“Mmmm…this smells delicious Leeds, thank you. Sit down with me and let’s catch up.”
Leeds sat in the chair across from me and said, “Don’t you all have to get some sleep? What time does your plane leave tonight?”
I looked up at Leeds and was surprised to see him looking a little nervous. It’s not that he showed any outward signs of it, but there was a slight tic in his jaw that I had never seen before. I was more than a little concerned for my friend.
“Yes we need to get some sleep, but I was wondering if you would like to take a short walk with me so we can catch up.”
Leeds sighed and said, “Okay, but it has to be quick because I have a few things I need to get to.”
Again I wondered what was up with Leeds. Normally if I asked him to take a walk with me he would have made some crude sexual comment like, “how about a ride instead of a walk.”
You wouldn’t know it by looking at him but hidden under Leeds’ thick coat was one of the most amazing things I’d ever seen. Wings. Wings that spanned almost six feet from tip to tip. Wings, that let him fly.
Taking my now empty plate over to the sink and rinsing it, I turned and smiled. I put my hand out to Leeds and said, “Let’s go.”
He didn’t look happy, but he put his hand in mine and we went out into the cool morning sunshine. We began to walk and I immediately said, “What’s up Leeds? You’re not your usual charming self.”
Leeds sighed “I can’t tell you. I wish I could.”
I stopped walking and turned to face him, tilting my head back to look up into his unusual eyes. At night they glowed red but during the day they were a brown with large flecks of amber.
“Leeds, I’m your friend and if you need my help all you have to do is ask. You’ve been a good friend to me.” I impulsively threw my arms around him and hugged him.
I knew that whatever he was dealing with was serious when he just patted my back and said, “What do women want Sugar Lips? Can you tell me that? I never did understand women. They are sure as hell happy when I’m between their legs. But as soon as they come, they turn into a whole other creature. A creature that frightens even me, the goddamn Jersey Devil.” His bitter laugh made my heart ache for him.
“Oh Leeds, all a woman wants is to be loved, to be loved like she is the only woman in the entire universe. A woman wants a man to be crazy about her, to be so crazy that he is willing to do anything to be with her.”
Leeds’ hands went still on my back and he was squeezing too tightly. “Um Leeds…I can’t breathe.”
“Oh sorry, Sugar Lips.” He let go of me and we started walking. He seemed like he wanted to say something but was having a hard time.
I finally said, “Do you want to tell me something?”
“I want to ask you something.”
“Shoot.”
“Will you let me kiss you?”
Chapter 19
“Kiss me?” I repeated dumbly. Now this was the Leeds I knew. Always trying to cop a feel or getting you to rub him.
“It’s not what you think. I’m not trying to take advantage of you Sugar Lips.”
I rolled my eyes at him.
He quickly added, “Well, at least not this time. I know that I’m normally a bounder, but it’s not like that this time. I just want to know if my kiss is okay or if I repulse women.”
My heart constricted. His eyes looked so sad. That is why I simply said, “Okay, kiss me.”
He suddenly looked a little nervous and because of all of the gropes and innuendos from the past I thought to myself, I wasn’t going to make it easy for him. I stood still with my arms at my sides. He took a step towards me, and because he was so much taller than me, he bent down and we ended up bumping heads.
I began to laugh. I couldn’t help it. The whole scene felt like it was out of a comedy skit. The laughter died on my lips when I wiped the tears from my eyes and saw Leeds towering above me. His eyes were blazing more amber than brown when he reached down and grabbed my chin and tilted my head back.
A small squeak escaped right before he lowered his mouth to mine. His lips were soft as they lightly brushed mine.
His hands went to either side of my face, and he pulled his head back a little before he tilted my head to the side and once more lowered his mouth to mine. This time the kiss was deeper and I tried to block the small flames that were beginning to build. His tongue came out and traced my lips until they parted of their own accord. As he slid his tongue into my mouth, I knew I was in trouble.
