Black Read online

  The sexual hunger that covered his face made me want things I hadn’t thought about in such a long time

  Black wore distressed jeans and a white T-shirt, which accentuated his caramel skin. Stalking into the middle of the parking lot, he whisked me into his arms like a long-lost lover. It both freaked me out and thrilled me at the same time. My heart beat wildly trying to escape.

  “I am glad you are here,” he said, pressing his lips to mine like a dying man taking his first breath of air. An all-consuming, I can’t get enough of you kind of kiss that made my toes curl.

  Breaking the kiss and panting for breath, I admitted, “I almost didn’t. Come that is.”

  “We can change that.” A naughty smile crawled up his face as he shut and locked the front door.

  With my arms around his neck, I stared into those mesmerizing eyes. “One thing I want to make clear first. I am nobody’s mistress. I will not be a glorified prostitute.”

  He chuckled and I had no idea what that meant. But now he knew how I felt.

  Through the main room, down the stairs, I tried not to notice how his muscles flexed with each stride. The smell of him, hot and musky clogged my nostrils, almost making me blind with want.

  In the back of my mind, I hoped he wouldn’t notice how inexperienced I was. Even though I had had a baby, this was technically the first time I’ve wanted to have sex with a man.

  He kicked the door shut, stalking through the apartment and depositing me on his king-sized bed. Coming down on top of me, his lips seared mine as they moved expertly, seeking. My mind went blank, any logic I thought to hold onto, disappeared.

  His hand inched up my shirt, rubbing the peak of my hard nipple through my bra.

  I gasped into his kiss. He didn’t slow.

  Shoving my bra up, he lightly rolled and pinched the tip. Desire shot straight to my core. I arched my hips without thought, wanting whatever he would give me.

  As his hand massaged my breast, he lightly kissed my jaw, his minty breath washed over my face, his teeth grazed my skin until he lightly bit my earlobe.

  I was panting, the light teasing almost made me come.

  Kissing down my neck, his hand left my breast, moving downward. He flicked open the button, unzipped my pants, dipping his hand inside my jeans, my panties. Oh…Oh…! He shoved one thick finger inside …then two.

  I arched in rhythm, wanting more. Needing more!

  He lifted his head, watching my face as he added another finger. His eyes glowed with mischievous delight. “So wet for me.” The room was so quiet, we both could hear the wet sucking noise his fingers were making.

  Tilting my head back, eyes closed, he pumped in and out before pressing his thumb against my clit.

  I exploded against his fingers, shattered into a million pieces as blinding pleasure unlike anything I’d ever felt before consumed every part of my body. Nothing had ever felt so good. Not my hand, nor my vibrator.

  How had I lived without this? This intense, all consuming, I need this everyday pleasure.

  Pulling his fingers out, I felt empty. I might have whimpered a little at the loss.

  Taking his time, he lifted my shirt over my head, then shoved my jeans down and tossed them into the corner.

  “So beautiful,” he said. But I didn’t feel beautiful. Surrounded all day by barbies, I felt overweight and flawed. My hips were too big, my waist too thick… he spread my legs and licked me until I forgot everything… I forgot that I knew nothing about this stranger with the magical tongue. I forgot that I was supposed to talk to him, maybe get to know him. He licked me again, his tongue stroked against my backside.

  I gasped!

  Nobody had ever been down there, especially in no man’s land and it freaked me out! With my hands threaded into his hair, I was about to push him away—his tongue plunged deep inside—

  Oh shit! It feels good…

  He lapped at my juices before heading back in for more. He slowed to lazy circles before picking up speed. His tongue slowed as though he was enjoying the taste of me before moving back to a rushed pace. Overwhelmed with so many feelings fighting for dominance, I lost it when I felt his finger circle my nether region, barely dipping the tip inside.

  My body shook violently with pleasure so intense I didn’t think I could take anymore without passing out. I tried to get away, to scoot backward, but he held my thighs, his tongue never stopped until the last of my orgasm faded to tolerable.

  Crawling up my body, I could see the moisture around his mouth. And then he kissed me and I tasted myself on his lips.

