“No, she was as strong as gold.” Piper rolled her eyes as she walked over to them. Her hand lifted going towards Jabari’s arm.
“Piper!” It took all she had not to laugh.
“I just want to touch so I have something to reference when I’m interviewing a potential boyfriend.” They turned to look at each other and broke into laughter.
“Did you find anything or was I just being silly?”
“Someone had been in your apartment. They were gone before we got back.”
“That settles it. I’m not leaving. You have some pervert in your apartment probably looking at your underclothes.”
“Piper! Stop saying that.”
“I’m not leaving my best friend and you’re…” She turned away rubbing her eyes.
Brandi ran over to her and enveloped her in a hug.
“Don’t run Brandi, I don’t want you to hurt yourself.”
“I love you to Piper. I… Yeah, there’s too much in me right now, but your life must go on. This meeting is important, and I won’t have you miss it.”
“There’s always next year.”
Brandi shook her head. “Take it from me, next year isn’t promised.”
“You’ll be here alone.”
“You could move in with me.” They both turned to look at him their mouths dropping.
“But I have Fie.”
“One cat or two, my house is big enough.”
“Your brothers may object, and Quinn may not want another female around.”
“Isn’t Quinn the one we were going to have lunch with?”
“Yeah, she’s great you’ll love her.”
“Then why won’t she want you around?”
“Under the circumstances… Jabari are you sure you want me in your house? I can’t imagine getting better only worse.”
“I want you in my house and my bed. Piper I’ll give you my number so if you can’t get in touch with Brandi you can call me.”
“Will you call me if…”
“I will.”
“Thank you.” Her natural joy of life was gone as she reached out and held Brandi’s hand.
“Brandi is the reason I made it through college.”
“We helped each other through. I’m still waiting for that shirt.” She leaned over and bumped her shoulder against hers.
“I still want to know why you were screaming in the hallway.” Piper went into her room and came out with a beautiful shirt. The tags were still on it.
“I bought it for you. It practically screamed Brandi when I saw it.”
“You know me so well.” She took the shirt and held it in front of her.
“I do. Stop stalling what happened?”
“I turned around.” She put the shirt down and picked up Fie. “I thought I saw a monster, a Halloween monster, someone wearing one of those masks where your face is stretched out and grotesque behind Jabari. He had a sickle in his hand and was about to cut your neck off with it. I think whatever I have is effecting my mind.”
“It could have been a waking dream.”
“Maybe.” She smiled at her friend. “Jabari what do you think?”
“Anything is possible.”
So much for making her feel better. She gave Piper a long hug and promised to call later before she went to pack.
A shiver went down her back as she stepped in the hallway, but she ignored it.
Chapter Ten
Jabari was silent as she packed. “I’ll have to make arrangements with my landlord. So, he knows what is happening.”
He nodded and waited until she was done. They walked out with him carrying her bags. Piper was standing by her door.
“I need you to call me tomorrow, so I know you made it safely. When you come back, we’ll go out, and I’ll introduce you to Quinn. You’ll like her.”
“You always try to make things better. This isn’t going to get better. Don’t worry I can’t wait to meet your friend and to have more time to hang out with you. Take care of yourself.”
“I will.” They hugged each other.
“Sisters forever, in life and death.” They whispered to each other before Brandi pulled away.
She turned away and went to stand by Jabari as he pressed the button on the elevator. One last wave and the doors closed. She pressed against the wall and shoved her hand into her mouth. How do you say goodbye to your best friend?
Jabari pulled her to him and let her cry. When the elevator opened, he stopped it and held her until she pulled herself together and was ready to walk out.
He watched as she got in the car feeling helpless. There was so much he could do, but he couldn’t fix this. Instead, he took a blanket and placed it on her. The smile in her bright brown eyes made him feel better for a moment.
He got in and started the car driving out of the underground parking lot. They drove in silence. He was reliving a time in his life when he was helpless. It broke him, but Brandi dying was going to destroy him. He could see the train coming at him, and there was nothing to do but watch as he was pulled under the tracks.
“You’re so quiet it's scaring me.”
He turned to look at her. Those brown eyes that already owned his heart were shrouded in doubt. What could he say to her? Was there anything to make the news they had received easier to swallow? How could he tell her the hell it was to be left alive when the one you cared about was no longer there? He couldn’t there was no saying those words.
Then there was the guilt he felt. He tamped everything down and looked for what humans called idle chit-chat. Failing that, he would tell her a different truth.
“When I first saw you, I was stunned.”
“It was the very first time I ever came to see Quinn.”
“I never expected you to be so beautiful. The next time I saw you, you ran.”
“You can be a little forceful.”
“By then I was sure of a few things.”
“What?”
“I knew you were my mate.”
“What?”
