Claimed by a Stranger (Craved Series #2) (5 page)

Fucking monks.
They were everywhere.

So much for
unraveling Audrey in the middle of that field.

Sure, it was
the first time I’d ever been genuinely unhappy to see them. But considering the
ache in my swollen dick, taut against my zipper like an angry snake, it was a
grudge I might be holding for a while.

Worst of all, I
knew she wanted it- maybe even as bad as I did. I could fucking tell by the way
her tongue submitted to me in her mouth.

If I asked her
to turn around, she would’ve done it. If I asked her to water my dick with her
mouth, she would’ve obliged. And if I told her to spread her legs and come in
my mouth, she would’ve been too aroused to do anything but give me what I ultimately
wanted… proof of her pleasure lining my throat and dripping off the tip of my
dick.

Damn it!

Her pussy was
probably already as wet as her mouth and just as hungry. And the thought of her
sitting there and dripping into her panties seemed like such a waste it made my
balls hurt.

I bent my legs
and rested my elbows on my knees, trying to take deep breaths to get my heart
rate- and my dick- down.

Meanwhile, out
of the corner of my eye, I could see Audrey watching the monks with the same
curious intensity that everyone did when they weren’t used to seeing them. After
all, there was something compelling about the sight of their bald heads and
their simple golden robes.

“Who knows how
long they’ll have to meditate to forget the image of my hands on your ass,” I
said, shaking my head.

“The stuff of
nightmares, indeed,” she said, turning her back on them. “But coughing?
Seriously? Do they have no tact?”

“They’re Holy
Men, Audrey. You don’t need tact if you believe God’s on your side.”

“But they’re
Buddhist.”

“You’re
right,” I said, leaning back on my arms. “There’s no excuse. Should I ask them
to leave?”

“No, they’re
probably just here for the show.”

“I would
imagine.”

“Which
confirms that it’s not a private striptease.”

I smiled. “Sorry
to disappoint.”

“There’s
always later,” she said, giving my arm a little nudge. “Though I hate when I
don’t get to see all the previews.”

“Don’t worry. There’s
plenty more where that came from.”

Audrey scooted
her round ass forward and leaned back, mirroring my pose so she could look up
at the sky. “So what am I looking at?”

“Nothing yet.”

“Or for?”

Her tits were
like ripe melons and I was only a foot away from having my face buried in them.
I imagined tweaking her nipples so hard she’d gasp, her voice disappearing into
the night sky as quickly as the pain.

“Trust me,” I
said. “When the show starts, you’ll know.”

“The suspense
is killing me, Jack.”

“I know the
feeling.”

“Could you at
least make up some bullshit astronomy in the meantime?”

“Sure.” I
pointed straight up ahead. “See that star straight over that highest cliff.”

“The really
bright one?”

“Yeah.”

“What about
it?”

“Well, if you
follow that up to the star above it,” I said, pointing. “And then go straight
through those three to the right and then down through the two small ones just
there-”

“Uh-huh,” she
said, looking past the end of my finger.

“That’s a Thai
character.”

“Which one?”

“The first one
in the word for patience.”

She narrowed
her eyes at me and turned back towards the sky. “Do you know that one?” she
asked, pointing across my field of vision.

“Where?”

“Where that
tiny cluster of stars is?”

I was pretty
sure it was a small jet, but I decided to keep that to myself.

“That’s a
little, shrunken penis.”

My eyes grew
wide. “Okaay…”

“Anyway,” she
said, lowering her voice. “Legend has it that it was supposed to get much
bigger, but the guy who it belonged to started being a smart ass and ended up
spending the night alone.”

I shook my
head. “In terms of constellations, it’s not my favorite.”

She cocked her
head at me and raised her eyebrows. “Still a valuable lesson though.”

I laughed. “If
I didn’t know better, I’d think that was a threat.”

“And if it
was?”

“If it was
you’re going to have to tell me because I don’t take that kind of thing
lightly.”

“What’s that
mean?”

“It means that
if it was a threat, I can’t let it go unpunished.”

She laughed and
her eyes sprang into little crescents. “You mean you would punish little old me
for a little old threat?”

I fixed my
eyes on hers. “I most certainly would. Until you begged for more.”

She swallowed.

“Well?” I
asked. “Was it a threat?”

Her eyes said
yes, but her lips said, “No.”

“Hey Audrey?”

“Hey Jack.”

