A Mate for Kai (The Program #6)

by Charlene Hartnady

  Then again, it had been a while since he had been with a female. Days to be precise. No wonder he was feeling so wired. Her scent wouldn’t leave him. It was like it had run its silky tendrils inside of him and taken root.

  On the forefront, jasmine in full bloom but there was also something more. Something he couldn’t quite put his finger on, it had a smoky edge. The combination was unlike anything he had ever encountered.

  “Now that’s more like it,” Jenson growled as he also caught sight of the female.

  “So fucking lush. You’re so lucky to be in The Program. To be an elite. At least you get to actually take a shot at being with one of them in the next round. I will keep working at it.” Stuart shook his head.

  Kai made a humming noise. He was lucky he had made it. Where he lacked skill, he made up for it in sheer strength and stamina. He could outfight anyone, anytime, anywhere. Okay, maybe not anyone but most.

  “Let’s get a drink.” Jenson elbowed Stuart.

  “Yeah,” the other male growled under his breath.

  “Are you coming?” Jenson did the same elbow thing with him.

  “Give me whatever you’re having.” He folded his arms, his eyes on the female. Try as he might, he couldn’t tear his gaze away from her.

  Her scent was killing him. Absolutely fucking killing him. The female was standing with two other human males. They both looked to be much older than her. One of the males had his hands on her. He ran them down the sides of her arms and onto her hips. They rested there for all of a split second before he squeezed her ass and pulled her against him. “I bought you a drink, honey. The least you can do is say thank you.” They were almost directly opposite him, but on the other side of the room. Although music was playing in the background and the other patrons were noisy, they were still close enough that he could make out everything they were saying. Super enhanced senses came in handy at times.

  “Thank you,” she stammered. Her eyes darted around the far side of the room, only, not in his direction. The big human kept his hands on her ass. She didn’t try and pull away but at the same time, he could see the tension running through her body. The subtle way she curved her spine away from the male. The way her hands stayed at her sides instead of moving to circle his neck or to touch his arm.

  “Um…” She licked her lips. “What did you say your name was?”

  “I’m more interested in you.” He narrowed his eyes, trying to flirt with her. “What’s your name, sugar?”

  She shrugged. “I can live with Sugar. I’d rather not give you my real name. It’s not important.”

  “Sugar it is then, and my aren’t you a sweet one.” His leery gaze dropped to her breasts. “How much little lady?”

  The female wore cowboy boots and a summer dress that looked to be about a size too big. It was floral, in shades of orange. It didn’t disguise the curve of her breast or the flare of her hips. Her hair was long and thick. Blacker than the sky on a new moon night. He had yet to see the color of her eyes.

  Her voice was soft. “I’m not sure what you mean,” a mere whisper.

  “Money. How much for a fuck? We both know that a girl like you wouldn’t give a guy like me the time of day. I saw you looking at this earlier.” The son of a bitch finally removed his hands from her ass and she huffed out a breath and took a small step back. The male put his hands in front of her face and gave the golden band on his finger a tug.

  “That is a symbol of your union.” She said in monosyllables.

  The big male looked over at his friend and the two of them laughed. He might not be able to tell her eye color but he could see she was frowning.

  “You could say that.” He laughed some more. “How much? I’m in, excuse the pun.” Another hard chuckle that had the hair rising on his skin and the blood igniting in his veins. What a prick. He had to agree with him on one thing though, what was she doing with them? Humans could be strange. It made no sense. “Can we get a two for one deal?” He pointed at his friend. “I’m first though.” He glared at the other male.

  “Money?” Her voice sounded timid and unsure. “You want me to pay you? I don’t have any money.”

  “Did I just fucking die and go to fucking heaven?” The bastard rolled his eyes and groaned. He took what she had said as permission to put his hands on her again. This time he squeezed her flesh.

  “I think maybe this was a mistake.” She raised her voice and tried to pull away.