The stunned look on her face made him show her his fangs. When he snapped them, she came out of the daze she was in.
“You keep that up, and I will have my canine teeth filed into fangs.”
She tilted that stubborn chin at him and her eyes were blazing. The more he thought about her having small fangs, the harder he got. Her eyes went down to his lap, and she licked her lips. His hands clutched the wheel tighter as the thought of her hand resting on his lap teased him.
Would her fingers trace the line of his zipper?
“It’s getting hot in here.”
He turned on the AC, they both needed it.
“I always tried to be the good kid. Especially after the names I got called. I was sure that if I worked hard and did everything the way I was supposed to I’d be rewarded in the end. Note to self, fairy tales don’t always come true.”
He could have told her that there was always a price to be paid. That it didn’t matter what gifts you had or who you were there were battles you weren’t going to win. The faces of his brothers went through his memories. They often haunted him in his sleep reminding him of what he lost.
“What if I don’t want to be good anymore? Instead, I just want to live, knowing I can’t do everything right.”
Her hand moved to the side of his leg, and he watched every movement of her fingers. She moved so slowly that he knew she was waiting for him to stop her or make a disparaging remark.
“I thought after you spent the night with me; you would leave or.”
Or? He watched her fingers they were so close to his erection she had to be able to feel the heat through his jeans.
“Or call me names.”
Goddess? Beautiful female of desire? My defender?
“I’ve been called nasty names before. I thought because you touched me, tasted me, you might not respect me.”
He tasted heaven. How could he not respect her or want her again?
Her fingers pr
essed against the ridge of his erection drawing a hiss of pleasure from him.
“You like that.” Her voice was lilting with happiness.
How could she ever doubt that he would like her fingers on his cock?
“I shouldn’t do this because you’re driving.”
“I’m Created.” Did he just say that aloud?
She tried to take him in her hand and squeeze. Forgetting the stupid words, he just said. He found a secluded place to pull over.
“I’m not driving now.”
“I can see that.” Her hands were working his belt trying to get it undone. She gave a laugh when the belt buckle came loose.
He slid the button out of the hole leaving the zipper to her.
She undid her seatbelt before she leaned over and took the tab of his zipper between her fingers.
He played with the idea of undoing his seat belt. The freedom to move when she touched him would be overwhelming. The thought of her taking him into her hot little mouth was almost his undoing, and that’s why he left the seatbelt on. It would remind him not to get too rough. His defender needed gentleness whether she wanted it or not.
He could hear each tooth in the zipper become undone as she pulled the tab down. Her hands opened his pants to be confronted by his boxers.
“Now I know that you’re a boxer male and not a brief kind of male.”
Briefs weren’t meant for males like him. He discovered that soon after he arrived on earth.
Her hands were pulling down his boxers, and he was trying to take apart an engine and put it back together. That’s what he learned on earth to keep his cool when in a situation like this with his mate. When he first heard that males on this planet did this, he thought they were crazy. Now he bowed to their wisdom when it came to human women.
“You’re too far away. Come back to me.” She stroked her soft fingers over his aching cock.
He was back with a vengeance. She looked up and smiled.
“There you are.” She leaned over and licked his cock.
Pleasure shot through his cock and up his spine. His hands went to her hair as he bit back a growl. He needed her to do that again. To put her hot mouth on his cock and take him deeper. It took every bit of discipline he learned over his lifetime to unclench his hand from her hair and sit back. His defender needed gentleness.
“This is the kind of thing I won’t stand for Jabari. I need you to be here all the way with me.” She took his cock out and squeezed.
Pleasure and pain engulfed him. The shock of it made him roar. She bent her head and took him into her mouth. The rush of heat made his hips thrust up. The pleasure of her lips sealed tightly around him as she sucked was undoing him. His hands found her hair as she sucked harder.
The sucking motion made his hips move in time with her mouth. He could feel the sensation travel through his cock and touch his balls making them want to draw up. His head tilted back as his eyes closed. The pleasure she was giving him was traveling through his body.
His other hand came down to stroke her shoulders.
“Brandi.” He whispered her name. He was in awe at how such a small female could hold him captive in the palm of her hand. It was more than her wicked lips and tongue giving him pleasure. It was the look in her eyes. How she allowed him to enter her world. The way she had slept on his chest so trustingly.
His mate had the power to destroy him, but she also made him powerful. Her hand went down to cup him making his breath catch in his mouth as she played with his balls.
“You’re so beautiful.” She told him when she came up for air.
He looked down at her. Her bright eyes were shining, and her lips were glowing from sucking him. She dropped her head and took him deep into her mouth sucking hard as her hand stroked up and down his shaft. She came up and just engulfed the head. Her tongue found the sensitive spot under the edge of the tip. She stroked it and his hips moved of their own accord driving his cock deeper into her mouth as she sucked on him.
