Mind your business, eat your cheesecake, go back inside, and pretend you chose to forgo the healthier dessert option in favor of abstinence. Finish the wretched rehearsal dinner. Go back to the hotel and get a good night’s sleep. That was my business.
No one came, though. Perhaps no one else had seen or heard the thing fall. How that could be, I had no clue. It had been a spectacular fall. Crowds of pedestrians were walking by on the street, passing not too far away. The area was shadowed, but not enough for no one else to see nor hear anything.
I mouthed another bite of beignet and chased it with another bite of cheesecake before setting the plate down atop a large yellow post and moving toward the line of hedges. I knew better. I watched horror movies from time to time. If this were a movie, the audience would be shouting, Don’t do it! Don’t go alone! Turn around! Run!
Was I really going to walk the same path as one of those ditzy scream queens?
The hedges were tall, meant to hide the trash dumpster and delivery area on the other side. Still, I could see something jutting over them. Something large and deep red, and…scaly? Something so dark that I almost couldn’t tell…that it was red with gold veins. Veins?
My internal shouts to myself to run for my life didn’t reach my feet. Instead, my feet inched closer. My chest was fully pressed against the trimmed hedges, my face leaning in, straining to get a good peek between a gap. It had rained earlier, and I was sure my silk dress would be ruined by the droplets clinging to the shrubbery, but I couldn’t help myself.
That must be how horror movie characters felt.
The mellow tone of a saxophone could be heard from the restaurant, reminding me I’d been “getting a breath of fresh air” for a while now. As I leaned in farther, the thing moved! Two giant wings, both deep crimson, repositioned, and the thing growled. It sat up, almost humanlike, with a giant head and two glowing, golden eyes. Then, like magic, or a bad acid trip, it vanished and in its place was seated a man. Stark naked.
The shock of it all threw me off balance, and I somehow managed to trip over my own feet and fall right through the small gap in the hedges. Thud.
Highly undignified and lacking poise and sophistication, as usual, I struggled and fought the branches of the bushes as they poked and prodded, grabbing at my dress and cardigan, snagging my hair and scratching my skin.
Managing to right myself, albeit on the other side of the row of hedges, my legs trembled like a newborn calf’s. The naked man and I locked eyes. I held that gaze like my life depended on it.
Not knowing what to say to the beautiful man, I just stared. Do I ask if he saw a big red creature that crash landed? Do I pretend that I hadn’t seen him transform into a very sculpted man from a…large, red bird? That is what I had seen, right? Wasn’t it? Or, was it? My eyes gaped in amazement. My legs wouldn’t move, but if I could have gained some control over them, maybe I should have had them walk me to the psych ward.
Despite my immobility, my body felt invigorated. As though I was plugged into a power source. Buzzing raw energy pulsed through me.
The naked stranger got to his feet and finger combed his hair. It was short on the sides, longer on top, bright red, and looked as soft as silk to the touch, even with the twigs and leaves in it. The grin that parted his lips was stunning—sparkling white teeth slicing a full beard and mustache, the same bright red shade as his hair. His eyes, though, oooh, the eyes. They were gold.
“Mate.” His deep voice was gravelly, and the slight slur in his words suggested that he was a bit tipsy. Suggestion confirmed when he stepped toward me with a swaying, weaving gait. Dead giveaway. He was hammered.
Then, my eyes strayed. So many abs, so many muscles, so many…inches…holy cow! I slapped my hand over my eyes and turned away. “I am so sorry! I was just…I heard… Are you alright?”
“I must be dreaming. If I am, do not awaken me, goddesses.” His husky whisper was right behind me, and his touch, a fingertip that ran down my arm, a feather-light caress that scorched a path like it was on fire, sent shivers up my spine.
My body’s response was unlike anything I’d experienced, and I wasn’t sure how to react. Not when my nipples pebbled and strained against the fabric of my bra, my pulse beat a rapid rhythm to my core, and my flesh dotted in goosebumps. I sucked in a breath of air that smelled like dark chocolate and pine forests. Mmm, the naked stranger smelled fantastic. No wonder my body was freaking out.
