Sylvia's Torment (Enforcers and Coterie Book 2) (17 page)

“Oh, you didn’t…I mean, you’re still...” She stumbled over her words as she gestured to his very hard cock.

“It’s okay. I can go to the bathroom and take care of it.” A pretty blush flooded her cheeks as she realized what he meant. As he moved to leave the bed, she placed a hand on his shoulder. He froze, not daring to hope. When she kissed her way down his body, he hastily gripped the headboard again, unable to believe his luck. Sylvia wanted to pleasure him.

Bliss. Ecstasy.

A moan tore from his throat as she drew him into her mouth. He almost came when she gripped the base of his cock with her hand and stroked him. He wouldn’t last long and decided to give himself over to the pleasure. A few more strokes and sucks from her and he was nearly there.

“I’m going to come,” he ground out. “If you don’t want a mouthful, better stop sucking now.”

She amazed him as she continued sucking, and then thought became impossible as his world exploded. He jetted into her mouth, and she greedily took everything he had. When he was done, she gently licked him clean then kissed the head.

“Thank you. That was amazing,” he said, marveling at how peaceful he felt. His eyes fluttered shut, and before he could help it, he fell asleep.

Chapter Twenty -Two

He fell asleep
. Huh. Insulted or flattered?

Wait a minute, this was her bed now. He should be sleeping in her old room, not here. Each morning she woke alone as Derek would leave after she drifted off. Should she wake him up and kick him out? As soon as the thought entered her mind, she felt horrible. He’d spent the last eight hours patrolling the city
,
and it was now past midnight. He had to be exhausted.

Resigned to a long, sleepless night without his voice lulling her into peacefulness, she sprawled out next to him, making sure no parts of her body touched his. Even with the cold air from the open window, neither of them needed the sheets, as their bodies ran hot.

A slow exhale as she relaxed each part of her body, starting with her toes and working her way up to her neck. She deliberated on whether to get dressed, then dismissed it as too much effort. Settled in her spot, little by little, she drifted into a dreamless sleep.

Mmm, such delicious heat. It encased her whole body. She couldn’t remember where she was, but she never wanted to leave. She yawned and stretched, her body rubbing against warm, naked skin, rough hairs tickling her legs.

Uh, rough hairs? Naked skin?

Last night rushed back to her, searing her with the clarity of what she had done to Derek and had let him do to her. His mouth and tongue would now star in her fantasies.

She’d indulged in oral sex with her Alpha. What was she thinking?

Well, obviously thinking hadn’t factored into her actions. For a moment she wanted to die from embarrassment. Until she realized she had nothing to be ashamed of. They were both consenting adults with no other attachments. And, damn it, she had enjoyed last night too much to taint it. If he regretted it and didn’t want a repeat, then fine. But she refused to bow her head.

“I could get use to waking up like this.” His voice rumbled through his chest, and his arms tightened around her, skimming across her back and down to her butt.

Well, he definitely didn’t regret it. In fact, it appeared that he wanted a repeat right now, judging by the attention his erection gave her.

She waited for dread to envelop her, the suffocating fear of being trapped.

Nothing happened.

Instead, she was safe and protected. Loved and cherished.

They had met before her werewolf puberty hit, before she had merged with her wolf. Patient and kind, he had guided her through the rough, tumultuous emotions. Not once had he snapped at her or expressed frustration.

Later, he’d encouraged her to join the Enforcers. The structure and rules had settled her, and she had thrived within it. The discipline and her natural dominance had then helped her secure a spot as his Beta.

Was it any wonder she’d had a crush on him for so long, compared other men to him and always had them come up short? Now she was finally in his arms, exactly where she’d longed to be, and it felt as wonderful as she imagined.

“Oh damn, I’m sorry,” Derek said, contrite, and immediately withdrew his arms.

She whimpered, missing his warmth, and snuggled in closer.

“No, please. Touch me. I need you to touch me.” If she sounded desperate, so what?

He drew her close and rubbed his cheek against the top of her head.

“The pack will figure it out. My scent is all over you,” Derek stated, calm and unconcerned. “Will that bother you?”

