Chapter 217: Do It Here

This was not her style at all, yet Alek obediently followed Dimitri into the woods. It didn’t help that along the way, she caught glimpses of other couples doing things a lady shouldn’t be looking at.

Above all, a lady like her shouldn’t be walking through the woods at this time of night with a man. But then, this wasn’t just any man. This was Dimitri. Her mate. The piece of her soul she hadn’t known she’d been waiting for. And yes, she wasn’t naive enough not to know what might happen once they were alone.

Throughout the night, she and Dimitri had done a lot of kissing. Yet it never seemed to be enough. While Dimitri had made it clear that he wouldn’t pressure her into having sex with him or accepting his mark, the urge to take things further had only grown stronger.

Alek wasn’t scared. This was simply a life-altering decision, and she needed to be absolutely certain that whatever happened tonight was because she wanted it, not because some supernatural bond was pushing her toward him.

Unfortunately, separating the two was becoming increasingly difficult when all she could think about was running her fingers over Dimitri’s biceps, kissing him again and perhaps allowing those kisses to lead somewhere they hadn’t before.

The atmosphere around them certainly wasn’t helping. Everywhere she looked, beasts were tangled around each other, kissing, touching and disappearing deeper into the woods without the slightest concern for modesty.

And all that shamelessness was beginning to rub off on her.

They found a spot deep enough in the woods that the music from the party had faded to a distant thrum. There were no busy couples nearby and no wandering students, only the two of them beneath the trees and the occasional flicker of moonlight slipping through the branches.

Alek barely had time to appreciate the privacy before Dimitri turned to her. One second her feet were on the ground, the next his hands settled around her waist and lifted her effortlessly.

Alek sucked in a startled breath and instinctively wrapped her legs around him.

"Dimitri—"

He carried her the few steps to the nearest tree until her back met the trunk, his body settling between her thighs.

Then he stopped. And that was what made her heart race.

Dimitri didn’t kiss her. He didn’t reach beneath her dress or take advantage of the position he’d put them in. He simply looked at her, his face close enough that she could feel the warmth of his breath against her lips.

Giving her the choice.

Alek swallowed.

Her dress had ridden higher when she wrapped her legs around him, the thigh-high slit exposing far more of her leg than it had earlier. Dimitri’s gaze dropped briefly before returning to hers. His hand moved slowly along her bare thigh, and Alek’s breath caught.

His palm was warm and rough against her skin, his fingers spreading over the softness of her thigh as if he were memorizing it. The touch wasn’t even particularly indecent, yet her heart had fallen out of rhythm.

His thumb stroked once against her skin. "Still sure you want to be out here with me, baby girl?"

Every doubt and every want she’d carried through the woods was suddenly standing right in front of her, waiting for an answer.

"Where would I be if not with you?"

The answer came with a boldness that surprised even Alek.

Dimitri reacted instantly. His eyes brightened with the unmistakable glow of his wolf rising closer to the surface, and Alek’s already racing heart stumbled at the sight.

His hands slid higher, following the bare length of her thighs until his palms settled over the curve of her ass.

Alek inhaled sharply.

"Careful, Alek baby," Dimitri murmured, his gaze fixed on hers. "You keep answering me like that, and I’m going to start believing you know exactly what you’re doing to me."

She gasped, and it had nothing to do with his words or the slow squeeze of his hands. He had pulled her flush against him, and she felt the hard, unmistakable length of his erection pressing between her thighs. Nothing separated them but the thin lace of her panties and the fabric of his pants, and it was enough that she felt every inch of him, hot and insistent against her.

Heat rushed through her. Knowing Dimitri wanted her and feeling the proof of it against her were two entirely different things.

As if testing her reaction, Dimitri tightened his grip on her waist and drew her down as he rolled his hips up, one slow, deliberate stroke that pressed the hard length of him against her. Alek shivered, her nails digging into his shoulders. The friction dragged through the thin lace, and her core throbbed, every bit of warmth in her body suddenly pooling low in her belly.

Dearest Father in heaven, it felt good.

Dimitri did it again, slower this time, wanting her to feel every inch of the stroke. The ridge of him dragged along the thin lace and over the place that made her toes curl inside her boots. Alek’s head tipped back against the bark, her lips parted on a sound she had never made in front of anyone.

"There," Dimitri murmured, watching her face. "That’s the spot, isn’t it?"

Alek nodded, unable to speak. He gave her the same stroke again, and a shaky moan slipped out of her before she could swallow it. Her hips moved on their own, rising to meet his, and the dress rode higher until the slit was bunched around her waist and the night air touched her bare thighs.

"Look at you," Dimitri said, his voice gone low and ragged. "Moving against me like you’ve been wanting this all night."

"I have," Alek admitted, and heat flooded her face even as she said it.

Dimitri groaned. His hands clamped over her ass and held her still while he ground against her in a tight, steady circle, and her breath stuttered, broke apart and came back in short, shallow gasps. Her chest heaved against his. Her nails dragged down the back of his neck, and she felt the rumble of a growl travel through his chest into hers.

"Do you know what it’s going to feel like when I’m finally inside you?" he rasped against her ear. "You’re this wet through two layers of cloth. You’ll take me so well, baby. You’ll grip me so tight I won’t remember my own name."

"Dimitri..." Her voice cracked on his name.

"Say it again."

"Dimitri, please..."

He picked up his pace. Each grind pressed harder and rolled slower, then faster, and the pleasure wound tighter in her belly with every pass. Her thighs trembled around his waist. The sounds spilling out of Alek’s lips had stopped sounding like hers, high, breathless little cries that she couldn’t hold back, and the wet slide of lace against her swollen flesh made her dizzy.

"I can’t," she gasped. "Something’s... I’m going to..."

"Let go," Dimitri growled. "I’ve got you. Let go for me."

The coil snapped.

Alek buried her face against his shoulder and cried out, her whole body clenching around nothing as the release tore through her, wave after wave. Her fingers fisted in his shirt. Her legs locked around him so hard she nearly lifted herself off the tree, and she shook, helpless, while he held her up.

Dimitri’s grunt came low and strangled against her hair. His hips stuttered, then he drove forward in three rough, uneven thrusts, and she felt him go rigid against her. His breath hissed through his teeth as he came in his pants like some boy who had never touched a girl before.

For several long seconds, neither of them moved, the only sounds their ragged breathing. Alek’s body kept trembling in small aftershocks, and Dimitri’s forehead rested against the tree beside her head.

"Well," he said finally, a rough, breathless laugh in his voice. "That’s embarrassing."

Alek let out a shaky laugh of her own. "I’m not complaining."

Dimitri then lifted his head. His eyes found hers, softer now, almost dazed, and he cupped her face in one large hand and kissed her. It was slow and deep and unhurried, and she melted into it, her fingers sliding into his hair, her heartbeat still racing against his.

When they finally broke apart, he rested his forehead against hers.

"Mine," he whispered, with something much gentler than a claim in it.

"Then make me yours," Alek said.

For a moment Dimitri only smiled against her temple, taking it as a sweet echo of his own whisper. But then her words truly dawned on him, and the smile slid off his face.

He looked at Alek. She was watching him with the calm of a woman who had already decided.

Dimitri didn’t move. He didn’t seem to breathe either. He had promised himself he wouldn’t push Alek toward this, and she had just walked straight past every careful line he’d drawn.

"You mean now?" His voice came out rough, almost unsure. "Out here...?"