Midnight Orchids

by Angel Nyx

  Kylie

  As soon as she was finished eating her cheesecake, Kylie was starting to have thoughts she’d never imagined having. Watching Remy finish off the dessert on his plate, she found herself wondering what his hands would feel like on her skin. She wondered what his lips would feel like. Would they be as soft on her skin as they were against her lips? She was still scared about being intimate, but watching her mate, she wanted to push past that fear.

  That realization startled her. When had he gotten past her walls enough to make her want to feel his hands and mouth on her body? What was the turning point for her? Thinking about everything that had happened just in the last week, she was able to pinpoint the exact moment her resolve started to change: when he’d kissed her and apologized, then told her he would wait forever if he had to. Remy was a gorgeous man; he could easily turn on the charm and get any woman he wanted, and yet, he wanted her. He wanted her so much he was willing to spend every day for the rest of his life helping her to heal from her past, if need be. That, more than anything, told her exactly what kind of man Remy Delacroix was. He was a good man. An honorable man. A man worth fighting the demons of her past for.

  “Remy?”

  “Oui, Kitten?”

  She swallowed before she voiced her thoughts. “I…want to try…making love. I want you to help me fight the demons in my head that have made me so afraid of intimacy. I can’t promise not to freeze up or ask you to stop but…”

  Remy pressed a finger to her lips. “I will do whatever you need, cher. If you need to stop, we’ll stop. You will never have to be afraid of me pushin’ you for more den you’re willin’ to give. Not now, not ever.”

  “Then make love to me, Remy. Please.”

  Remy

  Remy wanted to roar his joy to the heavens, but he kept his leopard in check. Instead, he moved to Kylie and wrapped his arms around her. “We’ll go as slow as you need, Kitten,” he murmured and dipped his head to kiss her. He kept kissing even as his fingers went to the buttons of his shirt. He felt it might make her feel less vulnerable if he got undressed first. He broke their kiss long enough to tug the T-shirt he’d been wearing underneath his button-down over his head. Then he pulled her close again and moved them to the bed. He sat and tugged her down to straddle his lap. “I have wanted dis from da moment I saw you, cher,” he growled against her lips.

  When Kylie’s hands tentatively caressed his chest, he groaned. “Your hands feel so good.” He slid his hands down her back and then beneath her shirt to rest against the skin of her lower back. When a soft mewl of pleasure escaped her parted lips, he smirked and began caressing her skin. “So soft.”

  “I think I’m a little overdressed, don’t you?”

  Remy cocked a brow at the breathy tone of her voice. “I tink dat can be remedied,” he said with a smirk. He kept his eyes on hers as his hands moved to the hem of her shirt. Ever so slowly, he lifted it, and when she raised her arms, he pulled it over her head and tossed it to the floor. There she sat in a pale green satin and lace bra that made him groan. “Beautiful.”

  When Kylie lifted her hands as if to cover herself, Remy put a gentle hand on her arm. “Don’t, cher. You take my breath away.”

  “You mean that, don’t you?”

  “Why does dat surprise you, Kitten?” When she bit her lip and started to look away, he gently guided her face back so he could see her eyes. “It’s all right, Kitten. You can tell me anyting.”

  Kylie sighed. “It’s just that…I haven’t felt that way in a long time, Remy.”

  “Den it’s high time I change dat.” With that said he moved her off his lap and coaxed her to lay back on the bed. Then he proceeded to show her just how beautiful she was with every brush of his fingers on her skin and every kiss to her body. He unbuttoned and unzipped her pants and slid them down her legs and off. Pausing a moment to admire her in her matching bra and panties, he traced the edge of her panties with his fingers. “You are so beautiful, Kitten. If I have to spend da rest of my life touchin’ you like dis to prove it, so be it.”

