by Nikki Drost
“I want you inside of me, now, baby. I need you,” I moan with abandon.
I will allow this man full access to my body because it belongs to him, it always has. His pleasure will be my pleasure to give, now and always. He is mine just as much as I am his. I will give him my all, despite my fears. I will give Jamie Trudeau my heart.
“Fuck, I love the things you do to me,” he growls before sinking his teeth into the base of my neck.
I can feel my heartbeat pulsating against his tongue, memories of what he can do with his mouth pulls a moan from deep inside my throat.
“You like when I bite, don’t you, princess?”
“God, yes.”
Jamie softly chuckles against the tender spot on my neck, his ever-present stubble scraps along the column of my throat and all I want to do is feel his roughness between my thighs.
“Good. I like seeing my mark on your skin, it let’s everyone know that you belong to me, that you’re mine.”
Jamie removes his left hand from my breast and gently wraps his fingers around my throat.
“I will claim you tonight, princess, but first we are going to play a little game.”
Jamie frees me from his sensual embrace and tugs me in the direction of his large bathroom.
My first thought is to protest, but my curiosity gets the better of me, especially when I step into the mecca of all bathrooms.
Damn, I thought his bedroom was impressive. I could spend hours admiring the details of this contemporary bathroom with its custom wall-mounted vanities, black lacquered mirrors hanging above black granite vessel sinks. The walls are charcoal Italian porcelain tile, with a black glass mosaic design. A glass block window sits next to a large overflow tub with the filler protruding from the ceiling. The walk-in shower has a twenty-four inch rain showerhead, four body sprays, and a wall-mounted showerhead.
“Okay, I’m officially jealous, this bathroom freaking rocks.”
Jamie chuckles as he leans forward, water cascades from the ceiling into the sunken tub. He pours a few drops of liquid into the steamy water.
“I’m glad you like it. I want you to feel at home here, princess.”
Jamie opens a black glass cabinet door and retrieves a set of fluffy purple towels, placing them on the edge of the tub.
“Are you drawing us a bubble bath?” I ask incredulously.
“Yeah, don’t tell me you got something against them.”
Out of all of the things I could have imagined experiencing with this man, a bubble bath would have been at the bottom of my list. Who would have guessed that Jamie had a sweet side?
As much as I find it to be endearing I’d still rather have his hands and mouth on my skin.
“So are you going to enlighten me in on this game of ours or is it a surprise?”
“Remember when we played twenty questions? Well, we’re doing it again, only this time the questions have to be personal. I wasn’t joking when I said I wanted to learn everything about you.”
I’m not sure I like where this is going. Although, this will give me the opportunity to unravel the mystery that is, Jamie Trudeau.
“All right, I’ll play along,” I say as I grab the hem of my dress pulling it over my head, the slinky material slips from my fingers and pools at my feet.
I stand perfectly still allowing Jamie to rake his eyes over my naked body. Just like the last time I was here, I had decided to forgo the bra and panties.
“Damn, woman, you’re making it hard for me to keep my hands off of you.”
I bite my bottom lip to stop myself from chuckling. “I’m making something hard, that’s for sure.” I smile and tilt my chin toward his crotch.
Jamie rolls his eyes, but thankfully, he strips out of his clothing. I instinctively lick my lips as I take in the exquisite male specimen before me.
His body is like a work of art that could only have been made possible by years of discipline and training. Every line and curve are sculpted to perfection, from his wide shoulders down to his six-pack abdomen. A pair of tattooed guns span across the deep V of his narrow waist. Numerous religious symbols cling to his sculpted arms. There are so many colorful tattoos adorning his body that I find it difficult to focus on just one. I could spend days exploring this man’s body art.
A small moan escapes my lips as my eyes dip lower past his well-manicured pubic hair to his fully erect cock. It’s so large and thick I’m unable to close my fist around it, let alone fit much of it into my mouth. But damn, I want to try.
And don’t even get me started on those piercings. Never in my life have I seen something so erotic. Just thinking about how good those numerous barbells felt rubbing against my inner walls has my pussy dripping wet.
Jamie crooks his finger in a come-hither motion. I place my hand in his as he helps me into the tub settling in behind me. The warm water envelopes our bodies, I let out a sigh as Jamie pulls me into the protective circle of his arms. We sit in silence just holding each other close. There is no awkwardness or unease, it’s almost as if we’ve been doing this for years. This concept blows my mind, I mean, if someone had told me a month ago that I’d be sharing a bath with Jamie Trudeau I’d have had them committed to the loony bin. Yet here I am, about to have my hair washed by one of the sexiest and most dangerous men in the world.
“So whose going to start?”
“Ladies first.”
“Hmm, now where should I begin?”
Without warning, Jamie lifts me out of the soapy water spinning me until we are face to face. I straddle his hips ignoring the fact that now his erection is nestled against my core.
“Um, how old are you?”
“I’m three hundred eighty one.”
“Wow, you’re kind of hot for an old man,” I tease.
Jamie’s response is to roll his dark eyes while trying to keep his amusement under wraps.
