He turned to look at her and she warned he needed to keep his eyes on the road. The rest of the ride continued in silence but it was not awkward. He drove up the side of a hill until they arrived at a vista park, which offered a stunning view of the town. There were a few other people milling around but it was pretty quiet and private.
“Not many people know about this park for some reason,” he told her as they leaned against the hood of his car and took in the view.
“I didn’t,” she confessed. She had no idea how she’d never known about it but now she was glad she did. It was gorgeous and peaceful. She turned to look at him and admired his strong side-profile, his chiseled features standing out.
“Great dress,” he mumbled with a smirk when he finally turned to look back at her.
Jenna felt her cheeks flush. It was not dark enough for him to miss that so he placed his hand against the side of her face and swept his thumb over the top of her cheek. He leaned in and pressed his lips to hers but practically jerked away a second later. It was as if he’d really wanted to kiss her but he’d gotten a shock and was unable to. He cleared his throat and turned away from her, leaving Jenna to feel more confused than ever.
He played it so hot and cold in a way she was unfamiliar with. None of it seemed exactly intentional. She’d finally realized in that moment his changes did not seem like a game. There was more to Michael and she was willing to bet that scar on his arm had something to do with whatever he was hiding, something Harrison knew but would not tell.
“I want to know your secret,” she blurted. At first she was abashed but then she decided it was for the best. She would quickly grow tired of everything that was inexplicable and perplexing. She was already weary of what was going on.
“How do you…” Michael swallowed hard and stood up. He’d wanted to ask how she even knew he had a secret but she knew he’d realized that was beside the point. She’d basically let him know now was the time. He turned to face her and she saw pleading in his eyes before he even spoke again.
“Can’t we just enjoy the rest of our date?”
Jenna stood up. She took a step forward and placed her hand on his arm, right where she knew the scar was hidden under the long sleeve of his shirt. He suppressed a flinch but she caught even that. She wanted to just enjoy the night and make of it what she could but something in her said otherwise. She leaned in and pressed his lips to his and when he was a bit more unresponsive than she would have liked, her mind was made up.
“Maybe just take me home now,” she told him.
Michael nodded and they quietly got back in his car. This time the silence for the length of the ride was awkward. Neither of them knew what to say. Both of them knew the date had been cut short. It was evident there was much to say but words and courage were failing. He pulled up to the front of her place and, much to her surprise, parked the car and turned it off.
Michael turned to face her. She could feel him waiting patiently. He was hoping she would turn to look at him and talk rather than walking out and calling it quits. Now was the moment for her to make the decision so she shut her eyes, took a breath, and then turned to face him. She could see relief in his hazel eyes for a split second and then she knew, in the pit of her stomach, he was about to reveal his secret.
“I’m a shifter,” he uttered without warning.
Chapter Eleven
“You’re a shifter? What does that even mean?”
Jenna felt more in the dark than ever. He’d been so apprehensive of actually telling her, he’d waited until she was safely in front of her house, but she had no clue what he was actually talking about. She looked at him, waiting for an explanation, hoping it was not anything awful or terrifying because as much as she hated to admit it, she wanted more with him.
“I mean I’m a shape shifter,” he told her, not clarifying much.
She was looked blankly at him until her mind finally caught up and pulled something out from the back of her head, a term she’d heard before but not in real life. It was something from movies and books but not anything she ever expected to be real. He must have seen the realization dawn on her because he hurried to let her know she was not in danger.
“People are afraid of the unknown and I get that. I’ve been a shifter since the day I was born. I’ve adapted and know how to live in society without harming anyone, even when in animal form. But I’m not foolish enough to think everyone can accept it so easily.” Michael paused and looked away from her for a moment before adding, “If you want to leave now and never see me outside of things with Harrison, I wouldn’t hold it against you.”
Jenna was speechless. Of any secret she could have imagined this one was unimaginable. So she asked the only thing that came to mind. “What’s your animal form?”
“A tiger,” he muttered, sounding helpless.
Jenna gasped. He made no acknowledgement of it. “Harrison knows?”
Michael nodded. Now she understood why he did not tell her at the store. Now she understood why Michael was different and secretive.
“The scar?”
He nodded again. It was all coming together but the thing that stood out the most was what she felt the two times she’d been with him– his wildness. She’d felt a part of his animal form in the way he’d kissed her, touched her, and drawn her to him. That was why it was uncanny. It all made so much sense despite the explanation seeming like something straight out of the latest blockbuster movie.
She knew there should have been alarm bells sounding off in her mind, warning her to stray away from this man. She knew she should have deemed him the wrong guy after all but something deep inside her felt differently. She did not feel an ounce of fear even though she was sure most would feel at least a small twinge of it. She could see him searching her eyes and face for a sign of disgust but there was none of that either. She was just mystified. It seemed impossible to her that shape shifters not only existed, but they existed so directly in her life.
“You did prove it to me, by the way.”
Michael furrowed his brows and twisted his mouth in confusion. He was taken aback.
