Dance in the Rain: Chosen Book 23

by J. D. Light

  A person with super low self-esteem wouldn't date someone who thought they were cock-of-the-walk, because they'd never get up the nerve to ask them out, and someone with an abundance of confidence probably isn't going to notice the person trying desperately to hide behind anything they could. They're going to be looking for someone who will boldly meet their eyes when they look around a room, just like they did.

  It was just how things worked, normally.

  It didn't make sense for someone as confident and unapologetic as Meyers to be into someone like me. The universe was broken, but if there could be another moment like the one I'd had earlier, even if it was short lived and never happened again after that, it could stay that way.

  "What are you frowning about?" the man himself asked, as he stepped out onto the porch. "You don't like the rain?"

  My heartrate spiked, causing a pleasant thrumming in my chest, and I smiled over at him. "I love the rain, actually. I was just thinking about how much I miss being able to run in it."

  "I can't imagine the kind of pain you went through," he said softly. "I mean, I've had broken bones, don't get me wrong, but I've also always had someone to get them back where they needed to be, and then it was only a matter of hours—maybe a day if the break was bad enough—and I was off and running again."

  I huffed out a laugh, shaking my head. "I'm not going to lie, my mother's attempt at pain reliever sucked ass."

  "Come on." Meyers said, stepping over to the swing and putting his hand out for me to take. I didn't hesitate, gladly putting my hand in his and letting him pull me to my feet.

  When I was standing, he gave me another of those tiny, tiny smiles before leading me to the porch steps. He helped me hobble down before pulling me out into the yard and into the rain. He continued to lead the way, around the house to a shed in the back.

  The rain beat down on my head and shoulders, wetting my clothes as Meyers opened the door, reached inside and pulled out a rope. I raised my eyebrow, but said nothing as he dropped the thing on the ground at his feet.

  I smiled, leaning my head back and letting the mild shower splash against my face, making me laugh. It might not be the same as running in the rain, but it definitely loosened something inside me.

  I leaned my head back up, shaking the wetness from my hair, and I gasped at the sight in front of me. I didn't know how long I'd been enjoying the rain on my skin, but I hadn't felt like it was long enough for the man to have stripped completely naked.

  But, he was completely naked—gorgeously, beautifully, amazingly naked, and I couldn't move.

  "Uh," I whispered, knowing I should probably look away, but I couldn't. "What are you doing?"

  Rain continued to fall around us, the water running down his amazing body. His dick was long and thick, and fucking hard enough to point toward the clouds pouring water down on top of us.

  He stepped closer, reaching up to caress the side of my face with his hand, running his thumb along my lower lip. "We're going to run in the rain."

  My body swayed toward his completely on its own, and he caught it with his, his lips twitching as they moved down to press against mine. "Soon," he whispered against my mouth. "Soon, I'm going to take every single thing you are offering. I'll probably go to hell for it, and I hope I don't drag you down with me, but I can't resist it anymore."

  "What do you mean?" I asked dazedly, my lids heavy.

  "I'm too dark for someone like you. I don't deserve to merge my black soul with your clear, beautiful one. There has to be some kind of repercussion for it."

  He pressed his lips more firmly against mine, nipping at the bottom one until I moaned, and then licking inside my mouth. Heat shot through my body as his tongue dragged against mine.

  He growled, the sound traveling straight to my balls, and I whined, my fingers digging into his ribs.

  Pulling back, he pressed his forehead to mine, breathing hard. "Fuck, Braden. You taste fucking perfect."

  Then why'd he fucking stop? I needed more.

  "Okay," he said, grabbing my shoulders and holding me still, taking a step back. He groaned when he looked into my face, before closing his eyes and shaking his head. "I'm gonna shift. Don't be afraid." His eyes opened again, and he pinned me with those amazing hazel orbs. "I'm not going to hurt you, okay?"