Over another man.
The day before my wedding.
If I wasn’t so lost in the moment, in the unconventional experience and fresh, novel feelings, I would have been moving away. Running away. When his warm palms grasped my waist and turned me to face him, I should’ve backed away. When he pulled my body into his, I should’ve offered resistance. What the hell was wrong with me, allowing a strange man to touch me, to arouse me?
“So beautiful,” he whispered. “You are so beautiful.” He stared down with those glowing eyes. Mesmerizing. “What is your name, mate?”
“L-Lennox.”
He leaned down, buried his face in the crook of my neck and inhaled. When his tongue stroked across my skin, I should have freaked out. I should not have shivered and grabbed onto him like a starving woman. Or let my head fall to the side. Or released a moan of pleasure. I should have proclaimed my almost-married status. I should have turned and walked away.
So many should haves and shouldn’t haves.
“Your scent is provocative, seductive. You have captivated me, and I would spend forever right here, breathing you in, my mate. Lennox.” Even though his speech was slurred, and a little oddly phrased, the sincerity behind his words was intense.
No business… I chanted to myself over and over. Go back inside. Go back to the hotel and change first. His hands, though. They stroked my lower back, one of them trailing lower. A low, guttural growl, and the presence of the steel rod between his legs that was suddenly pressing into my stomach, indicated he liked my curves. A lot.
A door slammed somewhere nearby, startling me back to reality. Prying myself away from him and putting some distance between us, granted me a glorious frontal view of the amorous but drunken naked guy. “Um… Where did you come from? You shouldn’t be here all, uh…exposed.”
His teeth dug into his bottom lip, he cocked his head, then eyed me through hooded lids. Oh, my, what was life doing to me?
“I…got lost. I must put clothes on. You are correct. This world has strict laws about clothing.” He gestured down his body and then looked at mine with a hungry glint in his eyes. “I understand those laws to an extent. Covering my body, sure, but why a law to cover yours? That is a crime. A crime against…”
I couldn’t help the giggle at his suggestion. Then, he hiccupped and lost his train of thought. “Where were you headed?”
“To my castle. Which is…it seems I took a wrong turn.”
“Castle? Uh-huh.”
His brow furrowed as he scanned the area before inhaling deeply through his nose. “I cannot smell anything with you so near. I cannot focus. You are the sweetest...”
“Do you need me to move away?”
“No. Do not move. I would rather remain lost in you.”
I giggled again, shook my head, and grinned down at my dirt-smudged heels. “Do you know where we are?”
“I do not. I saw the sparkling city lights before I fell. So beautiful.” His throat worked as he looked up, then studied my face dreamily. “They lit up the path and drew me here—to you.”
“New Orleans.” Ignoring his charm was not easy, but the guy needed to put on some clothes before he got himself arrested. I was also beginning to think he might have bumped his head on the way down. “Do you know what day it is?”
His wide, beaming smile lit up the night.
“The first day of our future together.”
4
Lennox
The stranger needed help. He was obviously not in complete control of his faculties. Drunk off his
ass and possibly concussed. It was hard to look past all the naked, tanned hotness and muscles, but I was strong. I could do it.
“Do you feel okay? Did you hit your head when you crash land—I mean, fell? Did you hit your head when you fell?”
He shrugged. “It will heal if I did.”
I sighed. “Okay, we’ll start smaller. What’s your name?”
“Remy.”
“Good. Your last name, Remy?”
“I do not have one. Just Remy.” He inched closer to me. “Your dress is torn.”
Glancing down at the mess that used to be my best dress, I bit my lip. Sure enough, in addition to the water spots, there were stains and tears. I opened my mouth to say something. I had no idea what, since the second my eyes met his heated gaze all coherent thoughts flew out of my addled brain. The way he was looking at me… Oh, no, no, no. The guy thought he was a “one-namer” like Madonna or Bono, or Drake. Regular, noncelebs had a last name. Plus, I was almost married. “I’m going to need your last name if I’m going to find someone who can help you, Remy. Think hard.”
