Cordia screamed his name, her whole body seemed to spasm around him even harder. Every muscle tensed for the longest time. He squeezed her breasts and rolled her nipples between his fingers, loving how good she felt. How right this felt.
Using easy circular thrusts, he wrung out the last of her pleasure, as well as his own, already dreading pulling out of her. This level of need was not normal.
“You shouldn’t have done that.” She sounded angry. Now that he was thinking about it, he realized how tense she felt. How rigid the line of her back was. Thankfully the suctioning began to let up.
Stone pulled out, noticing that he had almost broken the skin on her neck. Holy fuck! He needed to be careful. This could get out of hand. “I’m sorry. You enjoyed it so I…” Gave in to my instincts. He couldn’t say that because it would scare her even more.
“It’s mating behavior.” She turned around, eyes hard and narrowed. “And it’s not going to happen between us. You and I are not going to happen. The sex has been good, but this is over.”
Stone watched her walk out of the bathroom, towel in hand. He followed, watching as she grabbed clothing from her closet, getting dressed while still damp. He wanted to try to change her mind, but he could see it would be a losing battle right then. She was too pissed at him. She also looked…afraid. There was something more going on. Why was she afraid? There had to be something. Probably something important. Instead of saying what was on his mind, he toweled off and picked up his pants, putting them on.
“I’ll see you at lunch then?” He sounded hopeful. He sounded damned pathetic, but it couldn’t be helped.
Cordia nodded once, looking anywhere but at him.
That was a resounding ‘no’ if he ever saw one. “Okay then. For what it’s worth, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have bitten you again.” He shook his head.
“You shouldn’t have bitten me at all.” She pulled in a deep breath. “Look, what’s done is done. You didn’t actually mate me.”
“There is more involved for that to happen. I would never go that far. I swear.” He held up both hands.
Cordia nodded again, her face unreadable. “You still went too far and you’re pushing too hard.” Then she folded her arms and glanced at the door.
Stone could take a hint. Especially if said hint wasn’t so subtle. “I need to change, so I’ll get going. I’ll see you in ten.” Pathetic! He couldn’t help but hope that she showed up.
Another nod. Her features were grim. He wished he knew what was going on inside her head. Walking out was hard. Only because he wanted to push her for answers. She was feeling this pull between them. It scared her for some reason. It scared him too but not like her. It scared him in a way that made him want to talk. Cordia was completely closed off. Worse still, she was running. There was something she was hiding. He knew it just as sure as he knew his own name.
Chapter 11
Stone pushed his plate away, half his steak uneaten. The food sat in his stomach like a rock.
“You okay?” Topaz asked, frowning. “You’re awfully broody for a male who just got lucky.”
“Sex isn’t everything,” he muttered, looking around the dining hall. Delfinia was pushing her chair back, preparing to leave. She was the last of the group still there. Aside from him and Topaz. He checked the clock on the wall. Five minutes before their afternoon session began. Still no sign of Cordia. He sat there for almost an hour, eyes on the door, hoping she would turn up. Knowing full well it wasn’t going to happen.
“What? Did you knock your head as well? I happened to notice the limp when you walked in earlier.” She snort-laughed. “Your head looks fine to me though.” She pretended to scrutinize his skull. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard a male say that before. Sex normally ranks way up there. Are you sure you didn’t knock your head while you were getting it on? And don’t try to deny it. I can scent it from a mile away.”
“Funny haha. You’re a laugh a minute. I wouldn’t try to deny it,” he grumbled.
“Definitely in a bad mood, which, again…doesn’t compute. Was it bad or something?”
“Was what bad?” He took a sip of his water.
“The sex.” She kept her voice down even though they were alone. “I thought you two had chemistry. At least, I assumed it, based on the broken table and the events that have unfolded since.”
He shrugged. “I thought so too.”
“Oh,” she smiled, looking sorry for him at the same time, “Cordia doesn’t feel the same? Was the sex good for you but not so great for her? Maybe we aren’t compatible as species.”
“We are!” he snapped back.
“Okay, okay.” She held up a hand. “Touchy. So, the sex was amazing. That’s not the issue. So…what’s the problem then?” She frowned.
“I have no idea. I’m stumped. She’s into me…I know she is, but she’s pushing me away. Why? Like you said, the sex is fucking amazing. She’s amazing. We could be amazing.”
Topaz dropped her fork on the table with a clunk. “You have feelings for her.” Her mouth fell open. Then she choked out a laugh. “Oh my god! I can’t believe it. You are crushing on a Feral.”
“Crushing? What kind of talk is that? Non-humans don’t have crushes. We fuck or we mate, there is rarely an in-between.”
Topaz slapped a hand over her mouth, her eyes were bright and filled with excitement. “You want to mate her.” She spoke through her fingers before removing her hand. “It’s serious then?”
“It’s too soon to be talking about mating, but I’m serious about her. I want more. I want to get to know this female. I want to spend time with her. I want her to come back to my lair. I want to get to know her people, her life. I—”
“By freaking scale…you’re in love.”
“I don’t know Cordia well enough to say that…yet.”
“Yet?” She raised her brows.
