Chapter 67: Bond
Lucas didn’t let her go. He couldn’t. His grip on her was firm but not forceful, as if he knew that the second he let go, she would vanish into thin air. She was trembling and he knew the bond was settling in, and Ava was feeling every ounce of it.
She was going to yell. Oh, he knew it. The moment she got her bearings, she would probably try to kill him, maybe even try to rip his heart out with her bare hands. And honestly? He wouldn’t even blame her. What he had done was his way of proving to her that he trusted her, that he wasn’t going to let anyone take her away from him. But he was an Alpha first, and in his world, love and leadership constantly collided, grinding against each other until someone broke.
Ava squirmed against him, her body tense with resistance, her hands pushing against his chest. But then, just as suddenly as she had fought him, her muscles slackened, her breath hitched, and a small, helpless sound escaped her lips.
"What did you do?" Her voice cracked. "Lucas, what did you do?"
He didn’t answer partly because he was still trying to form the words, but mostly because he was too caught up in the scent of her. She smelled wild, untamed and intoxicating. He had marked her. Sealed their bond. And now, her body was reacting in the only way it knew how.
Lucas gently tilted her head to the side, brushing his lips against the fresh mark on her neck. His tongue flicked over it instinctively, sealing the wound with his saliva, and Ava let out a sharp gasp. His own breath came raggedly now, his fingers flexing as he fought the pull of the bond until she was ready to totally give in to him.
He scooped her up in his arms and placed her on the bed.
"You..." she tried to snap at him, but her words broke off into a moan, her back arching slightly off the bed. She squeezed her eyes shut as if trying to will away the sensation, but it was no use.
She groaned in frustration, rolling her eyes. "You absolute son of a ..." But before she could finish her insult, another wave of desire rolled through her, stealing her breath. Her fingers clenched around his collar, her body betraying her yet again.
Lucas had to fix this. He had to make this right. He opened her towel, exposing her naked, delicious body.
Slowly, he traced his fingers down her chest down to her thighs. "Just breathe, Ava," he murmured.