Chapter 27

Lincoln

Her kiss took me completely by surprise. The force of her small body as she flung herself at me, and the feel of her soft mouth greedily finding mine came out of nowhere.

I knew she was happy but this was more than that. This was pure and utter bliss. I had seen it in the happy tears in her eyes and the way her mouth fell open and I didn’t understand why stacks of dusty old pictures made her look around like she was in heaven but the moment her lips found mine I was in heaven.

My lips parted hers, my hands circled around her tiny waist and lifted her so she was level with my lips. It made it easier to completely devour her.

And that’s exactly what I wanted to do. I wanted to feast on her mouth, on her body and then sink into her. Completely and utterly fill her.

Ever since she had sat next to me at breakfast I had wanted that. And talking about what was expected of her hadn’t made it any easier not to take her and become the very alpha that I was trying to keep her away from.

This wasn’t anything to do with her heat, this was all her. And it was becoming harder and harder to resist her.

I wasn’t even sure I wanted to.

She didn’t belong to me but it was hard to remember that when her sweet cinnamon scented breath mingled with mine and she met every single swipe of my tongue with hers.

Sliding my arm under her ass, I lifted her higher. So the white skin of her tender throat was at the right lever for my lips to explore.

“Lincoln.” Hopes legs wrapped around me, so her delicious heat was pressed against me. Hot and wet as she threw her head back to bare her throat to me.

My lips found a spot just under her ear and sucked. Instantly she was trembling. Her whole body tensed with a need that seeped out of her body and filled my lungs with the sweetest smell I had ever scented.

She was exquisite in all ways. So different from any other woman or girl I had ever met. She had fire and passions and the noises she was making as she succumbed to my lips was enough for my knot to begin to swell.

What would it feel like to push myself inside of her and lose myself completely. I would be the first to lock myself deep inside her and paint her insides with my cum.

I’d be as gentle as any Alpha could be. I would make sure she enjoyed it. So I wouldn’t like the others who took without giving.

And then you would want to keep her. A small voice said quietly in my head.

I already wanted to keep her though.  I had since the first time I had seen her. There was just something about Hope that got under my skin.

If I took her, knotted her and filled her, so my scent was all over her then I would never let her go.

“I can’t.” Clutching her close I rubbed her against the hard ridge of my cock. Back and forth but keeping our clothes between us. Yanking down the neckline of her blouse I let my lips fall over her shoulder and onto the swell of her small breast. My tongue teased at the very edge of her hard nipple.  “I want to but I can’t.” Even as I said the words, my tongue lapped at that diamond hard bud. Pulling the shirt down I sucked it into my mouth, hard. Teasing it up and up even higher.

Her back arched, her hips snapped back and forth.

“I need.” Small hands scrambled to grip my hair and bring my lips back to hers in a kiss that made me sway where I stood.

That was the effect Hope had on me, she made the world tilt around me. Every good intention I ever had , disappeared when she was close.

She was the kind of woman who made good men do bad things and I had fought my entire life not to give into my nature and do the bad things.

“I need you.” She whispered against my lips. “Please.”

I needed her as well. I needed her more than my next breath.

“No.” I tore my lips away from her. Dropping her to her feet and stepping away. “No Hope. That is not what I want.”

For a second she looked at the wet patch that had spread across the crotch of her pants and then she lifted her eyes to me. “You don’t want me?”

Lifting my hand I ran a hand through my hair. I didn’t know how she could think that when I had clearly been about to rip her clothes off and make her leak so much slick that I could bathe in it.

“It’s not that.” I shook my head. “It’s not that I don’t want to. It’s that I can’t-“

“You’re married?” She tugged her shirt back into place, hiding the perfect round mound from my eyes. I wanted to tell her not to do that. Not to cover herself when I was so desperate to look at her.

I didn’t answer.  Maybe it was best if she thought I had an omega of my own? It would make things easier than trying to explain to her my own morals when forcing her to go against hers.

“I see.” She dropped her head. “I am sorry I just thought you might like me.”

I was in front of her in a second, tucking my fingers under her chin I lifted her face to mine. “I do like you, Hope.” I whispered. “I like you more than I should and that’s why I can’t take you. You will be a companion to someone else.” My eyes swept across her lips. The way they seemed puffy and bruised from my kisses. The way they glistened.

“Do not give away the gift of your body.” I whispered.

“Just sell it instead.” She tore her face away from my grip and stepped away. “You pretend to care Lincoln but really you aren’t any better than the alphas you say you want to protect me from. My body is not mine, it’s yours and you plan on selling me to the highest bidder don’t you?”

My mouth fell open and then I snapped it shut again. I couldn’t deny it.

“It’s just the way it is.” I whispered. And even to my ears it sounded lame. “I am doing what is best for you. You need an alpha to protect you and give your body what it needs. And that alpha can never be me.”

Hope took a deep breath. “I would like to go back to my room now, Alpha Lincoln.”

My eyebrows shot up. “You don’t want to stay here? I thought it made you happy.”

She shook her head. “No thank you.”

My heart lurched. “Ok I’ll escort you back. But you can come here anytime you want. Just ask either me or Deacon.” Reaching out I touched her braid.

“Thank you Alpha. Could Deacon show me back to my room?” She asked in a totally dejected voice. “I don’t think us being alone is a good idea.”