Coming Altered: Welcome to Carson, Book Four Read online

  Cassidy watches as Theo blinks at her with a blank stare. His eyes bore into hers and she has to work to not simmer beneath his gaze.

  “That, was…uh…very astute of you. Where did you come up with that?”

  “Oh, I don’t know. I saw him moving his fingers back and forth in little movements along the edge of the jukebox, so I pegged him as a guitar player.”

  Theo nods his head and then asks, “Do you play any instruments?”

  An eruption of laughter bursts from Cassidy and she has to hold her stomach as the giggles ripple out from between her lips.

  “Hell, no. I have no musical inclination whatsoever. My mom put me in a piano class once. Just once. And I broke the piano. I mean, I was six. How do you break a piano at six? I wasn’t allowed back. And that was my last venture in the music world.”

  She reaches up and swipes her fingers beneath her eyes to remove the happy tears that have spilled over.

  “What about you, Theo? Do you play any instruments?”

  Theo’s smile shifts from one of interest into one of predation. His eyes narrow slyly as if he’s about to reveal a secret that would alter her world. He’s coming in for the kill and Cassidy can do little to fight against him – the lamb to his lion.

  “I’ve been told that I have magical fingers. Strumming your body would be my favorite instrument to play. Do you want to find out?”

  Cassidy gulps loudly as his words filter around her; they send pulses of electricity straight to her center. Something about the combination of his remark and gaze leave Cassidy panting in her seat and she knows if she were to check, her expensive lace panties will be soaked through.

  “Oh…um…” Cassidy murmurs, thoughts convoluted and twisted.

  Her rationale is escaping, retreating from her mind and conscious. Cassidy can do little to battle against the mysterious swirl in his green eyes beckoning her to come with him. To explore their desires – her desires.

  He holds his left hand out towards her from across the table, palm facing up, silently requesting her to place her hand in his.

  If he notices the hesitation in her eyes he doesn’t mention it. Instead her handsome counterpart offers her the olive branch she requires.

  “You can trust me, Cassidy. We won’t do anything you don’t want to do.”

  And she believes him. The sincerity and seriousness in his tone mixing with the softness in his eyes is her undoing. Cassidy hasn’t ever found herself yearning for a one night stand, but that all changed the moment he saddled up to her table. Whether it is their magnetic pull, the immediate comfort she feels in his company, his stellar good looks, or the combination of the three, Cassidy can’t be sure. All she knows is that she will regret not taking the chance to explore her cravings for him.

  Preferably with her mouth.

  ARLAN ALMOST THOUGHT SHE would rush away from the table in fear. The apprehension is evident in her wide brown eyes – eyes he wants to stare into as he makes her come over and over again. To watch her body, succumb to him.

  But as he watches her tentatively place her hand into his he holds back his sigh of relief. He knew telling her she could trust him would win her over, and it worked like a charm, but she has nothing to fear with him. If anything, she is safer with him than she is in this seedy bar.

  He tightens his grip on her hand as he glides out of the booth and helps her to ease her way from her own seat. Harlan is a tall man so when she stands and barely reaches his shoulder he has to suppress a chuckle.

  “You’re a tiny thing, aren’t you?” he questions rhetorically.

  She gazes up at him with her large chocolate eyes and replies saucily, “Maybe you’re just a really big guy.”

  Her left eyebrow arches causing Harlan’s body to smolder. Damn he knew she was funny, but fiery too? He can’t wait to see how the rest of the night unfolds as he imagines how her personality will reflect in the bedroom.

  Harlan reaches into his back pocket and fingers through the bill folder. Two twenties on one side and an unnecessary wad of hundreds on the other. He tosses the twenties on the table in payment of their drinks and food, but before he is able to replace his wallet in his pocket a noise around the bar garners his attention.

  An older man wearing a filthy white apron grips the lone waitress by her petite shoulders causing Harlan’s blood to boil. He drops Cassidy’s hand and sends her a signal in his gaze to stay put before he makes his way towards the bar. He watches as the man towering over the waitress shakes her roughly as spit darts from his mouth during his rant, landing on her gaunt cheeks.