He gave a one-shouldered shrug. “I don’t think it would take much to fall for her.”
Topaz giggled. “I knew it. This is so romantic. You guys have been at each other’s throats the entire time ‒ well almost the entire time ‒ and now…” She bit down on her bottom lip. “You’re an ‘enemies to lovers’ romance. It doesn’t get much better.”
“We’re hardly enemies and we’re…definitely not lovers.” He sighed. “That’s the problem. She still hates me.”
“She does not hate you. I’ve seen the looks she gives you and trust me, I don’t see a single shred of hate there.” Topaz frowned, looking concerned. “You do know that she more than likely can’t have children. She wouldn’t be here otherwise. We were all picked to attend to represent our species for a reason. You, because of what happened to your sister. You know first-hand how this crisis is affecting our females…our whole community, for that matter.”
“I don’t care if she’s infertile. It isn’t important to me.” Stone had always wanted young. He’d always seen himself as a future father. Would he be disappointed if it never happened? Yes. Absolutely. Did it deter him? Fuck no! “She can’t have young, but I want to get to know her anyway.”
“You really do have it bad. You—”
Just then, the door opened, and Gazelle stuck her head around the jamb, she was smiling but looked tense. “Oh good. There you are.” Her smile suddenly looked forced.
“We were just about to head to the conference room,” Topaz said. They both pushed their chairs back.
“Great! You go on through, Topaz.” She turned to him. “There is something I need to discuss with you, Stone.”
“Oh…okay.” Topaz nodded, she looked his way, widening her eyes for a second or two in question. “I’ll see you there,” she said to him and then headed out.
“Close the door behind you?” Gazelle asked.
Oh shit! What now? Had Helga or Lexi stirred up more trouble? “Whatever they said, don’t believe them,” he blurted.
Gazelle narrowed her eyes, frowning. “I’m not sure what you mean.”
Cr
She looked tense. Gazelle kept clasping and unclasping her hands. She’d licked her lips three times already since entering the room and couldn’t hold his gaze for longer than a second or two. “It’s Cordia.” She looked down at her lap.
“What about her?”
“She came to see me during the lunch break.”
“Yeah?” he finally prompted when the vampire didn’t go on of her own accord.
“I’m not quite sure how to say this.” More clasping and unclasping of her hands. More licking of her lips.
“Just say it. Lay it on me.” Yep! Looked like he had been right. He was going to hate this.
“She says that,” she winced, “you are stalking her.” She spoke quickly. Like if she got it out quicker, it wouldn’t sound as bad as it did. No such luck!
“What?” he practically yelled.
“I’m sorry. Please don’t shoot the messenger. She says you won’t leave her alone. You won’t leave when she asks you to. In fact, you barged your way into her apartment earlier after she insisted you leave.”
“We had a disagreement which needed hashing out, so no, I wouldn’t leave until we had talked things through. She was being unreasonable.” He bit down on his tongue, realizing how stalkerish he sounded right then.
Gazelle’s stance didn’t change. This time she looked him in the eyes. “She said that you insisted on having,” she cleared her throat, “sex…”
“What? You can’t be serious! It was completely consensual. We—”
“She didn’t dispute that it was consensual. She said it was just rutting to her, but that you have developed an unhealthy infatuation with her. Cordia made it clear that she doesn’t want any more contact with you. She wants you to stop stalking her…sorry,” she held up a hand, “her words, not mine.”
What the fuck?! “I’m not…” he began. “I’m not stalking Cordia. I—”
“Look,” Gazelle interrupted him. Her voice was soothing. She looked at him with pity. “I’m not sure what’s going on between the two of you. It’s clear to me that it’s two-sided. Not just coming from you. I don’t want to know any of the details. Quite frankly it’s none of my business. What I do know is that a complaint was laid. She asked that it remain unofficial as long as you stay away. She has asked to be given another partner. I’m going to pair you with Penelope. Cordia will partner with Bonnie. I strongly suggest you stay far away from the Feral. Don’t strike up a conversation. Don’t go to her after hours. Don’t so much as sit next to her. Stay far away from her, please. I don’t want this officially reported. There’ll be an inquiry. You could get me into trouble as well.” Her eyes were wide. “This could put this entire conference at risk. Not just this one in particular, but for future forums. We have more planned but on a much greater scale. This one was preliminary, a beta, if you will, to see what measures need to be implemented. I can certainly think of one or two.” She realized she’d digressed. “I can’t have this turning into an issue. Please!”
“I understand,” he pushed out the word, sounding defeated. He should be angry. Spitting mad! Instead, he felt disappointed and worried. What was going on with Cordia? What had spooked her so badly that she felt the need to take such drastic measures? Screw inquiries. Screw getting into trouble. Their issues were not going to affect this or any future events. Stone was getting to the bottom of this. Cordia was going to damn well tell him what was going on with her.
Cordia’s face felt hot. She burned with shame. She’d panicked. She’d been forced to find a way to get Stone off her back. To make him stop pushing for a relationship. For more between them. She’d panicked and had gone to see Gazelle. She’d blurted out the first thing that came to mind. Thing was, she had to ensure that she was taken seriously by the female. Gazelle had been clear that swapping partners was not permitted. So, her excuse had to be good.
