Chapter 5: TALON

I consumed her lips; her taste went through me like a burning spear igniting a fire in my blood. Her soft curves molded themselves to my harder contours like we were made for each other. The beauty of it was that she returned my embrace with equal fervor. The way her lips clung to mine, as if she knew me.

If she didn't stop making that purring sound I was afraid I would lose whatever little control I had left and ravage more than just her lips on the cafeteria steps. In a remote part of my brain I knew I needed to rein it in but I couldn't seem to stop. I had no control over my body's reaction to her, not to mention my heart and mind. I ground the sudden ache in my cock against her jeans covered softness and groaned into her mouth.

No not here not her, she would not be treated like the others. I'd never make a spectacle of her; she was different. I understood that in a way that a week ago would've scared the hell out of me. Now it seemed so natural, not at all the horror I thought it would be. I didn't feel the weakness or the loss I'd expected. Instead I felt empowered somehow, like I'd been given something rare and special and I had no fucking idea what was going on.

I'd grown up hearing the stories of my parents' tumultuous love affair, about the love at first sight that had claimed the men of my father's line for generations. My nonna was proud to regale my siblings and I with tales of her and grandpa's own whirlwind romance.

I'd always scoffed at the possibility of such a thing ever happening to me. I enjoyed my freedom way too much, was much too young. No matter that my father and brother had bitten the dust in their early twenties, just as his father before him had. I can't say I'd been running from the shit but I wasn't looking for it either. I had just convinced myself that I was above that sort of oldwife's tale.

I wouldn't quibble about it now that the chips had fallen; I'm nothing if not honest with myself. There was no way that this was anything other than the family legend. I'd once thought of it as a curse, until now, this feeling was beyond anything I could've ever imagined. Beyond the fact that it scared the shit out of me, it also made me feel unbelievably strong. The only thing left to do now was convince this total stranger that she now belonged to me. Poor thing, I hope she hadn't had any major plans for her life because that shit was about to change.

"Mine." I uttered the word once more as I nibbled around her lips to her jaw.

She trustingly allowed me to enfold her tighter, my six three frame dwarfing her slighter frame. I wanted to pick her up and run away and hide. Take her away somewhere where we could be alone for at least a week. My heart was racing out of time and my head was going in ten different directions at once, but with all that I felt peace like I'd never known. I guess dad had been right all along, there was no way to fight this shit might as well go with it.

***

SKYLAR

***

I don't know what the hell had gotten into me. I've never in my life behaved in such a careless fashion.

This isn't me, I'm not the girl who drove men wild with lust, in fact I'd only ever kissed one boy in my life and it had never been anything like this. This is the stuff of hot, steamy romance novels. Things like this didn't happen in the real world, and they especially didn't happen to girls like me.

I'm not a statuesque blonde with a super model body. There's nothing remotely remarkable about me except maybe my unusual eyes, which I've never seen the allure of though many people commented on them. I wasn't ugly I know but the way he acted made me feel like I was the most desirable thing on two legs.

Then again, I had to remember who I was dealing with here. This was the campus jock, for all I know this could be his modus operandi. If it was then there must be a lot of broken hearts in his wake. The boy was potent especially to a small town girl not accustomed to bringing out the beast in the opposite sex.

All thought fled as he recaptured my mouth, his tongue wreaking havoc with my senses. I felt liquid heat pooling between my thighs as he consumed me and I gave in one more to madness that he invoked.

She tasted like cotton candy and sin; her body trembled in my arms as I plundered her mouth deeper.

"Dude, get a room." The teasing yell brought me back from the brink and I gently separated our lips. My hands captured her face so I could look into her eyes.

"In case you missed that, I just staked my claim, from this day on you belong to me." My tone brooked no argument. The sooner she understood what was going on the better, later I'll explain shit to her but right now we had to get the semantics out of the way. Maybe I should've asked dad how he broke the news to mom. I'm sure he'd told us the story before but I never paid attention to that Romeo and Juliet shit. Who the hell believed in love at first sight and happily ever after in this day and age?

Now my ass was in a sling because I had no idea what to do next. I knew what I wanted to do, but dragging her back to my place and telling her to stay didn't seem like it would go over too well. Women had rights and shit. Fuck.

I didn't even mourn my freedom going down the drain. I heard the door to my bachelorhood close and lock. There was nothing she could say that would change what was going to happen between us. I know she wants me too; she came alive in my arms we fit. That's all we needed for now, the rest will come later I'll see to it. "Do you understand what I'm saying Skylar?"