The Triplet Alphas' Secret Mate

Chapter 173: On His Lap

Scarlett’s POV

​I began to sway, my movements slow and seductive. I didn’t use the pole this time; I used him. I moved in a slow circle around him, the silk of my wrap brushing against his suit jacket like a phantom’s touch. I saw his throat bob as he swallowed hard. Every time I passed his line of sight, his eyes followed me with a desperate, starving intensity.

​I moved closer, my body almost flush against his chest. I could feel the rhythmic beat of his heart. It was fast—too fast. I lowered my head, my lips inches from his ear, and whispered, "Where is your mind tonight, sir? You look like you’re lost in thought."

​Leonard’s hand suddenly shot out, his fingers wrapping around my waist with a grip that was almost painful. He pulled me sharply against him, forcing me to straddle his lap. The air left my lungs in a rush.

​"Don’t," he hissed, his face buried in the crook of my neck, right where the fake floral scent was strongest. "Don’t speak."

​He was shaking. The great, powerful Leonard was trembling against me, his face hidden against my skin as he drew in a deep, shuddering breath. I felt a dampness against my neck—a tear. My Alpha was crying.

​"I’m sorry," I whispered, my real voice almost slipping through the cracks. I reached up, my fingers trembling as I buried them in his hair, holding him to me.

​He didn’t speak for a long time. He just held me, his breath hitching against my skin until he finally managed to pull himself back. I felt his muscles stiffen as he composed himself, the raw vulnerability fading back behind the mask of a cold, distant Alpha.

​He pulled back just enough to look at me, his hands still firm on my waist. I wasn’t dancing anymore; the music had become nothing more than a dull sound in the background. The only thing that felt real was the weight of his stare.

your name?" he asked, his voice low

the name feeling heavy

mask, his gaze so intense it felt like he was trying to peel back the layers of my skin. "You are something else, Samantha. I can’t explain it. There’s something... familiar and special about the

small, fake laugh, though my heart was breaking. "That is what all my customers say, Sir. Every man thinks he’s found something special

his jaw tightening. "In three years,

myself to breathe, to stay in character. "Three years is a long time to be alone, especially for a

been alone," he countered, a bitter edge to his words. "I’ve been haunted.

has lost everything," I said softly, my fingers still resting at the nape of his neck,

eyes snapping back to mine. "You know about

I shrugged, giving him a playful, mysterious look. "You have the

a short, dry laugh. "I am as human as the whiskey in this bottle, Samantha. Which is to say, not at all." He reached up, his thumb tracing the

so deep in the shadows of my mind. "And because I’m human, I can tell you this: whatever has happened to you, whatever you’re mourning... I hope you

away, my heart aching with the need to end this before I broke down and told him the truth. I needed to

I whispered. "I have to attend to other

to stand, his grip on my waist tightened. It wasn’t a