99 Times for Alpha’s Bestie novel Chapter 184

Frantic, I tried to steady my breathing and turned to leave, only for Lucien to pull me back forcefully. His powerful grip pinned me against the door, his scorching lips covering mine again.

“Lucien, stop!” I shoved against his chest with my hands, my voice strained. “Let me go!”

But he didn’t seem to hear me. He was acting like a man possessed, his vice-like grip tightening. “You want this, Claire. I know you do. My wolf can sense your arousal”, he said hoarsely.

“No, we can’t do this!” I bit down on his shoulder, pushing him away with all my strength.

Lucien staggered back, his blurred eyes turning fierce. “I have got stamina, I promise I can do this”, he rasped.

“I didn’t mean you are incapable,” I protested, my breath came in ragged gasps, “I just, this is too fast for me.”

“Relax,” Lucien purred with deliberate misunderstanding. “I can go for at least an hour. I promise to be as gentle as I can. That’s what women like, right?”

My breath hitched, pupils dilating in shock. “That is not-” The words tangled in my throat. “I’m a rejected woman. I do not want to-”

He hauled me against him, my soft frame enveloped in his heat. “Your past changes nothing with me,” he whispered roughly against my ear.

How did we even get here?! Was he playing dumb? I had no proof, but the way his hands claimed me, like I was already his.

It made me wonder why he was quick to learn last night, rejecting me when I wanted this. Now he was like a relentless dog charging after a bone, but I was scared he’d leave again. There was only so much rejection I could handle.

I hated how responsive my body was to him when my brain was begging me to play this smart. My hands wandered, as if having a mind of their own. Why couldn’t I force myself to stop when I was pleading with him to?

His kisses left no room for refusal, setting every nerve alight. It was terrifyingly perfect. For once, a man’s strength did not intimidate me. It now anchored me.

I tilted my head back, tracing his achingly familiar features. Memories surged, the boy who had been my shield when the world crumbled, now the man whose arms offered sanctuary.

Without him, I would have lost my grandmother in Calgary. The realization tightened my

chest, and before I could second-guess it, I rose on tiptoe. The stubble of his jaw scraped my lips as I pressed a whisper-soft kiss to his mouth.

His gaze turned molten, thumb tracing my swollen lips. “Well?”

I blinked up at him, my glistening eyes searching his.

A month would give me enough time to prepare mentally.

Then, no matter what became of us after intimacy, I believed I could handle it. I thought of it as my way of returning all the care he had shown me. While still testing the waters to ensure that Lucien was serious and not simply toying with me.

Lucien looked down at his firming member and then back up to me with a deeply wounded and tormented expression.

“Claire,” His voice shook with just one word.

“Lucien, I promise that it will fly by,” I insisted, my mind now clear and resolved after shaking off his hypnotic allure. “I just need to be sure that you’re serious. I’m scared.” I was honest with him because he needed to know I wasn’t pausing it. After all, I wasn’t interested. I was.”

That was part of the problem. I was too interested already.

I tugged his hand and guided him onto the couch, pouring out my earnest thoughts.

“Think about it, we are still practically strangers. We need time to build something real. I am a woman who values myself and my relationships. When I commit, I mean it. I will not just dive in recklessly. Liam left a lot of wounds that are still healing. I need to feel more confident in starting something new. If we are doing this, I want it to be with mating in mind, Lucien. I won’t be a fling.”