Tempting Tabitha

by Tianna Xander

  The barbs on his tail pinched a bit tighter, stabbed a bit deeper.

  “As you wish, my mate.”

  The coarse hair covering his tail rubbed against the tips of her nipples like a rough, dry tongue. She shivered with pleasure as he continued to drive himself deep within her.

  “Faster.” She panted beneath him. Another orgasm built, and she couldn’t wait for it to overtake her. “Harder.” Reaching up, she squeezed his biceps, her eyes closed tight. “Please, Deno,” she begged. “Ram it into me!”

  He didn’t wait any longer. Kneeling on the bed, he held her in his arms, her legs wrapped around his waist. Lifting her, he let her drop, as he drove upward, letting gravity help with his powerful thrusts.

  Tabby shuddered and moaned as he continued to shove his thick cock inside her. Again, his cock grew longer, thicker as he drove into her.

  “Remember, kechi this is what we must do to complete the claiming.” His voice was almost a full-on growl. His tiger was obviously close to the surface.

  Impossibly, his shaft changed yet again. The already thick head grew, ramming mercilessly into her cervix. Something hard scraped against her, rubbing the wall of her vagina just behind her navel.

  He drove harder, deeper until something lodged against a hidden bundle of nerves and pulsed, almost vibrated until it finally drove Tabby over the precipice of another Earth-shattering climax.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Deno rammed his cock deeper and deeper as Tabby screamed through another orgasm. He’d wanted to bring her pleasure, had promised to bring her pleasure, but nothing had prepared him for the sensations coming from the extra bit of flesh he’d grown to complete the claiming.

  They were the mating barbs. Something no one talked about for some reason. A warrior’s best-kept secret, he supposed.

  His barbs raked over the slick flesh inside her, the pleasure so intense, he was afraid he would come right away. In the end, he hadn’t. He had managed to stay in control, of that, at least, until Tabby came one last time.

  Then, to his complete surprise, her orgasm had triggered one of his own, and he’d lost control. Completely. He slammed himself deeper, harder, his tiger reveling in his mate’s screams of ecstasy.

  He gasped for air, feeling as though he’d just run one of those marathons they’d watched in the Olympics. He shuddered above her as his cock jerked, spitting his seed deep inside her. Exhausted, he let himself fall to the mattress, just to the left of his mate and drew her into his arms.

  “I love you, lincha. My beloved. My mate.” He kissed her temple. Reaching up, he wiped the perspiration from her brow and pushed the hair from her face.

  “I love you, too... linchu.” She snuggled against him with a sigh. “That was incredible! If I’d have known sex was supposed to be that good, I might have tried it a few more times.”

  He felt her smile against his chest, knowing she was trying to get a rise out of him.

  “Any man who would touch you must have a death wish.” He growled into her hair.

  “I’m just kidding.”

  “I know.” He gave her a quick squeeze.

  “What was it you were trying to tell me right in the middle of...”

  It was obvious that she was still too shy to talk openly about their having sex. He waited for a moment. Then, with a grin, let her off the hook.

  “In the middle of the claiming?”

  “Yes.” She nodded, keeping her face buried in his chest. “That.”

  “Apparently, once a Zolonian male mates, we become capable of discharging a hormone that makes it possible for us to have children. Until that time, we can have sex, but we cannot procreate.”

  Which would go a long way toward explaining why their people were nearly extinct. He wondered if there were some way to trigger the hormone in a single male so he could impregnate any woman who he was compatible with emotionally, if not biologically.

  “When we mate, our cocks grow barbs that, not only lodge deep inside our females while we come but also releases a hormone that makes our seed viable.”

  “B-barbs?” Tabby’s mind cleared a little bit at that. “Inside me?” She shifted her gaze to his, and he sighed.

  “They must not hurt. If they did, you’d know it by now. And to be fair, I did attempt to tell you about it, but you—”

  “Nevermind, nevermind.” She hid her face behind her hair.

  “There’s no need to be embarrassed, kechi. I, too, would have been hard-pressed to stop then.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me before?”

  “The information wasn’t made available to me until then. Remember, I told you we have a genetic memory?”

  “Oh, right.” She peered up at him through her hair. “I thought the barbs on your tail were supposed to be poisonous. Isn’t it dangerous for them to...”

  “To pinch and stab your nipples?” He smiled at her embarrassed nod. “The poison does not hurt our mates because of the fluid exchange we make with them, and each exchange is particular to the mates, meaning that—”

  “Someone couldn’t capture you, or your brother, for instance, and work up immunity for everyone from the poison in your tails.”

  “Yes. That’s correct.” He wiggled his arm. “Aren’t you going to look at me?”

  “I don’t know.” Her voice came from somewhere in the vicinity of his armpit.

  “There’s no reason to be embarrassed.” He smiled down at her and then hugged her close. “We both have done the same thing.”

  “Except you didn’t come three or four times.” She sat up with her back to him. “I don’t remember you screaming either.”

  “Your screams were music to my ears, baby.” He pulled her back against him. “We should probably get to sleep. I think your grandparents are going to be here early to stop a morning dalliance.”

  “They should have stayed the night then,” she said with a laugh. “I suppose Grandpapa is going to be disappointed that he wasn’t able to save the virtue of either of his granddaughters.”

  “Perhaps, but soon, they will have great-grandchildren, and I would welcome their help in protecting the virtue of our daughters, should we have any.” He kissed the back of her ear. “Though I must warn you, Zolonians, usually have sons.”

  “It doesn’t matter what we have.” Tabitha yawned. “Since I had resigned myself to living my life as a cat, I didn’t think I would ever have any children, so I don’t care, as long as they’re healthy.”

  “Would you like a girl?” They would adopt if she did. There was nothing he wouldn’t do for his mate. “Tabby?”