  “Is there a problem?” Harlan asks the woman, causing the older man to drop his hands in surprise at their interruption.

  “No…I…um…” she says as her eyes dart around like a wild animal that is fearful of its surroundings.

  Harlan steps up to the man, almost equal in his height, and brings their faces within a few inches of each other.

  “Don’t ever lay your hands on a woman again or so help me you won’t have a bar left to run. Do you understand?”

  “Who do you think you are, son?” the man hollers back angrily, his face turning ruddy as his temperament rises.

  Harlan leans even closer; the tips of their noses close enough that a piece of paper would barely fit between. He takes a deep breath and inhales the scent of alcohol on the man’s breath. The silence grows within the bar as the patrons listen intently.

  “I can be your worst nightmare. Now you listen here. Don’t ever treat a lady, or an employee, in that manner again or I will shut you down. This woman is going to walk out of this bar tonight and not glance back, do you understand?” Harlan emphasizes as he pokes a finger at the man’s chest.

  Smartly, the man nods his head as he swallows what little is left of his pride. Harlan turns towards the woman whose face has turned an ashen shade of gray and gestures for her to follow him. He guides her to the other end of the bar hid under the shadows and hands her the remaining money in his wallet, except for a lone hundred-dollar bill.

  “Here,” he says as he grips her wrist and shoves the money in her hand. “Take this and leave this place. No one deserves to be treated like that.”

  “What…” the woman asks in surprise and then raises her eyebrows in alarm when she looks at all the bills in her hand. “I can’t take this. I won’t be able to pay it back.”

  Harlan shushes the woman and tells her that the money has no strings attached. That he simply wants to give her a chance to start over.

  Harlan feels when Cassidy approaches, most likely in alarm for the woman standing before him with tears beginning to sprinkle down her cheeks.

  “Thank you. You don’t know what this means to me. This is… this is the nicest thing anyone has ever done.”

  Harlan eyes the woman as she fingers through the bills counting out the five thousand dollars she holds in her grasp, her eyes widening in shock as the number grows.

  “You know,” Cassidy interrupts holding out a business card. “I know a place hiring an assistant. Give this number a call and they can set something up for you.”

  The woman’s eyes somehow become larger than they were as she grasps the car and whispers, “I’ll be able to get my son back. The state took him when I lost my place and job. I just got a new apartment yesterday, but I could barely make ends meet with this part time job. This is…you are angels,” the woman cries as she breaks down before them.

  “Come on, we’ll help you get a cab,” Cassidy commands as she stares at the tiny name tag the woman has pinned on the upper left side of her shirt, “Shelly.”

  Shelly nods and steps towards the exit, Harlan and Cassidy following her retreat. As they near the large wooden door, Harlan guides his hand to Cassidy’s and intertwines their fingers together, squeezing gently to gain her attention. She looks up at him, eyes glistening with joy, and they exchange a smile of accomplishment. Her caring nature as much of a turn on to Harlan as her pent-up desire. As he returns her smile he bri
ngs her hand up and places a kiss on the back of her hand, his lips tingling as they encounter her smooth skin. Much to Harlan’s delight he hears Cassidy’s breath hitch at the contact and as he lowers their arms he winks in her direction.

  Harlan opens the door for Cassidy and Shelly as they reach the exit and he gently places his remaining hand on Cassidy’s lower back as the door shuts behind him.

  They watch as Shelly hails a taxi and one yellow vehicle stops abruptly before her. The overwhelmed woman turns around and launches herself at him and Cassidy, wrapping her frail arms around both bodies.

  “You don’t know what you both have just given me. My son is my world and I haven’t held him for three months. This will be the best birthday present, he turns two next week.”

  She squeezes them both before turning and sliding into the waiting car.

