Somehow, she found herself pressed against the door and opened her mouth to ask—hell, beg—for him to take her. Her legs lifted to wrap around his waist, and his hips surged forward to press her harder against the door. Her head thumped back and a loud moan escaped her throat as his hardness lined against her core perfectly. Before she could plead for more, she found herself alone, her knees weak, close to giving out without his support.
Her eyes captured his. A sliver of silver shone through as he stared right back at her from across the room. Her eyes dropped and she watched his chest rise and fall with deep, harsh breaths. He wasn’t unaffected by her touch, and she savored the evidence of his need for her, but he warred with himself about something her muddled brain couldn’t solve, so she decided to take the decision out of his hands. Without any further thought, she reached for the hem of her shirt.
“What are you doing?” he growled.
Without an answer, she lifted the garment over her head and dropped it. She ignored her trembling fingers as she raised them to the front opening of her bra, and with a snap of her fingers, the hooks detached and she shrugged it off.
Her cheeks fused with heat. She’d never been as bold with another man, but she craved him in a way she couldn’t explain. Her mind had taken a hiatus the second he touched her, and she refused to overthink the reasons why. She wouldn’t allow logic to ruin this moment. It was simple. She wanted him, and unless he outright rejected her, she planned to seduce him.
Her numb fingers fumbled with the button of her jeans, but at that moment, he lunged at her, sweeping her up in his arms, and plundered her mouth.
His hands skimmed against the bare skin of her waist and moved them higher, until his generous hands cupped her breasts. A harsh cry echoed around them as his thumbs brushed against her tight nipples, drawing out sensations she grew more and more addicted to. A groan of protest escaped when he removed a hand, but when he tugged on the last remaining article of her clothing and the material ripped, she mewed in encouragement, hoping he would hurry.
Her hands skimmed underneath his Henley, and she sucked in a sharp breath as she encountered his hot skin. Not leaving him any room to change his mind, she fumbled with the shirt until it rested near hers on the floor.
She pressed close to him, searching and finding his mouth after they’d been separated. With his sculpted chest pressed against her soft one, her body felt scorched, as though she’d touched an open flame. Keeping his mouth on hers, he removed the tattered remnants of her clothing, and yanked down his sweats, kicking them out of the way.
“Slow down, darlin’. We have all night,” he growled as he nipped her lower lip.
Her hands splayed on his chest when a sudden thought popped into her head. She blurted out her question before reason planted its ugly head. “Can I touch you?”
A loud groan ripped from his throat, and he dropped his forehead against hers. His breathing sounded as unsteady as hers, but she had no idea when she would have another opportunity to explore a man, much less a man who was as beautiful as Kai. She waited for his answer, not wanting to rush him, or sway him one way or the other.
“I don’t know how long I’ll last,” he said through gritted teeth.
She pushed at his chest until he looked at her. He stepped back and put a little space between them. His silver eyes shone with a brightness that reminded her of the sun emerging from the clouds, and they blinded her for a second. She blinked to break the spell, and looked down at his powerful chest, heaving with deep breaths.
Moving with ease, she splayed her hands on the sinewy muscles and leaned forward, licking his damp pectoral, teasing him a little before her tongue flicked his nipple. She leaned back and blew lightly on the wet, heated skin. The muscles in his neck corded as he threw his head back and gasped at her motions. Taking this as a good sign, she repeated with the other, until a near-constant snarl vibrated through his chest, the seductive reverberation traveling through her.
“You’re going to kill me with your lips alone.”
Kissing her way down his stomach, she smiled against his skin at his statement.
“Not before I feel you inside me,” she teased.
She continued with her exploration, barely aware of his strangled groan, taking the time to caress his hips and run her hands over his powerful thighs and around to his taut buttocks, all while not allowing herself a peek at his erection. The anticipation of what she had yet to explore, and the examination of every inch of what made Kai, Kai, had set a deep, addictive throbbing inside her core. She wanted him to find the same pleasure that he promised in his gaze, so when she dropped to her knees, she allowed herself to take his cock in her hand. Instead of examining it as she would under normal circumstances, her tongue darted out and she had her first taste of his skin.
Unsure of how to proceed, she went with her instincts and flattened her tongue underneath the base, licking him in one long, fluid motion until she reached his tip. One last, long lick drew a shout that turned into a low moan as she opened wide and engulfed the head of his cock. She teased the tip, licking at his essence, before taking the rest deep in her mouth.
Over the next several heated minutes, his low growls taught her what motions he enjoyed, and each stroke drew him farther and farther into her mouth. His hands fisted in her hair and stayed, not demanding or directing, but using her as an anchor. She found and mentally recorded each and every instance she drew a groan from deep in his throat, or when his body couldn’t contain his pleasure and jerked against her mouth. His skin scorched her tongue, but it was his salty essence that drove her movements.
Sensing that he was close to the precipice of release, she increased the pressure and flicked her tongue over the head, until a roar reverberated in her ears and his warm saltiness hit the back of her throat.
