Lucas POV
Ever since that night, I knew I couldn’t ignore my feelings anymore. I had already decided—I was going to make her mine. I was going to claim her.
The separation between her and my brother only made things easier.
I didn’t care if she wasn’t my mate. I could never feel the same for any other woman the way I felt for Maya. It was impossible. And trust me, I had tried.
She was full of unexpected surprises. But even I hadn’t expected that.
"...What?" I said, blinking once.
She looked up at me, face flushed, eyes desperate. "I’ve always fantasised about you. Ever since that night." She swallowed hard. "B-but it’s nothing, I promise. I won’t even dare think of doing any of it in reality. I just blurted out all those things to keep Caleb away from me. I didn’t mean any of it. I said it so he’d leave me alone. That’s all."
She was rambling now, words tumbling out in a desperate rush.
"I know you said I should stay away from you. I promise I will. I won’t enter here again. I won’t sneak out of the house again. I swear. I won’t come near you. I won’t even look at you. Just please don’t tell Alpha Ian. Don’t punish me. Please just let me go."
She said everything in one breath. Her hands trembled in my grip. Her eyes pleaded for the ground to swallow her whole. The reality of what she had just admitted crashed through her like a wave.
I stared at her.
And to my own surprise, a low chuckle escaped my throat.
This girl. A storm wrapped in silk. Every single day, she found a new way to unravel me.
She blinked, clearly startled. She probably didn’t expect me to react like that. For years, I had shown her nothing but cold indifference. Distance. Apathy. She probably couldn’t remember the last time I laughed at anything.
But I couldn’t help it. This was dangerously amusing.
I leaned in again, slower this time. My grip on her wrist tightened as I brought my body closer. She sucked in a sharp breath as she felt my arousal press firmly against her thigh. My other hand, the one on her waist, slid lower—brushing over her dress, feeling the warmth of her skin beneath my fingers.
"I hope you’re not drunk," I murmured, my voice low. My grip on her wrist tightened, pressing her firmly against me. No space left between us.
She nodded slowly, eyes wide.
"Good." My voice was dark. "Now, how about I make that fantasy a reality?"
Her eyes widened. She blinked. A sharp breath caught in her throat.
"Lucas. Y-you—"
Before she could finish, my fingers brushed against her underwear.
She moaned. Then bit her bottom lip.
Fuck.
Not that.
She had a bad habit of biting her lips—and she had no idea what it did to me every time she did it. I felt like crashing my mouth onto hers. A part of me burned to taste her. To devour her.
I tore my gaze away and dragged a hand through my hair.
No. I couldn’t. Not if she didn’t want it.
I forced myself to speak, my voice rough, barely controlled. "Do you want me, Maya? I don’t take anyone by force."
She looked up at me, her fingers trembling against mine. Her nails dug into the hand that pinned her down—her body waging a war between fleeing and falling.
I leaned back slightly, giving her space. "I won’t do anything you don’t want. You still have a chance to leave. But if you stay, you won’t leave until I’m satisfied."
Her eyes dropped. Shame, fear, and arousal flickered across her face. Then she shut them tight, as if already regretting what she was about to say.
"Yes," she breathed, her voice barely above a whisper. "Yes, Lucas. I want you."
That was all I needed.
I reached to the side and grabbed the tie I had set aside earlier. I looped it gently around her wrist, securing it to the desk. I didn’t like interruptions—especially when I was intent on finishing what I started.
When I looked at her again, she turned her face away, as if the weight of my gaze was too much to bear. Her hair fell across her cheek. She looked soft. Fragile. Completely at my mercy.
I touched her jaw and turned her face back to mine.
"Don’t hide from what you want," I murmured. "Not from me. Not anymore."
She nodded slowly, almost as if transfixed. Unable to look away.
I pulled her legs up, spreading her open before me. Her thighs trembled. I pressed a slow kiss to the inside of one. She shuddered under my mouth, her breath catching in that way that made my control slip.
The way her body responded to the slightest touch—so sensitive, no matter where I laid my hands, she trembled for me. I could have dragged her to her knees and had her mouth on me in seconds, like I had initially planned. The thought alone made my cock ache, tight and pulsing against my zipper. But pleasing her turned me on even more.
I moved lower, placing kisses on the soft curve of her inner thigh. Taking my time. Her breathing hitched as I got closer. When I reached the black fabric between her legs, she was already soaked.
Fuck.
I looked up.
She was staring at me, eyes locked—not daring to look away. Just like I told her.
"Good girl," I muttered, voice rough, before dipping my head and kissing her right over the soaked fabric.
She gasped. "Oh my God."
I groaned against her. My tongue slid over the wet cloth before I pulled it aside, exposing her swollen, dripping clit.
"Look at you," I said, voice low and dark. "Already dripping for me. I haven’t even touched you properly yet."
Her hips bucked, desperate for more.
"Stay still," I growled. "I want to taste every last drop of you."