  “No mistake.” The human male groaned as he ground himself against her. “I’m going to give you exactly what you came here for. This is what you came here for isn’t it?” He ground himself against her again and Kai could visibly see everything in her withdraw. Her head whipped to the side as she tried to move away.

  Her hands went up when he didn’t let up. “Let go of me.” Her voice was hard. “I told you I made a mistake. Should never have come here. Get. Off.” She ground out the last two words. There was a commanding tone to her voice that made even him want to her obey her. Even though he wasn’t the one touching her. Weird as fuck.

  The human sucked in a hard breath, he let go of her so quickly he almost fell over in his attempt to move back. Almost as fast as his hands fell away, they snaked back around her waist. “Come on, baby… I can give it to you real good.”

  “I don’t want to hurt you,” she stammered.

  The males laughed.

  Her breathing was ragged. “I know kung-fu.” Her voice shook with rage. “I mean it. I don’t want to hurt you.”

  ****

  Ruby felt fire coursing through her veins. Her whole body vibrated. If this unsavory creature didn’t unhand her and soon, blood would flow. She would tear him limb from limb and would only be able to stop when he was reduced to chunks of meat, in a pool of blood, at the floor at her feet.

  “Unhand me,” she snarled. Yet again, the male removed his filthy fingers only to put them back on her. He seemed to have a strange fascination with her backside. He couldn’t stop touching it and squeezing it. It wasn’t normal. His breath smelled of onions and other things she did not care to think about. His hard member was a joke. Yet for some strange reason, he kept insisting on rubbing it against her. Like feeling it’s tiny proportions would somehow entice her to want to rut with him.

  It made her want to kill him.

  Slowly.

  “You heard the female.” It was a voice so deep, so gruff her insides did a flip flop. That her breath became frozen in her lungs.

  “Who the fuck…” Onion breath began to say, as his head turned towards… Lord up above, he was tall, as tall as the males of her species. He was built, just as built as the males of her species as well. His hair was thick and dark, as was the stubble on his chin. Those lips, those full sensual lips should not be on a male, yet they made him all the more appealing, all the more masculine. There was something about him. Something… Something…

  “Holy crap.” This time when the disgusting, human creature unhanded her, he finally kept his hands to himself. “I didn’t mean anything by it,” he stammered. “It was a complete misunderstanding.”

  “Next time a female tells you not to touch her. You listen. Am I clear?” The male moved closer. His dark eyes were narrowed. His predatory stare caused a shiver to run up her spine.

  “You bet ya…” Onion breath nodded. It was like his neck had suddenly become spring-loaded. He nodded and then nodded some more.

  “I’m sorry, little lady. No harm done.” It wasn’t lost on her how he slowly stepped backwards. When he was a few strides away, he turned and scrambled from the room. Of his friend, there was no sign.

  A solid, very warm hand gripped her elbow. It was only then she realized how close he was to her. “Are you okay?” Deep and gravelly. Another shiver ran through her.

  His eyes met hers and for a few long seconds she was rendered speechless. His jaw tightened and something flared within their dark depths. It was enough to startle her back to reality. This male affected her. She
didn’t like it.

  It was her heat. It had to be. She was closer than she had thought.

  Some of the tension left her with the realization. It wasn’t specifically this male. It was just her situation. Ruby nodded. “Thank you for helping me.”

  The male nodded once. His scent was all around her. Woodsy and earthy, yet fresh and vibrant. There were rusty undertones she couldn’t quite decipher. He smelled good. There was a predatory edge, a feeling of immense power that radiated off of him. It was something she hadn’t felt or sensed before on any humans. Not that she’d been around many humans in her life. Maybe that was it.

  He would do.

  The male would suit her purpose perfectly.

  Unfortunately, he turned and took a step away. Panic rose up in her. She’d seen the look of interest in his eyes. Maybe she had been wrong. Just as quickly as he turned away, he swung back around. “It’s cold out.” His eyes drifted to the flimsy dress she was wearing. He couldn’t know cold wouldn’t affect her like it would a human.