  “Don’t forget to call that number tomorrow!” Cassidy shouts and Shelly acknowledges with the nod of her head just before the cab pulls away.

  The couple stands on the sidewalk idly, Harlan’s finger tips stroking the bare skin of her back beneath her shirt, just above the waistband of her pants. He hides his grin as a shiver wracks her body.

  “You ready to get out of here?” Harlan probes gaining Cassidy’s attention once more as he slides the hand from the middle of her back towards her hip, gliding his fingers just along the interior edge of her waist band.

  “Hmm?” she asks seemingly lost in the feeling of his touch.

  “Do you want to go back to my place?”

  “Oh,” Cassidy says before her tongue peeks out from between her lips, wetting the plumpness surrounding it. “Yes…uh, yes, please,” she adds eagerly.

  Luckily for them a cab is headed their way so Harlan wastes no time flagging down the vehicle and escorting Cassidy into the back. He leans across the front seat and gives his address to the driver before situating himself on the opposite side of the seat from Cassidy, not trusting himself to sit directly next to her. She’s too potent, too addictive, and he knows once he has a taste he will be unable to stop.

  Harlan feels tormented through the long drive as each breath expelled by Cassidy seems to prickle against his skin, sending his body into high alert. The musical interlude he felt enraptured by as he entered the bar softly plays deep inside his mind and he feels himself falling under its spell.

  The jerking of the car immediately mutes the composition performing from deep within him. Harlan tosses his lone bill at the driver and exits the car, holding out his hand to assist Cassidy in her departure.

  “Thanks,” she whispers as she comes to stand in front him.

  Harlan wastes little time and practically drags her from the sidewalk and into his building. Four flights of stairs later he stops in front of his door and releases her hand.

  “If you want to leave, tell me now, because once we step over this threshold you’re mine for the night, understand?”

  Cassidy’s eyes widen in surprise and then grow heavy in need. Harlan loses a fight against himself, groaning as he watches her bite down on her fleshy bottom lip.

  “Fuck. Don’t do that,” he growls as he turns his attention back to the door and reaches forward with his key to unlock the apartment.

  He steps inside and gestures for Cassidy to enter. Realizing she may need a bit of space, if her wide eyes are any indication, he walks over towards his bed and empties his pockets, placing the items on top of his dresser.

  Harlan turns back to face Cassidy, and even though the apartment is small she seems like she is world’s away, a lost expression marking her features. He sits down on the edge of his bed and takes off his hat, running his hand through the now flat hair, hoping to give it some life. After tossing his hat towards the small couch in the corner, he averts his gaze back towards the mysterious woman still standing at his door.

  “I’m nervous. I’ve…I’ve never done this before,” she claims as she twists her fingers around each other in front of her hips.

  “Come here,” he motions with his hand to the spot next to him.

  She nods and complies, sitting herself within inches of his touch.

  “I’m not sure what to do. Do you do this a lot? Where do we start?”

  He doesn’t want to lie to her, he does indeed have a few one night stands under his belt, but this one is different – she is different. Harlan decides to be honest about their particular situation.

  “I’ve never brought anyone else here. You’re the first. And we can start wherever you’d like.”

  Cassidy turns away from his stare and gazes down at her knees, appearing to have a mental argument with herself. Unwilling to have her decide against this – against them – he reaches over and takes the ball cap from off her head watching as a cascade of golden blonde hair tumbles to her shoulders, the ends just grazing the top of her shirt.

  Harlan tucks the strands of hair closest to him behind her ear revealing a classically beautiful profile. That damn tongue created solely to render Harlan’s mind useless reaches out to wet her lips once more and he can no longer control his desire for her.

  “I need to kiss you now,” Harlan explains before he reaches both hands forward, framing her face, and sealing their lips together.

  He is anticipating the spark, the electricity between them arcing violently, but he isn’t expecting the full-on explosion of desire that surfaces deep within him. Fireworks are too mild a term for what boils inside his body. Just a quick brush of her sweet plump lips against his and he begins fighting an uphill battle to maintain his control.

