Chapter Twenty

Trying to ignore a snarling alpha wasn’t easy, but Tiffany gave it her best shot as she reached for her toes. The tightness in her hamstrings eased as she stretched and reminded her that she shouldn’t neglect her yoga.

Given the mess of the last few weeks, she’d missed out on most of her exercise. Her only run had been less about running and more about sex, though it had certainly worn her out. She’d had no time for yoga.

The results had been tightness in her back and shoulders. It meant that when Kieran and Kane had announced after dinner that they’d go check the fence line, Tiffany thought it as good a time as any for her own routine.

Marshall had a book—some thick intellectual thing that looked dreadfully boring—and sat on the couch. Except, the first time she bent forward, that snarl had started up. It had sent a shiver up her back, made her feel displayed, exposed and hunted.

The other thing it did surprised her—it made her feel playful. She wanted to be hunted. She wanted to play the game, to push at Marshall until he stopped holding back.

The snarl went silent, cut off almost as soon as it started. Sizzling energy passed through the room, and even without seeing him, without turning around, she could feel his heavy gaze on her. The rustling of paper said he’d turned the page of his book.

So, he’s playing this game too, huh?

Tiffany flattened her back, her palms going to her shins, the action sticking her ass out. She’d normally have worn leggings but seeing as the only pair she’d brought had been ripped apart by Kieran, she’d gone with a pair of thin sleeping shorts and a sports bra she’d gotten from Alison’s things. The woman had a smaller chest, which meant the bra fit tight and created more cleavage than she’d normally work out in. Where it had been a simple outfit that allowed movement when she’d put it on, it now felt like more.

The brush of cool air on the backs of her thighs and the bottom curve of her ass tantalized her. The way her breasts pushed together in the tight-fitting bra made her feel like a vixen. Warmth pooled between her legs, and she suddenly wished she’d put on underwear beneath the thin cotton shorts that barely covered her ass.

A deep groan slid into the tension of the room as Tiffany dropped back down, her fingertips reaching the floor. “You can’t do that.”

Tiffany bent one knee, rocking her weight down, then switched. It made her hips sway and knew it moved her ass like a teasing lure. “Do what?”

The growl he let out was nothing like the snarl or the groan. Those had been quick, silences as fast as they came. This was long, dark and drawn out. He didn’t stop it, instead speaking at the tail end. “Don’t push me, Tiffany.” Had his voice always been that rough? That gentleness she’d grown used to with him was gone, replaced by a dominating edge that made her cunt pulse and her nipples hardened.

Still, instead of giving in, Tiffany rose and stretched her arms over her head. She lengthened, her chest out, an arch in her back. “I’m just exercising.” She made sure to keep her voice as taunting as possible.

“What are you playing at?” Marshall’s voice came from behind her, breathed into her ear in a rumbled voice. He slid his fingers over her bare hips, dancing them up her side to the line of her sports bra. “If you want some attention, you can simply ask. There’s no reason to tease.”

She frowned at his complaint. He doesn’t want me to tease? Tiffany ignored the way he traced the bottom edge of her bra, venturing beneath the band as he went, sliding into the slight dip between her ribs. It hit her then. He wants distance. He doesn’t want to risk losing control.

Tiffany didn’t want him controlled. She didn’t want him careful and leashed and thought-out.

So, instead of listening to his warnings, Tiffany leaned forward again, reaching for her toes. Her ass pressed against his crotch, and against his hard cock. She leaned back to put more pressure on him, pushing against his length.

There went that growl again, along with his warm hand sliding up her back in a steady stroke. He ground his hips forward, his dick rutting against her ass. His growl lowered further, so deep she felt it stroke through her. That was what she wanted from him, what she needed. Not him be careful, not him trying to be who he thought he had to be.

“You don’t want this,” he snarled.

“Try me.” Tiffany hardly got the dare out before she found herself shoved to her knees, Marshall’s heavy body over her.

He wrapped a hand in her hair and yanked her head backward, the hard lines of his body forcing hers to submit. Every curve of her form molded to him, giving in to his strength and his demands.

Her scalp stung by the grip of his hand, her neck arched and her mouth parted as she gulped in harsh breaths. The jeans he wore scraped against the backs of her thighs and his shirt made her wish she could feel all that warm skin directly against her.

