The voice didn't register. She had to get away from the sound that wouldn't leave her alone. She'd do anything to get away from it. “Help me."
Mika smoothed his hands against her hair. “Why are you so frightened?"
"Can't stand the noise.” She buried herself into his body.
He didn't know what she was doing, but it felt like heaven. She pressed tightly against him. Her velvet soft skin slid against his. Her arms brushed the hairs of his, causing goose bumps to rise. Her hair slipped over his shoulder where her head rested and caressed his back. Its silky texture caused him to suck in a breath. His body tightened as the tendrils danced across his nerves. Desire gripped him hard and fast.
Mika closed his eyes as he tried to control his need. He couldn't let his base nature take control. Not when he swore to fulfill the wish she made that day on the beach.
Sarah placed little kisses all along his jaw. “Please. I need to forget the noise. At least for a little while."
"I can't take advantage of you.” He tried to extricate himself from her embrace but found her grip tighter than an octopus'.
She wrapped her arms around him and jumped so she could throw her legs around his waist. He slammed against the wall with her weight. “You won't be taking advantage of me. I promise not to regret this in the morning."
"Sarah."
"Shut up, and kiss me.” She locked lips with him as she rocked against him.
Mika lost control when she thrust her tongue into his mouth. Nothing mattered anymore. The only thing he could think of was the woman in his arms and how much he needed to be inside her.
He pushed her against the opposite wall as he took control of the kiss. He felt her smile against his lips. She thought she had the upper hand, but he knew it wouldn't last longer than thirty seconds.
He ran his tongue along her teeth, inhaling every breath she took. Mika broke the kiss to come up for air. His lips didn't remain still. They nipped her chin, nose and right ear before he planted tiny butterfly kisses all along her jaw and neck. He forced a groan from her when he bit the skin on her collarbone and pulled it a little.
Sarah's skin heated up as he lathed his way down the dip between her breasts. Her skin had just the right amount of salt. It reminded him of the ocean. He loved the taste of it.
Her shirt buttoned down the front and opened easily to his questing fingers. Sarah pushed her head back against the wall when his fingers grazed her hot stomach. Mika needed to explore that as well but not from that angle. However, Sarah had other ideas. She gripped his butt and pulled him harder against her. That made him moan.
"We need to slow down,” he murmured against her skin.
"No way.” She bit his right ear. “I'm too hot for us to slow down. If you don't hurry, I think I'm going to go up in flames."
"Are you sure?"
She ripped his shirt apart. “Does that answer your question?"
He growled low in his throat. Mika tore her shirt off and threw it down the hallway. It took a moment to figure out how to release the draw string that held the soft pants hugging her hips. A quick tug and they bagged against her. He found he now had easy access to any part of her body.
"We're not quite even yet.” Her voice was soft and raspy against his throat.
"And how do you want to remedy that?” He brushed his lips against her temple.
"Take off your pants.” It was her turn to bite him on the collarbone.
"What?” He couldn't think straight. Her lips kept him distracted.
She grabbed the top of his pants and pulled. The top button slipped free. She then forced the zipper down as far as she could before she hooked her fingers into the belt loops.
"You are very good at this,” he ground out.
"First time, but desperate times call for desperate measures. Not bad, huh?” She had his pants down to his knees. Wrapping her fingers around him, she guided him to her, and using her heels, she pushed him inside her. He felt so good. Her muscles tightened instinctively.
Mika bit his lip to keep the moan deep in his throat from escaping. Her warm flesh tightened against him, surrounded him. He had never felt anything like it before. Physical joining between his people was nothing like this.
Sarah started to move against him, creating a rhythm and friction. His whole body shook with joy. His breath caught in his throat. No wonder humans enjoyed this so much.
His blood rushed through his veins. His skin was on fire. Flames of desire licked at his soul. Mika was grateful Sarah knew what she was doing because he was too caught up in the sensations. He followed her lead and picked up the pace when she did. He needed to taste her as he moved inside her. His lips connected with her skin. A slight salty taste raised his desire higher. He took control this time, moving in and out of Sarah with need. With every move, he stoked the fire. Sarah moaned in his arms. She sucked in her breath as her muscles tightened around him. Her body started to vibrate as her climax began. She locked her legs around him in a vise grip as she moved faster against him.
Gripping her hips, he started to move faster against her, pounding her against the wall. Sarah laughed. He needed more. His body tightened. His heart wanted to burst from his chest. The power of an orgasm forced a shout out of him. Sarah screamed right after him.
Mika watched Sarah's face in the afterglow of her climax. What now?
Chapter Five
Sarah rested her head against his shoulder as she drifted back to earth. Her mind cleared as well. Oh good grief, what had she done? It was the best sex she had ever had but not the smartest move she ever made.
Thunderstorms were her worst nightmare. “Um."
Mika still had his head thrown back. She could still feel the spasms race through him. Was it as good for him as it had been for her?
He sighed and opened his eyes. “That was amazing."
Sarah blushed a bright red. Her legs were still wrapped around him, keeping him inside her.
