Whisper (8 page)

“I need to be in you.”

She trembled, and even that turned him on. When she went to unbutton his pants, he let her do it, watching with interest. She took his hard cock into her hands, but he wasn’t about to let her go down on him. Not now. He’d spoken the truth when he said he had to get inside her. His sense of smell, already very strong, was overwhelmed with the scent of her cream. She was wet. He didn’t need to feel it to know it ran thick down to the tops of her thighs.

Alec shoved his pants over his hips along with his boxers, and then picked her up. Her weight didn’t strain his muscles in the least. In fact, he got off on all her curves, the color of her brown skin, the smoothness.
And oh the feel
..
.
He sighed when his cock slid into her channel. Moist yet tight, it stretched around his girth, making him have to work to get himself all the way in.

“Damn it, baby, how can you still be so snug? You’re going to make me come.”

“I’m sorry.”

He stroked her cheek. “No, don’t be sorry. You feel incredible. Your body is perfect.”

“You’re bigger.”

He stopped mid-thrust. “What do you mean?”

She’d shut her eyes and clung to his shoulders as if the sensations were a bit too much. Her heartbeat pounded in his ears, and her breaths had picked up speed. She moaned and nuzzled her face into his neck. When she spoke, her lips were on his pulse. The vibrations almost moved him to an orgasm even though he had stilled.

“You’re bigger than last time, like you’re more turned on. I thought you were giant then.”

He drew back a little. “Am I hurting you?”

“Hell, no. If you take it out now, I’m going to kill you.”

Alec chuckled. “Then by all means, let me please you, my sexy goddess.”

Her lips tightened at his pet name, and something told him she didn’t like it. That made him laugh all the more until she began to wiggle her hips. He was gone. Alec got his cock seated all the way inside her and then began moving at a steady, if slow pace. He picked up speed and thrust faster. Before long, he pounded into her, his desire driven higher with each grind and the noise of their coming together. Whisper was right. He was harder because he was turned on more than he’d ever been before. She filled his senses, drove him insane. He couldn’t get enough—not in this lifetime. Maybe when he’d come, he’d feel more in control. He only hoped so.

Whisper cried out his name. Her head dropped back, and she whimpered. Alec feasted his eyes on her sweet face, her swanlike neck. He bent to run the tip of his tongue along the graceful column and thrilled in the tremor that passed over Whisper.

“I’m going to…” she said on a rasp. “I need to…”

She couldn’t seem to finish the words. He didn’t care if she did or didn’t. Knowing what she meant and that he’d brought her to the brink took him higher. Alec’s balls tightened and rose. He clenched his jaw and dropped his forehead toward her throat. The muscles in his core convulsed and contracted. One word eeked past his lips—her name. He let go on a last plunge into her wet pussy, and held himself there. Whisper mewled so sweetly, he crushed her to his chest. They came together in a way he couldn’t have choreographed if he tried.

When they were done, Alec backed up a step. He raised Whisper off of his shaft and set her on her feet. She swayed, and he held on until she got her bearings. Now that his lust had been satisfied, reason returned. He left her standing at the door and took two big strides back to put space between them.

Whisper, too, seemed to come to her senses. She flitted on tiptoe to her discarded clothes and put them on. “I—” she said but didn’t continue.

Why had he come here? He was only encouraging her. He knew women, and they drew conclusions at this kind of thing. If she thought he couldn’t resist her, she would begin to believe there was more to his feelings. He refused to use her for her body and allow her to read something warmer from it.

“I should go,” he said.

Although he could sense fear, being a leopard shifter, he couldn’t read other emotions unless he saw the signs in expressions or body language. He didn’t need to look at Whisper to know his words hurt her. Like a knife turned in his gut, he hated himself for doing that to her. He should have been stronger and not come here tonight. This was his fault.
Damn it, I know better than this, and I don’t make these kinds of mistakes anymore.

He took a step in her direction. “Whisper—”

She flinched at his use of her name but waved her hand without looking at him. “You’re right. You should go.”

He opened his mouth to speak again.

“Go!”

He nodded although she wasn’t looking at him. He left the apartment, and closed the door behind him.

Chapter Nine

Alec stood at the counter and received the beer the bartender handed him. He took a sip and then turned to survey the crowd. On a late Friday night, the place was packed wall to wall, and there were plenty of women who peaked his interest. Well, they would have peaked his interest a month ago, or even a couple of weeks. Before his mind was consumed with thoughts of Whisper, and his body craved to touch hers. He’d come here tonight to find someone—
anyone
—who could take away the insanity that Whisper brought.

A couple days ago, he’d given her his manuscript. For a good hour, he had argued with himself to forget it, and he’d told himself her opinion didn’t matter. Besides, after their parting in her apartment, she wouldn’t be interested anyway. He’d lost the battle, and after spending hours getting more of the story on paper and out of his head, he’d packaged it up and left it at her door. Later, when he returned from a few errands, he found the envelope gone, so he could only conclude that she got it. For all he knew, she might have tossed it into the trash when she realized what it was. So here he was looking to remove the obsession he had for the woman.

A blond at the other end of the counter smiled when she caught his eye. He nodded but kept his gaze moving. She was beautiful, but his crotch didn’t stir at her dress’s plunging neckline. For an instant, he paused on a black woman. As far as he could see she was one of only two in the bar that night. The rest of the women were white. He considered approaching her. Maybe another black woman could erase Whisper. A feeling of revulsion washed over him. No. The only mocha beauty he wanted from here on was Whisper. He didn’t want to admit it, but it was true nonetheless. He would deny himself the pleasure of her, but he wouldn’t seek it in another woman like her. No, the farthest was best.