  Pulling back from her, Harlan moves from his place on the bed and kneels before Cassidy, placing both of his hands on her hips. Without a second thought, he yanks her forward, forcing her to spread her legs and let him between them, aligning their bodies. With their height difference, Harlan and Cassidy’s faces line up and he returns her smile before closing the distance between them once more.

  Cassidy tentatively opens her mouth, that sweet tongue of hers extending forward to seek entrance, and Harlan loses all restraint. He accepts her invite and his tongue dances with hers as it explores his mouth. She tastes of something sweet and tangy. New, but familiar at the same time. He is finding himself lost in her flavor.

  Without a second thought, Harlan’s hands tighten on her perfect ass, gripping the globes beneath his fingers, and hoist her up as he stands. She wraps her legs around his waist, arranging herself to align her center against his stiff erection.

  Harlan tumbles forward, using one of his arms to brace their fall against the bed, while his other stays firmly planted on her bottom. Cassidy’s legs and stiletto covered feet tangle around Harlan’s hips, tightening, urging him closer. Their mouths fight a battle neither plans on losing, while their hands explore the exterior curves of each other’s bodies.

  Between the dueling of their tongues and the feeling of her skin beneath his touch, Harlan finds himself on the verge of losing control. Without a second thought Harlan rocks his hips against her center, the skin of his engorged cock aching beneath the feel of the zipper on his jeans.

  He rocks once, then twice, as a moan vibrates from her mouth; his own absorbing the sound.

  That moan is the sexiest sound he has ever heard and he pulls away slightly, leaning above her with a hand gripping the edge of her shirt.

  “You still want to do this, babe?” he asks as he hesitates from lifting her shirt.

  She nods, one of the free hands above her head gripping his duvet tightly.

  “I need the words, baby. I need to hear you say it,” Harlan adds as he bends forward and nips at her jaw line, pressing kisses down her neck.

  “Yes. I still want this. I want you,” she claims with a new tenacity.

  She places both of her hands on Harlan’s chest and pushes him back so that he rests on his knees. He narrows his eyes in confusion until she reaches for the hem of her shirt and tugs it over her body. He stares in wonder at a perfect sized set of breasts incased in black lace, he
r nipples straining against the material.

  His real-life fantasy stands from the bed and removes her shoes, then her pants follow, revealing a matching pair of black lace panties. Harlan’s fingers twitch against the material of his bed as they yearn to reach forward and caress her skin. They want to follow every curve and divot of her delicate body.

  Before he has the opportunity to reach out, Cassidy moves forward and places one of her legs beside his and the other follows, straddling his body. He looks into her eyes and sees the fire burning deep within, begging him to unleash the animal straining inside him.

  One of his hands grips her from around her back while the other dives between her legs, moving against the heat exuding from the fragile material.

  “I bet you’re dripping, aren’t you? I bet you’re soaking wet for me,” he says as he continues to rub against her needy center.

  She tosses her head back in bliss as she rocks her body against his hand. Her hand that rests around his neck clasps him firmly, connecting their two bodies in a second point.

  Harlan feels her legs begin to shake and he realizes that her first climax is nearing and he’ll be damned if it happens without a part of him buried deep within her body.

  Tugging the center of her panties to the side, Harlan slides his fingers through the glistening moisture coating her folds before inserting a finger into her channel.

  “Fuck,” he moans at the feeling of tightness surrounding his finger.

  Needing more, he moves his thumb towards her clit and rubs at the sensitive nub as a second finger joins deep within her body.

  “Oh, God,” Cassidy cries out as her walls begin to further tighten around his fingers.

  Knowing what she craves, he motions his fingers in a “come-hither” move, rubbing against the spot guaranteed to send her over the edge. And with the flick of his thumb against her tiny bundle of nerves, she arches her back in ecstasy while in his arms. Her body shakes around him and his need to have her supersedes all notions to help her ride down from the high.