Chapter 36 Dominant Love
Rhea POV
The world narrowed to the sound of breathing and the pulse of heat between us, heavy and inevitable, like the moment before a storm unleashes everything it's been holding back.
Rhett stood there, close enough that I could feel the warmth radiating off his skin, and smell the faint tang of rain still clinging to his clothes mixed with that deeper, wild scent of him. His gray eyes had gone silver, the wolf in him peering out, hungry and unblinking.
My heart hammered against my ribs, loud enough that I knew he could hear it, but I didn't look away. He moved first, because of course he did, alphas like Rhett didn't wait for permission.
His hand came up, his fingers rough from years of wielding steel and stone, cupping the back of my neck as his mouth crashed down on mine. It wasn't gentle; it was a claiming, his lips hard and insistent and his tongue pushing past my teeth like he had every right to the territory of my mouth.
I tasted the wine on him, dark and bitter, and something sharper underneath, like the edge of his temper hadn't fully cooled. But I didn't yield. My hands fisted in the front of his shirt, yanking him closer even as I bit down on his lower lip, just hard enough to make him growl, a low, rumbling sound that vibrated straight through my chest and settled low in my belly, coiling tight.
"You taste like trouble," he murmured against my mouth, his voice a gravel scrape that sent a shiver racing down my spine. His free hand slid to my waist, his fingers splaying wide over the curve of my hip, digging in like he was anchoring himself to me.
"Good," I shot back, my breath coming fast as I nipped at his jaw, feeling the stubble rasp against my lips. "You look like you could use some."
That pulled a rough laugh from him, the sound warm and unexpected, cutting through the tension like a blade. But it didn't last. His grip tightened, and he pressed forward, his body pinning mine against the edge of the table. I was tall, built solid from years of running and fighting, but he dwarfed me, his broad shoulders blocking out the firelight.
His scarred chest was a wall of muscle that made my own curves feel like they were made to fit against him. My breasts pressed full and heavy against him, the thin fabric of my bodice doing nothing to hide how my nipples had tightened, aching for more than this tease of pressure.
I arched up deliberately, rolling my hips so the heat between my legs ground against the hard line of him straining his trousers. He hissed, his hand sliding down to hike up my skirts, bunching the fabric around my thighs with an impatience that matched my own.
His palm was hot on my bare skin, the calluses dragging in a way that made me bite back a moan. "Rhea," he said, low and warning, like he was giving me one last out. But his eyes were dark, his pupils blown wide, and the way his fingers flexed against my thigh told me he was already lost.
"Don't stop now," I whispered, my voice husky as I reached between us, my fingers working the buttons of his shirt free. They gave easily under my touch, revealing the expanse of his chest, delicious corded muscle etched with scars that twisted like lightning across his skin.
I traced one with my nail, from his collarbone down to the ridge of his abdomen, feeling him tense, his breath catching. He was a map of battles, every mark a story of survival, and gods, it made something fierce twist in me.
He didn't let me linger. With a swift motion, he scooped me up, settling me fully on the table's edge, my ass hitting the cool wood as papers scattered to the floor like fallen leaves. My skirts were a tangled mess now, shoved high enough to bare the long stretch of my legs and the damp lace between them.
Rhett stepped into the space I'd made, his hands framing my hips, wide and soft in a way that had always drawn stares, but with him, it felt like power, like he was holding something precious and breakable only if he chose to.
His thumbs brushed the sensitive skin just above my undergarments teasingly, and I hooked a leg around his waist, pulling him flush.
"Impatient," he rumbled, but there was approval in it, and heat in the way his gaze dropped to where my thighs parted for him.
"You started it," I countered, my fingers tangling in his dark hair, thick waves threaded with silver at the temples, wild like the man himself. I yanked his head back, exposing the strong line of his throat, and dragged my teeth along it, tasting salt and pulse. He groaned, the sound raw and unguarded, and his hand slipped between my legs, cupping me through the lace. I was soaked already, the fabric clinging, and his touch, firm and circling slow, made me gasp, my hips bucking into his palm.
"Feel that?" he said, his voice dropping to a near-growl as he pressed harder, his thumb finding my clit with unerring accuracy. "All for me."
I met his eyes, silver clashing with my own dark stare, and let a slow smile curve my lips. "Prove you're worth it, then."
Challenge laced every word, because that's who we were, two dominants circling each other, and neither willing to kneel first.
