhing, arousal pooling in her belly.
Then she heard Alex roar and pushed into her twice before reaching his own climax. He leaned forward, his chest brushing against her back, and his broad arms enveloped her, squeezing her beneath him. He thrust into her a couple more times until the shaking that accompanied his release had subsided.
"*I love you*," Alex whispered into her ear, and Harper’s stomach churned.
After riding through their climax, they dropped on the grass. He wrapped his body around hers. His bicep served as a pillow for her, and his legs were entangled with hers. Their breathing was deep, and their hearts were beating in time.
Looking up at the star-speckled sky above then, Alex sighed then softly spoke, “I'm here for you, Harper. And I'll wait until you love me, perhaps not as madly as I do you. But that's all right with me. I hope you know that.”
Even as she struggled to catch her breath, Harper managed to smile with contentment. She knew that they would have to talk at some point. But not now. She felt quite certain they didn't need words right now, only each other.