THE CEO'S LUST/LOVE

Chapter 9: Chaos and Claim

The air in the room shattered. The sophisticated silence of the high-stakes game was replaced by the shrill, distant ring of an alarm and the heavy, metallic clatter of Kaelen’s weapon being drawn.

Julian Vane didn't even look at the cards he’d just lost. His face twisted into a mask of desperate, ugly triumph. "Did you really think I’d play fair, Alaric? The docks? The money? I want your empire. And I’ll start by taking the crown jewel of your collection."

At Julian’s signal, the twins, Leo and Marc, lunged. They weren't looking for Alaric; they were reaching for Elara.

"Kaelen, take the left!" Alaric roared.

Alaric didn't let go of Elara. Instead, he stood up with her still in his arms, her bare, heavy breasts swinging wildly as he shifted his weight. He used his massive frame to shield her, slamming his shoulder into Marc’s chest. The sound of bone hitting bone echoed through the velvet-lined room.

Elara screamed, her hands clutching Alaric’s neck. She felt the cold air of the room rushing over her naked torso, her n*****s hardening into sharp points from both the chill and the sudden surge of adrenaline. Below, she could feel the slick, hot friction of Alaric’s thighs as he moved, her own p***y pulsing in a rhythmic, panicked tempo, still wet and aching from their moments on the table.

Kaelen was a blur of lethal efficiency. He caught Leo mid-stride, spinning him around and slamming him face-first into the mahogany table. The crystal decanters shattered, spilling amber bourbon over the felt.

"The back exit, sir! Now!" Kaelen yelled over the roar of the alarm.

Julian scrambled back, reaching into his tuxedo jacket for a small, concealed firearm. "She’s mine, Thorne! I’ve dreamt of seeing those breasts bruised by my touch!"

Alaric didn't flinch. He kicked the heavy gambling table, sending it skidding into Julian’s legs. As Julian fell, Alaric turned and bolted toward the private elevator behind the velvet curtains. He didn't put Elara down. He carried her like a prize of war, her legs wrapped around his waist, her bare chest pressed hard against his tuxedo jacket.

The elevator doors hissed shut just as a bullet sparked off the marble doorframe.

Inside the small, mirrored space, the silence was deafening. The only sound was the frantic, synchronized breathing of the two of them. Alaric pinned her against the mirrored wall, his eyes dark with a terrifying, primal hunger. The adrenaline of the fight had translated into a raw, s****l energy that made the air between them vibrate.

"You... you almost lost me," Elara whispered, her voice trembling. Her breasts were heaving against his chest, the soft, pale globes jiggling with every sob-like breath.

"I never lose what’s mine," Alaric rasped. He looked down at her, seeing her flushed skin, her mussed hair, and the way her body was still reacting to him. He reached down and gripped her thighs, hitching them higher. "Do you see what men do for you, Elara? They bleed for you. They kill for you."

He didn't wait for the elevator to reach the penthouse. He unzipped his trousers again, his thick, throbbing length demanding release after the tension of the game and the fight. He guided himself to her entrance, which was dripping and ready, her internal walls already clenching in anticipation.

"They want to steal you," he hissed, his face inches from hers. "But I’m the only one who gets to fill you."

With a brutal, possessive thrust, he drove himself into her. Elara’s head hit the mirror with a dull thud as she let out a high, keening moan. The fullness was staggering, a rhythmic, deep stretching that made her entire body vibrate. As he began to pump into her, her breasts bounced and swayed against the mirrors, creating a blurred, erotic image of gold silk and pale, naked skin.

She was coming, her p***y pulsing around him in violent, uncontrollable waves, her own climax triggered by the sheer, dangerous intensity of the moment.

"Say it," Alaric demanded, his pace turning feral as the elevator hummed upward. "Tell me who you belong to while the wo

rld burns outside."