*****Mature content*****

Val was lying in her bed frustrated. She was exhausted but her mind refused to shut off and go to sleep. She looked over at the clock on her nightstand and saw it was one am.

That morning, she had received a shiny black credit card with Val Star printed on it. Alexander had handed it to her as he left for the office and told her it was the one he had promised. She had taken the kids down to the stores on the first few floors and finally purchased some supplies.

It had been quite an adventure trying to keep track of the two while making sure to find everything on her list. She understood why some people had been walking around with children on leashes like they were pets. She thought about putting a leash on Alexander to drag him out of that office of his.

He would be delectable wearing a leather collar around the muscles of his neck. The thought of her tugging on a leash and him obeying her commands was enticing. She imagined him crawling over to her on all fours, shirtless and fine sweat glistening off his muscles.

Val chastised herself for the thought. She needed to maintain her focus; she had an apprenticeship to finish. While she would not mind a nice distraction, she would not go chasing after him. If any fun came of their relationship, it would have to be initiated on his end.

For her dignity, if he chose to try, she would not be playing easy to get either. She needed to keep up appearances after all. She was supposed to be Val Star, a childcare professional working her way up from the bottom of the ladder. Her cover was that if she lasted six months at this posting, she could elect to take a promotion.

The cover was not far off the mark of her actual intentions. In school, they had always stressed the importance of basing our stories on facts so that it was easy to assume our identities. Parallel truths they had called them because their assumed identities became new temporary truths.

Val groaned in frustration as her belly growled. She was uncomfortably aware of the fullness of her bladder too. To top it off, it felt like it was a million degrees in the room, and she was thirsty.

Giving up, she threw aside her covers and went to the bathroom to relieve herself. Finishing, she was walking to her door when the heat in her room kicked on again. She stopped to tap the thermostat by the door and the screen lit.

Ninety degrees! No wonder it had felt hot in here. Hell may be sweltering in places but even there she had slept at a cooler temperature. Then again, she had been raised there, not one of the incarcerated.

Val knew she had not messed with the heat and each bedroom had an independent control. That meant someone had been messing around with the thermostat intentionally. She had a sneaking suspicion about who that somebody was. AJ, despite their moments of peaceful accord, had made his opinion of her presence abundantly clear.

Two could play that game, if he wanted war then so be it. She would show the little punk it would take more than a few pranks to get rid of her. She had a trick or two up her sleeve she could pull out just for him.

Val tried to think of something harmless she could pull off right now, a little good morning gift. She smiled as she closed her eyes and thought about his rubber snake. With a snap of her fingers, she tucked it in bed with him, replacing the blue wolf he was snuggled with.

Setting the thermostat to a more reasonable temperature, she walked out of her room. She walked into the kitchen and grabbed a glass, filling it with water before downing it. In her haste to parch her thirst, she spilled some of the water on her tank top and she could see the outline of one of her nipples through the white fabric.

"Thirsty?" Alexander asked in his deep voice.

Val started at the sound and turned to him. His eyes immediately dropped down to the wet spot before he dragged them back up to gaze at her from hooded lids. Val's breath hitched at the sight of him standing there in gym shorts and nothing else.

He was more than toned, he was rock hard, sculpted with a master's chisel. Val's mouth went dry again as she took in the muscles on display for her. The man obviously did not skip leg day or any day for that matter.

Her image of him crawling on all four updated with the evidence in front of her and she looked back up to meet his eyes. She blinked to erase the vision, but his eyes held the same hungry gleam as he approached her. He stopped close enough she could feel the heat radiating off him as she craned her neck to look up at him.

A strange mix of emotions welled up inside her. Heat coursed through her veins as desire pooled low in her belly. Goose bumps rose on her flesh in anticipation of the contact it yearned for when he leaned in and reached an arm past her.

"Are you trying to tempt me, Ms. Star?" Alexander asked in a husky tone.

The words washed over her like a bucket of ice cold water. Her tempt him. The audacity of the man was beyond compare.

"No, I was merely trying to quench my thirst after your son saw fit to make my room as hot and dry as the Sahara," Val insisted.

She looked down to grab the glass again and realized he was holding a towel. Snatching the towel from his grip, she covered the wet spot and turned away from him. Alexander didn't budge an inch as her arm brushed against his bare skin while she refilled the glass.

Alexander was burning at their contact. He wanted to kiss her, to hoist her up on the counter. It would be so easy to spread her legs and sample her right here.

She could feel his eyes on her as she completed her task. Val decided she should keep a glass in her room to avoid similar situations in the future. Turning off the water, she turned to walk back to her room.

"Is that your only thirst?" Alexander asked her.

Alexander knew she was feeling the pull of their bond. He could smell her desire and hear the quickening of her heartbeat. His own was racing in response.

Val turned and looked up coyly, biting her bottom lip. She stepped forward until their bodies were flush and she felt the hard bulge of his manhood pressing against her stomach. With her free hand, she traced a path up his arm to curl around his neck as she stood up on her toes. Pulling him toward her, she waited until their lips were a breath apart to whisper.

"If I was trying to tempt you, Mr. Smith, there wouldn't be any doubts."

Val abruptly pulled back and spun away to walk back to her room. He let her leave, but she felt him with her as she escaped to her room. She was panting as she closed her door and leaned against it.

She heard his footsteps finally come down the hall and pause at her door. She would swear she could feel his heat through the wood panel. A shiver ran down her spine as he stroked a hand down the door before continuing to his room.

Taking a deep breath, she returned to her bed but was overcome with restlessness. She had never been this strongly attracted to someone before. It was consuming her; Alexander was consuming her.

She had no idea about the fight Alexander was having with himself. He was in his room, clenching his fists against the closed door and fighting the call to burst into her room. His mate was in need, and he wanted to relieve it for her.

He could feel the ripple of pleasure coursing through her as she began feeling herself. He found himself reaching into his shorts to grip himself and begin stroking. He wondered if the bond had built enough for her to feel his frustrated desire yet.

He felt her enjoyment flare and smiled to himself. She was feeling it, even if she would only think it was just a good fantasy for now. He left the door and flopped on his bed as he continued stroking himself.

He could not see her fantasy yet; he would not be able to do that until he marked her and they became linked. He had plenty of his own that he could supplement in the meantime. He was imagining her taking charge, forcing him onto his back as she straddled him.

He envisioned her hand taking the place of his as it rhythmically stroked up and down his hard length. He could hear her moans as his fingers replaced hers, dipping in and out of her. She was dripping wet and rocking against his fingers as they stroked and teased her.

He felt her release explode through her and he was short to follow. He imagined the way she would call out his name and then collapse against him. He needed to get about the business of romancing her, he did not know how much longer he could hold out before trying to claim her.