Stone was stalking her.
Stalking.
Her.
Her cheeks heated some more. Maybe she shouldn’t have said such a thing. It was a horrible accusation. Especially when it wasn’t true. No! It was the right thing to have done. She didn’t trust herself around the male. Cordia had been jealous. She loved hearing him say that he liked her. That there was something real between them. She loved that he wanted to spend time with her…getting to know her in all ways. Not just physical. He wasn’t even put off by her fertility problems. He was a good male. Caring, sweet, funny and sexy. Cordia wanted to know more about him.
The story about his sister had rocked her to her core. Then there was the sex. It was…it was surreal. All of it was. Cordia loved how he made her feel. Like she was the only female on the planet. Like she was all he would ever need. Hence the panic that had set in. Especially when he’d bitten her. It had all felt so right. Like a puzzle piece falling into place. This spark, this thing, given just the tiniest bit of kindling and it would flame. Before long, it would be a raging inferno. That was why she had forced herself to do what she had done. She’d smothered that spark before anything more could come of it.
The door opened and closed. It was the last delegate. It was Stone. She didn’t want to look at him. He’d be angry. Maybe he even hated her now. She wouldn’t blame him. She wouldn’t be able to take it though. To see the hate shining in his eyes. His beautiful eyes. Maybe he’d mount Helga or Lexi. Or both. Probably both. He’d do it to spite her. She couldn’t blame him for that either. She’d deserve it. Cordia needed to stick to her plan though. She needed to protect herself. For that matter, she needed to protect them both.
She heard him sit down. Just like on the first day, it was across the table from her, only this time, it was a little to the left instead of directly across from her.
Cordia kept her eyes on the paper in front of her, pretending to scan it. She had been taking reading lessons online. Most of the Feral had. She’d picked it up easily. They were a species who adapted easily. She didn’t read the page though. She couldn’t. The top of her head prickled too badly.
Blast and damn! She could feel him looking at her. His eyes burning holes in her. Maybe she should apologize. Take it back. Set the record straight.
No!
Forget it. She’d done the right thing. She needed to stick to the plan. Keep the male at arm’s length until she got back to her own territory. Then she needed to forget all about him. The last would be tough but she was sure she could do it. They weren’t in too deep yet. Besides, he hated her now, so it would make things easier. She pushed out a slow breath. She had done the right thing. She had!
A female cleared her throat at the head of the table. It was Gazelle. “Welcome back. There has been a small change to the teams.” The female paused for a moment. “Cordia and Stone are no longer partners.”
Helga gasped and Lexi giggled. One or two of the others reacted as well. “Stone is now paired with Bonnie and Penelope with Cordia. Thank you to all parties for agreeing to the change.”
“Why though?” Helga asked.
“It is not relevant to these proceedings,” Gazelle said. “Now if—”
“I thought we couldn’t swap.” The female shook her head, looking amused.
“You can’t.”
“But—” the vampire began.
“Moving on,” Gazelle said in a firm voice.
Cordia saw Helga’s smug grin as the female turned to look at her. She ignored the vampire bitch, praying Stone didn’t seek vengeance by mounting someone like that.
Please!
“We are going to discuss interspecies relationships this afternoon.” Gazelle cleared her throat, looking distinctly uncomfortable. “The advantages and the pitfalls. Let’s start with the pitfalls. I’ll write them down on the board. Who would like to begin?”
Cordia glanced at Stone. She had hoped that his attention would be on Gazelle. It wasn’t. Her heart sped up. He was staring at her.
Feathers and tar.
The male didn’t look angry. He held her gaze, lifting a brow in question. He looked slightly amused. Not put out at all.
Feathers and tar in a hailstorm. He wasn’t deterred. Not in the slightest.
“Does anyone have any pitfalls they can think of?” Gazelle tried again.
“Cultural differences could make it impossible,” Cordia said, trying hard to take her eyes off of his.
Stone winked at her. Her heart practically leapt out of his chest. He gave her this sexy half-smile. “I disagree,” Stone announced, sitting up taller in his seat, his gaze turning to Gazelle. “I think differences should be embraced and nurtured. Communication is key. Some species prefer not to communicate. It’s a mistake.” He glanced her way as he finished.
“Sometimes differences are so vast that no amount of communication will help.” Cordia countered, also looking at Gazelle. “It would be a futile exercise, so why bother?”
“It may not be futile. That’s the thing. It may—”
“Does anyone else have anything to offer?” Gazelle asked, sounding tense.
Sweet Delfinia put her hand up and Gazelle visibly relaxed. “I think that…” the elf began.
It looked like she had only made him more determined. Why the hell was she feeling so excited about the prospect? It was wrong on every level. It was stupid. It was rash. She should leave at once. She should get up and leave. Not just the room but vampire territory as well. She should rush home with her tail firmly between her legs.
Cordia was there on important business. All-important. Her best friend was depending on her. Cordia was a strong female. A Feral. She could keep her distance from the male despite his obvious plans to the contrary. Her heart sped up. Thrumming in her chest.
Chapter 12
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