Chapter 18 Ch 18

This was a part of Bloomberg I had never been to. Granted, I hadn't spent much of my time since moving here to check out the city. It seemed like every moment had been spent with Tandan, Matt, or making poor decisions. From what I had seen, Bloomberg was a bustling suburb with a few green parks and pretty oak trees planted along the streets downtown. I didn't know it was nestled in a small valley, surrounded by beautiful little hills like the one Tandan brought me to tonight.

"What do you think?" he asked, peeking over at me.

My heart crawled into my throat as I turned my gaze from the sparkling city lights to his sparkling dark eyes. He was so attractive. How could someone look that good? Like, damn. That isn't even fair.

"It's, uh, beautiful," I said.

"I know." Nodding, he smiled and turned his face to enjoy the view. "I come here sometimes. This road is always vacant. It's so much quieter than down there."

I couldn't help but wonder if he brought Lorrie here. After all, the view was stunningly romantic and there was no one around to bother. So why wouldn't he have brought the woman he loved? A twinge in my chest made me flinch. My brain flooded itself with images of my mate and the red-haired beauty making steamy love in his car, on the hood, atop a blanket near the cliff's edge.

"Lee? What's wrong?"

My chin snapped up. I didn't realize I'd begun staring down at my lap with a pounding heart. Biting my lip, I shook my head. Tandan and I were closer than before. We had shared intimacy even after the sex. Did that mean we were an item now? Was he finished with Lorrie?

"Why did you bring me up here, Tandan?" I slowly looked over at him, holding my breath.

His brow furrowed in confusion. "Why? Why do you think, Lee?"

"You tell me."

"Because you're my mate," he breathed heavily. Then he suddenly turned his car off and pushed open his door. "Hold on."

I watched him round the car to my door, my curiosity and pain increasing. We were mates, true, but it had taken us far too long to act like it. His reluctance put a strain on my trust that I wasn't sure could be healed so easily. Tandan opened my door and extended a hand out to me. Sighing, I unfastened my seatbelt and got out.

He slid his palm to mine and led me to the front of the car. I sat back on the hood while he positioned himself around my legs. This felt very high-schoolish. Like we were kids. Like we were together. His hands ran up from my hands to my shoulders, leaving a trail of heat on my skin.

"I thought you realized that I want to make things work," he told me. "I know I started us out wrong. My heart was entangled with a human's, and I never should have let that happen. You're my mate, Rylee. The one who was created from the earth to be my equal, my partner, my...love. There will be many more nights like this if I can help it."

A blush warmed my face from his tender words. These were what was expected of a mate. I should have felt an explosion of joy. But I didn't. I certainly felt pleased and I certainly felt like there was no other place I would rather be. Still, a few tender words weren't enough to ease my fears and insecurities.

"I hope so," I said. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Of course, my mate."

"Have you seen Lorrie since the other day? Since she thought you were going to eat her?"

He shook his head. "No."

"You haven't?"

"No. I can't see her anymore, Lee. I don't want her. The mate bond has done wonders with my sexual attraction."

I quirked a brow. "Has it now?"

"Mmmhm."

With that, he lifted a hand to my cheek to trace a line from my eyebrow to my lips. His touch was heavenly. I closed my eyes to surrender to my other senses. His scent grew stronger in my nostrils, masculine and earthy. It occurred to me right then, eyes closed and senses stirring, that if he wanted to mate me again, I would give in. My body craved him—needed him even.

Tandan's lips brushed my jaw and a breathy moan surged up from my throat. My hands gripped his shoulders on their own accord. All I could feel and think was the pleasure coursing through my veins like molten lava. He kissed his way to my mouth, where I received his tongue gleefully. In the back of my mind, I knew there was so much left between us that needed mending. So I decided that perhaps some of that could come from more than time and words.

Gently pushing my back flat against the hood, Tandan deepened the kiss. His tongue dove into my mouth and mine teased his back. He kept one hand in my hair while the other ran down to my breast, where he massaged it through my blouse and bra. I moaned. Our lips continued to press together as his free hand explored. Up my shirt to thumb my nipple until it was rock hard. Then down my unbuttoned jeans to rub against my damp panties. My moaning continued, breathy and sensual. I couldn't help it. I wanted him. Even if he'd hurt me.

Somehow, my jeans and panties ended up at my ankles and his dick ended up sticking out of his khaki shorts. I placed the bottoms of my feet flat on the hood to spread my legs for him. He plunged a finger inside my wetness, causing me to fall back against the car with a ragged sigh. His finger rubbed, groped, and aroused me until I orgasmed with several twitches. Now that I was ready, he aligned his hardened rod with my dripping core and gently pushed inside of me.

"Oh!" I cried.

"Yes, baby." He grunted as his hips began to thrust into me.

Euphoric chills washed over me. My hands gripped his shoulders as I closed my eyes and tipped my head back. His pace increased. My moans, his grunts, and the slapping of our skin filled the quiet night like a feral symphony. He lifted a hand from my hip to caress my cheek.

"Open your eyes," he murmured. "Look at me, Lee."

I did as he commanded. His dark eyes swirled with affection and—dare I say—love? We stared back at each other until our bodies began to ascend towards climax. My pussy squeezed around his twitchy cock and we both rocked faster. My second orgasm felt like an explosion of stars all through my body, and the pressure of his cum shooting inside of me added to the unreal, unworldly pleasure. At this moment, I felt whole again. It was wrong only to feel this way after sex, I knew, but I intended to enjoy the feeling while it lasted.