Enslaved in Shadows (3 page)

He’d stood over her at the beach
,
and she’d been able to drink
him in
entirely
.
He was
unquestionably
all man. Sculpted ropes of muscle hugged his stomach.
His body was made to be worshiped
,
and Jesminda would gladly worship him if given the chance.
Six and half feet, and good lord almighty the man wanted to fuck her. She would have thrown her entire body into a fist pump if it didn’t make her look geeky.
No geek tonight.

He was here at Odessa’s
,
a second skin wrapped tight around her with no intention of backing off.
What the hell was she supposed to do now?
Drop to your feet, pledge fealty to his body.
She had to stifle a giggle as she tried to compose herself.
She was drunk o
n arousal and in awe of him
and his
smell.
Who smelled like wet earth and fresh rain, mixed with man? The scent slowly wrapped around and enclosed her body in a hazy heat of sex. Why did he want her? She could feel the immense warmth from his body as he stood there in silence.
Was he waiting for a response?
She tried to turn around to face him, but as she turned to move, he held her steady with his words.

“Don’t turn around.”

The words left Jes
in a state of complete acuity, an epicurean massage to her senses. His voice was rough and low. Her pleasure neurons were at their most optimal and ready to receive more. The brain was
clear
ly a powerful tool. Images of their bodies wrapped around one another paraded through her mind, his voice
combustive
to her senses. Her gut twisted into a sensual knot and vibrated stimulation with the power on her body turned up high. She was strung tight waiting impatiently for more. This was something she’d never felt before. Her heart siphoned her blood beyond its limits, left her dizzy as adrenaline infused excitement coursed through her.

Being twenty-two and awkward had its
drawbacks
.
She wasn’t short, but she wasn’t tall either.
She was average, lanky for the most part.
Her best features were her flared hips and almost flat stomach.
Her hair could never be tamed; as a
result,
she kept it tied up.
Her personality was her star attraction
,
and for the
most
part,
she didn’t care what men thought. U
ntil now.
Unsolved
M
ysteries
would
surely
take the bait in her case
, because
her
current
behavio
r wasn’t one she was known for.

Berating herself yet
again,
she mentally sighed. She could feel his chin moving her thick mass of curls to the other side of her head.
What’s he doing?

It was
eighty-nine
degrees in Belmopan, Belize and her skin was already heated from the dancing and throngs of bodies gyrating in the club. He nuzzled her neck and Jes inhaled sharply, trying to draw in the
sensation of his body being
close, absorb whatever chemical he was throwing off.
Melting into his embrace was the key goal for this evening.

He growled at her attempts to get closer. The sound was raw and tickled her neck as his hot breath fanned her skin.
If she never got the chance to turn around, she’d die a happy woman from the sound of his v
oice.
It was thick and contagious to her senses
. He could charm any woman into his bed with just the word
“come
.”
She was the gauze
,
and he was the drug being soaked up.

“Are you going to answer me?”
His voice lower
, if that were
even possible turning her insides to liquid. She pulled in a ragged breath, he made her overly excited. It was a bit un-nerving, and the right thing to do would be to high tail it out of his vicinity.
Like, super quick.
But at the same
time,
it was utterly exciting
and
dangerous.
Girls do love danger.
Th
ere was a definite air of menace
that surrounded him.
To the right woman they were
“
fuck me
”
pheromones.
To the wrong guy it was a
"F
uck off or die
"
vibe.

The music in the club crawled to a slow
,
seductive beat and couples wer
e wrapped around one another in p
ositions she wanted to mirror in bed. A heady combination of sensuality and carnal intent wove its way into her body. Having a
one-night
stand, never to see
that person again? She
shrugged. It had its appeal, and she fully acknowledged the darker side of herself. Jumping into something feet fir
st was not her regular persona.

She was known for being too organized. Her mother called it
obsessive-compulsive
disorder. Jes called it
double-checking
.

Her mind was screaming RUN
, even as her body melted f
urther into the silky sound of
music and the possibilities.
Could she be daring? Miss prim and proper Jesminda Zealand? Not likely.
Yes, you’re doing this. Adventures remember?
Maybe her isl
and roots were calling to her, C
arn
ival would start in a few days. W
ho s
aid she couldn’t be promiscuous? J
ust this once
.
But to get
freaky with a complete stranger? H
er family would shun her.
It was something different, bold, and even though she was only willing to admit it to herself, it was dirty.

He slowly caressed her bare shoulder startling Jes out of her thoughts.
She still hadn’t answered him, wasn’t sure if her voice would even work at this point.
Whose
would with their senses being tuned to the beat of this strangers drum?
A calloused thumb drew lazy c
ircles on her skin and where their
skin
met,
hers tingled. She was on a downward spiral into the fiery pits of the unknown.
It was foreplay to the tenth degree times infinity.
He dragged his bottom lip along her shoulder, up to her neck ending at her
ear and growled.
He playfully nipped.
Done deal.
She’d wanted those lips on her body. She thought, as a shudder took her under the el
ectric waves of his touch. Fire
danced seductively in
her belly, swayed back and forth to the music of his lips and finally settled into her core. Firm and fervid as his mouth opened and closed in fainéant glides from her shoulder to the back of her neck, he trailed further down to trace the base with his tongue. Gently he nipped the top to her bikini with his mouth and tugged undoing the tie. Her knees buckled and his hands were there to catch her. One hand splayed over her bare stomach in a possessive grasp, the other at her waist. Was he laughing?