  He broke the kiss, grabbed the back of his shirt, and pulled it over his head. Muscles rippled with every motion. Defined shoulders and biceps that tapered at the waist, pointing downward. I swallowed hard as he shimmed out of his jeans, tossing them aside.

  His large cock stood at attention.

  My eyes ping ponged from his eyes to his cock. “Why do you look like the men here? Only bigger.” I may not have had any sexual experience, but I had seen pictures.

  Coming down on top of me, he hooked his hand under my knee, opening my legs to accommodate his girth. His lips mere inches from mine, his minty breath mixed with the smell of my juices, brushed across my face as he said, “I told you, I am not an alien, merely someone from a different realm.” And then he shoved inside me with one hard thrust.

  I groaned with the uncomfortable fullness. He gave me a minute to adjust then started slow before picking up speed. The uncomfortable feeling morphed into sheer pleasure as he grunted with every snap of his hips.

  “You…” grunt… “are…” grunt… “so…” grunt… ‘fucking…’ grunt… “tight.”

  I splintered apart screaming his name, my nails digging into his back, drawing blood, and leaving my mark on him.

  His last grunt turned into a growl as he emptied inside me, filling me with his cum. Chest to chest, every inch of us touched as a blinding white encased the two of us. A slow heat started in the center of my chest, building and spreading throughout my entire body until near unconsciousness as something reached inside and touched my soul. Not painful, but hot and overwhelming. It lasted a lifetime. I rode the euphoria as long as I could before floating back to the here and now.

  He collapsed on top of me. “It is done,” he said.

  Breathing hard and a little freaked out by what had just occurred, I smacked his shoulder needing him to move. “You’re crushing me.” He rolled to the side relieving the pressure. “Thanks.”

  As I lay naked on the bed, reality smacked me in the face. Had I really just had sex with a complete stranger? Unprotected sex! And for the first time I could remember? My breathing came out as pants, panic rising, my heartrate jumped as I scrambled to cover my mom-bod with a sheet.

  What was wrong with me? I’ve never thought about having sex with anyone. And I would never have unprotected sex!

  On the scale of 1-10, Black was a 20 and could certainly do better than my 4 or 5. This was a mistake! A terrible mistake and I needed to leave.

  Black must have read my thought. He grabbed my wrists, holding them above my head, exposing every inch of my nakedness. “You are beautiful.”

  Embarrassed and angry at myself for losing control, I turned my head away from him. “No, I’m not.”

  He rolled over, boxing me between his elbows, making me look at him. Gently, he kissed my lips. “Trust me, you are very beautiful to me.”

  Have you ever had one of those oh shit moments? It’s when you realize that no matter what he says, you’re nowhere near his league of hotness. Alien, realm, whatever he was or wherever he was from. That’s why I wormed my way out from underneath him, desperate to cover myself with clothes.

  “Do not,” he said, getting to his feet and snatching the shirt I shielded my body with. Especially my waistline.

  “Look,” ahem, I cleared my throat and averted my eyes. It was hard to admit that I wasn’t up to his standards. He had to know that. “You can have any of those
women who filled out an application. They are beautiful, willing, and more…amenable than me.” Because I have a daughter and have to follow a somewhat strict schedule.

  “You are the one chosen for me.”

  He’d told me something like that before but how could he be certain? “Look, it’s easy to get caught up in the moment and think that. But then reality sets in. Besides, there’s a lot you don’t know about me. And, in case you forgot, you didn’t use a condom and that can never –never—happen again.” His silence was unsettling, so I continued. “I won’t be a mistress. When and if I ever settle down, I want the entire package, not a sliver.”

  His cunning eyes made me nervous. “Maybe I was hasty in my initial assessment.”

  I didn’t know what he meant by that, and thankfully, he didn’t stop me from pulling on my shirt and stepping into my pants. He also slipped into his clothes.

  The entire situation felt strange, very awkward. I was wading in uncharted water and if I wasn’t careful, I could lose myself to him.

