Page 8 of The Alpha's Daughter
Chapter Eight
GUNNAR
As I sat in Lou’s bedroom at the Alpha house just a short time later, I couldn’t believe that this had happened. She said yes, and now she was mine. I could sense she was nervous and watched her toss items haphazardly into a couple of suitcases. I was hyper-aware of the way she moved around the room and yes, maybe I was a little nervous myself. There were still so many ways I could mess this up. I could feel my body responding to her close proximity, but I was determined to control myself and make her feel safe. There was still one thing that I couldn’t get out of my mind, though. I had to know.
“So, are you okay now? I mean, about Jax?” I asked. She didn’t even look up.
“Yeah, why do you ask?”
I rubbed the back of my neck. There was just no way to say this tactfully. “Well… he was your boyfriend, right?” She nodded. “I know earlier you said that your feelings were gone, but you also said you didn’t feel a lot before. I guess I’m just trying to figure out—”
She blew a rogue strand of hair out of her eyes and paused to look at me expectantly. I was fucking this up so bad. “I was wondering if you guys had a… ah… physical relationship?”
I half expected her to yell, throw something, or tell me it was none of my business. I was not expecting her to cackle so loudly. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, lips still twitching upward as she worked to maintain control. “You want to know if we had sex?”
I scrunched my nose and gave her a lopsided grin. “Well, yeah.”
“Yes. I mean, yeah we did. A couple of times,” she shrugged. “I didn’t really like it.”
I couldn’t help the sound of shock that ripped out of me. “You didn’t like sex?”
She shook her head. Well, that sounded like a challenge. I tilted my head, my face splitting into a lopsided grin. “Then he didn’t do it right.”
I could see the blush creeping up her face, but she remained silent and resumed packing. I shifted where I sat in her armchair, trying to let some of the pressure off my hardening cock. I cleared my throat, but my voice still sounded like gravel. “D-do you still like spaghetti? I seem to remember that was your favorite.”
She stood up abruptly and looked at me, eyebrows raised. It was not my smoothest line. Thankfully, she chuckled and we spent the next several minutes getting to know each another again. She still liked spaghetti, old movies, and running through the forest at midnight. I was still stubborn, funny, and a sucker for a good sparring match. I couldn’t wipe the grin off my face.
“Where did you go all this time?” she closed her last suitcase and sat on the edge of her bed. “My father said you were banished and I would never see you again because lone wolves don’t survive out there for long. What happened to you?”
I sat forward in the chair, rested my elbows on my widespread knees, and folded my hands together. This was as good a time as any to do this. I tapped my foot and looked down for a moment before finally looking up to meet her gaze.
“Yes, we were banished. My father disagreed with some of the Alpha’s policies, and since my father was a Beta he thought it was safe to bring his concerns to the Alpha’s attention. Unfortunately, he was wrong. We were sent away from the pack almost immediately and survived on our own for a few months until we were found by Wild Ridge. My parents made themselves useful and valuable to the Wild Ridge Alpha, so he allowed us to stay. He took a liking to me and never had any children of his own, so eventually, he passed his legacy on to me.”
The look of shock and sorrow on her face nearly broke me.
“I can’t believe he did that to you,” her voice was barely above a whisper. “You didn’t even get to say goodbye. I’m so sorry, Gunnar. I’m so, so sorry.”
I was on my feet the instant I saw tears pooling in her eyes. I framed her face with my hands. “This isn’t on you. You had nothing to do with this, okay? You were such a good friend to me. I never forgot you. Clearly,” I gave her a little smirk and let go of her face to trace my finger over her mate mark.
I wiped a tear from her cheek and tapped the tip of her nose with my finger. She sniffled and nodded but her lip trembled, drawing my gaze downward. My arms were aching to bring her face up to mine and I could practically feel my lips against hers already.
“Lou,” my voice was dark and husky. “Can I kiss you?”
Her lips parted. “Yes.”
The word had barely escaped her when I pulled her mouth to mine, swiping my tongue across her lower lip. She gasped, scooting closer to the edge of the bed and winding her arms around my neck. I couldn’t help smiling against her lips as I stepped forward, positioning myself between her legs and kneading my hands into her hips.
I couldn’t get enough of her amazing curves and the way her body felt against me. She didn’t like sex? Fuck that. I would show her what it could be like. I wanted my hands to be everywhere on her, all at the same time, and had to remind myself to slow down.Slow down. Slow the fuck down, Gunnar.
I kissed a searing path over her cheek, down her neck, and across her collar bone before coming back up and claiming her lips again. She groaned loudly and pressed her hips forward, rocking herself against me. That was a good sign. I tried to ignore how my body reacted to having her this close. I felt the frenzy building, but I didn’t want to fuck this up. Pulling away slightly, I pressed my forehead against hers, my breath coming out in heavy puffs.
“What’s wrong?” her eyes were a glassy mix of desire and confusion as she searched my face. Damn, I wanted her so badly and it would nearly kill me to stop. But I had to be sure. If she said she wasn’t ready, I would lock it up tight and suffer the wicked blue balls that would surely be coming tomorrow.
“Gah, nothing. Uh… sorry,” I squinted my eyes shut, as though that would protect me from her rejection. “I want you really bad, Lou.”
I opened my eyes in time to see a seductive smile spread across her lips. “Oh, really? You want me?”
She leaned back on the bed, propping herself up on her elbows and spreading her legs just a little bit wider around my hips. My brain nearly short-circuited and my jaw dropped into a nervous laugh. I drew slow circles on her thighs, swallowing hard when the fabric began to slide up her legs. “You can’t even imagine, Shortcake.”
