YazminaLion Are Read online

  She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand as Arcan pulled her towards the exit. The cool, air-conditioned breeze was replaced by salt-laced wind from the marina. They broke into a run. Arcan led her into the back of the mall where workers loaded merchandise from trucks.

  Their pursuers were also running after them. Arcan suddenly pulled her into one of the loading docks and pushed her into a dark corner. He signaled her to be quiet and mouthed without voice, “I’ll be back.”

  She panicked. “Don’t—”

  Arcan kissed her on the lips as if to silence her objection.

  The world stopped at that moment.

  The kiss.

  Her first kiss.

  Her breath might be frozen in her lungs, but the lips that bestowed that kiss set her on fire.

  “Don’t worry. I’ll be back for you. I promise.”

  Arcan dusted down his pants and shimmied to the opening. He slipped outside and vanished from her sight.

  Yazmina tried to pull herself together. She’d come this far. She couldn’t fall apart now. Especially now. She crouched in the corner, making herself as small as possible. She listened to every noise.

  Is he trying to fight them off by himself?

  What if the men have weapons? Will he stand a chance?

  Yazmina took a deep breath, listening. The night crept towards the witching hour, and this part of the mall was deserted. She could hear echoing steps. Then shouts. Then there were inhuman growls and a screech of surprise.

  Arcan must have transformed into his lion form in order to get rid of their pursuers.

  More growls, and silence followed.

  Far away in the background, the chatter of people and a soft wind from the ocean painted the night.

  She waited. Her heart thundered fast.

  It felt like forever, but then, she saw him.

  Arcan emerged from the street.

  Her body moved before her mind could register what had happened. She ran to him and hugged him tightly.

  She didn’t want to be separated from him ever again.

  No, she wouldn’t be able to bear it.

  It was the first time Yazmina realized that she’d fallen in love with him.

  They came by taxi from the marina. The safe house that Jax’s friend had provided was located in the heart of the city. It was nestled inside an elite complex building with its own private elevator and parking space. Arcan found the place quite easily.

  The apartment looked plain from the hallway, but Yazmina spotted a few security cameras placed strategically. Arcan entered the password twice—once in the elevator and once by the door. The keypad LCD screen flashed green, granting them entry.

  They went in, and Arcan immediately entered another password on the keypad to arm the security system again.

  Yazmina took in the view.

  The apartment was luxurious but sparsely furnished. The living room was empty save for a large-screen TV in the corner. The picture windows were covered with neutral blinds.

  She ventured in and inspected the rooms and amenities. She found towels, soaps and toiletries in the linen closet. The owner of the place had also stocked it with some hotel-type robes, oversized shirts and sweatpants—all were in their plastic packaging.

  In the kitchen, she found canned food and freeze-dried skim milk. The refrigerator was filled with bottled mineral water.

  “What do you think?” asked Arcan. “Not bad, huh?”

  “It’s very nice—certainly nicer than that cage on the ship.”

  Arcan laughed softly. The tension wound down a few notches.

  She didn’t ask him what he’d done with the men that chased them in the marina. She didn’t see any blood on his shirt, so she assumed Arcan hadn’t killed them. That was good. She didn’t want to see Arcan became a killer. Whether she liked it or not, those men were only doing their job, even though they were in the way of her path to freedom.

  “I’m going to take a shower first if you don’t mind,” she said to Arcan. “All that running made me sweat.”

  “Sure. And I’ll make us some coffee. Or tea if there’s any.” He opened and closed the cabinets in search of hot beverages. He found what he was looking for in the kitchen drawer. “English tea okay?”

  Yazmina nodded. She watched him microwave the mug and steep the tea bag into the hot water. Arcan seemed as if he didn’t have a care in the world. He had a debonair personality. In a normal situation, he was quick to smile with a pleasant, easygoing attitude.

  At that very moment, she was captivated by him. He seemed adept at household chores. Had he been married before? Who was taking care of him now? He had asked her to be his woman; did he intend to make her his wife or mistress?

  “What’s wrong? Something on your mind?” Arcan asked suddenly.

  Yazmina startled. “I… nothing. I’m going to take that shower now.”