He smiled at me, a small dimple showing in his left cheek just above his beard line. “I don’t need someone to help me. I found you. You are everything I need.”
I was in over my head. I took my phone out of the small pocket of my cardigan and shot off a text to Margo. I needed to call in the reinforcements, especially if I was going to take care of Remy without touching him inappropriately. “Friends of mine are going to come out and help us, okay? We need to get you inside and dressed. Then, we can get you to a doctor or find your people.”
“You wish for your friends to see me naked?”
A sharp flash of anger and jealousy bolted through me, leaving me flushed and shaking my head. No, I did not. I shrugged off my cardigan and held it out to him. “Hold that over your, uh, man parts.”
He held it over his chest and grinned. “Which parts, mate?”
So drunk. I crossed my arms over my chest and lowered my eyes to his still-hard erection. “Um… You should put that thing away.”
“Put it away?” He looked genuinely confused. His bottom lip jutted out and his head tilted to the side slightly.
I groaned. “It’s harder to cover you up if your sword is en garde, ready to fence with anyone who walks by.”
The cardigan fell as he shook his head, stepped closer and held both sides of my neck, his thumbs caressing my throat. “Not anyone. Only you.”
The way touched me, the way he had held me, even the way he was speaking to me and the words he used were everything I’d ever wanted. When I was a young girl who dreamed of the man who would sweep her off her feet, he was just the kind of dream man I envisioned. Except, back then he would have been clothed. He cupped my face with a tender, almost reverent touch and stared with fervor. Swallowing audibly, I squeezed my eyes shut. “Who are you?”
“I am Remy—your mate.”
Approaching footsteps triggered my panic. I pulled away from him, somewhat in a daze, and stooped, attempting to snatch the cardigan from the ground at his feet. Margo cornered the row of hedges just in time to see me poke my eye right into Remy’s impressive boner. I gasped and stumbled backward. Remy swore. I could hear a tinge of pain in his voice, but he reached out and grabbed my arm to steady me.
“That is one method of ‘putting it away,’ I suppose.”
I laughed despite my embarrassment and the pain in my eyeball. Sheesh, what would it say about me if I blinded myself the night before my wedding on another man’s penis?
Margo rushed forward clasping both my arms. “Who is this?”
I held up my free hand and waved her off. “He needs some help.”
“He’s naked.” She swore, then her eyes traveled all the way down to his toes and back up. “Impressively naked.”
“I am Remy. Lennox is my mate.”
Margo hissed but otherwise remained silent. A small gasp caught my attention and, with my good eye, I noticed my other best friend, Nance, standing a few feet away with her jaw practically on the ground.
“Remy, please put the sweater over yourself.”
Margo dug her fists into her hips. “Yeah, dude, cover your junk.”
I had to bite my lip to keep from giggling. I seemed to have this hysterical giggling fit trying to get loose, for some reason. “Margo, Nance, this is Remy—no last name. I found him out here. He had quite a fall, and I think he hit his head. He needs some clothes.”
“Well, he can’t stand around out here. There are cops everywhere.” Margo looked at me, then Nance. “Okay, make sure that cardigan stays over the python downstairs, and we’ll form a human shield around him.”
“He’s huge,” Nance piped up. “I don’t know if that’ll be sufficient.”
I glared at Nance, suddenly very annoyed with her. “Really?”
She laughed. “I mean him, in general, Lennox. I’m not sure the three of us will be enough of a shield.”
“We’re going to have to be enough.” I focused again on Remy, finding him happily grinning down at me. “We’re going to take you somewhere safe and find you some clothes, okay?”
“As long as I am with you, I will be happy.”
Margo coughed, and I elbowed her. Holding my breath, I attempted to tie the cardigan around Remy’s nether region as best as I could, which resulted in me being face to butt and wondering how a man’s ass could be so firmly muscled. Margo’s throat clearing snapped my lasciviously wandering mind back to reality. I blinked a few times trying to ease the ache in my eye, and then we were off.
