Even after Luci had finished the two year Vet Tech course at the local community college—which she never could have done if her mom hadn’t been able to watch the kids—and started working part time while the kids were in school, Tony still wouldn’t lift a finger around the house.
“You can work if you want to,” he told her. “But the money goes into our shared bank account. And the minute the house starts looking like a pig sty or my dinner is late—even once—you’re out of there. Understand?”
Luci hated herself now, for putting up with his bullying. But at the time, she’d thought she had no choice. Now she waited to see if Raze would act the same way her ex had when asked to do a domestic duty. If he did, she would know immediately he wasn’t the kind of man she wanted to be with.
But instead of protesting, the big Kindred nodded thoughtfully.
“I’ve been in a human food store several times now, but I never knew quite what to buy. It’ll be interesting to have a list and see how the ingredients fit together when you cook them.”
He promised to come over to drop off the groceries and pick up the kittens as soon as Luci got home so she could start cooking. When he left in his shiny silver shuttle car, with her list in one hand, she couldn’t help thinking that the big Kindred seemed like a genuinely nice guy. And a sexy one too.
Though she tried to keep her mind on her work as she finished the last bit of her shift at the clinic, all she could think of was the next time she would see him.
Seven
Raze couldn’t wait to see the curvy little Earth female again.
As he drove through downtown Tampa, Luci was all he could think about. The spontaneous hug she had given him had really intrigued him. He could still feel the press of her gorgeous, soft body against his and smell her sweet, feminine scent.
Raze was glad she’d allowed him to buy the food for tonight’s Last Meal. He simply didn’t understand a society that didn’t honor and reward the hard work of a female trying to raise her young ones—especially one trying to raise them alone. In such an uncaring world, Lucia needed someone to help her. A male to protect and provide for her.
A little voice inside his head whispered softly that the male in question could be him.
Raze pushed it away. He was a hybrid, he reminded himself. He couldn’t bond with her—couldn’t give her the deep, soul-connection, which was what such a lovely female deserved and no doubt desired.
Well, at least he could spend time with her while he was here on Earth. He had already called over to the HKR building and extended his leave time for a couple more solar weeks.
He intended to use that time raising the kittens and getting close to Lucia—as close as a friend could be, anyway, since that was all he could ever be to her.
Eight
The next two weeks seemed like a dream to Luci. She saw Raze every day—sometimes with the kids and her mom at dinnertime—and sometimes at the clinic. The kittens, (which were thriving,) provided an excellent excuse—which was good, because the more she saw the big Kindred, the more she wanted to see him.
The thing she likes most about Raze, she decided, was that he was always a perfect gentleman. He never shouted or even raised his voice and he was always gentle and kind with the kids, who were really getting to love him. The twins were over their shyness now and they would come running and climb all over the big Kindred like a tree the minute they heard his deep rumbling voice.
Frannie liked to sit on his knee while he read her stories from her favorite books. She was at that age where she wanted to hear the same book over and over and over again, which frankly, drove Luci a little nuts. But Raze read her The Princess and her Dragon over and over—sometimes multiple times in a row—in both English and Spanish without complaining once.
In addition to her kids, all the animals loved him as well. Even Oreo, the extremely skittish guinea pig, didn’t try to run when Raze picked him up. Hippy and Hoppy, their two rescue bunnies, also trusted him instinctively. And Lucky, the one-eyed, one-eared tomcat, wove around his ankles purring the minute the big Kindred walked in the door.
Most telling of all, Luci’s mother was finally coming around. Part of it was probably the way Raze loved her cooking. He praised her menudo extravagantly and said her tamales were the best thing he’d ever put in his mouth. He treated her like a queen too—always listening respectfully when she talked, which was certainly something Tony had never done. In response to the big Kindred’s patient wooing, Luci’s mom finally thawed and confided to Luci that he was a “good, clean kind of boy,” which was high praise indeed, coming from her.