Something feral flashed in his expression, and he tore the lace away with one sharp tug, the rip echoing in the quiet room like a declaration. Cool air hit my bare skin, making me throb, exposed and aching. But before I could say a word, he dropped to his knees, Alpha King Rhett, the alpha who'd brought packs to heel, on the stone floor between my thighs like it was his rightful place.
His broad shoulders nudged my legs wider, his hands gripping the soft insides, holding me open. The vulnerability of it should have stung, but with him watching me like that, hungry and reverent, it felt like the sharpest kind of strength.
His mouth was on me in the next breath, hot and demanding, his tongue licking a flat, deliberate stripe up my center that had my head falling back and a curse spilling from my lips.
Pleasure hit like a wave, sharp and overwhelming, and I gripped his hair tighter, guiding him without mercy. He growled against me and delved deeper, his tongue circling my clit before sucking it between his lips.
Gods, the pull of it, the edge of teeth... I rocked against his face, my curves undulating, chasing the build that coiled low and fierce.
"Rhett...oh my fuck," I gasped, my voice breaking as he slid two fingers inside me, thick and curling just right to stroke that spot that made my vision haze. He pumped them slowly at first, then faster, matching the relentless flick of his tongue, stretching me with a third that burned sweetly.
Slick sounds filled the air, obscene and intimate, my walls clenching around him as the pressure mounted, my thighs trembling against his shoulders.
"Come for me," he murmured, pulling back just enough to let the words ghost over my skin, his breath hot and ragged. "Let me taste it, Luna."
The command tipped me over. My orgasm ripped through me, fierce and shattering, my cry echoing off the walls as I pulsed around his fingers, gushing against his mouth. He didn't stop, lapping me through it until I was shaking, oversensitive and boneless, my red-streaked hair spilling across the table like a banner of surrender.
But we weren't done. Rhett rose, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, his eyes blazing with a need that mirrored my own. I sat up, wrapping my legs around him, pulling him into the cradle of my hips. Our mouths met in a messy clash, me tasting myself on his tongue, salty and sharp, and it only stoked the fire higher.
My hands shoved his trousers open, freeing him, thick and veined, curving upward with a flush that promised devastation. I wrapped my fingers around him, stroking firmly from base to tip, my thumb smearing the bead of pre-cum, and he bucked into my grip with a groan that rumbled deep.
"Luna," he warned, his hand covering mine, but I squeezed, asserting the control I craved.
"My lead," I whispered, guiding him to my entrance, slick and ready. He paused, his forehead pressed to mine, our breath mingling in the scant space.
"Sure?" The yield in his voice, soft under the gravel, made my chest ache.
I nodded, locking eyes. "Fuck me like you own me, but remember, I own you too."
He thrust in then, slow and inexorable, the stretch of him filling me inch by burning inch until we were locked deep, our hips flush. We both stilled, our breaths ragged, the world narrowing to the pulse of him inside me, the way my body gripped him like a vice. Then he moved, pulling back only to slam home, and I met him with a roll of my hips, taking him deeper, our rhythms syncing in a brutal dance.
The table creaked under us, sweat slicking our skin as his chest slid against my breasts, my nipples dragging friction that sparked like embers.
He gripped my ass, angling to hit that perfect spot with every plunge, his pace quickening to a frenzy of wet slaps and shared gasps.
"Mine," he growled, his teeth grazing my shoulder but not quite breaking skin.
"Yours," I countered, nipping his ear, my nails raking down his back to leave red trails that healed almost as fast as they bloomed.
"And you're mine....say it."
A snarl tore from him, his control fraying, and he hooked my legs higher, folding me open to drive deeper and harder. Sensations layered, his scars brushing my soft curves, my hair tangling in his fists as he yanked my head back for a bruising kiss.
The coil rebuilt fast and relentless, until I shattered again, crying his name as ecstasy tore through me, my walls milking him in waves that dragged him under. He followed with a roar, burying himself deep, hot spurts flooding me as his body locked, trembling in release.
We clung to each other like that, our breaths heaving and our hearts thundering in echo. He stayed inside me, softening slowly, his weight a welcome anchor as he trailed kisses along my jaw, gentle now, the storm quieting to embers. I traced the fresh marks on his skin, a lazy hum escaping me.
"Worth the fight?" I teased, my voice rough from moans.
He lifted his head, his silver eyes soft and unguarded. "Every scar and every war, Rhea." His fingers brushed my tangled hair, tucking a red strand behind my ear.
"You're the victory."
I pulled him down for a slower kiss, tasting the truth of us. The fire crackled on, but we'd kindled something fiercer, two alphas bound and unbreakable.
The world could wait.