Frustration mingled with longing, and a muffled groan escaped me, swallowed by the fervent press of his lips against mine. His shirt became my target, and my fingers tugged at the fabric, a silent plea for him to shed the barrier between us.
Sensing my urgency, Zander pulled away slightly, allowing me enough space to yank his shirt over his head and fling it haphazardly across the room. Our lips met once more, the kiss now imbued with an even greater urgency, a hunger that threatened to consume us both. The barriers were breaking down, not just the fabric of our clothes, but the walls of restraint that had held us back. With an almost impatient fervor, he tore my dress into two pieces, his eagerness undeniable.
His touch was electric, sending a jolt of sensation through me as his hand found my breast, grabbing it possessively. His fingers played with my nipples, twisting and pinching mercilessly. As his lips left mine, a trail of fervent kisses descended down my neck, each one drawing forth a gasp of pleasure from my lips. A soft, involuntary whimper escaped me when he focused his attention on my marking spot, sucking on it with a delicious intensity that ignited a fire within.
A craving, a need that had long simmered beneath the surface, finally found its voice in me.
“I want you, Zander,” the words tumbled out, my desire dripping from each syllable.
His urgency matched mine as he swiftly tore away my panties. In tandem, I worked on his sweatpants, my fingers finding purchase on the fabric and tugging them down his legs, taking his boxers with them. The discarded garments were forgotten on the floor as he moved closer, his body pressing against mine, the hard dick of him nestled between my thighs, a maddening tease against my wet pussy.
“Fuck!” A growl of frustration, laced with desire, reverberated from his throat. His eyes squeezed shut briefly as if battling the force of his own longing.
Abruptly, his eyes met mine, and the urgency was replaced by a hint of frustration.
“I don’t have a condom,” he confessed, his voice tinged with regret. My eyebrow shot up in surprise, a mix of shock and disbelief coloring my expression.
“What? You used to have unprotected sex,” the words tumbled from my lips, my tone laced with incredulity.
He frowned, his features hardening with annoyance.
“I hadn’t had sex since we were separated,” he asserted firmly, a quiet confidence underlining his words.
The confidence of his!
“Liar!” I spat out, my anger surging forth as I pushed him away, but he remained steadfast, unmoved by my outburst.
“I am not a liar, Selena,” his voice resonated with authority, his Alpha tone cutting through the charged atmosphere.
I couldn’t let his words sway me, not after the wounds of betrayal that still lingered from our past.
“So you really want me to believe your lies when I know that you were not even faithful in our marriage when we were together?” I retorted, the bitterness of his infidelity still fresh in my memory.
“What the fuck are you saying?” his brow furrowed, a mixture of confusion and defensiveness crossing his features.
“Yes, Zander. I know everything,” I admitted, my gaze unflinching as it locked onto his.
“You know nothing, and spinning these tales is a specialty of yours,” he scoffed, his tone tinged with skepticism.
“Really?! Then why did you grow distant when I experienced those miscarriages?” I demanded, my voice shaking with a mixture of accusation and vulnerability. My lips trembled as the painful memories of those lost pregnancies resurfaced like a storm within me.
“I didn’t become distant, Selena,” he replied, his words laced with a hint of anguish. His palms cradled my face gently as he looked into my eyes. “I was scared. I kept my distance from you because I couldn’t bear the thought of putting you through that pain again. I was terrified of the idea of you becoming pregnant and losing another child because watching you grieve over our unborn baby’s death shattered my heart into innumerable fragments,” he confessed, whispering as his eyes became a mirror to the pain he had hidden.
His words blindsided me, a rush of surprise sweeping through me like an unexpected gust of wind. I stared at him, my astonishment evident, as if witnessing something entirely new and unanticipated.
“I was utterly helpless, Selena. Bound by the necessity of an heir, I found myself praying to the moon Goddess day and night, begging for just one child. A single child would have meant an end to this heart-wrenching cycle,” he murmured, his voice heavy with the weight of his past struggles.
“Believe me, baby. Since you entered my life, there has never been anyone else for me. It has always been you, only you,” he declared, his words hanging in the air like a fragile promise.
It was astonishing to hear such words from the Alpha known for his cool demeanor and rumored brutality. Here he was, baring his heart before me, a side of him that I had never fathomed.
“Why, Zander? Why do you care for me so deeply?” My words were laced with soft desperation, a plea to unravel the enigma of his feelings.
“Do you still not understand?” His voice seemed to hold a touch of disbelief and tiredness. “Can’t you see how much I love you?” His words had a surreal quality, like a dream that was either too good to be true or so fantastical that it couldn’t possibly be real. Could I trust my senses to work properly?
“I have loved you from the beginning, and I will continue loving you for eternity, Selena,” his confession left me utterly speechless, my heart suspended between reality and the dreamlike tenderness he was revealing.