Her hand went to the base of his cock and pressed upward as she squeezed him and sucked. He roared as his hips went wild and fire shot down his spine into his balls.
He erupted like a volcano as pictures of his time with Brandi were seared into his head. How could he lose her?
Chapter Eleven
She was nervous when he pulled up in front of the house. His brothers would come out. Would they look at her and know what she had done? What was worse than that? The fact that she really wanted to lie down for a while.
He turned off the car. A heartbeat later he was opening the door stretching out his hand as if they did this every day.
“I want to take you upstairs and show you around. I’ll come back for your suitcases after that.”
She nodded it sounded like a good plan to her. Fie was in a carrier in the back seat. Jabari didn’t think he needed one, but she wanted him to be safe, so they loaded him up.
“This is going to be your new home. You’ll love it here. They are tall but sweet.”
For the first time, he looked at her like she might be sick. She bit the laugh back and picked up Fie and followed him into the house.
They walked in through a side door. He led her to the kitchen and up the stairs.
“Why don’t you use the front stairs?” She had been here several times and noticed that Quinn always used the stairs in the kitchen.
“These lead directly to the food.”
Her stomach cramped as she thought about what he told Lisa. She hadn’t known if she should believe him or not, but he had never lied to her, so she had no reason not to. Now she knew every word he said was true, but it had been so much worse for him.
“I’m an orphan. One of the things we always lacked was food. I remember times we were almost fighting over who got what.”
“Is that why you donate money to the orphanage?”
“Who told you?”
“The more time I spend with you, the better I know you.”
“There’s only one door up here.”
“The house has two wings. Each wing has three floors. We all have a floor.”
“That’s nice.”
He opened the door to his floor and stopped to sniff the air. A growl came out that he cut off abruptly.
“What’s wrong?”
“Slade’s been in here.” He walked in with Brandi following. On the hall table, there was a vase of pink and yellow roses. He walked over and picked up the card.
“It’s for you.”
She frowned before taking it out of his hand and opening it up. It read, Hello sister, we wanted to welcome you home. All his brothers signed it.
She burst into tears.
“What’s wrong?” She showed him the card.
“Do you think they meant it?”
“Yes, you’re family now.”
Was it selfish or wrong? This thought that she wasn’t going to die alone.
“Where are they?”
“They went to raid the Aba, they’ll be back later.”
She walked over and hugged him. “Show me around.”
“I use this area as the living room. We can change anything you want. My walls feel stark after being in your condo.” He took her over to an opening on the far side of the living room. “This is the den, or it could be used for an office.”
They walked through the living room to a door on the other side. It opened into an empty room.
“I thought you could use this room as your workshop.”
“It’s perfect thank you.”
“What’s in the room next to it?”
He opened the door and let her walk in.
“A weight room?” She didn’t recognize half of what was in there.
“I’ll never put someone’s life in danger because I am weak.”
The pain he carried touched her deeply. If only she could be here to help him work through it. The loud meow from the other room had them turning toward the door.
“I don’t think Fi
e appreciates his carrier.” She went and let him out. “I told you it would be nice here, and it is.”
“I’d love to take a shower, change my clothes and relax.”
He showed her where the bedroom was and then the bathroom.
“Get in the shower, I’ll bring everything up.” He turned to walk away then turned back and gave her a soft kiss before leaving her alone.
“Thank you, whoever controls the universe for allowing me to meet him,” she whispered.
She went in and started the shower. Her mind was too busy comprehending where life was taking her to spend time on the lagoon he had in his bathroom. She needed sleep after that she would see if it was a hallucination or not.
It took a while for her to pick up the shower gel. It was a brand-new bottle of grapefruit scented body gel. It was the scent that was her new favorite. When had he bought it? For a moment she allowed her mind to think of every possible creepy possibility there was.
“Brandi?” He was standing in the door. “Is there a problem?”
“You have grapefruit scented shower gel. Somehow I can’t see you using that.”
“I asked Quinn to pick up something you might like. I was hoping you would agree to come live with me.”
“You did?”
“Yes. She said you liked grapefruit, and I agreed. You had that scent on the last time I met you.”
“That’s so sweet.”
“There you go again. Do you want me to bring you anything from your suitcase?”
She told him where to find an outfit she could lounge around in before she reached for the shower gel. After washing, drying and putting on clothes, she found him in the living room.
“Hot chocolate?”
“It’s not winter time yet.” She sat on the couch and reached for the mug. “Oh, this is good. Don’t tell me how you made it, I don’t want to think about calories.” She took another sip getting whipped cream on her upper lip.
She leaned against the arm of the couch, and he placed her feet on his lap.
“Tell me about your childhood.”
For a moment she felt the same nervous tension that happened when anyone asked about her past. Then she relaxed he had shared a lot.
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