Ethan’s POV

​I stormed into my suite, the sound of the door clicking shut behind me only fueling the fire in my gut. With a roar of pure, unadulterated frustration, I kicked the mahogany side table. It shattered against the wall, wood splintering and flying across the room just like my dignity.

​What was I thinking?

​Scarlett was right. She had given me every sign, every cold shoulder, and every polite rejection for three solid years, and I had been arrogant enough to think I could outrun her past.

​I told you, my wolf growled, his annoyed voice sounding in my mind. She never wanted you... she wants only them. She always belonged to the triplets. Let her go, Ethan.

​I sucked in a deep breath, the air burning my lungs. This was it. I was done. I was officially letting her go.

​I walked out onto the balcony, the cool Australian night air hitting my face. I pulled out a cigar, my hands trembling slightly as I lit it. I watched the smoke curl into the dark sky and, for the first time in a long time, I actually smiled. It was a broken, bitter thing, but it was a smile. The weight of expectation was finally off my shoulders. I didn’t have to wait for her anymore.

​Suddenly, I felt her mind-link brush against mine, hesitant and soft.

​"Ethan... I’m sorry. For the way I reacted and spoke to you. Can I come to your room? Please?"

​The sound of her voice in my head made my heart clench, but the image of Leo’s marks on her skin was imprinted in my memory.

I didn’t answer. I slammed the door to my mind-link shut, locking it tight behind a mental wall she couldn’t penetrate. I crushed the cigar under my boot and grabbed my jacket.

​I needed to drown the noise in my head.

​I headed down to the hotel’s exclusive club. It was late, the bass of the music thumping through the floorboards, the scent of expensive liquor and sex heavy in the air. I sat at the bar and ordered a double of the strongest whiskey they had. I drank it in one go. Then another.

​For three years, I had been a monk. I had stayed loyal and faithful to Scarlett, to a woman who wasn’t even mine. What a pathetic joke.

​"Do you mind if I sit here?"

​I turned my head slightly. A woman was standing there, her dress short enough to be a second skin, her eyes bold and hungry. I just shook my head and turned back to my drink. She sat down anyway, her thigh brushing against mine.

​"I don’t usually do this," she purred, leaning in so I could smell her perfume—something floral and irritating compared to Scarlett’s scent. "But God, you are fucking hot. I’ve been watching you from across the room. Let’s not waste time with small talk. Let’s just fuck."

​I scoffed, staring into the amber liquid of my glass. This wasn’t new. I got these offers every day, and for three years, I had politely declined them all because I was waiting for woman that will never see me past a friend.

​Tonight? Why should I say no? Why should I be the only one suffering?

​I set the glass down and looked her in the eyes. "Follow me."

​A wide smile spread across her face. She followed me back up to the suite, her heels clicking rhythmically on the carpet. The moment we stepped inside and the door closed, I turned to her. My face was blank. 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

​"No kissing," I warned.

​She didn’t care. She nodded eagerly, her hands already reaching for my belt. She dropped to her knees, looking up at me with excitement as she unzipped my pants. When she saw my cock, her eyes widened, and she didn’t hesitate.

​As she took me into her mouth, I threw my head back and let out a low, guttural moan, my fingers tangling harshly in her hair.

​She was a professional, her tongue swirling around the head of my cock with a rhythmic pressure that made my toes curl against the carpet. I didn’t just let her work; I began to fuck her mouth, my hips thrusting upward as I guided her head, forcing her to take more of me than she expected. Every guttural moan that left my throat was a "fuck-you" to the memory of Scarlett.

​I reached down, gripping her shoulders, and hauled her to her feet. "Undress," I commanded, "and get on the bed."

​She didn’t need to be told twice. Her eyes were glazed with a mix of lust and submission as she peeled that second-skin dress off, revealing a body that was meant for nothing but pleasure. I walked to the nightstand drawer, pulling out the condom I’d noticed earlier. I stripped off my own clothes, my wolf’s predatory energy making my muscles twitch, and rolled the latex over my length.

​When I turned back, she was waiting. She lay sprawled across the silk sheets, her thighs parted wide, her neatly shaved pussy glistening and on full display. I climbed onto the bed, hovering over her. I didn’t waste time on sweet words. I lowered my head and began to suck her breasts, my teeth grazing her nipples until they were rock hard.

​She let out a high-pitched moan, arching her back and rubbing her wet heat against my thigh, desperate for the friction. I moved from one breast to the other, my tongue lashing her skin while her hands found my cock, guiding it toward her entrance. She was growing impatient, her breath hitching in short, sharp gasps.

​"Please," she whimpered.

​I didn’t answer with words. I gripped my own length and, with one brutal, calculated movement, I thrust deep inside her.

​She let out a choked cry as her walls stretched to accommodate me. She was tight—unbelievably tight—clamping down on me as if she never wanted to let go. I didn’t give her time to adjust. I began to fuck her with a cold, relentless rhythm, my hand wrapping firmly around her throat. Not enough to hurt, but enough to remind her who was in control.

​The slapping of our hips echoed through the silent suite, a loud, rhythmic sound that drowned out the ghosts in my head. I buried myself in her over and over, feeling the way her internal muscles pulsed around me. She was moaning loudly now, her head tossing back and forth on the pillow as I drove into her with everything I had.

​"Turn over," I rasped, my voice thick with lust.

​I pulled out, the wet sound of our separation filling the air. I grabbed her waist and flipped her onto her knees, her face buried in the sheets and her ass arched high for me. I didn’t hesitate. I lined myself up and thrust in from behind, the impact of my stomach hitting her backside sounding like a gunshot in the quiet room.

​I fucked her aggressively, my hands digging into her hips to pull her back against every thrust. She began to cry-moan, a sound of pure, overwhelmed pleasure.

​"You’re... you’re too big," she gasped into the mattress, her voice trembling. "I can feel you hitting my womb... oh God, yes... right there!"

​I didn’t slow down. I wanted to lose myself in the friction, in the heat, in the raw reality of a woman who actually wanted me. I fucked her until my muscles burned, until she was sobbing my name—a name she didn’t even know.

​I finally pulled out, my chest heaving. I reached for the nightstand, stripped off the spent condom, and snapped on a fresh one. I wasn’t done. Not even close. I wanted to burn the memory of Scarlett out of my system. I grabbed the girl’s waist again, pulling her toward the edge of the bed as I changed styles, ready to start the next round.