Tara had planned to take it slow with whoever she dated next. That plan went out the window when she woke up surrounded by Alex’s scent and found him showering.
She swallowed him until her mouth hit his neatly trimmed hairs, relaxing her throat so she didn't gag.
He moaned again, making her even wetter. His moan was a deep bass that traveled through her entire body.
Alex gently wrapped a hand around her cheek, pulling himself out of her mouth, and pulled her up. She met his gaze, full of fire and lust, with her own. Alex kissed her deeply and slowly, claiming her mouth and exploring at the same time. His hand wrapped around one of her breasts, squeezing softly, then moved lower, until he dipped his fingers in her core.
She moaned into his mouth and rubbed against him, feeling like a cat in heat. She needed him to touch her more. Pressing her body against his hard one, she writhed against his hand as he drove her closer and closer to the edge.
When she was sure she was about to explode, he spun her around, slid into her, then resumed rubbing her clit.
She screamed and rested her palms on the wall of the shower as he began to slide in and out of her faster and faster.
His hands slid up her body to cup both of her breasts, making her moan and arch into him more.
“You are so fucking beautiful,” he grunted. He leaned down and licked her neck. “And taste amazing.”
She couldn't respond, her words stolen by a scream as an orgasm shot through her.
He spun her around, pushing her back against the wall, and raised one of her legs before sliding into her again. She wrapped her arms around his neck, sliding her fingers along his muscles.
“I hadn't planned for this to happen so soon,” she admitted to him, leaning forward to lick one side of his neck.
“Me neither,” he admitted and gripped her hips as she slammed their hips together harder. “But I'm not complaining.”
She chuckled and then bit into his shoulder as another orgasm shot through her.
He growled and then they both orgasmed, their bodies pressed to one as they found release together.
They panted and her legs gave out from under her. Alex caught her, reached back to turn off the faucet, and gently set her on the floor of the shower.
“Sorry. I forgot you were drained from our play earlier,” he admitted.
“Don't apologize,” she chastised, offering him a soft smile.
He smiled. “I'm not sorry for what we just did.”
“Good,” she said and leaned her head back against the cool tile a moment before he helped her to stand. He reached over and turned the faucet back on, then used his washcloth to help her soap up. His touch was gentle and intimate.
After a thorough washing, Alex wrapped her in a terry cloth robe, carried her downstairs to the living room, and set her on a couch. “I'm going to make us some food. You just relax, okay?”
She nodded and looked around the room. What she'd seen of the house so far added to her knowledge of his wealth. The living room was huge and had a TV larger than any she'd ever seen at a person's house before. She didn't even want to think about how much that must have cost him.
There were no pictures and from what she had seen, it didn't appear that he had any family. Was he an orphan? Like her?
Alex handed her a bottle of water. “Food will be ready in a few minutes. Do you want to watch something?”
He handed her the TV remote, then sat beside her with his arm around her shoulders. He had slipped into a pair of flannel pajama pants, but didn’t wear a shirt. She snuggled into him and rubbed her cheek on his bare shoulder once before turning the TV on. They flipped through channels and she stopped on the local news.
“What was thought to be a gang related murder has now been classified as an animal attack,” the reporter said. The TV showed a picture of Jasper.
Tara turned slowly and looked at Alex with wide eyes.
He met her gaze and then his widened and he held up his hands. “Whoa. That wasn't me. I didn't kill him.”
“They said it was an animal attack,” she reminded him, blinking between him and the television screen.
“Yeah, but it wasn't me. I wouldn't kill him after the fact. Had I been able to stop him, I might have killed him that night. But, I wouldn't go hunt him down and kill him. That's not who I am.”
Her brow furrowed as she looked into his innocent eyes. She strangely felt like she could take him at his word. She trusted him. “Okay. I believe you.”
“I wonder who did kill him, though.” He frowned.
“Maybe it was just a freak animal attack,” she murmured, knowing how unlikely that was.
“He did have quite a few enemies,” Alex reminded her.
He was right. As the leader of a biker gang, he had lots of enemies. It was possible that they had animals and used them to kill him.
“I'm glad it wasn't you,” she whispered and leaned back into Alex.
He squeezed her shoulder and kissed her temple. “I'd kill for you, but murdering someone like that isn't the same thing.”
“I know.”
A timer rang and he stood. “I'll be right back.”
She turned to a different channel, watching people falling while trying to attempt crazy stunts. Who could have done it? Did her old crew have animals? Her throat constricted. Or, had they found another shapeshifter that they could blackmail? The thought made her sick.
“You okay?” Alex asked. “You're pale.”
“Yeah, fine,” she whispered and smiled at him. “Still tired is all.”
He nodded. “After we eat, we can go to sleep. Okay?”
Sleep? Here? Wow, they definitely had skipped a few steps in their relationship, hadn't they? Not that she minded. Sharing a bed with him would give her the best night's sleep ever.
“Sounds great,” she said and smiled up at him.
When he went back to the kitchen, she switched to the news channel again. There was something she saw that made her look again. Tara was about to turn off the TV, when she saw a piece of graffiti on the far building near the crime scene that made her heart stop.
Catch the tiger by her toe.
She had to pry herself away from Alex the next evening. It was harder than she thought it would be. He kissed her goodbye and promised to see her the next night for a date. She slumped in her bathtub, pouting at her loneliness.
Jasper's murder still bothered her. It also made her really nervous about herself. Had they talked to him? Had he told his attackers that he had seen her? She wasn't sure why, but she was certain it had to do with her old gang. She really hoped it wasn't them, but she somehow just knew it was.
She pulled out her silver knives and set them by her bed and by the front door. It was better to be prepared and not need them than to be caught unprepared.
The next night as she stood outside of the restaurant, waiting for Alex, she kept unconsciously reaching for the knife in her pocket. The night was eerily quiet and her nerves were shot. She'd jumped at every noise, almost punching a coworker when they called her name earlier in the day.
“Hey,” Alex called in greeting as he walked towards her. He wore a nice pair of slacks, a burgundy button-up shirt, and shiny shoes. He was hot.
“Hello, handsome,” she said and smiled at him. He glanced down, taking in her form-fitting blue dress, and appreciation tinged his returned smile.
“Did I keep you waiting long?” he asked.
She shook her head. “Nope.”
With a quick kiss on the cheek, he took her hand and led her into the restaurant. She linked her fingers with his and followed him with a wide smile. He brought her peace and calm that she desperately needed. For the first time in over twenty-four hours, she felt the worries fade into the background.
Once seated, she sighed as she perused the menu.
“How was your day?” Alex asked, peering over his menu at her.
“Long,” she admitted, dropping her shoulder a little. “Stressful.”
He set his menu down and smiled. “I missed you too.”
She chuckled and set her menu down atop his. “Okay, that might have been part of it.”
His smile wilted and his brows furrowed as he eyed her. “What's wrong?”
“Just paranoid,” she admitted and grabbed his hand on top of the table. “Don't worry about it.”
He eyed her for a cool minute, and she offered him a relaxed smile. Just being with him was enough. She didn’t want to let those worries come to the foreground again. He must have seen as much in her eyes, because he squeezed her hand back and offered a tentative smile as he asked, “What are you going to have?”
“Whatever you think is best,” she said. “You choose for me.”
“Okay,” he said and gave a nod. The waiter immediately came over and he gave him their orders.