#Chapter 90 – Feelings
Sinclair
Ella is as stiff as a board in my arms, frozen in shock to find my lips suddenly on hers, cutting off her bitter tirade. Of course, that only lasts a moment. As soon as the stubborn creature realizes what I’m about, she begins pushing at my shoulders, becoming increasingly agitated when they won’t budge. She squirms and struggles, clearly outraged that I kissed her when she was trying to be angry with me. I can practically hear her objections in my mind you’re not playing fair! She would say, shooting daggers with her eyes.
Damn straight I would answer, my thoughts conjuring the conversation our bodies are already having.
I rumble softly, and Ella whines – it’s a sweet, plaintive sound as her body tries to resist the pull of desire, but I ruthlessly gobble it up. I show her no mercy, caressing her lithe body and devouring her soft murmurs of protest until she melts against me, slanting her mouth beneath mine in total surrender. She whimpers when she finally gives in, as if she doesn’t know why she even bothered trying to fight this.
I can taste Ella’s blood from the cut on her lip, and my inner wolf groans with pleasure. Unlike our horror film counterparts the vampire, shifters don’t have any interest in consuming blood. But it’s inevitable to taste the blood of one’s mate when delivering a claiming mark, and the flavor has an undeniably Pavlovian effect. I may not want the crimson liquid for nourishment, but I certainly crave the taste of Ella’s. It’s rich and sweet, and instantly has me thinking about how other parts of her must taste.
Ella’s salty tears drip onto my questing lips, but though she cries, she also clings to me with all her might. Her arms have locked around my neck, and she’s pressing her soft curves against me with an urgency I understand all too well. My tongue slips past her lips as I rearrange her in my arms, guiding her to straddle my lap so that I can feel her plump breasts and beaded nipples against my chest. So that I can slide my hands down to the curve of her bottom and press my hardness into her soft center, to help her move against me and find pleasure – even through the fabric of our clothes.
Ella responds to me so naturally, so passionately. I barely need to apply any pressure to affect her movement. It’s as if she’s reading my mind, our bodies speaking the same love language, completely in tune with one another. Her fingers slide into my hair, closing around the dark locks as if she’s afraid she needs to hold me in place, lest I take my mouth away. I hold her more tightly, letting her feel my strength and purring when a little thump against my abdomen tells me that the baby is awake and thriving.
I could kiss her for a thousand years and never get bored, I realize. Never get tired of her taste, or grow immune to the feel of her beautiful body in my arms. Never want for another.
She’s perfect. My wolf agrees. We have to claim her. She’s strong enough to handle it.
I won’t hurt her. I insist. I’m painfully aware of how delicate she is, how fragile her human form is next to my own. It’s enough to make me stop handling her so roughly, suddenly afraid I might break her. Ella growls in protest, that same indignant sound that never ceases to fill my heart with warmth.
You see. My wolf argues. She can take it she needs this too.
I purr in apology, sliding my hand in her long, silky hair and clenching it into a fist, holding her head steady as I continue ravishing her. I steal kiss after kiss from her sweet lips, until they’re swollen and red for reasons that have nothing to do with her self-inflicted bite. Our breathing is ragged, and Ella’s heart is beating so loudly that I don’t have to wonder if it’s racing as fast as my own – it is.
The scent of her arousal is impossible to ignore in the small space, and the sensation of her grinding against my arousal is enough to make me fear I might come in my slacks like an inexperienced schoolboy. I groan, dragging my mouth from hers to try and catch my breath. Instead I kiss my way over her jaw and nibble one delectable earlobe, eliciting a sultry moan that makes the hard member between my legs leap with excitement.
Down boy, I think in exasperation. Our first time with Ella is not going to be frantic and rushed in the back of a limo.
Ella pulls away from me then, and I realize she must have been startled by the movement – enough to break out of the haze of lust. Her eyes are red-rimmed and her pupils so dilated that her gold irises are a slender ring around the great black pools. Her skin is flushed bright pink, and her hair disheveled. It’s a nearly irresistible sight, one that makes me want to go back on my earlier decision not to claim her. No other man should ever be allowed to see my Ella in this state.
“Dominic, this isn’t right.” She announces, still trying to catch her breath.
“It feels right to me.” I reply, resisting the urge to look down at her heaving bosom to see if her breasts are as flushed as the rest of her. Instead I pin her with my dark gaze, massaging her nape and willing her to come back into my embrace.
“That’s not the point.” Ella insists, sounding as though she might be on the verge of tears again. “Stop looking at me that way!”
“What way?” I clarify, furrowing my brow with concern. “What is the point?”
“Like I’m a rabbit your wolf wants to eat for dinner.” She exclaims. “And the point is that I’m done letting you jerk me around and toy with my feelings!”
“What feelings?” I question, ignoring the first part of her statement. She’s not wrong – my wolf would undoubtedly like to feast on her, just not in the way she means. Again I know I should clear the air between us, but I’m afraid if I do she won’t confess her true emotions. This misunderstanding has provided me with leverage too valuable to ignore, and I might be an asshole for using it against her, but it’s more important to get to the bottom of this. I’ve suspected that Ella has been holding herself back from me for reasons other than disinterest for some time now, and I’m done letting her get away with it. “I thought you didn’t want to be with me?”
“Dominic, why are you so determined to ask me questions when the answers aren’t important?” She hisses angrily. “You’ve made your choice, that’s all that matters.”
“Just tell me, Ella.” I command, sending some of my Alpha authority into my voice. She might not be a wolf, but her instincts are plenty strong. It might be the baby, or she might just be one of those humans who’s more in touch with their primal selves either way she responds to my dominance as naturally as she breathes air.
Ella shivers as my power washes over her, and I’m amazed to see her fight it. “No!” She bursts out, furious even as she tucks a proverbial tail between her legs. “I don’t have to! You might
run the world but you can’t make me open my heart to you. You can’t demand I make myself vulnerable with you that’s my decision.”
–
My wolf wants to growl at her defiance, but I can hear the hurt and fear in her voice. Damn it. I realize. She’s right, I’m being an ass. I want the truth, but I don’t want to hurt her to get it. As I ponder my mistake, the car comes to a stop in front of my mansion, sliding into a parking space on the opposite side of the street from the house.
Before I can apologize for letting this misunderstanding persist to serve my own selfish desires, my driver opens the door to allow us out of the car. Ella promptly slides out, and my chauffeur tactfully averts his gaze from her disheveled state. She stomps onto the paved sidewalk, wrapping her arms protectively around herself as she looks from right to left, checking the road is clear before preparing to cross.
I follow suit, exiting the vehicle and going after her. “Ella, I’m sorry.” I pronounce earnestly.
She pauses, turning back in the middle of the empty street. “Don’t be haven’t done anything wrong.”
you were right, you
The screech of tires fills the air as a car suddenly emerges from a parking spot a few spaces down from our own. To my horror and disbelief, it accelerates as fast as it can, heading straight towards Ella.
