Dark Warrior Mine (The Children Of The Gods Paranormal Romance Series Book 7)

by I. T. Lucas

  “Get out,” she hissed at him, trying to focus and block him like Tut had told her to.

  I will. Please, don’t be mad, I’m just trying to help.

  He sounded so pitiful that she didn’t have the heart to be mean to him. “What’s your name?”

  I’m still fuzzy about the details, but you can call me Sage.

  “Because you’re wise?”

  That too, but also because I’m not sure if I’m a boy or a girl.

  “You’re a boy.”

  How do you know?

  “You have a man’s voice.”

  Can it be that you’re interpreting it as masculine? I’m just a thought, I can have any voice.

  He might have a point. No, it was a he, she was sure of it. “Why do you think you can be a girl?”

  His masculine chuckle removed the last of her doubts. Because I’m more excited about seeing your boyfriend shirtless than you.

  She couldn’t help the giggle that escaped her throat. “Is that why you’re pushing me to have sex with Andrew? Because if you think I’ll let you join the ride you have another think coming. It’s just gross.”

  Meanie. He sounded pouty. But I meant what I said about the bra, keep it. Add a pair of heels if you have them, and you’ll look like a knockout.

  This was exactly what she was planning to do next.

  Reaching up to the top shelf of her closet, Nathalie pulled down the only pair of high-heeled pumps she owned. They were brand new and still in the box they’d arrived in.

  Wow, Nathalie, you look fab. Sage ended his endorsement with a whistle.

  The effect was indeed impressive. She had never looked that sexy in her life. But it was also a little scary. Would she feel awkward?

  Stop it. Go on, put on a little makeup, some jewelry, and out you go. Don’t let Andrew wait too long.

  He was right. With a sigh, she headed to the bathroom to get her mascara and lip gloss. “Okay, but I want you to skedaddle as soon as I’m done. You’re not coming along on the date.”

  On one condition. You let me see Andrew’s reaction when he sees you like this. After that, I promise to ghost out. Sage chuckled at his own pun.

  “Fine.” She finished curling her long lashes and smeared a little lip gloss on her full lips. Anything more than this and she would’ve looked like a hooker—especially with that monster bra on. A long gold-toned pendant necklace and a few bangles completed the look.

  Nathalie grabbed her purse and quickly headed downstairs. Not because she didn’t want to keep Andrew waiting, but because she was afraid that given another moment in front of the mirror, she would chicken out and take off the bra and the heels and replace them with something she was more used to wearing and felt comfortable in.

  But as she stepped out from the kitchen and into the shop, where Andrew was waiting for her, the smoldering look in his eyes made her glad she’d had the courage to dress up for him.

  Jackson whistled, then added, “You’re one lucky dude, Andrew.”

  “I know.” Andrew’s voice sounded hoarse.

  I bet he’s so hard his zipper is about to pop.

  Nathalie smiled a broad smile for Andrew while hissing in her head at Sage. You promised.

  Have fun, Nathalie, and bang the guy. I would’ve if I were you.

  Get lost. Or better yet, get into his head. I’m not the one who’s been putting on the brakes.

  I bet he won’t tonight, and I want to hear all about it tomorrow.

  Fat chance. Now, go away.

  Sage out.

  She felt him fade away and concentrated on the sensation.

  Perhaps next time she would be able to force him out if he refused to leave on his own.

  Chapter 36: Andrew

  Fuck, she looked gorgeous.

  In fact, she looked so good that he didn’t feel like taking her out and having all the horny bastards ogling her amazing body.

  But he’d promised.

  “Aren’t you going to say something?” Nathalie’s eyes sparkled with excitement as she sidled up to him, sashaying those luscious hips, her high-heeled shoes clicking on the tile floor.

  “I’m speechless.”

  She kissed his cheek. “It’ll do.”

  “Ready to go? Or do you want to say goodbye to your father?”

  “No, I rather sneak out without him noticing it. I don’t want a tantrum.”

