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THE WARM SUN, FILTERED through dark curtains, awoke me. My head pounded as I rolled over, seeing a tall glass of water covered with condensation from the ice that filled it and what looked like a couple of aspirins. Groggy, I sat up and looked around. I didn’t know the room with its oaken furniture. I looked down at myself to see I had on a big white T-shirt over the previous night’s clothes. I tugged at it, while I tried to remember what the Hell happened. The night was mostly blank. I took the pills and guzzled the water. It felt good going down my parched throat. Out of the corner of my eye, I spied a stack of fabrics at the foot of the bed and on top a note. I crawled down the bed, my body not ready for much else and snatched up the piece of paper.
‘Aella,
‘There’s clean towels in the bathroom down the hall. Freshen up and meet me downstairs.’
Sig
I picked up the stack to find it was another white T-shirt and black drawstring sweat pants. I took a deep breath, I smelled awful and my mouth tasted like a cat had shit in it. I groaned, grabbing the clothes and headed out of the room. The hallway was nice and clean. A long brown afghan runner covered the hardwood floor, and I passed a couple tables with fresh flowers and trinkets on them. I found the bathroom as it was the only door unlocked and ajar. I turned on the light and winced at its brightness, then I caught myself in the mirror. I looked like a train wreck. Mascara and eyeliner was smudged everywhere and I had lipstick on my teeth. My hair was a nest of puffed and frizzed curls going every which way.
“Christ,” I swore, pulling the clip from my hair, letting it all fall down my back. I stripped and turned on the hot water, climbing into the big porcelain tub and letting the heat of the water wash the sick feeling in my body away. There wasn’t much in the shower, some nondescript shampoo and conditioner, which smelled okay, but was not going to make my hair very happy unless I used a ton of it. I needed the ultra-moisturizing anti-frizz stuff. There was also a body wash, which was ginger and honey, that I was surprised to see in a man’s bathroom. I shrugged and lathered up a clean washcloth.
To each their own, I thought as I got to work scrubbing my face and body.
***
I BUNDLED UP MY CLOTHES and wandered down the stairs, looking at the photos on the wall. They were of an older man and what looked like that girl Ryane, Collette had pointed out to me. Was this her house? Did Siegfried live with her? If so, what was going on between them? Was she here? I could feel my nervousness and my scales as they prickled on my arms. I stopped myself before I rounded the corner, taking a few deep breaths. I didn’t hear much, but I could smell meat cooking and coffee brewing, both making my stomach growl greedily. I adjusted the ties on the sweat pants, making sure they were going to stay up and came around the corner into the hall that connected to the living room. I peered inside curiously. It was cozy. A couch and a couple of matching fabric chairs, a big television over the fireplace. It was a nice intimate setting for a family or group of friends. My stomach became insistent I so followed it, finding the kitchen. Siegfried was at the stove frying up some eggs, there was already steak on two plates and a stack of buttered toast.
“Hi,” I managed, my arms crossed over my chest. He turned his head slightly, a smile on his face as he plated the eggs and slid the food in front of me.
“Good morning,” he answered softly, for which I was thankful as my head was still not happy. “You feeling better?”
I nodded, rubbing my head and staring at the food as he gave me a napkin, knife and fork. “This looks great.”
“It’ll help absorb the rest of the alcohol, not that you should have any left in you.” He chuckled, joining me at the center island.
“Yeah, how did I end up here, I mean, we didn’t...” I couldn’t even say it, my face flushed and my scales rose along my eyes.
“I’m not in the habit of bedding passed out women. I prefer my sex interactive.” He took a bite of the steak, chewing as he seemed to be thinking of his next words.
I sighed heavily with relief. “Thank the Gods.” He rose an eyebrow at me in question. “Sorry, it’s not that I... What I mean is, I was -don’t, remember anything past the seventh or eighth drink with Collette and her friend. All those games I was playing... I don’t want you to think I’m some slut.” I shoveled the food into my mouth. The steak was tender and a little spicy, a perfect complement to the runny egg. I let out a happy moan. “This is so good. I’m gonna need more of this.” I pointed at the steak with my knife.
“Furthest thing from my mind.” He was staring at my mouth as I spoke, making me think there was something on my face. I wiped at it. “What are you staring at?”
“I’m sorry. It’s just, well, I wasn’t a complete gentleman last night.” His smile became a wide grin. “As drunk as you were, when you pinned me, I did kiss you. May have grabbed your ass a bit too.”
I choked on my coffee. “I kissed you?”
“Yup, right before you puked all over the sidewalk, the grass, yourself, my truck...” He sipped his coffee. “I managed to come away with just a bit on my shoes.”
I put my head in my mortified hands, shaking it side to side. “I am so very sorry.”
“It’s okay, but you were pretty out of it, which was why I brought you here with me.”
