UnexpectedFind (3 page)

“Touching you.”

He peeked at her through the fall of his hair, not bothering
to push it out of the way. Watching the half-lidded, drowsy look of arousal
spread over her face was much more important.

“You’re wet, Jasmine.”

She whimpered. Her gaze flicked from his face to where his
fingers moved behind the cloth of her panties. The excited yet hesitant way she
watched him made him wonder exactly how experienced the little siren was. From
the way she kissed, he would’ve said very. But this display made him question
that assumption.

He slipped a finger between her lower lips, swirled it in
the opening and whispered, “Drenched.”

“We shouldn’t do this,” she said but made no attempt to get
away so he dipped the tip inside.

The sheath he slid his finger into felt untried, tight.
Muscles gripped the small invasion. Her eyes rolled back and a low moan spilled
from her throat. His breathing quickened in response to her growing excitement.
He pushed deeper, met no resistance. Not a virgin, just inexperienced. And he
looked forward to educating her. Starting now. But first he had to be sure.

“Do you want me to stop?”

She met his eyes and gave a small shake of her head. He
grinned and stroked the opening until more welcoming cream flowed. Her muscles
parted with his shallow thrusts and raspy pants escaped her lips. Each exhale
lifted her breasts, pushed her erect nipples against the thin cotton. In and
out he slid his finger while he focused on her. He listened, adjusting the
speed and angle when he heard her breathing hitch. He wasn’t quite ready to
allow the hot little Jasmine to orgasm. He enjoyed hearing the sounds coming
from her lips.

“Rafe, please,” she whispered.

It was all the encouragement he needed. He tore the material
shielding her sex and replaced his finger with his tongue. She cried out and he
groaned. Her flavor was as unique as the woman in his arms—a sweet, earthy tang
that left him hungry for more. He slid his hands under her bottom and lifted
her so he could delve deeper, kiss her as completely as he’d explored her
mouth.

He licked her, ate her out and she squirmed for him, feeding
him her nectar. There was no hesitation now. This was the siren he’d sensed
within her, the one whose undulating hips had his cock jerking in his pants.
She hooked her legs over his shoulders. The soles of her sneakers bit into his
back. The move pushed her slick lips against his face, his nose into
glistening, short curls. He moaned, loving her taste, her eager response, her
passion.

With his hands on her butt cheeks, he encouraged her, helped
her fuck herself on his tongue. Her cries guided him, showed him what she
needed to feel good and he gave it to her.

A groan crawled up his throat. She shuddered in response so
he growled softly, let the rumble against her sensitive lips take her higher
while he curled his tongue and explored her sheath.

“Oh god,” she cried.

More flicks and she sobbed his name. He changed the angle,
reached deeper and touched on the spot that made her tremble. Fucking perfect.
Worshiping this woman became his world. He listened, felt the slight change in
the muscles along her core. She was close. Ready to come. He tilted his head,
withdrew his tongue and sucked. She screamed his name and he drank her
pleasure, his reward. It was an odd thought, one he’d never had while giving a
woman oral sex, but true nonetheless. More honeyed cream spilled and her husky
cry encouraged him to drag every drop free. He kissed her until she quivered
before releasing her.

Her bottom plopped onto the leather and he crawled over her.
He took her mouth, eager to share her taste, the pleasure she’d given him. She
welcomed him with a groan and languidly twined their tongues.

“Delicious,” he praised her. “Thank you, my Jasmine.”

She laughed, the nervous sound reflecting a shyness that
didn’t match what they’d just shared. Trembling fingers traced his cheek. “Uhmm,
shouldn’t that be my line?”

He turned his hand and sucked her fingers into his mouth, caressing
each tip with his tongue before releasing them. “No line, Jasmine. You’ve
honored me with your passion. I feel privileged to be the male gifted with your
cries, the chance to taste your sweetness.”

She released a shaky breath and swiped her tongue over her
upper lip. “Wow. You’re a dangerous man, Rafe Alexander.”

Yes, he was. In more ways than one. If his instincts failed
him, then she would learn exactly how dangerous he was.
No.
He wouldn’t
allow those thoughts to take hold. His inner spirits would never have allowed
him to touch this female if they doubted her. He had to trust them.