“Just because it
wasn’t a threat doesn’t mean you aren’t going to beg.”

She shook her
head and parted her lips to speak, but at the same moment, the silence in the
clearing changed. The air got still and a faint sound- much like a siren- began
in the distance. 

Audrey’s eyes
grew wide.

I smiled.

“What’s that
screeching?” she asked.

“The show,” I
said. “Just listen.”

Her ears
perked up like a cat’s and she was on high alert as she looked towards the jagged
cliffs where the sound was coming from. “It’s like the sirens in the Odyssey.”  

And sure
enough, when I turned to look at her face, she was completely mesmerized-
almost entranced by the shrieking echoes coming from the distance.

Finally, when
her eyes were wider than I’d ever seen them, the show began.

At first only
a few bats came flying out from behind the tall rocks, disappearing into the
darkness one by one like black shooting stars. Then they came in their tens,
exploding like small fireworks to different corners of the clearing.

Soon they were
dispensing in their hundreds, spilling out from their caves in black waves. And
then finally, they came in their thousands, fleeing from the rocks in hordes
like swirls of smoke before scattering like ashes being blown across the sky.

With each
swarm, the intermittent screeching erupted anew as they formed new shapes that
passed over us before bursting into thousands of tiny pieces to make way for
the next group.

“What do you
think?” I whispered, keeping my eyes on the show.

“It’s
beautiful.”

“This is why I
dragged you all the way out here,” I said, leaning against her until our
shoulders touched.

“It’s
completely overwhelming.” She turned to look at me, her eyes shiny. “Thank you.”

I smiled.

She turned her
face back towards the sky. “I’ve never seen anything like it in my whole life.”

I wanted to
tell her how much it meant to me to watch it with her, to tell her I’d never
brought anyone there before and that I was so happy that she appreciated it.

But I didn’t
want to interrupt her concentration. After all, I remembered the first time I
saw them like it was yesterday, and it was something that had always stayed
with me.

And I wanted
her to remember it like I had… In case we didn’t have a chance to make many
more memories together.

So for twenty
speechless minutes we watched as the bats escaped from the caves into the deep
blue sky, danced, and disappeared on their nightly hunt.

And the whole
time, I couldn’t shake the thought that it wouldn’t be long before Audrey flew
away, too.

When Jack pulled up near the hotel, I got off the bike like an
old pro, though I hadn’t quite mastered the art of gracefully unbuckling my
helmet.

“Fancy a drink,” he asked, sliding his sunglasses in his pocket.

“I would love one,” I said, thinking a little pick me up was
just what I needed following the crash of adrenaline I felt after the bat show.

I handed Jack my helmet and he hung it on one of the bike’s
handlebars. When he cocked his arm, I took it and started down the street with
him, relieved I wouldn’t have to put my numb butt back on the bike for the rest
of the night.

I knew better than to ask Jack where we were headed. At this
point, I had no reason to question his judgement or whether he had a plan. So I
just enjoyed the warm, salty breeze and the feeling of having a hot doctor on
my arm… while I tried not to make myself crazy wondering what the rest of the
night would bring.

Finally, we came to a dark bar on a corner that was lit up with red
lights and had loud music spilling out of it.

“Trust me,” he said as he led me inside.

I followed him up to the bar which was full of young Thai people
and a handful of weathered looking westerners.

I would’ve preferred somewhere more private- where I might
actually be able to hear him- but anywhere probably would’ve been a letdown
after the clearing. Still, I found myself hoping we’d only stay for one.

Unfortunately, that hope flew out the window when I saw how
excited the barman was to see him.

“Jack!” He came around the bar and gave him a hug. “Great to see
you, buddy.”

Jack turned around and introduced me. “Audrey, this is my friend
Jin. He owns the place.”

“Pleased to meet you,” I said, sticking my hand out and feeling
a rush of pride that Jack was keen to introduce me to his friends.

“You are as beautiful as Jack said you were,” Jin said, shaking
my hand with both of his.

Jack rolled his eyes.

“What would you like to drink?” Jin asked. “I have anything you
want.”

I glanced at Jack.

“Would a bucket of Corona’s suit you?” he asked.

I nodded. “That would be great.”

Jin stepped next to me, putting his arm over my shoulder as he
pulled out his phone. “Jack, take my picture with the prettiest blonde I ever
met.”

“Jin, I don’t think she wants to-”

“It’s okay,” I said, trying to act like I got that all the time.
“I don’t mind.”