  “She’s right, just get out of here already.” Jackson opened the door so carefully that the bells produced only minimal sound, and waved his hand to shoo them out.

  He waited for Nathalie to step out and then leaned close to Andrew’s ear and whispered, “You don’t need to hurry back. I can stay the night.”

  Andrew clapped his shoulder. “I owe you, kid.”

  “And I’m going to collect.” Jackson made the thumbs up sign before closing the door.

  When he heard the lock engage, Andrew wrapped his arm around Nathalie’s small waist and led her to his car.

  “I can’t believe I’m out. I feel free, like a prisoner who’s just been released.”

  Andrew tightened his grip on her waist and turned her, bringing her flush against his body. “I need to kiss you, now.” She tilted her head up to offer him her sweet mouth. With the heels on, Nathalie didn’t need to stretch up on her toes, and he didn’t have to bend as much to kiss her.

  He licked at her lips and smiled. They were really sweet, the lip gloss she had on was strawberry flavored. “I’m going to ruin your lipstick.”

  “I don’t care. Just kiss me already.”

  “Yes, ma’am.” He took her mouth, licking inside it and exploring, his hands wandering down to cup her generous ass and press her against his aching shaft.

  Nathalie moaned and gyrated her hips, adding to his torture.

  God, he needed to fuck her so bad. He’d better stop right now before they ended up doing it in the backseat of his car.

  “Why did you stop?” she breathed as he released her.

  Reaching into his pocket for the car key, he pressed his thumb to the button and unlocked it. “I promised you a proper date, and I don’t think a romp in the backseat of my car qualifies.”

  Nathalie chuckled. “I’ve never necked in a car before; it could be fun.”

  “I wasn’t talking about necking.” He lifted a brow. “And how come you never had? Did you go to an all-girl school?” That might explain some of her inexperience.

  A shadow crossed Nathalie’s eyes, and she shook her head. “No, I went to a regular school. Private, but coed.” He opened the passenger door for her, and she slid inside, pulling the seatbelt and locking it in place without looking at him.

  Had he said something wrong?

  Was it a touchy subject with her?

  God, it was so hard to understand women sometimes. Should he ask?

  Nah, she didn’t look like she wanted to talk about it. Better change the subject.

  “So, sweetheart, where would you like to go?”

  “What are the options? You’re the expert on dating, you tell me. Where do you take your other dates?”

  Yeah, he’d definitely said something that had upset her. Perhaps she was the jealous type and had imagined him doing all kinds of things in the backseat, to all sort of girls.

  “We can go to a romantic restaurant, or to a movie, or a bar, or a club, or just for coffee. What’s your pleasure?”

  Nathalie didn’t pause to think. “I want to go dancing. Food and coffee I have every day, and if I want a drink I can have it also, but dancing… Yeah. That’s what I want.”

  “Your wish is my command. Let’s see what we have here.” He did a quick internet search on his phone. “I got it.” He pushed the transmission to drive.

  “Where are we going?” she asked as he pulled out into the street.

  “It’s a surprise.”

  “Will there be dancing?”

  “Of course, I always obey a lady’s wishes.”

  She murmured something he
couldn’t hear and folded her arms over the chest—which looked suspiciously larger than usual. He stole another sideways glance. Yep, a push-up bra. Sweet Nathalie had gone all out to look sexy tonight.

  Maybe she was expecting more compliments.

  Yeah, that must be it.

  “You look stunning, absolutely gorgeous.”

  She smiled and her shoulders relaxed a little. “Thank you.”

  Good, so he was on the right track. Perhaps a little more was needed.

  “Sexy as hell.”

  Her cheeks reddened, and she waved her hand. “Stop it; you’re making me blush.”

  “I like it when you blush, lets me know I have an effect on you. And anyway, it’s true, you are unbelievably sexy.”

  She shrugged, but he could tell that she liked hearing it.

  “Those stretchy pants hug your ass so perfectly that I’ll be forced to dance behind you and hide these lush curves of yours from view to prevent riots.”

