Island Stripe Pride - Chapter 37: Chapter 37

“Trench, just be honest with me.”
“I am, Bria. But promise you won’t scream?”
Well, shit.
She’d really, really, really intended to keep that promise. But how was she supposed to anticipate what happened next? She was a simple Jersey girl from Paramus, known for its shopping malls! Her infatuation with all things supernatural might have started as a kid reading those Goosebumps books by R.L. Stein, but up until she received that video, Bria had had zero experience with anything supernatural.
Not firsthand, anyway. No UFO lights or mysterious growling from the shadows. No remnants of fairy dust or gory ghosts lurking in her bedroom. Her intuition, or knowing as Grandma Grotto called it, was as close to it as she’d ever gotten. And that was spooky enough.
This was completely out of her experience. One second, a sexy strapping Trench was staring at her with his beautiful golden eyes, and the next, bam, he was all furry and stripey. And big. Did she mention he was really fucking big?
So, um, yeah… Bria fucking screamed.
Like a little girl.
She screamed, raising her hand, pointing at the enormous furry beast.
“Holy shit! T-TIGER!”
Okay, so it was not her finest moment. She’d barely had time to come down from the coffee table she’d foolishly jumped on, like that was going to save her, when he was back in his skin.
Only naked. Like naked naked.
Totally fucking naked.
Gulp.
Bria had seen nude men before, but this guy was a work of art. And… he was fucking huge. Trench’s eyes were on her face, arms raised wide as if approaching a frightened animal, and did she mention he was still naked?
“Easy. I am not going to hurt you, Bria.”
“I bet you say that to all the girls before you eat them! OHMYGAHD!”
Heart pounding, her eyesight grew blurry. Bria was having a panic attack. She turned to Trench, still pissed, but what choice did she have?
“You better catch me, dammit!”
Then everything went black.
S
ometime later…
Bria blinked her eyes. She was in a huge bed with a fluffy soft blanket. Definitely not hers. Where the heck was she?
Then it all came back, rushing into her brain. She was nearly drowning in the impossibility of it all. Trench, the dirty rat, er, cat, actually, was sleeping sitting up in a chair beside the bed.
Aww. That was kind of nice, actually. He’d given up his bed for her. But why? Did he want his snack comfy before he ate it? She spied a glass of water beside her and risked a small sip. It wasn’t poisoned, so she took another. Then, she glared at the softly snoring man, and tossed the cold contents right at him.
He woke up with a roar and Bria jumped on the bed, startled.
“What the fu---” he blinked, wiping his face off and calming the second he saw her.
“Bria? Are you okay?”
“Am I okay,” she growled, pissed off. “You lied, you lying liar.”
“Uh…” Trench stood there, dripping wet and looking ridiculously cute for someone who was drooling a moment ago.
“How did I lie?” he asked.
“You are not a Wolf,” she said, shaking her head.
“I never said I was a Wolf. You assumed I was a Wolf. I am a Shifter though, a Tiger Shifter.”
“I know! You showed me, remember?” she shouted, seriously annoyed.
Did he think she was a fucking idiot? Bria had been to the Bronx Zoo a time or twelve. She knew Tigers when she saw one. Okay, so she’d never seen a man turn into a Tiger, but so what?
“Bria, let’s have some coffee, okay? Then we can talk about this.”
“Coffee, you say?”
She sniffed, nodding her head. She could go for some coffee.
“Yeah. Coffee and breakfast! I’ll make you whatever you want, well, within reason,” he muttered.
“Fine, but I need a shower first.”
“Right through there. I brought your bag up too,” he replied, showing her where everything was before he left the room.
Twenty minutes later, with her teeth brushed, hair shampooed and combed, and smelling fresh like the Dove soap he had in his luxurious bathroom, Bria joined Trench downstairs. He looked freshly showered as well, and she figured he must have a second bathroom somewhere.
“Outside shower, for when I come back muddy and stuff,” he muttered, responding to her confusion.
“Okay,” she replied. “Coffee?”
She’d smelled the rich, tempting fragrance of freshly brewed coffee from upstairs. Now she was the one drooling.
“I only have powdered creamer, apologies,” he said, handing her some packets.
“It’s fine,” she replied quietly.
“Look, I want to---” he started, but she needed to get this off her chest first.
“Please, let me apologize. I am so embarrassed by my outburst. This is all so out of my league. Wolves, Tigers, Shifters, and then you running in, and rescuing me, and then this place. And you’re so gorgeous, and considerate, and you make me feel safe. You gave me your bed, and then I go and scream at you like a crazy person---”
“First of all, you have every right to be discombobulated by all of this,” he began.
