fingers, and then he pulled away.
Jo responded with a near-feral snarl of frustration, but Aric pressed a hand against her belly to keep her still as he took up a position next to her. Her eyes, hazy and confused, slowly came into focus.
"What?" she demanded hoarsely.
"You know my name?"
Jo blinked, reason slowly returning. "Y-yeah. Why is that—"
"How?" Aric kept his tone neutral, but warning bells were going off in his head.
"I…I…"
"How do you know my name?"
It was a simple question that should have had a simple answer, but instead, the scent of brewing deception rose from Jo's skin.
"One of the girls must have said it when we were in the parking lot," she said lightly, evading his gaze. "I probably heard it there."
"No." Aric shook his head with absolute certainty. In his omega's eyes, he might be nothing more than a rutting animal—but he was an animal with a very good memory. "No one said my name that night."
"Then…you probably said it this morning."
Aric inhaled the bitter scent of uneasiness feeding off dishonesty…and the return of fear. He swept Jo into his arms, settling her to his lap. She didn't resist—in fact, she settled into the protection of his body as if she'd been there a thousand times before, even as her eyes flared with defiance.
"I did not."
Jo tried to look away, but Aric stopped her, cupping the back of her head and forcing her to meet his gaze. She was never going to answer his question, Aric realized. Not unless he gave her no other choice.
He undid the fly of his pants, freeing his cock.
Jo's pupils widened as the tip brushed against her damp, silken cleft. She shuddered, then attempted to hold her body away, desperately trying to hold back another plea for release.
"Do you want this?" he demanded.
When she stubbornly refused to answer, Aric took her hand and wrapped it around his shaft, her fingertips barely meeting. She swallowed a breath, giving up her battle not to look, as her pulse begin to race again.
But she still didn't say a word.
"It'll fit so much better than my fingers, Jo. It's made for you—and you alone." Aric growled against her ear, enjoying the way she shivered when his lips brushed her skin. "Imagine what it would feel like inside you, the way it would fill you completely. How many times do you think you could come on a cock like mine?"
His little omega literally licked her lips—and that's when Aric knew he had her.
"You don't really want to stop now, do you, Jo?" he wheedled. "You're so close. You're almost fucking there, aren't you?"
She looked him square in the eye, her gaze almost as hungry as his.
But then the glint of defiance returned. "I hate you," she whispered.
"I know," Aric said smugly. "But you also need what only I can give you. So tell me how you know my name, and I'll stop this torture."
As she considered, biting her lip and holding herself rigidly above him, slick dripped from her onto his shaft—and Aric thought he might break. If this went on any longer, he knew he wouldn't be able to hold back—he'd take her hard and long until they were both used up.
Maybe he ought to just give in. After all, it wasn't like she was going anywhere. There would be plenty of time to get the answer out of her later.
But Aric didn't want an explanation later—he wanted it now. His instincts told him the answer would take them further, higher, making release even sweeter. And so he forced himself to resist a little longer, his entire body raging against itself.
And a fraction of a second before his will broke, Jo's gave way.
With a final shudder, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath, the faint scent of what was left of her pride slipping away.
"I noticed you in front of the bar when we pulled into the bar parking lot," she whispered. "I asked Hannah who you were."
She'd noticed him.
She'd wanted him.
For all her fear, her stubbornness, her deception, she'd fucking felt it from the start too. Because this was fate. This was destiny.
A triumphant rumble turned into a ravenous howl as Aric seized Jo's hips. It was past time that he took what was his.
She didn't fight him as he positioned the opening of her hot cunt against the head of his cock and held her there. Instead, she wriggled and grabbed his shoulders, snarling like a wild animal.
Aric gave in and let her