But I don’t care. I feel safe with Slade, and if he turns out to be violent or worse, it won’t be that much different than what I’m already used to. And if he kills me…well, at least I’m done with my stifled, useless life.
I give myself a shake, clearing my morbid thoughts. Tonight is supposed to be fun, and I’m going to do my damnedest to have a good time.
I let my mind wander, imagining all the things I could do with Slade. How he might use his forked tongue, or what it would feel like to have his sinuous hips moving against me. What all that patterned skin would feel like, pressed against my own. Would he prefer fast and hard, or slow and smooth? Would he be more skilled with his hands or his mouth?
I lean back in the plush seat and let out a breath, wondering if he knows how turned on I am. My nipples ache and there’s a pulsing throb between my legs. Slade’s tongue keeps darting out, just a bit, and I wonder if he’s using it to sniff the air. Is that something his species can do? And if so, what is it he smells? My perfume? My arousal?
Slade didn’t turn on music when he started the vehicle, and something about the heavy silence turns me on even more. There’s a weight to the air, the feeling that something monumental is going to happen. The sense of anticipation makes my heart pound, and I feel the matching dampness pool between my thighs.
“How far is your place?” I ask, my voice hoarse.
“Five minutes,” he says, not taking his eyes off the road. I think he feels the intensity as much as I do. We both want to be out of the SUV as soon as possible.
True to his word, he swings into the parking garage of a fancy complex just minutes later. We’re silent on the elevator ride up, but he finally speaks when he ushers me into his condo.
“Do you want anything to drink?”
I meet his heated gaze and smile. “Not especially. Do you?”
“I don’t need a drink. I might need to eat something, though.” The look he gives me is positively lascivious.
My whole body throbs at that and I gulp. He takes my hand and leads me through the dimly lit rooms, until we reach the bedroom at the back.
The bed is large and neatly made, with a black ball of fluff squarely in the middle. At our arrival, it lifts its head and blinks huge turquoise eyes at us. It looks sort of like a cross between a cat and a mogwai, with a long tail that ends in a tuft.
“Angel, meet Grizzle. Grizz, we’re gonna need the bed.”
“Nice to meet you,” I say, but Grizzle doesn’t acknowledge me—not that I expected her to talk. She’s clearly a pet. She grumbles and stretches, then hops off the bed and onto a pillow-covered basket in the corner.
“Don’t mind her,” Slade says. “She’s grumpy when she first wakes up.”
He takes off his jacket and glances at me, as if to make sure I’m okay with everything. I waggle my brows at him and whistle.
“Take it all off,” I tease.
He laughs and pulls his shirt loose, unbuttoning it with deft fingers and then standing in front of me with it hanging open. The slick suit had concealed an expanse of smooth, hard muscle and hypnotically patterned skin. His pecs are firm, his abs ripple, and I can’t help but touch him.
I run a finger along his chest, tracing the markings. The scent of whiskey on his breath is intoxicating, and I want to taste it on his intriguing tongue. I close the remaining distance between us and command him. “Kiss me.”
His oval pupils dilate slightly as he leans in, one hand gripping the back of my head. And then his mouth is on mine, hard and demanding. He tastes like alcohol and spice and I lick at him, eager for more. His tongue flicks against mine, the fork dragging over my taste buds in a sensual slide.
When I’m panting and tingling all over, he pulls his head back, but the rest of him is still pressed against me, hard in all the right places—and bigger than I anticipated.
“Tell me what you like,” he demands, and I hesitate. No one has ever asked me that before. Adan certainly doesn’t care.
“I don’t know,” I finally say. “Show me what you can do.”
He grins at me, a wicked smile that looks sharp, and then draws that long, forked tongue along my neck. “It would be my pleasure,” he says in a low hiss.
The more turned on he gets, the more reptilian he seems. He takes down his hair and shakes it loose; the snakes in it wriggle and hiss with delight. Evidently, they can feel his emotions and are enjoying this as much as he is.
As much as we are.
I’ve never imagined sex with one of the monster races, but it turns out I’m really into it.
I toss my jacket and cap onto the floor and tug off my own shirt, revealing my black lace bra. At the sight of it, his pupils dilate again, and I suppress a grin. I think he likes what he sees.
I yank my boots and jeans off, so that I’m only in the bra and matching thong and toss him a sassy smile. “Your turn.”