“I don’t understand,” she whispered. “I thought you couldn’t.”
He brought his head up to look at her. Kate felt her heart kick into high gear.
“I shouldn’t,” he said. “A life with me isn’t really fair, but I don’t know how not to want you. Everything in me says I belong to you, and if I’m lucky enough for you to feel the same, I should take the chance.”
Her heart ached at his words.
Kate placed her hands on the sides of his face and brought him back for a tender kiss. Their lips touched, and she pulled him in even closer. She felt the heat spread through her when she wrapped her legs around him. He groaned into her mouth.
The hands at her back slid down to her ass as he pulled her even closer. Kate felt her center brush the head of his cock and threw her head back.
Titus surged forward a few times, rubbing the large head against her sensitive clit.
“I wanted to do this right,” Titus groaned in her ear. “Have a romantic dinner. Talk. Maybe even dance.” He pulled back to look at her. “Lay you out on the bed and taste you all over.”
She shivered at his words.
“We still could,” he said, stilling his hips.
Kate tightened her thighs around him and rotated her hips a few times.
“Titus, if you don’t fuck me right now…” she groaned.
His mouth crashed against hers in a savage kiss. He shifted, and she felt his head nudge her tender folds.
Kate cried out as he pushed hard into her. He stilled and when she opened her eyes, she was surprised to find him staring with worry.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “I don’t have a lot of experience.”
He turned his head.
Kate wiggled her hips and pushed down further on him until he was fully inside her.
Titus rested his head on her shoulder and breathed heavy in her ear. She turned her head so her mouth was next to his ear.
“It’s not about experience,” she whispered, “you’re just big.”
He turned his head, and she felt him expand slightly inside her. She moaned at the feeling.
“Titus,” she whispered.
He pulled back slightly and pushed in slowly. She groaned again, and he stopped.
“More,” she said and gripped him behind the neck.
Slowly, he moved his hips against her.
Kate pulled her hands from behind his back and raked them down his muscled chest. The contours shifted as she swept past. One brushed his nipple, and she smiled when he slammed his hips up into her.
“Kate,” he growled, “don’t test me.”
She watched his face as she brushed his other nipple with her nail.
His eyes glowed bright.
“I’m just barely in check,” he said through gritted teeth.
Kate grinned as her fingers circled both nipples. She brushed against one and jumped when he pushed hard into her. When she did it to the other side, she threw her head back as he ground against her cervix.
“Faster,” she said.
The rumble in his chest increased as he moved over her. Faster and faster, he drove into her. Kate could feel her climax rising the harder he went.
“I’m so close,” she leaned over and whispered against his lips. “Don’t hold back.”
His growling grew as he pushed faster inside her. Water sloshed around them. She jumped when he lifted her hips up and brought her tighter against him.
She shouted as her insides fluttered at his new angle.
Titus reached down and stroked her clit. She bucked against him and let the orgasm flow over her.
He pushed hard into her, and she felt the hot jets of cum hit her deep inside. His cock twitched a few times, and she leaned forward, still fluttering from her own climax. She placed soft kisses on his neck and focused on their breathing.
“Shit.” Titus pulled away from her suddenly, and she groaned from the loss. “I wasn’t wearing anything,” he said. “I’m really sorry, Kate. I didn’t even think. I’ll take full responsibility.”
Kate shook her head, a little dazed from their activities.
“I got the shot,” she said and smiled. “We’re good.”
“I don’t understand,” he said and stepped toward her.
“I was already on the shot before, so I just sort of kept it up,” she said. “It’s a type of birth control.”
She watched as his face fell a little.
“You weren’t hoping I’d get pregnant were you?” she asked.
He moved into her arms and pressed against her. “Would you be mad if I said maybe?”
“I guess I don’t know.”
He smiled at her. “Having a family with you is a given,” he said. “It’s just a matter of when.”
Her eyes stung from unshed tears. Being with him really was like being home. Everything about him made her want more.
“Take me home,” she whispered.
He smiled brightly. “Sounds good.”
Chapter Twelve
Kate sat in the dark, thinking about the day as Titus slept peacefully next to her. She glanced over at him and smiled. It had taken her ages to get out of his grasp. Once he grabbed ahold, he wasn’t much for letting it go.
Her eyes scanned the dark, and she was surprised with how much she was able to make out.
Like everything about him, his room was masculine. Very minimal in furniture, but she just loved his bed. Much bigger than her own. The dark wood just screamed for good sex, something they had been more than willing to provide when he had kicked open the door and tossed her onto the bed.
She sighed and laid back. Kate had never really been sore from making love, but then, she’d never been with a man like him or had sex that many times in a row.
He stirred next to her. She yelped when he yanked her backside to his front. She nearly laughed when his hard length slipped between her legs.
“What are you doing awake?” he growled in her ear. “Have I not tired you out enough?”
Kate groaned.
“No,” she whispered. “I’m just thinking about today.”
“Hummm.” He nuzzled her ear. “Me too.”