  I didn't bother to even attempt to keep my eyes from roaming his body, and I licked my lips as I took in the pre-cum glistening on the head of his dick. I wanted to lick it off. I wanted to sink to my knees right there in the grass, in the rain, and suck him into the back of my throat until he was coming against my tongue.

  “Okay,” I finally answered.

  I didn't want to think about the last time I'd seen a shifted human, since it had been right before I'd been rescued the first time. The crazed tiger hadn't hurt me, or anyone else in that room, but he'd clearly not been right in some way. He had seemed so damn confused and frustrated, and I'd spent the whole time worried he was going to attack one or all of us in that bunker and rip us apart.

  But, somehow, I knew Meyers wouldn't be anything like that, and the prospect of seeing his rhino was just too exciting to pass up.

  "So fucking trusting," he growled, his brow pinching like he was in pain.

  "Not really anymore," I said, shrugging. "But I do trust you."

  He grunted, biting his lip, and I wanted to bite it too.

  Clearing his throat, he bent and scooped the rope up off of the ground. "I'm going to lie down. You are going to take this rope and tie it around my neck so you can hold on, okay? Then I want you to get on my back and lie on your stomach. I'm pretty round, so it's hard to hold on if you sit up. Once you get used to it, if you want to sit up, I need you to be sure to dig your heels into my side, do you understand?"

  "You're going to let me ride you?" I whispered in surprise, as he reached out with the rope, placing it in my hand.

  "I am." He smirked, leaning down to give me a quick peck on the lips. "And, just so you know, only you will ever get that opportunity, because you are everything I've ever dreamed you'd be, and I would do anything to make you happy."

  I wasn't sure what to say to that, and I stood there in shock, wondering what the hell was happening in my life.

  He huffed out another laugh, shaking his head slightly before shifting, his body contorting in ways that looked extremely unpleasant, but apparently weren’t since he didn't even seem to be winded by the experience.

  I stared in absolute awe at the beautiful and powerful rhino standing in front of me. He was absolutely stunning. When he knelt on the ground, I giggled excitedly, stepping forward to run my hand along the large hump over his back, amazed at the rough skin.

  "I don't care what you or anyone else says, Meyers. I've never had anyone do for me what you've done in two days. I've never felt so special in my entire life." I wrapped my arms as far as I could around his huge shoulders, pressing my face against the thick skin and rubbing my cheek against him. "Thank you."

  Chapter Four

  I dashed into the barn, sighing in relief. The storm had rolled in fast and I'd been desperate to get my mate out of the lightning. Thankfully, I'd remembered the old barn that sat on the edge of the property, where the old house used to be back when the land was an operating ranch.

  I eased to the floor, to let my soaked mate ease off of me, grunting happily when he let out the sweetest, most contented sigh.

  "That was one of the most amazing experiences of my life, Meyers," he said happily, sliding down onto his good leg and easing his other off. "Thank you."

  I shifted as he spun slowly in a circle, trying to take in the old barn with the hayloft above the horse stalls on each side of the wide open middle section. I knew he really couldn't see much on his own, but with the sky going crazy with lightning, the frequent strikes almost kept the thing lit up constantly.

  "I'm happy you liked it," I said, moving to the little tack room off to my right, hunting for anything we could use to lie low for a while.<
br />
  I managed to find a couple of horse blankets that didn't completely reek of horse sweat, and a duster coat that looked like it was in pretty decent condition.

  When I went back out, my mate was standing in the middle of the barn, his arms wrapped around himself and rocking back and forth in an effort to get warm. His T-shirt was plastered to his body, and I grunted softly as I imagined my hands roaming every inch.

  I laid the blankets out on the floor, and the duster on top of them, before walking over and putting myself in front of my mate, immediately reaching out and gripping the hem of his shirt before quickly pulling it up and over his head, tossing it over my arm.

  He looked shocked… and absolutely stunning at the same time. He blinked up at me for a long moment before glancing down at his powerful chest, and then back up at me.

