Page 28 of Faking it with the Hybrid

Mattie’s heart was pounding—she parted her lips and moaned softly as heat raced through her entire body. Grath took it as an invitation to taste her and she felt his tongue slip between her open lips, delicately at first to taste her and then he was sucking on her tongue, offering to lethertastehim.

Mattie took his offer, surprised at how much she wanted this. She hadn’t been with anyone in a long,longtime—dating was a distraction from her work and anyway, none of the dates she went on ever amounted to anything. So she couldn’t remember the last time a man had kissed her—and she’dneverhad a kiss anything like this.

Her Protector’s mouth was hot and spicy—reminding her of hot cinnamon with maybe just a hint of clove or some other spice she couldn’t name. She could feel Grath’s muscular arms tightening around her as he drew her up to him and she was running her hands through his thick, black hair. Then, somehow her legs were wrapping around his trim waist and he was supporting her, his big hands cupping her ass as she pressed against him, sucking his tongue and kissing him hungrily, as though neither of them could ever get enough…

“Uh, Mattie?Mattie?”

Her sister’s voice calling her name at last got Mattie’s attention.

“Hmm? She broke the intense kiss reluctantly—she had forgotten anyone else was in the room. From the burning look in Grath’s black eyes, he had as well.

“Uh, Mom’s been calling us for breakfast for the past minute,” Anna informed her. “Maybe you two could put allthat…”She waved a hand, indicating the way Mattie was clinging to the big Hybrid with her legs wrapped around his waist. “On hold for a minute. At least until after breakfast, anyway.”

Mattie saw that her sister and brother-in-law were looking at the two of them uneasily, as though they were afraid that Mattie and Grath might go at it, right there in the kitchen.

Too far,Mattie thought.We definitely went too far.

“Oh, uh…right. Sorry,” she muttered, feeling her cheeks flush with shame. What waswrongwith her, acting like this? Why couldn’t she have just shared a nice, normal kiss with her Protector instead of climbing him like a tree? Why had she gotten so carried away?

In fact, even as she disentangled herself from the big Kindred, she could feel her heart pounding and it was difficult to catch her breath.

“Sorry,” she muttered to Grath, not meeting his eyes.

“Don’t be, baby,” he growled softly. “I didn’t want to stop either.”

Mattie glanced up at him. The words seemed to be meant for her ears alone but were they just part of his “act?” Or was he serious when he said he hadn’t wanted to stop kissing her?

She supposed she might never know.

FOURTEEN

GRATH

Grath didn’t know what had gotten into him, but once he’d started kissing the curvy little female, he hadn’t wanted to stop. He could still taste her soft lips, like ripe berries, pressed against his own and feel her full breasts pressed against his chest. His hands itched to cup her ass again, to squeeze and knead while he ravished that soft, sweet mouth of hers and made her moan for him…

Gotta stop this,he told himself as someone passed him a plate of flat breads piled on top of each other. These had odd, purple blobs in them and were called “blueberry pancakes.” There was also some kind of brown tree sap to pour over them to make them even sweeter.Gotta stop—it’s fucking dangerous to let myself get so close!

But he hadn’t been able to help it—the sweet taste of Madeline’s mouth…the feeling of her soft, curvy body pressed against his own, the sound of her soft moans in his ears…it had all amounted to sensory overload of the very best kind. The sights and sounds and tastes and sensations had overwhelmed his common sense and for a moment, he’d been treating her as though the two of them really were getting Joined and mated in the near future.

Which can never happen,he reminded himself sternly.So hands off from now on, Grath!

As he lectured himself, he was passed a plate of fluffy yellow bird ovums called “scrambled eggs” and another one with thin, crispy pieces of porcine flesh called “bacon” as well. He took some of everything and ate it, praising the food politely which was no hardship—it really was very good—even the scrambled bird ovums. But he mostly left the conversation to Madeline and her family—after all, he was just here to play a part, he reminded himself. And right now he was playing the part of the hungry male enjoying his First Meal.

“So Grath and I were thinking we would stay home today and help you decorate,” Madeline was saying to her mother as she ate her own First Meal—or “breakfast” as the humans called it. She was wearing a deep red sweater that made her creamy skin luminous and brought out the red highlights in her wavy brown hair. She looked fucking gorgeous to Grath, but then, he always thought she looked good.

“Don’t be silly—everything’s done but the tree and you can help us do that tonight after supper!” her mother said. “Besides, I entered you in the Christmas Cookie Bake-off at the Civic Center.”

“Mom! You didn’t!” Madeline protested, putting down her fork. “Honestly, you know I never win!”

“Only because that nasty Amanda Hutchinson’s Uncle has always been one of the judges!” Grandma Thelma spoke up. “But he stepped down this year and there’s a new judge in his place, so for once it’s going to be afaircontest!”

“And your pecan sandy snowballs are the best Christmas Cookie around, sweetie,” Madeline’s father put in, smiling at her. “You go down there to the Civic Center and bake your heart out!”

“I couldn’t,” Madeline protested again.

“Why not?” Grath rumbled.

He liked the idea of a contest—especially against one of Madeline’s tormentors. Of course, this “Amanda” person was female, so he couldn’t hurt her physically, but it would definitely be sweet revenge for Madeline to vanquish her in the baking contest.

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