She laughed and squirmed away. “No, not that,” she said. “My meeting with Woods.”
Titus pulled back, and she rolled onto her back to look at him.
“Woods?” he asked.
Kate sighed. “That’s why I went to town.”
He stared down intently at her. “That was dangerous,” he said. She felt the weight of his worry.
“I don’t think it’s quite as dangerous for me,” she whispered.
“No,” he said fiercely. “It might be even more dangerous.”
The fear in his voice crept inside her head.
“Why would it be more dangerous, especially for me?” she asked slowly.
Titus sighed and rolled over onto his back. Kate followed and propped her chin up on his chest.
“He’s out there, waiting for you.” Titus closed his eyes, and she gently touched the side of his face.
“Who?” she asked quietly.
He moved his arm to look at her. “The Pale Man is what we call him. Mainly because we have no name for him,” he said quietly. “He’s very dangerous. And I’m fairly sure he wants you.”
Kate shivered. “What for?”
“To keep as his,” he said and looked her in the eyes.
“Like sexually?” She stared at him. Cold swept through her.
“Like in every sense,” he said. Titus pulled her close to stop the chills that wracked her body. “I’m not going to let that happen.”
They both lay quietly, thinking over what he had said.
“What happened with Woods?” he asked after some time had passed.
She snuggled deeper next to him. “He tried to force me to join his side and leave.”
Titus tightened his arms around her.
“And what did you say to him?” he said quietly.
She turned
to look at him and smiled. “I told him where to shove it.”
Titus chuckled. “I’m sure he loved that.”
She grinned.
Kate wrapped her arms around him and sighed.
“Next time,” Titus said after a moment. “Don’t take the chance.”
She nodded.
Feeling better about the day, Kate drifted into a peaceful slumber.
* * *
Kate sat on the couch in the women’s dorms and smiled around the room. There were now five of them living with the hybrids. She was glad they continued to grow, but in the end, it was strange living in a place the size of a city with only five woman total. She wondered silently if they would be able to bring in more women over time.
“So it’s official now,” Erica said. “We’re having a boy and a girl.”
Kate beamed at her friend. It was the best of both worlds. She gave her friend a swift hug.
“I’m so happy for you,” she whispered.
“Okay,” Hannah said. “Time for some games.”
The woman all laughed at her enthusiasm.
“First things first, swaddle a baby.” She grinned. “You’ll find your babies and blankets at the table.”
They all went to pick up their babies. Rachel moved in next to Kate.
She grinned. “You spent the night with Titus.”
The other women stopped to stare at her. Kate blushed.
“I did.” She looked down.
“Good,” Rachel said. “So when do you want to come in for some blood work? It’s hard to tell how much the pheromones have changed you, but I think we can compare to your most recent work.”
“Pheromones?” She stared at Rachel.
“Shit,” she mumbled. “Never mind.”
Rachel smiled and raced to sit on the couch. Kate followed, not detoured in the least by the behavior.
“Oh no you don’t,” Kate said and took the baby doll from her. “Spill it.”
Rachel glanced around and then lowered her head in defeat.
“He was supposed to tell you this,” she said. “Are you sure you don’t want to wait for him?”
Kate shook her head. “He had the chance and didn’t,” she said. “If this has something to do with me, I deserve to know.”
Rachel nodded.
“Being with Titus is going to change you,” she said simply. “His pheromones trigger a reaction in yourself.”
Kate’s head reeled at her words. She glanced over at Erica. Was it this way with her and Sol? She did seem to be different in many ways.
“So basically his pheromones call out and see if anyone responds.” Rachel smiled. “It’s really amazing that you two were able to ever find one another. Apparently it’s not a common match at all,” she said.
Kate sat down hard on the couch and sucked in a few deep breaths.
It wasn’t her. It was her pheromones. Even worse, it was one that he enticed out of her and then changed her.
She chewed her lip. If she thought about it, he hadn’t actually said anything about wanting to be with her, but instead that he couldn’t ignore the call.
Kate leaned back and laughed bitterly. Of course it wasn’t that he wanted to be with her. Her luck with men was about as good as it had ever been. She glanced over at Erica. She understood why her friend hadn’t told her the hybrids’ secret, but that didn’t make the revelation feel any better.
“You’re too hard on this,” Erica said and sat on the other side of her. “Sol loves me.” She smiled. “If there was some pheromone pushing him to me, it’s got nothing to do with his feelings. Pheromones cause lust, not love.”
Kate shook her head. “That’s easy for you to say. He knew there were choices and still picked you.” She looked down. “What if he’s thinking I’m his only choice?”
She groaned and put her head into her hands. It was such a beautiful night, and she was feeling so good, but she couldn’t just resign herself to be with him when he felt like there was no choice. Kate wanted to be with someone who truly wanted to be with her.
Erica put her arm around Kate. “Sometimes being the only one and being the right one are the same thing.”
Kate lifted her head to stare at her. “But how do I know?” she whispered.
