Total pages in book: 62
Estimated words: 60378 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 302(@200wpm)___ 242(@250wpm)___ 201(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 60378 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 302(@200wpm)___ 242(@250wpm)___ 201(@300wpm)
“Against your will?” Anthony said in a sardonic undertone, and stopped touching him.
Michael whined. He fucking whined. It was beyond mortifying.
And gods, he wanted to wipe that arrogant smile away with his fist—or with his mouth.
“There’s no need to look so murderous,” Anthony said, putting his hand back on Michael’s cock.
“Fuck off,” Michael said, hating how weak it sounded, hating the way his hips immediately started moving again, seeking friction.
“Why are you wearing a cravat?” Anthony said, his gaze falling to Michael’s neck. “You don’t wear cravats.”
“Why do you think?” Michael bit off.
Anthony’s expression became strange. “The bite hasn’t healed yet?”
Michael just shook his head. He had no capacity for conversation when all he could focus on was his aching, throbbing cock and Anthony’s strong, capable hand. The noise of the ballroom seemed to be coming from very far away, as if they were in their own little world.
“Show me,” Anthony commanded, and Michael’s hand was already moving before he made a conscious decision. He wasn’t even sure if Anthony had used his Voice—either option was damning.
Anthony inhaled sharply when Michael loosened his cravat to reveal the bite mark.
“It should have healed,” he said, his expression fixated.
Michael nodded, grinding against his hand mindlessly, chasing his orgasm.
“You don’t smell as revolting as you used to,” Anthony said, and before Michael could even process his words, he shoved his face against his neck and sank his teeth into the gland again. Michael’s body jerked, pleasure and pain flaring through his body and pushing him over the edge. He cried out weakly, coming into his pants and riding Anthony’s hand as the aftershocks wracked his body.
Oh gods.
Gods.
By the time his dazed mind began to clear after his orgasm, Michael found himself alone in the alcove, his pants wet and his neck fucking throbbing.
Fuck.
Chapter 14
The fire crackled merrily in the fireplace, its cheerful noise the only sound in the room.
Anthony stared blankly at the dark surface of the drink in his hand.
“All right, what’s going on?”
He didn’t flinch, but it was a near thing. He’d forgotten that he wasn’t alone.
Lifting his gaze, he met Jon’s blue eyes. They were sightly narrowed in contemplation, sharp and assessing as Jon nursed his own drink.
Anthony sighed, knowing that pretending there was nothing bothering him would be useless. After a decade of serving together, they knew each other too well.
But he didn’t know what to say. His mind was still reeling after what had happened last evening—after he’d basically jerked off another alpha at a goddamn ball.
He still couldn’t believe it had really happened. He didn’t know what had gotten into him, why he couldn’t seem to stop pushing Michael, why he’d felt a profound, twisted sense of satisfaction from making him come undone.
Was he attracted to other alphas?
The mere idea made Anthony grimace. But he had to consider the idea before dismissing it.
His gaze fell on Jon.
Objectively, Jon was very handsome. If Anthony really had... unnatural inclinations, shouldn’t he find Jon attractive too? But imagining touching Jon that way was beyond unappealing. Revolting. It made his skin crawl. And Jon was his oldest alpha friend—the only alpha friend he had besides Michael. If he ever started being attracted to alphas, Jon should have been the obvious choice. But thinking of him sexually was downright repulsive, and it had nothing to do with Jon being his brother-in-law.
So whatever this... madness was, it didn’t mean he was suddenly attracted to other alphas. He wasn’t. Michael seemed to be the only exception, the only alpha he wanted to mark up and dominate.
It was a small comfort.
“Can I ask you a question?” Anthony said, dropping his gaze back to his drink.
“Depends on whether you’re trying to dodge my question or if it’s actually related to it.”
“It’s related,” Anthony said curtly.
“All right, then. Go ahead.”
Anthony took a sip from his drink. “Have you ever done anything with other alphas?” His voice sounded much calmer than he felt about the issue.
Silence.
At last, Jon said, his voice careful, “You mean, as in sex?”
“Yes.”
“No,” Jon said, in the same carefully neutral tone. “It never appealed to me. But I know some soldiers made casual arrangements during the war. With long deployments and no omegas around, options were limited.”
Anthony gave a clipped nod, but Jon’s words weren’t exactly comforting. If even the war and lack of omegas around hadn’t turned him into a degenerate who wanted to fuck other alphas, what was his excuse now?
“Are you...” Jon trailed off. He cleared his throat and said, sounding uncharacteristically awkward, “Are you attracted to an alpha?”
“No,” Anthony bit off instinctively, though he wasn’t sure how true it was. He wasn’t sure if what he felt around Michael was attraction. It didn’t feel like attraction. It felt more like compulsion—his vision zeroing in on the other alpha, rational thought dying as everything else faded away, leaving only the overwhelming urge to crush, claim, and make Michael submit.