The Alpha's claim: a love unspoken

"You are trembling so hard," Jay murmured, his voice a low, rough growl that scraped against my skin like velvet and friction.

He backed me slowly against the cool, rough bark of the pine tree, his massive, solid frame caging me in completely.

My breath hitched in my throat, a fierce, burning blush flooding my cheeks and spreading down my neck as his hand slid up my waist. His long, calloused fingers splayed hot and heavy against the small of my back, molding me flush against his hard, unyielding chest until every single inch of our bodies pressed together.

"Jay..." I gasped out his name, my voice breathless and trembling as my hands instinctively flattened against his chest. I could feel the wild, heavy hammer of his heart beating with a terrifying, primal rhythm.

"You're testing every last ounce of my control, Anaya," Jay growled, a deep, primal sound vibrating straight from his chest.

Before I could even process his movement, his hands slid firmly beneath my thighs, and with one effortless, terrifying display of raw strength, he scooped me right off my feet.

I let out a sharp, breathless gasp, my hands instinctively flying to grip his shoulders as my body was hoisted into the air. In a second, he wrapped my legs tightly around his waist, locking me flush against his hard, muscular frame.

I flushed a brilliant, burning crimson, my heart hammering like a trapped bird against my ribs as the sheer intimacy of the position hit me. "Jay-put me down-someone will-"

"Never," he rasped, burying his face directly into the curve of my neck. His hot breath feathered over my sensitive skin, making my entire body shiver violently.

A low, fiercely possessive rumble tore from his throat as he held me tighter, his voice dropping into an octave of absolute, insanely intoxicating devotion.

"My sweet, stubborn little ruin... I would burn this whole damn mountain to the ground before I ever let you go."