Erica shook her head. “It’s a feeling.” She smiled. “A feeling that tells you there’s no way it could be anyone else but that person.”
“I just don’t know,” she sighed. “I was so wrong before, and it nearly ended up hurting you.”
“Hey,” Erica said and took her hand. “That wasn’t you. That was all him, and you should take no blame for that. Besides, Titus isn’t like that.”
Kate nodded. He wasn’t like that, but it still didn’t mean that he wasn’t pushing into being with her.
A door banged out front. She glanced out the window. Her heart sped up as Titus and Sol stepped out of the car.
“I told him to give us a couple hours.” Erica frowned.
First Titus and then Sol stepped into the house, their faces solemn.
“What are you doing?” Erica said and placed her hands on her hips.
Sol nodded to Titus who was staring directly at Kate.
“Do you have something you want to tell me?” he growled.
Kate stood, the hair on her neck raised at his menacing look.
“Do you have something you want to tell me?” she countered.
The room went still as they glared at one another.
Titus stormed over to the TV and hit the power button. As it blinked into view, she could make out two figures on the screen.
“We’re here talking with the parents of Kate Walker, the public relations personnel for the hybrids.”
Kate pushed past Titus to stare at her mother and step-father. She frowned at her mother’s tearstained face.
The TV flashed back to the reporter. “It was only yesterday that you learned about the horrors your daughter has faced there,” she said.
“What?” Kate shook with anger.
“Yes,” her mother said. “I received a letter from her just yesterday. It talks about all the terrible things those monsters are doing to her.”
“Seriously, a letter?” she said to the TV.
Kate pulled out her phone as she continued to watch.
“If there was something you could say to Kate right now, what would it be?” the reporter asked.
Her step-father, John, leaned forward. “We are here for you,” he said. “Just like we’ve always been here for you.”
Kate laughed and punched in a phone number.
“Phil,” she said when he picked up.
“Christ, Kate, do you need help or something? It’s all over the news,” he said into the phone.
“No shit,” she ground out. “You need to patch me on up the line. I want on that program.”
“I don’t know,” he said.
“Listen, Phil, I like you, so I’m going to just level with you. As a local affiliate, what do you think will happen to you when I sue the shit out of your parent company?” she asked.
“You wouldn’t do that. Would you?”
“They are ruining my life,” she yelled into the phone. “You bet your ass I would. Now patch me the fuck through.”
The phone went quiet. She could hear him scrambling to send her down the line. Kate strained to make out the conversations, but he must have pressed the phone to his leg.
She turned around and found a stunned Titus behind her. Kate rolled her eyes and turned her back to him. He was so far up shit creek she didn’t think anything could get him out.
The reporter on the television pressed her hand to her ear.
“It seems that we’ve got Kate on the line,” she said. Kate turned the volume down on the TV. “Kate,” she said. “I’m so glad you could join us.”
“I bet you are,” Kate said sarcastically. “I’m going to level with you Jill, I wasn’t too happy to have my friend’s baby shower interrupted by your less-than
-impressive investigative reporting.”
The woman didn’t even blink at the digs.
“Would that be the baby shower of Erica, who is the wife of the hybrid Sol?”
“Yes,” Kate snapped. “But let’s get right to the point of the call.” The screen switched to her mother and step-father. “Aw, look, it’s Ma and Pa. Pillars of the community, except for when they are booting out their sixteen-year-old daughter because she’s just too much trouble. So nice that you all were able to come out today as such a caring family. I can’t even think when the last time we spoke was.” She paused for emphasis. “Oh wait, I’m wrong. I believe your last words to me were ‘Get out and don’t come back,’” she said. “Remember that?”
Her step-father’s face went red. “Now you wait a minute,” he shouted.
“No,” she shouted. “You wait a minute. You don’t get to come on national television, make statements and then get to talk down to me when I show up. Now sit down and shut it before I have my lawyer tell you to do it.”
She smiled when he leaned back and closed his mouth. Jill leaned forward and opened her mouth to talk, but Kate hurried on. “A letter? You think that I would send you, of all people, a letter? And by the way, no one sends letters these days. If I was going to write you, I’d send a damn email like the rest of the country.”
Jill gasped into the line.
“As for the content,” she said, pacing the room, “my life here has been nothing short of wonderful. There’s a great community here, a good home and people that are special to me.” She glanced over to her friends and Titus. “For the first time, my life has meaning and that’s no thanks to my so-called parents.”
“So you’re saying that letter is false?” Jill asked her.
“That’s exactly what I’m saying. But even more than that, I’m also telling nosy reporters to get their facts straight before they go airing things. Anyone with half a brain would have found out that my relationship with my mother is strained at best, and the last person I would ask help from would be her or the step-father who threw me out.”
Jill shifted uncomfortably in her chair.
“Well, thank you for setting things straight,” Jill said. She cleared her throat. “That’s all the time we have for now.”
Titus: Luna Lodge #2 Page 9
