Magic and Alphas: A Paranormal Romance Collection, page 122
They walked the distance, meandering through groups of people and along the curving sidewalk of the San Antonio River’s banks. The Bat Bar was even more packed than usual. Lana was about to suggest they go somewhere else, but then Roman exclaimed how cool it looked. The bar was in a small building, thin and tall. They made their way to the top level and Lana ordered four shots for them.
Out of the corner of her eye, Lana saw Roman was about to make a toast, but she pretended not to notice. “Bottoms up,” she said, slamming her first shot. He blinked, but grinned and followed suit.
It was probably foolish to already be feeling this uninhibited. She knew that, but the more time she spent around Roman, the more she liked him.
It’s time for a change, she decided. Two years was long enough to mourn her father and her mate. And she might be on the run, but that didn’t mean she had to go without companionship. So she’d already made some decisions about this beautiful tiger-shifter. If the night continued to go well, he would be the first tiger-shifter she’d been intimate with since Ian’s death.
It was good that Roman was so different from Ian. For one thing, he was a bit older than she—he’d be the first older man she’d ever been with. The thought of that experience seemed somehow decadent, and it appealed to her. He’d also technically be her first one-night stand—her first time with Ian, under the influence of a hormone-inducing herb, didn’t count, they’d decided long ago. Roman would be the only man she’d ever picked up and gone home with. Or did he pick me up? Either way, when he walked into her restaurant, it had highlighted how lonely she was for other shifters.
One night. That’s all she needed. Only enough to assuage that loneliness a little. Then she could go back to hiding from all other shifters. Maybe begin planning to pick up and leave again. She’d been in San Antonio for over six months, after all. But she could think about that later. Right now, she wanted to live for the moment, focus on the way being with him made her feel.
“Oh, that went down smooth.” Roman breathed out as he put his arm around her, moving in close.
“Well, then, you’re in for a treat.” She glanced up at him by tilting her head up to the side. “If you like this brand, then the next ones will impress you even more.”
“I can’t wait.”
“Then let’s not.” She reached over for their glasses and handed one to him. The first shot was already rushing to her head. She hadn’t eaten much during the day, so the alcohol affected her more quickly than usual—though with her shifter metabolism, it would burn off quickly. At most, a mild, pleasant buzz was all she usually experienced.
“I’ll have to definitely come back here,” Roman said, and then added, “With you, of course.”
Or maybe it was Roman’s nearness that was going to her head. She was finding it harder and harder to keep her sarcastic-waitress façade intact when all she wanted to do was drag him off to a dark corner and kiss him. “Okay. But you have to know what to order. I’ll write it all down for you so you do it right.”
“Much appreciated.” He tipped an imaginary hat her direction, a laugh underscoring his voice. “I’d hate to come across as a complete rube.” The growing crowd in the bar pressed them close to each other—so near that she could smell his tiger-shifter scent, both soothing and arousing.
Lana fought the urge to reach up and run her fingers across his lightly stubbled chin. Instead, she turned her back to the bar, leaning her elbows against it. “You have a last name, Roman?”
He pulled back a little, and Lana found herself missing the heat pouring off his body. “Velazquez. What about you?”
Roman Velazquez. It had a nice ring to it. Even this long after her escape from Trevor and his crew, she has to think about her own alias. “Lana Freeman.”
“Nice to meet you, Ms. Freeman.” He picked up one of the shot glasses and tipped it her direction.
“And you, Mr. Velazquez.”
As they drank, Lana caught the scent of bat-shifters wafting through the bar. Roman’s nose tilted up and his eyes narrowed as he glanced around for the source of the smell. In the wild, tigers might not have a very strong sense of smell, but it still beat humans’ any day.
At a table in a corner not far away, a female pair of bat-shifters kissed in the dark, tops off, black bras exposed to the enhanced night-vision of the tiger-shifters in their midst.
