Chapter 21: High Altitude Hunger
Rhys
Why the hell was he avoiding me?
I shifted in my seat, shaking my legs as I stared at Kayden. Miller was sitting right next to me, scrolling through his phone and occasionally leaning over to ask me about the game plan.
I barely heard him because my eyes were locked on Kayden.
He was staring out of the window, pretending he didn’t see me, and when our eyes had met, he quickly looked away.
Why the hell was he avoiding me?
’’Hey, Rhys, you think we should run a 4-4-2 or stick to the diamond?’’ Miller asked, nudging my arm.
I didn’t answer. I couldn’t because all I could think about was why the hell I was staring at another alpha like he was a piece of meat I was waiting to devour.
My skin was crawling, and it felt like I was burning from the inside out, with the heat coming from three feet away.
Every time the plane hit a pocket of turbulence, Kayden would wince and clutch his stomach.
𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖
Was his stomach still bugging him?
If he were to be by my side, maybe I would have asked questions, but he didn’t even dare to look at me.
And worse, I felt a painful throb in my pants and gritted my teeth.
Get it together, Calder. But my body wasn’t listening to logic. It didn’t care that Kayden was an alpha. It only wanted to be close to the alpha on his opposite side.
’’Rhys? You okay, man? You are breathing heavy,’’ Miller said, finally noticing how I had been ignoring him.
I turned my head slowly to look at Miller and nodded. ’’I am fine,’’ I said, and then I was back at looking at Kayden.
This time, he turned his head from the window and met my eyes straight. I saw the flash of fear in his obsidian eyes before he looked away, and then suddenly, he stood up fast and practically bolted toward the back of the plane.
’’Is he... is he okay?’’ Miller asked, frowning as he watched Kayden’s retreat.
’’I’m off to take a piss,’’ I told him, not waiting for a response. I unbuckled my belt and rushed after him
I reached the back galley just as the lavatory door was beginning to swing shut.
’’Kayden,’’ I whispered, my voice barely unrecognizable even to myself.
’’Wha...’’ he gasped as he struggled to shut the door on my face, which just confirmed that he was honestly avoiding me.
I didn’t give him a choice. I shoved my hand through the closing gap, the metal door hitting my forearm with a dull thud. I forced it open and stepped into the cramped space before he locked me out.
Kayden gasped again, his face going from flushed to deathly pale as he stumbled backward until his back hit the far wall. His eyes were wide with horror, and he pointed towards me. ’’Rhys, what the hell are you doing here? Get out!’’ he hissed, his voice trembling as he pressed his back against the cold wall of the lavatory.
I didn’t budge and stepped further until there was no space between us. ’’Why the hell are you avoiding me, Kayden?’’ I growled, my voice dropping into my alpha tone that usually made people flinch. ’’I just spent half the morning looking out for you, making sure you weren’t dying on the bathroom floor, and now, you won’t even sit in the same row as me?’’
Kayden let out a sharp, bitter laugh and scoffed. ’’Avoiding you?’’ He rolled his eyes. ’’That’s rich coming from you, Ice Prince. Who was the one who rushed out this morning after what happened last night? I mean, I tried to speak to you on the ice, but you ignored me, so you were the one who started the game. So why is it wrong that I gave back the same energy?’’
I let out a deep sigh, my shoulders dropping as I began to explain myself. ’’It was because of you, Kayden. I avoided you because of you, and I wanted to focus on the game,’’ I confessed, my voice sounding strained and hollow. "We have a match to play. I left because I couldn’t wrap my head around the fact that all I was thinking about was fucking an alpha again. It felt ridiculous to me. It is absurd.’’
Kayden visibly gulped, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he tried to press himself even further back against the cold wall, but there was nowhere left for him to hide. He was trapped between the metal paneling and my own body, his shirt rustling against the bulkhead.
The orchid scent started coming from him. It smelled sweeter and more intoxicating than last time, and I was hungry for him, confused again about why I was reacting to him.
I reached out, my hand hovering just inches from his neck, and I could feel the heat radiating off his skin.
’’Why are you shaking around me?’’ I asked, my voice dropping to a low, dangerous rumble that vibrated in the small space. ’’You are trembling like I am actually going to eat you.’’ I chuckled as I whispered into his ear.