  Arcan only smiled.

  She went to the bathroom and took a long shower. She donned the t-shirt and sweatpants she found in the closet, then threw her dirty clothes in the washing machine. When she got out from the laundry room, she noticed Arcan was using the bathroom. She headed to the kitchen, took the mug of tea Arcan had made for her, and retired to the living room. She sat on the carpet in front of the TV, sipping on the tea.

  Arcan joined her a half-hour later, hair still dripping with water. The scent of soap wafted in her direction. Fresh. Clean. He had also helped himself to the extra clothes from the linen closet. The shirt and sweatpants were too tight for him because of his build. He drank a bottle of water from the fridge.

  “Yes?” Arcan nodded at her. “You’ve been watching me since we got here. Something wrong?”

  Her face heated. Yazmina couldn’t retain the nagging question inside her any longer. “Earlier…”

  He waited for her to finish her sentence, but she was too embarrassed to say it. “Yazmina. Are you all right?”

  She blinked. I must say it. I must say it… It’s better if I get everything out. “Earlier, when you kissed me. It was my first kiss.”

  Arcan didn’t say anything. He studied her face keenly.

  Feeling self-conscious, she avoided his eyes as she struggled with the words. Her chest constricted. She wanted to thank him for the experience, and she’d treasure the memory forever. She wasn’t sure if this kind of thing was something that a person discussed with another. Moreover, Arcan was a Westerner—their world was too different.

  Arcan suddenly chuckled. “That wasn’t a kiss.”

  She turned to him.

  Arcan leaned towards her. “This is a kiss.” He grabbed her face and pressed his lips against hers.

  She melted in his arms.

  It was magical. His lips were warm and soft and comforting. Everything would be all right as long as she was with him. He parted his lips. She felt drunk. “Arcan…”

  “Yes?.”

  “I don’t want to go to America.”

  “You don’t?”

  “I… I want to go with you. I want to be with you wherever you go.”

  He caressed her face gently and kissed her again. Her heart drummed wildly as Arcan slipped his hand on the back of her head, anchoring her still as he deepened his kiss. Liquid fire rushed through her veins. It was so much more exquisite than their kiss earlier. Yazmina gasped from the growing lust and the shiver of arousal that consumed every fiber of her being.

  She kissed him back. Arcan let out a delighted sound and kissed her ever more hungrily, his tongue finding hers, his teeth scraping her lower lip.

  Yazmina melted in his strong arms. Arcan pulled her closer until her body pressed hard against his. His heat radiated through his clothes. She shivered with delicious sensations when Arcan kissed her neck. Goosebumps broke out over her fevered skin. Her heartbeat quickened. She could feel his also, thumping hard in his chest.

  Arcan carried her into the bedroom, and they both tumbled onto the luxurious mattress. He was on top of her body, kissing the li
fe out of her. Yazmina felt dizzy. She wound her arms around his neck and threaded her fingers into his long blond hair, returning his kiss hungrily. She felt safe in his arms, and she didn’t ever want to let him go. He burned her deeper into arousal when he trailed wet licks on the hollow of her throat. She was ready to surrender herself to him. To be claimed. He was ready to make her his.

  She sighed when Arcan felt her. His large hand covered her breast. Her nipples hardened and the throbbing aches made her pussy wetter and wetter…

  “I want you,” Arcan whispered.

  She trembled at the intensity of his voice and the anticipation of what would come. The promised paradise.

  “Yes,” she said without hesitation. Fate had brought them together. She was meant to be his. Forever. Arcan kissed her lips and licked the side of her jaw and neck. He slipped his hand under her shirt and undid her bra. She stiffened when his bare hand touched her breasts. A jolt of ecstasy sparked beneath her skin.

  “I love the way you feel,” he whispered. Arcan’s eyes lightened a few shades, mimicking his lion eyes. “I want to see you. All of you.”

  Yazmina wanted to say yes, but nothing came out of her throat besides a wet croak, so she nodded instead.

  Arcan smiled, and her heart stuttered.

  He shifted from her, predatory eyes raking her from head to toe. He removed her shoes and shocks. Yazmina helped him with the sweatpants, but it made their fingers tangle together.