  She felt her cheeks heat. She purposefully picked the garment in the hopes of enticing a human male. “I’ll be fine.” More than fine. She couldn’t explain it to him though.

  He pursed his lips like her answer wasn’t the one he was looking for. For a second it looked like he wanted to say something. Even sucked in a little breath, put his hand up. Then he shook his head. “I need to go.”

  “Can I buy you a drink?” She’d studied human mating rituals. Although studied was maybe too strong a word. She did know this was one of the more common ways of initiating interest in the opposite sex. At least, she thought so. Maybe she had been wrong.

  Another large male slapped the good-looking stranger on the back and handed him a beer. “I’ll leave you to it.” He grinned widely. Even chuckled as he walked away. The male in front of her rolled his eyes.

  Then they narrowed as they landed back on her and he frowned. “I thought you said you didn’t have any money. Anyway, I’m good.” He tipped his drink in her direction. His frown deepened. “It would probably be best if you left before you attract any more unwanted attention. It is none of my business what you are doing here but maybe you shouldn’t be.”

  It was her turn to frown. “I came in the hopes of attracting attention. This is as good a place as any.” When the males went on the stag run, they often frequented such establishments. She was in exactly the right place.

  “Why would you want to attract attention?” He probably didn’t realize it but he took a step towards her.

  “I came for sex,” she blurted. Honesty was the best policy. Her gram had taught her that from a young age. The male had just put the head of the bottle to his mouth. He choked, putting the back of his hands to his lips and squeezing his eyes shut.

  Why would her answer shock him? Isn’t that why members of the opposite sex came to such revolting places? It wasn’t for the food or the drink. It wasn’t for the shoddy interior. They came to strut around and fluff their feathers in the hopes of attracting attention.

  She needed a male and she needed one soon. Time was running out.

  Chapter 3

  Amethyst.

  Her eyes were the color of jewels in the morning light. They were large, round and framed by the thickest lashes he’d ever seen. In short, they were devastating.

  For just a second there, when he looked into them for the first time, he couldn’t breathe. Kai was quite sure his heart even stopped beating. Time may just have frozen. A little dramatic, but true.

  This female was trouble. She smelled incredible, looked even better, but there was something off about her. Something he couldn’t quite put his finger on.

  Kai finished coughing and sputtering. Sex. This pretty little female was here to rut? He couldn’t help but look her over. His dick was still painfully hard. Thank fuck his leathers were tight and his vest, low.

  Scuffed cowboy boots. Sexy as hell. At least, on her they were. Right now, he could picture them on either side of his face as he fucked her hard. The dress was loose fitting. It didn’t matter, this female would be spectacular wearing a hessian sack. Or nothing at all. He held back a groan.

  There were buttons all along the front of the garment. Small black buttons against the miniature, orange flowers that adorned the white material. Although the fabric was thin cotton with a conservative neckline, falling to just above the knee. It too, was sexy as fuck. At least on her. Her breasts were plump. Her scent was killing him.

  Slaughtering him, one inhalation at a time.

  Kai swallowed thickly. “Good luck with that. Although, I suspect you won’t need much in the way of luck.” Not looking like she did.

  She pulled in both her lips before popping them back out. Full and lush like the rest of her. Those jewel-like eyes burning into him. He could see that a million thoughts raced through her mind.

  “Maybe try and steer clear of the mated ones.” He knew he sounded like a pussy but didn’t give two fucks. It angered him that she would go there. He didn’t know why it irritated him. He shouldn’t care either way. “There is something sacred about a bond between two people. Even if they don’t know it themselves.”

  Her eyes widened and her mouth fell open slightly. “You’re right,” a heartfelt whisper. Her eyes filled with shame. “I don’t know what I was thinking. I guess, I wasn’t thinking.” She looked down. “I was wrong. Stupid.” She muttered to herself. The female didn’t give any further explanation or justification.