  He moved over her and trailed kisses down her body. His hands slid behind her back to unhook her bra before he got it off her and continued down, removing her panties in the process, until he had her bare in front of him. “Stunnin’. Fuckin’ stunnin’,” he growled. He kissed a path up the inside of her left leg then did the same to her right. He trailed kisses along her hips. Across her abdomen, up to the valley between her breasts. Then he kissed back down until he was nestled between her welcoming thighs. He could smell her arousal and it made his cock throb painfully.

  Tipping his head enough so he could watch her face, Remy lowered his mouth, and his tongue flicked out to caress her hot, wet pussy. The taste that hit his tongue made him growl. “Manna from da gods,” he murmured and began a slow, leisurely devouring of her. The entire time, he kept his eyes locked with hers so he could be sure she felt nothing but pleasure from his attention.

  Kylie

  The moment Remy started caressing her, Kylie was a goner. The feel of his hands, and then his lips, on her body, set her on fire and made things low in her body tighten with need. She felt the moisture of her arousal and knew, without even seeing it, that her pussy glistened from it. When Remy’s tongue touched her, it ignited a firestorm inside her. The slow, teasing flicks of his tongue soon had her writhing beneath him. Her hips arched, her body ached for more, and a keening mewl escaped her parted lips.

  Just when she thought she was going to go crazy with the need for something more, he slid a finger inside her. Her hips bucked and she gripped the covers beneath her. “Oh God. Don’t stop. Please, don’t stop,” she panted.

  “I have no intention of stoppin’, Kitten. Dat’s it. You’re already getting’ close, aren’t you, cher? Tell me what you want, Kitten. Tell me what you need.”

  Kylie writhed against his mouth and finger. “More…please, more…I need…oh God, yes!” She felt a second finger slip inside her and when he curled them just right, it sent her spiraling out of control. She muffled her cries with one hand while her body bucked against him and she had the most powerful orgasm of her life.

  She felt his fingers still inside her as she slowly came down from the high he’d sent her to. Their gentle thrusting and stroking of that spot inside her prolonged her orgasm until she collapsed against the bed. “Oh. Fuck,” she managed to get out between pants.

  “Dat’s only da beginnin’, cher,” Remy growled at her.

  Kylie stared down at him. “You’re going to kill me if you give me too many orgasms like that, but what a way to go. I’ve never…that was so intense,” she breathed.

  Remy chuckled. “You won’t die from dem, I promise. But by da time I’m done, you’ll have forgotten all about da past.”

  There was such conviction in his voice, how could she do anything but believe him? “Bring it on, Cajun,” she purred.

  Remy

  Hearing those words from his mate made his heart swell. He could see the trepidation in her eyes but she was trusting him to do exactly what he promised. He could do no other than deliver. He gave her a wicked grin and renewed his attentions on her pussy. His fingers thrust in and out, and he dipped his head to tease her swollen clit with his lips and tongue. Soon he had her writhing again. “Give me another one, cher. I know you got it in you,” he urged even as he curled his fingers again to stroke against her G-spot.

  When Kylie’s fingers slid into his hair and gripped him, he growled against her. Fuck, she was driving him crazy. He needed her to find her second release so he could bury himself in her heat. Thank fuck he’d thought to bring protection with them, just in case. When she crashed over the edge the second time, he wasted no time in shedding the rest of his clothes. He pulled a condom from his pants pocket and started to open it but Kylie stopped him.

  “Let me.”

  Oh fuck, she really was trying to kill him. He let her take the foil package from his fingers and watched as she opened it. The f
eel of her hand rolling it down his aching cock made him shudder. A growl trickled from him when she lingered, stroking him a little through the condom. “Keep dat up and I’m not gonna last, Kitten, and I want to be inside you when I come.”

  Kylie smiled up at him. “Then you need to get inside me, Remy.”

  That smile tugged on his heart because it lit up her face. He moved slowly because he knew she’d recently been violated, and he didn’t want to do anything to remind her of that. By the time he was finally buried inside her, there was sweat on his brow.

