Christmas with the Grumpy Alpha (Feuding Hearts Christmas)

6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Tanner

Before I can think better of it, I close the distance between us, capturing her lips with mine.

The moment our mouths meet, it’s like the world disappears—everything fades except the feel of her softness against me.

Her lips are warm and inviting, and every nerve in my body ignites, and a rush of heat explodes inside of me.

The feeling is unexplainable.

Undefinable. Incomparable to anything else.

I can feel her melt into the kiss, her lips responding with soft but urgent pressure.

My hand finds the small of her back, gently pulling her against me, closer, until there’s no space left between us. I can feel her heart beating wild against me.

Her mouth opens, and I can’t hold back the low, strangled sound that escapes me as the kiss deepens, filling me with a longing I haven’t felt in years.

Her need matches mine, her fingers gripping the fabric of my shirt, pulling me even closer as if the kiss isn’t enough. And maybe it isn’t, because every second I have her in my arms makes me crave more.

She cups the back of my neck with her own hand and presses herself firmly against my body, her other hand tracing the light stubble on my jaw, traveling further down to the smoothness of my chest.

I grab Lena’s legs and pick her up as if she weighs nothing.

She wraps her legs around my waist and sighs softly, running her fingers through my hair, tangling and untangling it repeatedly.

Her mouth does not leave mine, and she kisses me with a feverish passion as if she intends to devour me whole.

We move down the hallway like this, with me stopping every few steps to briefly pin Lena against the wall and reestablish my grip on her. I don’t put her down, even when we’ve reached the door and when we’re standing right before my room.

With one hand, I fumble desperately for the key inside my pocket, my breath coming out in quick rasps. Once I’ve found it, I fling open the door and head inside, into the dimly lit quarters of my room.

“Put me down,” Lena mumbles into my ear, nibbling it briefly and making me grunt with pleasure. I lay her down on the bed and rise back up, taking in the sight of her sprawled form.

One of the straps on Lena’s dress has come loose and is hanging off her shoulders.

“What are you waiting for?” She asks me breathlessly. “You better make a move before I come to my senses.”

I don’t move. My eyes are traveling all over her and my mouth is parted slightly, my breath whistling out through it.

“You’re beautiful,” I whisper to her.

Lena rolls her chestnut eyes again. “Now’s not the time for flattery, big bad Alpha. You already have me in your room. For once in your life, stop talking and put that irritating mouth to better use.”

I don’t need any more encouragement.

I fall on top of her, my body pressing down against hers, my lips hot against her own.

My fingers probe her bare thigh, running teasingly down her skin. I scratch and massage it slowly, making her squirm beneath me.

Lena tries unsuccessfully to unbutton my shirt, her hands shaking too much.

After a few seconds of watching her struggle, I grab the irritating cloth by its collar and simply yank it from my body, tearing it in the process.

And then I press against Lena once again, more eager than ever, hungrier than I’ve ever felt myself to be.

She gasps and shivers beneath me, feeling my lips running down her neck, trailing an exquisite path of kisses down her collarbone and further still to the indent of her cleavage.

Her hands fiddle with my belt and a moment later pull it from my waist. Two seconds later I feel my pants being pushed to the floor, exposing my thighs to the chill in the room.

“Huh,” I grunt against her neck, my fingers pulling down her dress’s remaining strap. “Can’t wait to get your hands on me, can you?”

“Can’t wait to see the day you stop being a smartass for once,” she growls, and pulls my lips towards her. I peel her dress from her body, before making contact with her naked skin.

The surge of power is immediate and intense, intense enough to shake even me, despite the heated situation.

" Take her. " My inner wolf howls victoriously, celebrating the closeness and encouraging me to go even further.

I give him what he wants.

Finally, after an excruciating day of patience, I finally give in to my raging desire. The remaining few barriers of cloth between us are discarded.

I bite my lip, stifling a groan as Lena’s fingertips graze my skin.

Her breath hitches as I trail my fingers over her bare breasts, circling her tight nipples, swollen with desire.

"Tease," she pants, her fingers digging into my shoulders. "You... you're killing me, Tanner."

I chuckle, the sound vibrating through my chest, and bend to capture a taut peak between my teeth, tugging gently.

Lena arches her back, pressing herself into my waiting mouth. My tongue swirls and teases, lavishing attention on her sensitive flesh.

With one hand, I trail a path of fire down her quivering stomach, dipping into her navel, and further still, until I reach the wet heat of her core. She's already sopping, her juices flowing freely, coating my fingers as I slip them between her folds.

"Oh..." she whimpers, her hips bucking against my hand. "Tanner... please..."

"Please what, Lena? Tell me what you want." I croon, my breath hot against her ear as I dip my fingers deeper, curling them to find that spot, that magic button that has her crying out.

"There," she pants. "Yes... right there. Don't stop..."

I don't. I work her with my fingers, crooking and pressing, rubbing and circling, driving her wild. Her hips buck against my hand, her breathing becoming more ragged as her pleasure builds.

"Oh, God... Oh... Oh..." she moans, her eyes fluttering closed as her back arches. "I'm... I'm going to, Oh!"

