\[Rosco’s POV\]
Denali doesn’t speak as she takes me in with a mixture of embarrassment and vulnerability. I was sure that she didn’t expect things to go this way, but I did what I did for this specific purpose. Since she wasn’t willing to openly say that she was beginning to like me, I had to force it out of her.
“You,” she finally says, narrowing her gaze. “Tricked me.”
“Not tricked,” I counter, grinning. “I did what was necessary to have you face your feelings.”
“But I…”
“Don’t,” I warn, pulling her against me. “Don’t you dare try to lie your way out of this, princess. You’ve already revealed that you actually are starting to care about me, and there is no taking that back.”
Never did I think that it would make me so happy to know that a single woman was falling for me, especially since I dealt with many women who claimed that very thing for my power and my looks, but Denali was different. Instead of being some random woman who wanted me for all the wrong reasons, she was the one that I obsessed over for so many fucking years. If I were honest, she was probably the only woman I ever actually cared for, and if that didn’t mean we were destined, I didn’t know what did.
‘Mates,’ Fabian says, causing my heart to skip.
This wasn’t the first time that he hinted at such a thing, but there was no way to truly know until the new moon, which was in a few weeks. Until then, I could assume that she was in fact my mate, and even if I discovered she wasn't, I would still hang onto her until the end of time.
“Come on,” I continue when she doesn’t speak. “Before people begin to wonder if we ran away.”
"Right.”
It’s the only thing Denali says, but it is enough to get me moving, and when we step back into the noisy banquet hall, all eyes come to rest on us with looks of curiosity. Dammit, I was going to have to kick William’s ass for the drama he managed to create, but for now, the best thing to do was show this group that my wife and I were doing perfectly fine.
“Care to dance?” I ask, turning and meeting Denali’s hesitant gaze.
“Sure,” she murmurs, trying to ignore all the eyes on her. “But know that I’m not very good at it.”
“You seemed to dance just fine with William.”
“That’s because…” She gasps as I begin to pull her onto the dance floor. “He was able to lead.”
“Then you should be fine since I’m an excellent dancer myself.”
Grinning, I pull Denali against me as the song changes to a waltz. Where our bodies touch comes alive, and I once again hear Fabian’s words about us being mates. Maybe we , maybe we ren’t, but I knew that our fates were intwined for a reason, and that was so that I could fix her piece by piece until that girl from all those years ago disappeared entirely.
“Just follow my lead,” I murmur close to her ear, earning myself a little shiver and a blush. “I’ll make sure you don’t make a fool of me.”
“A fool,” Denali snaps, puckering her lips adorably. “How could you..."
Chuckling, I begin to move us around the dance floor while everyone watches. With each step, I can feel Denali beginning to relax until she seems to actually enjoying herself.
“You know,” I say when a small smile begins to form on her lips. “You really do look the most beautiful when you’re smiling.”
At my words, her face flushes a beautiful pink, and she buries it against me.
“How can you say such things so easily?”
“Because I am a firm believer in saying what I think,” I respond, twirling us around again. “You never know what your words could do. And if you aren’t honest, you could miss out on opportunities and end up regretting it for your whole life.”
I would always regret not approaching Denali that day. Maybe if I had, she wouldn’t have suffered so much, and she wouldn’t have been broken by that bastard Alexander. But since the past couldn’t be changed, I would only use the present to atone for my mistake.
As the music finishes, I reach out and cup Denali’s chin, then make her look at me, and as our eyes meet, the world around us seems to disappear.
“Can I kiss you?” I ask quietly, staring deeply into her eyes.
For a moment, Denali doesn’t speak as she takes me in with an expression that can’t easily be deciphered, but when she gives a slight nod, I know that we’ve made progress.
“Okay,” she whispers. “You can kiss me.”
Not needing anymore of a response, I’m swooping in, pressing our mouths together while the crowd around us begins to cheer, but soon they once again disappear, and Denali is all I can see, hear, smell, feel, and taste.
When we pull apart, her eyes are dark, and a look of hunger rests in them.
“Do you want to get out of here?” I husk in her ear. “We can go somewhere a bit more private.”
Pulling away, I watch as many emotions flash across Denali’s features until she finally gives a small smile while a look of expectance and embarrassment appears in her eyes.
“Come on,” I growl, unable to hang on any longer.
I ignore the gazes that come to rest on Denali and me as I lead her through the crowd and out of the banquet hall. We made our appearance for the evening, and that was enough. Now I wanted my wife to myself to do all the things I had been imagining.
When we reach our room, I swipe the keycard, and the minute the door opens, allowing us access, I push Denali up against the wall and attack her lips once more.
At first, she doesn’t move as I begin to take the lead, but when her arms snake around my neck, pulling me closer, and her mouth opens to me, I know that she is showing me that my assumption earlier was correct. She did, in fact, want me like I wanted her. Well, no, she didn’t want me anywhere near as much as I wanted her, but with time I was sure that we would get on the same page, and for now I was fine being the one who was more obsessed.
“Rosco,” Denali pants as I begin to trail kisses down her jaw, to her neck, and finally to her collarbone, which still holds my hickey. “Wai…”
“No,” I snarl, feeling like a madman. “I’ve waited long enough.”
Gasping, she clings to me as I bite down on her shoulder while one of my hands grabs her thigh and lifts her leg so that she can feel just how fucking much I want her.
“But,” she whimpers as I push my erection against her core. “I’m…”
“I know,” I murmur, bringing my mouth to hers once more while my free hand snakes around the back of her dress and begins to unzip it. “Don’t worry,” I continue as it falls to her feet so that she stands in front of me in nothing but a bra and underwear. “I’ll take it slow.”
“Slow?” She repeats. “But you’re…”
“Ravishing you,” I finish, reaching up and grabbing her cheeks. “Don’t worry, princess, I won’t take this any further than you’re willing to go.”
As much as I wanted to rip her bra and underwear off so that I could fuck her right here and now, I knew that, as a virgin, it would take a bit for her to feel comfortable enough with me to go that far.
“Just relax,” I continue, reaching around and undoing her bra.
Licking my lips, I take in her breasts and erect nipples. Fuck, she truly was perfect, and now she was all mine, and I would fucking kill any bastard that got to see her like this.
“Is… something wrong?” Denali asks when I don’t move. “Maybe I should..."
“No,” I say slowly, understanding what she is probably thinking. It was clear that she was insecure about her scars from all the years of abuse. “Nothing is wrong,” I continue, beginning to kneel in front of her. “Everything is perfect.”
Leaning forward, I take one of her nipples into my mouth and begin to lick and suck it while Denali’s hands twist into my hair, holding me closer.
“Rosco,” she sighs, relaxing against the wall behind her.
“That’s it, princess,” I say, switching breasts. “Say my name.”
“Rosco,” she repeats, tightening her hold on me while I cup her free breast with one hand and continue to attack her other with my mouth. “I feel strange.”
“You’re turned on,” I chuckle, pulling away and taking in her flushed cheeks and her sparkling eyes. “It’s completely natural and nothing to be embarrassed of, but this is nothing compared to what I plan to do to you next.”
Gasping, she clings to me as I hook my fingers in her underwear and pull them down so that her pussy is exposed.
Keeping my gaze fixed on hers, I run my fingers along her slit and I am pleased to find that it is wet. But I plan on making her so much wetter.
“Be a good girl and spread your legs for me, princess,” I growl, inhaling her delicious scent. “I can’t make you feel good otherwise.”
“O-okay,” Denali squeaks, obediently doing what I asked. “Is this wide enough?”
“It is,” I respond, “now just enjoy.”