Wildcat (17 page)

So, they
did
see the shift in her demeanor. He hadn’t been imagining it.

Sara seemed put out by the question—or perhaps embarrassed was the better word. Her face grew flushed and her expression was flustered.

Reutal stretched his fingers toward her. “Can I just have one touch?”

“Oh, please, don’t,” Zatlen begged. “That tongue thing you do almost makes me sick.”

Jerden expected Sara to shudder, but she did the unthinkable and offered her hand to the Norludian. “Sure, Reutal. Have at it.”

She was laughing when she said it, but Jerden felt only tension.
What
if
she
can
affect
Reutal, but not me? Definitely
not
something
I
want
to
hear…

Unfortunately, it was already too late. Reutal had sucked a fingertip onto the back of Sara’s hand. Within moments, he began snickering like a schoolboy, his eyes alight with mischief. “Oh, boy, someone’s gonna get lucky tonight.” He released his hold on her skin with a perceptible pop. “C’mon, gang. We’ve got to get out of here
now
.”

Sara’s eyes were almost as round as the Norludian’s. Clearly this wasn’t what she’d expected him to say. Jerden felt like he’d been punched in the gut. If she was that close to sexual arousal, his cock should have been hard enough to drive nails—and it wasn’t. Then again, Reutal wasn’t having any difficulty speaking. So, how did he know?

Reutal got up from the table and gave Jerden a nudge. “Not drowning in lust, but
definitely
receptive. Keep at it.”

Jerden had serious doubts about getting lucky that night, particularly since Sara looked like she’d just been kicked by an enock. She sat there without saying a word as her stable hands filed out of the kitchen and was still staring in their direction when the back door closed behind them with a decisive click.

Or perhaps it only seemed so loud against a backdrop of complete silence.

Jerden had never been one to experience performance anxiety, but he was beginning to understand why many men did. The whole
what
if
my
dick
doesn’t work
horror was enough to make any man’s cock deflate.

He almost laughed out loud.
A
Zetithian
with
performance
anxiety? Too funny.

Particularly in Jerden’s case. He’d been voted the best fuck on Rhylos three years straight. Still, with that kind of reputation to live up to, it was perfectly understandable for a guy to be a little nervous around a woman like Sara. This wasn’t recreational sex by any means, and there was a helluva lot more than a thousand credits riding on the outcome.

Sara stood so quickly her chair fell over. Blushing crimson, she righted it and then snatched up the leftover
hunela
. “Guess no one felt like sticking around to help with the cleanup.”

Jerden didn’t bother to argue about their motives. “Doesn’t matter. I’ll help you.”

Her beaming smile took him by surprise. “Thanks. I appreciate that.”

Though he’d already suspected it, the way to Sara’s heart clearly wasn’t with trinkets or even horses. She wanted action and she wanted help. He could do that—even
wanted
to do it.

She rummaged around in the cabinet and found a container for the leftovers. “Your
hunela
was delicious,” she said as she scraped the dish. “That’s the most raving I’ve heard from the gang in quite a while.”

“Oh, come on, Sara,” Jerden protested. “They rave about your pancakes every morning.”

“True. Maybe they think I’ll make them eat scrambled eggs if they don’t rave.”

“Would you?”

“I might,” she admitted. “Like I said, I’m a little sick of pancakes.”

Jerden stacked up the dirty dishes and put them in the sink. The next thing he would buy for Sara would be one of the new compact waterless dishwashers. She couldn’t say no to a gift like that—unless she particularly enjoyed washing dishes the old-fashioned way. Some people did.

He filled the sink with water and added the soap. He’d washed several plates before he realized that Sara found this activity somewhat amusing.

“Now that I’ve had time to think about it, the local
wildcat
looks pretty tame,” she said with a chuckle. “Downright domesticated, in fact.”

He grinned back at her. “I guess it isn’t every day you see a guy with fangs and pointed ears washing dishes.”

“Actually, it’s the loincloth that tips the scales. If you were wearing anything else, it wouldn’t seem so odd.” She went on with her task. Snapping on the lid, she put the food into the stasis unit.

It was now or never. Unbuckling the belt that held it in place, Jerden dropped the loincloth to the floor and kicked it aside. “Better?”

She gave a tiny gulp as her eyes swept down his nude body. “I was thinking more along the lines of
adding
clothes, not subtracting them.”

“Hey, I said I’d take it off later, didn’t I?”

