Filed to story: Claimed by My Ex’s Alpha Brother
“That’s a great idea,” Liam said, his fingers flying over his keyboard as he typed. “If the ‘box’ is tight enough, there will be no way for them to escape, and we can pick them off one by one.”
“Yes!” I snapped my fingers and pointed at him. “Exactly.”
We shared a quick smile.
It was eleven at night, and after Liam and I put Grayson to bed, he had asked me if I wanted to help him prepare for his battle strategy meeting tomorrow morning. After he explained his brilliant plan to defeat the Rogue army, we’d been brainstorming for three hours, and time had flown. My military studies degree and growing up with a dad who was in charge of WaterLock’s safety had come in handy.
And I had to admit, Liam and I worked well together. He listened to every idea I had and expanded upon it.
“I think I’m ready for my meeting tomorrow, Ella. Thank you so much for your help.”
He stood from his office chair and stretched his arms above his head. His black shirt rode up and showcased his tanned, toned stomach. The black shorts he had on hung low on his hips, and I noticed a smattering of light-brown hair that traveled below his shorts.
My hands shook with such an intense need to touch him that it scared me.
I still held bitterness for the man before me. But seeing him with Grayson today…it cracked the wall I’d put around my heart just a little.
Was it safe to allow my former Mate back into my heart? What if he just broke it again? If he did it a second time, how would it ever beat again? I’d barely survived the first time.
Liam yawned and came around his desk to stand in front of me.
“I’ve been thinking,” he said and leaned against his desk, crossing one of his ankles over the other. “What if you joined me at the meeting tomorrow morning? I’m sure your aunt or mom would watch Grayson for you.”
My eyes widened, and I clasped my hands together in excitement.
“Really?”
The fact that he trusted my opinion enough to want me to join a meeting with other Alpha inheritors and Alphas
made happiness flow through me.
“Of course, you’ve been such a big help tonight, and your military degree will be really useful. I’d love to have you contribute even more ideas to help defeat the Rogues. And you have the right to be there after what happened to you and your father,” Liam said.
The wall in my heart cracked directly down the middle, like it had never been there in the first place.
I threw my arms around Liam’s shoulders, hugging him, my head pressed against his strong chest. I could hear his heart beating.
Liam pulled me closer and buried his face in my hair, letting out a low chuckle.
“If it makes you this happy, you can join every single meeting I have for the rest of my life,” he said.
I pulled back to look at him and quietly gasped.
The urgent look in his green eyes gave me pause.
My stomach churned, and I couldn’t tell if I was scared or excited-probably both.
I grabbed onto the back of Liam’s soft shirt because I needed something to hold onto.
“Ella, there’s something I need to say. Something I should have said the moment I saw you again after all these years.” His voice was much deeper than it had been a moment ago.
I nodded for him to continue.
“I am so deeply sorry for breaking our bond. It is the biggest regret of my life. Not only because it lost me time with Grayson, but it kills me that it lost me time with you. You are the only woman I’ve ever loved, who I will ever love. Every single day you were away, I thought about you. When you left, you took my heart with you, and you still have it, even now, even after everything.”
My breathing became shallow, and my heart felt like it was trying to escape my chest.
I had no idea how to respond to that. My emotions were so tangled together that it wasn’t possible to pull them apart, so that I could examine each one.
Of course, I loved Liam.
That wasn’t the important question, though.
The question I didn’t have the answer to was if I trusted him enough to be with him. I didn’t know if I trusted him not break my heart again.
But when Liam looked deep into my eyes and leaned forward, his eyes fluttering closed, all of my doubts jumped out of my head.
Liam POV
I hesitated right before my lips touched hers. With bated breath, I waited, wondering if she was going to push me away. Anticipation shot through me like a drug, and my heart pounded. It had been six long years since I’d kissed my Mate – since I’d kissed anyone – but I could wait a moment more. I wanted this kiss to be her choice. I’d put myself out there and told her I still loved her.
Could she still love me? Even after everything I’d put her through?
Our lips were less than an inch apart. Her sweet breath hit my face and made me dizzy. My fingers itched to touch her, and I wanted nothing more than to close the distance between us. For her to be so close and not to have her lips on mine was pure torture.
Then, Ella let out a soft whimper, and in a fraction of a second, our mouths were crashing together. This was nothing like our first soft, gentle, and sweet kiss. The second our mouths touched, something sparked to life between us. The rest of the world fell away, and there was only us and the connection we’d always shared. This electric energy had always been there. We’d just needed to act on it.
Our lips were demanding, our tongues moving together – tasting, giving, and taking. Her lips were soft, her mouth hot and warm, and her kisses were delicious. Her citrus scent overwhelmed me as our kiss deepened. She tasted like a ripe, juicy orange that I couldn’t wait to sink my teeth into.
Mine.
I cupped her ass and lifted her, winding her legs around my waist. Her thighs tightened around me.
New Book: Veiled Desires of the Alpha King Novel
Dayson was the alpha of the largest pack in North America. Powerful figures from other packs sought to offer gorgeous girls as potential mates for Dayson. He steadfastly rejected these advances, he was not a pawn to be manipulated. But eventually there came a mysterious girl he could hardly say No. Who was she?