With this in mind, he scanned the place again and focused on a petite brunette near the entrance. He made his way through the crowd and drew up to her. When he leaned in close, it felt like he bent from miles away to her short stature. “Buy you a drink?”

What he wanted to say was “let’s go back to your place” and dispense with pleasantries, but that would be insensitive, and while he didn’t want to get into a relationship, he didn’t want to hurt anyone either. Least of all Whisper. Realizing he was thinking about her again, he clenched his jaw, tightened the hold he had on his beer, and forced himself to focus on the woman in front of him.

She offered a half smile and flipped her hair over her shoulder. He read the flurry of emotions over her face like a book. She considered whether to play hard to get or to let him know she was open to what he really meant. This particular bar didn’t have a lot of dancing going on, and the place was too loud for any meaningful conversation. Therefore, pretty much everyone here was looking for a hookup.

“Sure, baby.” She laid a hand over his. “I’ll have what you’re having.”

Her bold move of taking his drink from his hand and raising it to her lips to take a swallow had turned him on in other women before. Tonight his emotions fell flat. In fact, he was beginning to worry that his cock wouldn’t get hard at all. That had never happened.

He moved behind her and brought his mouth close to her ear. “I’m Alec. What’s your name?”

She murmured something he didn’t hear. He couldn’t stir enough curiosity to ask what she said, but her physical reaction told him all he needed to know. She practically purred and brushed her ass to his thigh. Alec held still where he was. In the past, he would have placed a light palm at her waist and assessed things further. Some wanted a little more petting before they gave in to what they both wanted. He wasn’t in the mood to play the game but kept the expression of interest firmly in place.

The brunette turned to face him and rested her hands on his chest, head tilted back, lips parted. “Take me home?”

He almost sighed in relief. “Of course.”

They left the club in a hurry, and he drove the three miles to the address she gave him at record speed. Before long they were out of the car and in the house, shedding clothes and kissing.
She’s holding her lips too tight. She’s too damn short. Come on, damn it. Get hard. There, some life!

He battled to calm his mind and stop being critical of her. This wasn’t like him. He could teach any woman to be a better lover. He’d carefully paid attention to them over the years to learn how to please them as well. The brunette had placed his hand on her breast, which was a good size. By now his cock should have been rock solid. Hell, it would have been with just a few words between them at the club, but right now it was semi-alive. He cursed himself.
And damn Whisper! Get out of my head.

In a burst of determination, he bent and lifted the brunette into his arms. She shrieked in delight, and he carried her down the hall of her apartment. She directed him to the back bedroom, and he kicked the door wider. Alec dumped her on the bed and followed her down, pinning her small figure to the mattress. Slender bones poked him in the groin. He grunted.

“Oh, baby, I’m hot for you, too,” she teased, mistaking his grunt for excitement. Alec suppressed a laugh. This was not a humorous situation. Or maybe it was.

When he leaned up to raise her dress higher on her hips, running a hand along her thigh, a ding made him stop. He realized it was his phone and sat up. That was a text message, and Max knew better than to bug him right now since he’d known where Alec was going tonight. Max had nagged him not to go the entire time he was getting dressed. Not until Alec had called him an old woman did his brother stop.

“Hold on a second,” he told the brunette. He couldn’t bring himself to use endearments, something he would have done at any other time. The display read Whisper’s name. He hadn’t erased her from his phone. His chest tightened, and yet, his heart rate sped up.

“I finished it,”
she wrote.
“It was unbelievable, and I can’t wait to see what happens next. We can talk about it whenever you have a chance…
If you want.”

Alec’s hand spasmed on the phone. He tried suppressing the excitement rising inside, but it wasn’t to be denied. Not even glancing at the woman on the bed, he dialed Whisper. She answered on the second ring.

“Don’t say you liked it if you didn’t. I know it has flaws.”

“Don’t be stupid,” she countered and laughed. “You can’t be so blind you don’t see that you’re brilliant. I mean I was chewing my nails all the way through.”

He smiled at her words but tried to keep his cool. “I’m glad to hear it. And the one scene we discussed? What did you think of that? I think I explained better why he chose the old house where he grew up.”

“Oh my goodness, yes,” she exclaimed. “It all came clear when I read further.”

He was about to respond when the brunette sat up on the bed and slammed a fist on the mattress. “What is your problem, Alec? Do you want to fuck me or sit on the phone all night?”

Alec froze and then glared at her. The way she flinched he knew he got his point across to shut her mouth. He turned back to his phone. “Whisper?”

She didn’t answer, but she was still there because he could hear her breathing.

“Whisper, listen…” He stopped. What was he going to say? They weren’t together, but he still felt like he’d just betrayed her. He could only imagine how hurt she must be. “Honey, I—”

“Just leave the rest of it outside my door just like you did this one,” she interrupted in a rush. “I’ll repackage this and leave it with Max if he’s home. If not, it’ll be in front the door when you get back. Bye.”

She hung up. Alec swore. The brunette kneeled behind him and put a hand on his shoulder. He shoved it off and stood up. “Sorry. Something’s come up.”

He gave no other explanation but dressed and left without another look at the woman. The night was shot, and there was no way he was going to get into it—especially when what he wanted more was to wring that damn woman’s neck for yelling out like that. Still, this was his fault. He never should have called Whisper. He never should have given her the book. They’d made another break, and that’s where it should have stayed. Now, there was no question she wouldn’t speak to him again, and that was the way it should be.