I nodded, looking around some more. “So whose place is this, I saw pictures of that girl, Ryane, on the walls. Do you live with her?” I wanted to change the subject of my botched first kiss. It would figure I would miss it, and not get to actually experience it. I was internally beating myself up.
“No. She lives somewhere else. It was her Godfather’s, but he passed away recently, so I’m keeping the place up and running.” He slipped from his side of the center island and came over to me. “It’s just me and you here.” He pushed my curls back from my face and turned me toward him. “Last night you said something that I’d like to confirm.”
“I did?” My legs started to shake on the stool, and I put my hands on them to make it less obvious. That strange feeling was returning to my body, having him so close. God, I couldn’t help the way he made me feel, the hairs on me lifted as he looked down at me. I clenched my fists against my connected knees.
“Yeah, you said, ‘This was not how I wanted my first kiss...’ How did you mean that?”
“Um, what do you mean? How?”
“Did you mean your first kiss, or your first kiss with me?”
“Does it really matter?” I tightened my fists as my face went crimson.
“Yeah, one makes me feel giddy, the idea that you have thought about kissing me. The other makes me feel like a thief, taking something so special from you when you were so vulnerable.”
“Would it help if I said both?” I whispered.
“You’re a gorgeous woman, how can you have gone this long and not been kissed good and proper?
I looked down, but he lifted my chin, making me gaze into those emerald green eyes. “I never met someone I wanted to kiss before.”
“But you have now?” He was trying not to smile, as he lightly caressed my cheeks with his thumbs.
The touch sent a zing straight through me. I licked my lips, taking my bottom lip between my teeth for an instant. “I...” I gasped as he reached between my knees to pull the stool and I closer to him. His lips hovered over mine, I could feel his cool breath on me as he took my face between his palms.
“You deserve to be kissed and kissed well,” he murmured, laying a kiss on my forehead. Then his lips fluttered over my eyes, my cheeks. He lightly brushed my mouth, but passed it by, instead he lightly kissed my jaw, then my throat.
My hands found his, and they traveled up his arms. I pulled him closer with a gasp, my whole body felt like it was on fire. He kissed up my neck and to my chin with tiny nibbles, then his lips fell onto mine in small wet bursts. I sought to bring him closer to me, opening my legs and he obliged, filling the space with his hard body. I opened my mouth, my tongue finding his. He tasted spicy, like the deep, rich coffee, we had been drinking. He pulled away slightly, breaking the kiss.
“Take it easy,” he whispered, his lips softly teasing mine. “A little less tongue.” A chuckle filled his chest.
“I’m sorry.” I was starting to panic, was I not doing good at this?
“It’s okay.” He took my bottom lip into his mouth, giving it a gentle tug, his hands running down my back and cupping my ass. I grabbed him by the head, going back in even as it made my head swim. He picked me up and I wrapped my legs around him as he carried me, in a moment I felt the couch surround us as he lay beside rather than on top of me. His hands squeezed and kneaded at my hips. I ran my leg up his and he pulled it up further, breaking our heated kiss. He grabbed my legs, flipping me onto my back and sliding me down the couch, getting my knees on either side of him. I watched with heavy breaths as he pulled off his shirt, tossing it to the floor. I sat up and ran my hands up his washboard of a stomach. The flesh was evenly tanned like the rest of him and the muscles were rippled and firm. His breathing was as labored as mine as he grabbed my face again to take my mouth, laying me back, coming down on top of me. He leaned into my center, and I felt something hard push against my sex. I broke our kiss, looking down, the bulge in his pants was hard to miss. “Oh, wow.” I couldn’t help myself. I’d never actually seen a guy excited before.
He laughed, pulling back slightly. “I’m sorry, you just taste so fucking good, he’s got a mind of his own and we’ve kinda been thinking about you a lot.”
I could see the hunger in his eyes as his hands settled back on my hips and waist.
“I know what you mean,” I confessed. “I’ve thought about you too.”
“What have you thought about?” He raised an eyebrow. “I’d love to hear.”
I covered my face with my hands. “Oh, Hell, I don’t know.” I giggled. “Stuff.”
“Like, what?” He leaned down, his hand under me as he kissed my neck. “This?”
“Sometimes...” I lifted my head as his tongue ran up to reclaim my mouth for a moment.
“And other times?”
“I’ve thought about your hands on me,” I gasped as he slid his hand just down the back of my pants, getting a handful of my naked flesh. I hadn’t wanted to put on the worn underwear, so I just went without.
“I see.” His fingers trailed around to the front of my waistband, he dragged his nails along my stomach, lifting the T-shirt. He bent down, kissing my navel, flicking the ring there with his tongue. “You like piercings?”
“I- Sometimes.”
“Can I take this off you?” He tugged at the T-shirt.
I looked down at him with a little nod as I sat up on my elbows. “Yes.”