  Taking my hand, he led me to the kitchen.

  “I have a bottle of wine. Would that be sufficient?”

  Sufficient? Hmm. That was one way to phrase it. On one hand, I needed to say no and keep my wits about me. And what if he got me pregnant? Raking a hand through my hair, I struggled with what I should do and what I wanted to do. Finally, I gave in. “Sure.”

  After pouring us each a glass of red, he handed me one while he took a sip of his own, leading me to the living area. Both of us sitting on the couch, Black placed the bottle on a small coffee table.

  “Drinking wine took a little getting used to, but the people of the Human realm seem to enjoy it.”

  The wine tasted earthy, with hints of cherry and something else I couldn’t identify. Not that I knew my wine unless it came in a cheap box. And even that was a rare occasion when Jessie brought some over.

  “Thank you. It’s delicious.”

  He took another sip. “If you say so.”

  I laughed but it sounded forced. “You don’t like wine?”

  “It is palatable, but I do prefer the spirits of my realm.”

  “What is your realm like?” I really couldn’t even imagine anything different.

  “It’s much like yours with the exception of shifters. In my sector, the strong rule.”

  “Of course, they do.” Mumbling, I added, “so do tyrants.”

  For some reason, that seemed to amuse him. “Have you ever seen a dragon?”

  I chuckled. “In movies and storybooks.”

  “Right,” he said, sounding even more amused. “When we started this project, my brother and I found the remnant of an ancient portal. I’m sure my kind have crossed over before.”

  My heart kicked into double time. Jessie loved reading those sci-fi books and Black was telling me he lived those stories. And did that mean some had shifted here and that’s where the ideal originated from?

  It was a hard pill to swallow.

  “Dragons. Okay.” I licked my suddenly dry lips. “You have changed into a dragon?” He mentioned it before but I couldn’t even comprehend such a thing so I chose to ignore it.

  “Yes,” he said sounding mysterious. “But not often.”

  I downed the glass of wine in three gulps before he tipped the bottle, refilling my glass. My head swam with wine and information overload. Nobody could shift into a dragon and he had to be playing me for a fool.

  “Look, Black. I don’t understand any of this. And to be honest, it doesn’t matter. I wasn’t looking for a husband.”

  “Nor was I looking for a mate, and yet, here we are. Fate is a fickle thing.”

  Fate. A strange but true turn of events. My mother was raised in a single household, as was I, and now I’m following in the family footsteps. Where did that leave Maddie? Musing aloud, I half asked, “And what about children?”

  “Unimportant.”

  My eyes shot straight to his. Wrong answer. He sounded blasé as he took a sip of wine. So cool and unaffected.

  Children were everything even if they came as a surprise. Not that I wanted to have more anytime soon, but still…shit, I still couldn’t believe that I had unprotected sex.

  Tilting my head back and staring at the ceiling, I felt torn. He was easy to be around, and I could feel that he meant every word, which scared the hell out of me. How could I feel him?

  “What about your family?”

  “What about them?” He smiled, then sipped his wine.

  I got a feeling he was toying with me. “Do you have any?”

  “I do. I have a mother and two brothers.”

  “Are they married? Do they have kids?”

  “My brother Tyran is mated to a human called Amelia. No children.”

  “I see. What’s your mother like?”

  He hesitated and I could have sworn that his eyes filled with sadness before he blinked it away. “Mother is honor bound and fierce. Nobody crosses her.”

  Okay, that sounded like a mother-in-law from hell. Things were not looking good for Black. Speaking of…”is your name really Black?”

  “No.” By the curt way he said no, I knew I’d hit a sore spot. My head was spinning with his constant emotional changes. “My name is Blaktu’n.”

  “Black-ton,” I tried to pronounce it but by the look on his face, I didn’t say it correctly.

  “No worries. That’s why everyone here calls me Black.”

  He reached over and toyed with my hand. Between his touches and the wine, it made it hard to focus. I needed to leave.