Whatever secret she held, he’d uncover and he needed to do
so soon. His cock hurt and he feared the only sheath that would soothe it was
Jasmine’s.

Jazz couldn’t move. Her body lay boneless, sated and so damn
relaxed she could’ve drifted off to sleep if not for the heavy weight of the
man who’d pleasured her keeping her awake. His head was pillowed on her belly
and the roughened edges of his fingers skimmed up her side. The sweeping
exploration reached under her shirt to toy with the edge of her bra, but he
made no move to unhook it. He hesitated each time as if he were debating
whether he wanted to push for more. At the moment, with her body humming and
pliant, she wouldn’t have fought him.

Rafe would know it too. With the easy, confident way he
touched her, she had no doubt he was well experienced. Not like her. She hadn’t
had any sexual relations in… five years. Jeez, she hadn’t realized it’d been so
long and that last time had been an awkward joining that lasted five minutes,
tops. It had soured her to sex and men. But this…this time with Rafe had been
amazing. There was no other way to describe it. She embraced the warm feeling
in her heart, but as his fingers glided along her side, embarrassment set in.

She’d just had sex—even if it was only oral—with a stranger.
She tensed and his fingers stilled. He lifted his head and peered at her
through the mess of hair hanging over his face. It gave him a wild, untamed
appearance…a primitive male set on taking down his prey.

“Jasmine?”

The cautious way he said her name added to the nerves
suddenly churning in her belly. She squirmed and shoved at his shoulders. He
sat up slowly, as if afraid to startle her. Her heart raced and fingers
trembled as she righted her top. She scrambled out from under him and grabbed
her shorts.

The clock on the wall chimed. She flicked her gaze to it.
What the hell was she doing? She didn’t have time for this.

She yanked the shorts up, ran a hand through her tangled
hair, gave up trying to fix it and looked around for her keys. They weren’t in
her pocket.

“Dammit!” She dropped to her knees and glanced under the
desk.

“Looking for these?”

“Yes!” She jumped up and reached for them. He raised his
hand, keeping the keychain just out of reach. “Gimme those.”

He slid his other arm around her waist. A tug slammed their
bodies together. She was momentarily frozen with the evidence of his desire
pressed into her belly. She swallowed hard and tipped her head back.
Heavy-lidded eyes met hers.

“Not until you give me your name and number. I want to see
you again, Jasmine.”

“Jazz,” she corrected him.

He shook his head and slid a hand over her bottom. He
massaged each cheek before resting his palm over her hip. “Only in public. When
we’re alone, you will be my Jasmine.”

The possessive edge to his voice confused her. She went lax
in his arms as she studied him. He too watched her. She suddenly felt as if she
were his prey, the one he meant to capture. He blinked and broke the spell.

“Don’t look so shocked. I didn’t lie when I said you caught
my interest. No female ever has before.” He grinned at her. “You should feel
special.”

Special? Right.
She snorted. “I’m sorry I led you on,
Rafe, but I’m not interested in a relationship with you.”

His grip tightened and his nostrils flared. “Not
interested…in a relationship.” He bent closer, forcing her to lean backward. “Exactly
what does that mean?”

The normal response, at least the one she should’ve had, was
fear. Rafe looked at her, anger tightening his features, but she wasn’t afraid.
She fought arousal and that worried her. A stranger should not have this kind of
power over her.

She huffed. “It means exactly what I said. I am not
interested in a relationship with you. This shouldn’t have happened. I got
carried away.” She held out her hand. “Now give me my keys.”

A tic developed in his jaw. “And why shouldn’t this have
happened?”

“Umm, well for one, you’re a stranger. And two, I’m not
interested!”

He made a low, annoyed sound and kissed her, pushing his
tongue into her mouth and forcing her to follow his lead. She went limp in his
arms, couldn’t help it. After experiencing passion in his arms, she was eager
for anything he’d give her. She shouldn’t be, truly didn’t have time for it,
but couldn’t resist.

Anticipation sped her pulse. He slipped his hand between her
waistband and skin. She shifted her hips, giving him better access. Reaching
between her legs, he plunged his fingers into her core. She groaned. The
stroking sweeps of his probing ignited her passion as easily as his plundering
kiss.

