Chapter 22: Wants Me

Olivia’s POV

​I locked my arms around his neck, burying my face into the crook of his collarbone like my life depended on it. My chest was heaving, my bare heart hammering against his shirt as terror coursed through my veins.

​"Kill it!" I cried out, my voice trembling violently against his skin. "Lucian, please! Just kill it!"

​I waited for the sound of his boots moving, for the shift of his body as he attacked whatever creature was lurking near my bed. But he didn’t move an inch. Instead, a low, quiet vibration started in his chest.

​Then, I heard it—a soft, mocking scoff.

​My brows pulled together in confusion. Why the hell was he scoffing? Slowly, I lifted my head from his shoulder, my eyes finding his face. Lucian was looking down at me, his sharp jawline set, but there was a dark, wicked smirk dancing across his lips. He was actually smiling.

​My heart skipped a beat, but not from fear this time.

​I turned my head around in panic, scanning the bedroom wall, the floor, the edge of the mattress, the dark corners near the wardrobe. Nothing. There was no snake. There was nothing.

​The bastard lied.

​A hot wave of pure fury rushed to my cheeks, and I whipped my head back to look at him. "You bastard!" I snapped, my voice laced with anger. "There isn’t a snake! You lied to me!"

​His smile only widened.

​And that was the exact moment reality crashed over me like a bucket of ice water.

​The towel. Where was the towel? My eyes dropped to the floor behind him.

​Oh, shit.

​I wasn’t wearing a single thread of clothing. I was completely, utterly naked, wrapped around Alpha Lucian like a vine. My bare breasts were pressed flat against his thick shirt, my legs were locked tightly around his waist, and his large, warm hands were cupping my bare ass to hold me up firmly in place. Moon Goddess, please kill me now.

​"Put me down!" I gasped, my face burning as I frantically squirmed to climb off him. "Let me down right now!"

​Instead of releasing me, Lucian’s eyes darkened, and his grip tightened, his hands digging deeper into my bare cheeks. Before I could even register his next move, he moved like lightning. He took two long strides forward and threw me onto the mattress.

​I hit the soft sheets with a shocked gasp, but before I could even scramble backward, his heavy, muscular body climbed onto the bed right over me. He grabbed both of my wrists in one swift motion, pinning them flat against the mattress above my head.

​"What are you doing?!" I cried out, my chest heaving in shock as I looked up at the towering shadow of my husband. "What the hell?"

​"What?" he purred, his voice dropping into a deep, gravelly tone that sent an unwanted shiver down my spine. "You’re my wife."

​"That doesn’t mean you can just....let go of me, Lucian!" I swallowed hard, the heavy weight of his body pressing me into the mattress.

​He didn’t listen. He didn’t even acknowledge my plea. Instead, the amusement slowly disappeared from his face, replaced by something much heavier, hotter. His dark eyes dropped down, scanning every bare inch of my body until they settled directly on my chest.

​"Stop staring at me," I spat, pulling against his grip.

​He didn’t. I felt my skin begin to tingle under his intense gaze. It was embarrassing, infuriating, and terrifying all at once. As his eyes burned into my exposed nipples, a betrayal happened within my own body—my nipples hardened right before his eyes under the intensed intensity of his stare.

​I fought the tingling sensation rushing through my core, trying with all my strength to push him off, but he felt like a solid boulder sitting on top of me.

​Suddenly, his eyes darkened, shifting from their usual cold green to a stormy, midnight gray.

​"I want you," he growled.

My eyes widened in panic. "What? No... no, no..."

​I tried to shake my head, but then I felt it. The rigid hardness of his cock pressing directly between my thighs through his pants.

​"Alpha Lucian..." I stammered, my breath hitching in my throat. "You said you didn’t want me! You called me a whore. You said I would never have a place beside you."

​"I remember what I said," he whispered cold-bloodedly, cutting me off, "Well, now I want you."

​"And now you suddenly want me?" My lips parted in disbelief. Apparently, Alpha Lucian could announce something like that as casually as changing his dinner plans.

​"Yes." His green eyes seemed darker than before.

​"Are you saying no to your husband?" he asked, his gaze locked onto mine. For once, there was no teasing in his expression.

​I swallowed hard, forcing myself to glare up into his darkened eyes. I should have told him no. I should have pushed him away and reminded myself that this man was my enemy.

​Instead, I whispered, "You said you would never touch me."

​His gaze dropped to my lips. "That was before."

​"Before what?"

​His eyes moved over my face. "Before you became impossible to ignore."

​My heart slammed against my ribs. Before I could process his words or draw another breath, Lucian bent his head down and captured my left nipple straight into his mouth.

A loud, helpless gasp escaped my lips.

​His lips moved roughly against my skin, and every thought inside my head scattered. Lucian shifted his grip, locking both of my wrists above my head with just one of his massive hands. His free hand traveled down my ribs, his long fingers rough and warm as they began to stroke and tease my other nipple. He pulled my flesh into his mouth, sucking hard, his warm tongue swirling over the sensitive peak until I was whimpering beneath him.

​I didn’t know what I was supposed to feel. He hated me. I hated him. I hated everything about him. I tried desperately to remember why this was a terrible idea. He was Lucian. Enemy. Dangerous. Hates me. There. Four excellent reasons.

​but My body apparently didn’t care about any of them. For some twisted, unexplainable reason, a thick, burning heat began pooling deep in my stomach, and I felt my pussy getting undeniably wet. Traitor. My own body was a complete traitor.

​His cock hardened even more against my hip, pressing firmly into my bare flesh. A deep, primal groan rumbling from his chest echoed against my skin as he sucked harder, devouring me like a starving predator.

​Suddenly, he used his knee to force my legs wider apart, slotting himself directly between my thighs.

​"Alpha Lucian..." I whimpered, trying to hold onto the tiny shred of sanity I had left.

​"Shhhhh," he hushed me softly against my breast.