  His skin was light pink and pebbled with goosebumps. Even with the dim light coming from the moon, only brightened by the flashes of lightning every few seconds, I could see the way his breathing tightened his abs with every exhale, as if he had just finished a long workout.

  "What are you doing now?" he asked huskily, as I turned and draped the shirt over one of the stall doors.

  "We can't go out in this." I gestured to the large open door just as stuttered flashes lit up the sky. We're just going to have to hang out here for a bit. Sorry, horse blankets are our only option besides just sleeping on the floor." I paused, letting him take in everything I'd just said, waiting for the nod that let me know he'd understood what I was saying.

  When he finally did, I smiled, reaching for the band of his pants. "Let's get you dry."

  He reached up quickly, grabbing my wrists, and I froze, realizing a bit belatedly that I was just plowing through things, and there was a big possibility that I was making him uncomfortable.

  I looked into his face, seeing the indecision there, and I smiled softly, releasing the band and stepping back to reach down and grab the duster off the floor.

  He groaned, dropping his head forward, looking absolutely defeated. It hurt my heart to see him like that.

  "Here you go, baby," I said softly, using a finger under his chin to lift his gorgeous face back up so I could look into his eyes. "I'll hold this up." I gave the long coat in my hand a little shake, making the material billow between us. "And you can take your pants off with a bit of privacy, okay?"

  "I'm sorry," he whispered, looking miserable. "I'm just not used to getting naked in front of people."

  I shook my head, dropping a small peck to his lips, and running my thumb along his chin. "You need to stop apologizing so much. We both know I have a tendency to be a little too much up in your face. You have every right to stop me if I do something that makes you feel uncomfortable."

  He bit his lip and nodded, and I smiled, taking a step back and using both hands to raise the jacket between us.

  I turned my head to the side to let him know I wasn't going to try to peek, and waited for the wet plop of his pants on the floor before pressing the material toward him, waiting for him to take it before motioning to the horse blankets spread out on the ground.

  He walked over and eased himself down, in a move that spoke of a great deal of coordination, as he used one hand to clutch the coat to his front while squatting down on his good leg, and holding his other out in front of him, putting the other hand down so he could ease to his rear. He carefully arranged the jacket to cover his lower half from hips to knees, and I smiled, grabbing his pants off the ground and walking over to hang them on the stall door next to his shirt.

  When I walked back and lowered myself to the blanket beside him, he was absently rubbing his thigh, digging his fingers into the muscle

  "How is your leg feeling?"

  He shrugged giving me a small smile. "It's okay, just twinging a little. It gets a little achy in bad weather, or when it's really cold outside.

  "Here," I said, reaching for his leg before remembering I should probably ask first, instead of just doing whatever I wanted. "Do you mind?"

  I motioned to his leg, and he bit his lip nervously. "It's not very pretty."

  I'd never really been much of a mushy type of person. The force that drove me to get the bad guys, and make sure they paid for the things they did to others, didn't necessarily stem from feelings of pity or sympathy for the ones wronged. It was actually usually anger that drove me. Anger that these men felt for some reason that they were above having to do what was right. That they thought they were too good to be held accountable for what they had done.

  Since I'd met my mate, I was starting to feel things I didn't want to feel, things I hadn't been aware I was capable of feeling.

  Looking at my mate's gorgeous, but nervous face as he was clearly worried I was going to take one look at his leg and bolt, my heart ached for him. I knew he didn't know how important he was to me yet, but I didn't understand how he could really think something so minor would be the reason anyone would bolt.

  Had he really been around people who had treated him like that?

  "I bet it's not as bad as you think it is," I said softly, still waiting for his nod, before gripping the side of the duster and pushing it aside, so I could get my hand on his leg. "There, see?" I said on a choked whisper as I took in more of that lovely pink skin stretched over muscle.

  The thigh was definitely bent—noticeably so—but not at all to the point that I would think anyone would be disgusted by it.