He pulled his hand free and lifted her. Still kissing her,
he carried her to the couch and followed her down, blanketing her body with
his. A knee between her legs spread her open. She rubbed against it and he
pushed harder into her clit. He kept kissing her, arousing her with the subtle
pressure on her sensitized nerves. Lust grew and for the first time in five
years, she wanted to have sex. Just the thought of having Rafe’s cock inside
her had her core clenching, but when the sound of a zipper being undone reached
her and her lust-hazed mind registered that it wasn’t hers, she shoved against
his shoulders. They both fell to the floor. She scrambled up and backed quickly
to the door. Rafe stilled, watched her without following.

She opened her mouth to warn him off, but he tugged the
zipper up, ran a hand through his hair and dropped his chin to his chest.

“I’m sorry, Jasmine.”

Her first response was to yell at him. But could she really?
He hadn’t done anything wrong. He’d pleasured her and she’d loved it, even if
she shouldn’t have given in to the passion he’d ignited, and now he looked
upset…with himself.

“Look, it’s nothing personal, Rafe.”

Eyes closed and head still dipped, he mumbled, “Do you have
another lover? Am I too late to claim you?”

She frowned at his choice of words but forced herself to
tell him the truth. He deserved that for the decent way he’d treated her, not
pushing for sex when she’d been sated or seducing her into accepting him.

“No, Rafe. I don’t have a boyfriend or a lover.”

He pushed up, a lithe move that reminded her of a dancer,
and walked toward her. He brushed a few strands of hair from her cheek but
stepped back and fisted his hands at his side.

“Then why?”

Why indeed? Her reason for keeping him at bay was a good
one, but part of her wanted to ignore it and finally take something for
herself. She couldn’t though. She’d lost the right to have a normal life five
years ago.

“I’m a single mom, Rafe. My boys come first. Always.” She
looked imploringly at him. “It’s nothing personal. Really. It’s just the way it
has to be.”

He stared at her for so long she squirmed under his
scrutiny.

“A mother?”

Sadness weighed on her shoulders. The couple of times she
actually showed interest in a guy, right after she’d moved back home and needed
a lover, not a boyfriend, they’d looked at her the same way Rafe was now. And
after dropping a lame excuse, they’d run in the opposite direction.

She sighed. “Yeah, a mother.”

“Of twin boys.”

It was a statement, not a question, as if he already knew
the answer, but he couldn’t. She’d only met him tonight. But if he was Josh’s friend,
he might know more than she thought. Josh always talked about her, another
reason she’d never included him in her secret world. She couldn’t trust him not
to let something slip when he was drunk and his tongue loosened.

She nodded.

“Adopted.”

Another statement. She licked her lips, the lie feeling
heavy on her tongue. She shouldn’t feel guilty. Technically, they were hers, or
at least that’s what the birth certificates she’d used her saved college money
to get said. The forged pieces of paper, the fact that at the time she’d been a
good fifty pounds overweight and hadn’t seen her family in months had made the
lie hold. Nobody, not even Josh, had ever suspected the truth. In her heart
Seth and Levi were her kids.

She lifted her chin and declared, “No, they’re mine.”

His mouth parted as he inhaled. Brows creased, he studied
her with narrowed eyes. She watched him just as warily. She’d seen her boys do
the same thing more times than she could count. Big cats had special sensory
organs in their mouth that allowed them to taste scents. If she didn’t know
better she’d say Rafe was doing the same thing…but that wasn’t possible.
Shifters were rare. She’d only met a handful in the few years she’d known about
them—all bad except for Megan. The odds that Rafe was one…

She moved slowly away from him.

He watched her until her back smacked into the door. He ran
a hand through his hair. “Children are precious. Important. I would never think
of coming between a mother and her kids, but I don’t want to let this thing between
us go.”

Wow. This guy knew exactly what to say to make her feel
good. She cleared her throat, the thought she’d just had seeming silly now.

“There is nothing between us.” She motioned from him to her.
“This was just a spur of the moment thing. It wasn’t serious.”