My arms involuntarily wrapped around his waist and I pressed myself closer to him. His tongue was doing magical things inside my mouth. Not only did his tongue dance with mine but it seemed like it actually entwined with mine. It twisted and pulled and wrapped itself around my tongue. My legs began to feel weak and I wrapped my arms tighter around Leeds and pressed my body close to his.
Abruptly he pulled his mouth from mine and took a step back. I almost lost my balance as my senses were still reeling. For some reason Leeds looked angry and said, “We better head back.”
“Um, yeah.” Was all I could utter as I turned to go back to the cottage.
“Sugar Lips?”
“Yeah?”
“You’re going the wrong way”
“Um, yeah.” I muttered as my brain tried to function. What the hell kind of kiss was that? I couldn’t stop myself from asking him, “What’s with your tongue?”
He finally lost the scowl on his face and chuckled,
“What do you mean?”
“You know what I mean. How do you make it move like that? It feels like it’s alive. It has strength and agility. It’s so….”
Without realizing it I had stopped walking and was staring dreamily into space. Leeds’s hand on my shoulder brought me out of my reverie.
“Listen, I wish I could explain more but I want to get back to the cottage.”
We started walking again.
“Well, I will have to give you your props on that kiss Leeds. I’ve never had a kiss quite like that before.”
Leeds had a pleased look on his face but there was also a hint of worry. When we got back to the house it was quiet. Everyone must have gone to get a few hours sleep. “I’m going to get some sleep. Are you sure everything’s okay?” I had this feeling that he was in some sort of trouble.
“Everything’s fine Sugar Lips. Thanks for letting me kiss you, and for being my friend.” He said the last rather stiffly.
I sighed as I walked down the hall to the bedroom. Leeds had a really hard time letting people get close to him. I didn’t know if he’d ever be able to open himself up to another person. As I walked into the bedroom I felt weary. I was too tired to shower so I simply undressed and crawled into bed next to Alex.
As I was about to drift off to sleep I could swear that I heard moaning. I sat up in bed and closing my eyes concentrated on the sound. It was definitely moaning, but it sounded more like someone moaning in pleasure. I lay back down more puzzled than concerned. The only inhabitants were Alex and I, Leeds, Cheve and Mark. Hmmm….odd. Since no one seemed to be in danger I let myself relax and drift off.
I opened my eyes when water hit my face. “What the hell?” I sputtered. But my mouth was covered by Alex’s. He kissed me deep and hard. It took my sleep addled brain another few seconds to realize I was in the shower naked in Alex’s arms. As soon as the thought hit me I began to kiss Alex back with an urgency that bordered on out of control.
“Mmm yes, Baby…let me love you.” Alex murmured between hot kisses. He let go of his tight grip and my body slid down the slippery length of his. His large cock jutted straight out from a patch of blond curls. As I gazed at it, it jumped.
My body answering its plea began to hum as the currents of electricity raced through my veins. Looking up into Alex’s bright green eyes, I slipped onto my knees in front of him.
He made a weak attempt to stop me. “Baby, no. I want… .ahhhhh….” was all he said as I ran my tongue down his hard length. I
didn’t want to rush this so I pulled my head back and began to gently stroke him. I looked up at him and he was watching me intently. The look in his burning green eyes turned me on more than anything.
Without breaking eye contact I began stroking him in a more serious fashion. My hand fisted around his hard shaft and began pumping. He closed his eyes and I moaned, “Keep looking at me, Alex. It makes me so hot.”
Never taking my eyes off of him I leaned forward and swirled my tongue around the throbbing head of his cock. His eyes burning he croaked out, “Yeah Baby, it feels so good. Your mouth is so hot. Ahhhhhh…” He moaned louder as I took as much as I could into my mouth.
My tongue began an additional assault. “Ohhh God… Baby…I can’t take this sweet torture much longer. I…” Still looking deep into my eyes, I now saw wildness there, and his fangs slid out. Oh my God, that was so sexy. He began to thrust his hips and grabbed me by my hair.
I continued my assault but the ferocity was rising inside me as well. Soon we would both be over the edge. Alex growled and pulled my head back hard, yanking my hair hard. I let out a little yelp.