“Yes, you did.” She continued on as though naked men washed her dishes on a regular basis—which, if Reutal ever took on the chore, was perfectly true. The gulp and its accompanying stare might never have happened. “How come you never wear your new clothes?”

Jerden shrugged. “They aren’t as comfortable. I’ll wear them when I’m in town, but the rest of the time…” Around the house, he preferred to dispense with clothing altogether—as he had just done. At the moment, however, Sara’s feelings on the subject were more important than his.

“You’d rather be naked?”

He nodded. “Yeah. If you don’t mind.”

“No, I don’t mind.” Her voice sounded a shade too strained for the level of nonchalance she was attempting to convey.

“You
do
mind,” he said bluntly. “Don’t you?”

After clearing her throat, her voice sounded normal but her expression displayed even more anxiety. “No, really. Whatever you want to wear—or not—is fine with me.” She handed him the empty pan to wash. “Unfortunately, mine isn’t the only opinion you need to consider.”

Jerden didn’t figure anyone else on the farm would care one way or the other, but things could get embarrassing if her scent ever got stronger. There was a time when his cock could reach its full size in two seconds flat. He had a feeling that if it ever got started again, it would be hard all the time.

No, not if.
When.

“I’ll wear something during the day, but when we’re alone together at night…” He left the last word hanging while he washed and rinsed the pan and put it in the rack to dry. Her long silence made him turn to look at her.

Her eyes—far bolder than he’d ever dreamed they could be—roamed from the tips of his ears all the way to his bare feet.

“You’ll be naked.” Despite the breathless note in her voice, her expression underwent a subtle change, appearing more certain, as though she’d arrived at a difficult decision. “Good. I enjoy looking at you. You’re like Danuban that way—so perfect, I can’t help but stare.”

Jerden knew how hard it was for her to admit that. The breath he was holding came out as a soft purr. “You can do a lot more than look, Sara. And I hope you will. Every chance you get.”

She nodded absently as her gaze continued to caress his body the way he imagined her hands would do. “You enjoy being touched, don’t you?”

“There’s only one thing I’d love more.”

“And that would be?”

“Touching
you
.”

***

It never occurred to Sara that a man could feel that way—about her or any other woman. If a man wanted to get his hands on a woman, it was to get her to reciprocate—or at least cooperate—not that he relished the act itself. However, Jerden’s slow, deliberate blink and tiny grin of pleasurable anticipation were quite convincing.

She wasn’t sure she
wanted
to be touched. Somehow, it seemed safer for her to put her hands on
him
, rather than have to endure being groped—which was the only context she could put it in. In the past, Sara had never been caressed; she’d been grabbed and manhandled. The experience had been painful, rather than pleasant, and the memory carried with it a frisson of fear.

“Please don’t hurt me.” The whispered words were out before she could stop them, making her feel weak, small, and ashamed.

“Sara. I’ve already promised not to hurt you. Don’t you remember?”

Jerden’s deep, gentle voice served as a reminder that he was unlike any man she’d ever known. She nodded slowly. “Yes, I remember. It’s just…”

Unbelievably, he smiled. “Force of habit?”

So, he does understand.
“I’ve been in that mind-set for so long…” She paused, attempting for a lighter tone. “You know what they say about teaching new tricks to old dogs.”

“I do, and it’s patently untrue.” His smile transformed into a mischievous grin. “You just have to start slowly, be very patient, and use
lots
of repetition.” He reached into the sink and picked up a handful of silverware. “My hands are kinda busy right now. Why don’t you take advantage of the situation?”

He was standing there in her kitchen like a prize stallion, and, unlike the time he’d been unconscious in her bed, she now had his permission. She was dying to get her hands in his hair again. Ulla had said that Lynx loved it when Bonnie combed his hair. She didn’t have a comb handy, but she
could
use her fingers…

Her breath caught in her throat as she moved in behind him. This close, she could feel his body heat, its warmth drawing her to him like a moth to a flame.

Permission.
She had it now. He not only wanted her touch, he seemed to crave it. Arching his back as she smoothed her palms over his shoulders, he purred his approval, widening his stance and pushing against her hands like a cat seeking a caress. She smiled to herself as she remembered he
was
a cat. A wild, savagely sweet pussycat. She glanced at Cria sitting by the doorway. Even
she
was tame when she should have been a dangerously wild animal. With a slow blink similar to Jerden’s, the big cat let out a purr and stretched out on her side.