Rafe closed the distance between them. He didn’t touch her
but he crowded her against the door. Standing in front of him, she was struck
by the sheer size of the man. He was huge. She waited for fear to rise. It didn’t.

“If you want to believe that, go ahead.” He tipped up her
chin. “But I don’t buy it for a minute. There’s something between us. I don’t
know what it is, but it’s real.”

“That’s lust, Rafe. Walk out into that bar and grab another
girl. I’m sure you’ll feel the same thing.”

An amused glint lightened his eyes and his mouth lifted in a
lopsided grin. He bent his head and kissed her. Slowly. She still tasted
herself on him and the memory of what they’d just shared, how it felt to have
his tongue inside her core, came rushing back. On her tiptoes, she linked her
arms around his neck and deepened the kiss but he pulled back, took her hands
and held them in his.

“That’s more than lust, Jasmine.” He pressed their joined
hands to his chest, right over his heart. “I feel it here.”

She blinked, wasn’t sure what to say. “I…I…”

“Don’t make up an excuse, Jasmine. I see the rejection in
your eyes, but I also see your reluctance.” He lifted her hand, kissed the tips
of her fingers. “Give it a chance. We can meet somewhere public. I want to talk
to you, kiss you again. It doesn’t have to be more. I’m a patient man.”

He appeared so damn sincere. She nibbled her lip. Making a
decision, she slipped under his arm and walked to the desk. With shaky hands,
she scribbled her name and number on a piece of paper, folded it and handed it
to him. “I’m not promising anything, Rafe.”

He wrapped a hand around hers and tugged her against him. “Okay,
my Jasmine.”

Normally she hated when people used her full name, but in
Rafe’s unusual accent it sounded good, made her feel beautiful.

She motioned with a tilt of her head in the direction of the
attached bathroom. “I’m going to get cleaned up. I need to get home.”

“I’ll wait for you and walk you out to your car.”

“You don’t have to.”

“I have my own selfish reasons.” He rubbed his chin and
glanced away before meeting her gaze. “I want to enjoy your company for as long
as I can. I’m just grateful you were able to get a babysitter to your house to
watch your boys tonight.”

“Actually, they’re at my neighbor’s house.”

“Then I should thank this neighbor for watching your
children. I hate to think that our paths would never have crossed.”

“Umm, yeah…me too,” she mumbled and stepped away, a sense of
surrealism surrounding her.

She wasn’t quite sure how she went from trying to run from
him to agreeing to a date but she knew one thing—Rafe was the most romantic man
she’d ever met.

That, or she’d just been played.

* * * * *

Rafe retreated to the hallway while Jasmine made use of the
bathroom. He needed a moment to gather his thoughts and separate them from the
whirlwind of emotion his cats fed him. Sometimes it was hard to distinguish
between them and him. There were days when he wished he’d been born a regular
shifter, one who could take a single form, not a royal with multiple entities
sharing his body. But he was special. Royal. He held a spark of the gods
themselves, shared in their immortality, their favor.

He snorted, let his head fall back against the wall. Special
wasn’t the description he’d use. Cursed was more like it. But he had to admit
the other abilities that came with the gods’ favor were damn nice, even if he’d
never given much thought to them.

A royal’s blood held the essence of the divine, allowing
them to heal nearly any injury. They could share that trait…if they were
willing to accept the temporary weakness doing so brought on. But most
importantly, their link meant male royals could take mates from other
species…if they were willing to tie them to their souls.

For eternity.

He let his gaze drift back to the closed door. With the
gods, there was always a qualifier. Nothing was free. But if the price paid
netted a beautiful female who would worship her mate until the world ended,
maybe the sacrifice wasn’t as great as he’d always thought. He shook his head
to clear it. It was foolish to entertain such ideas. There were too many
unknowns surrounding Jasmine and he hadn’t cleared her of involvement in
shifter trafficking yet.

The lie she’d told about her boys fed his doubt. If she’d
admitted to adopting them, then he could believe she had been duped the same
way Tony had been with Megan. But to insist they were hers… Rafe cursed, didn’t
want to entertain the notion she’d stolen them.

He needed answers. And he wanted them now. He dug out his
cell and dialed his brother.

Kade answered on the second ring. “Yeah?”