’’You smell nice... fuck... You smell so goddamn nice for an alpha. Has anyone ever told you that?’’ I growled as I leaned in, my teeth grazing the shell of his ear, nibbling on the sensitive skin until I heard him let out a groan. ’’I am going crazy for you, Kayden. I thought it was because of the rut, but that’s not why. Kayden, you are a crazy seducer,’’ my hand went to his back and gripped his ass.
Kayden let out a low, broken moan, his head falling back against the wall. He brought his hands up, pressing his palms against my chest in a weak attempt to push me away, but his touch only made me want him more.
’’Rhys... stop..’’ he wheezed, but there was no conviction in his tone.
’’Don’t,’’ I snapped, my hand shooting out to catch one of his wrists. ’’Resisting me like this, Kayden? It only turns me on more.’’
He tried to speak, but I didn’t give him a chance to argue. I grabbed his hand, forcing his fingers down until they were wrapped around the heavy, insistent throb in my pants.
’’This is what you do to me, Kayden,’’ I hissed against his neck as I rubbed his hand up and down my cock. ’’Can you see how fucking hard I am for you? For an alpha? It’s crazy, and I shouldn’t want you this much, but I am losing my goddamn mind. What the hell have you done to me?’’ I inhaled his orchid scent and chuckled against his neck.
’’Does it feel the same for you, Kayden?’’ I rasped. ’’Does your blood become hotter the second I walk into a room?’’
Kayden swallowed hard, his eyes darting away from mine. ’’I don’t know what you are...’’
’’Liar!’’ I snarled. ’’Stop lying,’’ I said as I reached down, my hand clamping firmly over the front of his pants, feeling his cock. ’’You fucking whore,’’ I chuckled again. ’’You are hard for me already, aren’t you? You want me as much as I want you. Look at this, and tell me your body isn’t begging for it.’’
Kayden’s head thudded back against the wall, and a strangled gasp escaped from his lips. He looked wrecked and couldn’t even say anything. The only thing that escaped from his lips were his faint moans.
’’If you want me, why don’t you just say it?’’ I said, grabbing his jaw, tilting his head up, and crashing my mouth against his.
It wasn’t a gentle kiss; it was one filled with hunger and desperation. I forced my way inside his mouth, my tongue sliding against his in a deep, wet slide that tasted like pure adrenaline.
Kayden let out a muffled moan, his hands—the ones he was trying to push me away with seconds ago—were now fisting into the fabric of my shirt, pulling me closer until there wasn’t a single millimeter of air between us.
I tasted every bit of him, my tongue searching his, swirling and retreating only to dive back in deeper. Our moans were loud, but the soundproofed door blocked them.
I was sucking on his tongue, dragging my teeth against his lower lip until he was whimpering into my mouth.
’’Fuck,’’ I groaned against his lips, breaking the kiss for only a second to catch my breath before devouring him again. I needed more, wanted more from him, and I wished I could swallow him whole.
I reached up, my hands sliding into his messy dark hair and pulling his head back to expose the line of his throat.
I broke the kiss with a wet smack, trailing my lips down to his neck, where the orchid scent was almost deafening, and I felt the need to mark him. There was a surge pulling me toward him, wanting me to claim him, but that would be wrong. He was an alpha.
I just licked his neck and then slid down his lean athletic frame, my fingers hooking into the waistband of his pants. I was seconds away from pulling them down, desperate to get my mouth on his cock and take what my body was screaming for, but suddenly, a knock sounded from outside.
’’Is anyone there? The plane will be landing soon, and everyone needs to be in their seats.’’ one of the hostesses’ voices sounded outside.
The sound cut through the tension between us. Kayden, whose eyes were closed, suddenly fluttered his eyes open and pushed me away.
I chuckled and slapped his ass, winking at him. ’’That was hot, Softie,’’ I told him.
’’Don’t call me that,’’ he warned, but I didn’t listen and just turned to leave.
’’This isn’t over. I will fuck you again, and this time it wouldn’t be because of the rut,’’ I smirked at him and then stepped out into the aisle, leaving him alone in the stall. And then I realized I didn’t ask the one question I wanted to before walking out.
How was his stomach?