We smiled as Jack took a picture.

“Did you get my message?” he asked, handing Jin his phone back.

Jin nodded, reached in his pocket, and produced a set of keys.
“She’s all yours,” he said, handing them to Jack. “And I can see why you wanted
to impress her. She’s very-”

“Thanks, Jin,” Jack said. “How about grabbing those beers?”

Jin pursed his lips and hurried around the bar. “Nina!” he yelled.
“Corona Bucket for Jack!”

A woman at the end of the bar began filling a metal bucket with
big scoops of ice.

“Jin seems nice,” I said. “Though that exchange of keys was the
sketchiest thing I’ve ever seen.”

“It’ll all make sense in a second.”

I couldn’t decide if it was fun that he always left me guessing
or torturous that he was always one step ahead of me.

A young woman put the bucket down in front of us. “Hi Jack,” she
said, completely ignoring me.

“Nina, this is Audrey,” he said, gesturing with an open palm.

Nina looked me up and down like she was thinking about selling
my skin.

“Audrey, this is Nina,” Jack said. “The best bartender in
Thailand.”

Nina relaxed her scowl.

Jack laid some baht on the counter.

“Your money’s no good here,” she said. “You know that.”

“It’s not for the beers,” he said. “It’s your tip.”

Nina pressed her hands together and nodded before making the
money disappear.

Jack grabbed the bucket. “Follow me.”

He walked to
the back of the bar and came to a closed door. There was a sign on it that said
something in Thai over the words “No Roof Today.”

He opened it
and headed up the narrow staircase.

Just when I
thought we would never reach the top, Jack stopped walking, pulled out the
keys, and unlocked the door. A burst of fresh air came down the stairwell as I climbed
the last few steps.

When I reached
the roof, I was delighted to discover that all the tacky red lighting was gone
and had been replaced by colorful paper lanterns and plain teak furniture.
There were even a few of those big round day beds with cushions and canopies
that I thought were only for the decks of fancy yachts.

“Wow,” I said
while Jack locked the door behind me. “This is amazing.”

Jack stepped
up beside me. “I’m glad you like it,” he said. “You know, it’s not just any guy
that can reserve a rooftop bar for two in Thailand on short notice.”

“I don’t doubt
that,” I said, walking to the edge of the roof. The breeze was cooler so high
up and the rooftop was one of the highest around. “You can see the whole city
from up here.”

Jack laughed.
“Yep. All twelve blocks of it.”

I looked over
my shoulder in time to see him setting the bucket at the foot of one of the
daybeds.

“Just kidding,”
he said, pulling out two beers and popping the tops off with the opener on the edge
of the bucket. “It’s bigger than that, but not by much.”

“You know all
the best spots in town then, huh?” I asked, leaning against the railing.

He stepped up
and handed me a beer. “I try.”

“Well, I
appreciate you showing them to me.”

Jack smiled
and looked towards the water.

My first sip
of beer turned into a swig when I realized I was thirstier than I thought.

“Audrey,” he
said, leaning against the railing.

“What?”

“Have I mentioned
how glad I am that you hurt yourself while you were snorkeling?”

I laughed.

“Really.”

“I’ve enjoyed
your company, too.”

“I mean it,”
he said, looking at me in that way again, like I was Thumbelina or something. “I
think you’re absolutely enchanting.”

“Thanks.” I
shook my hair over my shoulder and leaned my shoulder against his. “But you don’t
have to try so hard.”

He furrowed
his brows. “You think I’m kidding?”

“I think you
have a thing for American girls and you’re starved for them out here.”

He shook his
head. “That’s not it at all.”

I cocked my
head at him.

“Okay, that’s
absolutely true, but that’s not the whole story.”

“What’s the
whole story?”

“The truth is,
I’ve met plenty of American women in my life, and you’re different.”

“Different?”

“Better.”

I smiled.
“Flattery will get you everywhere,” I said, tilting my beer bottle against my
lips.

“But will it
get you here?”

My beer almost
came out my nose. I pressed the back of my fingers under my nostrils, closing
my eyes while I waited for the sensation of the little burning bubbles to go
away. “Excuse me?”

“Would you
stay?” he asked “Just a few more days?”

“You’re
serious?”

“Completely.”

“Jack, I’m
flattered, but I can’t.”

He pursed his
lips and looked out at the water. “I understand.”

And I wanted
to reach out and touch him, but he was too far away.