  Although he could sense an immense strength in her, he also picked up on fear and a deep vulnerability. For reasons unknown, it made him want to protect her. “Go home. Don’t do this…” He wasn’t sure exactly what she was looking for but she wouldn’t find it under some male. He held back a snort. Since when did he give a fuck? So what if she wanted to rut? Vampires did…all the time. She didn’t strike him as the type. She was so out of her depth it was scary.

  “I can’t.” He could hear the emotion in her choked out words. Shit!

  “Why not? Just turn around and walk out that door.”

  “I can’t because…” Her eyes were brimming with unshed tears. So damned beautiful. So sad. Who was she? Why was she really here? Why…? His nose twitched as he caught another layer to her scent. A layer so rich and velvety. Just smelling it felt like a hand had wrapped itself around his cock and given a light tug. Make that a hard tug. He clenched his teeth.

  Arousal.

  She was as turned on as fuck.

  A low rumble erupted from somewhere deep in his throat. His instincts rode him hard. He was tempted to take her right there. To pick her up, place her on the nearest barstool, give her exactly what she needed. Crazy thing was, he didn’t think she’d put up too much of an argument. He didn’t think any of the lowlifes here would mind too much either.

  Her scent grew thicker, stronger with each passing second. What the hell was this? He knew humans could be receptive but this was just crazy. He knew that if he put his hand to her core, it would come away dripping wet.

  “Fuck,” he growled. “I have to go.” He absently rubbed the back of his neck.

  “Don’t. Please.” She grabbed his wrist. Her grip was firmer than he would have expected from such a puny human. Then again, the top of her head was just below his chin which was unusual for a human female. They mostly didn’t make it past midway on his chest.

  He looked down at where they touched.

  “I have a room across the road. I don’t normally do things like this. I hope you believe that.” Her amethyst eyes were wide and pleading.

  “I believe you.” It was true. He did believe her. Although he couldn’t say why. He really shouldn’t, she was in another male’s arms just moments ago. Maybe because of the slight shake of her hand. The tremble of her lips. The fear in her eyes. “I don’t even know you.” It was a stupid reason to give. It wasn’t something that would normally matter. He’d rutted females before without ever knowing their name. Probably would again. It
wasn’t a big deal.

  Her eyes flitted over his shoulder for a few beats before coming to rest on his. She smiled.

  Fuck.

  Such beauty. Such innocence. Such sex appeal. How were they all possible and all at once? He wanted and he wanted badly. It was so unfortunate she was human or he might have taken her up on her offer.

  “Corona.” She pulled her shoulders back just a tad.

  Kai cleared his throat. “Sorry…what?” He could feel that he was frowning.

  “My name…it’s Corona.”

  “Oh.” He nodded. “I can’t go with you. I want to…” His voice was thick. “Really fucking badly. You have no idea.” He made a soft groaning noise. It was a true reflection of the frustration he felt inside. “I can’t though.”

  “You can.” She stepped forward. A mere inch separated them now. If she came any closer she would feel just how badly he wanted her. How close he was to…

  “Go.” Jenson said, the word came from somewhere right behind him, slightly to the right. When had the male snuck up on him?

  “We’re leaving and right fucking now.” He couldn’t take his eyes off of her as he spoke. Disappointment flared in those beautiful amethyst orbs. “I’m sorry,” he whispered. “Go home.” He added, using a gruff tone. “It’s not safe for you to be in a place like this.” It was in the bad part of town. Filled with lowlifes. She couldn’t look more out of place if she tried.

  Her brows came together in a deep frown. “I can take care of myself.” The bright purple turned a more sinister shade as she bristled with anger.

  “Kung fu.” He couldn’t help but to smile as he remembered how she’d warned the asshole human about her abilities. “You’re going to need every move in the book.” Fuck she was hot. Even though human males would not be able to scent her arousal. Not really. They would still be able to pick up on her need, on an instinctual level. It really wasn’t safe. “Go home.” He tried one last time. He didn’t know this female. As much as he wanted to, he would never know her.