  “I’ll do it,” Arcan said. “You relax.”

  She blushed and let Arcan do all the work. He pulled the pants down to her ankles and yanked them off her feet. Her panties were next. Panic rose when she realized the lower half of her body was free of a single thread of clothing. She had never been naked in front of a man before. Arcan studied her with intensity, and she thought his gaze would sear her skin.

  “You’re beautiful.” His voice dropped into a sensuous dark baritone. “So fucking beautiful.”

  Arcan pulled her shirt over her shoulders and then removed the bra. A thrill coursed up her spine. She was as naked as the day she was born. Her embarrassment and sense of modesty evaporated. She wanted to be touched. Kissed. Claimed and fucked.

  “Beautiful,” Arcan breathed out. “Mine.”

  He kissed her again. Hungrily this time. Their lips mashed with unspoken lust and raw need. Yazmina gasped between the kisses. She became dizzy with pure delight. He kneaded her breasts, playing with her hardened nipples. God! Yazmina was wide-eyed. Pleasure burst like wildfire, a potent aphrodisiac rushing through her veins .

  “I want to see you,” she said the moment Arcan gave her a chance to catch a breath.

  He paused, and a smile spread across his handsome face.

  Arcan sat up, starting to disrobe. His shirt came off first, and then his undershirt. Yazmina was giddy when Arcan pushed his sweats down to his knees. His erection bulged underneath his briefs. Arcan shoved down his underwear. Yazmina gulped, mesmerized.

  So, that’s what a man’s penis looks like, she thought. Her face heated. How curious. She wondered how men could walk around with something like that hanging between their thighs all day and all night. Wouldn’t that be bothersome? What if a man got careless and had that thing stuck in the zipp—

  “Yazmina.”

  She jumped. He’d caught her red-handed watching his cock.

  “You okay?” Arcan wanted to know.

  “Yes.” She nodded vigorously. “Definitely yes. I’m okay.”

  Arcan smiled. “You’re blushing. How cute.” He kissed her. “Are you nervous?”

  “No… Yes. A little,” she confessed.

  He caressed her cheek. “I’ll be gentle, sweetheart.”

  “I’ve heard the first time hurts.”

  He barked a laugh. “Don’t worry. I’ll drown you in so much pleasure, you won’t even notice.”

  Drown me in so much pleasure. God, his promise made her even giddier. She was making love to a man she really, really liked—loved even. A man who made her heart beat wild when he smiled. A man who caused all sorts of illicit thrills when he was within her reach.

  Arcan touched her.

  The tips of his fingers skimmed from the delicate curves of her jaw, her neck, the peak of her nipple, down to her belly and ended on the curls of her mons. He lowered his head and kissed the parts that he’d touched. Her heartbeat accelerated when his lips touched her belly. She was rather panicked when he ventured lower and lower. Do men kiss…?

  “Arcan!” Yazmina closed her thighs.

  “Ssh,” Arcan soothed her. He reached for her face and kissed her deeply. “Don’t be shy, babe. Remember, pure pleasure. Trust me.”

  Yazmina relaxed a bit. Pure pleasure. Just for her.

  She fisted Arcan’s hair and kissed him hungrily. He purred as they mauled each other with pure lust. She moaned when he nipped her neck and kneaded her breasts. She threw her head back and bared her throat. Arcan grunted animalistically and marked her skin with love bites. Morsels of pleasure burst under her skin.

  Arcan trailed kisses on her breasts. He took one nipple and sucked it. Yazmina gasped and clawed his hair. Pure pleasure shot through her sex. She widened her eyes. My God! That was too much… too sinful. The sensation intensified when Arcan played with her nipple in his mouth. He rolled it with his tongue, nipping and sucking it greedily. She writhed. A roll of sexual moisture seeped from her pussy. Yazmina clawed the sheet as Arcan moved on to the untouched breast. She tensed, shutting her eyes. An unbelievable sensation shot down to her pussy. She didn’t want it to end.

  “Arcan…”

  He ignored her call. He kept sucking her until she couldn’t hold the maddening pleasure any longer. Her body went rigid as she climaxed. She shuddered as she dug her nails into his bare shoulders.

