brought old
memories to the surface, memories and desires he’d long ago encased in a cage
of bedrock. Booker had no doubt seen them in the alley or heard about the tryst
and come running. The older male remained convinced he’d get Theo restored to
his standing in the community by chastising him and trying to control every
move he made. And that meant Theo couldn’t be distracted by females into the
same behavior that had led to his disgrace to begin with.
Booker’s motives weren’t of the
philanthropic kind. As one of the last grotesques young enough to have viable
sperm, the community needed Theo for the gene pool. But none of the females
would accept him if he remained an outcast. His wishes in the matter made no
difference to the older male.
Theo shook his head and unlocked the
door for Callie, not even sure how they’d managed to arrive at his apartment. She’d
snuck in under his defenses like water through cracks in mortar, he’d laughed
and teased and flirted with her, had sex with her—a female he didn’t know.
In less than sixty-six hours, she’d be
back in the harem, and he’d be alone again. Alone with the armor he used to
defend himself—damaged and in need of repair.
Her ass flexed under the skirt, enticing
him to bite down on her, grab her, or spank her. All three was actually
preferable. He’d grab her, bite down on her ass, and then spank her. In that
order.
Spank? He turned the thought over in his
head, feeling the urge out. He naturally shied away from things that would
cause harm. But the desire had nothing to do with hurting her. He wanted to
feel the firm flesh under his palm, the heavy weight of her over his lap,
squirming in pleasure as the strikes turned her butt pink.
This had to be the nymph’s influence on
him, no doubt, turning him into a deviant, horny kid instead of the hardened
warrior he’d been before his Confinement.
She whipped her tank off and dropped it
on the arm of his couch. The cinnamon colored leather was so new it didn’t even
have wear marks from people—him—sitting on it.
He studied her back, the slender lines
of her shoulder blades and spinal column dipping in to a tiny waist before
flaring out into generous, full hips. The knot he’d tied in her scarf proved too
hard for her to untie, and she shimmied both it and the ruined skirt down her
legs to her slender feet.
Shit. Her perfect ass was right there,
close enough for him to touch if he took three steps.
She flipped her hair over her shoulder,
and the ends of the strands teased the tops of her cheeks. The golden iris of
her left eye appeared when she turned her head and smiled at him. “I’m going to
take a shower. Wanna come?”
Oh, did he want to come. A deep purring
started in his chest, and he choked himself to contain it. The sound could
never pass his lips. Never.
The lust in her eyes dimmed. He could
only imagine the expression on his face right now, trying to keep the mating
call to himself. A mating call for a nymph? Hair struck his eye when he shook
his head. Maybe he’d gone half crazy during his punishment like they’d told him
he would.
Five hundred years was a long time.
“I—” The purr started again and he
choked on it, coughing around the hum.
Callie’s warmth enveloped him, her scent
cloying in the air. “Are you okay?”
“Get away.” He clenched his fists and
stomped to the hall closet. The doorknob came off in his hand. He grasped at a
few towels, didn’t even know if they were the right size for her, and slammed
them down on the counter.
This was ludicrous. Grotesques did not
mate outside their species. Especially not with females they’d met a few hours
before. He didn’t even have feelings for the girl besides lust and an
appreciation for her sense of humor.
Not that she really needed to know any
of it. Callie walked hand-in-hand with trouble. Being with her had already
brought the head of the local aerie down on his head.
Speaking of which, he needed