Slade

by Simpson, Serena

  He nodded holding her hand firmly in his as he led her away from the bridge of souls.

  “We will use this as a reminder to live while we have the chance.”

  *~*~*~*

  Mila leaned in applying fresh lip gloss before giving herself a critical once-over in the mirror. They stretched their week vacation to Paradise into two weeks. It had been fun, the learning about each other. She had laughed without wondering who watched her. It was the first time in her life, she felt free, like the burden of her destiny wasn’t sitting on her shoulders.

  Tomorrow they would leave and reality and her need to protect the world would claim her. While she was here she put it behind her. Tomorrow she would ask the tough questions like why a twin eater wanted to kill her or Slade that badly. It was a question she didn’t know enough to ask in the beginning.

  A topaz blue dress clung to her showing her figure off at its best. The slim shoes that clung to her feet made her feel both feminine and sexy. Her hair laid around her shoulders like some decadent offering. She should let it out more often. Her fingers slid through the thick mass before she stiffened her shoulders and moved towards the door. There was no telling what Slade had planned for tonight. “Dress special.” He told her before he gave her a small push into her room. It was probably her imagination, but it felt like he copped a feel.

  Damn imagination. She stepped out of her room to find Slade waiting by her door. The lights were dimmed. There were a million stars in the ceiling above like they were outside. Candles were lit giving an ambient air to the room. There was the sound of water. On the far wall was a waterfall that splashed into a pool below it.

  Paradise didn’t have waterfalls. It had been something she wanted to visit.

  “May I have this dance?” Slade held out his hand.

  Once again, she was aware of how much bigger he was than she. Placing her hand in his, he took her to the center of the room. Placing her hand on her dress, she executed a perfect curtsey. A holdover from when she wanted to be royalty. Slade gave her a deep bow before whisking her across the room in a dance to music that had begun to play. He twirled her making her laugh. Memories of their first dance played in her mind.

  When the music slowed down, he took her into his arms. The awkwardness of the first night was gone. She fit into his arms and moved with him like she was made to be there. His hands slid around her one sitting at the small of her back while the other was resting on her ass. Mine it screamed as it claimed her. She rested her hand on his chest doing some claiming of her own. Nothing lasted forever she reminded herself. Right now, would have to be good enough.

  “Shall we eat while the food is hot?”

  “Yes.” She blushed. Slade was giving her a fantasy where she felt like a princess. He didn’t have to. She always felt special around him. He pulled out her chair and pushed it in when she sat. Then he told her what they were having and made sure she was served before he sat to his own meal.

  “This,” she gestured around the room, “is beautiful. Everything we have done has been special. Thank you for bringing me.”

  “You’re welcome Mila. Thank you for staying, you didn’t have to.”

  She laughed it was high and sweet making him smile. “I keep telling you, that you don’t get the most broken award. You have to share it with me. Oysters? Are you trying to seduce me?” She tilted her head as the one she loosened slid down her throat.

  “Never.” The silver in his green eyes sparkled.

  She was a sure thing; he had no need to seduce her. Thank God, he didn’t seem to know it.

  “Why did you come to earth?” She wanted to change the subject to give herself a chance to breathe. If she kept looking into his eyes, she was going to beg. That wasn’t ladylike at all.

  “At the time, I was trying to get as far away from this planet as possible. We somehow got caught in a loop that brought us back in time.”

  “You’re from the future?”

  “Sort of. I think there is a version of me out there doing whatever I was doing at the time, but he will never come here.”

  “That’s strange.”

  “I agree. Each of my brothers has met their mates on Earth. I no longer believe it was a coincidence that we are here.”

  “Destiny?”

  “I’m not willing to ascribe to that. I lean somewhere heavily between the two.”

  She nodded. There was no way to know when he arrived, but she was sure it was after she took her swim in the Allegheny. She was already on Trogon’s hit list. It sounded more like destiny to her. Slade was the twin she was supposed to protect. That made more sense. Her mission wasn’t to save the world it was to save one life. The pressure didn’t lessen it simply changed.

  “Would you like to take a walk on the beach?”

  “I would love it.” She found out that she loved the warm sand between her toes. It helped that she didn’t have to worry about tracking it back in the room. Self-cleaning floors, why hadn’t earth progressed this far?

  “I don’t think I ever spent as much time looking at the sky on Earth. That will have to change. I realize now that I just take things for granted. I see, and I don’t see at the same time.”

  “Hustle and bustle is how Brandi phrased it once. She said you have time for everything, or so you think. Then that time spins down to nothing but the head of a needle.”

  “That’s it, in a blink of an eye it’s gone.”

  Soft music intermingled with the sound of crashing waves. She slipped back into Slade’s arms. Silently they danced on the beach. Mila collected each movement like it was a memory placing it in a chest of all her forget-me-nots.

  When Slade tilted his head to kiss her, she went to her tiptoes to meet him. It was innocent before it became scorching.

  “Mila?” It was the question she hoped for, silently begged for when she went to sleep each night.

  “Yes.” It was the only answer she could give. Tomorrow her mind screamed. She reminded her mind that it wasn’t promised to anyone. All you got was right now because tomorrow was a dream.