Jerden seemed able to tame anything, from a leopard to a woman who’d sworn she’d never let a man get near enough to hurt her again. Still, she had a hard time imagining what it would be like to stand before Jerden as naked and vulnerable as he was right now. What an amazing display of trust…

“You feel so good,” she whispered. Closing her eyes, she leaned closer. She’d already kissed him, now she buried her face in his hair, feeling the soft silkiness of it along with the vibrations emanating from his throat. Her arms encircled his waist, allowing her fingers to skim over his chest and downward, feeling the crisp curls that trailed across his stomach. She breathed in his scent, letting it fill her head, and was astonished at the effect it had on her—relaxing, yet stimulating.

Gliding over his waist, she felt the ridge of his oblique muscles and the hollow dip of his flanks. That fine ass Drania had referred to fit snugly into the space where her thighs met her torso. Again, he moved into the contact, the barely perceptible rotation of his hips sending a rush of heat coursing through her, taking her breath away. Her nipples tingled. Her hips curled under and an ache began between her thighs, growing steadily stronger until she let out a groan that could have been due to agony, ecstasy, or both.

An ear pressed against his back allowed her to hear the deep intake of his next breath—a breath he held as though savoring a scent so rare and delightful, he refused to exhale. Moments later, a sigh escaped him, accompanied by a low moan. Purring louder than ever, his hand covered hers and pulled it forward and down until it rested on something much harder and hotter than the rest of his body.

“Way to go, Sara.”

When it finally hit him, Jerden knew he’d never smelled anything sweeter in his life—far sweeter than roses, candy, or any other woman’s scent. It was Sara’s desire, flooding his body, filling him with the most powerful urge to mate he could possibly imagine. That he retained enough control to keep from turning around and plunging into her was nothing short of a miracle. The knowledge that he might never inhale anything so heavenly again kept him still, hardly daring to trust his luck.

He’d heard that when he found the one destined to be his mate, he would know it beyond a shadow of a doubt. If he hadn’t already decided that Sara was the one, he would certainly realize it now. His cock was unbelievably hard, the starlike points of the coronal ridge already dripping with orgasmic secretions.

Her soft gasp of surprise was quickly followed by the touch of her exploring fingers as they skimmed the upper surface of his cock from root to crown. Jerden held his breath until she discovered the slick fluid.

“Taste it, Sara.” With his throat so tight and his purr so strong, it was a wonder the words even made it past his lips. “You won’t believe what it can do to you.”

One
taste.
Surely she’d go back for more. Every woman he’d ever been with had done it. The moment her hand left his skin, he tamped down his own sense of loss and turned around. Her lips parted as she raised her hand to her mouth, and he held his breath again—watching, waiting, hoping the sight of his gleaming cock didn’t terrify her.

She hesitated, and he was about to chastise himself for being too forward when she touched her fingertip to her tongue. Sara was the one woman he’d ever truly wanted; if it didn’t work for her, he’d probably lose his mind—and this time, he’d lose it for good.

Her astonished eyes met his in the split second before she doubled over, her face brushing his swollen cockhead, leaving a glistening streak on her cheek. Without a second thought, he gathered her up in his arms and cradled her against his chest, kissing the top of her head, her temple, and any part of her his lips could reach. Her arms twined around his neck as she raised her face to his, and when she pulled him down for a kiss of her own, Jerden knew he was lost forever—if he hadn’t been already.

The taste of her tingled as their tongues met and mated in a dance he never thought he’d enjoy again. Again, her boldness surprised him, though it shouldn’t have. She was independent, confident, and strong in all other aspects of her life. This was the kind of lover she would’ve always been if fate hadn’t dictated otherwise. He despised the men who’d hurt her, but the fact that in so doing, they’d left her for him to discover was a stroke of luck he’d never thought to deserve.

Perhaps he
didn’t
deserve her. Perhaps he’d ruined every chance he’d had at happiness by selling himself. But at that moment, the past didn’t matter. He felt as though his destiny was and always had been to make a lover out of Sara and to give her joy. His only hope was that in becoming his lover, she would also
love
him.

***

“Unbelievable.”

A much cockier man would have said
I
told
you
so
, but all Jerden said was, “More?”

As he was already halfway to her bedroom, Sara deemed this question unnecessary. However, his expectant expression when he stopped made her realize that he truly was waiting for her reply.

“Yes, please.”

He gave her a squeeze. “I was hoping you’d say that.”

“You
knew
I was going to say that.”

