Read Born to be Broken (Alpha's Claim Book 2) Online
Authors: Addison Cain
Born to be Broken (Alpha's Claim Book 2) (26 page)
His grim honesty continued. "I desired very intensely to alleviate the pain displayed in your photograph. I was even impressed with how unfailingly brave you were to do such a thing, though I abhorred it."
Claire's attention went to her plate; she felt like weeping and didn't know why.
Her lack of words did not alter the undeniable tone in the thread. The connection was normalizing, vibrating, and creeping deeper. Before there might be any more
courtship rituals
, Claire stacked their cleared plates so she could get her duty over with.
"Did you enjoy our meal?"
She nodded, even thanked him politely, hearing his instant purr when Shepherd's eyes flashed at her praise. The feel of his hand on her arm, the long stroke of light fingers, stopped her movement. She watched, stunned, as the man lifted her hand to his lips and tenderly kissed.
Slightly hoarse, Claire admitted, "I am not entirely sure where I should begin."
He held her gaze, lightly flicked his tongue against her sensitive palm. "You could touch me."
The worst calamities that befall an army arise from hesitation. - Sun Tzu
Her entire strategy centered on action, on pushing boundaries between them, on growing stronger as she sought out his weaknesses. There could be no room for hesitation.
Resting a hip on the table, Claire did as he suggested. His face… that was where he wanted to be touched, so that's what she did. She traced his jaw and nose, ran her fingertips over his lips as he did so often to her. Next she stroked down the back of his neck, kneading the flesh he'd once claimed caused him pain.
Shepherd turned his head up to her, his calculating eyes watching with such intensity, Claire found her gaze rested far more comfortably on the Alpha's broad shoulders.
Keeping her mind separate from how familiar his body had become, Claire tried to approach it clinically, unsure if she was doing well. When a large hand came to rest on her hip, she took his touch as encouragement to continue. Her touch flowed over his arms from shoulder to wrist and back again, forming to the contours of honed muscle, reaching around his back to lightly scratch her nails over the broad expanse of flesh.
He liked that. His breath hitched and Shepherd made little grunts and groans as she traced his spine, his purr husky.
She rose from her perch and took his hand so he could stand from the chair and she could continue. There seemed to be a shift in power when he was suddenly so much taller, and her uncertainty returned.
Timid, Claire's hands went to his belt.
Shepherd took her lowered chin, brought her face up to see the contented expression on his. "You are doing well."
His voice was gently encouraging, those expressive silver eyes liquid. Claire assumed he wanted her to continue and licked her lips, trying to seek out the fastening of his pants. Fumbling, she pulled down his zipper and eased the fabric from his hips. Shepherd stepped out of his remaining clothes and stood naked under her touch.
When the Alpha made no move, Claire understood she was expected to continue.
Her hands found a path from his thighs, near his groin, and across the hard planes of his stomach. She nosed his chest, and pulled in his scent the way she once thought she would do for the husband she had imagined for years. Holding on to the comfort of that thought, she put the conjured image in Shepherd's place, and pressed closer, breathing in the smell of his excitement.
It was so much easier to stroke and hum as her fantasy unraveled, that she didn't even hesitate to tease. Pretending he was hers, the mate she had dreamed of, Claire let it all go. Biting his chest, she playfully scratched near enough his groin that his cock twitched in expectation of attention—attention she denied, to instead reach around and caress his buttocks, relishing his groan of pleasured frustration.
By the time she closed her fist around his cock, touching it for the first time only to please him, Shepherd was already dripping, pulsing in her hand, and arching into her grip.
To be continued…
Addison L. Cain was born in sunny California, but found herself drawn to dwell in older, history-rich places. Japan, Ireland, Qatar, and now Washington DC, Addison is always on the move, always eager to immerse herself in new cultures and people. Her stories reflect the antiquities she loves: deep and sometimes very dark. Driven to push her characters beyond the pale, Addison’s books are not for the faint of heart.
An alumni of California State University Fullerton, she earned a degree in Japanese and spent years in Asia studying indigenous Japanese religion. Primeval forests and worn pathways have led to her obsession with gardening. Her Great Dane approves, loping around the yard and getting into mischief. Unfortunately the cat has to watch from a window, and because Addison is a total sucker for his sad golden eyes, he gets hours of belly rubs and too many treats.
Visit her website here:
Don’t miss these exciting titles by Addison Cain and Blushing Books!
Born To Be Bound: Alpha's Claim Book One
Born To Be Broken: Alpha's Claim Book Two
Available Soon:
Reborn: Alpha's Claim Book Three
WOULD YOU LIKE A FREE SPANKING STORY EVERY MONTH?
At
http://www.blushingbooks.com
, we provide our visitors with a free eBook every single month! That's right, every month we choose an eBook to give to our customers at no charge, both to show our gratitude for your business and to provide a sample of the content we offer.
Can you read this free eBook on your Kindle? Yes! Once you’re logged onto our site, it’s easy to send a book right to your Kindle.
Can you read it on your iPad? Yes! Your Kobo? Yes! Your Nook? YES!
We provide all of our books on BlushingBooks.com in several formats so that you can read our stories on virtually any reader! Membership at BlushingBooks.com is free, so sign up today and get your free story right now!
DO YOU NEED A TRIP TO THE WOODSHED?
Since 1999, Bethany's Woodshed has been publishing the best romantic and erotic BDSM and spanking fiction on the Internet. Before there were eBooks, there was Bethany's! More than a decade later, The Woodshed is Blushing Books exclusive preview site, and it is still going strong delivering the best, original stories - now with two updates a week. We guarantee at least 40,000 words of brand new, professionally written stories each week by all your favorite Authors, plus at least 20 completed books when you join. Carolyn Faulkner, Maren Smith, Starla Kaye, Paige Tyler, Joannie Kay, Abigail Webster, Alta Hensley, Allison West, Melinda Barron, Courage Knight, Loki Renard ... they're all here, plus many more.
Embrace the spank!
See the stories first at The Woodshed!
Please join the Blushing Books newsletter
to receive updates & special promotional offers:
You can also join by using your mobile phone:
Just text
BLUSHING
to 22828.
is one of the oldest eBook publishers on the web. We've been running websites that publish spanking and BDSM related romance and erotica since 1999, and we have been selling eBooks since 2003. We hope you'll check out our hundreds of offerings at
http://www.blushingbooks.com
.
You might also enjoy our membership site at
http://www.herwoodshed.com
, where we offer an exclusive first look at new novels and novellas by some of our most popular Authors before they are released anywhere else.