Chapter 4 Fuck And Reject

The fight went out of her for a moment as she gaped at the sheer beauty before her.

The treehouse perches high in an ancient oak, its steps carved intricately into the trunk of the massive tree, vine-wrapped, with its cracked glass dome catching the golden rays of sunrise. The light filtering through the surrounding tree branches giving the environment an ethereal look.

"What the...?" She was unaware of how breathy her voice sounded as she felt the last dreg of tightness leave her chest.

"Beautiful, isn't it?"

She nodded as she looked around reverently at the way the woods wrapped lovingly around the site, like a mother nurturing a child.

The path to it was overgrown and seemed to have only been recently disturbed, but...

The sound of a door shutting jolted her out of her reverie.

Wait...

"What are you doing?" She asked automatically as she felt her body slide down his again. Damn the fucking heat.

He held her suspended, their faces only slightly apart as he whispered, "Putting you down as you demanded, Prickly. Unless you don't want me to." He added suggestively, a new look entering his drugging eyes, messing with Lorraine's breath.

"Let me..."

"You are so beautiful." The reverence in his tone stilled the hands she had raised to his chest to push him off.

No man had ever called her that. Not the way he just did.

None would dare to.

Capable, yes. Strong? Preferable.

Beauty...it's not just...her. It's for soft women. Not the likes of her who could hand a man's ass to him before he fully got the words out.

At least that was fully believed before Athena.

Athena was beauty, elegance and strength wrapped into one indomitable spirit.

Still...

"Put me down," she ordered, breathier than intended.

"If you insist." He heaved a long-suffering sigh as he set her down.

Lorraine swung away from him, hands brushing the short ends of her hair that barely graced her neck.

"What is he doing to me?" The perplexed thought surged as she stalked to the single window letting in more light to rival the one filtering in through the glass-domed roof.

Her eyes caught on the worn leather chair by the corner. The old brass telescope and faded star charts to her left speak of time past.

Pine scent and dust motes tickled Lorraine's nose as she wondered how her morning had turned out this way.

The floorboard groaned slightly as she turned back to face him, asking, "What do you want from me?"

He leaned casually against the door. Yet she knew he had no intention of letting her get past that door.

"To talk," he said simply with a shrug.

"There is nothing to talk about." She folded her arms defensively.

"There's plenty to talk about, Lorraine. And you know it. You are my mate, and..."

"...I don't want to be."

He straightened and tucked his hands in his jeans pocket, eyes sharpening on hers as he drawled, "Too bad, babe. We are already fated."

"Very easy. I rejected you, remember?"

"I don't want your rejection!" He growled.

His eyes flared at her as he took a step forward.

Lorraine's stance immediately shifted into defence, even as Kiara groaned.

But then, he stopped abruptly and swung towards the door again.

"I want you, Lorraine. You, my prickly queen. I want you as my Luna. I..."

"No, you don't." Lorraine took an unconscious step backward as torment fired up in her body. "You...you just want...to fuck me." She blurted out in desperation.

"What?!" He gaped at her for a moment, looking genuinely confused for a second. "Of course, I don't want to fu...what are you talking about?"

"So, you don't want me that way?" Lorraine asked before she could stop herself.

"Of course I want you... I..." he took a step forward and she moved back immediately, hating the cowardly move.

The frustrated growl beneath his breath seemed to reverberate in her chest as his gaze held hers captive.

"You know I want you, Lorraine. I want to fuck you so bad that it's all I can think of. I want..."

"Then do it." The words rolled off Lorraine's tongue like they had a life of their own.

She cringed as it fell on her ears. Yet deep down she knew she wanted it out.

The result on him was almost comical. He blinked.

"What are...?"

"You want to fuck me? You are right. I want you too. Let's get it done and over with. After that, accept my rejection. Deal?"

She thought it was a fair bargain. Men getting their way with a woman was always a win for them anyway. She expected him to snap it up.

Instead, his face darkened dangerously as a growl erupted from him, "Lorraine!"