Saved By The Alpha
Chapter 18

It was almost two in the morning by the time we got back to the safe house, but my b***d was still buzzing as we walked through the front door. Half of me wanted to run down to the Silverstreak’s home and pick Bella up right now, but the more logical half knew the little girl would be asleep. She was perfectly safe with Luna and Fiona to look after her — not to mention the guards I was certain Remus had hidden around his property to make sure his family remained secure.

All I’d be doing was waking Bella up and stressing her out for no good reason. If there was a problem, someone would have told us. Since no one had been in touch, I knew she was fine, and I knew I could manage to wait until morning to go and get her.

Remus, Bane, and Nic had returned to Oklahoma. We had all decided the most secure place to stash Dr. Brenner was in Remus’ holding facility. It was still relatively secret, and given that it had been under a different pack’s control until last year, it would be harder for the Raven Brothers or Project Night Moon to trace us if they figured out who had grabbed the doctor.

Not impossible, but it would buy us a little bit of time. Remus assured us his friend, Seff, had quite a network of technology wizards that would help make the trail even more difficult to follow.

Maverick went alone to retrieve the blueprints. Even though tonight had gone, well, pretty much perfectly, we couldn’t get c0cky. Tipping our hand before we had everything in place would slow everything down, if not disrupt it entirely, and Remus showing up at the facility just to keep an eye on Maverick would certainly do just that. I knew Eli was relieved the others were trusting Maverick just a bit more after our success, and I could only hope Maverick continued to prove to be an asset rather than a liability — or worse.

We’ll see how the good doctor likes being left alone to sweat it out in a barren cell for a day or two. I knew I shouldn’t feel vindictive about it, but I did. The man wouldn’t even have to suffer silver burns — he was just an ordinary human. He probably acted like he didn’t care about being isolated or ignored, but I knew he did.

It was the lack of attention that would get him. Even during the short time I spent in his presence, it became blindingly obvious that Dr. Brenner thrived on other people’s attention. It didn’t matter if it was good or bad, as long as he was in the center of it. While we were all busy getting files — and hopefully raiding the lab — he could stew all by his lonesome. Hopefully, he’d be more willing to talk after that, desperate for someone just to listen to what he had to say.

“What are you smiling about?” Eli asked, closing the door behind us.

I chuckled softly and turned around to face him. “I don’t know — I think that went pretty damn well, don’t you? It’s a good change of pace.”

Finally, finally, it felt like we were making progress. For the first time in weeks, I had some hope we’d actually get to see an end to this thing instead of chasing our tails for years to come. “Aren’t you pleased?”

“Of course I am,” Eli replied, a smile creeping onto his l!ps. “I thought you’d tell me something like ‘don’t get ahead of yourself’ or ‘don’t count your chickens before they hatch’. You’re supposed to be the jaded cop here.”

I snorted, smacking his shoulder playfully. “I’m a detective, not a cop,” I argued, trying to frown, but it didn’t work. “And I’m not jaded! I’m just realistic, Eli. It’s totally different.”

“Uh huh,” he said, raising his brows. He stepped toward me, and I stepped back, grinning. Eli’s smile widened. “Oh, it’s going to be like that, is it?” he teased, already herding me farther into the house.

I could tell he was moving me toward the stairs, but I didn’t mind. If he didn’t, I probably would have dragged him to the second floor, ready to ride the rush of adrenaline right up the stairs and into the bedroom.

We made it up without stumbling over a step. I pawed at the door handle even as Eli pressed me against the frame, k!ssing me like he was drowning, and I was his only hope of salvation. I k!ssed him back with just as much intensity, gr0aning softly into his mouth.

I finally got the door open, and we all but fell into the room, a tangle of limbs and laughter as we managed to get the door shut behind us, neither wanting to stop trading l!ps for more than a few seconds at a time. Eli twisted our bodies, pinning me against the door. A moment later, he had both hands on my waist. Then the alpha lifted me up, squeezing me tighter between himself and the wood.

I laughed, delighted by his show of strength, as I looped my legs lazily around his h!ps. He growled as I bent forward to k!ss him again. I could taste him for the rest of my life and never get tired of it. Electricity danced wherever our skin met, and I felt overwhelmed and deprived at the same time. I could never get enough of this man.

Eli kept k!ssing me even as he pulled away from my mouth, allowing me to catch my breath as he began to worship my jaw. He slipped farther down, teasing his tongue across my throat. I gr0aned, tipping my head back out of instinct. My skull thumped against the door, but I barely noticed, too engrossed in the feeling of his teeth over my skin. I rolled my h!ps, becoming increasingly aware of the heat building between my legs.

“Eli,” I panted, digging my fingertips into his shoulders. “Eli, please.”

“Bed,” he growled, which was a fantastic idea. He stepped away from the door, still holding me in his arms as if I weighed nothing. Perhaps if I wasn’t so wildly turned on, I might have appreciated his muscle a bit more. At the moment, I could only focus on cupping his cheeks in my hands, drawing him into k!ss after k!ss, even as he tried to set me down on the bed. I didn’t want to let go of him, not for a second.

The world felt good for once. I felt good — more than good. I felt amazing. I wanted to share that with somebody, and Eli was the only person who came to mind.

