Javier (Alpha Heroes #12)

Chapter Seven

Javier

Fuck this . I trapped a roar in my throat. Where the hell was she?

A shot of adrenaline quickened my pulse and went straight to heat my head. Had the little hellion decided to part ways with me? Had I offended her again? I had sort of apologized for the wholesome thing, even though it was meant as a true compliment.

Did I do something even more crass and stupid that spooked her? Something I didn’t even register? The gods knew my mouth was my worst enemy . What if she’d noticed the lust radiating from me like nuclear blasts? That would be enough to send her running .

My guts clenched. Losing her now would be a total disaster. Worse, she was vulnerable out there on her own. She could get hurt or caught. Hell, she wasn’t even armed. I’d hate myself forever if she came to harm.

I crouched down and traced her footprints on the ground. They were fresh. You’d better be real close, Angel . Otherwise, we were gonna have the talk.

Moving quiet as the dead, I followed her tracks back to the lake. It didn’t take me long to find her, standing at my ten o’clock, surrounded by a wild cluster of flowering hibiscus. The bushes provided some privacy from most prying eyes, but not from me. On the other hand, crouching behind the boat, hidden among the grasses, and blending with the background in my cammies, I was invisible to her.

Maybe I should’ve announced myself, but my brain quit and my mouth went bone dry the moment she took off her T-shirt and gave me a glimpse of her long, smooth back. She slid her leggings down her shapely legs. She stood there, wearing only a pair of panties and a matching sports bra.

My boots grew roots and my legs refused to work. Used to racy numbers and erotic lingerie, I was shocked by my body’s reaction to her utilitarian undies. The blood rushed south to my crotch, awakening my dick.

What the fuck ? I gave myself a mental kick in the ass. She’s not your type, remember, dumbass? Ignore your cock and use your head, you know, the one on top of your neck?

I noted the washcloth neatly unfolded on a rock. It held some toiletries, a small water bottle, a wet toothbrush, and a pack of wipes. Okay. All right. She hadn’t run. I urged my guts to unknot. She was doing the same thing I’d done, taking care of the hygiene department. Smart girl. I should leave her to do her thing.

I wasn’t a total asshole. I knew right from wrong. I also tended to choose the latter over the former with alarming frequency. I should move on and give her privacy, but the longer I stayed, the more I liked what I saw, the deeper my body sank into the landscape, and the more invisible I became.

She undid her bra and set it over the bushes, freeing her small breasts to the air. Taut nipples topped a pair of generous pink areolas.

“Succulent” was the word that came to mind. My dick yanked in my pants and my lips twitched with a need to suck on her gorgeous tits. Breasts , I corrected myself, as if renaming her beauties could somehow make me better than the horny peeping Tom I’d suddenly become.

She reached out and tugged a couple of wet wipes from the pack. Under the faint lights of the stars, her skin gleamed as she carefully scrubbed herself clean. She wiped her face first, and then ran the cloth behind her elfin ears, over her long, lovely neck, and across her delicate shoulders. She lifted one lithe arm at the time and swabbed her undersides, then rounded the wipes over her small breasts and slid it down.

If she asked, I’d gladly volunteer to finish the job.

She wiped down her legs and her feet next, balancing on one first, then the other, taking care to clean the spaces between her toes. I had to smile. She was meticulously clean. Setting the used wipes aside, she pulled out a new one from the little pack and dipped it beneath the band of her panties.

You’d think a woman washing her privates would be unsexy. Only it wasn’t. Because she was Missy. Everything she did was sexy without meaning to be so. Her actions were pure and innocent and still, my dick burned like the devil’s cock.

When she was done, she took another furtive look around. Rising to the tip of her toes, she looked over the overgrown bushes and the lake. She stood there, chewing on her lips, her forehead furrowed, her gaze fixed on the flat stone that rose next to the bushes. She looked troubled, pensive. She also looked guilty as hell and without cause.