Her pussy clenches around my fingers, milking them as she rides out her climax, her juices flowing freely. But I don't stop. I keep working her through it, curling my fingers to stroke that magic spot, elongating her orgasm until she's sobbing with pleasure.

"No more... Can't take more..." she gasps, her nails digging into my arms.

I chuckle, the sound deep and satisfied. "Just getting started, beautiful."

With that, I position myself at her entrance, the tip of my throbbing cock teasing her wet heat. "Tell me if you want me to stop, Lena," I whisper.

"Don't you dare," she growls, her hands gripping my ass, pulling me towards her. "Now, Tanner! Now!"

I thrust into her, burying myself to the hilt, reveling in the tightness that envelops me. Lena's head tosses back, a strangled cry escaping her throat as I fill her completely.

I withdraw slowly, my eyes fixed on where we're connected, and then I snap my hips forward, driving into her once more.

"Fuck... You feel so good," I grit out, my eyes sliding closed as pleasure rolls through me.

Lena's inner walls grip me like a velvet vise, milking my cock as I piston in and out, building a delicious friction that has my balls drawing tight.

I vary my pace, sometimes slow and deep, sometimes fast and fierce, driving us both to the brink of madness. Lena meets me thrust for thrust, her hips snapping up to greet each drive of my cock.

"Harder..." she begs, her nails raking down my back. "Give it to me harder, Tanner."

I comply, my hips a blur as I pound into her, the bed creaking and groaning with the force of each thrust.

"That's it... That's it..." Lena pants. "Yes... Yes... Oh, fuck..."

Her words dissolve into a scream of pleasure as she shatters around me, her pussy clenching and unclenching my cock like it's trying to pull the very essence from me.

But I hold on, my balls drawn painfully tight, battling against the tsunami of pleasure that threatens to overwhelm me.

"Come for me, Tanner," Lena gasps, her hands cupping my face, pulling me down for a passionate kiss. "Let go..."

And then, with those words, I do.

The pleasure explodes through me like a nuclear bomb, turning my vision white. I cry out Lena's name as my release rushes through me, wave after wave of bliss seizing my body.

My inner wolf sends a single word:

Mine.

Much later, when we have reached the point of complete exhaustion, we lie beside each other, completely spent. Lena’s soft snores fill the room.

Her hair messily covers her forehead, obscuring her face. But she still somehow manages to look beautiful, despite the rawness of her appearance.

I let my eyes rest on her, aware of the quiet that has fallen inside my mind and body, now that I have finally given my wolf what it wants.

Or what it wants for the time being, at least.

I know that this is not the end of it. It will make more demands of me later once the post-sex euphoria fades completely.

Mate, it growls tiredly from within as if to prove my point.

Quiet, I tell it irately, no longer in the mood for games. The fog of desire in my mind has parted momentarily, and in the clarity accompanying it, I’m beginning to realize a few things. Things that still haven’t changed, despite the change in my emotions.

She cannot be my mate , I think to myself dully, and instantly feel my inner wolf bristle in agitation.

I tell it to shush once again. It’s been given what it wants. It can’t have everything.

Yes, what happened just now was incredible, better than anything I could have possibly imagined, but that still doesn’t mean anything.

A great experience doesn’t change reality itself.

Before I can dwell further on these thoughts, my phone buzzes beside me, breaking the room’s silence and Lena’s rhythmic tempo of soft snores. Frowning to myself, wondering who could be texting me at such a late hour, I pick it up and look at the screen.

Derek.

My muscles tighten with worry when I see his name on the screen. A stab of guilt pierces through me, guilt at what I have just done with my brother’s ex-girlfriend.

Yes, they’re no longer together, and she’s a free woman who can choose who she wants to be with.

And yes, Derek is someone who I’ve never been close to, someone who’s always spoken ill of me and wished even worse. But despite all these things, the guilt still stays, clinging stubbornly to me.

It is only once I’ve read the message that it changes into anger.

Derek : Looks like little brother’s beating you to the punch, huh? First one to get a mate, and soon enough, heirs. What kind of Alpha are you if you can’t even do that much?

My jaw clenches. The anger overtakes me, and I have to put the phone aside before I crack it in half.

Here it is again; that same old worry has come to haunt me again. That same old problem I’ve been dealing with for ages, intent on spoiling the best moments of my life with its presence.

And the worst part is that it’s true. Derek’s right.

As much as I loathe admitting that, there’s no shying away from the truth.

I am the Alpha of my pack.

As an Alpha, it is my first and foremost duty to secure a suitable mate who will expand our lineage.

These are the only things that matter, especially to my family, for whom they’re the only metrics of success that exist. And it seems like Derek has managed to beat me in them.

My gaze drifts back to Lena, and my inner wolf rises to its feet and grunts excitedly, swishing its tail inside me, trying to convey its point.

Mate! Mate! It cries, trying to make me understand.

No , I tell it sharply. No way. Lena is not the solution to this problem. Making her my mate won’t make this go away.

Won’t it? This voice isn’t from my wolf. This is from my own conscience, a thing that speaks when I’m trying to bullshit myself.

It won’t, I answer firmly, turning my face away from the girl sleeping peacefully next to me. No matter what, we cannot have a future together.

It just isn’t possible.