Chapter 263
Chapter 263
Chapter 263
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Duke’s fingers tapped lightly on the steering wheel, the rhythm casual, yet there was nothing casual about the tension simmering inside the car.
Beside him, Carmen clutched the bouquet of deep crimson roses against her chest as if it were a shield, their scent mingling with the intoxicating pull of Duke’s scent that seemed to fill every corner of the vehicle. She kept her gaze fixed out the window, but the awareness between them was a living, breathing thing-raw, electric, undeniable. The bond thrummed in the air, tugging at her wolf, reminding her who sat only inches away.
Just when she thought she could endure the ride in strained silence, Duke moved. His right arm slid onto the center console with lazy precision, but the shift was deliberate. In the next heartbeat, his palm found the curve of her waist-her soft, delicate waist his wolf had already claimed as his-and his fingers pressed into the hollow of her back. A slow, teasing knead sent a jolt of heat tearing through her body.
A breathless sound escaped her before she could stop it, low and unguarded.
Her head snapped toward him, eyes wide, but Duke’s gaze stayed trained on the road, his face the picture of innocence. Only the faintest curve at the corner of his mouth betrayed him, and his hand remained exactly where it was-possessive, unyielding, infuriating.
Carmen’s heart raced, her wolf straining toward him even as her mind screamed for space. She bit down hard on her lip, fighting to keep her breathing steady. She couldn’t let Riley or Mia, seated in the back with Lucien Duskgrave, notice anything amiss.
But Mia’s voice still cut into the moment.
“Carmen, are you alright p>
“I’m fine-just… the roses, a thorn pricked me,” Carmen blurted, tilting the flowers so they hid Duke’s hand from view.
He gave a soft, private chuckle, his eyes glinting with the kind of mischief only a mate could get away with.
The rest of the ride stretched on like an eternity, each second a battle against the
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8:20 pm DD
Chapter 263
pull of the bond and the heat in her blood. By the time they reached the restaurant, Carmen’s skin was damp with a fine sheen of sweat.
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The moment the car stopped, she was out the door, her movements quick and almost frantic.
“Carmen, slow down,” Mia called after her, but Carmen only tossed over her shoulder, “I’ll just… be in the restroom p>
Inside, she splashed cold water over her face, gripping the sink and watching her reflection-flushed cheeks, wild eyes, and that traitorous tremor in her hands.
Get a grip, she told herself. He’s just a wolf. Your mate. The one whose scent is under your skin. The one who-damn it—shouldn’t be able to rattle you like this.
When she finally stepped out, she didn’t get far before colliding with a solid wall of heat and muscle.
Duke.
His arm came around her instantly, locking her against him as if he’d been waiting there just for this. “Well now,” he murmured, his voice a low rumble against her ear, “throwing yourself into my arms already, little wolf p>
His breath slid over the sensitive skin of her neck, and Carmen’s wolf shivered at the intimate burn of it. She shoved at his chest, but his hold only tightened.
“You just can’t leave me alone, can you?” she hissed, her voice trembling with equal parts fury and something far more dangerous.
He didn’t answer. Instead, with the kind of effortless strength that only an Beta- blooded wolf could wield, he backed her into the nearest restroom stall. The door clicked shut behind them, sealing them in a small, charged space that felt far too
warm.
“Duke!” she snapped, her chest rising and falling sharply. “This is the women’s
restroom p>
“No one’s here,” he said smoothly, his nose brushing through her hair, inhaling deeply as if he were starved for her scent. His wolf pushed forward, sending a pulse down the bond that curled hot in her belly.
Her hands pressed against him, but he caught them easily, pinning them above her
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8:21 pm DD
Chapter 263
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head against the stall wall. The proximity made the bond blaze to life, his heat seeping into her, his presence filling every inch of her awareness.
“What do you want?” she demanded, though her voice cracked under the weight of his nearness.
His lips curled into a slow, wicked smile. “What I want? You know damn well. Or did you think you could use me, take everything I gave you last night, and then walk away?” His voice was rough, a dangerous growl beneath the words, and his eyes glowed faintly with the feral light of his wolf.
“That-” she began, cheeks burning. “That was an accident. We can just… pretend nothing happened p>
His laugh was low and humorless. “An accident? No, little wolf. That was fate. That was the bond snapping into place. And I’m not letting you forget it p>
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8:21 pm D
DD