“I don’t know you.” She was proud she said that.

“This is a good way to.”

“Most men buy women dinner and take us to a movie before they try to make it to first base.”

“First base?” He arched an eyebrow.

“It’s a saying that means kissing someone. It’s a baseball analogy. First base is kissing.”

“Is there a second base?”

“That’s touching someone from the waist up.”

“Third base?”

“That’s doing a little more that includes touching sexual parts on the body from the waist down but usually through the clothes but there are exceptions such as light under-clothes groping.”

She couldn’t believe she was having this conversation with a New Species but he seemed genuinely curious and she was rambling, more than aware she should shut up, but nervousness always made her mouth go into overdrive.

“Fourth base?”

“Nope. Only three bases and then it’s called a home run.”

“What does that entail?”

“Everything. Going all the way.”

He grinned. “In that case, I want a home run.”

“No.”

He chuckled. “Kiss me, Tammy. A t least give me a chance to show you that I won’t harm you in any way. I promise you’ll enjoy what I want to do to you as much as I will.”

“I don’t kiss strangers.” But you’re tempting me to break that rule. She pushed that thought back, trying to focus on the reasons why she shouldn’t. He’s New Species. Scary. Big. Yeah. Math, remember? A nd she’d thought it would never come in handy in high school while suffering through those boring classes.

He blinked a few times and his smile faded. “We’ll really get to know each other. Kiss me. I’m dying to taste you.”

She was tempted, admitted being more than a little curious about what kind of kisser he’d be and if someone so intimidating could be just as passionate. She hadn’t kissed a man in about a year, not since her last boyfriend had broken her heart by cheating on her. She debated if she should let Valiant kiss her or not when he lowered his face a few inches until their lips nearly touched. She took a shaky breath knowing that he wasn’t going to give her a choice.

“Close your eyes and don’t fear me,” Valiant ordered in a deep, husky whisper. “Relax. I’m not going to hurt you.”

Relax? Is he kidding? He was huge and had her pinned down on the bed even though he wasn’t touching her. Oops, she thought as his lips brushed hers. He’s touching me now. She tensed a little and reached up to flatten the palms of her hands on his chest. He was hot to the touch and his skin felt soft but so warm it was as though he were burning up with a fever.

He lips were gentle as he used his mouth to open hers. She didn’t fight it but instead forced her body to relax. I hope his teeth don’t hurt my mouth. That was the last thought she had as his tongue invaded. He didn’t kiss her the way anyone else ever had and she was no lightweight in that department. She’d dated heavily in high school when kissing boys had been a nice pastime as long as they didn’t turn into octopuses—all hands and grabbing. She wasn’t that kind of girl in high school, drawing a very firm line between that and doing more with boys.

Valiant devoured her mouth. His tongue explored every inch, rubbed erotically against hers and even swiped the roof, which tickled slightly. His lips were firm over hers, opening her mouth wider to his dominance.

When he growled softly she could feel vibrations against her palms and even against her tongue. It was a shocking turn-on and her body responded instantly when she kissed him back.

His hand fisted the bottom of her shirt, jerked it from of the waist of her slacks, and suddenly his hand brushed against her stomach. His calloused fingertips lightly explored her skin. The feeling was insanely good. She moaned into his mouth as his hand inched upward until he cupped her breast.

He wasn’t gentle about that either. His hand was firm as he squeezed her sensitive breast and even through the thin material of her bra, she could feel the rough texture of his hand across her nipple. It reacted instantly, tightening, and the tip grew taut. Tammy heard someone moan loudly, only to realize the sound came from her again.

The mouth on hers tore away and left Tammy breathing hard. Her eyes flew open to watch Valiant stare down at her, an intense expression on his handsome but strange features. His hand still gripped her right breast and he rubbed his calloused thumb across her nipple.

Her breast seemed to grow heavy and her nipple became so stiff she wondered if it could actually break. Tammy arched her chest against his hand, not meaning to, but she did. She could feel heat pooling between her thighs and her stomach quivered. She was turned on big-time and her body began to throb.

He inched his body lower over hers. “Just a taste,” he growled.

It was a soft but deep tone that made his chest rumble again, vibrating against her hands. He jerked her shirt up higher until it was pushed over the top of her breasts to expose her bra completely. He stared at it before his hand released her breast. His finger slid under the center of her bra in a light caress until there was a tug.

She looked down to realize he’d somehow sliced open her bra in the front with one of his fingernails. The material was pushed away from her breasts, baring them to his view. Both nipples were hard peaks, her skin sensitive, and she didn’t feel embarrassed. She knew she should try to cover them but she didn’t.

“Beautiful and you have so much for someone so small,” he softly growled right before his head lowered.

“I bet if I lick them, they’ll taste as good as they look.”

Tammy closed her eyes when his breath fanned across her breast. He opened his mouth and swiped her nipple with his tongue. She made a surprised sound because the texture of it was soft but rough at the same time, the feeling unique, but it sent more heat flooding between her legs. Her arousal level shot up to nearly unbearable. She gasped when his mouth closed over her breast.

His raspy tongue moved, sliding quickly back and forth across her taut nipple. She moaned, arching her breast into his mouth. She could imagine instantly what that tongue could do if he used it on other places of her body. His teeth gently raked across her skin above and below her nipple and in response, her fingers dug into his skin where she clung to him.

She knew she should push him away but didn’t. She curled her fingers around the tops of his shoulders instead, encouraging him. He growled again, vibrated against her, and another moan broke from her lips. The guy reminded her of a big vibrator on her breast and the way his tongue slid across her nipple was intensely pleasurable. She gasped when he swirled it around her nipple and then he was sucking on her. Her stomach clenched hard and the ache between her thighs started to scream with need.

His hand on her stomach slid down and there was a jerk at her waist. She couldn’t really think about that though. Concentrating on anything other than what he was doing was too difficult as Valiant played her breast.

She barely registered the fact that something pulled on her slacks until he released her breast. Her eyes flew open again.

“Lift your hips.”

My hips? She stared at him, confused. “What?”

He smiled. His mouth lowered and captured her other breast. A moan tore from her throat. He didn’t tease her breast, he sucked it into his mouth, using his tongue and teeth against her. The ability to think fled as he increased the suction and the sharp tugs on her breast made her clit throb as if they were connected. One of his hands slid under her back as she arched off the bed to press tighter against his mouth. His hand lowered, cupped her ass and squeezed.

That’s when she realized his hand held bare skin. Her That’s when she realized his hand held bare skin. Her eyes flew open as she tried to shove him away. His mouth released her breast and their gazes met. She twisted, trying to see around his body and realized that he’d somehow gotten her pants open and down her thighs where they were bunched at her knees. Her panties were down there too, tangled up with her slacks.