Katheryn narrowed her eyes. “Are you calling me fat?”
His grin faded, his eyebrows came together in confusion. “I didn’t say that.”
She pointed an accusing finger at his chest. “I am not fat.” Sure, her hips were a little wide and her stomach jiggled, but she did her best to stay healthy. Hunter had always been on her case about losing weight and it made her insecure.
She knew the teen hadn’t actually insulted her, but the panicked look on his face made her want to mess with him a little bit.
“But I didn’t call you fat!”
“Do you know what calling a girl fat does to her self-esteem?” She tried to fight back the snicker that wanted to rise and replaced it with a mock-offended look. “You hurt my feelings!” He hadn’t, really, but his expression was priceless. That being said, she gave a small harrumph and marched past him, hiding her grin behind a curtain of bright red hair.
“Hey, wait!” A strong hand gripped her forearm, whipping her around. The movement was so sudden, it made her gasp and memories flashed through her mind. Memories of Hunter, pulling her a little too hard for comfort. He’d never harmed her before, but thinking back now, there were instances when she saw violence flash through his eyes. It was an expression that frightened her and made her into a meek, submissive woman that she wasn’t.
She looked up at him, his curls in wild disarray on his forehead. Had she imagined it or did his eyes flash red? His grip didn’t hurt, but the brief contact was enough to make her blood boil, and for a moment, it wasn’t some strange teenage kid in front of her.
It was Hunter.
She looked from his hand to his face. She clipped her voice tight when she muttered, “Get your hand off me before I cut it off and shove it down your throat.”
Without hesitation, he released her arm as if it were a hot stove he had accidentally touched. Enjoying the look of anger that passed over his face, she harrumphed again, gave his attractive friend one last once-over, then turned and walked away.
4
Ignacio raised an amused eyebrow at the redhead as she stormed away, her hips swaying in perfect movements. He had the urge to pull her into his arms and ravish her. She was beautiful and obviously fiery tempered.
Antonio grumbled to himself, something about bitchy tourists, but Ignacio was too far gone in his lust-filled thoughts to pay attention to what he had said.
“I’ll be back. Go on without me.”
Ignoring Antonio’s curious glance, Ignacio threw him the soccer ball, then made it to the woman’s side within the blink of an eye. She let out a small yelp at the sight of him next to her and tried to mask it with a hardening look.
“Did you come here to insult my outfit and tell me I’m ugly?” she demanded, though there was a tremor to her words that he couldn’t decipher.
Ignacio smiled, hoping to put her at ease. “Sorry to disappoint, but no. I have no interest in clothes, and you are most certainly not ugly in the least.” He thought he saw her face turn the color of her hair, and it gave him a thrill of satisfaction.
“So what do you want, then?” Her voice held the smallest tone of suspicion and nervousness.
“A beautiful woman like you should not be wandering the streets of a foreign country alone. I offer you my services as an escort, so that you may return safely to your hotel.”
She stopped in her tracks and looked up at him incredulously, but the blush was still on her face. He could feel her internal struggle as she tried to decide whether or not to let him walk her back. After what seemed to be a long internal battle, the woman finally let out a small sigh and agreed.
“Okay,” she whispered. “But in case you try anything, you should know I will not hesitate to put the existence of your future generations at risk.” She nodded at his dick and started forward again.
Ignacio shook off his surprise with a smile and walked after her. “May I ask where it is we are going?” She handed him a piece of paper. He took it from her, studying it, before smiling. “It’ll interest you to know your hotel is that way.” He placed his arm gently on her shoulder and turned her around. The moment his hand touched her, electrical jolts sizzled up his arm, like a thousand prickles awakening his nervous system. He knew she felt it too because she stared at him wide eyed and flinched.
He took his hand away and stared straight ahead, scooting to the side, so he there was a semblance of distance between them. It was as much for his benefit as it was for hers. His thoughts swirled in a maelstrom, the blood in his body pumped faster, his heart beat a demanding tune. He tried to ignore his body’s response to the woman by closing his fingers into fists.
“My name is Ignacio, by the way. Ignacio Ortiz.” His voice quivered; he fought to keep it steady.
She nodded. “Katheryn Meyers.”
He found a smile twitching at the corners of his mouth and rolled the name on his tongue out loud. “Katheryn Meyers.” It had a nice ring to it. A name as beautiful as the woman herself. He admired her underneath the glow of street lamps as they walked. Her hair was a bright red, her face was oval shaped and cute little red freckles dotted her pale cheeks, with her skin white and her cheeks rosy. Her eyes were blue, dark, like the night sky, twinkling like stars.
“Your friend needs to learn how to speak to women,” Katheryn said suddenly.
Ignacio erupted with laughter. “You’d be the first to think so. He’s quite popular with the girls his age.”
Katheryn snorted, rolling her eyes. “Poor girls probably don’t know better,” she muttered, and he swore he caught the same teasing tone she’d used before when she’d given Antonio a hard time. “He looks like he’s nothing but trouble. I’d be locking my daughters away from him if I were them.”
“Aw, don’t be so hard on him. He’s a good kid.”
