Page 299 of Immune

Something in her softens right before she leans down and kisses me. This time, I let my hands come to her hips when she nods. I help her move, but I don’t set the pace until she tells me to.

“Harder,” she demands on a rasp that has no right being so fucking sexy.

I tighten my grip on her hips and drive up into her with more force, relishing in the way her breathing hiccups. For onesecond, I watch her face instead of chasing what my body is dying for. Her eyes stay open and her hands stay on me without fear and without pulling away.

There’s only want.

So I do it again, harder this time. Her nails rake down my chest, and the sting helps keep me inside my own skin. She moves with me now, meeting every thrust, taking what she asked for. The sound of us fills the training room, skin slapping against skin. Breaths shuddering from parted mouths. Her small, rough sounds every time I hit the place deep inside her that has her fingers digging into me.

I want to roll her under me. I want to cover her with my body. I want to put my teeth in her throat and keep her pinned to the mat until every person in this compound knows she is not theirs to touch. That desire is sharp enough to slice through stone and completely frayed at the edges. But it belongs to me. It’s only mine to control.

So I stay exactly where she put me.

Under her.

Hands on her hips.

Watching her choose.

Her pace stutters a moment later and her jaw clenches. I sit up before I can think better of it, but I do not trap her. I keep one arm behind her back and one hand on the mat, giving her enough room to pull away if she needs it. The movement tears a dull ache through my stitches and Dakota’s eyes narrow.

“Side?”

“I’ve got it.”

“Kaito.”

“I’ll tell you,” I repeat and she watches me for one hard second before accepting it.

She doesn’t pull away, instead she wraps herself around me and kisses me until the world fades away and all that’s leftbetween us is heat and skin and the bite of restraint that chews into need.

My knot swells more, rubbing against her every time she sinks down on me. I feel the moment my instinct starts getting loud.

Bite.

Hold.

Claim.

Keep.

My teeth ache with it and my hands tighten before I can stop them and Dakota notices. Of course she does. “Kaito.”

I stop completely, my body fighting me so hard sweat beads down my spine. Dakota looks down at me, breathing hard. “Why’d you stop?”

“Because wanting to bite isn’t permission.”

The room goes quiet except for our breathing. Her face changes.

Right there. That’s the moment. Not the knot, not the sex. That.

She sees me stop, she sees instinct hit the door and stay outside because I said no. Her hand comes up to my jaw. “You stopped.”

“Yeah.”

“You wanted to.”

“I did.”