  Slade placed his arm under her legs and picked her up carrying her princess style.

  “Prince charming,” she sighed into his ear.

  “For you, I’d become the king.”

  He didn’t stop until they reached the room he claimed as his own. She slid out of his arms giving a little hum of happiness when her feet touched the floor.

  “I’m going to, you know, use the bathroom.”

  “I’ll be here.”

  She made her escape hoping it didn’t look like she was running away.

  Chapter Fourteen

  She might be hyperventilating. Why? Because in the past sex was sex. It was no big deal. She had convinced herself of that the first time she slipped away to rid herself of her pesky virginity. Who wanted to die a virgin killing a monster? That was… it was inhumane!

  This wasn’t just sex. She felt something for Slade. His heart called out to her. The more time they spent together, the more time she wanted with him. What would he look like in fifty years? Would his favorite food, which was steak change? Would he grow old? She wanted to be there to find out. It was impossible, but she still wanted it. She wanted to imprint on him, so he would forever remember her. This wasn’t just sex. She gave herself a shaky smile while she pulled herself together.

  Mila’s hand hesitated before she turned the knob and stepped into Slade’s room. Slade’s room. Her stomach balled with nerves as she tried to lick her dry lips. One cautious look around told her he wasn’t there. Lying on his bed was her nightgown. She was insanely happy for a minute. Walking over to it, she shrugged out of her dress and hung it up.

  This wasn’t a gown made for seduction. It was all about comfort. She pulled the pink gown over her head looking down at the front of it. On one shoulder, it was filled with shooting stars. In the middle, it said reach for the stars. Wasn’t that what she was doing? Slade was a star shining so bright he was going to burn h
er if she ever caught him.

  A laugh, sane with a hint of insanity rolled through her. The one redeeming grace of her nightgown was that it hit at mid-thigh. She climbed onto the bed and sat Indian style. Nerves notwithstanding, there was no other place she would rather be.

  When a light tap came at the door, she wasn’t surprised. Slade was a gentleman. The gentleman warrior, she sort of liked it.

  “Come in.”

  “Are you decent?” That coaxed another laugh out of her as he walked in and closed the door behind him.

  “I’m clothed but I think I’m going to have to draw the line at decent.” His chuckle warmed her.

  Slade changed his clothes. He was wearing a loose pair of joggers that were trying valiantly to fall down his hips. She could just see an impression of how they went in. Was her throat dry before? Now she felt like she was going to choke on her saliva. He wore a tee that was too big for him so it hung just enough to entice her eyes to roam his body and made her hands itch to touch what she’d been looking at for weeks.

  “Join me?” His long-legged stride brought him to the bed before she could blink.

  He crawled in until he was sitting by her. She knew what she wanted to do. Would he reject her? Her lack of knowledge and finesse might be a turnoff. Placing her hand in the center of his chest, she pushed him down until he was lying on his back. She wasn’t stupid enough to think she had that much power. He let her; he wanted what she wanted. With nothing to lose, she climbed over him until she was seated on his stomach her legs straddling him.

  “Don’t break me Mila.” His words hit her in the gut. She was the one who might break.

  She brought her head down much too fast taking him in a kiss designed to destroy them both. Her tongue licked at his lips, demanding and then begging for entrance. The need to taste him was playing with her senses. It wasn’t supposed to be like this a small rational voice in her head screamed. She ignored it. Sitting on him with his heat flooding her intimate spots was causing her to burn. She rocked against him as a small sound came from her. Was it pleasure or a moan of need?

  “Not without me tiny warrior.” He flipped her. His body lying half on her just enough to hold her down. To let her know she was trapped underneath a male whose body was hard and needy for her.

  “Slade.” He nuzzled her neck. When had it become so sensitive?

  He dragged his teeth against the curve of her neck making her hips thrust in the air. She knew almost instinctively this was how he would eventually claim a mate. Relief battled with sadness, and he kissed his way down until he was nuzzling at the top of her breast.

  When his nose pushed against the neck of her nightgown to take in her scent, she was lost to him. The world shrank down to only the two of them. Her hand went up, and she pulled on the neck of her gown not caring if she stretched it out. A tiny gasp came from her lips when his hand cupped one of her breasts his thumb flicking over her nightgown-clad nipple.

  “No running this time Mila.” His voice was deep moving through her veins like a drug.

  “No running.” She pushed at him until he backed off. Grabbing the hem of her gown, she pulled it over her head. She might not be model thin, but the truth was she wasn’t ashamed of her body. This is me, take it or leave it.

  “Beautiful.”

  “Of course, I am.” She might be proud but seeing the truthful admiration in his eyes did something to her. She knelt before him in nothing but her panties.

  His hand came out tugging her across his chest. She lifted up so that her breasts were hanging over his face. He gave her a grin with his silver tinted eyes before he took a nipple in his mouth.

  Her breath whooshed out. She would have collapsed on him, but he held her up. He sucked, and she felt the sensation in the pit of her stomach before her pussy convulsed.

  “So damn good.”

  He took more her breast in his mouth. He nipped on the nipple again pulling on it until it popped out of his mouth with a sound. Her head shook as words came out defined only by the sounds they made separately. Slade took her other nipple in his mouth.

