Alphas of Red Moon Ranch(41)
He squinted at her, and then nodded. “You ain’t wrong about that.” He took a sip from his cup of coffee as though lost in thought, and then finally said, “It’s like downing ten cups of coffee and an energy drink and them being told to sit in your chair and be quiet.”
Holly smiled sympathetically. “I’ve got a couple classrooms full of students who know the feeling well.”
“Yeah,” he said, offering up that crooked smile. Then he added, “It’s more than that, though. Y’get the jitters, right? From all this pent-up energy. And then it’s like this monster is whispering over your shoulder. Telling you to run or fight or bite.”
“So your Beast is violent?”
“It’s not…” He rubbed his arm. “He doesn’t mean to be. And I can control it.” His eyes met hers with sudden intensity. “I’d never hurt you.”
She knew he meant it to be comforting, but it felt dismissive instead. Holly became sharply aware that she was just another person in his life that he had to control himself around. Maybe she offered him more comfort than others, but that didn’t change the fact that he had to hide a part of himself to be with her.
Could she live like that? Married to half a man for the rest of her life?
“I know,” Holly said. She nibbled her thumbnail briefly, lost in thought. Finally, she straightened her spine, swallowed down the rest of her coffee, and then said, “I have to head out for class…are you going to be okay?”
That almost drew a wince from him. “I’ll be fine,” he said. Ever stubborn. “Don’t worry about me.”
“I’m your wife,” she said pointedly as she got to her feet and drew her fingers through his hair once. “That’s my job. You can’t take the good parts of marriage and leave the rest out.”
“Can’t I?” he said, slipping his hands up her legs to cup her rear. There was that boyish grin again, that smile that always simultaneously put her at ease and warmed her blood.
She smiled and gave his thick hair a little tug. “If that’s what you wanted, you should’ve picked someone more submissive.”
“Thought I did,” he said and entwined her fingers in his. His comment caught her off guard for a second, until she realized—he was right. She had been submissive when he first met her, weak. She had let Chris—and anyone else—walk all over her. And now? Well. She still had some growing to do. Especially when she could feel her will swaying under the grip of his dark, soulful eyes. With his eyes still on hers, Jacob kissed her fingers one by one before drawing her index finger gently between his teeth.
Apparently the Beast hasn’t completely left the building. She could see it now, a shimmer of gold in his eyes. A wild, animal part of him that lingered behind his eyes. A predator who had caught sight of his prey.
Tempting. It was incredibly tempting to fall into his fangs and, even now, she felt her body betray her good sense. A shiver of electricity grazed her skin as he gave her finger a small bite and then pressed a kiss to the tip. “Stay,” he murmured. “Just a little while.” His breath felt warm on her wet finger and she imagined how it would feel beating between her legs.
Holly glanced at her watch and then moved over to Jacob. She straddled his lap and hooked her arms around his neck. “You have fifteen minutes to blow my mind,” she said. Even when she was being coy, her smile felt shy.
Rather than turning him off, her timid disposition seemed to make the Beast pant at his teeth and he growled, his voice low in his throat, “Then we better make the best of it.”
In one swift motion, Holly was sitting on top of the table. She gasped as her ass hit the table, making the dishes jump, and giggled against Jacob’s mouth when he snaked up her body to claim her lips in a kiss. His salt-and-pepper beard tickled her chin. His tongue pried her teeth apart and he swallowed her laughter, which soon turned into moaning. His hands wasted no time—she heard his belt clink as he ripped it apart, the heard the rustling fabric as he undid his pants. He dragged her own pants down her legs, tossing them to the floor. Abruptly, without warning, he pulled her panties to the side and shoved his cock inside of her.
Holly gasped sharply and dug her nails into his back. His dick was hard, like hot iron, and he’d gotten there so quickly, too. The thought that she kept him in a constant state of arousal—bear or not—broke a dam in her and she felt a flood of lust slick his cock. Holly whimpered against his hard chest, waves of pleasure crashing over her with every hard thrust. He wasn’t gentle now, which was just fine with Holly—she wasn’t breakable. If anything, she reveled in the low swing of his hips, the raw, masculine pounding of his body against hers. He claimed her in every way imaginable, his cock buried deep inside of her, his rough fingers bruising her skin, and his teeth sunk into her.