Forbidden by Liliana Carlisle

CHAPTER 4

AMELIA

“Sit,” the Alpha murmurs, gesturing to the stool next to him. “I’ll buy you a drink.”

His voice is low and smooth, deep against my ear, and a blush rises to my cheeks.

It’s easy to obey him. I could listen to his commands for the rest of my life, if only he would keep speaking in that deep rumble. I’m sliding onto the stool before I think, my body automatically responding to his command.

There’s a glint of mischief in his eyes as I take my seat. Up close, I can make out more of his features, the dim light illuminating his handsomeness.

Damn.

His jawline is perfection, chiseled in a way that makes him masculine, but not brutish. Light stubble dances over his complexion, giving a slight ruggedness to his otherwise ethereal features. His eyes, up close, are bluer than I could have imagined. And he’s massive. His hands could wrap around my waist easily, and his body appears to be nothing but muscle underneath his clothes.

Compared to him, every man I’ve been with is a troll.

Alarm bells ring in my head as I realize what I’ve done.

He’s ensnared me in his trap with just one command.

RUN.

But I don’t. Instead, I lean towards him, drawn to his presence.

I’m close to enough to catch his scent, and it’s delicious. He’s the slightest hint of smoke, mixed with pepper and citrus.

He must smell incredible to Omegas.

So why is he offering to buy me a drink?

As if reading my mind, he shrugs, the smirk never leaving his face. “Figured you might want company,” he quips.

“What made you sure it was your company I wanted?” I fire back, trying not to smile. I feel strangely at ease with him, and it’s easy to ignore the voice in the back of my head screaming this is wrong.

I don’t flirt so openly and brazenly.

But with this mysterious Alpha, the words flow out of me before I can stop them.

“You sat down, didn’t you?” He smirks, leaning in closer to me. His smooth voice sends shivers down my spine, and my body grows hotter by the moment.

There’s electricity in the room that wasn’t there before, and I shift uncomfortably in my seat. I want to lean in closer and close the gap between us.

But still, there’s a voice screaming in the back of my mind.

He’s an Alpha!

Yet, I can’t help but stay, especially after he gives me a crooked smile. His brilliant white teeth flash in the dimly lit bar, and he’s a God among humans. He looks at me as if I’m the most fascinating creature he’s ever seen.

I couldn’t leave if I tried.

“If you’re going to buy me a drink, I’ll take another beer,” I say, sounding more confident than I feel.

He chuckles and raises an eyebrow. “You’re demanding. Unfortunately, you’re going to have to take whatever I give you.”

The double meaning is obvious. My body flushes so deeply I’m sure he sees it, and I shift my thighs, trying to relieve the sudden pressure that’s building there.

My headache is gone. I’m floating on air, entranced by this Alpha’s scent and presence.

He signals the Beta bartender, who walks over immediately. “Another beer for her,” he says, gesturing to the one I was sipping at the other end of the bar.

I huff out a laugh. “I thought you said I’d have to take whatever you gave me.”

“Yes, but is this not what you wanted?” He winks at me.

The bastard winks at me.

When did flirting become so easy? With Brian, there was never anything like this, just gentle kisses and the occasional fondling.

There was no witty banter. No passion.

“I don’t even know your name,” I blurt out.

“Tell me yours,” he responds immediately. He looks as if he’s hanging onto this moment to know exactly who I am.

“Amelia.”

His lips twitch into almost a smile. “Amelia,” my name falls from his lips in a low rumble, and a delicious shiver runs up my spine.

I could hear him speak my name for a lifetime.

That’s a dangerous thought, Amelia.

“Now yours,” I whisper.

“Jakob.”

Jakob.

His name settles in my bones, a sense of completion flowing through me. Something that was missing has finally fit into place.

This has to be a fever dream, so emotionally charged and erotic that it can’t be real.

I want to scream this man’s name as he takes me. I want him to fill me to the brim with his cock and force me to take his knot.

It would hurt, but I could be a good girl for him…

Stop. You’re rebounding.

But I’m positively soaked. I’ve never been this wet before in my life, and he hasn’t even touched me.

The bartender sets my beer in front of me, but I barely notice as my eyes stay locked on Jakob’s. I’m half convinced I’m dreaming, but instead of my senses being dulled, I’ve never been more alert.

I feel healthy.

“Why did you look so sad, over there?” He asks gently, and there’s a tightness in my chest as I consider the answer.

Because I’m chronically ill.

Because I’ve been rejected, once again, for something out of my control.

“Bad day.” I say instead, taking a sip of beer. He watches me as I swallow, his eyes never leaving my lips.

“I hope it’s getting better,” he murmurs.

“It is.”

We talk. It’s simple conversation, and we match each other’s wit and banter with little effort. The minutes pass by, and the more we speak, the more I have the frightening urge to throw myself into his arms.

I’m torn in two. One part of me is screaming to run, that this is an Alpha, and I have no business sitting with him.

He’s intoxicating. He’s dangerous. And the way he looks at me…

I’m prey. I’m just a Beta caught in his trap.

He wants to devour me.

And the other part of me?

The other part wants to stay and continue to be a victim of his hungry gaze. To give in to my body, which is begging for attention.

I want to be devoured.

I want to feel alive.

For once, I want to be Amelia Walker, a healthy, confident woman.

I shift again in my seat, my thighs pressing together, and his nostrils flare.

Can he smell me?

“You know I’m a Beta, right?” I finally ask, and he gives me a playful smirk.

“And you know I’m an Alpha, right?” He mocks, and I can’t help but scoff.

“Do you always answer a question with a question?” I reply, trying not to smile.

His eyes crinkle at the corners. “What do you think?”

I bark out a laugh, shaking my head at his arrogance.

I haven’t laughed like this in a long time.

Finally, the war in my mind is over.

It’s as if he notices the change, as well. “You’re not afraid of me anymore,” he says carefully. “You were before. Even when you were smiling.”

I nod. “I probably should be afraid of you,” I counter.

He leans in closer, and so do I, entranced. His scent caresses me as I drown in his gaze. “You should be,” he whispers, his lips inches from mine. “You should have run away while you had the chance. Let me admire you from afar.”

My cunt clenches at his words, and I exhale slowly, fighting a moan.

“I haven’t had a lot of danger in my life, Jakob,” I say. “I’m feeling reckless tonight.”

The words tumble out of me before I can stop them.

“Lucky me,” he murmurs, his eyes on my lips.

My body is so consumed with need that I blurt out my next words in desperation.

“Let’s get out of here,” I say, still in awe of my boldness, in complete disbelief at what I offered.

It surprises him too, but he quickly hides it with a sinister smile. It sends a shiver down my spine, but I only want him more.

“Lead the way, Princess,” he says, and I swallow nervously as I hop off the barstool, Jakob close behind.

The warning bells only ring louder in my ears.

I don’t know what I’m doing.

All I know is that I need him to touch me.

This is taboo.

This is wrong.

But we step outside, and we’ve barely made it out the door before I reach up and pull at the sleeve of his shirt. I stand on my tiptoes and press my lips to his, and fireworks erupt.