Jade trudged down the hallway. She’d never been so uncomfortable in her whole life. Asivva had explained “testing.”
Moans emanated from the many rooms along the hallway. Products of the men being “tested.” Apparently at this point in the ceremony, the women were allowed to do whatever they wanted with and or to the male they’d chosen.
Jade was lost for words. Even after Asivva assured her she didn’t have to do anything if she didn’t want to.
Shyness was not something Jade often felt. Picking a man by leering at him through glass made him seem like an abstract idea. Standing in front of said man and interacting with him in such an intimate way made him very, very real. She wasn’t ready for real.
Luckily, if you could call anything that had happened to her thus far “lucky”, the men were supposed to wear blindfolds. At least they wouldn’t see her looking mortified. Yet.
A very loud female cry of pleasure came from the room next to her, making her jump.
“Nervous, are we?” said Zikas from behind her.
He had returned a short while ago to escort her to The Testing. He’d been very irritable, though he’d tried to hide it with a contrived smile. Whatever Zikas had been out doing hadn’t gone as smoothly as he would’ve liked.
This only added to Jade’s anxiety.
Zikas moved toward the door that the scream had come from and said, “We’ll be visiting Fejo first.”
Feeling more than a little manic, Jade let out a short, high-pitched laugh. “He seems preoccupied.”
“He was chosen by two other females. We can wait until they leave, or you can go in and watch while you wait.”
“I am not comfortable watching him get it on with other women.” Especially not when she could hear what she’d be competing with. “Next!”
“I’m not sure I understood all of that, but I believe you’re saying you’d like me to eliminate him?”
“Yes. Wait.” She faltered; this may not be an isolated problem. “Did Theo have any other offers?”
Zikas answered loudly to drown out the sound of ecstasy coming from Fejo’s room. “No.”
“Then he’s the winner!” Jade said, giving Zikas and awkward thumbs up, which he eyed.
“Okay!” he said grinning and grabbing her thumb in his palm and shaking it. “Let’s go to his room.” He led Jade to a door at the end of the hall. “I’ll be out here if you need anything. Just come out when you’re done.”
“You’re not coming in?”
Perplexed, Zikas gradually asked, “Do you want me to come in?”
It dawned on her that if he did, he’d be watching whatever she did with this guy. Awkward. “Oh. Uh, no. That would be weird.”
A small, relieved breath escaped Zikas. He nodded and moved to a chair on the far wall.
Facing the door, Jade rocked back and forth on the balls of her feet.
“Do you need assistance?” he asked, leaning forward in his seat.
“No. I’m fine!” she snapped. With an apologetic glance she added, “Nervous.”
“Okay. Just remember, he hasn’t updated his translator yet. If he doesn’t respond to you, that’s why.”
She lifted her hand to the door, nodding absently. The handle was slick under her sweaty palm. Taking a calming breath, she opened it.
About ten feet away, sitting on a couch, was a blindfolded Theo. His head snapped in her direction as she closed the door.
Jade didn’t know how long she stood motionless at the entrance, staring at him. Two minutes? Two hours? Maybe if she didn’t move or breathe, he’d think she’d disappeared. She’d no sooner had this thought than he began to move.
With a scowl on his face, he rose from the couch to his full height. His towering, massive frame and dark energy, made the large room feel cramped. All she could do was stare at him. Then, to Jade’s astonishment, he started to remove his clothing.
A quick intake of breath was all Jade could manage as she surveyed his naked chest. She started walking toward him, hypnotized. Nearing, she saw that what she’d assumed to be a blindfold instead resembled hard black tar. There was no way he could see through that.
Theo angled his head in her direction. His tightly corded muscles tensed, and he balled his fists. Jade began her retreat when she saw his knuckles turn white. Sick curiosity made her freeze when he bent down to remove his remaining clothing.
Squaring his shoulders and raising his chin in what looked like defiance, he positioned his body so he was facing her. Jades eyes widened as she caught a glimpse of his shaft. He was big all over.
He cleared his throat, and Jade’s face heated. Logically she knew he couldn’t see her staring and yet she couldn’t shake the feeling that he could sense her movements.
He hadn’t lunged at her or made any aggressive moves toward her as of yet, so she inched closer to him, wanting to see more. His dark black markings ran around his shoulders and down his pecs. They continued to travel across his abs and lower until they stopped just above his shaft. Blushing, she quickly glanced away.
Only a foot separated them now. His head had followed her movements as she closed in and now was tipped down at her. His imposing height put her head in line with his chest. As close as she was, she could see that he had faint scars all over his body. Are these the famous scars Zikas said women hated?
One near his chest looked particularly bad. She winced as she pictured what kind of weapon must’ve done that sort of damage.
Without realizing what she was doing, she lifted her hand to touch the scar.
A low growl was the only warning she had before his hand shot out at lightning speed and gripped her wrist, now an inch from his scar.
The blood drained from Jade’s face, and she was too frozen with fear to speak.
His large hand encircled her wrist firmly but not painfully. Gaining her wits, Jade attempted to tug her hand away. It was no use.
Tightening his grip, he told her without words that she wasn’t going anywhere. Slowly, he placed his other hand on the small of her back and then leaned toward her face. She jerked away, but the hand on her back ensured she couldn’t move far.
As his lips neared hers, he paused. Dipping his head to the column of her neck, he inhaled deeply and exhaled with a groan. His hot breath on her sensitive flesh made her shiver.
He pressed her closer to him, and she felt his erection prodding her stomach. Then he gave the sensitive spot on her neck a slow, hot lick, making her toes curl. Heat flooded her, and she whimpered.
His whole body tensed at the sound. He released her and stepped back abruptly, looking…ashamed? Jade wobbled on her feet as she watched his chest rise and fall rapidly. A muscle in his jaw ticked and he turned his back to her.
Jade backed toward the exit, feeling dazed as she left the room.
Zikas hurried towards her, a worried expression on his face. “Are you okay? What happened?”
Not knowing what else to say she explained, “He…um…he smelled me.” And it was the most erotic things I’ve ever experienced. The memory of his tongue on her made her core clench.
“Smelled you?” Zikas said blankly.
