Chapter 23: Beyond the breaking point
Kayden
I stared up at him, my vision blurring at the edges. Had I misunderstood him, or was he asking about my stomach? And why the hell does he care? Maybe this was just an excuse to touch me?
"What the hell is it to you?" I asked him, my voice trembling despite my best efforts to sound bold. "My stomach is none of your business, Calder. Get off me." I tried to push him away.
Rhys didn’t flinch. If anything, he leaned closer, his chest crushing mine until I could feel the heavy thud of his own heart.
"Really?" he countered, a slow, predatory smirk pulling at the corner of his lips—the look of a man who wanted to devour me.
"You are talking back again," he murmured, his thumb dragging the line of my jaw. His touch was light, but it carried a possessiveness. "This means you are feeling alright to me."
I opened my mouth to snap back, but the words died in my throat as Rhys grabbed my face and crashed his lips into mine. One of his hands fisted into the messy dark hair at the back of my head, pulling just enough to force my neck back, exposing the vulnerable line of my throat to the cool air of the room.
His other hand stayed clamped on my waist, his fingers digging into my hip so hard I knew there would be bruises tomorrow—bruises that would remind me of this moment every time I looked in the mirror.
I shouldn’t be doing this, I thought. I should be pushing him away, but I didn’t. Instead, I slowly reached for him, my fingers tangling in the front of his shirt as I pulled closer.
"You are driving me crazy, Kayden," Rhys murmured as his hand left my waist and grabbed my throat, gripping it tight. It wasn’t enough to choke me, but it was enough to let me know I wasn’t going anywhere. "I don’t care if you are an Alpha. I don’t care about the rules. I have never wanted anyone as much as I do with you."
My head thudded against the door as he forced my chin up, making me completely open for him. I let out a muffled groan as he shoved his tongue into my mouth. It was a deep, wet slide that tasted like pure hunger.
My heart was thumping so hard I thought it would burst, and I found myself fisting the fabric of his shirt, my knuckles turning white as I kissed him back just as hard.
Rhys broke away from the kiss for a second, but only to trail his lips down to my neck. He let out a low, broken moan against my skin, and his hot breath against my skin made my head spin.
I felt his teeth graze my skin, and slowly I began to release my pheromones—the artificial ones mixed with my real ones.
Then Rhys was back on my mouth, even more desperate than before. He bit down on my lower lip, tugging it with his teeth until I let out a sharp whimper. He swallowed the sound, his tongue swirling with mine while he groaned into my mouth.
𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶
It was a deep sound that made my whole body vibrate.
I was losing it. I wanted just to let him take me right there, but then I remembered where we were and what Leo had warned me about.
"Rhys... stop," I wheezed, as I suddenly found the strength to shove my palms against his chest, pushing him back with everything I had. I tore my mouth away from his, both of us gasping for air.
"We shouldn’t be doing this. We are teammates and I..."
Rhys didn’t move an inch. He just stood there, his chest heaving up and down while he stared at me with those dark, blown-out eyes.
"Why shouldn’t we?" he demanded, his voice dropping into a low Alpha growl, and soon I could smell his overpowering pheromones.
Before I could even think of an answer, his hand slid up under my hoodie. I gasped when his cold fingers hit my warm skin, moving fast until he found my nipple and pinched it hard.
This sent a jolt of electricity straight to my gut, making my legs feel like jelly, and I would have fallen to the ground if he wasn’t holding me.
"We only have an hour before that meeting, Kayden," he whispered, leaning in until his nose brushed mine. "And I want a completion of what we started on that plane. And no, Kayden, you are not turning me down. I am not letting you walk away this time."
"Rhys... we need to prepare," I stuttered, my head spinning as his thumb kept circling my nipple, making it impossible to think. "We... we should take a shower. I need to wash off the travel."
A dark, wicked smirk spread across his face. "Taking a shower is no problem, Softie," he said, and before I knew what was happening, he hooked his arms under my thighs and hoisted me up. "You could have just said you wanted to shower with me."
I let out a gasp, my hands flying to his shoulders as he tucked me against his chest like I weighed nothing.
"Rhys! Put me down! Let me go!" I shouted, kicking my legs, but he didn’t even flinch. He just tightened his grip on me and started walking toward the bathroom. "Rhys! I swear you are asking for it!"
He didn’t answer. He just kept walking.
Once he reached the front of the bathroom, he kicked it open, and then suddenly, Leo’s warning flashed in my head.
"Stay away from him."
I tried, I thought desperately, a lump forming in my throat as Rhys set me down on the cold marble counter.
I really wanted to push him away, but as he stepped between my legs and started tugging at the hem of my hoodie, I knew I was losing the battle.
There was nothing I could do or say that would change his mind.
~~~
Please do check the author’s note. Thank you.