Each taste of him heightened the pleasure that shot straight to her core, and with a moan, she pressed her legs together and experienced her first-ever orgasm without skin-on-skin stimulation. With one last pull, making sure she had tasted all of him, she released him and slid onto the floor. She continued down until she lay on her back, completely spent.
“Reality is so much better,” she mumbled, closing her eyes.
Her body continued to twitch as she came down from a high she never thought she would experience. She sensed as Kai walked toward her. As his shadow loomed over her, a smile bloomed on her lips as she became giddy from being able to pleasure him. When she opened her eyes, her smile faltered as a fierce look marred his features.
“What? Did I do it wrong?”
A loud groan escaped his throat. She watched him as he drew a hand over his face, as if he were trying to find the words to tell her that she’d disappointed him.
Despite the hum that rumbled through her body, she scrambled to her feet and searched for her clothes with a sudden need to escape. Her jeans were ruined, but she picked up his borrowed shirt and came close to sliding it on, when his hands slid underneath her ass and lifted her without much effort. Her legs naturally wrapped around his waist while her arms slid around his shoulders, preventing herself from falling.
She calculated a number of ways to remove herself from his arms without dropping straight to the floor and injuring herself as embarrassment spread through her like a virus. But he chose that moment to press her against the bathroom door, keeping her trapped against the solid wood.
She swallowed but kept her eyes downcast. “I know…um…would you like me to apologize for presuming to touch you? I—”
His hand cupped her chin and lifted her head, and she became caught in his stormy gaze. Each and every time she spotted him coming through the doors of the diner, something deep inside her shifted into place, as though he was important to her in an elemental way. But she’d screwed up by acting on her urges to touch him, taste him. She had invaded his life, his home, and in a way, she had swayed him into accepting her caresses, and she had no idea how to fix it.
Molly had been her one tie to the o
utside world, and once she’d died, she’d sequestered herself in her work and ignored the world. At the moment, she wished she had some understanding of the way others thought, because each word that she muttered seemed to anger him further.
Mesmerized as he continued to stare at her, she started when he dipped his mouth to hers, and kissed her.
He demanded that she open for him.
When she complied, he plundered her mouth until her heart beat against her chest, threatening to break through, and her breathing came out in pants. When she had been thoroughly kissed, he pulled back.
“I was unprepared for your touch, love.”
It didn’t slip past her that he’d changed his endearment for her, but she had no idea what he meant by unprepared. Maybe she didn’t explain clearly enough when she asked to touch him. But his lips met hers again, and all other thoughts disappeared as he mastered her mouth.
This time, his kisses were slow and languid, as if to torment her with the promises of what was to come. He pulled away from her and trailed his heated lips behind the sensitive lobe of her ear, burying his face in her messy curls. His body pressed closer to hers, and although she wanted to rub herself against him until he sank deep inside her and claimed what he wanted, she held still and waited.
“Ready?” he breathed.
Unable to find her voice, she nodded. Electricity pulsed throughout as he slid his hands from her thighs, up toward her hips, all while gliding his lips over the feverish skin on her neck, allowing his teeth to scrape against her skin, adding to the overwhelming sensations he drew from her.
Her breathing hitched in her chest, shivering in expectation when his hardness brushed against her core, once and then again, coating himself in her wetness. At the moment she opened her mouth to beg him to take her, he positioned himself at her entrance and surged inside her with one long, deep thrust. Stars exploded behind her closed eye lids.
“Open your eyes,” he demanded.
She blinked her eyes open and sighed as his gaze caught and held hers. The light in his eyes shone brighter than even seconds before, and as they held each other’s gaze, he made no move other than to hold her, pressed deep inside of her.
“You’re so tight, love, so wet for me,” he growled.
At his words, her inner muscles clamped down harder on his cock, and she smiled as a hiss released from deep in his throat. The pleasure surged inside her as he pulled back several inches, and drove deep. His movements, at first, were measured, as if he were worried that he might hurt her, but she knew that he was in complete control of his emotions and instincts, even more than he gave himself credit for.
While he drank from her, he could’ve stripped her and taken his pleasure without a thought to her comfort, but he allowed her space and gave them both time to think about what they wanted.
The truth of what she felt for him bubbled to the surface, but instinct told her to keep silent.
So instead, she allowed herself to explore him. Her hands roamed over his muscular back and down to his slim hips, savoring the hardness and strength as he easily held her off the ground. She tilted her head and moved her hands up to cup his face, deepening the kiss, and this time her tongue darted out and tasted him.
Breathless from his masterful kisses, she trailed soft kisses down his throat, around his clavicle. Her lips found his heavy pulse, and savored his unique taste as she licked his salty skin. When his hand reached up and pressed the back of her head until her lips held firmly against his skin, her mouth latched onto the sensitive spot on his neck and sucked, hard.
His growl rumbled through her chest, and she tightened her legs around his waist and raised her hips up, as much as he allowed with her body pressed against the wall.
“Harder,” she begged.