  She snorted, but her shoulders relaxed all the way.

  “Is this the place?” Nathalie asked as he drove up to a valet stand with the name Nostalgia printed in red over its white canopy.

  “Yep.”

  “What is it?”

  “A sixties style restaurant club.”

  Nathalie glanced down at her jeans. “Am I dressed for a place like this?”

  Andrew chuckled. “I don’t think there is a dress code, but if there is, I’m going to fit in perfectly.” Navy blue slacks, paired with a gray blazer, a checkered dress shirt, a tie, and brown dress shoes—yeah, a sixties club was the only place his work attire wouldn’t seem inappropriate for.

  “Have you been here before?” she asked as the valet opened the door for her.

  Andrew joined her outside and wrapped his hand around her waist. “No, but a friend of mine from work recommended it.” Andrew chuckled. “He said that it’s perfect for an older crowd—like me. I hope you don’t mind. If it’s too staid, we can leave and find something else.” He was almost ten years older than Nathalie, and her tastes might gravitate toward something more exciting.

  “I’m sure it’s going to be fine.”

  Chapter 37: Nathalie

  Swaying to the sounds of Paul Anka’s Put Your Head on My Shoulder, with Andrew’s arms wrapped tightly around her—Nathalie was hovering somewhere between heaven and hell.

  It felt so good, so right to be so close to him, feeling his hard body pressed against her, smelling his aftershave and his own unique masculine scent.

  She was burning for more, and yet everything was so perfect that she didn’t want to cut it short.

  Her first date.

  Nostalgia was just the right place for a romantic outing. Dim, with little round tables for two that were covered in red and white checkered tablecloths and topped with glass jars containing short fat candles. The framed posters on the walls were of the big stars of the sixties—all clean-cut and smiling brightly. A band of six guys was playing their biggest hits. Wearing tight fitting suits and hair that was slicked back with oil, they looked like they had been plucked from an old teenage romance movie.

  Kind of reminded her of the prom scene from Back to the Future.

  Surprisingly, though, the place was full of young couples and not the old farts Andrew had told her to expect.

  “Are you having fun?” he whispered in her ear.

  “I love it, thank you.” She lifted her head to look at his smiling eyes, and he bent a little to kiss her lips lightly.

  “Would you like to sit down and order dessert?”

  No, she didn’t. The steak she’d ordered had been huge, and she was still too full to even think of taking another bite of anything, no matter how good.

  “I can’t, I’m too full.”

  “Perhaps, coffee? Another drink?”

  She chuckled. “Stop trying to feed me more, at this rate, my ass is going to double in size.”

  “This ass?” He cupped her butt cheeks and squeezed.

  “Stop it, everyone can see…” she giggled.

  “I can’t help myself. I’ve been dying to squeeze it all evening long.”

  “Well, you’ll have to wait for when we have some privacy.”

  “When?”

  Good point. They had nowhere to go that was private unless she wanted to take up his suggestion about necking in the back seat of his car. Not that it offered a lot of privacy, tinted windows and all.

  She sighed and put her cheek on his shoulder. “I don’t know.”

  “We could go to my place.”

  God, it was tempting. But it was already late, and Cinderella’s clock was ticking.

  “I wish I could. But I have to get home and release Jackson. It’s bad enough that I had him stay so late on a Friday night. Maybe it’s still early enough, though, for him to catch up with his friends and go out.”

  “Let me text him. I don’t think he would mind missing one night with his buddies. On the contrary, I’m sure that if I offer to pay him double for staying the night, he’ll jump at it.”

  Nathalie felt a blush engulfing her cheeks. “You can’t, he’ll know what we…”

  “So? He’s not exactly an innocent lamb.”

  She shook her head. “I have to work with him Sunday. I’m going to die of embarrassment.”

  Andrew hooked a finger under her chin and tilted her head so she would look into his eyes. “I want you, Nathalie, and that’s the only way we can be together. Unless you prefer me to join you in your bedroom at home. It’s either this or that. Neither is a perfect solution, but you have to choose the one that’s least problematic.”