  Touch him, that part of her that spent hours dreaming of this moment demanded. She needed to touch him to get closer to him. She wanted to roll in the unusual scent of pumpkin pie. She brought her hands up and started at his neck. Allowing her finger to flow down to his shoulders caressing him, telling him without words how much he meant to her.

  When he finally laid her down on his chest, she tugged off his shirt then took the opportunity to take his nipple in her mouth. The little nub was hard. Did he feel the same pleasure she felt? She sucked on it then used her teeth to give him little bites. His growl stirred her as she bit on him. It wasn’t hard enough to hurt just for him to feel a little more.

  “A little harder Mila.”

  She put a bit more bite between her teeth. His hips jerked off the bed and that damn growl made her wetter and achy. She rubbed her hands down his chest looking at the scars that covered him.

  “I worked alone,” he rasped out. “No brothers to save me.”

  She nodded but knew better than to feel sad for him. He was as resigned to his fate as she was to hers. His hands went down her back playing with her spine. When he came to rest at the small of her back, she was sensitive to every move. When he flicked at the crease of her ass, she thought she might come like a geyser.

  “So beautiful.” He squeezed the globes of her ass before turning her over.

  “Hey, I’m not done,” she protested.

  “Then continue.” He licked down the center of her breasts even as his hands were already exploring. When he nipped at the underside of her breasts, she knew that she might be dying young.

  “You’re going to kill me but what a way to go.” He gave her that growl again with the edges of his mouth turned up like he wanted to laugh but had better things to do like stroke her rib cage.

  His lips and teeth followed his fingers. He was tasting her, scenting her as if she was a treat he was being exposed to for the first time. She guessed that was the truth, but his eyes promised it wouldn’t be the last time. This can’t last. She knew it but refused to think about it right now.

  “This fascinates me.” He sucked her belly button into his mouth then stuck in his tongue like he was making love to her.

  “Holy hell Slade!” She screamed as she tossed and turned underneath him. How was he finding sensitive spots that she never knew she owned?

  “It's all good baby.” He petted her bringing her back from the edge. “We got all night.”

  “Don’t think I’ll last that long.” He winked at her.

  God this male was picking up human expressions, and it was doing her in. His hand made long strokes down her body stopping just short of where she wanted him to touch. She gave a small thrust of her hips reminding him that they existed. When his hands went down her hips staying away from her core, she gave a soft curse.

  “You’re not funny.” Now she was doing some of her own growling.

  “I’m not laughing. I need to touch your hips. I love how thick and round and beautiful they are. They come down to a pair of amazing legs. All I could do tonight was stare at them in that dress with those heels.”

  She might have been wearing the Sallari equivalent of ‘fuck me’ heels. A woman had to try right?

  “Glad you like them.”

  “Love them.” He placed a kiss on one knee then the other before he began stroking her legs until he got to her feet. “Beautiful.” He picked her foot up and rubbed the curve of it against his cheek.

  Her mind checked out for a moment not understanding what he was doing. Then she realized he was worshipping her body. Tears pricked at her eyes along with a joy she never felt before. Not just some woman to dip his dick into, but someone who meant something to him.

  “Slade.” Her voice was filled with need.

  “I’m here.” He rose until he could kiss her. Then he started all over working his way down her body until she was jelly
. “I won’t let you go Mila.”

  When his hand finally stroked over her pussy, she thought she might explode. With a flick of one wicked claw, her panties were in shreds. He tossed them on the floor as he licked his lips.

  “I need you in me,” her words were rasped but soft.

  “I need you too.” He parted her pussy lips finding her clit. With gentle fingers, he pushed as her body thrashed. “I want to taste you.” He took his fingers and placed them in his mouth sucking on them.

  Has she died and gone to heaven? Slade placed his head close to her pussy until his nose was taking in her scent. “Your scent calls me home.”

  His tongue came out and flicked over her lips and then down the center. She giggled wildly as a picture of a wise old owl asked how many licks to get to the center.

  How was Slade still in his joggers? “Off.”

  He sat back and took them off his eyes never leaving her. He was long, thick, and proud. She reached a hand out to touch him. He jumped in pleasure as pre cum beaded and slicked his head.

  “I want to taste.”

  “Next time, I don’t think I can wait any longer.” She nodded her head in agreement. “I can’t get you pregnant, and I don’t carry any diseases you can catch.”

  She gave another nod of her head. She knew, the mates talked.

  “Please, Slade don’t tease.” He was stroking her with the head of his dick. Her hips thrust up wanting to feel his glorious thickness inside of her.

  “No teasing Mila.” His voice was thick and sharp like tires on gravel unable to catch. He sounded like he hadn’t spoken forever.

  He pushed down his hand guiding him inside her. A sharp sound came from her when he breached her. Her legs opened giving him more room to fill her up and settle on her.

  She could feel every bit of his thickness as her pussy convulsed around him. Soft pants came from her as he pushed in. “More.” The word was torn out of her. She was so needy.

  “Only for you Mila.” He pushed against her resistance until he was fully in her. They panted together lust starved looks on their faces.