Chapter 18
Melody
“Where are you going?” I heard his voice when I was leaving the bar that night. I flipped around to him and saw him standing with his hands thrust into the pockets of his leather jacket. His blue eyes were deep and glimmering in the dim streetlight.
“Back to my friend’s apartment,” I said, meeting his gaze.
“I’ll take you,” he said, bouncing his bike keys up in the air and then grabbing them in time before they fell to the ground. Without a word, I followed him to his Harley and he helped me up again. This time, I didn’t hesitate before I wound my arms around his waist and I held on tightly, breathing in his scent as he accelerated.
The wind lashed against my face, ruffling my hair as he rode. Half way through the ride, I realized that I hadn’t given him Nina’s address, so I had no idea where he was taking me. When he stopped, I realized that we were on a dark and deserted country road.
Daredevil got off the bike and then helped me down.
“Where are we?”
“Does it matter?”
We looked at each other silently for a few moments, before he stared up at the clear night sky. It was dotted with tiny shining stars. The air was clean, less polluted and clear out here and I leaned against the bike to stare up. When I looked back down, he was looking at me again.
“I didn’t mean to scare you earlier. Just needed to put Jordan in place before things got out of hand,” he said, in a voice so soft that I didn’t even recognize him.
“No, thank you. I’m usually able to handle these situations…I was just dazed from studying,” I replied and I saw that he was watching me again. We had spoken so little before. Other than his name, I knew nothing else about him. That and that he had the bluest eyes I had ever seen…and those dimples!
“What are you studying?” he asked, pushing his hands into his jacket pockets again. We were standing close together, and it was so quiet around us that we could hear the crickets chirping in the grass. This was peaceful…and beautiful…and I had just never thought that a place like this would appeal to a man like him.
“I’m studying for an entrance exam into a Vet Tech course. I lost some good college years and I’m trying to make up for it,” I said, my eyes drooping with embarrassment.
“Vet Tech,” he said lazily, in a drowsy voice, and looked around him. “So you’re going to be working with animals?” he asked.
“If I get in, then yes…eventually. I would have liked to become a Vet, like actually study the science…but I don’t have the time or the skills. I just want to start doing the work I like, as quickly as possible,” I said and for the first time, it felt like someone was actually listening to me. Daredevil nodded his head quietly and his gaze dropped to my breasts, to my body.
“I think you’ll be good at it. You’ll be good at caring for animals, hell you can handle our zoo. Any Vet would be lucky to have you as their assistant,” he said and I felt a thrill run down my spine. He knew so little about me, but he had already formed his judgements and I couldn’t understand why he was seeing the best in me.
“Why did you lose out on your college years?” he asked next and I looked about me nervously. I didn’t want to bring the topic up, but I also wanted to be completely honest with him.
“I was too caught up in my previous relationship. I met him soon after high school and he was older than me, and didn’t want me to work. He wanted to be the one who brought home the bacon,” I said and Daredevil took a step in my direction. Immediately I thought this was the wrong decision. I shouldn’t have brought up Maxwell at all, I should have made up some other excuse.
He was close to me now, peering straight into my eyes as he stared at me. I could see the rage on his face again, and then it washed away.
“I’m going to make sure that guy never lays a finger on you again,” he said, catching my gaze. My heart was pounding against my chest.
“Why?” I blurted out before I could stop myself. Daredevil’s brows crossed, his blue eyes deepened. He seemed startled by my question. Now that it was out there, there was no point backing out of it.
“Why do you want to do that for me? I mean, you don’t even know me,” I said and he stepped even closer to me now.
“I know you, Melody Christenson,” he said my full name. Driving the point that he had taken the trouble of finding out my last name. There were goosebumps on my skin as he brought his face closer to me.
“Do you want to practice?”
“Practice what?”
“Your Vet Tech skills. On a real animal I mean. It’d be something cool to talk about in class. The tiger you looked at.”
“You’d shift, here?”
“Sure, why not?” He began to strip and I couldn’t take my eyes off of him. That tanned skin. Those huge arms. But as soon as he was naked, his body began to contort. His face grimaced in what looked like pain. Orange and black fur sprouted from his body and claws emerged from his hands.
It was amazing. Terrifying and amazing all at once. I couldn’t believe it.
He was standing there in all his tiger glory. He stood perfectly still sans his rib cage which moved with each breath.
I inched towards him with my hand outstretched until he butted his giant head against it. He was so soft. I couldn’t believe what we were doing. I pulled my hand along his neck and down his massive body. I looked at each paw and listened to his breathing. He was majestic. After another moment or so his ears twitched and he took off down the road running at full speed. Moments later he spun around and prowled back slowly, like I was his prey. I wasn’t worried though, I knew he would keep me safe. As a tiger or a man.
As he got closer his body began to shift again and he was a man by the end he reached me. I lifted myself up on my toes and with a sudden move of courage, I flung my arms around his neck, just as his lips met mine.
It was a soft, gentle kiss. He was slowly taking his time to rock me into arousal. His hands remained firmly on my face, while his tongue explored my mouth. Then when his hands travelled down to my ass, and he squeezed them tightly, I pulled away from him. Heavy and breathless with lust.