Luci was inclined to agree with her mother. There were so many good things about Raze that no one could have guessed from his scary outer appearance—such as his willingness to help around the house.
Surprisingly—at least to Luci—he didn’t mind cooking himself or taking a hand in the cleanup afterwards. He went to a Kindred grocery, not far from the Human/Kindred Relations building, and made them all a meal that was native to his home world—a delicious spicy stew that everyone loved. And if Luci cooked, he washed the dishes afterwards.
He even took her whole family on a day trip to Disney World on one of her rare days off. Living in Tampa, they were only an hour away and Raze drove them all in his spacious shuttle-car which was whisper-quiet and ate up the miles incredibly quickly. He insisted on paying for everything and Luci let him—though she knew she shouldn’t. But it was just so nice to feel taken care of for once!
After arriving at The Magic Kingdom, Raze helped with the kids, keeping the boys amused while Lucia and Frannie did a special Princess makeover at Cinderella’s Castle. Frannie was over the moon as she got to dress like her favorite Princess from Frozen and the boys loved the It’s a Small World ride.
Through it all—the crush of the crowds and the heat and the lines, Raze kept his cool. He shepherded Lucia’s little family through the large park, making sure everyone was safe and happy and buying the kids pretty much anything they asked for. Lucia was horrified at the amount of money he was spending but when she tried to stop him, Raze said,
“Please, Lucia—let me do this. I don’t have a family or children of my own. Let me pretend, just for a day, that you all belong to me. I know you’re proud and capable, but let me have this one day of providing for you. Please?”
The big Kindred’s words had melted Lucia’s heart and she had at last nodded reluctantly.
“All right, but you’ll spoil them.”
Raze had flashed her a charming grin.
“I want to. So let me—just for today. All right?”
“All right.” She sighed and threw up her hands. “I guess I can’t stop you. But no more ice cream or we’re going to be cleaning up puke.”
Raze had agreed to that and then proceeded to buy Frannie a huge, round, rainbow lollypop as big as her head. The boys got matching Mickey ears to wear and everybody was happy.
It was a wonderful day—one Luci told herself she would never forget. Raze was so kind and generous and patient—a truly good guy. All in all, the big Kindred seemed to be just about perfect—except for one thing.
He never touched Luci and he hadn’t tried to kiss her once.
“He almost seems too good to be true,” Luci confessed to her friend, Rochelle, who worked at Paws and Purrs with her, as they were restocking supplies. “But he won’t lay a hand on me—won’t even come close.”
“Well, are you giving him a chance?” Rochelle was a tall girl with deep ebony skin and direct brown eyes. She wore her hair short and natural and carried herself like a queen. “I mean, it sounds to me like every time you’re with him, so are your kids and your mom. The poor man has to have an opening—it’s not like he can grab you right in front of everybody!”
“It was like that at first,” Luci admitted. “Because my mom didn’t trust him and never wanted to leave the two of us alone. But I think she’s finally warmed up to him now because last night she left righ
t after we got the kids to bed—I think to give us some alone time.”
“And what did you do with that ‘alone time?’” Rochelle demanded.
Luci shrugged.
“We sat on the couch and talked. Just…talked. For hours. It was wonderful.”
“Just talked?” Rochelle looked at her skeptically, one hand on her ample hip. “He finally gets you all to himself and all he does is talk? Girl, maybe he’s gay.”
“I don’t think so,” Luci protested. “The whole time we were talking he was looking at me. You know what I mean? I mean really looking. Those eyes of his—they can be so intense.”
“I’m guessing intense is your word for sexy.” Rochelle laughed. “If I had that man on my couch, I’d jump all over him! Or let him jump all over me.” She gave Luci a lascivious wink and licked her full lips.
“Dios, you’re always horny!” Luci laughed and gave her friend a nudge.
“You should be too, spending time with that big, luscious Kindred!” Rochelle exclaimed. “Girl, you need to get yourself a piece of that.”
