"Get ready, trouble," Kaelen had growled against my ear. "You're in for a rough ride."
I didn't have time to form a clever retort before his hands were everywhere. He hiked up my dress with expert efficiency, bunching the fabric around my waist. His fingers hooked into my panties, dragging them down my thighs with deliberate slowness. The cool air against my exposed skin made me shiver—or maybe it was the anticipation of what would come next.
"Spread your legs," he commanded, his voice dropping to that Alpha register that seemed to bypass my brain and go straight to my core.
I complied, widening my stance as much as my tangled panties would allow. Behind me, I heard the clink of his belt buckle, the whisper of his zipper.
"Do you have any idea," he said, running one large hand down my spine, "how crazy it makes me when you put yourself in danger?"
"Kaelen—"