“That one doesn’t count, ask me something else.”
“What are some of your favorite things about being a shifter?”
Jamie’s answer is instantaneous, “The freedom. There is nothing like feeling the earth beneath my paws, the wind in my fur, the adrenaline rush when I’m running full speed surrounded by my pack. It’s the closest thing to a high I’ll ever get.”
“That sounds amazing.” Even though I’ll never be able to grasp what it means to be a shifter, I get it because that’s how I feel when I dance.
“Tell me one of your favorite memories,” Jamie asks as he begins to massage shampoo into my hair.
God that feels good.
“The day after I graduated high school, Andy, Matt, Henry, and I decided to go on a cross country road trip. Matt had just signed up with the Navy and even though none of us would admit it, I think we were all afraid that he would never come home. Anyways, our parents freaked, but the four of us were all eighteen so they let us go.”
I can still remember how excited we all were to be on our own. It was our first taste of real freedom. We felt invincible, like nothing could stop us or hold us back from having this experience. It was immensely thrilling.
“A few days into the trip we realized that we were in way over our heads. Since it was an impulsive trip, none of us really thought about how we were going to pay for necessities like gas or food. As you can imagine, none of us wanted to call home and ask our parents for money so we ended up doing odd jobs that paid cash. Andy and I would waitress while Henry and Matt bused tables or washed dishes, stuff like that. If the weather was bad, we’d splurge on a motel room, but more times than none, we’d end up sleeping in the car.”
“Waiting tables at truck stops and sleeping in a cramped car with three other people is your idea of a good time? I had you pegged all wrong, princess.”
My response is cut off when Jamie pours water over my head to rinse the suds from my hair.
“Don’t make fun, I’m about to get to the good part.”
Jamie shakes his head, but the smile on his face is contagious.
“Hold up, tell me you didn’t take your fucking clothes off for money.”
The angered look on Jamie’s face is beyond priceless.
“You’ve met my brother. Do you honestly think he’d allow Andy and me to take our clothes off for gas money?”
Jamie visibly relaxes at my revelation. I have to bite my lip to stifle my laughter. He is so cute when he gets upset.
“So what did you do?” he asks.
“We did the only thing we could do.” I shrug my shoulders. “Matt and Henry went into the club and were hired on the spot.”
Despite having to shield my eyes for most of the performance, the parts I did see weren’t half-bad. Of course, it took a lot of convincing to get Henry on stage, but as I recall, he made more money than my brother that night.
“Are you fucking serious?” The sound of Jamie’s laughter fills the large space, his entire body rumbles with merriment.
“For your information, they were so good that the owner actually wanted to hire them full time. They were a hit with the ladies, and by the time the night was over they had made enough money to fund the rest of our trip.”
My indignation only adds fuel to the raging fire.
“Holy shit,” Jamie laughs, “I’m so going to bust Henry’s balls the next time I see him.”
“You will do no such thing!”
“Just try and stop me, woman.” Jamie’s laughter dies down, but it didn’t escape my attention that he had to wipe his eyes several times.
“It’s not funny,” I pout.
“The hell it’s not.” He chuckles.
Okay, so maybe it is a little funny, but if it hadn’t been for the two of them, we would have had to either call our parents and admit defeat or Andy and I would have had to take our clothes off. Neither of those choices had appealed to me.
“My turn,” I say as my finger lightly traces over a branded symbol in the center of Jamie’s chest. “What does this symbol mean?”
Jamie lets out a deep sigh, his cognac colored eyes meet mine and I can tell he is uncomfortable with my question.
“It’s the sigil of the Archangel Michael. It not only stands for his name, but the element fire and represents everything that Michael is. He’s the guardian of the south, the angel of justice, strength, and protection. I was born with it.”
Jamie reaches over the side of the tub and into the pocket of his discarded jeans. He places a cigarette between his full lips just as a small flame appears in the center of his hand.
“I was born in Naples, Italy on December 16, 1631. The moment I took my first breath Mt. Vesuvius erupted, between the lava flow and torrents of boiling water, nearly three thousand people died.”
Jamie tips his head back, exhaling a cloud of smoke toward the ceiling. “My mother was Catholic and recognized the marking. I think it was the reason she kept me instead of dumping me at one of the local orphanages.”
“I don’t understand why would your mother abandon you? Where was your father?”
If his mother was so religious, I can’t image any reason for her to leave her child with strangers.
Jamie’s eyes darken, his jaw clenches, and I can almost hear his teeth grinding together.
“My father kidnapped my mother and held her captive for almost two years. He did things to her that no woman should ever have to live through. I was the end result, a constant reminder of her time in hell.”
Tears fill my eyes at Jamie’s statement. I can’t imagine the pain he must feel knowing that he wasn’t a product of love between two people, but instead of an act of violence. My heart breaks for him and the little boy that he once was. I can’t help but wonder how his mother treated him. Was she affectionate toward him despite his entrance into the world or did she blame him for his father’s actions?
“You know what happened to your mother wasn’t your fault. You can’t be held responsible for what your father did. Please tell me you know that.”