His mouth met hers in a tangle of desperation and need, and with him pressed close, she could feel the tremor in his arms as he held back. When he pulled out of her, she timed her movements so when he drove back in, her hips dropped down to meet his. He swallowed her scream as pleasure ripped through her body, and at that moment, he lost the last of his control. He slid one hand to her shoulder blades, and the other to the small of her back to protect her. With the next thrust, he held nothing back.
Pulling out until just the tip remained, he plunged inside, pulling her body flush against his with each and every movement. His arms protected her from his voracious thrusts, and he was there to swallow her gasps of pleasure as their bodies found a rhythm that slowly drove her mad. Without realizing her actions, her fingers clawed at his back harder and harder with each jolt of pleasure he sent through her.
“Oh fuck, yes—mark me, love.”
Mindless with lust and pleasure, her legs squeezed his hips and her back arched, her aim to get closer as he brought her to the precipice of release, over and over again. Too breathless to plead for more, she tried to express her need through every whimper and moan.
When he bent down and licked her neck, anticipation built on top of the pleasure with each stroke deep inside her, and his name burst from her lips. The moment his teeth broke the skin on her neck, her entire world splintered apart, and everything fell away but the pleasure he gave her.
Awareness returned at his hoarse shout and she felt him pouring his release into her. His arms tightened around her, and she could feel his hot breaths against the side of her neck. She found her voice had deserted her.
Reality intruded and she sucked in a breath as she replayed the last hour in her head, and realized that she didn’t regret a moment of it. Another shiver overtook her as he held her hips steady and pulled out of her, taking his time and drawing different sensations from her body.
Her eyes perused his hard, toned body, and she shivered. As she lowered her feet to the floor, she stumbled toward him and he cradled her in his arms.
“Are you okay?”
“Tired,” she whispered. A million emotions fluttered through her, but until she had time to think, she expressed the one thing that bogged down her mind and body.
Dragging her back to him, he buried his face against her throat and nodded against her neck. With quick movements, he lifted and then cradled her against his chest. Surprise caused her to gasp when he unlocked the bathroom door and walked down the hall, with her still in his arms. She expected him to take her to the bedroom he’d given her on the lower level, but he zipped up the flight of stairs and into his spacious bedroom.
The first time she set foot in the room, she’d been worried that Kai was being attacked, so she hadn’t paid attention to the room itself. But as he carried her toward the king-sized bed, she noticed that the bed frame had been carved from finished dark woods. The wood matched two dressers that sat against the north wall and nightstands that were placed next to either side of the headboard. The smell of citrus and wood drifted out from the attached bathroom, and she inhaled deeply.
With a gentleness that brought tears to her eyes, he laid her down before he lay beside her. She breathed a sigh of relief when he pulled her closer, resting her head on his chest as he cocooned her in his arms. Worry had driven her to work all day, and after making love to Kai, she was exhausted.
“We’ll talk tomorrow.” His voice drifted toward her.
And with that ominous warning ringing in her ears, she fell asleep.
Chapter Nine
Kai
The memories repeated in his mind. Each caress of her silky skin, the power of his need that swamped him as she took him in her mouth and rendered him speechless, and—more often than the other memories—making love to her without holding back. Fragile had been the first word that came to mind when he’d spotted her all those months ago, but those heated moments where he experienced sensations of pleasure that had been indescribable, another came to mind. One that scared him by the implications alone.
A shiver pulled him from his musings, and when she mumbled and burrowed closer to his side, he allowed himself a small smile as he sensed her happiness, even in sle
ep.
Concerned that she might be cold, his hand roamed over her exposed back. When he found it cool to the touch, he reached for the comforter that lay at their feet and covered them both. His arms tightened around her waist and the movement pulled her closer. He settled his cheek against her curls.
In the past, he would’ve chastised himself for caring for anyone, much less a human. He found his concern for her a constant presence buzzing in his mind. He tried to reason with himself that he had been assigned to protect her, and he took his job seriously, but his thoughts were centered on her and the way she made him feel. If he were honest, he’d never been comfortable with sharing a space with another, but with her, he found himself relaxed and content.
Most nights found him researching new targets, boxing, combat and weapons training, or out on assignment. But for the first time since he’d been recruited, he had no plans to leave his bed, or the woman beside him.
In the few months that he’d been aware of Liv, his normal life had shifted into something more than what he’d been content to live with. He yearned to see her every night, and became grateful that he slept during the day, while she happened to be at work and safe. The hours between dusk and the moment he laid eyes on her each night were the longest in his life. Not even the excitement of a new target or the anticipation of the adrenaline rush when tracking could draw him away from thoughts of Liv. The obsession grew over time, and the longer he had been away from her, the stronger the urge to see her.
He had begged off more times than he could count whenever Reaper or Hunter had invited him to a club in Denver or to travel with them on overseas jobs. They’d begun to ask him about it more and more, but he refused to answer.
With thoughts of his team, a groan rumbled through his chest. The entire company would be arriving in less than a day. Although he trusted the few vampires who would be in attendance to keep their distance from Liv, he couldn’t expect the same from the shifters.
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