Guilty was me, not her.

I drew my eyebrows together. What was she up to?

***

Missy

I’d gotten rid of the dirt clinging to me, but not of the pervasive tension torturing me, or the persistent thoughts that made me face off with a powerful need I’d never felt before. The tension in my core was driving me freaking insane.

Since Javier had begun making uninvited appearances in my dreams, my libido had been acting up. It had only gotten worse in the last twenty-four hours when he’d turned into a real flesh-and-blood man. Why couldn’t I stop thinking about sexy, scrumptious, gorgeous Javier?

I blamed the dreams. They were so vivid, so fresh in my mind, and they came with sensations and emotions that drew me to the real man, and made me want to recreate my dreams with him. I blamed the scorching kisses we’d exchanged, too, and the passion that hummed between us. I’d never been kissed like that. I mean, wow .

Thank God the man had no idea of the effect he had on me. That would be freaking embarrassing, maybe even as embarrassing as fainting. The guy had come all the way out here to do a job. A mission. That’s what I was to him. He’d made that very clear.

He didn’t know the trouble he stirred inside me, or how wicked he made me feel. As often as I flushed beneath his stare—like every single time we made eye contact—he probably thought I suffered from permanent heatstroke. Whenever he looked at me, a new and pervasive heat bubbled within me, rising from my core, expanding to tighten the muscles inside that longed for his touch.

Don’t think about it , the prude in me warned . Don’t do it.

I had to stop fantasizing about him, but an insidious thought challenged my resolve. After three years with the nuns, after following their rules and living a chaste life for most of my time on this earth, wouldn’t it be amazing to let go of stuff like modesty, abstinence, and temperance, even if it was only for an hour or two? What would it be like to free the awful need, to unleash the passion I felt?

It had been easy being good and virtuous when I lived at the compound and I hadn’t had this striking species of maleness nearby to stoke my lust. Lust. That’s what this was. Right? I’d never felt it before, but what else could it be?

Now that Javier was around, shedding his pheromones to the four cardinal points and spiking my oxytocin levels to the max, controlling my lust was hard. I clenched everywhere, unable to block the images flaring in my head, a rerun of my lewd dreams. Standing there, wearing only my panties, feeling the caress of the breeze flowing over my body, a new surge of heat enveloped me.

You thought it, the prude in me piped up. Now deal with it .

Was I wrong to feel this way?

Most women my age were into sex. They liked it. I wasn’t so different from them. Just because I’d isolated myself from the world didn’t mean I was less of a woman. Did it?

True, I’d never felt the pull of lust like this before, the sizzling need, but then again, in the last three years, I’d been busy fighting dengue and malaria, tending to mothers and babies, and teaching kids to read and write. Now I did feel the tug of Javier’s maleness, in the extreme. If I aimed to keep my wits, dignity, and my secret desires under wraps, I had to do something. My irreverent sister Affie would call it “taking care of business.”

Here? Prissy Missy was on a roll tonight . Now?

I wrung my hands. Masturbation wasn’t a sin. Was it?

Don’t do it , Prissy Missy warned. You’re a good girl .

I dug my nails in my palms. God, how I hated being called a “good girl.” It was the only compliment my father had ever given me and it was as condescending as the pat to the head he’d add to those words.

You don’t have to be a good girl forever. Affie’s words echoed in my head. When the horny strikes, the dick is optional, but the orgasm is mandatory.

Was she right?

I’d always thought Affie was boy crazy, but I also knew that sex had been her means to rebel against our father, to defy his world. Her brazen tidbits struck me as wisdom tonight. How long could I withstand the throbbing ache between my legs?

I had to deal with this now. I scoured my surroundings and saw no one around. This could be my only chance in a while.

Affie had often talked about the need for every gal on the planet to own a good vibrator, but she’d also urged me and my other sisters to practice what she called “the always reliable, no-batteries-needed, hands-and-fingers method.” Much to my mortification, she referred to it as her “manual override.”