“No. I don’t regret last night, and I don’t care if everyone knows. Although they might think you’ll treat me differently. Give me the easier duties and be overprotective,” Sylvia voiced her own secret fears.

She wasn’t a delicate ornament. Pretty to look at but too breakable for real use. She wouldn’t live a life on the sidelines, not after spending much of her adult wolf life as an Enforcer. She’d overcome her new quirks and go back to her job.

Any other outcome, unacceptable. And no way would she step down as Derek’s Beta.

A prestigious position and one she had worked damn hard to get. Gaining his trust and maintaining his high level of standards meant respect. She liked the admiration she received from her peers and subordinates.

Derek chuckled and tightened his arms around her. “I think I can manage to treat you the same as the others. I’ve wanted you for a while, and no one can say I’ve been easy on you. You earned your position because of your dedication and sheer stubbornness. I swear, you’re the only one who has the balls to stand up to me, and I like that about you.”

“What? Really? Why didn’t you tell me?” So she was right, he had been romancing her with his late night visits. How sweet.

His body moved against her as he shrugged, and he settled his thigh between her legs, lightly rubbing her. His hands caressed her back, soothing her. A kiss on the top of her head, and he sighed.

“Victor.” His short answer confused her.

What did Victor have to do with any of this? They’d been friends for years but nothing more. When she was with him, she did wonder what sex would be like with him. A good-looking man, it was a natural thought. However, she only wanted a friendship with him, nothing more.

“I don’t understand. Victor and I are friends.”

“Didn’t seem that way to me.”

“Wait, do you think I’m sleeping with Victor? What the hell?!” She smacked his arm.

Outraged, she tried pushing him away, livid that he’d seduced her when he thought she was with Victor. Granted, most werewolves didn’t have many monogamous relationships until they met their lifemate; however, they discussed it beforehand.

“Settle.” He wrapped his authority around his words.

She stopped fighting, unable to deny him.

Her body stiffened as she realized what he had done to her, and she hissed, “Never use your Alpha abilities against me again. If we are fighting, you go toe to toe with me or we’re done right now. You are
not
the Alpha when we are in bed.”

A few times he’d used his control on her. Those times had been necessary. Naked in bed while arguing, it felt like a violation. It gave him an unfair advantage and reduced her to nothing more than a doll, a puppet whose strings he pulled.

“I’m sorry. Truly I am. I forgot myself.” Derek released her, giving her space as he sprawled out on the bed, one arm over his face.

With both of them on top of the sheets, his body was on view for her and she drank in her fill. A tingle danced along her spine, marveling anew that he was next to her, that he actually wanted
her
.

And oh boy, did he want her.

She refused to be distracted, though. Even if the distraction was damn pleasing. “Spill it. Why now if you were avoiding me due to Victor? What changed?”

He peeked out from under his arm and appeared to weigh what he wanted to tell her. Making up his mind, he dropped his arm and pulled himself into a sitting position, his back against the headboard. He held out his hand, silently asking her to join him.

She crawled up the bed, enjoying the way his pupils expanded. Shifting, she sat next to him, entwining her pale white legs with his dark chocolate ones. She loved the contrast of their skin. He snaked an arm around her side and pulled her close, his dark hand spread over her stomach. Her head rested on his chest, and she listened to the soothing thump of his heart.

“The night Victor came here, he told me you two weren’t lovers. That you’d never been lovers. It made me rethink the reasons why I let you slip through my fingers.” His hand tightened on her, squeezing her almost painfully close. “When those bastards abducted you, I went a little crazy. I needed to get you back, for my sake and for the pack’s sake. I…I care about you deeply, and I didn’t react very well to you being gone. That also made me reassess why I kept you at a distance.”

“So where do you want to go from here?” Sylvia asked.

Treated like a dirty little secret, not happening. Not that they could hide anything from the pack. And she certainly didn’t want to be part of a harem. Greedy and selfish, she wouldn’t share him with anyone else. She’d heard rumors of his sexual conquests. Hard not to, even when she tried to avoid the gossip. A twinge of jealousy shot through her, but she pushed it aside. The past was the past.