“You said you’d prove you were interested in me and, well, you did.”
“And that’s–”
“What I’m thinking about now? Yes, it is.” She turned to face him, placing her hands on her lap. “You know why? Because I’m interested in you, too. I never imagined I would be but that was before I got to know you and any of your secrets, more specifically this secret. I thought you were a gross, entitled playboy. I thought you were arrogant. I could barely stand you. Then somewhere along the way all that started to change and suddenly we were both interested in each other. So I want to know now, just how interested are you?”
Michael smiled. It was a real smile. There was relief and joy and truth behind the smile. He cautiously reached out to take hold of her hand and she easily linked her fingers between his. He ran his thumb over hers and looked deep into her eyes. She could feel his desire to kiss her from across the car but now was the time to talk. Although she’d decided to just go with the flow, the flow had brought her to this point. Things were different now and it was not just because of what he’d revealed about himself. It was the fact he’d actually been honest with her and the date he’d planned and everything else that he’d been so genuine about.
“I like you, Jenna. I like you a lot. To be perfectly honest, you weren’t completely off. I was a bit of a womanizer who never committed. I coasted on life in the ways I could and enjoyed it. You, however, aren’t some sort of conquest. You are far from that. You are the first woman I’ve ever felt such a strong connection to.”
If this had been even a week or two earlier, she would not have believed a single word he said. Heck, she probably would not have even been out on this date with him.
“Do you want to come inside?”
Michael gaped at her but he nodded slowly anyway, eyes lighting up.
Before they stepped out of the car, J
enna leaned forward and pressed her lips to his. This time, he was more than responsive. Almost as if she’d hit some sort of button, her lips against his awakened something inside Michael. He instantly wrapped his arm around her thick waist and pulled her in, moving his mouth like he was ready to devour her. She pulled back and pressed her index finger to his lips, shaking her head.
“Inside,” she whispered.
Chapter Twelve
He followed her silently up the stairs to her front door. Everything seemed calm until they were inside and she’d locked the door. Not wasting even a second, Michael had her pressed up against the door and was kissing her deeply. She’d opened her mouth and ran her tongue against hers in an instant, almost like it was a reflex. Kissing Michael was familiar but exciting like the first time. She could feel his wildness again with every movement he made and how much more drawn she was to him as every second passed.
She broke the kiss and looked into his hazel eyes. Now that she noticed they even resembled the eyes of a tiger and she decided that was why they were so insanely beautiful and his gaze so very strong. Whatever it was about his wildness and his true animal nature, it was something she would not have ever wanted to pass up getting to know. It gave him the edge she sought out. Jenna ran her hands through his hair and tugged at the tips of it, letting out a little whimper when he bit down on her lower lip.
He placed his hands on her hips and stared at her face. She moved in and kissed along his jawline and then down his neck, suckling gently at it before darting her tongue out over the area. She ran a hand over his clothed body but she could still feel how tight and toned he was and she ached even more for him. She ran her other hand over his muscular arm and gripped it tightly, as if bracing herself for what she knew was coming.
Jenna could feel it in her very bones that tonight would not just be about him or about her; tonight they would be together.
She slowly unbuttoned his shirt, savoring every second that ticked by, until she pushed it off his shoulders and started to pull up his undershirt. The closer she was to seeing his body again, the faster she moved until her movements seemed impatient. She placed her hands on his hard chest and gently scratched all the way down his torso leaving light marks until resting her fingers through the belt loops of his pants.
He kissed her again. It was fiery as ever and if she could describe his taste as ‘ferocious’ she would have. Because how he tasted and smelled and touched and reacted were different than any man she’d encountered and now she knew the reason behind it. He pinned her to the door as he kissed down her neck and licked the exposed triangles of flesh from the cutout neckline of her dress. He ran his hands down her waist and over the ample curve of her hips until he was on his knees in front of her, hands on her knees and slowly moving upward.
It was all fluid and sensual and passionate in a way she could barely even grasp. He was tough in the sense he had a command of skills she could have only dreamed of, honed into his senses and hers so well he knew just where to touch her and how. Even so, the energy behind his actions was unrestrained in a way and it just drove her crazy– in a great way. He pushed up the flared skirt of her dress and swiftly pulled her white lace panties down her legs. They had barely landed on the floor when his lips were already pressed to the top of her leg, right next to her quivering center. She was already wet but enjoying every second of the journey so much she felt no rush to peak just yet.
His teasing was satisfying. He made her want more all the while giving her what she needed to enjoy the wait. He licked around her mound and she distinctly heard him sniff; he was taking in her scent. After he did he looked up at her, tiger-like hazel eyes heavy with lust. He opened his mouth and bit down on her inner thigh just enough to make it slightly painful but it was one of the sexiest things she’d ever experienced. He breathed against her slit, causing her to tremble, and kissed her hip before standing up and pulling her into his arms.
“Are you sure you want to do this?”
Jenna nodded. She’d never been surer about wanting to have sex with a man as she was in that moment. It was as if he’d read her mind because he pulled back and waited for her eyes to meet his before clarifying what he meant.
