Arya.
The tears that blurred my vision made it hard to see as I ran home. I’d ditched Tyler’s offer for a ride earlier, hoping to wait for him so we could go home together. When Lauren had walked into his office wearing a coat that had covered her from the neck down, it should’ve occurred to me that she had a plan, especially given the saucy look she’d given me as she passed.
When she hadn’t come out in almost ten minutes, curiosity had gotten the best of me. The sting of betrayal clung to my every step as my legs carried, my heart pounding with a mix of hurt and anger as the tears began to fall.
I’d thought I could trust him. I’d thought he cared about me. He had even held her and they were kissing. Sobbing, the mansion came into view and I ran in through the front door, slamming the door behind me. The servants all exchanged uncertain looks as I passed them but I didn’t care. I wouldn’t be here for long anyway.
The place I’d once thought was my home had turned out to be the exact opposite.
It had taken a while but my illusions had finally been shattered. A knock rapped on the door of my bedroom, but I couldn't fathom facing anyone at that moment. Probably one of Tyler’s housekeepers checking on me. They had done so once or twice in the past.
When the knocking became persistent, however, I wasn’t given a chance to react before the door burst open and Tyler stormed in. “Arya, you have to listen to me.”
“No,” I cried. ‘Get out!”
His eyes were pained and dark and he ran a hand through his hair. “Little One—”
“Don’t call me that! You were kissing her.” The tears were falling down my face like a flood now. I couldn’t decide if I was angry or jealous. Probably both.
He took a step forward, his voice gentle but filled with sincerity. “Arya, it's not what it looks like. Lauren barged into my office, and I tried to stop her. I had no intention of—"
I cut him off, my voice trembling with a mix of hurt and frustration. “Save your excuses, Tyler. I trusted you, and believed in us. And you... you betrayed me.”
He reached out as if to touch me, but I stepped back, unwilling to let his proximity weaken my resolve. “Little One, please. You have to believe me. I would never willingly hurt you.”
I wanted to respond, to say that he was lying, because the image of a naked Lauren clung to his body refused to leave my mind but the words couldn’t come out. Instead, I cried.
When he stepped forward again, I didn’t recoil. I was in too much pain. Tyler wrapped his hands around me, drawing me into his big build. “She threw herself at me. You have to know this is all my plan. She wanted you to find us like that because she knew it would hurt you.”
His words drifted into my ears and I wouldn’t deny that they made sense. Lauren was vain and it sounded like something she could do. Still, I knew what I’d seen. “But… you were kissing her.”
“No,” he shook his head. “She was kissing me. I was too stunned at her audacity to react quickly. That was when you walked in.” With a finger under my jaw, he lifted my eyes to his. “You’re the only woman for me, Little One. The only woman I want. Surely you know that.”
The words sounded so sincere and I felt my resolve weaken. So when Tyler leaned in to kiss me, I didn’t object. Not when he angled his head to deepen the kiss or when he reached behind me to undo the zipper of my dress.
My body instantly hummed to life at his burning touch, and he dragged his mouth away from mine to kiss my neck. A low moan escaped my lips as my dress fell in a pool at my waist and air bit at my bare skin. With one hand, he cupped one of my breasts, causing my breath to hitch.
“Tyler,” I bit out shakily. “Is this…?”
He nodded against my skin, placing soft kisses on my neck. “It is. Do you think you’re ready?”
I had no idea what I was supposed to be ready for but I nodded regardless. Whatever it was, if it felt anything like what I was currently feeling, then I knew it would be good. “I am.”
“That’s my girl,” he murmured, pushing me back gently to rest on the bed. I lay still as he drew my dress off my body completely, leaving me in only my underwear. His face darkened as his eyes roamed over my body. “Perfection.”
I’d never been this bare in front of anyone before. There was an urge to cover my body with my arms, to hide myself from his scrutinizing gaze. What if he thought I was fat like everyone else? I had a little flesh on my body, unlike Alison and even Lauren, who were thin like models.
“What are you thinking about, Little One?” I hadn’t noticed that he’d taken off his clothes and was only in briefs. The bulge that protruded was so enchanting that it took me a while to tear my gaze away from it.
“That you think I’m fat.”
He lay on the bed beside me, kissing my shoulder softly. “Don’t be silly. You’re perfect.”
“But—”
“Arya, don’t be stubborn. Not right now when I’m about to devour you.”
My lips were sealed shut. He began to trial his hand down my body and I got lost in his ministration, my eyes drifting shut. Time flew and when I opened them again, he pushed into me, causing my breath to momentarily seize. I stilled at the sharp pain, and he did too.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered as he hovered over me. “I should’ve warned you. It usually hurts the first time.”
I couldn’t talk, couldn’t breathe. My eyes focused on his gray eyes as I waited for the pain to pass. It eventually did and I signaled for him to continue. After making sure I was okay, he began to move.
It was breathtaking, how completely vulnerable and in tune with Tyler I began to feel. My hands grabbed his body as we moved and I arched my back, trying to match him thrust for thrust. So many sensations swirled inside me that I couldn’t focus on just one and when he growled into my ear, all was right with the world.
Every other thing disappeared and it was just Tyler and I. No Lauren, no Crest, No Rogue City. I was entirely consumed by him and there was a shift inside me that rang out to him. And I knew without any doubt, that he felt it too.
“Tyler,” I moaned, holding on to him as stars exploded behind my eyes. My body shook violently behind him and it was the most wonderful feeling in the world. I screamed with the force of the rush and it wasn’t long before he was growling into my ear as his body jerked above me.
Chest heaving, we held onto each other, the raw realization of what we’d just done hitting me. We’d just completed the first step of the mating process.
We’d just mated.