  “Don’t treat me like I might break, Remy. Please. Make me forget he ever touched me.”

  The pleading in her voice nearly broke him. He dipped his head and kissed her with all the passion inside him. Then he began to move. He’d planned on being slow and gentle, but her words made him realize she needed something more to erase Ezra from her mind and body, permanently. He slid out until he was almost free of her, then he slammed back into her body with a groan. “Mon dieu, Kitten. You feel so good.”

  Her hands gripped his shoulders and her nails dug into his skin. “So do you, Remy. Oh…yes!”

  His thrusts were hard and fast. To muffle their mutual cries, he took her lips in a searing kiss. With every thrust he felt himself spiraling further and further out of control. He slid a hand between them and teased her clit with his thumb. He needed her to get there first. “Come for me, Kitten. I want to feel you tightening around my cock,” he growled against her lips.

  It seemed like that was all she’d been waiting for. No sooner were the words out of his mouth and he felt her inner walls tightening almost painfully around him. Her orgasm pushed him over the edge into his own release, and he wasn’t able to stop the roar of pleasure that was ripped from his lips.

  When her walls finally stopped clenching around him, Remy half collapsed atop her. He kissed her tenderly before he rolled, taking her with him. He needed to take care of the condom, but he’d get to it in a second. “Dat, Kitten, was mind-blowin’,” he murmured and nuzzled him.

  “Mm, yeah, that’s definitely a good word to describe what just happened,” she got out between pants.

  Remy chuckled softly. He moved from her side long enough to rid himself of the condom, then he was back in bed. He pulled her into his arms, then tugged the covers up over them. “Sleep, Kitten,” he said and kissed her temple. He barely heard her mumbled ‘Okay’ before her body relaxed and her breathing evened out.

  Remy lay there for some time watching Kylie sleep. He’d brought her away from New Orleans in the hopes that the romantic setting would help her to let go of the past. He’d expected it to take a little work. He should have known his mate would surprise him by doing just the opposite. She’d let down her guard and let him in, and he had every intention of staying there for the rest of his life.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Kylie

  Kylie awoke to the feel of arms holding her and for those few, sleepy seconds, she forgot where she was or that Ezra could never touch her again, and panic began to set in. Then Remy’s familiar scent registered in her sleepy brain and the panic faded. A contented sigh escaped her and she snuggled closer to his warmth.

  “Good mornin’, Kitten.”

  She could hear the sleepiness in Remy’s voice and smiled a little. “Good morning, Cajun.”

  Remy chuckled. “I tink I’m beginnin’ to like bein’ called dat.”

  His chuckle vibrated through her and she lifted her head to study his face. “You can’t tell me I’m the first person to ever call you that.” She arched a brow at him.

  “No, but it wasn’t used as an endearment, cher. It was said as an insult.”

  “What the hell? Whoever did that is just an ass.” She chewed on her bottom lip a moment. “Thank you, Remy, for last night.”

  He pressed a finger to her lips. “You don’t need to thank me for dat, Kitten.”

  “You might not think so, but I do.” She moved a little closer to him. “You took the fear away from me last night. After everything…Ezra did to me, I didn’t think I would ever want to be touched again, and you changed that.”

  Remy’s hand lifted to caress her cheek. “I would do anyting and ever’ting you needed me to do just to get you to smile, Kitten. I know we still have a rough road ahead of us. I know one night doesn’t erase da five years of abuse you lived through, but I’m willin’ to take this one step at a time, one day at a time. Whatever you need.”

  Kylie could feel tears stinging her eyes and she blinked several times to try to clear them. “I don’t deserve you, Remy,” she said softly. This man was something else. She’d pushed him away over and over, and he hadn’t given up. She knew he was right. They still had a rough road ahead of them. The lingering mental scars from Ezra made sure of that. Still, she knew he would do exactly what he said. Take it one day and one step at a time until she could really put the past behind her.

