Page 24 of Songbird
“Really?” Tarrick grinned, one eyebrow cocking.
Before, through his clothes, there had been a slight softness to his form. Now, beneath my fingers, there was nothing but firm, unyielding muscle. One particular part of him pressed insistently against my thigh, feeling especially rigid. My hands, with newfound appreciation, ventured over the expanse of his chest, growing bold enough to undo the top buttons of his tunic. As the fabric parted, it unveiled a sculpted chest, each muscle defined as if chiseled from stone.
“You’re not at all chubby like I thought,” I murmured, mesmerized by the sight of him.
Tarrick threw his head back, his laughter echoing through the room like a burst of thunder. “You thought I was chubby?”
“A little,” I admitted. “The jackets you wear make you look kind of....”
“Paunchy?” Tarrick supplied, watching as my fingertips finished unbuttoning his tunic.
I nodded in agreement with his verb choice, my fingers trembling slightly as I finally slid the tunic off his shoulders. As the fabric fell away, I felt my eyes widen in awe, and I worried for a moment that I might be on the verge of drooling. He was stunning. He’d always been handsome to me, with that classically sculpted face and thick mane. But now, seeing his chest and shoulders revealed, broad and defined with sculpted muscles, he truly took my breath away.
“Wow.”
Tarrick’s lips curled into a wide grin, his eyes sparkling with satisfaction at my reaction. “The‘paunchiness’is part of my spy persona. My brother Siemba thought looking out of shape would help sell the idea that I was a spoiled, gluttonous, hedonistic playboy.”
I felt a knot in my stomach at the thought of other women in his bed noticing the transformation. I didn’t want to, but I hadto ask. “What about other... females? Didn’t they notice you’re built like a bodybuilder?”
Tarrick issued a half-hearted shrug, as much as his prone posture would allow. “Most of the females I entertained in bed were too self-centered to pay much attention to me other than what I could do for them.”
“Oh.” I couldn’t shake the nagging, jealous thought that I wasn’t the first woman he’d guided to the dizzying peaks of ecstasy, and likely wouldn’t be the last.
“Stop,” Tarrick ordered, his warm palm cupping my cheek.
“Stop what?”
“Stop trying to convince yourself that what happened last night wasn’t special,” he murmured. His lips met mine in a kiss that was both tender and fervent, as if to affirm that the connection between us was truly something extraordinary.
I moaned softly against his lips, feeling an intense warmth spread through me as I wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling him closer. Tarrick held me tightly as our lips moved in a lingering, passionate dance. We kissed for what felt like an eternity, each moment stretching into the next, until he finally pulled away, leaving me breathless.
“You are a beautiful, desirable, extraordinary female Izzy.” His voice was like gravel, deep and resonant, carrying an unmistakable weight of honesty. “And for me, last night... for the first time, I felt like I held a female in my arms that knew the true me.”
I knew him. I knew the real Tarrick in the gentle way he treated me, always protective and caring. I knew him from the adoration he showered upon his niece, Priemba, his eyes lighting up with affection whenever she was around. I knew him in how he rejected the superficial allure of his ruse as a wealthy, spoiled playboy, viewing it merely as a role to be played. He possessed akind heart, sweetness, unwavering loyalty, and a generous spirit—a genuinely good male. And one—I realized—I had fallen in love with.
This time, I initiated the kiss, feeling a newfound confidence surge through me. My hands moved boldly to the drawstring at the waistband of his pants, fingers deftly attacking the knot. The embarrassed tremor in my hands had vanished. Any lingering hesitation dissolved, leaving me only with desire and purpose. Tarrick’s cock strained toward me, hard and eager, and the anticipation to see him, to feel the warmth of his skin beneath my touch, felt urgent and undeniable. His tail had settled again around my ankle, not tightly, but with a definitely proprietary hold, the tufted tip stroking along my skin as soft as a cotton ball.
Tarrick broke away from the kiss, catching my hands in his and stilling my movements. “Izzy, we don’t have to do this if you’re not ready. There are other ways to get my scent on your skin.” His voice was rough and gravelly, as if each word struggled to escape through a barrier of restraint.
It took me a minute to realize what he meant. “Oh!”
At the sound of my voice, a glimmer of disappointment danced through his dark eyes. His body tensed and made to draw away, obviously thinking I’d be okay with option two.
“No!” I wound my arms tightly around his neck, feeling the warmth of his skin beneath my fingertips, and kissed him soundly. “I am ready, Tarrick. I want to do this. I want you.”
For the first time in what felt like an eternity, perhaps even for the first time ever, I had the power to make my own decisions. On Earth, my mother always demanded control, either subtly manipulating or outright threatening me into doing her bidding. When the aliens abducted me, I had no say in the matter. Even though I adored singing atSpace Pearls, that pathhadn’t really much of a choice either. But here, at this moment, with Tarrick, the choice was mine and mine alone. And I chose him.
Tarrick watched me intently, his gaze steady and searching as if he were teetering on the edge of disbelief, hesitant to embrace the idea. “You are sure, my sweet Izzy.”
“I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life.” To prove my point, I grasped the drawstring of his pants and yanked it free, sliding the fabric down over his hips. Tarrick shifted slightly, and in no time, his clothes joined the pile of discarded garments at the foot of the bed. Like me, he was entirely bare and gloriously so. His body was muscular, with a light tan pelt that seemed to glow under the soft light. His chocolate brown eyes held a captivating twinkle, and his mane, thick and bronze, framed his face with wild elegance. Tarrick was the living embodiment of what one might envision if they searched an AI fora gorgeous, muscular man mixed with a lion. He was utterly breathtaking, a perfect blend of strength and grace.
Tarrick rolled me onto my back, separating my thighs with a knee as he leaned down, his warm breath whispering across my skin before his lips gently enveloped one of my nipples. A sharp intake of breath escaped me as I arched against him, sensations sparking through my body. His tongue flicked expertly, tracing delicate circles around the sensitive peak, sending shivers of pleasure radiating outward.
His fingers slid over my hips and between my thighs, trailing along the slick, sensitive folds until they discovered the delicate center of my desire. The contact was electric, sending sparks of pleasure dancing through my body, causing me to moan and arch against him.
“Izzy, you are so wet, my sweet,” Tarrick breathed, lifting his fingers to his mouth. They shimmered with wetness, and helicked away my arousal like a starving man at an all you can eat buffet. God, that was sexy!
“Please, Tarrick.” I didn’t exactly know what I was begging for; I just knew I needed it desperately.