Roman glanced at them then turned back to Lana, about to say something, but she pre-empted him. “Give you any ideas?”
Did I really say that? What is wrong with me?
“Tons, actually,” he replied, and without missing a beat, he pulled her to him, his arm tight around her waist. The breath whooshed out of her as she wrapped her arms around his neck. Gently, he brushed his lips across her, sending a spark of desire flashing down her spine.
Arching her back, she pressed into him, instinctively parting her lips, ready for his tongue to enter her mouth. But his lips played against hers, sending more flickers of heat racing through her, stoking the fire of her need for another tiger. For him.
“Roman.” She whispered his name against his mouth, half unconsciously. His arm tightened around her waist and she molded her body to his as he grew hotter against her.
And still his mouth only danced lightly with hers. With a moan, she threaded her hands through his hair and pulled his lips tight to her, entering his mouth with her tongue, aggressive in a way she’s never been with another tiger. Not even Ian.
Within seconds, Roman matched her intensity, his tongue tangling with hers and sending white-hot excitement to her core.
Oh. I need to back off, or I’m going to end up stripping him down and taking him right here in the bar.
Chapter 4
Pulling back, Lana fought to regain both her composure and her breath. Not to mention that smartass waitress I was channeling earlier.
Finally, she said, “Okay, I have an idea.”
“What’s that?” He smiled, but his breath came a little faster than usual, too.
Good.
She picked up her next shot glass. “Okay, open your mouth, and follow my lead.”
When he nodded, Lana took the shot into her mouth without swallowing, and then put her lips up to his in a kiss. Opening her mouth, she let the tequila spill into his mouth, the alcohol burning and cooling, all at once.
As he swallowed, she kissed him again, placing one of her hands flat on his chest and gently massaging it. His chest was hard. Thick. Muscular.
Could he be more sexy?
“My turn.” The smile he gave her afterward was both hot and sweet as he picked up a shot of his own.
“Okay,” she responded, not sure if he could pull it off. But he did. She loved the sensation of the warm, burning liquid splashing into the back of her mouth from his, then evaporating in the heat of their kiss.
His fingertips grazed her nipple as his own hand settled on her breast for an instant before sliding up along her neck. A chill of excitement ran through her. Public displays of affection had never been her thing, but she was in a strange mood tonight.
I think I might love where this is going.
When she pulled back from the kiss, she glimpsed his tiger’s nictitating membrane flash across his eye, though he swiftly closed his human eyelids to cover it. If she’d been the human she pretended to be, she would have missed it in the dark.
She laughed in sheer delight at the joy of being with another tiger-shifter again, leaning in and giving him a soft, short kiss on the lips. “Ready for the last shots? Traditionally this time, though?”
“Lead the way.”
Is this really such a smart thing? Those first shots hit me much harder than they usually do, and I’m already being pretty reckless.
“Fuck it,” Lana said aloud, and ordered more.
“What?”
“Nothing. Simply thinking aloud,” she tried to recover.
Four final shot glasses showed up on the bar, and Roman slid hers over to her, and then raised his glass, not to be talked out of a toast this time. “To the Bat Bar.”
When the warm liquid hit her throat, it seemed to evaporate into her skin along with all his kisses from the evening, leaving her head swimming. Or maybe it’s spinning because of Roman Velazquez. Maybe I should let him take my last shot. I don’t want to be too out of control. Or do I?
Before she could change her mind, she grabbed the final glass, barely slowing down enough to let him raise his own. “To my place?”
“I’ll drink to that.” With a heated glance, he took his last shot, too.
I said that. I really said that. Oh my god. I’m totally out of control, but having such a good time. Why haven’t I ever done something like this before?
Because, some calmer voice in her head answered, he’s the first tiger-shifter you’ve seen in years—and possibly the most beautiful ever.
“That was definitely the best tequila I have ever had.” Roman set both their glasses down on the bar and pulled her to him as he tossed bills on the bar, barely stopping to count them.