“Not really.” He continued on down the hall. “Wouldn’t be the first time you surprised me.”

He’d certainly surprised
her
. One taste had triggered the orgasm of a lifetime. Inexperienced or not, she had a feeling that other men had to work a lot harder at it. “I’m beginning to understand how you Zetithian boys managed to get into so much trouble.”

He barked a laugh. “I used to give out those free samples all the time. Never had a single woman who didn’t book an appointment afterward.” He shook his head and sighed with regret. “After our world was blown to bits by one jealous man, you’d think we would’ve figured out that it might be best to keep the whole joy juice thing quiet. But no, we had to advertise. I wonder if any of those women ever enjoyed sex with a human male again—or any other species, for that matter. We’re simply the best fuckers in the galaxy. No ifs, ands, or buts.”

His grin took all the boasting out of this declaration, but Sara giggled anyway. “And
so
modest.”

“Aw, I don’t have to be modest with you, do I? I’m doing my damndest to impress you. You’re a lot like a Zetithian woman that way. I have to try harder.” Entering her room, he lay her down on the bed and then climbed in beside her.

“Sorry.”

“Don’t be. You are
definitely
worth the effort. Do you have any idea how incredible you smell right now?”

“Well… no, I don’t.” If she’d had to guess, she’d have said she smelled of saddle soap and horses, but there was no accounting for taste.

“Trust me, you smell good enough to wake up a dick that’s been on hiatus for months. No small feat, that.”

Sara considered
his
accomplishment to be even more significant. At the moment, she was in the throes of emotions she’d forgotten existed. And he was the reason. “So… what are you planning to do with that dick?”

“Anything you want,” he replied promptly. “I like it all.”

She glanced down at his groin. “Uh, yeah. Right. I’m not precisely a virgin, but that looks like it would hurt.”

“What do you mean, not
precisely
a virgin?”

“I mean I’ve had sex before. Once. But it was a very long time ago.”
And
it
hurt
like
hell.

“And it was so bad that you swore off men?”

Put that way, it sounded a little silly, though she knew there was more to it than physical pain. “Something like that.”

“Fuckin’ amateur,” he said with a scornful laugh. “I’m a
professional.
You will
not
have any cause to complain.”

For all that her one experience with sex was the most frightening episode of her life, Sara laughed right along with him. “He wasn’t any good at it. Didn’t even try to be.” She bit her lip, trying desperately not to utter the next words, but they refused to remain unsaid. “He did it on a bet. All my life, I’d been teased for being tall, skinny, and homely. More than one classmate led me on, just to see how much I would do for a little male attention—and, stupid me, I let them do it. This guy’s buddies bet him fifty credits he wouldn’t ask me out and do the deed.” She shuddered as she recalled that feeling of complete mortification. “I wasn’t exactly willing, either.”

Jerden’s pupils dilated to the point that fire seemed to blaze from his eyes. If this was what he looked like when he was angry, Sara made a mental note to never get him riled. “He
raped
you? I hope the stupid fuckwad rots in jail.”

“He might, if he were ever arrested. I never told anyone about it.”

“Ever?”

Sara shook her head. “You’re the first.” She paused, frowning. “If I’d gotten pregnant, I suppose I would’ve had to explain it, but I didn’t, so I just kept my mouth shut. It was too… humiliating.”

Jerden pulled her into his arms. The fire in his eyes had banked down to a slow burn, but she could tell he was still angry. “Thanks for sharing that with me. It explains a lot.”

It didn’t explain why she’d let it affect her so strongly, though. Now that she’d told Jerden, the burden seemed lighter, blowing away like bitter smoke in a lively breeze until the pain disappeared. Completely.
How
extraordinary.
“Thank
you
for listening. It… helps.”

“And for the record, the hottest hunk in the galaxy—at least, according to the
Damenk
Tribune
—thinks you’re beautiful. Not homely, not skinny, and certainly not someone he’d only fuck on a bet. You’re perfect, Sara. Just the way you are. Remember that.”

“I’m not perfect,” she protested. “
You
might be, but I’m not. No way.”

He halved the distance between them, which wasn’t a whole lot to start with. “Are we going to argue, or are we going to make mad, passionate love to one another?”

“I don’t really care for arguments.”

“Choice made.” The remaining space between them evaporated as Jerden covered her body with his. Licking her cheek, he kissed his way to her lips, which parted seemingly of their own accord when his tongue sought entry. She had only a moment to wonder whether licking a woman’s cheek prior to kissing her was a Zetithian custom before her core contracted with another mind-blowing orgasm.