Mika placed a gentle kiss against her brow before wrapping his hands around her bottom. He moved toward her bedroom. He bent at the waist and placed her softly on the bed.
Sarah felt desire unfurl inside her. She was just about to repeat something she would regret later.
* * * *
The sun shone brightly through the opened curtain. Sarah groaned and rolled over. Her hand plopped against the soft linen. She was alone. Where did he run off to?
She sat up and looked around. Well, he wasn't in the room. Did he leave? Sarah stood and wrapped her robe around her. Last night was wild and wonderful, but today was a new day. Mika couldn't use it as leverage. She wouldn't let him.
Working her way through the house, she didn't spot him anywhere. Where can he be? She heard a faint sound from the bathroom. There was no water running. Maybe he was using the toilet.
A splash caught her attention. What was he doing, playing in the sink or something? She knocked on the door. “Mika?"
She heard another splash before he answered.
"Yes?"
"What are you doing?"
"Um, taking a bath.” His voice sounded muffled, like he had just woken up.
"What?” Maybe she needed a strong cup of coffee. “How long have you been in there?"
"Not long."
Did she hear his teeth chattering? “Okay. Well. You coming out any time soon?"
"Sure. Just give me a minute."
She heard more splashing before she heard a large bam. “You okay?"
"I'm fine. I'm fine. Just drying off now."
"See you in the kitchen then."
"You bet."
She shook her head and went to put coffee on. Whatever was going on with him was something she didn't really want to know. She watched the bathroom as she got coffee cups, cream and sugar. He should have come out of the bathroom minutes ago. What could he be doing?
The coffee was ready by the time she saw him. He smiled as he sat down at the table. He took the pot out of her hands and poured both of them
a drink. “This stuff is the best I've ever tasted."
"Don't have coffee where you come from?"
"Nope.” He took a long drink, draining his cup in one gulp. After downing another cup, he spoke. “Really makes me feel awake too."
"That's the caffeine.” She took a sip from her coffee. “Some people can't handle it. As fast as you're knocking those back, I have a feeling you're going to be flying. Why don't we go out for a while? Help you burn off some of that caffeine?"
"Okay.” He swallowed another cup full before standing. “Whoa."
"Watch it, big boy.” She offered a hand to steady him. “If you're not careful you just might crush me."
* * * *
Mika was like a big child. When they stopped at the park, he had to try out every ride. The swings were his favorite, but when he tried to flip the thing all the way around while swinging they were kicked out of the park. His crestfallen face was priceless.
She fed him hamburgers this time, and he ate three. He ate like a whale, like he had never eaten any of that before. What was he going to do at the dinner tonight? She jumped in the shower first, not wanting to take a chance on him getting in there and never coming out. She now stood in her bedroom, putting the final touches on her makeup.
They just had to make it through the next few hours.
She heard that weird thump coming from the bathroom again. “I'm actually getting used to that.” She pulled the dress she planned to wear out of her closet and placed it on her bed.
The bathroom door finally opened by the time she had her dress on. It was a simple black dress that clung to all the right places. It might be a bit dressy, but it made her feel good, and that was what counted.
Mika banged around the living room as she donned her jewelry. She hoped he'd be dressed by the time she finished. She was too nervous to stay in her room and wait. After checking her appearance one last time in the mirror, she slipped on her pumps and walked out of her room. “Mika, you decent?"
"Sort of."
What the heck did he mean by that? “Excuse me?"
"I'm having a problem."
Sarah straightened her shoulders and stepped into the room. She found him fighting with his crotch. It didn't take much to see what went wrong. Somehow he got the tail of his shirt caught in his zipper, and he was getting so frustrated he was making it worse.
"Stop.” She came up to him and slapped his hands away. “How did you get it this bad? You haven't been out here that long."
"I don't know what happened.” He stared down at her hands pulling at the zipper.
Sarah felt the heat of his gaze. She gave the zipper a couple of sharp tugs before she freed the shirt and pulled his zipper up.
She checked to make sure his shirt was buttoned properly before helping him with his jacket. “Nervous?"
"No. Excited. You?"
"Scared to death,” she said in a soft voice.
"Why?” He helped her on with her wrap.
"I have a lot on the line.” She didn't want to go into just how much was at stake. Her job, her security, her happiness. Sarah let out a pent up breath. Thinking about it only made it worse. “Let's go."
* * * *
The site of the dinner dance was a big posh hotel near the beach. Her heart pounded in her chest as they climbed the stairs to the main ballroom. Now she had to do her best. So did her date. Sarah looked up at Mika only to find him smiling back at her. He had no clue.
They walked into the ballroom, into a crowd of people. Mika faded from sight as some of her friends crowded around her.
"Who's the cutie?” asked one.
"And does he have a brother?” giggled another.
Sarah latched on to him and pulled him to her side. “Ladies, this is Mika, my date."
They all sighed his name together, “Hi, Mika."
"Ladies. What a wonderful way to be greeted.” Mika smiled at each of them.
Sarah felt just a little bit jealous. She had gotten so used to having all his attention, she didn't want to share him.
"So, Mika, how did you meet Sarah?"
"At the beach."