He leaned over her, his weight settling against her as he dragged his nose up the nape of her neck, exposed by how he grasped her hair. He stilled, though, opening his hands then re-grasping. He released a harsh sound from his throat, something feral and full of frustration before he yanked away.

Tiffany turned, staying on her knees but catching his hand before he could get far. “Wait.”

Marshall stared down at where she held his hand. “I can’t do this.”

“Why? What are you so damned afraid of?”

He released a harsh breath. “Of myself, and you should be, too.”

Afraid of him? She couldn’t even fathom that. He’d done nothing to make her afraid, nothing that made her think she’d be anything but safe with him. “I’m not afraid of you.”

“Because I’ve been careful around you. Under all these layers of control, I’m an alpha, like the one who attacked you.”

“You’re nothing like him. He was a monster—”

“And so am I. I might be better at hiding it than others, but deep down, that’s what we all are.”

She shook her head, still gripping his wrist, not willing to release him. “You’re not. I’m not afraid of you—”

Marshall dropped to his knees and caught her chin with his free hand, forcing her gaze to his. “I grew up watching what my father did to my mother, what alphas do to omegas. For years, he beat her because he could, because it was his nature. I will not do the same to you. I won’t endanger you by letting that part of me free.”

The sorrow behind those words tore at Tiffany. She’d grown up with loving parents, and to think of Marshall as a child watching that? “What happened to her?”

“He killed her. He wrapped his hands around her throat and he strangled the life from her.”

Tiffany’s stomach dropped. “How old were you?”

“Twelve. I tried to stop him, but a twelve-year-old isn’t much of a match.” His grip on her chin loosened, and he used his thumb to stroke her jawline. “What my father was is inside me, Tiffany.”

She risked moving forward, setting her hands on his chest. “It’s not. He did what he did because he wanted to, not because he had to. You aren’t like that.”

“How can you be sure?”

She leaned closer, moving until she was nearly in his lap, until her thighs were spread around his leg. “Because I know you.”

He shook his head. “If you’re wrong, then you would pay too high a price. The only way this can work is if I keep myself under control, if I never risk you with that side of me.”

“That’s not enough for me. I don’t just want part of you.”

“And I can’t risk that.”

“So, let’s try.”

His lips tipped down. “Try what?”

Tiffany curled her fingers in and dug her nails into the firm lines of his chest. “Stop holding back. Kane and Kieran are nearby, so I’ll be safe. You don’t have to worry.”

He tightened his grip again. “I can’t.”

“We’ll never know any other way. I’m not going to keep doing this, having you try to always keep yourself in control. I won’t have it. We do this the right way, or we end it. I won’t do it any other way.”

He leaned forward until he brushed her lips with his, until the masculine taste of him made her want to moan. “You’re too brave for your own good.”

“And stubborn, too. I’m not going to force you to do anything, but I can tell you I want all of you or none of you. Either I see the real you, and we do this right, or we go our own ways.”

Marshall didn’t speak at first, and the silence weighed on Tiffany. What if he said no? What if he stood up and walked away? She couldn’t blame him.

What had she done but caused him problems? How could she blame him for not wanting to deal with her anymore?

As she was ready for him to tell her no, he set his hand on the back of her neck in a firm grasp. “You want all of me? You want me to fuck you like I’ve wanted to, to pin you down and force my cock into you? Because, Tiffany, I’ve thought of having you in ways you can’t possibly imagine. This is your last chance. Tell me no. I’ll back off, I’ll let you go. Tell me no.”

Tiffany pulled back enough to stare into his eyes. “I want you.”

The sound he released went straight to her core, made her body shudder and her breath quicken. The lust and possession in his eyes was heady, thick, and almost frightening in the depth. Even worse, though? The way his words rumbled from his chest like the more terrifying promise she’d ever heard. “Then you’ll have all of me you can handle, omega.”

Tiffany’s body made it so Marshall couldn’t think. She’d come into the living room in nothing but those tight shorts, the bottom curve of her ass showing when she’d reached forward toward her toes. The doctor part of him was impressed with her range of motion, but that wasn’t the part of him in control. No, it was the part of him that saw the way her breasts pushed together, her nipples pressing against the gray fabric of the sports bra that pulled all the strings.

And she wanted him to do that? What is she thinking? I could do anything to her.

Still, it was this or calling it quits, wasn’t it? He saw no other option, no way to appease what she wanted while keeping the tight reins on himself he’d always used.

