I knew there was something big between us, and even though I was scared as shit like he apparently was, I was taking that leap.
His lips crashed against mine, and there was nothing stopping us from the frenzy that took over our bodies as we grasped, groaned, and touched like there was no moment past right now.
His hands slid up my waist, then back down, finding my ass and lifting me up to be pressed between the wall and his hard muscles. My legs wrapped around his hips, and the contact of his cock against my core, even with both of us wearing jeans, was enough to drive me over the edge.
My hands gripped his hair as we fucked each other’s mouths with our tongues.
“This is so much, and so right,” I groaned, and he continued kissing me anywhere his lips could touch. This was so right.
Until a dead man broke into our sexually charged air.
“Take it inside your apartment, Cross. Oh, wait. You don’t have one anymore.”
Asher’s lips left my skin, and his head whipped around to give bandaged-nose Kevin a look that I bet would melt metal.
Kevin was a dead man.
His bugged-out eyes showed he knew it too, since he quickly slammed his door, and we heard the sound of locks clicking.
“I’m tempted to change into a bedbug tonight and ruin his week,” I remarked.
Whatever anger Asher was feeling toward Kevin disappeared completely. He was back to looking at me with a huge grin on his face, which made my own light up, knowing I put it there.
“Let’s grab whatever we can and take it to my place. We can get the rest in the morning.” Asher put some space between us and started walking around the house.
“Anxious to get me back to your lair?” I teased while grabbing the three extra boxes I had stashed behind the couch for emergencies.
The look on Asher’s face promised there would be more happening between us once we got back to his place. My body tingled in anticipation.
We grabbed what we could and drove to his apartment. The bar was decently busy, so as soon as I got my few boxes up into his living room, he kissed me hard against the wall then had to go down and work for the rest of the night.
I was cool with the alone time. That was one thing Asher wouldn’t have to worry about, a needy woman. I was great being on my own, and sometimes craved that solitude.
He’d told me I could put my stuff wherever I wanted, and to take over the whole apartment if I pleased. But I wasn’t sure how I felt about that. So, I hung up some clothes in the closet, our scents mingling together pleasantly, then took a shower before I grabbed my laptop and continued reading the mystery diary Janie had transcribed.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Echo
I’d passed out long before Asher came to bed.
The book had kept me up for a few hours; I was about a quarter of the way through.
Delphi, as the author would sometimes call himself, was a very complex person.
Abandoned by his family, and alone in the world except for one person he considered his enemy. Someone his family chose over him. Jealousy and loneliness were the prominent themes in the journal entries so far. Delphi had an interest in the arts and medical advances of the time. He’d even joined one of the first medical colleges as faculty, but lost the passion to help educate others because in the fifteen hundreds the medical field was not up to par with what he knew.
Nothing stood out to me, except the man had some issues.
Asher had come in quietly at some point, and I didn’t even wake up when he climbed into bed and pulled me against him.
We snuggled.
It was hard for me to see myself as a snuggler in human form. As a cat, I’d let myself do as I pleased, unburdened by the emotional entanglements of humans.
But when I woke up this morning, I knew I had indeed chosen Asher for real. I felt calm— even dare I say happy—to be wrapped in his embrace, listening to his sleeping breaths.
My hands drifted across his bare torso, leaving goose bumps in its wake. I’d seen him half-naked quite a few times when I was a cat, and I appreciated the sexy physique. But there was nothing compared to feeling and seeing his body as a woman. He was all heat and soft skin over hard muscles.
“Mm. You keep touching me, you’re going to have to finish what you start.” His sleepy voice was not a deterrent to stop my exploring hand.
“How do you keep these so hard?” I was curious as my hands moved over the bumps of his abs.
“I work out when I can, but I guess I’m just naturally blessed in that department, among others.” His eyes were still closed, but I knew if they were open they would have that mischievous glint in them.
Feeling brave, my hand moved down and caressed his naturally blessed appendage.
He groaned, his hips lifting to press into my touch.
“Hm. I’m not sure blessed would be the right word,” I joked, but continued to move my hand over him, feeling him grow beneath his sweatpants. His arousal coated the energy in the room, making me grow wet just thinking about what we could do.
“I’m teetering on a wire, kitten. I’m good waiting, but if you keep touching me, I’m not going to be able to keep my hands off you.” His eyes opened and leveled me with a heated stare.
“Or my mouth.”
I bit my lip, thinking about his mouth and hands on me. I wanted to try; I wanted more.
My hand gripped him hard and then suddenly I was rolled onto my back and Asher was above me. My hand still touching his cock, and his mouth was on my neck.
He growled, still pressing himself into my hand in rhythm.
Oh Lord, what would it be like to have him between my legs doing that?
I removed my hands and let him settle in the apex of my thighs. He kept moving, and the friction was doing glorious things to my body that I’d never felt before. His hands touched wherever they could, kneading my breasts, pinching and teasing them until I was moaning for more.
“If you keep moaning like that, I’m going to come in my pants like a teenager.” He groaned while nipping at that spot where my shoulder and neck met.
I didn’t care how we both found release, only that we did. So many thoughts of what I wanted to do came to mind, but I couldn’t choose any of them. I wanted them all, and the need to orgasm was barreling into me with every grind of his cock on my sex.
He moved slow and hard, my nails scratching his back, trying to hold onto him because I could feel release coming soon.
I heard a loud cracking coming from somewhere in the apartment seconds before my head flew back and my orgasm hit me. I cried out Asher’s name while holding onto him as he ground himself faster and with more precision before his own roar echoed with mine. A moment later he slumped on me, holding his weight off to my side. I was suddenly aware of an odd smell.
“I think something’s burning.”
Asher flew off me and ran into the living room. I heard him curse and that made me chase after him, jelly legs and all.
His TV was smoking.
“We blew up my TV!” He reached down to unplug it and then looked at me with hooded eyes.
“Sorry?” I did feel bad about his TV but not about what just happened between us.
“I’m the most powerful wielder of magic there is right now, and you are my mate. Our energies together might be a little much for technology.” He systematically made his way around the room, checking outlets and appliances.
Then his words stopped my thoughts.
Mate?
His mate?
What the fuck did that mean?
I knew he realized what he’d said out loud when panic flashed in his eyes then disappeared.
“What did you mean, I’m your mate?”
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Asher
I could see a range of emotions going through her head. Would she be freaked to find out that we were predestined for each other?