"Really.” The woman looked him up and down. “I've never seen anything like you at the beach."
"Guess you haven't hit the beach on the right day.” Mika's comment brought laughter from the ladies.
Sarah watched as some of the women batted their eyelashes at him. A couple of others were even brave enough to touch him. It made her want to snatch them all baldheaded.
Mika, bless him, never left her side. Any of her previous dates would have completely forgotten her and gone for any of the women there.
She was grateful when the president of the company announced that dinner was served. They took their seats at their assigned table. To Sarah's chagrin, she found her boss to her right and the ditzy little blonde who delivered their mail on Mika's left.
As the blonde went on about her marvelous manicure, Sarah did everything she could not to make eye contact with anyone else at the table. She was afraid she'd say something she shouldn't. Not doing anything stupid was going to be hard enough. Sarah didn't want to complicate matters by speaking out of turn.
She popped an olive in her mouth and came close to choking on it when she heard the ditzy blonde ask Mika a very simple question. Actually, it was Mika's answer that caused the problem.
"Mika, you have a very unique accent. Where are you from?"
"Bottom of the ocean.” He winked at Sarah before picking up his drink.
"Really? Do you know Flipper?"
"No, but I've heard of him.” He took a quick sip amongst the chuckles heard around the table. “So, all of you work with Sarah?"
"Everyone at this table does, but we have a lot of different departments,” said Mr. Milici “That's who the people at the other tables are."
Mika nodded.
Sarah played with her napkin. So far, Mika was holding his own. Maybe if everyone focused on him, they'd forget about her and her klutziness, and she'd make it through the night.
"This is a lovely hotel,” said Mika. He watched as others started to eat their salad.
"Pride of the beach,” said Mr. Milici. He picked up his fork the moment the server set the salad in front of him. Mika imitated him.
"I see why.” Mika stabbed his fork into the salad and managed to get almost all of in on the fork in one shot.
Sarah felt color leave her face as he lifted the fork to his lips. Please, don't shove the whole thing in your mouth. But he did.
Mika munched away with a smile on his face until he found everyone staring at him. “It's very good,” he mumbled through lettuce.
Sarah wanted to crawl under the table. Making it through the night without an incident just flew out the window. She leaned over to speak to him softly. “You're supposed to eat a little bit at a time."
"Oh."
Was that all he had to say? Sarah stabbed at her salad and chewed on the few pieces she was able to spear. Bringing him was a mistake. She knew he had some crazy idiosyncrasies but thought he would behave better than this.
Now she had to dump him before he caused more trouble. But how?
Chapter Six
So how was she going to get him to leave before anything else happened? Subtle might not work, but she didn't want to make a scene either.
Mika seemed clueless as he pushed the salad from his fork to his plate and started to eat like a normal person.
Servers started to remove salad plates and replace them with the main course. Shrimp scampi. Okay this should be safe. Mika doesn't have to shell anything.
"What have they done to the shrimp?"
"Never had shrimp scampi before, son?” asked her boss.
Mika looked at Sarah and saw fear in her eyes. “Can't say I have.” He looked around at different people at the table. “Most of the time my family eats shrimp plain. We've always liked it that way."
"You'll love this. The spices really enhance the taste,” said Mr. Mil
ici. He rubbed his hands together when the server sat his plate in front of him.
Mika imitated him and picked up his fork. Sarah made sure she had Mika's attention then she showed him how to eat the shrimp without embarrassing her. She hoped he got the silent message.
Their meal passed without any more trouble. After the plates were cleared off, the president of the company stood up on the stage once more to hand out awards and bonuses. Once that was done, the music began.
Mika tugged at his collar.
"You okay?” asked Sarah. He looked a little green.
"Just a little hot.” He picked up a glass of water and downed it in one gulp. He then picked up every water goblet on the table and downed the contents in seconds. Once he finished with the ones on their table, he started grabbing ones from the other tables.
"You can't just take the water like that. Let me get one of the servers.” Sarah looked around to see if she could find one.
"Can't wait that long.” He stood up, spied the fountain outside the huge bay windows and headed for the doors.
Sarah sat for a moment before his words penetrated her thoughts. Oh no. She jumped up and followed him as fast as she could. All she needed was for him to do something stupid.
* * * *
Mika knew he needed to feel water against his skin before he suffocated. His time away from the water had been too long. Sleeping in the tub had saturated his cells somewhat but not enough to last him all evening. Besides, fresh water wouldn't saturate his body properly at this stage. He needed saltwater. It was the only thing that would heal him.
Using his nose, he sniffed for the life-giving water he needed. The huge fountain he spotted from the ballroom didn't have what he needed. He caught a faint whiff to his right and turned that way. Around the corner from the big fountain, he found a small fish pond. Thank goodness, humans captured the darnedest things. They had several saltwater fish in the pond. Perfect for his needs.
He took off his shoes and socks and inhaled deeply again. There was a small alcove at the edge of the pond where people could sit and watch the fish. Mika smiled as he stepped into the darkened shade. His shoes and socks went under the bench along with his pants, shirt, tie and jacket. The cool brisk breeze stirred the hairs on his chest and arms.
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