Are you really going to do this?
A stray thought strung together, tested on her conscious as she tried to decide what it was about this man. She had no reservations when the thought of sleeping with him breached her mind. She wasn’t scared or threaten
ed. In fact, she was
quite the
opposite.
She was on fire and her insides were boiling over with the need to have him.

She could feel the slow hunger of desire settle decidedly in her belly. Fluttering once
…
twice, as moisture soaked her panties further.
You can do this. No big deal.
Her body had already climbed on board. The pep talk from her conscious tried to sway her out of it, but she ignored it.
Nope not gonna happen.

“I want you, now.” The words echoed through her chest not her ears. His voice shifted the vibration deep into her senses maki
ng her body strain for more
. She was sex starved for a man she didn’t even know. Alarms should have sounded in her head but, instead it was replaced with want.

As if he could sense her need, he pulled her tighter into his chest and inhaled deeply, dragging his face through her curls. His hand tightened on her belly
molding
her body against his, causing one of her straps to fal
l and rest alongside her ribs.
The things, he was doing to her were enough to set the entire club up in flames.
The hard outline of his body pressed tightly against her backside thrilled her.
He used the fact she couldn’t see him to entice her more. Pull her under the spell of his
well-planned
seduction, saturate her senses.
His voice was a ragged moan against the shell of her ear.

“What’s your name?” Jesminda said on a long sigh.

“No names.”

No names? Mr. Hottie was into
role-play
? A primal, baser part of her said this was going to be wanton, untamed. He was turning her upside down, inside out with the sound of his voice alone. The slow beat of the music attracted the beat of her rapid heart, slowed her racing pulse to match the drum and the sway of her hips, as she stood against him. Jes enjoyed the heat of his skin, the smell of him. It only made the situation more alluring. She was open to all of it, susceptible. The beat was earthy, and she couldn’t place the name of the song, but her body knew the tone. As she
moved,
his hand tightened on her stomach. The darkness of the corner concealed their bodies
.
No one would notice if he touched her. He grinded his erection into her backside, the feel of his length pressed against her made the darkness of the corner
more
salacious. An ember of sensuality sparked sending exorbitant amounts of lust that sizzled between them. Was she the only one burning up? Their bodies
flowed like water back
and for
th in answer to the
music’s
pull. He had no problem keeping up with their sexual courtship.

The haze of arousal threatened to break when she turned her head and saw Bells signaled for her
that
it was time to go. How much time had passed? It hadn’t been that long had it? It was either now with him or later with someone else. And Jes was certain this was an adventure she needed to embark on.

“Where?”
S
he asked breathlessly. “Where do you want to do this?”

He didn’t answer. He turned them and led them towards the outside of the club. She had to grab her bikini straps with one hand to hold her top in place. She was sweaty from the dancing and all she wanted was to sweat more. The air outside brought her momentary comfort.
It was c
ool as a light breeze passed and ruffled through the branches of the trees. He walked them deeper into the jungle until they stepped in front of a thicket of trees. No words were spoken as he pushed their bodies against a banana tree, the bark digging into her back. His lips and hands roamed
everywhere.
The intensity in his eyes shone with clarity as he continued to pet and kiss her. She was going to combust if he kept going at this rate. She n
eeded large quantities of air
so she could keep up.
But he stole it with a searing kiss, feeding
her his oxygen in the process.

The kiss was harsh,
as teeth clashed and
tongues searched. He only pulled back for a second, to grab her bottom lip and suck it to swelling. That was going to hurt in the morning along with the tree burn on her back
a
nd she didn’t give a damn. His hands pulled her closer to him and he switched their position, now his back was to the tree. Legs braced apart he pulled her into the heat of his body, grinding his erection into her core. He made her beg for it. He pushed her away, gave her time to catch her breath only to pull her back again
to kiss her senseless
. He repeated the process continuously, pulling her to him, sucking her lips, pushing her away only to pull her forward again. It was maddening and so fucking hot.
Her adventure was only beginning.

Wild and out of
control,
the
ir bodies met in seductive chaos,
while the jungle was silent.
She wanted to crawl on top of him and stay there permanently. Something was starting to churn in her stomach. It spread to every part of her body. Her breasts became full and achy, her core clenched and unclenched in preparation for what was to come.
A loud ringing began in her ears, starting off as a soft pulse, almost nonexistent but with each push and pull of his hand
s
the tempo increased until it sounded like white noise gathered in her ears and bees buzzed in her stomach.
He was revving her engine
.