“You told… You told him…” L’Corte is laughing and wheezing so hard, I join in.
“I told him that his queen was a bitch,” I say, breaking into giggles at L’Corte’s reaction.
L’Corte wraps me in his arms, lifting me until my toes barely graze the floor. “You reckless,”kiss“maddening,”kiss“amazing,”kiss“wonderful woman.” L’Corte finishes with another lingering kiss. “Let’s get you to the storage room before you find a way to cause some new interspecies incident.”
“Hey! I justresolvedan interspecies incident,” I correct L’Corte archly as he sets me back on my feet. “I’m a problem solver.”
“No. You created a problem. When you fix the problem you created yourself, you are not a problem solver,” L’Corte teases with a chuckle. I start to argue with his only partially accurate statement when he interrupts me. “Although you did break through to Vorto when none of our people could. I’m very impressed with your ability to get people – even an enemy – to open up. It is a gift.”
I preen at his compliment, which just makes L’Corte grin and shake his head at me. Holding my hand, he leads me down the hall. As we walk, he keeps glancing over at me with this small, sweet smile on his face. Like he’s checking to make sure I haven’t disappeared on him, or maybe he just likes looking at me.
It’s a strange, extraordinary feeling to have a man, one who doesn’t want to change anything about me, be interested in me. I don’t believe L’Corte will ever ask me to tone down my personality or keep my voice down. It’s a heady, addicting feeling to be accepted exactly as you are.
When we return to the fork in the hallway in front of the elevator, L’Corte leads me to the left. I huff when I realize the storage room was only a few doors down the hall in the opposite direction I had taken. I was less than thirty feet from my destination. I suppose it’s a good thing that I have no sense of direction. Discovering Vorto was a lucky fluke, especially if he gives the Cerasteans information about their bitch queen and her plans.
Entering the large storage room, we trail past the rows upon rows of shelving units until I locate the bins I need. I start flipping through the containers' contents as quickly as possible, but it’s hard to concentrate when I can feel L’Corte’s eyes eating me up. Luckily, everything is well labeled and packed in an orderly fashion. I’m pleased because the decorations look like they are still in great shape. I think I will be able to use everything here for the ceremony. I pull my tablet out of my bag and double-check to make sure I didn’t miss anything. I make a quick note on how many table centerpieces we have stocked because we may need to get more.
After quickly rifling through the last box, I turn around and take a quick, mincing step back, pressing against the shelf, because I hadn’t noticed that L’Corte had snuck up behind me. He gives me a dark, heavy-lidded look so hot it winds through my center and desire settles heavily in my stomach. He hasn’t taken his eyes off me the whole time. Despite the cold metal of the shelf pressing against my back, I feel heat rising through my entire body.
The intensity in L’Corte’s eyes makes a part of me want to make a run for it, maybe even make L’Corte chase me, but I have nowhere to go. Watching him stare at me with desire and hope shining from his golden eyes makes my stomach clench with need. My typical urge to taunt and tease flees, leaving behind only molten lust.
L’Corte takes two wide strides to reach me, making me squeak like a mouse. He stops with just a breath of space between us. He is so close I can feel the heat of his body radiating through my shirt. As he continues to stare down into my eyes, I can almost feel him quiver with tension. Damn. I bite my lip, wanting to break his control.
Slowly, I reach up and trail my fingers along his shoulder and down his chest. His muscles twitch beneath my touch as I bump my fingers along his ribs, heading towards his waistline. Oh, how I love to torment him… he just makes it so easy. His every reaction is there in his eyes, in the small gasp escaping his lips, the shudder racking his frame, the growl quietly rumbling up his throat. He lets me see what my touch does to him, not hiding a single part of himself from me. There’s a tiny evil part of me that wants to see how far I can push before he snaps. Slipping my index finger just barely inside the waistband of his pants, I slowly slide my finger back and forth, tugging the material slightly away from his torso.
L’Corte looms over me, staring at my face like it’s the answer he’s been searching for. He steps closer to me, pressing firmly against my front, trapping my hand between us.
An intense hunger fills his eyes, sending an electric thrill arcing through me. Slowly, as if I am a skittish wild creature, he brings his hand up to cup my jawline and slides his thumb across my chin, catching the edge of my bottom lip. After a moment, he rubs my lip like he’s testing its firmness. Every nerve in my mouth wakes up with his gentle caress.