“Did you just use discombobulated in a sentence?”
“Um, yeah,” he paused, but she had nothing else to add. So, he continued.
“Anyway, um, none of this is your fault, Bria. You just happened to get an email that is highly sensitive to our people. I know, you didn’t know what you were looking at or the ramifications, but the fact is, there are people after you now. I promise I will help you, keep you safe. And I didn’t mean to scare you. I just thought you should see my Cat,” he finished, rubbing a hand over his head.
He seemed to do that a lot when he was thinking. Bria bit her lip. It was a lot of information, and she had the feeling he’d never said so much at one time to one person.
“Sorry, I don’t usually talk to, well, anyone,” he murmured. “But I do want to say something.”
“What?”
“I think you’re gorgeous too,” he stated matter-of-factly.
Before she could even start to contemplate that, Bria jumped up, nearly knocking over her coffee. Werewolves were real. Weretigers were real. She had proof. He was proof.
“Ohmygahd!” Bria blurted. “I’m gonna be famous! My vlog is gonna blow up. YOU are proof of everything!”
But even before she saw him shaking his head, hands raised in alarm, Bria knew that was not going to happen. How could it? These creatures were obviously hiding for a reason. And wouldn’t it be interesting to find out? Even if only for herself— hell yes, it would!
“No, Bria, you can’t do that,” he said, shaking his head.
“Hmm? What now?”
“You see, the Shifter world must remain secret. You can’t tell anyone else. There are powerful Shifters who know you have that video, and they are already hunting you. I am going to keep you safe, but we need to delete that video.”
“Wait. Slow down,” she said, trying to not look at his manly torso just sitting there in the daylight.
Did he even own a shirt? How was a girl supposed to think with all those tanned muscles? And why the hell was he tanned? It wasn’t even beach weather yet.
“Hey, my face is here,” he said, and she could hear the smile in his voice.
“Sorry,” she murmured, squeezing her eyes shut.
“I don’t mind you looking at me, Bria, if it brings you pleasure. Hell, you can look, touch, anything you want,” he said, and the man purred.
Honest to God purred. Bria swooned. Her insides melted. Liquid pooled between her legs, and a fierce pang of arousal spiked in her blood. Bria wasn’t a nun, for fuck’s sake. She had needs. And getting it on with this huge, smexy Tiger man was like number one in her list of things she needed.
Like now.
“Trench, I’m so sorry. You must think I am a total nut job. Here you’ve been nothing but nice to me, saving me from those guys, bringing me here, feeding me, letting me sleep in your bed, explaining your secret to me, and I’m like panting after you like some sex starved maniac,” she blurted out in one extremely long winded sentence.
“You’re not panting. But with some work, I think I can change that,” he pointed out, unhelpfully.
“Wait. Are you flirting with me? We’ve got some pretty serious things to discuss, and here I am beating myself up over being all inappropriate, but---”
She gulped.
“But, um---”
“What?” he asked, grinning again.
“I was wondering if, maybe, um, you kinda sorta like it when I think inappropriately about you? Mebbe?”
Then he stood, trapping her against the table. All six feet, eight inches of Trench Tora was standing in front of her like God’s gift to Bria, and all she could do was look at his eyes.
Those incredible eyes of his were burning bright, just like the tiger in the poem by William Blake. Two hundred years later, and the man’s accurate description wowed Bria in that small cabin somewhere in the woods in upstate New York.
Trench’s eyes did indeed burn. Not like embers or sparklers this time, but like the flames of a blazing inferno.
Dangerous. Mysterious. Sexy as sin.
Bria wasn’t afraid of him or his beast, but she was tempted. Very much so.
“Well?”
“Well, to answer your question, I like you, Bria Grotto. And yes, I would very much like to get inappropriate with you.”
“Oh,” she replied, placing her hands tentatively on his hot skin.
She pushed away from the dining table, careful not to jar the coffee. Trench moved willingly, thrilling her with his pliability.
Her pulse was racing. Bria never did things like this. Maybe it was her female intuition thing, but she’d never felt this way about anyone else. Only him.
So, she went with her gut and plastered herself to the man. Thank fuck, she thought as his arms came around her. Next, Trench’s hard line of a mouth sealed over hers in a kiss that was impossibly soft, and filled with passion. It was so damn sweet, it would have made even an angel weep.
But Bria wasn’t an angel. She didn’t weep. Instead, she decided to grab this opportunity by the hand. Like those cavalier poets that came before Blake, Bria seized the moment.
Carpe Diem, she thought with a healthy addition of o captain, my captain. Fuck, that was a good movie.
Focus, Bria.
