Pucking My Ex’s Alpha Rival

Matebonds and Other Food Related Questions

Ryan

The scent of warm vanilla and damp skin enveloped my senses as Wren stepped into the kitchen.

My gaze dipped to take in her new attire. An old, baggy T-shirt that stopped just below her ass and a pair of shorts. The dark fabric of her shorts clung deliciously to the curve of her ass, barely making it to her mid-thigh.

I cleared my throat and dragged my gaze back up to find her already looking at me.

“I hope you like steak,” I said, pushing down the urge I felt to pick her up and have those gorgeous legs of hers wrapped around my waist while I…

*My, that isn’t very friendly of you.*

For f**k's sake.

“I love steak.” She moved toward the Island and tried to pull herself on top of it, but failed.

“Need help?”

She nodded, and I wasted no time in reaching down and closing my hands around her waist, as I lifted her the rest of the way.

A startled sound escaped her throat as her hands flew to my shoulders.

Once she was seated, I expected her to drop her hands, but instead they stayed firmly planted on my shoulders.

My breathing shallowed.

Neither one of us moved.

We were so close.

So close that if I wanted to, I could tip her chin up and kiss her.

She bit her lip, and I inwardly groaned.

Why couldn’t it be my teeth sinking into the plush flesh?

I wanted to kiss her again. I wanted to feel her hands in my hair while she ca—

She dropped her hands, clearing her throat, and I took that as my cue to step back.

“So, do all werewolves like steak or is it just you?”

I nodded. “Pretty much.” 

The moment had evaporated, and the air had shifted back to normal as if we weren’t just about to break one of her rules.

I returned to the stovetop and pulled another pot from the cabinet above to add to the one on the stove. 

“Our blood runs hotter than most supernaturals, so burning calories is a lot faster for us. Red meat helps so we don’t lose strength.”

“That explains why the fridge is stocked like a meat locker.”

“Most of my nutrition is based on high protein and dense calories.” I turned to look at her. “What do you typically eat?” I asked.

She shrugged, “Everything, I guess. Except seafood.”

Noted.

“What’s your favourite ice cream flavour?” 

She furrowed her brows “Strawberry.”

“And your favourite way to have your eggs?”

She let out a nervous laugh. “Why all the questions?”

“I want to get to know my mate better,” I replied, my tone serious.

She blinked at me, then blinked again.

Heat crept into my cheeks. “Is that not something you’d like?”

“I-I thought you wanted us just to be friends.”

“I do,” I said, moving slowly towards the counter until we were once again barely separated by an inch.

My fingers brushed against her skin, and she released a shuddering breath, widening her legs slightly and allowing me to step fully between them. An action I don’t think she fully realised she'd taken.

I braced my hands against the counter on either side of her, leaning closer as I briefly inhaled her scent. I want to be your favourite friend. If you’d let me.” 

I lifted my gaze to find her eyes lingering on my lips.

For a moment, she held herself there, like she was fighting some invisible battle and didn’t want to lose.

Then she let go.

Her body swayed toward me and my eyes drifted to her lips.

“I like my fried eggs a little runny,” she said softly, her lips lightly brushing my ear again.

My eyes snapped open.

She was smiling.

Fucking brat.

I stepped back towards the stove, reaching for the tongs as I leaned over the skillet. With an easy turn of my wrist, I flipped the meat, letting the sizzling side fall back against the hot pan.

Once the steak was ready, I served it onto a plate and set it down next to her.

She thanked me, then cut into the meat and took a generous bite. A soft moan escaped her as she savoured the taste.

The sound shot straight to my c**k and a low growl rumbled in my chest.

I wasn’t usually the type of guy who got hard over the sound of a woman enjoying her meal, but it was different when said woman was my mate and all I wanted was to sink to my knees, peel the flimsy excuse for shorts she had on down her lush thighs and drag out more sounds just like that from her throat.

But as much as I wanted to, I also needed to respect her boundaries.

“Can I ask you something?” She said, placing the fork onto her plate and meeting my gaze.

“Anything.” I placed the second steak in the pan, gave it a quick flip, then turned to face her.

“How do we complete the mate bond?”

The tongs slipped from my fingers and clattered against the floor. The sharp sound made us both jump.

*Smooth. Real smooth.*

‘Shut up’

I bent down to retrieve the utensil, then swiftly placed it in the sink. “W-Why are you asking me that?”

She shrugged. “I’m just curious about what would happen if we decided to seal the mate bond. How exactly would it work? What would I need to do?”

I rubbed the back of my neck, suddenly unsure where to look. “Well… I mean, eventually, I’ll have to mark you, if you agreed to the bond.”

“Mark me?”

I nodded and dragged two of my fingers down to the side of my throat, tapping once against the spot where my neck met my shoulder. “Right here.”

She grimaced.

“Does it hurt?”

I shook my head. “From what I’ve heard, it only hurts when I bite down. After that, it’s all…” My tone drifted.

She arched an eyebrow. “All what?”

My voice dropped as my gaze flicked to her lips. “Pleasure.”

She swallowed thickly. “Oh.” Pink heat dusted her cheeks.

I don’t think I’ve ever seen her blush before.

With werewolves, once a female was marked, she immediately went into heat, and her mate had the duty of ensuring she was sated until her heat was over.

Since it was rare for werewolves to mate with humans, and there were barely any records of it, I wasn’t exactly sure what would happen once I marked her.

“Can you mark me right now?”

I tilted my head. “I can, but I doubt you want that.”

She chewed the inside of her cheek. “What if you forcibly mark me?”

I shook my head. “A forced mark poisons the bond and the wolf who forced it. I can only wait until you’re sure you want to be with me.”

“And if I’m never ready?”

My mouth curves. “You will be.”

“You sound so confident.”

“I am.”

“Oh yeah, why?”

“Because I know you feel this thing between us just as much as I do.”

Her lips parted, and I stepped closer, ignoring the instinct screaming at me to keep my distance.

“I also know you’re attracted to me.”

She didn't deny it, which boosted me with a bit of confidence

Planting my hands on either side of her, just beyond her thighs, I boxed her in without laying a finger on her. “Rest assured, Sweetheart, I won’t rush you,” I said, dropping my voice by an octave as it thickened with the weight of everything I was trying so hard to restrain. “I’ll wait until you’re aching for it. Until you’re the one pulling my head down to your shoulder, and begging me to sink my teeth in.”

Her breath hitched. Taffy colored eyes dilated to the point of blackness as the sweet, unmistakable scent of her arousal mingled with warm vanilla and filtered through my senses.

It was torture trying to keep myself from touching her.

*And yet here you are torturing us. You’ve already broken most of her rules tonight. What’s one more?*

Memories of the night we met came crashing down. The way I held her. The way she kissed me.

The way she tasted.

I wanted, no, needed to taste her again.

“Ryan…” My name on her tongue is a tiny, breathless whisper and my undoing.

“Yeah, baby?”

She pulled away, breaking the moment as reality crashed down.

Her eyes returned to their natural state as they shifted to something behind me, and it was only then that I got the faint whiff of something charred.

“Your steak is burning.”