“Can’t I? My father wanted the perfect son, someone who would blindly follow him on his path to eradicating the human race. He thought he had found that man in Micah, but my brother ended up being his demise. If my father hadn’t been a fucking monster then she never would have been taken from her family. She never would have been violated and forced to raise a bastard and she never would have been murdered by her rapist when he came to collect his property.”
Jamie takes one last drag from his smoke, and then crushes it in the center of his left palm. He tosses the butt into a nearby trashcan. I quickly grab his hand to inspect his burn mark. Only there isn’t one, his palm is smooth and flawless. How did he do that?
“It’s my turn. Tell me why you had dinner with Hayes last night?”
He has to be joking. How can he drop a bombshell like that without further explanation? I mean honestly, his father killed his mother! I’m still trying to grasp the concept and he wants to discuss my impromptu dinner with Nathan?
“Christ, Jamie, it’s not important.”
“Just answer the damn question.”
I chew my lip as I try to decide how much information I should divulge. I should refuse to answer, but if the hardened expression Jamie is wearing is anything to go by then I doubt he’d appreciate my stubbornness.
“Kelsey,” he growls my name in warning.
“Ugh, fine! My parents invited him because they want us back together. There, are you happy?” The moment the words leave my lips the lights in the room flicker on and off before finally exploding, shrouding the room into darkness.
“Son of a bitch!” Jamie bellows.
Candles flare to life all around the room, casting ghostly shadows against the dark tiled walls. I sneak a peek at Jamie’s face through my lashes. His eyes are no longer brown, but a bright crimson. And is that steam coming out of his nose?
“I’m going to assume that you’re not happy.”
“What the fuck do you think?” he snaps.
The ferocity in his tone causes me to flinch. I remind myself that this man would never hurt me and quickly regain my composure.
“For starters, I think you are the poster child for anger management,” I cup his jaw with both my hands in an attempt to hold his gaze, “The only man I want to have a future with is you.”
I watch in amazement as Jamie’s eyes return to normal. The tension I felt coming from him seems to ease with my candid words.
“I’m sorry I scared you,” Jamie murmurs just as his arms wrap around my back, holding me firmly against his solid chest. He places a gentle kiss to the top of my head and the tenderness he exhibits makes my heart melt.
“You didn’t scare me, baby, I was just startled.”
“Don’t lie to me, Kelsey, I know the difference, believe me. Christ,” he sighs. Jamie’s head falls back against the edge of the tub, “no matter what I do, I just keep fucking failing you.”
“What are you talking about? You haven’t failed me.”
“Of course I have, and the only reason you don’t see it that way is because you’re human. If you were a shifter you would renounce me as you mate and find a male of worth to bond with.”
“What…what did you just say?”
“Ah dammit,” He shakes his head back and forth. “This isn’t how I wanted you to find out. I should have taken you somewhere romantic, but apparently, I’m incapable of making grand gestures. The truth is you’re my mate, Kelsey, you were born to be mine.”
Holy crap, Jamie and I are mates! No freaking way I could be that lucky. We were literally born for one another, god this changes everything. I’m utterly
speechless. I can’t believe the man of my dreams is actually the man of my dreams.
“Just so you know there is no law that says you have to be with me. It’s not like I have a fucking clue what I’m doing anyways. I’m flying blind here, princess. I have no idea how to be your mate. Ask anyone, on a good day I’m a loud mouth, arrogant, SOB and that’s not when I’m being possessive, jealous, and emotionally closed off. You deserve prince charming not a freaking nightmare.”
I grip the sides of Jamie’s head, forcing him to look me in the eyes. “Do you want to be with someone else, is that it?”
The look he gives me is one of utter disbelief. “For fuck’s sake, woman, you’re everything I have ever wanted and more.”
“Good, then let’s get one thing straight, shifter, don’t ever presume to know what I need or deserve. I’m a big girl who can make her own decisions and as far as prince charming goes, snow white can keep him, I want a cocky, tattooed, bad boy with a filthy mouth.”
To drive my point home, I lean forward, pressing my lips firmly against his. With a growl, Jamie takes control. His tongue dominates my mouth as his arms tighten roughly around my back.
“I need you,” I whisper against his lips.
“I need you too, princess, so fucking bad.”
“Now, Jamie, please,” I beg.
Leaning forward, I begin to place gentle kisses to a set of three solid black stars tattooed across his right pectoral. My lips skim over the hieroglyphic in the middle of his chest and continue to his left pectoral, a tribal tattoo of a wolf’s head stares back at me with bright red eyes. I flick my tongue over his pierced nipple; his low growl only fuels my desire to push this man over the edge. His hands glide over the middle of my back coming to rest on my hips.
“I don’t fucking deserve you, Kelsey Collins, but I’ll be damned if I ever let you go.”
With his resolve gone, Jamie swoops in and kisses me like his life depends on it. His fingers skim down my spine toward my ass, leaving a scorching trail of fire in its wake. I’ve never felt anything like it before, heat sears into my flesh almost as if it’s branding my soul.