immediately abandoned the notion, unwilling to waste that kind of time when she was so close to getting what she needed…what every last part of her was screaming out for.
Jocelyn was so…damn…close, teetering on the edge of a blistering orgasm.
And somehow, Aric knew it. His thrusts became stronger and faster. His grip on her waist tightened. When her body's violent trembling became too much for Jocelyn, the alpha took over, moving her up and down his cock himself.
One last wave…up to the crest…and then Jocelyn shattered. Her vision blacked out and then burst into sparkles; sensation ripped from her very core outward through her body, taking complete control of every muscle and nerve. She cried out, gushing slick as the orgasm stretched on and on, shaking and wracking her body, testing its limits.
When the waves of pleasure finally receded, she was left ravaged, limp, struggling for breath.
But the predatory look in Aric's eyes was undimmed. If anything, it burned even brighter.
"That's what I do to you," he growled. "That's what you get when you're mine."
His words were like a brand searing into her skin, marking her forever.
Except…the tiny kernel of rebellion had not been extinguished. Jocelyn felt its presence even as she was robbed of her voice, her ability to protest. She wanted to tell Aric that she wasn't his. That she wasn't anyone's. And just because she was an omega—just because he'd ignited her nature—she refused to be beholden to him.
Jocelyn had had enough of giving over control of her life without a fight. She'd had enough of her choices being made by someone else. That was how she'd ended up working for a megalomaniacal criminal. That was how she'd nearly lost everything.
As soon as she woke up from this fever dream, she was grabbing her bag and running out the door and starting a new life somewhere far from alphas and lying hitman bosses and mafia dons.
Even though all she'd been able to do was whimper and shake her head, apparently it had been enough to get her point across. The alpha gave a low and terrifying growl that reverberated through the walls of the cabin. Then he flipped her onto the mattress, flat on her back.
Jocelyn didn't realize that Aric had been holding back until he started pounding her for real. She didn't realize she could feel desire again so quickly after coming until she met every one of his savage thrusts with an explosion of pure sensation.
She came again and again. Over and over, until every nerve in her body felt raw and exposed. Until every breath was a moan, every ounce of energy left in her body depleted by the violent onslaught of pleasure, only to replenish itself to come again. Her mind became fuzzy, and the edges of her vision blurred. She thought she might pass out. Eventually, all Jocelyn could do was repeat his name.
Aric. Aric… Aric.
But before she slipped into unconsciousness, Aric stiffened above her. A primal roar echoed all around her as a new pressure built inside her.
Jocelyn's eyes flew open, and she thought she might literally tear apart as the base of Aric's cock swelled inside her.
Oh God—his knot.
She'd forgotten all about the little fact of an alpha's knot. She'd never imagined in a million years that she would actually meet an alpha, let alone fuck one.
But she had—over and over, and now the inevitable was happening, too far along to stop it. Their bodies were locking together, Aric's massive knot forming inside her, filling her in a way she never could have imagined.
For a moment, panic seized Jocelyn, hot and electric. Like a child touching a hot stove, she tried to pull back, but it was impossible.
Even worse, struggling caused searing pain. When Jocelyn cried out now, it had nothing to do with pleasure.
Hearing her distress, Aric wrapped his arms tightly around Jocelyn and held her immobilized, his cock deep inside her once again.
The pain receded instantly, but the fear didn't. She threw her arms around Aric's neck, desperate for comfort, for a touchstone, an anchor. She held herself still and rigid as he gave a ferocious roar and came deep inside her.
Wave after wave of hot seed filled her, and in the space of seconds, she ascended one last time to the peak, only to let go and fall with him, her cries mingling with his.
Still holding her, Aric twisted onto his back and cradled Jocelyn on top of him against his chest. She felt no pain, only