“I want to,” Luci admitted—both to her friend and to herself. “But it’s not like I can make the first move—I might ruin everything.”
“Maybe he’s waiting for you to make it though,” Rochelle pointed out. “Maybe in his culture, it’s the woman who starts things up. You know how Kindred are always so respectful of their ladies. Maybe he thinks it would be rude if he tried something first.”
“I never thought of that.” Luci nibbled her bottom lip thoughtfully. She couldn’t help remembering the intense way Raze had looked into her eyes last night. As though he was longing to touch her but didn’t dare to for some reason. At one point he had been leaning towards her and she had been leaning towards him and she had been certain he was going to try and kiss her.
But then the alarm on his chronometer went off—it was time to feed the kittens. Regretfully, she thought, he had excused himself and said goodnight.
“I’m going to see him again after work,” she told Rochelle. “Maybe I should ask my Mom if she could keep the kids overnight for once.”
“I think you should.” Rochelle nodded emphatically. “Give the poor man an opening.”
“But what if he doesn’t want me?” Luci protested. “I mean, I come with so much baggage.”
“I know—three kids, a nosy, overprotective mom, a dog, a cat, a guinea pig, two rabbits, seven turtles, and a partridge and a pear tree,” Rochelle said dryly. “And you’re right, most guys wouldn’t go for all that. But Kindred are different. They value a girl even if she comes with a background. And it’s not like you’ve been trying to hide all that crap from him—he’s seen it right from the first and he’s still hanging around.”
“True.” Luci nibbled her lip again. “Okay,” she said at last. “I’m going to go for it tonight. If Raze doesn’t make a move, I’m going to make one.” She took a deep breath. “After all, what do I have to lose except my self-esteem if he says no?”
“Girl, he’s not gonna say no,” Rochelle reassured her. She gave Luci a spontaneous hug and then held her at arms’ length. “I mean, look at you! You’re gorgeous with all that long, curly hair and those big brown Bambi eyes. He’s probably itching to get his hands on you!”
“I hope you’re right.” Luci frowned. “But I’m still nervous. I’ve never been with any guy but Tony and Raze is so much bigger than he was. I mean, I wonder if he’s, uh, bigger everywhere.”
“Of course he is—lucky you!” Rochelle exclaimed. “All those Kindred are supposed to be hung like a horse.”
“But it’s been so long since I’ve had sex!” Luci protested. “I don’t know if I can handle all that!”
“Sex is like riding a bike,” Rochelle said dismissively. “You never forget how—your body will take over at the right minute. You’ll see.”
“I hope you’re right,” Luci said doubtfully. There was no doubt she’d had her share of fantasies about the big Kindred and what sex would be like with him, but he was so much bigger than her. Still, she reminded herself, he was gentle and patient with the kids—hopefully he would be gentle and patient with her too, if they actually did do anything.
And more and more, that was what Luci wanted. Raze was a wonderful guy but she was tired of being friends. She wanted him.
But it remained to be seen if the big Kindred wanted her too.
Nine
“Well, that was delicious. Thank you for making dinner again,” Luci said as they settled on the couch together after cleaning up the kitchen.
Her mom had agreed to keep the kids at her place and the kittens had recently transitioned onto wet food so there was nobody to interrupt them for once. She tucked her legs under her and leaned towards the big Kindred, smiling.
“I’m glad you liked the tersig mixture,” Raze rumbled, giving her a warm smile. “My mother used to make it for me when I was a young male—a boy. My version isn’t as good as hers, though.”
“Well, I thought it was perfect,” Luci assured him. “In fact, you’re perfect, Raze. I mean…” She stumbled, feeling foolish. “I mean, you’re just such a nice guy. So patient and kind and wonderful and…and perfect,” she ended rather lamely.
Raze smiled.