Remy shadowed me. His hand rested on my hip as a gentle reminder that he was right there with me. The couple of times I stopped too suddenly and he bumped into me, his fingers tightened slightly. It was flirtatious and arousing. And wrong, I knew that. As a good Samaritan, however, it was my civic duty to aid a hapless, unclothed stranger and see that he was escorted to safety. Right? Right.
Our hotel was close, thankfully, and we were able to sneak in through the rear entrance without too much fanfare, but we did manage to elicit a few wide-eyed stares from curious onlookers by the time we arrived. What was it about women gawking and checking out Remy that infuriated me and raised my defenses? The emotion I was experiencing, the possessiveness, was surprising and unfamiliar. After the slow-moving group trek and short argument about whose room we should take him to—I won—we were finally tucked safely behind closed doors.
Through the adjoining door, I was able to enter David’s suite and borrow some clothes for Remy. Although, it wasn’t easy to find anything due to the obvious size difference. Nodding to the bathroom, I handed Remy a few garments. “You should get dressed.”
His hand clasped over mine and held a little too long. His eyes narrowed just the slightest bit again, but he nodded. I couldn’t deny that as I watched him turn and walk into the bathroom, a part of me wished that I wasn’t who I was and where I was.
The second the bathroom door clicked shut, Margo was on me. “Okay, spill. You slipped out to rendezvous with some serious man meat? What’s going on?”
I shook my head. “No! I was outside eating my cheesecake when I heard him fall. It sounded bad. I went over and…there he was. Naked, drunk, and possibly injured.”
“He doesn’t look injured.” Nance poked her head up from my suitcase and held up two of my blouses. “White or black?”
“White.” I shook my head. “Black.”
She grinned. “Scandalous.”
Margo winked and clucked her tongue. “You’re totally hot for him. You’re all flushed and your eyes go all gaga when you look at him.”
“It’s nothing, Margo.”
“You can’t lie to me. I know you, girl. I know you well enough to know that that expression you’re wearing is something new. I have never seen you have it for anyone—especially David.” She threw up her hands. “And the timing. The night before your wedding. Good lord!”
The bathroom door swung opened, and a semi-dressed
Remy was pouting and looking as though he’d just lost his best friend. “Your wedding?”
5
Remy
Lennox, my mate, looked shocked. She paled and her teeth dug into her plump lower lip. “Yes, tonight was the rehearsal dinner.”
I fell into the nearest chair. “How?”
Despite the cautionary look her friend gave her, she stepped closer. “I just came outside to get some fresh air, and you were there…”
The room was still spinning, her words were hurling at me so quickly I was unable to grasp them all, but some must have registered because my heart was cracking. More fissures of pain and disappointment appearing by the second. “We are mates, you and me. We are meant to spend eternity with each other. Us.”
Her friend held up her hands and shook her head at me. “You’re a little tanked, buddy. Maybe you should wait until you sober up to declare your undying, eternal love.”
“I am inebriated, true, but I am not blind or stupid. Lennox is mine.” Gazing beseechingly at Lennox, I implored, “You cannot get married. Not to another.”
My enhanced senses filled with the sound of her rapid heartbeat and the scent of her eagerness for me. Drunk or not, I was able to clearly detect her awareness of our bond. She must call off the wedding. Immediately.
She inched closer and placed her hand on my shoulder. We both sucked in a sharp breath at the contact.
“Wow. Okay…”
The feeling was amazing, something I’d been waiting for, but even anticipation couldn’t have dreamed up the astonishing reality of it.
“We need to get you to a doctor. I think you hit your head pretty hard.”
Big brown eyes. One had a spot of green along the outer edge. My yearning to study her, to learn every inch of her, to make love to her and feel her soft curves was overwhelming. Exploring her could entertain my desires for hours—days.
Fire Breathing Remy Page 2