My cheeks flamed as I studied my fingers. I hadn’t practiced the manual override in a very long time, but maybe I needed to. It was a naughty thing to do, especially coming from someone “wholesome” like me.

I was about to shed that stupid label.

I inhaled a big gulp, grabbed a new wipe, and cleaned my hands again. I took yet another look around, to make sure I was alone. Then I reclined against the flat rock that protruded at an angle from the ground. The stone was still warm from the day’s heat, but it felt smooth against my back. I took another breath. I could do this. I really hoped it would work.

***

Javier

Still looking guilty as sin, Missy moistened her lips, then stretched on the stone shelf. She brushed her fingers up and down her front and around her breasts, hesitantly, lightly, as if she didn’t have a right to caress herself.

My skin tingled and my fingers twitched, itching to take over, to be the one caressing her. I craved her lips beneath mine. I gulped when she slid her hand in her panties. Separating her legs ever so slightly, I spotted the outline of her fingers between her thighs. Leaning her head back, she closed her eyes and slid her hand back and forth, back and forth.

I willed my mouth to close. Perched on the rock, embraced by the stars faint light, and almost naked, she was the most beautiful sight I’d ever seen.

Get the hell out of here. I started to withdraw. She deserves her privacy.

You can’t leave her alone and unprotected , the braver part of me reminded me. Or was it the sneakiest part of me speaking?

It was so fucking hard to tell right from wrong, because, yeah, I was all wood down there, whereas my brain had turned to mush. And because I couldn’t move, I stayed.

***

Missy

I rubbed myself, brushed my fingers around, tickled this and that.

Nothing.

Nothing was going to happen unless I put my brain into this. I had to step out of my narrow mindset. I gave myself permission to dream while awake. The hottest scenes I remembered from my dreams streamed across the dark screen of my inner eyelids, starring Javier and me. There were no words, only images. Something began to happen. Heat flared in my core, increasing my sensations.

“Mmmm.” A small moan escaped my lips.

My fingertips grew slick as I experimented. My little bundle of nerves up front loved a circular massage. My hips began to rock ever so slowly. When I moved, a tingle of pleasure spread from my core. The memories of Javier’s sexy body and his sheer maleness set me into a slow simmer. Snippets from my dreams stoked the heat in my body. His hands touching me, replacing my fingers. His flesh, filling me, pushing me apart, rubbing against that throbbing spot inside.

I didn’t know how he would feel inside of me in real life, but I keenly remembered his passionate, possessive kisses and his tongue, dipping in my mouth. I curled my middle finger and pretended it was his flesh.

Oh, yes .

Behind my closed eyelids, his handsome face hovered just inches from mine, flashing the sexy grin that melted my insides every time, kissing me, touching me.

A spark flared inside me.

Javier . Did I actually whisper his name into the night? Javi, yes. Please .

The orgasm started slowly in my core. It built up and broke over me like a gentle wave. My body tightened and then relaxed, easing the internal tension a little. I lay there, cradled in the earth’s stony arms, looking up at the sky, breathing softly, reminding myself that lust wasn’t always the wrong choice and pleasure shouldn’t be forbidden.

***

Javier

Holy fuck. Had I heard right? Had she really called out my name?

Her back arched, raising her taut nipples up in the air. Her quiet moan drifted in the night. A small shiver shook her body and rattled mine as I realized she was having an orgasm, right there, before my very eyes.

Hers was the sweetest, quietest, most mellow orgasm I’d ever had the privilege of witnessing, and yet I was panting like a dog. The sight left me longing to feel her skin under my palms. The need to brush my lips all over her body pushed against my control.

She’d whispered my name. I’d heard it. Her plea burned a scorching path to my cock. She’d called out to me. Gotten herself off thinking of me.

