His unexpected mate [the green coven series]

STORM

In the midst of an internal struggle between lust and reason, where it was evident that my instinct was gaining the upper hand over my rationality, Jacob was becoming increasingly bold. His hand, resting on my lower back, was descending further down as his tongue trailed along my neck, licking and nibbling it, conveying the intensity of his desire.

When I felt his hot breath on my ear, his hands firmly squeezing my buttocks, his knee parting my thighs, OMG, my mind sent out a warning signal, momentarily pulling me out of the lustful haze I had found myself in. That was too much for me, too intense, too soon, too hot. My heart raced, and I struggled to regain my composure as his touch ignited a fire within me.

The situation was rapidly slipping out of my control: what had started as a harmless flirtation was turning into something more serious. Realization hit me like a ton of bricks. I needed to come up with an excuse quickly; those full lips and penetrating eyes were too dangerous for me—I would risk losing myself in an instant and end up involved with a player once again.

With a deep breath, I pushed aside the overwhelming temptation and summoned the strength to take control of the situation before it spiraled further out of hand. I gently placed my hands on his chest, applying slight pressure to create some distance between us and muster the courage to tell him that I needed to step out for some fresh air and a drink, lying about the effect of alcohol getting to my head.

"Sure, babe, but don't forget to come back to me though," he replied with a low husky voice and a suggestive gaze.

"Did he just call me babe? Seriously? I'm nobody's babe. Whatever. Trying to keep it cool and not seem pissed off, I made my way around the mansion looking for Val and Angie. Instead, I bumped into Philip and Karla emerging from a side corridor—her hair disheveled and cheeks flushed, him sporting a sheepish smile. Grinning, I approached them. 'Hi strangers, you look...' I focused on Karla, scanning her from head to toe. 'Definitely happy,' I stated. Her eyes lit up. 'Yes, I am very satisfied,' she said, exchanging a shocked glance with Philip. I burst into uncontrollable laughter, barely holding back panic at how comical his expression was.

'Well, come on, let's find Val and Angie and have a toast together.'”

The girls were in the backyard, sitting on the grass with their feet dipped in the pool, which was crowded with tipsy guys. They didn't seem entirely sober themselves; in fact, they were laughing uproariously.

Catching my eye, "HEY ALI! COME!" Angie yelled out loudly, drawing the attention of half the male population to us. This, of course, only sparked more laughter from her, while Val blushed and shook her head in feigned despair.

"OK, girls, let's go get some water and then let's have more fun together. Move your asses from the grass and to the kitchen," Philip snapped, clearly annoyed to find them drunk. Karla placed a hand on his chest, making circles in an attempt to calm him down, but it was clear how much the situation was bothering him.

"Party pooper" they spat back in unison.

Philip was even redder than before, and I attempted to defuse any further tension or arguments by approaching Val and Angie. Softly, I asked them to join me for a toast, a tequila toast, I lied. Trustingly, they followed me into the kitchen, unaware that I had replaced the liquor in their glasses with water.

"So, Ali, why are you here with us instead of ravishing that guy's mouth?" Val demanded, giggling and smirking. Three pairs of eyes instantly fixated on me as they tried to act as normal as possible. Philip took the hint. "Okay, I'll leave you girls for a 10-minute chit-chat. Just don't do anything stupid."

"You can't always boss us around just because you're in a higher rank, you know?" Angie spat back, her eyes wide with rage building up. Karla put her hand on him again. "Honey, look at me. It's okay. She's drunk; she doesn't mean it. Let it go. Let's take a walk, okay?" And they disappeared around the corner.

I was a bit confused. What did that mean? Higher rank? Was he noble? Did it even matter? Was there some sort of lower-upper class competition going on? I know I come from another country, and we have different cultures, but they didn't seem like the kind of people who cared about origins and such stupid, inappropriate stuff.

Still trying to figure out the awkward conversation, I saw the demanding expressions on the brows of my two new friends lift, and a knowing smirk crossed their faces.

"What?" I asked.

"The guy you were devouring. What happened?" Angie asked, with amusement evident in her tone.

"Nothing," I admitted, feeling my cheeks flush.

"Liar," Val pointed out.

"I'm not a liar. It's nothing important. We were making out. He's a good kisser, but he was getting too carried away for my liking, so I made up an excuse and came to look for you." And I saw them freeze on the spot.

“Look what we have here, Bri,” I recognized that voice. F*ck. Harmony. “a wh*re and two trash cans,” she spat out bitterly. Sourness seemed to spread from all her pores. I slowly started to turn around to give her what she deserved, rage building up, clenching my fists, ready to fight as I had learned in the self-defense classes I took last year, but she poured the drink she had in her hand over me, slut.

Val and Angie stood petrified in disbelief; alcohol didn’t help their reflexes either. The blonde minion was in front of them immediately to stop any attempt to interfere in our argument. Little did she know, it was not going to be an argument. I was going to erase her f*****g smile from her f*****g face. Forever.

“Che ca*zo di problema hai, psicopati*a!” I yelled, launching at her while aiming to throw a punch at her not-so-pretty face (traduction: “What the f*ck is your problem, you ps*chopath!”).

Two strong arms circled my waist, preventing me from pursuing my goal and pinning me against an unknown chest. I spun around to face the guy, freeing myself from his embrace and ready to kick the hell out of that stupid brat. It was Jacob, softly looking at me.

Perfect. Just what I needed, I thought, rolling my eyes internally.

“Babe, I was looking for you,” he whispered as his fingers brushed over my bare neck.

Okay, I was fuming, but that touch of his sent shivers precisely directed to my core.

“Was that girl annoying you?” he continued, pointing to an agape-mouthed Harmony.

I scoffed away all my frustrations as his hand continued the magic. “No, no more,” I blabbered, still in his embrace.

“Well then, let’s go to the pool so you can get all wet, just one splash isn't enough.” he motioned for me to follow him with the sexiest smirk I have ever seen.

I flushed from head to toe, so loudly explicit; I hadn’t seen that coming.

A loud growl got my attention, was there a dog?

Then I spotted a very pissed-off Philip with a death-looking Alex standing by the kitchen door. Harmony and her minion lowered their gazes and ran away, not missing to launch a murderous glare at me, while Jacob stiffened, reinforcing his grip on me.

Val and Angie, seemingly coming out of a paralyzing spell, rescued me from the embarrassment, making up an excuse about the time and the need to return to the dormitory since curfew was about to be enforced.

“See ya tomorrow, babe,” Jacob said, clearly disappointed, placing a kiss on the crook of my neck. I blushed even more, if possible, and another loud growl erupted making me jump, there must be a huge dog in the house.

Alex and Jacob were locked in a silent stare, like the calm before the storm.

What the f*ck?