Page 24 of Forged Alliances
Sierra nodded her appreciation before plunging in. The sweet tang of the sauce spread across her tongue, melding with the spice of the pepperjack. She had to keep herself from moaning out loud. Dax tackled his sandwich with the same desperation. Their type needed to fuel up more than most, and after the way they’d burned calories earlier, they’d both earned the meals. Within the span of minutes, the contents of their plates lay destroyed before them, the sandwiches a distant memory.
“So are you ready for tomorrow?” Sierra asked, wiping the remains of the sauce from her mouth.
Dax leaned back in his seat with his hands behind his head, putting those defined triceps on full display. “As ready as I’m going to be. If this is the path I have to take to get my land and my pack back, so be it.” His determination resonated with her, with the shared fierce protectiveness for their packs.
Sierra pulled out her wallet and dropped cash on the table. “I’ve got this.”
Dax reached out and swatted her cash out of the way, then grabbed his own wallet. “Bullshit you do. You carted my ass around all day and gave my pack support when we needed help the most. This is one drop in the bucket of what I owe you.” He reached out, his fingertips brushing against her wrist as his gaze honed in on her. “Please, let me do this much.” Even though she still felt stubborn about it, the hoarse scrape in his voice sold her.
“Fine,” she said, the word coming a little more spitefully than intended. She took a deep breath and let go of her resistance. “Thank you,” rolled out more softly.
The flirtation was one thing between them, an effortless dance she could get swept away in with ease. This back-and-forth sank its claws inside her and tugged, slicing deeper than she preferred. Even though Sierra tried to keep her distance, tried to ignore the pulse of the mating bond between them, Dax Williams had made his mark on her without fail. He was a charming smile and hot-as-hell promise at first, but the more experiences they shared and the more she revealed the hidden parts of herself, the deeper the gravity of their interactions settled in her marrow, striking a deep part of her she’d long buried.
“Let’s get rolling,” she rushed out, trying to ignore the thudding of her heartbeat that arrived with her realization. “You’ve got to be well rested for your fight.” His brows narrowed in confusion at the rush of her words, but she didn’t wait around to indulge, making her way through the taproom at top speed. Dax plunked the cash on the table and followed suit, slinking behind her. The second she stepped outside, the humid summer air painted every square inch of her skin.
He grabbed her shoulder, the touch drawing her to an immediate halt. She whipped around to face him.
“You go from self-assured one second to aggressive the next.” Dax stood behind her, eyes gleaming. “Look, I know the mating bond is difficult to ignore, but no one’s forcing you into anything.”
She stood in front of him, inches away, as the air charged between them. His blue eyes glowed in intensity, and her wolf surged, desperate to claim him.
Fuck it.
Sierra lunged in, her lips crushing against his. A growl ripped from his throat at the collision, one that hummed against her mouth. The ache inside her grew painful in its intensity, a swell more powerful than any she’d experienced before. His lips scraped against hers, his mouth hot and demanding as his big palms settled around her waist. Her grip tightened in his hair, tugging the short strands as she crashed against him again and again, demanding more.
Need surged through so strongly she could barely think, so strongly it short-circuited her functions, and all at once she prepared to drown under the wave.
A loud pop echoed through the air, sending both of them leaping away from each other. Sierra glanced around for the source of the sound to spot a car backfiring. After the pipe bombs the night before, she still reacted on instinct.
Sierra sucked in a deep, shaky breath, not only startled but overcome by the sheer power of the emotions sweeping through her. As she glanced back and met Dax’s gaze, understanding reflected there as if the same realization hit him too. When they made the step, the moment they went all the way, she couldn’t turn back. They’d be mated for life. Even though the idea no longer made her bolt, it that wasn’t the sort of decision to be made because her hormones accelerated into overdrive.
Dax ran a hand through his hair, his gaze skating the ground as sheepishness claimed them both.
Sierra broke through, regaining her control. “If you manage to win this thing, that’s just a taste of what’s coming your way,” she said with a wink, projecting more assurance than she felt.
Dax cracked a smile, the light returning to his gaze. “Well then, you better be prepared for the full onslaught once I take down these bastards challenging me.” The spark of a fight flickered in his expression, one that burned through her.
She bared her teeth in defiance, even though what surfaced between them had her teetering on the edge of a canyon.
“Bring it.”