  Remy

  Kylie said she didn’t deserve him, but Remy felt it was the other way around. They spent the morning just cuddled up together before they finally got out of bed, got cleaned up, dressed, and headed into Lafayette. There they spent the day being ‘tourists’, even though Remy was from Louisiana. With Lafayette being in a formal rivals territory, he’d never been to the city before. Since Lafayette was in Red Moon Clan territory, and they were now allies, he’d gotten permission from their Alpha to be there.

  “We need to make a stop, Kitten.” At the look she gave him he explained. “Lafayette is da Red Moon Clan’s territory. Da Pard and Clan are allies, which is why I was able to bring us here, but we need to pay our respects to da Alpha.”

  “Oh. Okay. We definitely don’t want to insult an ally by not doing that. It still sounds so strange to me that the Pard is in an alliance with other species of shifters. My old Pard would never dream of such a thing.”

  Remy shrugged. “We do tings differently here in da bayou, cher. I guess we’re just more friendly den some.” He grinned at the way his comment made her laugh.

  Kylie shook her head and her soft laughter faded. “It’s that southern hospitality thing you’ve all got going on down here.”

  He chuckled. “Someting like dat.” He sent a text to the Clan’s Alpha to inform him they were on their way to visit, then programmed the man’s address into his GPS and they were on their way.

  Remy drove to the outskirts of Lafayette to the small compound the Red Moon Clan called home. He didn’t know what condition it was in before Ryan took over as Alpha, but he had a feeling it had been a bit run down. Maybe not as bad as the Pard’s compound under Zachary’s reign, but still run down to an extent. Many of the yards were bare dirt but the small houses all had fresh coats of paint on them.

  “Afternoon, Remy. I was beginnin’ to think you weren’t coming by while in Clan territory.” Looking at the Clan’s new Alpha, you’d have a hard time deciding if he was French, Italian, or Latino. He had dark hair that had a bit of a curl to it and shone in the sunlight. Equally dark eyes took in everything around him. His skin was naturally tanned and no doubt got darker if he was out in the sun too long.

  “Afternoon, Ryan. Naw, I wouldn’t do dat. I got more respect for Pard allies den dat. Ryan Vallier, I’d like you to meet my mate, Kylie. Kylie, dis here is da Clan’s Alpha, Ryan Vallier. He became Alpha after that little scuffle da Pard and da Clan had a while back.”

  Ryan laughed. “Little scuffle, he says. I suppose with only a few of the Clan dying, scuffle works. At least the ones who died were the bad apples to begin with. It’s nice to meet you, Kylie. Y’all come on inside and have a glass of lemonade. I’ve been meaning to talk with Caine about an idea I had, but since you’re here, you can take it to him. Y’all know about the Bear Clan in Mississippi?” At Remy’s nod, he continued. “A while back, some of my jaguars had a run in with them. It got smoothed over thanks to Caine suggesting I talk to Declan about bringing Holden with me to talk to them. I think it would benefit the Clan, Pard, and Pack if
we approached their Alpha about creating an alliance with the bears.”

  Remy sat there, rubbing his jaw as he thought about what Ryan said. “You know, it just might be a good ting. Da more allies we have, da more people we have to call on in times of trouble.”

  “That was my thinking, as well.”

  “I’ll talk wit’ Caine when we get back to da compound tomorrow.” He and Kylie had followed Ryan inside and were sipping on fresh, cold lemonade while the man talked. “I tink he’ll agree dat it’s a good idea and he’ll talk wit’ Declan about it.”

  “That’s one wolf I do not want to piss off. He can be a scary son of a bitch.”

  Remy laughed. “Dat he can, my friend, dat he can. We’re gonna head on back to da B&B. I’m sure you’ll hear from Caine in da next few days about approachin’ da bears together.”

  “I look forward to it. Drive safe going back tomorrow. It was nice meeting you, Kylie.”

  “It was nice meeting you, too,” she replied.