CHAPTER 50: Break For Me

CHAPTER 50: Break For Me
CHAPTER 50: Break For Me
ARIA 
The silence in the house is deafening, broken only by the thump-thump-thumping of my own heart. I walk into the living space, and the sound of the fireplace roaring fills the air. The warmth hits me first, and I inhale, feeling the heat seep deep into my bones.
Lucian heads behind the counter, and the clinking of glass reaches my ears. 
“What do you want?” he asks me. 
“Nothing.” 
“You need something.” 
He says as he begins pouring something into one of the glasses. 
“A way out…” I whisper under my breath. 
“I won’t let you leave like this. With your state, you’re perfectly fine here. And this should’ve been in place the moment your heat started,” he retorts with narrowed eyes and a tone that is stern. 
He finishes pouring the drink and heads around the counter, coming straight toward me. 
My eyes fall on the glass, and then his lips. I lick mine, my throat dry, and suddenly, the craving is there. The ache. It makes me want. 
Everything. 
I quickly take the glass and drink, swallowing it in one go and ignoring the feeling of it burning down my throat. He watches me, his gaze tracking the bobbing of my throat, the parting of my lips. 
Heat. Lust. Desire. 
I need help. And not the kind that can relieve me from this physical torment, but the kind that will make this all go away. Permanently.
He takes the empty glass from my hand, his fingers brushing against mine. “Feeling better?” 
I shake my head, trying to clear the fog that has settled over my mind. “No,” I manage. “I feel…worse and trapped with you.” 
He steps closer, invading my personal space.  I force myself to look away, to break the connection, but its impossible.
“There are worse things than being trapped, Aria.” 
“Like being controlled?” 
He sighs, “I’m not trying to control you. I’m trying to protect you.” 
“From what? Yourself?” 
“Why do you think of me so lowly, Aria? You seem to believe that I have no regard for your well-being or you wants or needs. I do. Very much. It is the reason I’m here with you right now, despite the fact that every bone in my body is screaming at me to take what is rightfully mine—”
“What you rightfully rejected.” I stop him there. 
His eyes darken, his jaw tightening. I can see the frustration, the anger. The regret. 
But it doesn’t change anything. 
He rejected me.
And the way he did, it cut through the deepest part of my soul.
“Don’t,” He says, shaking his head. “Don’t go there, Aria.” 
“Why won’t I? You rejected me. You chose another. You made it perfectly clear that I wasn’t good enough for you.” 
“And I have already given you my reasons for doing so. It wasn’t a choice I made lightly or easily. It was a decision born out of necessity and selflessness.” 
I roll my eyes, not caring anymore about any of it. I can barely focus, my body, and my mind. It’s all a mess, and this isn’t helping.
It makes everything worse.
I turn and take a step away from him, but a strong grip holds me back. I look at his hand wrapped around my wrist, the contact almost too much.
“You’ve got to stop doing that,” I warn him. “I’m not here for a fight.”
“Neither am I,” He pulls me closer.
“Then let go.”
“Make me.”
I try to push him off, but he holds on. His fingers tighten, and he doesn’t budge.
My gaze lifts, and I look into his eyes, his dark, beautiful, endless eyes.
My wolf, she is a mess. A complete mess. And it shows.
“You reek of heat,” He whispers. “Let me help you ease the pain, Aria. You know I can.” 
I yank my wrist from his grasp, taking a step back to create some distance between us. “I don’t need your help. You are the reason why I’m like tonight and the night before.” 
He narrows his eyes, his mouth thinning. 
“It’s not going to pass so easily.” 
“I can manage.” 
He takes a step forward, closing the gap, and I hold my breath. “It won’t pass. Not without help. And you’re going to be miserable.” His hand reaches up to my chin, forcing me to look up at him. “I know you don’t trust me. But I don’t wish to see you in pain. You know well I can take it away.” 
His eyes lower to my mouth, and I lick my lips, tasting the burn of the liquor, and the need for more.
More of him.
The pain grows. It hurts.
Everything feels raw, sensitive, and hot.
His hand reaches up, brushing the hair from my forehead, and pushing it away from my face. I stare at him, unable to move or look away.
“I haven’t—”
“And you don’t have to. Not tonight.” 
He cups the back of my neck, tilting my head, and brings his mouth to mine. His lips part, and his tongue dips into my mouth.
I moan, sinking into the sensation and kissing him back, matching his intensity. My fingers dig into his shoulders, and his arms wrap around me, drawing me closer, holding me tight.
My wolf rises. She needs more.
She needs everything.
He growls against my lips, his hands sliding down to grip my waist, and then lower, cupping my ass, lifting me up.
I gasp when my back presses against the couch and his body comes down on mine, the weight and warmth, the hardness, the pleasure.
His hand slips under my shirt, his fingers finding my ribs and my stomach. My insides clench with need and desperation.
He nips at my bottom lip, tugging and teasing, before trailing kisses down the column of my throat, to the curve of my shoulder, sucking the skin there between his teeth. 
I arch beneath him, moaning. 
And it isn’t enough.
“Please.” 
“Tell me what you want.” he whispers, his fingers trailing over my lower. 
“You know…”