Alex sank down on his knees in front of me and he was breathing hard. “I want to be inside you so bad but I’m afraid I’ll bite you. I don’t know if I can control myself. You have me so fucking hot Baby.”
I could see that it was hard for him to hold himself back. I was in an almost identical state. But I had an idea. Emotion is a very subjective thing. Lust, anger, hate or joy. They’re all different aspects of emotions. Onatah taught me that. Alex needed a distraction.
“Alex…Alex…look into my eyes my handsome man.” I waited until Alex’s gorgeous green eyes were fixed on mine before I said, “Alex…I want you to love me, sweet and soft. I need to feel you, all of you. I need to feel your love for me. Can you do that for me, my love?”
Alex swallowed hard. “Oh yeah…I can do that, Wren. I dream of doing that for the rest of my life.”
Alex lifted me up and carried me to the bed. He laid me down gently and lay beside me. He ran the back of his hand along my jaw. “I remember the first time I saw you. You were standing in the lobby of the Platza del la Viva looking concerned and confused. And then Janel pushed you into me and I touched you for the first time. Something inside me shattered into a million pieces. I thought I would never know a more perfect moment than holding you in my arms that is until I looked into your eyes. I swear to you I saw my own soul reflected in your eyes. I fell in love with you in that exact moment.”
My eyes were shining bright with unshed tears. It’s funny how when we both needed something to ground us we both thought back to the same exact moment. Alex wiped a tear that slipped from my eye with the pad of his thumb. He gave a small smile just before his mouth found mine.
He entered me at the same time that his tongue slipped between my lips. His strokes weren’t hurried. Instead he lifted his head and braced himself so his weight wouldn’t crush me; he found my hand and entwined our fingers.
He moved his hips in a sweet slow motion all the while murmuring in my ear, “I love you, Wren. I will always love and cherish every minute with you.”
His sweet words melted my heart. I still couldn’t say the words back to him; so instead, I tried my best to show him. I grabbed the back of his head and brought his head down so that I could kiss him with all of the emotion that was locked inside of me. The emotional overload was too much and I felt myself spiraling towards my release. “Oh my God, Alex, yessss…”
I wrapped my legs around him as his thrusts became harder and more urgent. I cried out when the first contraction hit me. A split second later I heard Alex cry out loudly as my muscles contracted firmly around his cock. It was several minutes later that my muscles stopped contracting and Alex was able to slide out of my body.
He wrapped me in his arms and rolled us onto our sides. We lay there content in the silence until a thought came into my mind. “Alex? Why did I wake up in the shower?”
I felt Alex stiffen in my arms. “I almost forgot. I woke up, was so excited to see you in my bed, and when I leaned down to taste you, I smelled Leeds all over you. Do you want to tell my why?”
I laughed. “So you threw me in the shower?”
“Hell, yeah! I wasn’t about to make love with you smelling like swamp thing.”
I playfully hit him. “Leeds doesn’t smell like a swamp thing. He smells like pine and that wonderful smell after it rains.”
“Um, Wren, are you trying to kill me here?”
I snuggled tighter up against him until my breasts were pressed tight against his smooth hard chest.
I thought about telling him about the kiss Leeds and I shared, but thought better of it. The kiss was strange and there really was nothing between Leeds and myself. So instead I just said, “Yeah…I’m trying to kill you with my wanton ways.”
He chuckled and tickled my ribs. “Mmmm give it your best shot, Baby.”
“I would, but we have a plane to catch. I’m excited about going to the Bahamas and seeing Janel again.”
Alex groaned, “I forgot about her.” At my sharp look Alex said, “I mean I forgot about sweet Janel.”
I laughed. “I know she can be a little bit in your face but she means well. She loves me and is only trying to protect me.”
Alex got up in all his naked glory and began dressing. “Well, I can certainly understand the love thing, but she has a way of making a man nervous. Like she’s gonna devour you.”
He wasn’t far off the mark with that one. Janel was a woman who knew what she wanted and wasn’t afraid to go after it.