Her plump lips pursed into a firm line, but the sides of her mouth twitched, like she was holding back her laughter. He found himself wanting to hear the sound, wanting to know it, memorize it, turn it into a melody. But she held the sound in and lapsed into silence as they walked.
All Ignacio wanted to hear was her beautiful voice, echoing through the night’s air. That thought scared him a bit. He had barely met the woman, and he felt the need to surround himself with her essence, which was absurd. There was no possible way he could want this woman, but every single cell in his body demanded he get closer to her. Touch her, make her smile, make her burn with passion and love.
Love? He almost tripped over his own feet at the sudden sensations that word provoked in his body. Like it was agreement with the errant thoughts running through his mind. He tried to shove them away.
“You’re American, aren’t you?”
“Yes.”
“May I ask why you’re here in Spain?” he asked curiously. He thought he saw her eyes flicker with something—though he wasn’t sure what—and she tensed. He heard the rapid acceleration of her heart, then she cleared her throat to answer.
There could be a thousand reasons for that reaction, none of which he liked.
“Just taking a vacation,” she practically mumbled. “I needed to get away from the craziness.”
He figured there was more to the story than just that, but he didn’t push. He could tell by the waves of discomfort pouring off of her that it was something she wouldn’t be sharing with him anytime soon—if ever. But he couldn’t help but wonder. Perhaps someone had hurt her… The thought of someone bringing her pain filled him a rage he didn’t understand. Why should he care what had happened to this woman at all? Why was his body and mind reacting so strongly to her?
“So, where did you learn to speak English so well?” she asked him after a moment of silence.
“At school, like normal people.”
She blinked and he had the satisfaction of watching a bright red flush climb from her neck up to her cheeks. “Shit.” She pressed a hand to her mouth. “That was a rude question, wasn’t it? I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to imply—”
&nb
sp; As much as he enjoyed watching her flounder around, he interrupted. “It’s fine. I was just messing with you.” The words still didn’t make her blush go away. It was oddly endearing. “The truth is, I had to learn because I go America on business sometimes. It was kind of a requirement.”
“Oh? What business?” She seemed genuinely interested, if grateful he quickly changed the subject.
“I am a musician.”
She eyed him with momentary surprise. “Oh, really? Like in a band? What instrument do you play?”
He grimaced. Everyone always assumed he was in a band at first. While there was nothing wrong with being in bands, just once he wished someone would look at him and peg him for something other than ‘rock star.’
“I actually work for Michael von Angel. I play piano in his orchestra.” For a moment, a smile teased at his lips and he imagined Katheryn as an instrument herself. What tunes would he sing if he touched his fingers across her ivory skin? Would she sigh or moan as he brought her to a crescendo of pleasure?
Fuck. Just thinking about it made him hard, and he had to force back a moan.
“I also play the violin,” he whispered, his voice suddenly breathless. “The saxophone, the flute—”
“Can you play the guitar?” she interrupted. Her eyes shone with excitement, as if she were happy to hear about the instruments he played. It brought a smile to his lips.
“Yes, though I prefer the piano and the sax. I love jazz and Mozart, Beethoven, Bach…the classics.”
She raised an eyebrow at him as if she didn’t believe anything he was saying.
“Is that very hard to believe?” he asked.
She eyed him from head to toe for a moment, studying him intently. She stopped walking, and so did he. She circled him, slowly and sensuously. Her eyebrows scrunched up in concentration as she took in his form, and if he were honest with himself, it made him nervous as hell.
Finally, she stopped in front of him, and a slow smile played on her lips. “I can believe it.”
He exhaled a breath he hadn’t even realized he’d been holding. He reached out to touch her but remembered the surprising electrical jolt he’d felt earlier. He lowered his hand, cleared his throat, and kept walking. She followed at his side.
“What’s your job?” he asked curiously.
“I used to study immunology in a science lab,” she explained with a wink. “But I left to become an artist.” She shrugged as if it was irrelevant.
He blinked at her. It surprised him. Going from a scientist to artist overnight seemed like a drastic change. “Why’d you leave? Did it bore you?”
She shook her head and sighed, her shoulders slumping along with the action. “I had my reasons.” And she left it at that. He didn’t push. Nervousness rolled off of her in one giant wave.
Taking in her closed off demeaner, he figured he’d steer clear of that subject with her. And steer clear of the feelings that jumped from her mind like words jumped from pages or melodies would from piano keys.
He was always good at sensing the moods of humans, especially if he concentrated hard enough. The shallower the person, the easier they were to read. Sometimes, he could even pick up actual thoughts.
With Katheryn, it was different. Besides being keenly aware of the emotions rolling through her, he felt them as if they were his own.
He wasn’t sure he wanted to contemplate what that meant. But the truth of it was right there in the back of his mind, raw and demanding his acknowledgment. Two words that he didn’t dare whisper even through his own mind, out of fear that they may not be true.
“Well…” The word trailed off with a bit of reluctance as they made their way up to the hotel doors. They stopped just outside of them and paused, staring at one another but not quite speaking.
She seemed just as reluctant to say goodbye as he did. They’d only spent a few minutes together and he wanted more of her. Because something about her sang to something that was dormant inside of his soul.
