<h4>Chapter 608: Rogue Alpha’s im (II)</h4>
<strong>Evaline:</strong>
My pulse was still racing when his forehead rested against mine, both of us breathing like we had just run for miles instead of simply standing in a hotel room.
But nothing about this felt simple.
Nothing about River had ever felt simple to me.
His hands were still on me - one firm at my waist, the other cradling the back of my head - and the way he held me made it very clear that he had no intention of letting go anytime soon.
"River..." I whispered, though I wasn’t even sure what I meant to say.
Stop?
Slow down?
Don’t stop?
I didn’t know anymore.
His eyes searched my face, dark and stormy, his jaw tight like he was fighting something inside himself. For a moment, I thought he might step back. Thought he might regain that iron self-control he was so famous for.
Instead, his thumb brushed across my lower lip in a slow, deliberate move, and the tiny gesture shattered whatever fragileposure I had left.
"You two wore matching sets," he said roughly.
The words sent heat rushing straight to my cheeks.
"It’s just a dress," I murmured.
His gaze dropped briefly to my mouth again.
Then he kissed me.
Not with the same explosive force as before.
This time it started slower.
Deeper.
His lips moved against mine with aching intensity, like he was savoring every second instead of devouring it all at once. The change should have made it easier to think.
It didn’t.
If anything, it was worse.
Because now I could feel everything.
The warmth of his breath.
The way his hand tightened slightly at my waist every time I leaned closer.
And I did lean closer.
I couldn’t help it.
My fingers slid into his hair, the soft strands slipping between them as I held him there, as if I was afraid he might disappear if I didn’t.
A low sound rumbled in his chest when I did that.
The vibration traveled straight through me.
His mouth parted mine again, the kiss deepening, and I felt myself melting... actually melting... into him. My body curved instinctively toward his, seeking more contact, more warmth, more of him.
He responded instantly.
His arm tightened around my waist, pulling me flush against him, eliminating any remaining space between us. The contact sent sparks racing across my skin, and I gasped softly into his mouth.
He swallowed the sound.
His lips moved more urgently now, hunger returning, but it wasn’t wild like before... it was focused.
Intentional.
Like he was learning me.
Mapping me.
My hands slid from his hair to his shoulders, gripping firmly as his mouth traveled from my lips to the corner of my jaw again.
"River..." I breathed.
He answered by pressing a kiss just beneath my ear.
Then another.
Then another.
Each one slower than thest.
My head tipped back before I even realized what I was doing, giving him more ess, and the quiet sound of approval he made nearly undid me.
His lips moved along the line of my throat, warm and firm, and every ce he touched felt like it ignited under his mouth. My fingers tightened against his shoulders, nails pressing through the fabric of his shirt as a tremor ran through me.
Stars.
I was done for.
Completely.
His hand slid from my waist up my back, fingers tracing the exposed skin where the dress dipped low. The sensation made me shiver, and he immediately followed it with his mouth, kissing the sensitive spot just above my corbone.
My knees actually weakened.
I would have slid down the wall if he hadn’t been holding me.
His grip tightened, steadying me effortlessly, and there was something intensely possessive about the way he kept me anchored against him... like he didn’t trust gravity itself with me.
My hands moved again, almost without thought, slipping around his neck as I pulled him closer.
That seemed to be thest thread of restraint he had left.
His mouth returned to mine with renewed intensity, the kiss turning deeper, hotter, and I felt myself responding just as fiercely. Whatever hesitation had lived inside me earlier dissolvedpletely.
I kissed him back.
Fully.
Openly.
My lips moving with his, matching his rhythm, my fingers tangling in his hair again as a soft, helpless sound escaped me.
He reacted instantly.
His arm wrapped tighter around me, lifting me just enough that my body pressed even more firmly against his. The movement stole my breath, and I clung to him instinctively, feeling the strength in his hold, the solid warmth of him surrounding me.
The world narrowed to sensation.
His mouth.
His hands.
His scent.
The steady, powerful beat of his heart against my chest.
Time stopped making sense.
Minutes passed in a blur of kisses that shifted between deep and desperate, slow and consuming. Every time I thought I might need air, he adjusted just enough to let me breathe before pulling me right back in.
Like he couldn’t stand the distance.
And I couldn’t either.
At some point, my forehead fell against his shoulder, breath shaky, and I realized my entire body felt warm and heavy at the same time.
I was overwhelmed, but not in a bad way.
His hand slid up to cradle my cheek again, his thumb brushing lightly across my skin.
"Evaline," he said quietly.
The way he said my name - low, rough, full of something dangerously close to reverence - made my stomach flip.
I looked up at him, and whatever he saw in my face must have answered something inside him, because his expression changed again.
Softer.
But no less intense.
His lips brushed mine once more, gentler this time, almost like a promise instead of a im.
I felt his fingers moving up my side, and secondster came the sound of the zipper sliding down my - soft, almost delicate, and yet it echoed through me like thunder.
And for a heartbeat, I forgot how to breathe.