Page 67 of Alpha Chained
“Oh my God, Riot! Come with me now!” I plead, clinging to him desperately.
“Raura,” he gasps, his eyes flying open to meet mine before burying his face in my neck. “Raura… You’re mine.” He stiffens and then drives himself so deep inside me that it’s hard to tell where he ends, and I begin.
And in that moment, as our bodies find release, I know this is right. He’s my mate. The one Fate created to complete me. Which is funny because until now, I never realized that I wasn’t whole. I could have gone my whole life without knowing this feeling.
But now that I do, I never want to let it go.
It feels like it takes an eternity for the ripples to finally fade away. My hair is damp with sweat, my body coated in it, my limbs limp. I’m sated.
There’s wonder in his face when he finally looks at me.
“Is that okay?” I ask softly. “What I said before… I don’t want you to think—”
“Stop.” He puts a finger to my lips. “This is good now. Just like this. This is perfect.”
“It is,” I agree. As he rolls off me, I curl against him when he slides an arm around me to pull me close. “This is perfect,” I echo. Warmth fills me, covering me in a blanket of pure contentment.
How the hell did I reach this point in my life without knowing any of this?
“Do you want to talk about it?” I ask him, looking up at the strong lines of his face. Just the sight of him makes my breath quicken again.
He shakes his head. “I’m happy just like this.”
“Me too.” I nuzzle closer.
“Good,” he says. “Then rest,” he tells me.
So I do.
???
Riot
She doesn’t wake when I lift her in my arms and carry her down the short hallway that I’m guessing leads to her bedroom. Nudging the door open with my foot, I look around at the little creamy haven of tranquility. I can imagine her asleep here. It’s soft and feminine. It makes me feel welcome. Wanted. Just like she does.
Setting her down on the queen-sized bed, I reach for the cover and tug it over her. It’s a pity to be covering up so much loveliness, but there’s a chill in the air. She needs to be warm.
And I’m not going to be here to warm her.
She stirs as I arrange the pillows beneath her head, plumping them up a little. I go still.
“Riot?” she murmurs, reaching out to me.
“Shhh…” I soothe, taking her hand and raising it to my mouth. “I’m right here.” I graze her knuckles with my lips.
“Oh. Good.” Her lips curl up. “I’m glad. I don’t like it when I can’t feel you close.”
“I know.” My throat tightens. “Me, too.” Setting her hand underneath the quilt, I pull it up over her shoulders, tucking it around her. She looks so sweet and content curled up in the downy bedclothes. I’d give anything to lie down behind her and mold my body to her back. To hold her close.
But I can’t.
She makes a small sighing noise. “So tired.”
“That’s okay,” I murmur. “Sleep, my love.”
My love…
It just feels right, so I don’t regret saying it.