Werewolves had voracious appetites in all things. If she hadn’t met Derek so soon after her appetites had awoken, she would’ve enjoyed several long-term partners in the past few decades. It was hard to work up any interest in another man when they couldn’t compare to Derek. And a pale imitation wouldn’t satisfy her. Oh, she had tried, hoping to shake her unhealthy obsession with him. Each encounter left her depressed and unsatisfied.

She was tired of fighting her attraction to him. Tired of pretending she didn’t want him. If she only had him for a little while, then so be it. It would destroy part of her to step aside when the time came and watch him with his lifemate, but she’d regret it more if she never took the chance. Maybe it’d be centuries before he’d meet his mate.

Finding her own lifemate seemed unlikely. Derek already had a huge chunk of her heart.

“I want a relationship. A monogamous one. As I said, I don’t share very well,” he began slowly, thinking over the edicts.

“The same goes for you then. No other women,” she interrupted him.

He snorted. “Trust me, that won’t be an issue. I won’t have anyone but you in my bed. If you decide you want someone else, let me know and I’ll release you from this. No hard feelings. You’ll also remain as a Beta. I won’t give you special treatment because you’re sharing my bed.”

Now it was her turn to snort. “As if I’d want special treatment. You damn well better treat me the same as the others. I’ve worked too hard for this position to have it screwed up. I don’t want anyone to think I got it simply because I lifted tail.”

A shudder went through Derek, and she wondered if her crude words shocked him. When she glanced up at him through her lashes, she realized he was laughing.

She smacked him on the stomach, unsure if she should be offended by his humour.

“And what’s so funny?” she demanded.

“Anyone who thinks you got the Beta position due to lifting tail has never met you. Ha! You’re one of the few people who stand up to me. The Coterie and Zmitro belong to that small handful, and even some of them quake inwardly over it. I’ve heard the stories muttered when we’ve walked by at Headquarters, awe-filled voices talking about how you’ve whipped me.”

“What? You let people say that? Why wouldn’t you stop them?” She pulled back, amazed he’d let others say she had him pussy-whipped. Another Alpha would tear that person apart.

“Why would I?” He looked at her, astonished. “It’s true. I’m wrapped around your little finger, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. You’ve owned me for a long time. You just didn’t know it. And no, I never went easy on you. In fact, sometimes I went too hard because I was trying to overcompensate for my feelings for you. Zmitro gave me hell a few times for it. He thought you’d rage-quit. You never did. You gave as good as you got.”

Her chest puffed a little with pride at his words. This amazing man respected her and admitted he was hers and hers alone. She tilted her head, offering herself up for a kiss. He obliged by sealing her lips with his. Turning her body, she half rolled onto him with one leg resting between his. His chest firm against hers, she ran her nails down his side before gripping his hip.

He threaded one hand into her hair, cupping the back of her head, keeping her still. The other hand made its way down to her butt and held her tight. She realized this is what she’d missed last night, his hands on her.

Derek rolled her onto her back, settling himself between her thighs. His hard length pressed against her, and she moaned.

Her fears lingered, but she pushed them to the deep recesses of her mind. He’d never hurt her, never push her further than she could handle. His touch caused ecstasy, not fear. She didn’t feel trapped or smothered. Instead, she could fly.

He’d always been her safe haven. She just hadn’t realized it until this morning.

He broke off the kiss, leveraged his upper body with his arms and peered down at her. “Would you prefer me not to touch? Whatever makes you feel safe, I’ll do it.” His sincerity and willingness to make her happy proved she’d made the right choice.

She smiled seductively. “I want you to touch me. I need it. In fact, I demand it. I want your hands, mouth and tongue on me. No holding back.”

He closed his eyes and groaned. “Damn it woman, my control is already hanging on by a thread. Saying something like that doesn’t help.”

Keeping his weight on his arms, he closed the gap between their bodies. A light nuzzle on her neck as he murmured, “I’m going to hold you to your word. I’m going to ravish you until you can’t move.”

A loud rap at the door caused Sylvia to jump and had Derek swearing. He dropped his head onto her shoulder and exhaled in frustration. His breath tickled her sensitive skin.

“Damn it. It must be something important. Go to the bathroom. Take a shower. I’ll deal with whoever it is. And then hopefully I’ll join you.”

She laughed at his crestfallen expression and pushed him off her.