They turned and headed for the stairs.
We’re actually doing this. Sleeping together on the first date.
Once they were back on the River Walk, the awkward practicality of reality hit her. “Oh. I don’t have a car.”
“That’s okay,” Roman guided her up some stone steps, away from the River Walk and back to the street level. “I’ll get us a cab.”
Both of us on a bus back to my place would have really killed the mood. She almost snickered aloud.
As they ascended the stairway to the street, the sidewalk was crowded, but there was a long line of empty cabs. Roman held open the door of the first one and Lana gave the driver her address as Roman climbed in behind her.
I want to hold his hand, but I’m not on the right side. What do I do?
After a moment’s thought, she put her right hand on the inside of his left thigh and lowered the side of her head against his shoulder.
I feel so safe with him. It had never felt so natural to simply be with anyone—not even Ian, no matter how much she’d loved him.
“I’m glad you liked the bar,” she said in a low voice.
“Oh, I loved it. And I loved the company even more.”
It didn’t take long for the cab to get them to her place, and as they walked toward the entrance to Lana’s apartment building, Roman said, “You told me your roommate travels a lot?”
“She’s not here—she left on an overseas flight this morning. You don’t have to worry. We have the place to ourselves.”
The building’s old elevator moved slowly. For the first time, Lana regretted choosing to live in a cheap apartment—but she couldn’t afford much more, and Rosie, her roommate, didn’t want to spend a lot of money on a place she only used a few nights a month.
But Lana always worried that the elevator would break down and right now was hyper-aware of the right corner shaking and vibrating slightly as it moved upward.
Of course, if the elevator breaks down, this could be another first for me. Sex in an elevator.
Roman had become strangely mute since they’d entered her apartment building. Is he nervous? Wishing he hadn’t come with me?
Despite her sudden anxiety, she managed the keys and unlocked the door to the dark, cool apartment. An artificial breeze escaped through the door, brushing past her sensitized skin. Rosie kept the AC cranked low and had forgotten to turn it back up before she left that morning. Lana had mostly learned to live with it.
Turning on the hallway light, she led Roman into the small living room, directing him to a couch that was really only slightly larger than a love seat. She headed for the kitchenette. “We’ve got tons of alcohol, if you want. I need water, though.”
As Roman sat, he finally broke his silence. “Oh, I doubt we could top what we had. Nothing for me, thanks.”
In the kitchenette, Lana realized her mouth had gone dry at the sound of his voice. She needed the water now. She poured it and gulped it down right afterward. I sound so loud. Do I sound as loud to him where he is sitting? She rubbed her eyes. Of course she did. He was a tiger-shifter, too, after all. He can probably hear my heart beating if he listens carefully enough. Note to self: Never drink tequila on a first date again.
Lana headed for the small couch, where Roman sat in the middle, his right arm stretched out over the back of the couch.
Best bet is probably to sit on his left side, so he can reach over with his right arm and touch me. Right? Oh, god. Is it wrong that I’m thinking like this?
Trying not to give away her sudden attack of nerves, Lana sat down next to him, up against his side. He was warm and solid, his muscles firm alongside her.
“You’re a really good kisser,” she said, not wanting any kind of awkward silence to set in. So instead I opt for awkward conversation. What is wrong with me?
“So are you,” he whispered, obviously not bothered by her conversational gambit. In fact, his hand was already on her top, slowly and gently undoing her buttons with his fingers. His hand was strong and steady and she relaxed against the back of the couch, tilting her head back and closing her eyes, letting out a slight sigh.
Kiss my neck.
As if he read her mind, his lips lowered to the spot where her clavicle formed a dip, the tip of his warm tongue extending to caress her skin. Do I taste salty?
Roman finished her unbuttoning her top with precision and pulled her white waitress’s dress shirt out of her black pants. A shiver moved through her as his hand ghosted up the skin of her stomach to the underside of her breasts, where he traced their curves, his fingers moving as his mouth caressed her neck, their combined touch a symphony of sensation.