  She took a deep breath and let out a cute little snore. Whatever other questions he might have could wait until morning. Until then, he had plenty of things to keep his thoughts busy. Like what he was going to do about her grandparents.

  “Congratulations!” Charly hugged Tabitha close. “I was afraid you and Deno were only pretending to be interested in each other to keep Xeno and me from insisting that you stay with us.”

  Deno almost choked on his coffee and glanced at Tabitha. She sat at the table, stoically staring at her sister, as though she hadn’t hit the nail smack on the head.

  They’d decided to have breakfast at the Krazy Kettles because the girls wanted to talk to their grandparents, and what better place than the local diner to have a little get together? Although their grandparents hadn’t arrived yet.

  “When’s your ceremony?” Charly leaned forward. “You know, we could have a double ceremony. Not only would it save money, but it would be fun to share the same anniversary, wouldn’t it?”

  “Who’s sharing an anniversary?” Elizabeth sat down across from her granddaughters, her eyes bright.

  “Us, possibly,” Charly said, indicating Tabby and herself. “Tabby and Deno are getting married, too.”

  “Oh, really?” Their grandmother smiled as though it was the best news she’d heard yet. It was too bad the smile didn’t reach her eyes.

  Deno frowned
at her forced cheerful demeanor. What the hell was wrong with him, or Xeno for that matter.

  “Grandmama, you should be happy for us.” Charly stood and rushed to her grandmother, resting her hand on her arm.

  “I am happy for you, dear.” Elizabeth patted Charly’s hand. “It’s just that your grandfather and I had been hoping we could stay together for a while and get to know each other again.”

  “There’s no reason you can’t stay here.” Deno rested his hands on the table. “As we said last night, Magic was founded for people like us. All of us. If you can’t find a place to call your own, you can stay above the garage until you decide what to do. None of us live there anymore. We all have houses.” He shrugged. “It will probably need the attention of a maid service, but it still cleans up rather nice.”

  “You would do that?” Elizabeth put her hand over her heart. “You would let us stay there? You don’t even know us.”

  “We know you’re family now, and that’s enough for us,” Xeno joined the conversation as he sat next to his mate. “Has anyone ordered yet?” He looked around for the waitress.

  “No. No one has ordered yet. We’re not all at the table.” Charly shook her head. “I swear. Sometimes I think all you have on your mind is food.”

  “You should know better than that, love.” He waggled his brows.

  “What are you all talking about?” Ian walked around the table and sat next to his wife with a smile. God, he hated that he and Tabitha would be the ones to wipe that smile from his face.

  “Tabby and I were just talking about having a double ceremony.” Charly smiled at him, resting her hand on his arm. “We were also talking about how you and Grandmama should stay here in Magic. There’s plenty to do, and maybe we could think up a business to run if we set our minds to it.”

  “Oh, your grandmother and I don’t need to work. We only took the employment to try to find you girls.” Ian shook out his napkin and placed it in his lap before meeting Deno’s gaze. “As far as our moving here. We would love to, but we aren’t sure we’d be welcome.”

  “Of course, you would be. Magic is full of people like us. It’s a place where we can really set down some roots because almost everyone here is... different.” Charly moved back to her seat.

  “I don’t doubt that. What I meant was—”

  “Dear, before you finished parking, Deno and his twin... er, Xeno, invited us to stay in the apartment above their garage if we can’t find a place.”

  “Really?” Ian shifted his gaze between Deno and Xeno. “You would do that?”

  “Of course. You’re family now, and a Zolonian always takes care of family.”

  “I’m so overwhelmed, I think I’m going to cry.” Elizabeth picked up her napkin and dabbed at her eyes.

  Ian, half smiling and half glaring at Deno and Xeno, leaned forward in his seat and asked, “So, future grandsons, when’s the wedding?”

  About the Author

  If you’re reading this, I hope it means you’ve just enjoyed reading one of my books. Always a romantic, I started weaving little romantic fantasies for my friends at the tender age of fifteen.

  After complaining to my husband that my favorite authors didn’t write fast enough, he asked a fateful question. “Why don’t you write one of your own while you’re waiting?”

  Once I started, he couldn’t stop me. I write in the morning, before work, and during my breaks at the day job, and I write at night when I should be relaxing. I’ve even been known to write in my sleep. Sometimes it even makes sense!

  I grew up in Southwest Florida where I met and married the love of my life and started my very own happily ever after. My husband was in the Navy for twenty years, so if you wonder where I have gotten some of my ideas, I blame him. I suggest you do the same. He’s always saying he has wide shoulders. Let’s load them up, shall we?

  Currently, I live in Michigan, seven miles from the nearest town. I love living in the country. It gives me the peace and quiet I need to continue to write these stories for you. It also shows me a lot of natural beauty that I try to share with you in my books.

  While my titles may be dedicated to certain individuals who have touched my life in differing ways, please remember, every one of them is written for you.

  My most recent dream is to continue what I do—to share more stories with anyone willing to read them. My new dream is to be able to pursue both my writing and my husband fulltime. Do you think he’ll run?

  Where to find Tianna:

  https://www.amazon.com/Tianna-Xander/e/B002D68GQE/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1505359893&sr=1-2-ent

  www.tiannaxander.com

  http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TiannaXander/

  http://twitter.com/#!/TiannaXander

  http://www.facebook.com/#!/profile.php?id=635929605

  More of Tianna’s Books:

  More Zolon Warriors Books:

  Bewitching Birgit

  Seducing Sela

  Charming Charly

  The Alien Protector series

  Taos Wolven Mates series

  Gate to Fate series

  The Paradise series

  The Endowed series

  Brianna’s Prophecy

  Dragon Bound series:

  The DARE series

  The Chosen Series

  Hidden Breeds

  Highland Bears

  Caspian Cascade series