“Still…” He was skeptical.
“Hey, don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying it’s for everyone. I had no thought in my head about entering a similar mating, but I can’t control what I know in my heart, and I’m desperately trying to rationalize this situation in my mind. You won’t see me dragging you two off to a room to complete this deal anytime soon. I’m barely less skeptical than you are.”
That was a relief. Tyler exhaled and grasped the hand still resting on his cheek. He leaned forward and rested his forehead against Alyssa’s. Their breath mingled between them. Hers was sweet and salty, as though she’d eaten candy and maybe chips.
“And I assume even though Michael’s brothers are all in relationships with other men, he wasn’t planning such a life for himself either, judging by his anxiety.”
She chuckled. “Anxiety. That’s an extremely polite way to put it.”
She leaned back an inch. “I don’t really blame him. He’s known for two years he was my mate and waited patiently for me to enjoy life’s experiences before claiming me. It never occurred to him he’d have to share. Normally he’s a big teddy bear with an even bigger heart, but this was sprung on him last week, just as it was for you and me.”
She had a point. If Tyler were in Michael’s shoes, he’d be confrontational too.
“Would you mind kissing me?” she blurted out.
“Would I mind?” He chuckled. “I’d be delighted.” His heart soared, and he didn’t give her a chance to rethink the request. He tipped his head to one side and leaned in to take her mouth. She opened for him immediately and let the kiss build from a gentle chaste lip lock to a hungry devouring. She took from him at least as much as he demanded.
Tyler swept inside her mouth with his tongue and circled her own in a dance. Chocolate and peanuts. That’s what she’d last eaten. He smiled against her.
She was delicious, and she let him explore her thoroughly.
Within moments, Tyler was on the edge of his seat. God, he wanted this woman, needed her like he needed his next breath. He gripped her shoulders with both hands and turned his head to deepen the kiss at the opposite angle. If all he ever got to do was kiss her like this for the rest of his life, it would be a wonderful existence. Maybe not perfect, but pleasant.
When he finally lessened the pressure on her lips and nibbled a path to her ear, she moaned lightly against him. The vibrations of her noises could be felt all the way to his cock. There was a long, cold shower in his near future.
While Tyler licked and nipped at her earlobe, Alyssa squirmed. Finally she pulled back and turned his face with her hands to gaze into his eyes. “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to tease. I…”
He melted a little more. “Don’t be sorry. I’ll enjoy every single moment of whatever you’re ready for, Ali. Don’t ever be sorry.”
She smiled when he used her childhood name. He loved that nickname. It suited her.
In a bold move he was unsure wouldn’t be more than she could handle, Tyler sat back against the couch and lifted Alyssa onto his lap so that she straddled him, their faces just a breath apart.
His mate sucked in a breath at the shock, but she didn’t balk. With her legs spread around him, he could clearly smell her arousal. So sweet. So fucking sexy. Her innocence was evident in the way she didn’t meet his gaze dead on. Her eyes kept flickering to other parts of the room. She gripped him with her thighs around his own as if she could somehow squeeze her legs together. It embarrassed her to be held so open in front of him. He could sense her shyness. Her fear of the unknown.
Jesus. She’s a virgin. That thought had not occurred to him.
“Ali?”
She glanced at his face and held the gaze. The minx tucked her lower lip into her mouth and nibbled on it to drive his cock to new heights. He wondered absently if that gesture of hers drove Michael as crazy as it did him.
“Have you slept with a man … or a wolf before?”
She shook her head slightly, and Tyler exhaled. He let his own head fall back on the couch, so he could catch his breath.
“Does that bother you?”
A single chuckle escaped his lips. “God no.” He’d misled her. He yanked his face back to hers. “It’s sexy as hell.” Does Michael know?
“Of course Michael knows. And if you take her virginity right now, you’re going to have to face his wrath later in a knock-down brawl in the barn, buster.”
Tyler grinned. Did Michael often refer to himself in the third person? He was warming up to this Michael character who paced somewhere, wringing his hands at the imagined antics occurring behind the closed door of this guest room. The question was the first time in several minutes Tyler had let Michael into his mind. Apparently Tyler was blocking better by the minute. Perhaps the two of them would get along fine, if their mutual protective instinct where Alyssa was concerned was any indication.