“I don’t just mean this, where this is leading tonight, Jenna. I mean this as in being with me. Are you sure you want to?”
Jenna looked deep into his eyes, cupped his face, and nodded.
“I never imagined meeting a woman who would make me feel like this,” he admitted. He looked deep into her eyes and confessed, “I never wanted to commit.”
“Things change when we least expect them,” she uttered.
He kissed her deeply and tugged her toward the direction of the hallway before stopping. He’d never been to her bedroom so he was not sure where he was going. Now it was her turn to play the mind reader. She took his hand and led him down the hallway to her bedroom, swaying her hips enticingly the entire way. She turned on the lights at a dim setting because she wanted to see him but didn’t want to spoil the mood with bright lights either.
He turned her and pushed her against the wall. He took her hand and rubbed it against the very large, hard bulge in his pants. Jenna’s eyes widened in surprise, not because he was hard, but because she had not expected a move like that. He rubbed her hand up and down on his constrained erection, groaning and grunting into her ear, before abruptly stepping back and dropping to his knees in front of her again. Jenna was panting but she didn’t have a chance to catch her breath, not when he had already stuck his head under the flared skirt of his dress and pushed her legs open. She’d barely had a chance to grip the edge of her dresser for balance when she felt his tongue swipe up her soaking wet slit. She moaned and felt her knees start to buckle but she was determined to remain standing; it soon became clear, however, that Michael’s mission was to work her with his tongue until her legs gave out.
He pushed his tongue inside her slowly at first but then he had his face pressed against her mound, his tongue licking her from the inside as deep as he could reach. His hands had started at her hips but she soon felt them on her plump bottom, his fingers kneading the flesh as if gearing her up for a spank. He licked her in circles as he drew out his tongue and curved it upward. He closed his mouth around her clit and sucked on it, sometimes circling his tongue around it, until she could contain it no more. Jenna felt pleasure build up in her body until it made her tense and shake, her legs giving out so that she was on the floor when the orgasm finally subsided.
She turned to look at Michael, expecting his smug look, but he only looked fascinated. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and launched forward over her, kissing her as if he were in some sort of frenzy. When she finally gathered strength, she pushed him back and straddled his legs. She reached down and made quick work of unbuckling his belt and undoing his pants, not wasting any time in pulling out his erection. If it were possible, he looked even longer and thicker than the first time she’d seen him. She wrapped her hand around the base of his shaft and began to stroke him, leaning forward to press her lips against his.
She stroked him continuously, only varying her speed and the strength of her grip. She gripped his shoulders and scooted forward until she was rubbing her bare, soaking wet slit against his bare erection. They both moaned loudly and she instantly felt like it was no longer her skin that was on fire but rather her very insides were. While earlier she had been okay to take her time and wait, now she felt like that was simply impossible.
“Now,” she whined, face flush.
“Now?” He kissed her cheek and pushed his hips up slightly for more friction. He grunted. She whimpered. They both craved more.
“Now,” she practically mewled in his ear.
He took hold of her hips and shifted his body slightly. They’d made it to the bedroom, sure, but that was about it. Maybe him taking her on the floor, still half clothed, and bare was not exactly how she’d imagined it happening but it did not matter. Nothing about being with
Michael had been predictable or ordinary. Heck, not even the fact she was with him at all was either of those things. It didn’t matter; the only thing that mattered was how badly they wanted each other.
He moved his hands up to hold onto her waist. He breathed heavily against her neck and then let out a loud grunt when he pushed his erection in past her slip until he plunged it entirely inside her. Jenna cried out in ecstasy and dug her fingers into the flesh of his arms, which were flexed and only served to turn her on more. Still inside her, he thrust his hips up even more to be deeper in her and she moaned loudly before whimpering when he pulled his erection almost all the way out. He ran his hand up her back and she felt him tug at her zipper until he’d opened it all the way so he could pull down the top of her dress to free her large breasts.
He quickly took one of her nipples in his mouth and grunted against the flesh as he started to thrust in and out of her at a moderate pace, going in deep each and every time. It was not long before she was bouncing on his lap, moaning loudly. She was enjoying every inch of his long, thick erection moving in and out of her while his mouth kissed her chest and suckled at her nipples. One hand was ever-present on her waist while the other roamed over the expanse of her back or joined his mouth in playing with her breasts.
She’d shut her eyes and gotten completely lost in the moment when he pushed her onto her back and positioned himself between her legs; he started thrusting faster, hand moving down to rub his thumb over her clit. They both quickly lost control in a flurry of pounding and grunting and touching and moaning until finally reaching orgasm together.
Chapter Thirteen
Michael had spent the night. The only reason Jenna was glad to see him go now was that she was able to call Kelly and spill everything; now she was sure about her feelings and desire to pursue things with the man she’d once detested. After a bit of teasing and even gloating on Kelly’s part, her best friend congratulated her.
Romance: My Stepbrother's Plaything Page 33