We dressed and Alex went out to feed while I went looking for somebody. The house was quiet. I entered the kitchen just as Cheve, Mark and Leeds came through the kitchen door with a plate of grilled hamburgers, steaks and ribs.
“Oh my God guys, that smells so good.” My mouth actually started watering.
Leeds had a huge smile on his face when he said, “Sit down Sugar Lips. This is guaranteed to be the best barbecue you’ve ever had. This meat is some of the finest I’ve ever cooked.”
I piled my plate with some potato salad that was in a large bowl and grabbed a hamburger. I was about to take a big bite of my burger when a horrible thought popped into my head. I leaned over to Cheve and Mark, “Ummm, guys? Have you seen Bullet this evening?”
Cheve looked perplexed for a moment and then horrified. “No,” he croaked.
Mark, looking ill, put his knife and fork down.
“Okay let’s not jump to any conclusions,” I whispered. I mean Leeds was a little strange but there is no way he’d do something like that.
At that moment Alex came in looking all sexy and refreshed. He looked at the three of us and asked, “Is something wrong?”
At that Leeds looked up from his plate and said, “Is the food okay?”
None of us said anything. Alex laughed and sat down beside me and grabbed my hand. “Hey Babe, guess who came with me while I fed? Bullet. It seems like the two of us are becoming real buddies.”
I didn’t know how he knew of our suspicions, but there was a collective sigh around the table. I squeezed his hand tight “Oh that’s wonderful Alex. I’m so glad the two of you get along so well”
Uh oh. I peeked over at Leeds who was sitting there with a face made of stone. He knew what we were thinking. I felt terrible. Leeds is my friend and here I was thinking the worst of him. Getting up, I went over and took Leeds’ hand.
“Take a walk with me Leeds. I want to talk to you.”
He just sat there like stone. “Please, Leeds,” I begged him.
Scraping his chair backwards, he shook his hand from mine and went out the back door. I followed him out into the cool evening air. He stood still in the yard looking up at the stars that were beginning to appear.
Without turning around he said, “Its okay, Sugar Lips. I’m used to everyone thinking the worst of me. After all I’m a devil that carries off animals and babies.”
&nb
sp; I placed my hand on his arm, “I don’t believe those stories about you.”
“Oh yeah? Then why did you believe that I killed and then barbecued your pet wolf? Huh?”
Feeling very ashamed I said, “Leeds, I’m so sorry. I didn’t really believe it. It was more of a thought that crossed my mind, and you sometimes act strange. You make it difficult for people to get to know you. I count you as a friend and even I only know a little about your past. So please forgive me?”
Leeds turned fully towards me and with some difficulty opened his arms. Without either of us saying anything I stepped in for a hug. Leeds held his body stiffly as if he wasn’t used to being held.
“There are reasons why I act the way I do you know,” Leeds confessed.
“I’m listening.”
Leeds looked like he was struggling with what he wanted to say, then concluded, “Nah…now’s not the time. You have a plane to catch, and I have to take care of a few things.” He gave me a small smile.
“If it’s okay with you I’ll say my goodbyes here. Tell the others they are welcome here anytime and the same goes for you, Sugar Lips. Maybe one day we’ll be able to have a heart to heart and I’ll tell you my whole sad story.”
I wrapped my arms around him to give him a hug. “Thank you, Leeds. I know it’s not easy to open yourself up to someone, but you know you can trust me. I’m really sorry about the thing with Bullet. Honestly I am.”
We broke apart and Leeds nodded at me. Thank God he forgave me. I didn’t want to lose him as a friend. It wasn’t so much him needing me, as it was me needing him. I was halfway back to the house when I turned and called to him. “Oh Leeds, by the way, I trust that you know what you’re doing with the woman you have locked in your basement.”
Chapter 20
“I still think you’re crazy,” Alex said again. This was his reaction after I told him about the woman that Leeds had in his basement. We finally boarded after some discussion regarding letting Bullet onto the plane. Luckily after paying the baggage handler a few hundred dollars, he decided Bullet was really just a nice little puppy.
Jude Stephens Page 14