So, it came down to this. He supposed there was some good in the idea. She’d see that part of him when in the safety of the other two, where he knew he wouldn’t be able to do much harm. She’d realize her mistake, and she’d never wish to see him again.

At least she’ll be safe.

And that ugly instinct inside of him, the one he hated without reservation? It reveled in the idea of taking her. It wanted to spread her thighs, to feast between her legs until she was dripping for him, until she trembled and writhed and lifted her hips in useless begging. Then? Only after he’d pushed her beyond what she thought she could handle, when he took her to that edge and shoved her over, he’d fuck her.

And it wouldn’t be gentle. No, he’d plunge into her as deep as he could, spurred on by every sound she made, until he finally knotted her.

Marshall let out a groan at the filthy thoughts, and the fact they were coming true. He’d know how it felt to have a cunt milking his knot, to have an omega’s sweet pussy wrapped around him. Even if it was just that once, he’d know.

Tiffany wrapped her hands around him, her fingers clutching his side, but Marshall didn’t want that. Neither did she, if she’d been honest. She wants to see the real me? She wants to me to not hold back? Fine.

Marshall used a hold on her shoulder and another on her hip to twist her, then shoved her forward onto the couch. Her knees went to the cushions, and she caught herself with her hands on the back. It left her leaning forward and at his mercy.

The sight made his balls ache. She was a stunning omega. Tough and willing to challenge him but sweet enough to melt against him.

She went to rise, but Marshall set a hand on the nape of her neck while using his hips against her ass to keep her pinned. He reached beneath her and pushed her sports bra up so her breasts hung beneath it. A stiff nipple pressed against his palm when he cupped one with a tight grip.

Tiffany gasped at the rough touch, the sound surprised.

And it went straight to his cock. It slipped loose more of his control, let more of his alpha side roam free, showed in the tightening of Marshall’s fingers as Tiffany whimpered like trapped prey.

He ground his dick against her ass as he tormented her stiff nipple with his fingers. He could already smell her, knew she must be dripping, drenching those tiny shorts and running down her thighs.

She whimpered when he released her nipple, when he kept a grip on her back to hold her still and undid his jeans with his other hand. His cock was full and heavy, the pressure almost painful as he freed himself. One look down her tight body, however, had him sure he wouldn’t allow the moment gone so soon.

His beast wanted to taste her, first.

So, Marshall released her back, then snapped, “Stay put,” when she tried to rise. Only when she’d resumed her place, tiny tremors running through her, did he drop to his knees behind her. He could have removed her shorts, pulled them down her toned thighs, but no.

He wanted her disheveled. He wanted her right then, and the scraps she thought passed for clothing did little to hide her. Instead, he hooked a thumb into the crotch of her shorts and pulled it aside to bare her.

Sure enough, she was soaked. Wetness clung to her folds, and the center of her shorts were drenched in her slick. He let out a deep sound, something like a groan but far more feral before he leaned forward and swiped his stiffened tongue up her center.

Tiffany shifted her hips as if to escape but he wrapped his hands around her hips, thumbs pointed in to pull her up, and growled a warning against her flesh. She went still, but a new rush of wetness against his tongue said she hadn’t minded the sound.

Her taste in his mouth and down his throat drove him mad. Whatever control he had left broke free and he used his thumbs to spread her cunt wider. He dove in, his tongue devouring her in greedy lapping.

She squirmed, shoving herself backward as if to get more, then away as though the sensation was too much. Not that it mattered to him. The voice in his head, the wants of his alpha side, they’d taken over. The only thing that chanted in his head was one word—Mate. It repeated over and over again, as certain as his need for breath.

She was his, and he’d have her the way he needed, the way they both needed.

His cock hung heavy, pre-cum dripping from it as he feasted. He wanted to wrap a hand around himself but that would require releasing Tiffany.

There’s no way I’m letting her go.

Her pussy tightened down, pulsing beneath where his thumbs held her open and his tongue dove inside her. She was silent as she came, not even harsh breaths escaping her lips.

He let her go before she’d recovered, before she’d even drawn a breath, desperate to be inside her. She hung limp over the couch, her forehead pressed against the cushions on the backrest, her shorts having slid back over her like some sort of protection.

Marshall grasped his thick cock with one hand, then pulled her shorts out of the way again. Her cunt still squeezed down around nothing. I’ll give her something. He dragged the blunt head of his dick across her pulsing entrance, then fit himself against her.