Fuck. Trench was leaning down, larger than life and sexier than any man should ever be allowed to be. His sunflower scent filled her nostrils, and she could practically taste his heat.
“I want you,” she whispered.
“Mine,” he replied, surprising her with the thrill of excitement that flooded her at the barely intelligible word.
Then he kissed her. Softly first, slowly, teasing her lips into parting. He slid his tongue between them, exploring her mouth. She allowed it, hell, she’d beg for it if he’d dared stop, so entranced she was by his sensual touch and the purring noise coming from his chest.
Then the kiss turned urgent, and his arms wrapped around her body. Bria moaned, holding on, clutching his shoulders as he lifted her and carried her to the living room. A fire was already stoked in the beautiful fireplace. Appropriate for the chilly spring morning.
He took them both down to the soft rug, expertly, gently. Taking the brunt of the fall, Bria was sprawled atop him, grateful she’d donned her soft leggings and loose tank top for coffee. They’d be easy to remove, she thought wickedly.
Trench kissed her like he was starving, and he couldn’t get enough. Bria had never felt such a ferocious desire, and she loved it. Her body was on fire for him. Her heart too.
Nails bit into his biceps. Maybe it was the close call she’d had earlier, her brush with violence and possible death, but she didn’t think so. It was simply him.
Being near him, she felt things she’d never thought possible. He peeled away her clothing layer by layer, kissing and touching, praising her as he revealed her secrets inch by inch.
Bria was a big girl, often shy and sometimes insecure, but his words were from his heart. She felt his honesty. Believed he thought she was beautiful, and in turn, she felt like she was. To him, in that moment, and what else mattered?
“You are beautiful, kitten,” Trench said, the steel in his voice daring her to disagree.
Why would she? He nodded, satisfied with her acquiescence, and went back to exploring her. Bria was not passive, she kissed and touched her fill too. But he was overwhelming her with his talented hands and most dexterous tongue.
“Oh Trench,” she moaned as his hot hands stripped her of her top.
He growled, looking his fill before lowering his head to kiss her heavy breasts. She was swollen with need, and fuck, it felt so good when he sucked and nibbled her there. Oooh, there. Trench wasn’t finished though, thank fuck.
He ran his hands over her soft belly, down to the apex of her thighs. Coasting his fingers across her damp panties, she wiggled, trying to tempt him closer. Fuck, she didn’t want to wait. She wanted him to touch her. To make her feel good. She wanted him to make her come.
“Trench!” Bria moaned his name, impatient and needy.
“What is it, kitten?”
“Please,” she begged.
“Anything you want,” he promised, his burning eyes singeing hers with their heat.
It was insane that he should want her so, but Bria always was a little crazy. And apparently, she had an inner floozy that she’d contemplate later. Much later. After he made her come a time or ten.
Lips, tongue, and teeth nibbled and tasted as he teased her into a frenzy of desire and need. By the time he pushed his big body between her legs, she really was panting. He’d kept his promise, just as she knew he would.
His cock, so thick and hard, filled her until she thought she would die from the pleasure. He went still, allowing her body to adjust to his welcomed invasion, nuzzling her lips with his. She felt his hardness, his heat, pressed along her whole body, and she loved it.
It was indescribably beautiful and efficacious. Then he moved, and Bria’s heart thudded in her chest.
“Mine,” he growled, lifting her legs so she could wrap them around his waist.
Her heels dug into his tight backside as he moved harder, faster, deeper. Trench was insatiable. Already lasting twice as long as any previous, easily forgotten lover ever had. Her body hummed with pleasure and her belly warmed as the first wave of her climax spread through her.
“Oh yes,” she moaned, biting him on the neck in her passion.
She’d never felt the need to do that before, but something told her to, and again she went with her gut. The man above her went rigid, eyes aglow as he spoke through his clenched jaw.
“You’re mine, say it,” he demanded, and she did.
“Yours!”
“Tell me you want this, Bria.”
“I want this. Want you,” she moaned.
Trench reared up, eyes gold, taking her with him. He plowed into her then, earnestly, heightening her pleasure. And when she couldn’t take it anymore, he bit down on her shoulder and her whole entire world went white hot with unparalleled ecstasy at his touch.
Trench roared above her, then eyes still ablaze, he mashed his lips to hers and she tasted him, and something coppery on his mouth. It didn’t discourage, if anything, it made it better. His cock swelled again, and he moved slowly this time. Rocking into her with care and imprecise movements.
It was beautiful. It was lusty. It was better than anything, and she loved every minute of it. Eventually, she fell asleep, and he must have carried them to a bedroom because she woke up on clean sheets with a warm body next to hers.
“Bria,” Trench said, concern in his eyes.
That was when the pain started.