The words were on the tip of his tongue, but he had to know for sure.
He stepped closer to her, close enough to touch but not quite. “We have arrived,” he whispered.
He watched the workings of her throat as she swallowed. She was nervous and fuck, if that wasn’t the cutest thing.
“Thank you.” Her own voice was a husky rasp, sultry, and it did something to his cock. Brought it to life and he knew if she glanced down, she’d see the tent in his exercise shorts. “I—uh—I appreciate it.”
They stared some more, neither one of them moving until the glass doors of the hotel opened. Ignacio’s hands grabbed her arms and tugged her away so they weren’t blocking those who wanted to get through.
It was in that touch that he knew with visceral surety just what Katheryn was.
A maelstrom raged inside his body. His heart. His mind. His fucking soul went haywire at her proximity. It was like something inside him had clicked into place, a missing piece of him that was finally… complete.
He’d pulled her close enough that he had no doubt she could feel one of two things: either his heart pounding against her chest or his dick pressed against her stomach.
Her palms slid up his chest, as if she couldn’t help but touch him. He saw a flash of indecision in her bright eyes that he understood. He didn’t understand this either, this want burning inside him.
All he knew was that he had to have her.
“Katheryn.” His breath fanned across her lips. “I—” He gulped. “I’m glad you got lost—”
“I wasn’t lost,” she snapped, pushing against his chest and herself away in the process. He missed her as soon as she was out of his grasp. “I just had a little disagreement with the map… and street names… and distinguishing left from right.”
He chuckled. Sassy. Temperamental. Sweet.
She was perfect.
And I’m going to make her mine.
5
Something was happening. Something Katheryn didn’t particularly understand. She put down the shaking of her body, the pounding of her heart, and every single sensation Ignacio provoked inside her to nerves.
That’s what it was. Just nerves. Because he was hot, and the intensity in his honey-yellow eyes was almost primal. Like he was devouring her very soul with just a glance.
Katheryn should have been afraid of him, he was virtually a stranger that she knew nothing about and while he’d been respectful the whole time, he touched her. Pulled her close. She’d felt his dick against her stomach for God’s sakes. But when she tried to muster the fear, it wouldn’t come.
Her gut was telling her he was kind, that he could be trusted. That was the only reason she let him get so close. It was the only reason she sighed as he reached out a hand to trail the backs of knuckles across her face instead of pushing him away.
“Next time you’re ‘not lost,’” he began, his slightly accented voice hoarse with desire, “call me and we could be ‘not lost’ together.”
Katheryn didn’t trust herself to speak. Instead, she nodded as she swallowed. He smiled then held out the hand that touched her, one eyebrow raised. She almost felt sad when he let go because she had gone cold all over.
“Phone?” he prompted.
“Oh. Right.” She dug into her purse and pulled out her phone, turning it on. She waited a moment until it loaded. When it did, he rattled off his phone number which she saved then turned off the device again.
His smile was sinful. “Sweet dreams, Katheryn.” Then he was gone.
Katheryn was all too aware of the pounding of her heart as she slipped into the hotel and made her way to her room. Once inside, she leaned against the polished wood, fighting to steady the rapid beat of her heart. What was going on with her? She had no idea who this stranger was, yet he seemed to have such a frenetic effect on her.
She couldn’t help but wonder about him, to want to know more.
I don’t think I’m done with Ignacio yet.
She went to bed and
dreamt of him.
6
“Katheryn,” he whispered, stroking the side of her face with the back of his fingers. This time, she welcomed the heat his touch provoked. It was sensual, pure euphoria. She leaned into it, into him, closer, but she was afraid she could never be close enough. “You are so beautiful.”
Her insides melted. She tingled all over, and she relished in it, in the new feelings coursing through her. Was it possible for her to be all too aware of a man she didn’t even know? She didn’t think it mattered too much because at that moment, all she could do was feel. And she felt every inch of him pressed against her body.
“So are you,” she whispered then blushed. When she was nervous, stupid things escaped from her lips. But he only laughed.
“I am glad you think so.” His hand cupped her cheek, thumb gently stroking her flesh. His face bent down, inching closer to her until he was only a breath away. She held her own breath and waited.
Ignacio kissed her. His mouth was positively warm, as was his tongue when he deepened the kiss. She kissed him back with all of the heat and passion she felt in that moment, wrapping her arms around his neck, grazing her fingers through his soft hair.
When his other hand slipped under her shirt and onto her breast, she didn’t mind in the least. In fact, she groaned against his mouth and leaned into him. Katheryn found herself guided backward until she hit something hard, probably the wall behind her, but she paid it little mind. She was more worried about the sudden absence of his hands from her body as he took all the heat with him.
He gripped her at the hips and lifted her. She wrapped her legs around his waist, hooking her heels to stay in place. He pressed her harder against the wall, so she wouldn’t fall, and his hands were all over her again, in her hair, on her face, hips, but not at all breaking the kiss. It wasn’t until Ignacio undid the buttons on her jeans and his hands slipped inside that she gasped, tearing her mouth from his.
Love Bites Page 2
