Page 3 of Bloom in Darkness

That pulls me upright a little. “But there is a we.”

“Yes.” Bryn keeps his attention on the road, one hand shifting higher on the wheel.

I watch him for another second. “Does he stay with you?”

“Sometimes. He has his own place.”

The small pinch from the club is still there, but I don’t want the Alpha’s scent gone. I breathe it in again and let it mix with Bryn’s.

“I like it,” I say, and Bryn glances over. I rub my thumb along the seam of my sleeve before adding, “The way he smells on you. The two scents together.”

The farther we get from the club, the more I can feel the cream giving up on me. The jitter works its way back into my hands by the time Bryn pulls up outside my building, and when I climb out of the truck, my legs feel heavier than they did ten minutes ago. I make it one step toward the entrance before my knee buckles enough to throw me off balance, and Bryn is there before I hit the pavement, one hand closing around my arm while the other settles at my waist.

“I’ve got it,” I say, straightening before he can do more. I take another slower step and hear the quiet huff behind me. When I turn, Bryn is practically pouting at me.

I stare at him for a second. “Okay. I could use the help.” The words are barely out before he moves, one arm sliding behind my back and the other beneath my knees. The ground disappears under me, and I curl into his chest on instinct as he lifts me against him.

“Just this once,” I murmur, settling my cheek against him. He’s ridiculously warm, and my body loosens almost immediately once I stop trying to hold myself upright. The ache is still there and the jitter still buzzes faintly under my skin, but I don’t have to fight either of them while he carries me.

Bryn’s chest rumbles beneath my ear as he heads toward the entrance. I close my eyes and don’t tell him to put me down.

Astra

Bryn carries me upstairs and sets me on my feet just inside the apartment. I switch on the lamp beside the couch and drop my bag near the table. My legs are steadier now, but the rest of me has found a completely different reason to be restless with Bryn standing in my apartment.

I pull my shirt over my head and toss it toward the couch before reaching for the waistband of my shorts. My fingers have just started pushing them down when I look back and find Bryn still near the doorway, watching me so openly that my hands stop.

Bryn’s scent is stronger in the little apartment, the unfamiliar Alpha still underneath it. A small whine slips out of me, and Bryn goes completely still. His next breath is deep enough that I know he smells what’s happening to me too.

Tomorrow I still have Sabine, the club, and every reason this should stay simple. Tonight Bryn is standing in my apartment looking like the only thing keeping him by the door is me.

“Do you need something, Astra?”

I shake my head, suddenly aware that my hand is still hooked at the waistband of my shorts. “No. I just need to get cleaned up, and I…” The rest disappears when his gaze drops to my mouth, a quiet huff leaving him when I laugh under my breath.

“If I asked you to fuck me, would you?”

Bryn’s eyes drop to my mouth, and his fingers curl once at his sides. “Yes.”

I stare at him until Bryn finally leaves the doorway and comes toward me. I back up until my shoulders meet the wall, and he stops close enough that the heat coming off him sinks into my bare skin. One hand braces beside my head while the other settles around my waist.

My breath catches when he leans in. His face hovers close enough that I can feel the warmth of his breath against my mouth, and his scent wraps around me until the apartment seems full of nothing else.

“How much Bloom is still in your system?”

“It’s worn off.” I hold his gaze. “I’m clear as day, Valla.”

Bryn holds my gaze for another second before finally moving closer, and my cock gets harder under the attention.

I smile up at him. “God, you’re going to fuck me so good, aren’t you?”

A low purr rolls out of him when he kisses me. His hands close around my waist, fingers flexing harder every time I open for him, but he never moves faster than I do. The restraint is right there under my hands, and I want to see what happens when I finally get him to stop using it.

Slick gathers faster at my hole every time I press closer, warm enough to smear between us. A soft sound slips out of me when Bryn’s mouth moves to my throat, and I bite down on my tongue before another one can follow.

Another sound catches in my throat when Bryn’s mouth moves lower, and his hand tightens around my hip. “No. Don’t hide it.”

I’m already breathing too hard when I look at him. “You’ve been waiting to hear me?”