The pressure in my balls surged, and I almost came in my pants. My breaths came in short, silent rasps. I’d been to sex shows, clubs, and cabarets in every continent, and yet watching Missy’s quiet climax was the hottest thing I’d ever seen. The thought of how soft and wet she’d be just about now drove me insane. Did she know I could help with any and all needs she may have?

No, you can’t, asshole . You won’t.

I got a hold of my horny. She was my mission and my only way to repay a life debt.

For a few moments, she lay on the smooth rock, looking up at the sky, with a small smile curving her lips. What would her other lips taste like? Like sin, I bet, creamy and delectable. I craved the very essence of her, the juices that no doubt moistened her folds even as she relaxed in the afterglow of her climax.

Yeah. She’d be real wet right now, so ready to be fucked.

By me.

A faint rustle rising from the darkness brought me back to my senses. I tilted my head into the wind. The sound came from the opposite direction from where I crouched. It tracked toward Missy. Talk about an instant de-boner. I tightened my grip on my carbine. We weren’t alone.

***

Missy

I smiled up at the clouds rushing by, welcoming the release, even though it was a small one, especially when measured against Affie’s epic—and perhaps grossly exaggerated—sex stories. But hey, I’d made it happen. It was a good start.

What on earth are you doing almost naked in the middle of nowhere ? Prissy Missy was back with a vengeance. Shameful. That’s what this is. Shameless. That’s what you are .

Ah, heck. I was back to being my uptight self.

Face burning, I pushed off the rock, grabbed my bra, and hooked it on as quickly as I could manage. I felt more guilt than relief. What I’d just done had been… what? Stupid? Self-indulgent? Beneath me?

No . I lifted my chin in the air and gave myself a break. It had been necessary.

If that was the case, how come I felt proud but guilty at the same time?

Throwing on my T-shirt, I blamed Affie’s influence and Javier’s sex appeal for whatever this was—an impulse, a mistake, a lack of common sense and restraint. And yet, as I jammed my leggings on, I had a wicked thought. I should try doing this more often. Maybe I would get better at it. Unfortunately, as soon as my thoughts drifted to Javier, I recognized the persistent need throbbing in my core. It remained raw and unfulfilled.

Shucks .

Despite my best efforts, I was still strung taut and craving more.

You’re going to turn into Affie if you keep this up.

Me? Turn into sexy, wanton, irrepressibly sexual Affie?

I laughed in my head.

I stuffed the wipes and my wet socks in my backpack’s zippered compartment. I aired out my soggy sneakers, swinging them back and forth in the air. It was worth a try, but I doubted they were going to dry anytime soon. Neither was the damp space between my legs.

I wished I could talk to my sisters right now. Thena would listen quietly and urge me to trust my feelings. Cece would remind me that lust is programmed into the human DNA to ensure reproduction and the survival of the species. Affie would tell me to do it more often and enjoy it to the max. She’d probably overshare the different techniques she’d learned to get herself off.

Crazy Affie . I shook my head and grinned. I loved her, but sometimes, she could be a little much.

I missed my sisters. The thought killed my mood, even as I stuffed my feet into my soggy shoes. I carried a permanent ache lodged deep in my chest, the overwhelming pain of their absences. I also needed someone to talk me back to my senses, although Affie was perhaps not the best suited of my sisters for that job.

I, sensible, reasonable, reliable Missy had fallen in lust. With a dream. With the man of my dreams. Nope . There wasn’t such a thing. He was the man from my dreams, not of my dreams. Big hulking difference.

A rustle scattered my thoughts and quickened my pulse. I ducked down behind the bushes. In the tropical night, fear iced my spine. Was someone watching me?

More crunching noises echoed from the edge of the woods. My blood swished in my ears and my throat went dry. I pushed the branches aside and narrowed my eyes on the strange form emerging out of the darkness, blurred, big, and menacing. I started to call for help, but a hand landed on my mouth and smothered my scream. A muscled arm coiled around me, immobilizing me. My heart stopped. I was trapped.