“I think you’re perfect too, Lucia,” he murmured. “You’re everything I’ve ever wanted in a female. So beautiful and luscious with your full curves and your gorgeous eyes and the way you smell so Goddess-damned good…”
His voice had dropped to a low, sexy growl and the hot way he was looking at her—like he wanted to eat her up—made Luci quiver inside. Now was the time, she sensed—this was the moment she’d been waiting for.
“Thank you,” she whispered and raised up on her knees to kiss him. Raze didn’t try to stop her. In fact, he leaned in and cupped her face in one big, warm hand.
As their lips met, Luci felt an electrical tingle that rushed through her whole body at once. Her nipples were suddenly tight and there was a deep, sweet ache between her thighs. Dios, she wanted him!
The feeling seemed to be mutual. With one smooth motion, Raze hooked his hands under her thighs and pulled her into his lap. Luci found herself straddling the big Kindred’s waist and looking into his eyes.
“Raze,” she murmured and leaned in to kiss him again. The big Kindred kissed her back, tasting her mouth like she was a fine vintage he had been waiting a long time to sample. Big, warm hands caressed her back, running up to her shoulders and then down to cup the curves of her ass. His touch on her body felt so good…so right.
This is it, Luci thought to herself. Rochelle was right—he was waiting for me to make the first move. Dios, I hope he has protection!
She didn’t have anything herself, though Rochelle had recommended she get some condoms. But from the long, thick ridge of his cock, which she could feel between her thighs when she pressed against him, nothing sold in an Earth drug store would have been big enough for Raze.
Luci was getting so hot at this point, though, that she almost didn’t care if the big Kindred had protection or not. It had been over a year since she’d been with a man and Tony had never made her feel this way.
Her ex had been a rough, selfish lover—pushing her down and taking her before she was really ready and ending before she was anywhere near done. In contrast, Raze was being gentle and slow. Though she could feel the eagerness in his big body, he wasn’t rushing her in any way.
The feeling of not being hurried—of being with a man who she knew would be gentle with her—made Luci hotter than she could ever remember feeling before. Reaching around, she took one of his big hands from her back and pressed it to her breast.
“Touch me,” she breathed, looking into Raze’s eyes. “Take me, Raze. Dios, I…I want you so much.”
“Gods, Lucia, I want you too,” he rasped. And then he did the last thing Luci would have expected.
He pushed her off his lap and put his head in his hands.
Ten
&nb
sp; Raze took deep breaths, trying to get hold of himself. How could he have let things go so far, when he knew he couldn’t take them to their logical conclusion? When he knew he couldn’t bond Lucia to him?
It was just that he wanted her so damn badly. But this wasn’t fair to her. It wasn’t right to lead Lucia on when he knew damn well he couldn’t give her what she deserved.
“Raze?” she asked and there was a quiver in her voice. “Rave, what’s wrong? Did I spoil everything?”
Raze realized he’d been trapped in his own miserable thoughts too long. It was time to give her an explanation of his limitations—which was something he’d been dreading.
“No, Lucia.” He made himself sit up, though he still wanted to hide his face in shame. “You didn’t ruin everything,” he told her. “I did.”
“I don’t understand.” She shook her head. “Is it…were we moving too fast? Does your culture not…not do what we just did until they get married or something? Not that I’m expecting you to marry me,” she added hastily. “I mean, that would be crazy of me since we’ve only known each other two weeks. I mean—”
“Lucia…” Rave looked her in the eyes. “I have known from the first night I met you that I wanted to Join with you—wanted to marry you, as you humans say.”
“Really?” Her eyes widened hopefully. “You really mean that?”
“Of course I do.” Raze gazed at her intently. “But unfortunately, I can’t. Can’t give you what you need—what you deserve.”
Her face fell.
“It’s all the baggage I have, isn’t it?” she asked dully. “I don’t blame you. Nobody wants a single mom with three kids already. That’s too much to ask any man to take on.”
Dark and Light: A Kindred Tales DUET Novel. Contains: Saved by the Drake AND Captured by the Kru'ell One Page 5