Darting my tongue out, I lick the pad of his thumb. L’Corte inhales so sharply, it makes a lascivious grin spread across my face. I feel like a sorceress, filled with erotic power. With aching slowness, I take his entire thumb into my mouth. He hisses in lustful shock as I swirl my tongue around his thumb and then pull off with a pop. His other hand slides up the back of my neck and cups my head, catching me like I’m a rabbit about to bolt. Ironic, since it feels like I’m the one who caught him.
L’Corte uses his still-damp thumb to tilt my chin up as his mouth descends. Any tentativeness left from our first kiss is gone as his lips meet mine. He delves into my mouth and takes over. He gives me long, drugging kisses, one layered on top of another, until I can’t concentrate on anything but his mouth and lips and touch. I feel consumed, and I can’t get enough.
A strangled whimper leaves my mouth as L’Corte pulls away and begins trailing kisses down my neck. With a feral-sounding growl, he lifts me, and seats me on a hip-high metal box. As he steps between my legs, I spare a passing thought that I’m glad I wore a loose, floaty skirt today. My hand darts out and grips his shirt, twisting the fabric in my fist to pull him closer.
L’Corte falls forward, resting his hands against the box on either side of my hips, and slowly leans down to press his nose against the base of my neck, inhaling against my throat. A deep purr vibrates in his chest, and he places a long, slow lick from my collarbone up to my ear. I inhale shakily, closing my eyes and tipping my head back to give him more room. He nuzzles my jaw before his lips brush mine once more.
Humming a hungry sound under his breath, he kisses his way back down my neck, nosing into the open collar of my silk shirt. With fumbling fingers, I hurry to release buttons. As the next button slips from its mooring, L’Corte slides his hand into the opening and cups one of my breasts. I can feel my nipple poke into his palm, begging for attention. Parting the loose halves of my shirt, L’Corte reveals my bra. For a moment, I wish I had worn one of my prettier lace bras, but I don’t like the way lace shows under my silk shirts. However, the way L’Corte’s breath catches, you’d think my plain-Jane bra was the sexiest thing he’d ever seen.
I quickly flick the front clasp open and push the cups back, letting L’Corte look his fill. Anticipation fills me from the look of hunger on his face. He makes me feel like one of the seven wonders of the world. He slowly leans closer until I can feel his breath against my nipple. Then he glances briefly like he’s checking my response, so I smile my encouragement at him.
He gives my nipple a long, achingly slow lick. He repeats the action over and over until I am squirming beneath him, ready to beg for more. Just as I am about to grab him by his horns and take charge, he sucks my entire nipple into his mouth and lashes it with his tongue. Pleasure lights a fire along my nerves, running from my nipple straight to my clit. My back arches from the intensity, making me press my breast harder into his mouth. I spear my fingers through his silky hair, trying to wrap him so thoroughly into my body that he’ll never be able to untangle himself from me.
Despite the strength of my grip, L’Corte pulls off my breast. Losing the warmth of his mouth makes my nipple pucker even more in the cool air. Licking his lips like he’s starving, he turns to my neglected breast and descends on it. He gives this breast the same treatment as the first until my nipple is tightly crinkled and pointing at the ceiling. The desperate noises emerging from my mouth should be hurrying him along, letting him know just how ready I am, but he won’t allow me to rush him. Methodical bastard. I would think he is completely calm and in control if it weren’t for the groans rumbling from his throat nonstop.
I crave this. I want him so bad. Honestly, I want it all. L’Corte rumbles his pleasure as I start to press on his shoulders, trying to get him down between my thighs. He chuckles at my impatience. With one last nuzzle, he retreats from my breasts and begins placing hot kisses down my stomach.
Sitting back on his heels, L’Corte slowly slides the material of my skirt up my thighs to pool around my waist. As he takes in my lace panties, L’Corte’s pupils are blown so wide I can only see a thin ring of gold around the edges. He looks as drugged and needy as I feel. His skin is golden and gleaming beneath the bright lights of the room, the pattern of his snakelike scales only adding to his appeal. So alien. So damn sexy.
I start to kick off my shoes, but L’Corte stops me with a hand on my ankle.
“Leave the shoes on,” he groans, refitting the heel on my foot.
“I knew you liked my shoes,” I tease.
“I love and hate your ridiculous footwear. So sexy, I can’t think straight when you’re around,” L’Corte confesses.
Using the grip he still has on my ankles, he pushes my legs up and out, spreading me open. I love the possessive way he holds me, as well as the strength of his hands as he clasps my legs and spreads them wide. L’Corte gently kisses me through the fabric of my panties for a long breathless moment before peeling them down and off my legs.