“Take off your shirt,” I demanded as soon as I hit the sheets. I felt like I’d been waiting years to see him naked again, and I was pretty sure Eli was deliberately teasing me by toting me around like that.

Eli reared back and grinned as he stayed just out of arm’s reach. “Is that an order?” he asked, quirking a brow. “Are you trying to boss your alpha around?”

I grinned back at him, already reaching down to whip my own shirt off. “So what if I am? What are you going to do about it?”

Eli laughed, already disrobing. “Well, that’s one decree I’m happy to comply with,” he admitted. He flashed me a feral grin once his shirt was tossed aside. “The rest of it…we can explore later.”

The look in his eye sent a thrill straight through me as my mind raced with the possibilities. I didn’t realize the notion of trying to boss Eli around in bed would turn me on so much — and the idea of Eli pinning me down afterward? Oh.

I got a little wetter just thinking about it.

Eli sniffed the air, and his grin grew. “So impatient,” he teased, clearly scenting my arousal.

I stuck out my tongue. “Can you really blame me?” I asked, wiggling my way out of the rest of my clothes.

“Not at all,” Eli counted. Once he was naked, he crawled back across the bed and over me, covering me completely. It was never just a dominance thing, so much as it was Eli always ensuring I enjoyed myself. And I did. I liked both parts equally, the tender care and the alpha possession.

“How do you want it?” he rumbled, already nosing at my shoulder, alternating between k!sses and nibbles. “On your knees? Or like this?”

I gr0aned, trying not to get too distracted by the feeling of his teeth against me. Maybe…

No. Now probably wasn’t the right moment.

But soon.

“Hands and knees later,” I decided, feeling a bit cheeky. “Like this for now.”

I tilted my head back, and Eli laughed, shaking his head. “That’s what I like about you,” he murmured, quietly slipping a hand over my middle. His l!ps hovered over mine. “You’re always thinking ahead.” He reached up and pinched one of my n!pples.

He swallowed up my squeal with a fiery k!ss, my surprise melting into a wanton m0an as he plucked and played me like a fiddle. It only took a matter of moments for me to turn into a writhing mess. I could feel arousal slick on my th!ghs.

Eli abandoned my l!ps again, this time sucking bruises against my neck. My collarbone. They wouldn’t last — I’d heal in a matter of minutes, but the thought that he was feeling possessive made my heart sing.

“You know,” he murmured into my skin. He drifted farther south and flicked his tongue over a n!pple. I gasped. “That could have gone way worse. You could have gotten hurt.”

I snorted. “I could say the same of you.” After all, he was the one who’d actually grabbed Dr. Brenner. What if the man had been packing a gun? “Is this really what you want to discuss right now?”

We could play what-if until we were blue in the face. But if Eli really wanted to be breathless, I’d prefer if it was because he k!ssed me until he forgot how to breathe…or he went down on me until I screamed.

Oh. Now there’s an idea.

I squirmed again. “Eli.”

He snickered, shifting his attention from one bre*ast to the other, massaging it tenderly before he began to worship the n!pple. My squirming became more frantic, and I tried to slip a hand between us, reaching for myself. He batted my hand away and pulled back, tutting. “So demanding, Iris. Can’t a man enjoy a little foreplay?”

I snorted, twisting my arm away to grab the back of his neck instead. I tangled my fingers into the curls at the nape of his neck and gave a little tug. “What about me right now makes you think I need any more foreplay, alpha?” I asked, quirking a brow. I gestured to the rest of my body with my free hand.

Eli’s eyes looked a little glazed. He sniffed the air and l!cked his l!ps, that feral look returning to his gaze. “Fair point,” he agreed, his grin widening.

It took him less than thirty seconds to have my legs pushed up and my ankles hooked behind his shoulders. He pushed into me slowly; I had to clench my eyes shut and focus on not coming then and there. I could feel all of it. All of him. The slight pinch from the stretch, the feeling of being filled up, inch by inch. Eli’s breath warming my skin, his fingertips digging into my th!ghs. There would be bruises there, too, if only for a minute.

I gr0aned softly, my head falling back as I luxuriated in the moment. When I opened my eyes again, Eli was watching my face intently. I flashed him a c0cky grin. “C’mon, alpha,” I goaded him. “F**k me.”

That was all it took.

Eli reached for my hands with one of his, pinning them over my head. I bucked up as Eli thrust down, grinding himself against my cl!t with each powerful stroke. The friction alone made me gr0an, and within moments I was shivering. I felt like my skin was on fire, prickling wherever it came into contact with Eli or the sheets. I was so close — I’d never gotten off quickly before, but this man…

The briefest caress would probably set me off — if Eli would just touch me…

“Eli, please,” I begged. I didn’t care. Dignity had no place here.

And then he did, reading my mind. He shifted his angle, replaceing an even deeper place inside of me. I saw stars as he thrust up. Eli brushed his fingers over my cl!t, and I shouted, making wordless sounds as I shook and rattled apart beneath him. Each thrust brought a new wave of pleasure. I knew nothing else. My world — no, my universe — had narrowed down to this single moment.

It was me and Eli and nothing else.

“Eli,” I gasped again, and he smiled, bending forward to bite my shoulder. Hard.

“Mine,” he hissed, eyes briefly flashing red.

I’d never cvm so hard in my life.