  She didn’t need to think, her place was out of the question. She was anxious enough about revealing her secret to Andrew, not to mention having sex for the first time. The last thing she needed was to worry about her father waking up and interrupting them.

  But she didn’t want to wait any longer. And besides, with tomorrow being the only day of the week she didn’t have to wake up early, tonight was perfect.

  “Okay.”

  “That’s my girl.”

  Andrew’s grin was almost scary—he kind of reminded her of a hungry wolf—but all she could feel was excitement.

  Finally, she was going to do it! With Andrew!

  As they got back to their table and Andrew texted Jackson, Nathalie waved the waiter over and ordered another drink.

  Andrew arched a brow, but she shrugged. It wasn’t as if she intended to sit and sip on it. The moment it got there she was going to down it on a oner. Nathalie needed the liquid courage.

  “Jackson says no problem.”

  Nathalie wasn’t surprised. She had a feeling Jackson was aware of their situation and wanted to help. Never mind that it was beyond embarrassing to have a teenage boy concerning himself with her sex life, or lack thereof.

  The waiter brought her the fancy cocktail, and she tried to gulp it down, but it was too cold and too big.

  Andrew clasped her hand. “Take your time, sweetheart, we have all night.”

  Wasn’t she the luckiest woman to have a guy that was not only handsome and sexy but also considerate and patient?

  She definitely was. But the flurry of butterflies in her stomach made her too restless to take her time.

  Nathalie was all out of patience.

  Her glass landed on the table with a clank, and she pushed up to her feet, at the same time snatching her purse from the back of her chair. “Let’s go.” She swayed a little, her legs not as sturdy as they were a few moments ago.

  Andrew took out his wallet and put several bills on the table, enough to cover their meal and then some.

  As they walked out and waited for the valet to bring Andrew’s car around, the silence between them was loaded with anticipation, with sexual tension, and in Nathalie’s case, with fear.

  She wondered if that was how everyone felt before their first time. Probably. It was the fear of the unknown, the stories about it being painful, other stories o
f it being disappointing.

  Doing her homework, she’d read all she could about the experience, and had even tried to watch porn, but it had been too awkward, and she logged out. It was a kind of voyeurism she hadn’t felt comfortable with, even though the clip she’d started watching was from a movie done with professional actors. Not footage from a hidden camera with a long range lens catching some unsuspecting couple—which she’d unwittingly stumbled on during her search and quickly moved on to something else.

  Her take home from all that research was that she shouldn’t expect too much from her first time—that it was always awful, and those who claimed otherwise were lying.

  Whatever, she needed to have this first time out of the way so she could have the second and the third and the fourth, and eventually find pleasure. Every woman went through this, and they still wanted more, so it couldn’t be all bad.

  Chapter 38: Andrew

  “Here we are.” Andrew cut the engine and clicked the garage door closed.

  Nathalie seemed nervous, tense. She hadn’t said much during the short ride to his house, answering his questions in monosyllables or nodding in response to the stories he’d told her. He was doing his best to put her at ease, but it wasn’t working.

  “Thank you,” she said as he opened the passenger door and offered her his hand.

  Damn, if she hadn’t looked so anxious, he would’ve flung her into his arms and carried her straight into his bedroom. Instead, he wrapped his arm around her tensed shoulders and ushered her in, through the kitchen and into the living room.

  “Your place is nice,” she said, fidgeting with the long strap of her small purse.

  “Thanks.” He motioned to the sofa. “Please, have a seat. I’m going to get us some wine.”

  “Thank you.”

  Fuck, they were acting more like polite strangers than would-be lovers. Andrew was used to women who knew exactly what they wanted and weren’t afraid to go for it. He’d walked away from those who’d exhibited even the slightest hesitation. After all, there were plenty of the other kind, and he hadn’t had the time or the inclination to work so hard.