Tricky
fellow.
Apparently his “joy juice” didn’t have to be all that fresh in order to set off internal fireworks. He knew so much more than she did, he’d have her under his spell in no time—and she wasn’t sure she liked the idea. Having him under
her
spell seemed much safer. Unfortunately, she didn’t have the first clue as to how to get him there.

Her eyes fluttered shut as Jerden kissed her again with lips so warm and sensuous, they ought to have been illegal. Nate’s kiss had been
nothing
like this, which wasn’t surprising. After all, this was a man who women paid a thousand credits a session for. Sara was not only getting his services for free, all she had to do was say the word and she’d have access to his entire fortune.

And she’d also be getting
him
—every luscious bit of him. The rumor mill might have likened him to a feral cat, but he was more of an intoxicant. Sara wasn’t even
attempting
to resist him anymore. Instead, she let her hands roam over his skin, delighting in every contour and marveling at his strength. She remembered what he’d said about what to do if he ever hurt her. He’d told her to slap the shit out of him—or words to that effect. Although he hadn’t done it yet, she still had the most peculiar urge to bite him…

That would be wrong, especially when he was making her feel as though she were floating. She might have felt like an angel but her thoughts were increasingly wicked. To be allowed the opportunity to explore, without that urgency and fear. Was that what he liked? He’d said he liked it all, but did he have a preference?

A whispered voice in the back of her mind told her she had all the time in the world to discover those things—even her own likes and dislikes. Strange that she should consider
anything
about the sexual act to be enjoyable. Disturbing memories surged back, only to have Jerden kiss them away. He was a far stronger presence than any memory could ever be.

Threading her fingers through his hair, she explored its silky texture, the shape of his head, and the curved point of his ears. On this last place, he responded first with a moan and then with a chuckle.

Leaving a trail of kisses across his cheek, she repositioned his head with gentle tugs on his hair until her lips followed the curvature to the tip of his ear. His soft sighs encouraged her to be more adventurous. If kisses could do that to him, what would her tongue do?

Tracing the outer shell with her tongue made him purr. Sucking on the point made him scream with laughter. Simply knowing this filled her with a sense of power, whereas before, she’d felt completely at his or any other man’s mercy. Now he was at hers.

Pushing against his shoulder, she rolled him onto his back. She focused on his neck and chest, doing her best to ignore the stiff cock waiting for her below, which was difficult. The damn thing drew her eyes like a beacon. Powerful muscles corded his neck, and though he seemed to enjoy being touched there, his penis was calling to her.

Forcing herself to be strong, Sara let her lips and fingers move on to his chest. His flat nipples hardened at her touch, and while Jerden groaned and arched his back to press them against her lips, she couldn’t help noticing that his cock wasn’t just calling to her anymore. It was
waving
at her.

She ought to have known that with a dick that was more like a stallion’s than a man’s, he might also have the ability to control its direction. As she suckled one nipple and teased the other with feathery touches of her fingertips, his phallus pulsed, sending rivulets of glistening moisture pouring from the serrated points of the coronal ridge to cascade down the shaft. His cock appeared as strong as the rest of him—long, thick, and laced with prominent veins. The blunt head was so engorged, it might have been made of polished granite.

Simply letting her eyes follow the droplets of fluid to where they puddled in his groin made her ache. She’d bred enough horses to know what was happening to her. Her labia were filling with hot blood, the same as his penis was. Soon, that huge cock would penetrate her delicate membranes and the forceful plunging would begin. This thought made her quiver with anticipation, rather than fear or revulsion. She’d seen many a mare back into the stallion, taking his full length inside her, groaning with each deep thrust. One mare had been so anxious, she’d taken not only the stallion’s penis inside her, but Sara’s entire arm as she helped to guide him in. Pinned between the two horses, Sara had no choice but to go along for the ride, leaving Reutal rolling on the stable floor with laughter.

But no one was laughing now, and for the first time ever, Sara wanted to strip off her clothes and be as naked as Jerden. She wanted that cock inside her too, filling her to capacity. If simply tasting that fluid was enough to bring on a climax, what would happen when she received a continuous supply of it?

Suddenly, she simply couldn’t take the suspense anymore and she grasped his rock hard cock and licked the purplish head. “Oh, my
God
. You even
taste
good.”

Jerden grinned. “And I adore being sucked, so you can help yourself anytime you like.”