  Arcan released her ruby red nipples with a loud pop. “Oh, princess,” he breathed out. “You’re so easy to please.” He scooted down, trailing kisses on her belly and on her pubis. His hot breath seared her aching sex.

  “Arcan!” Yazmina halted him.

  “What’s the matter?”

  “You’re not supposed to be… doing that.” Her face reddened.

  “Doing what?” Arcan taunted. “Kissing your pussy? Worshipping you?” He chortled. “Yazmina. There’s nothing to be embarrassed about when making love. You’re beautiful, and I want to get acquainted with every part of your body. I want to lick every inch of your skin. I want to taste you intimately. I want to pleasure you until you scream my name over and over.”

  Her heart skipped a beat. Shimmering heat cocooned her entire body. Scream his name over and over… The promise was too good to be true.

  Arcan pushed her thighs apart. His nostrils flared and the fire in his eyes lit ablaze. “Christ.” He gulped. “Your scent.” His gaze drifted up and locked onto hers. “So irresistible.” He kissed her inner thigh and nuzzled her curls. Yazmina tried to push him away instinctively. Arcan growled and mashed his mouth onto her pussy.

  Yazmina threw her head back and squirmed. “Oh!”

  Arcan found her clit and suckled it. A thrum of pleasure surged through her, paralyzing her for a second. Her head lolled to the side as her chest heaved.

  He promised pure pleasure.

  He delivered pure pleasure.

  She closed her eyes, feeling herself floating to the seven skies as Arcan fucked her with his tongue. Arcan’s grip on her flesh tightened as he licked her deeper and deeper, swirling his tongue on her delicate passage.

  Yazmina moaned. She never thought being kissed this way would feel so intense. She thought she was going to explode. Her pussy quivered as her body tensed. When Arcan licked her from hole to hole, she erupted. Deep, seismic, mind-shattering ecstasy erupted from her center and reverberated through every cell in her body. She was trapped in the oblivion of rapture.

  Yazmina found herself shivering in the aftermath.

  Arcan kissed her belly, making small, sly twirls with the tip of his tongue. “I l
ove to hear you come. You make sexy little noises that make me want to fuck you.”

  She reached for his face as Arcan straddled her. They kissed. He planted each elbow on the sides of her head and positioned himself between her thighs.

  He broke the kiss and murmured lustfully, “Are you ready?”

  She inhaled a sharp breath. “Yes.”

  He smiled. “Good. Bear with me, okay?”

  Yazmina nodded.

  Arcan pressed his shaft against her pussy. He dragged his cock from balls to tip, grinding on her moist pussy lips.

  “Oh!” Yazmina’s eyes widened. It felt so sensually erotic. She could feel his rigid hardness, his veined shaft, and the coarseness of his blond thatch. Her sexual syrup made his cock wet and slick. He continued to rub and grind, making her impatient to feel the actual penetration. “Arcan!”

  “Ssh, sweetheart. Be patient. I want you to feel me. Does it feel good? Do you like it?”

  She moaned.

  “Good.” Arcan halted and positioned the crown of his cock at her entrance. His blunt tip kissed her opening. He pushed, and his cock speared her open.

  “Oh!” It stung.

  “Bear with it, sweetheart.” He clenched his jaw and pushed again until he hit her cervix. He stilled as her pussy contracted around his shaft from the delicious intrusion.

  Yazmina gasped. It hurt, but it felt so good at the same time. The combination of pain and pleasure made her delirious. His cock throbbed inside her. It was scorching hot and stretched her beyond the impossible.

  “Heaven,” Arcan said in a guttural voice. “You feel heavenly.”

  Yazmina wanted to say the same, but her voice strangled in her throat, especially when he started moving. He pulled until his tip almost left her opening and then slowly thrust in until he was balls deep inside her. She could feel his cock pulse with virility. She could feel the texture of his shaft, veined and yet as slick as luxurious satin.

  Arcan growled, more animal than human. He whispered her name over and over as he rode her. The pleasure thickened. She felt as if she’d plunged into a heated molasses of ecstasy. Each time he slammed home, the sinfully sweet sensation dragged her nearer to oblivion.