His strong hands went to her hips to brace her, then he shoved into her with a snap of his hips, claiming every inch of her body. The grip of her pussy around him, the tightness was enough to draw a snarl from his throat. Sure, he’d had her before, but he’d been so cautious that time. He’d sat still, let her take.

This time he took, and he planned to have everything. He wanted every moan of hers, every whimper and sweet plea, every gasp and shudder. She’d give it all to him.

Her hips rotated, the sexy curve of her back shifting as she sought more from him. Very well, he’d give her more.

Marshall pulled back, savoring the drag of her tight walls against his shaft, then plunged back into her. He set a hard pace, fucking her with deep and sure motions. Her body seemed so small beneath him, but she took each thrust with a wanton whine. He leaned forward to press more of his weight over her, to use that bulk to fuck her harder, as though if he took her deep enough, thoroughly enough, it would fix something inside him, too.

“Yes,” she moaned, voice quieted by the cushions.

Marshall scraped his teeth across her shoulder, nipping the bared flesh there, tasting the salt from her skin. “Is this what you wanted?” How had his voice turned so deep? It held an edge of madness that frightened him, but he was too far gone to pull it back.

Besides, Tiffany pushed her body back toward him in need. “Yes. Fuck, yes, this is what I wanted.”

Her words drove him onward. He buried himself into the heat of her body, into the tightest grip on his cock he’d ever felt. His balls tightened and his knot burned, the need to take her, to lock inside her and fill her with every drop of cum he had overwhelming. He pushed on toward that end, instinct moving him more than thought. Her scent and her sounds demanded he satisfy her, and he’d damn well do that.

The first pulse of his knot, the first swelling of it inside her was a shock. The sensation was localized in the base of his cock, yes sparks traveled along his spine, the backs of his legs, the insides of his thighs. His entire body trembled as he got as deep as he could inside her, his knot growing, welcomed by her soft cunt.

The wiggle of her hips, the way she shifted due to the pressure of his growing cock inside her sparked that need to dominate her. Whereas the in-control Marshall would have pulled out before he locked into place, would have coaxed her and sweet-talked her, she’d made it clear she wanted the real him.

The real him wanted her still, wanted her to take his cum pinned beneath him. That part of him, the one he’d spent his life running from, bit down hard on the thick area behind her shoulder, using his teeth to hold her still.

His knot locked inside her, and the first spurt of cum made him lean more heavily against her, like his energy was sapped. It was even more powerful when her pussy clenched and she came again, squeezing down around his enlarged knot. Each time she tightened, it was like a stroke, drawing more cum from him until all he could do was snarl against her skin, against where he’d bitten her and held her still.

The rhythmic pulses of her cunt kept going, after she shuddered and gasped, her orgasm fading. Each time either shifted, she’d release a muffled cry and grip his cock with her body again.

As soon as he could force himself to move, he released his bite and shifted them over, tucking her against his chest. Her small body shook, her clothing soaked in sweat and cum and in disarray. Still, he’d seen no better sight, nothing lovelier. His beast slumbered, the part of him that had demanded he take her like that sated.

The bite he’d left darkened before his eyes and ran his fingers over it, his eyebrows drawn together. “Do you want me to leave?”

Tiffany shifted in his lap, the action causing a tug to his knot. “Unless this detaches, I don’t think you can go anywhere yet.” Exhaustion saturated the words, even with the joke.

Marshall shook his head. “I’m serious, Tiffany. I’ll leave. Kane and Kieran can handle anything that happens, and while I will always do whatever I can for you, whatever you need, if that’s my absence, I’ll go.”

She caught the fingers he traced the bite with. Is she going to tell me to go, now? She brought them around and pressed a gentle kiss to them, then wrapped the arm around her tighter, settling in his embrace. “If you leave, I’ll find you and annoy you until you come back.”

He frowned at her simple answer, at her certainty. He opened his mouth to argue, to remind her that he’d been too rough, that he’d held her down and fucked her as if he were no more than an animal.

“Stop trying to argue with me. You’re ruining the afterglow.”

His mouth snapped shut at that, and, despite himself, he grinned. While he wasn’t sure about this, fearing what could happen, and the alpha side of him scared him more than anything else, he settled in to enjoy the warmth of her body against his.

If anyone could handle that side of him, it would be his feisty mate.