  “I…,” blowing out an unsure breath, I stared at my glass. “Look, I came here to get to know you, not have unprotected sex.” That fact still grated on my nerves. “We don’t have bondmates or instant connections with someone and I can’t jump into any relationship no matter how much my feelings demand it. Surely you can understand that. Right?” What I meant was this is all too much, and I needed to get away and process.

  Cunning eyes cut through my bullshit. “I will give you time, but I expect you to be at the gathering.”

  “And if I don’t show up?”

  “I will hunt you down.”

  Swallowing hard, I needed to leave. The longer I stayed the more I wanted to stay. He made me feel beautiful even though I wasn’t. And the idea of some man hunting me down? That was a complete turn-on.

  It was also fantasy.

  As far as him finding me, well that didn’t worry me too much. A man of his caliber would never be caught dead in my neighborhood. Not many sane people would. You had to be desperate or crazy. Jessie was plain nuts. Plus, she loved me and Maddie.

  One problem that really scared me? I could feel his determination and knew he meant every word. Feeling him? That spiraled into an entirely new set of problems.

  Talk about a conundrum.

  Licking my suddenly almost now cracked lips, my knee started to bounce. I wasn’t experienced enough to deal with this situation. “Okay. I’ll come to the gathering.”

  He laughed, dark and humorous, promising things I never imagined. It sent a jolt straight to my core. “I understand your hesitancy, I feel it. But know that this is uncharted territory for me as well, and I will not let you go. You are mine.”

  My eyes cut to his! Did he know I was trying to get away? Could he feel my panicked heart begging me to run away before he smashed it into? Because I belonged to nobody but myself.

  Things were moving way too fast and I needed to slam on the brakes. Right freakin’ now!

  Again, I needed to reiterate, “I will not be kept as a mistress or prostitute.”

  Heat filled his glacial eyes. “You will live with me and share my bed.”

  What? My heart galloped like a stampede of wild horses.

  Once before, he said that he would put me up in my own place and give me everything I needed. And now he’s telling me that I would live with him?

  Heaven knows we weren’t lacking in the chemistry department. At least on my par
t.

  But what about Maddie? I didn’t want to disrupt her routine no matter how bad the circumstances. She was happy with Frankie. And what if Black didn’t accept her? Would he cart me off to this so-called other realm and leave Maddie behind? I needed to tread lightly if that was even possible with him. The cunningness in Black’s eyes screamed that nobody told him no. Ever.

  After taking another drink, I licked my lips and smiled. Truth be known, I was buying a little time as I tried to think of a reasonable explanation as to why we needed to slow things down.

  “The last man I liked was a complete douche, so I don’t trust easily. I haven’t let anyone get close to me since.” For my own ego, I left out a lot of information.

  “A complete douche?” He squinted, looking confused.

  “Not worth his weight in salt.”

  “Is salt valuable here?”

  Humorless laughter bubbled up. “No.”

  “I am afraid that I do not understand.”

  About that time, my stomach growled. Black’s eyes lowered to my belly. I covered my face and spoke through my fingers, horribly embarrassed. “Sorry.”

  He rose to his feet. “Let me get you something to eat.”

  Glad for the change of topic, I let him pull me to standing. “Do you know how to cook?”

  A sly grin spread across his face. “No.”

  “Have you had dinner already?” He shook his head no. “Want me to cook us something?”

  “You know how?”

  “Not really, but I can give it a try.”

  “I would like that.”

  Following Black into the kitchen, he refilled our glasses while I rummaged through his cabinets. I made a mental note not to drink anymore otherwise I wouldn’t be able to drive.

  Being this close to him stole all of my concentration. I couldn’t think, let alone remember a recipe. “How about a sandwich instead?”

  “That will be fine.”

  As I prepared a grilled turkey and cheese sandwich, I felt his eyes following my every move. “What do you normally have for dinner?”

  Black shrugged, such a human gesture. “Whatever Arkin brings.”

  “And Arkin is?”

  “My youngest brother.”

  Placing Black’s sandwich on a plate, I slid his over before taking a bite of my own. We ate in silence until I asked, “What’s your realm like? You started telling me earlier but then…”