Luscious (Topped #1)(13)

The instant she’d seen him, she’d changed all her plans. It was wrong, but it was also true.

Kiss him. Kiss him once and you’ll find out it isn’t as good as you think it will be. Sex isn’t really all that special. It’s not like you haven’t tried it before. It’s kind of messy and then it’s over. It would probably be the same with this guy.

Or it will be so much better because this is a man and not a boy and damn, but he looks like he could take care of business, if you know what I mean.

Her inner voice had a split personality and an overabundance of sauciness it seemed. Still, she was kind of going with optimism as Macon’s gorgeous face dropped down.

His lips were soft as they brushed against hers. He didn’t overwhelm her the way some men had tried before. He went slow, as though enjoying exploring her. His hands moved from her shoulders to her back, running the length of her spine and making her shiver. Her chest bumped against his. She could feel the way her nipples pebbled, and her whole body seemed to go soft.

All her previous sexual experience had been about obliterating something. Whether it be herself or some bad day or horrifically bad news. It had been about escaping.

She didn’t want to escape this.

She breathed him in. He smelled liked lemons and mangoes and an underlying hint of sweetness. His hands were so big and callused, but they moved gently against her skin.

And then it was gone.

“Did you hear that?” He looked toward the doors.

She’d heard the pounding of her heart. She’d kind of ignored everything else.

In the distance, she could hear the sound of a siren going off. “I think that’s the warning system. Don’t panic. They cover a lot of space. We need to find an interior room and wait it out. The bathroom is best. There aren’t any windows there.”

“I’m going to go grab the radio. There’s a hand crank radio we keep in the kitchen. It’s also a flashlight and we might need that. It’s a good sign that the lights aren’t out.”

She nodded. “Yes. I’ll go with you.”

He put two hands on her arms. “No. Go get in the bathroom. Get your head down. I’ll be there in a minute.”

He disappeared into the kitchen. She stood there, listening to the sound of the rain beating on the roof. He was right. They would need the radio so they would know when all was clear. At least it was late. No one would be on the streets at this time of night. Damn Mother Nature. She had terrible timing.

The phone at the hostess station rang. Despite the fact that it was so late, she decided to answer rather than let it go to voicemail. It could be Sean having car trouble. “This is Top.”

The voice came over the line in fits and starts. Deena. “… okay?... heard… coming… Top.”

“What?” She strained to hear her. Deena would be calling from her cell. It looked like the weather was hurting her signal.

“Worried…”

The line went dead and so did the lights. They didn’t even flicker. There was a loud popping sound and then everything went dark.

She stood still for a moment, trying to orient herself. They’d drawn the shades so only the barest hint of what light was left outside filtered in. She was utterly in the dark. Her heart was pounding for a different reason now. Fear sparked through her. Her instinct was to burrow down in the bathroom. It was back and to her left. All she had to do was walk about three feet in a straight line and she would find the back wall. Once she could touch it, she would follow it back to the bathrooms. Simple. She would be safe there.

There was a loud crash and then it sounded like the world was being battered.

The windows. At least one of them had shattered. Her eyes were adjusting and she could see a couple of big balls that had gotten through the shades. They looked like baseballs, but she knew what they were. Hail. She heard another crash, this one to her right. The kitchen.

She didn’t think, simply reacted. She ran to her right. Something was wrong. Macon knew exactly where the radio and flashlights were. He should have been back here. He wouldn’t have left her alone. She’d known him for a few weeks and he was a man who tried to take care of the people around him. She’d found it annoying at first. She’d had to let him walk her to her car at night, which meant trying to hide the fact that she was living in it. At first she’d enjoyed the nights Macon had off, but she’d quickly come to appreciate the feeling of being watched over by him. Sure, he did it for all the women, but she’d pretended it was only for her.

She hit the double doors to the kitchen at a jog. She could sort of see.

Something crunched underneath her. More glass. The back window had gone.

“Macon?” Nothing. “Macon!”

Lightning flashed and she saw him. He was on the floor, the flashlight next to him. Her hands started to shake as she made her way to him. Something dark was on his face. Please don’t let it be blood. Please don’t let it be. He was so close to the prep station. It looked like he’d slipped and hit his head.

The world suddenly went eerily quiet.

Even as she hit her knees, she knew things hadn’t gotten better. They’d gotten infinitely more dangerous. Quiet was bad. Quiet meant the monster had found her.

“Macon? Please get up. We have to go. It’s almost here.” Panic threatened. She reached for his hand. It was warm in hers and when she tried to find his pulse, it was strong under her fingertip. His heart was beating.