Page 88 of Alpha Awakened

“I’m sorry,” he swiftly apologized and yanked his hand away. “I wasn’t trying to take it off.”

“Do you want me to?”

It was Dylan’s turn to freeze. Was Royce going to let him see his face? Slowly, he nodded. “Yes. I want you to take it off,” he answered honestly.

Ice rose up on his knees. His muscles rippled as he reached up, grabbed the hem of his balaclava and started to roll it up his neck.

Breathless, Dylan waited for the reveal.

The hard line of his jaw came into view first. Square. Stubbled with blond hair. A dip in the center of his chin. Then his nose. Stern and sharp. Slightly crooked from an old break and marred with a scar on the bridge. The balaclava went over his wide, intelligent brow. And then it was off. The final reveal was his hair — a shock of white blond cut low on the sides with a little length on top. Thick and straight, it was slightly longer than regulation allowed, but who was going to see it to reprimand him?

“Do you approve?” Royce asked once he was completely bared.

“I’d approve even if you were the ugliest motherfucker this side of the Mississippi.” Dylan reached up to trace his fingers along Royce’s jawline. “But you’re fucking gorgeous.”

“Hmmm.” Royce hummed softly. “Thank you.” He leaned down and brushed their noses together. “So are you.”

Dylan’s chest glowed with happiness at the way Royce kept scenting him. He loved that the usually standoffish alpha sought that connection. Sitting up, Dylan slid his hands into Royce’s hair. It felt like silk sliding over his fingers. “Towhead,” he teased.

Royce huffed a laugh. “Haven’t heard that in a long while.”

“Even if people could see your hair, they’d be too afraid of you to say it.”

“But you’re not afraid of me.”

Dylan shook his head. “Not even a little bit.”

“Good. I like that about you.”

A smug smile curled Dylan’s lips. “I knew you did.”

“Brat,” Royce said fondly, just as he pushed back inside him.

Dylan gasped, but it wasn’t a protest. He was more than ready for another round of sex with his lover. With Royce now unmasked, he got the full effect of his expressions, and it was wonderful. He could see the humor and tenderness as they kissed and teased each other. Saw the passion take over as his cheekbones grew flushed. He watched Royce’s jaw clench tight, a single muscle there jumping as he grew close to his climax. And finally, the beauty of him when he came.

Dylan moaned his way through his own orgasm. It was so close to the last that it was nearly a dry release, but it felt just as good.

When Royce pulled out of him, he didn’t go far. He got them both settled on their sides, pulled Dylan into his arms, and threw a leg over his hip. Dylan lay there, completely wrapped up with his alpha, happy and content. And then his stomach growled. Loudly.

Royce snorted a laugh. “I thought you weren’t hungry?”

“I wasn’t. But I guess I am now.”

“The food is on warm in the oven. We should go eat.”

Dylan knew he needed to get food in him, but he wasn’t ready to leave the comfort of their nest. He pressed his face into the curve of Royce’s neck and shook his head. “Don’t want to.”

“You have to eat,” Royce said. “I’ll bring the food in here, okay? I’ll be right back.”

Royce started to pull away from their embrace. Dylan held on as long as he could, immediately missing the warmth of Royce’s body once they were completely separated. He grabbed Royce’s pillow and hugged it to his chest as a substitute for his lover.

“I’m sorry I’m being clingy,” he said as he watched Royce stand.

“Don’t be sorry. This is normal and natural.” He cupped Dylan’s jaw, thumb brushing over his cheekbone. “Food is coming up in a few minutes,” he said before letting him go and leaving the room.

Dylan watched him go until he disappeared into the kitchen. His nose caught the scent of meat and his stomach growled again. He was hungry. But he was also still very much in heat. When Royce walked back into the room, tall body naked, cock heavy and swinging between powerful thighs, the heat swept over him in a firestorm. Fuck. Dylan sat up.

“Forget the food. I need you,” he said desperately.