Dahlia's Kiss

TOO MANY MATES

Sterling steppedacross my threshold as if he owned the place. His nose was in the air, sniffing the room as if he were a bloodhound. Bean hissed and shoved himself under my bed as his personal space was invaded by a stranger for the second time in one evening. That cat was going to need a shrink by the time all of this was said and done. But what was all of this, exactly?

“Is there something I can help you find, Sterling?” I stood back watching the man walk from room to room, touching the door frames, and opening cabinets. I almost intervened when he lifted a pair of my dirty panties from the floor and held them to his face. When his eyes closed and he inhaled the scent left on them from my body, it became too much for me. “What the hell are you doing? This is my place. What gives you the right to traipse through here and handle my things? You know, most men will wait until at least the third date to try to smell a girl’s panties.”

“Another Incubus was here. His scent is similar to the one at the crime scenes. It’s probably the fucker who’s been stealing these little bits of lace and shoving them in the victims' mouths.” Sterling dropped the panties on the floor, but he couldn’t hide the erection the indecent sniff had given him.

“Similar doesn’t mean the same.”

“Close enough to be uncomfortable.” Sterling advanced on me, backing me against the wall while he glared down into my eyes. “His scent is all over you, too. What the fuck, Dahlia?”

My anger rose like a beast inside me as I deciphered the words he threw at me. “What do you mean, what the fuck? I’m not your mate. I can have whoever I want here. You have no say in the matter. As a matter of fact, I just met you today. Even if we were friends, you wouldn’t have the right to tell me who I could see and not see. You’re majorly overstepping your boundaries here.”

Sterling sighed and put two fingers on his temple, closing his eyes and clenching his jaw in frustration. “What part of ‘someone is killing the people you feed’ from is going over your head? What part of ‘someone has taken your clothing and sprinkled them at crime scenes like goddamned Easter Eggs’ has somehow slipped your mind? Dahlia, the thought of another Incubus putting his hands on you disgusts me. It actually makes me physically nauseous, and I want to put my fist through one of your walls. But the thought that you willingly let someone in here that intends to do harm to you, that frustrates me more than anything. If you’re not going to allow me to claim you, can you at least use your fucking brain and keep yourself safe?”

“My safety isn’t your concern,” I spat, unwilling to back down.

“I’m a detective, love. Everyone’s safety is my concern.”

“And suppose I call the police station and tell them you barged in here and sniffed my underwear, Detective?”

Sterling grumbled under his breath, his face taking on a reddish hue, and I couldn’t tell if it was embarrassment or anger. “Suppose I tell my superiors about your underwear being at the crime scene and suggest you know more than you’re saying? What if I get a warrant for your arrest for suspicion of murder?”

I laughed at his weak attempt to frighten me. “Oh, please. Tell me another story.”

“You don’t think they would buy it?”

“Oh, they probably would. But you wouldn’t do it. I can see the look in your eyes when you look at me. It’s pure desire. Even now, you’re imagining what I would look like naked. You’re tasting my scent on the back of your tongue and wondering if the real thing would stand up to it. Your hands are clenched at your sides to keep from grabbing me, to keep from touching me.” I stepped in close to him, tilting my mouth to his ear a few inches above me. “How would you do any of those things while I was in a jail cell?”

Goosebumps raised on his neck where my breath caressed his skin. It took everything in me not to run my tongue along the thick vein thumping just below the surface. I wanted his skin in my mouth; I wanted my flesh bruised by his hands.

“Careful,” he whispered.

“Of what?” I took a step back, flattening my body against the wall once more.

“Honey, you’re like a drug and when you get that close, I could lose all control. I’m warning you, so if something happens, I won’t be fully to blame.” His Cajun accent rolled off his tongue, touching me in places I struggled to ignore.

Against my better judgment, I licked my lips. His face transformed into one of pure arousal as my organ slid back into my mouth. The air around us grew heady, and I knew there would be no denying him. If he decided to take me, I would allow it. My core ached from the earlier fucking with Damien not even an hour before, but already, my juices made me slick and ready. I pressed my thighs together, feeling the pressure build.

“Goddamn you,” he swore under his breath. Gripping my hips, he lifted me off my feet and shoved his tongue into my mouth. My legs wrapped around his waist and his cock rubbed against my core from behind the flimsy material of his pants.

He carried me to the couch, dropping me unceremoniously as he removed his clothing in a flurry of movement. When his organ sprang free, I gasped. He was easily the most well-endowed male I’d ever seen, and I knew this was going to be a painful experience. I followed suit, removing my t-shirt and pants, and reclined on the sofa, waiting to see what he would do next.

“Get on your fucking knees,” he ordered.

“Is that anyway to speak to a lady?” I asked.