Total pages in book: 84
Estimated words: 79587 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 398(@200wpm)___ 318(@250wpm)___ 265(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79587 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 398(@200wpm)___ 318(@250wpm)___ 265(@300wpm)
Mattie opened her eyes to see Grath looming over her in the darkness. She could feel his heat enveloping her, his big body surrounding hers. His warm, spicy scent filled her senses, making her want to melt for him. Slowly, he leaned down to nuzzle the side of her neck. The rough scratch of his whiskers contrasted with the soft heat of his lips and Mattie found herself arching under him, wanting more as desire burned through her.
“Grath!” she whispered breathlessly. “What…what are you doing?”
He pulled back for a moment, his midnight eyes blazing into hers.
“I’m hungry, little girl,” he growled, his deep voice reverberating through her. “Gonna eat your sweet little pussy for breakfast, and you’re going to let me. Open your thighs wide now—let me in so I can lick you nice and deep…”
“Oh!” Mattie opened her eyes with a gasp, feeling like her whole body was on fire with need.
Also, her whole body was pressed against Grath’s. She had her leg thrown over her Protector’s trim hips and one arm draped across his broad chest. Her head was pillowed on his shoulder and her breasts were pressed against his side.
But worst of all, she realized as she shifted against him, her gown had somehow ridden up in the night, which meant her pussy was pressed right against his hip.
I’m not wearing panties. Why aren’t I wearing panties? she thought, feeling suddenly panicked.
She had a dim memory of being so upset the night before she didn’t care what she put on. The long gown covered her well enough, so why bother with underwear? That had been her thinking, anyway.
Now she was wondering if she was getting his side damp with her juices. She was, after all, pressed right up against him and she’d been having the most amazingly erotic dream about him going down on her…
“Morning, baby,” the deep voice rumbled through her whole body, since she was pressed up against him.
“Oh, er…good morning.” Mattie looked up at the big Hybrid uncertainly. Could he feel how wet she had gotten and how she was pressing against him? Oh God, she hoped not! This situation was turning out to be all kinds of inappropriate and it was only their second day.
“Sleep well?” Grath asked, smiling down at her. “You didn’t seem to have anymore bad dreams after we talked.”
After they had talked? Suddenly the night before came back to Mattie in a rush. The way she’d woken up screaming after dreaming of the assault and the way Grath had held her as she cried all over him.
And then she and Grath had talked—really talked—about her past and for the first time in years she’d felt truly seen. He’d held her and validated her fears. He’d believed her when she’d told him what happened. He didn’t dismiss her or tell her she’d “imagined the whole thing.” In fact, he’d wanted to go out and kill Principal Thurgood and Luke Hartsford, and she’d had to talk fast to keep him from doing exactly that.
Afterwards, she had felt so safe in his arms and he had held her close and “turned up” his body heat just for her, to keep warm all night long. He was still radiating heat like a furnace this morning—it felt incredibly good, especially considering the chilly temperature of the attic. Despite being connected to the central heating, it never seemed to get warm enough during the long, harsh winters.
Who would ever have believed she would feel so close to the big, growly, surly Protector who had been the bane of her existence for the past few months? Mattie could hardly believe it herself, but here she was—waking up in his arms and actually feeling safe and cared for, (if rather embarrassed)—under the circumstances. It seemed impossible, but here they were.
“Any dreams?” Grath repeated and she realized she hadn’t answered him the first time. Then she remembered the dream she’d been having right before she’d woken up, with the big Hybrid just about to go down on her.
I must have dreamed it because of what Sophie told me, she thought. Her friend had confided that Kindred males loved tasting their women.
“They crave the taste of their females,” she’d said. “It’s actually a biological need for the Kindred to taste their women. Sylvan tried to tell me differently when we first met, but only because he was trying not to freak me out. I found out later how badly they need it.”
But would Grath want or need that from her?
Of course not, Mattie told herself quickly. You probably only had that dream because you were feeling safe and validated with a man for the first time in…well, ever.
“No—no dreams,” she said brightly, since he was still looking down at her expectantly.
“Is that right?” A skeptical smile curved the corners of his mouth. “You talk in your sleep—did you know that, little girl?”