  I hummed as my dick swelled when my palm finally moved over the soft skin, and I sank my fingertips into the muscle, rubbing gently, but firmly. He was tense at first, but as I continued to massage, he started to loosen up, his head falling back and a low moan escaping.

  He looked so fucking delicious sitting there, leaning back on his arms, his body nearly on full display for me, his neck exposed and begging for my teeth.

  "It feels smooth." My voice was husky as I ran my fingers along the strange arch of the bone, for some reason expecting to feel some kind of ridge where the bone hadn't healed correctly, but there wasn't one there.

  "Yeah," he said, his head coming up once again, so he could look at me. His butterscotch eyes were a molten caramel that made my dick throb. "I broke it before I finished growing, so the ball that formed at the break smoothed out as the bone grew. The doctors all say the bone itself is smooth and strong. It's just not quite straight.

  I didn't try to hide my erection as I continued to work my way up his leg, loving the way his muscles just seemed to relax more and more as I pressed my fingertips into the flesh over and over.

  "You work out," I commented, wanting him to know that I noticed the hard work he'd put into his body. He was a fucking sight to behold because of it, and the blush that darkened his cheeks and ran down his neck to his chest only made him that much more gorgeous.

  "I do." He flexed his leg subtly, probably not even thinking about it, but the motion had me grunting out my approval. "I couldn't ever afford to go get the shoes that have the thicker sole on one and not the other, so I can't do squats all that well, or leg presses with both legs, but I do a lot of lunges and split squats. It's not always easy on my knees, so I try not to push it, but I also don't want to be one of those guys that only works my upper body. I also swim a lot. It's a lot easier on my leg than trying to run or even walk at an incline."

  My thumb slid higher, beneath the duster, dipping into the warm crease at the top of his thigh. "You have a great body," I whispered.

  He opened his mouth to probably argue, but something about my face must have assured him of just how serious I was. He swallowed hard, ducking his head slightly. "Thank you."

  "Can I kiss you?" I asked, hoping he said yes, because I was already moving closer, easing into his space.

  "You actually want to?"

  I huffed out a laugh, glancing down at my hard, heavy cock, and then back up into his eyes. "Every second I'm near you."

  Not even bothering to answer, he surged forward, pressing his mouth to mine and wrap
ping his arms around my neck, dragging me down on top of him, and I had to catch myself, with my arms on either side of him, so I didn't smash him.

  He pressed for more, licking at the seam of my lips and I grunted against his mouth, opening immediately, my eyes rolling back in my head as I, once again, had the taste of his mouth against mine.

  I pressed my chest to his, and we both moaned at the feel of our naked skin coming together. His fingers pushed into the back of my hair.

  I pulled back, panting, and he moaned, trying to pull my mouth back against his.

  "You are fucking delicious," I whispered against his lips, and he responded by attacking my mouth once again.

  I rested my weight on one of my elbows, resting my other hand on his side, dragging my thumb back and forth over the skin.

  "Can I touch you?" I asked, when I was forced to take another break, so we didn't pass out.

  He looked up into my eyes, his completely blown and so clearly trusting. "You can do anything you want to me. Any time you want to do it."

  I groaned, letting my forehead drop to his and closing my eyes. "Oh, gorgeous, you should have never said that."

  Taking his mouth again in one more long, lingering kiss, I then started working my way along his jaw, stopping to nibble at his earlobe and run my slightly whiskered chin against the side of his neck.

  The noises he was making had my entire body thrumming with the need to hear what he would sound like when I wrung him, and I was dying to find out.

  I slid down his body, letting one hand take a journey along the ridges and dips of his pecs and abs, loving the soft texture of his skin beneath the tips of my fingers, while my mouth tasted his collarbones and the undersides of his pecs, before flicking across his nipples one at a time.

  He bowed and bucked beneath me, the duster having long worked its way out from between our bodies, so that his leaking dick pressed against my stomach and then chest as I move lower, nipping at the swell of one of his ab muscles, and then tonguing the divot running down the center.