I’ve been starving for another tiger’s touch, she realized.
His fingers whispered up the center of her cleavage to unhook the front of her bra in a graceful motion, and the cool air against her skin joined the orchestra of touch, tautening her nipples.
Slowly, tantalizingly, he slid her bra straps and shirt back over her shoulders, and then down behind her, trapping her arms inside her sleeves and his hands. The contrast between the cold air and her hot skin played against his hot breath and warm tongue, making her tremble in anticipation. She pushed back against his hold, and his lips moved against her as he murmured, “Not yet. Okay?”
The combination of his strength with his gentleness, his willingness to make sure she felt safe with him only made her want him more. A tiny whimper escaped her, but she nodded. She wanted to kiss him on the lips again, but he was doing wonderful things to her neck, and she didn’t want that to end, either. At least not yet.
Almost as soon as the thought crossed her mind, though, Roman moved down, his tongue flicking a trail from her neck to her breast. A nearly inaudible moan escape from her throat. Being with him feels so right. He is both comforting and exciting at the same time.
And when he took the pebbled skin of a nipple into his mouth, rolling the pebbled flesh around the heated interior, she almost melted with need, pushing against his hold impatiently. He let go instantly, and she pulled at his shirt, the steady hands at the door gone—she was now shaking and trembling a little.
Is this from the alcohol or from the excitement?
She pulled his shirt off over his head, forcing him to stop kissing her breast. When his lips returned to her, he sought out her face. Her cheeks. Her chin. Her lips.
As her lips parted to welcome him in, she slid down to the seat of the couch. Fuck it. The bedroom is too far away, and I can’t wait. Besides, it’s a mess in there.
Suddenly, she froze, paralyzed by a memory.
“You’ll be my mate, you know. Ian never deserved you,” a voice echoed in her mind.
Trevor.
“I’ll die first,” she’d said from inside the cage where he and his men had held her, day after day. “I’ll open my own veins.” She snicked out her claws to prove she could.
Trevor laughed. “Oh, kitten, you shouldn’t have shown me that.” With a gesture, he’d had several of his men tie her arms out to the side. No matter how hard she fought, she couldn’t get away—not even after she’d raked one of the tiger-shifter’s ears off in the fight.
“Be still,” Trevor snarled, “or I’ll allow every single one of my men to fuck you. I’ll let them take you as men and as tigers and in their hybrid forms, until you’re raw and bleeding and more than likely pregnant by the time they’re done.”
A terrified sob shuddered out of her.
Trevor’s voice turned silky. “Or, if you prefer, you can choose me. Take me as your mate, legitimize my position of alpha, and you can have the run of my home. After, of course, you provide me with an heir.” He slipped his hands through the bars, stroking her hair as she strained to back away from him. “I know you will make the right decision. The only decision.”
He gave her one last wicked smile before leaving the large receiving room, where he left her, all of his men standing around the cage, leering at her.
With a shaking tremor now, she pulled herself out of the memory, only to find herself curled into a ball in the corner of the small sofa, Roman above her, frowning as he gently touched her shoulder.
“Lana? What is it? Are you okay?”
Chapter 5
Curling tighter into her ball, Lana whimpered.
“What is it?” Roman whispered again, his hand soft as he stroked down her arm. “Talk to me, Lana.”
Instead, she took a deep breath, curling her upper lip to move the air molecules into her nose and over her half-shifted Jacobsen’s organ in the roof of her mouth. This flehmen response was a clear shifter move, but it was the only way she could think of to truly sense his intentions. Maybe he wouldn’t notice it in the midst of her distress.
Everything about his scent was honest, real. And right now, she needed that more than anything.
“I don’t want to talk.” Her voice came out hoarse. Raw. Needy. And she didn’t care. Her hands went to his belt. She fumbled a bit, but got it undone, unzipping him and running her hand over his cock through his briefs.
