Lady of the Lair Read online

  LADY OF THE LAIR

  Alter-Human 1

  Kiyara Benoiti

  MENAGE AMOUR

  Siren Publishing, Inc.

  www.SirenPublishing.com

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  A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK

  IMPRINT: Ménage Amour

  LADY OF THE LAIR

  Copyright © 2010 by Kiyara Benoiti

  E-book ISBN: 1-60601-721-7

  First E-book Publication: June 2010

  Cover design by Jinger Heaston

  All cover art and logo copyright © 2010 by Siren Publishing, Inc.

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission.

  All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.

  PUBLISHER

  Siren Publishing, Inc.

  www.SirenPublishing.com

  Letter from Kiyara Benoiti

  Regarding Ebook Piracy

  Dear Readers,

  Literature is a precious gift. Stories began by word of mouth, and eventually they were written in stone, vellum, and papyrus. Now fast forward to contemporary times where paper books have also become electronic. Writers slave over their stories, and publishers work hard to get the books out to the readers.

  Please do not pass ebooks around. It’s tempting to do so, but ebooks aren’t like a used book found at a yard sale or a secondhand bookstore. By passing one paperback to someone, it might travel to half a dozen people, but an ebook can be replicated hundreds to thousands of times, costing the author and the publisher huge sums of money.

  Do the honest thing. Recommend your favorite ebooks to others, but don’t pass them copies of it.

  With deep gratitude,

  Kiyara Benoiti

  DEDICATION

  For my husband, who supports me always and who encouraged me to write something that really pushes erotic romance to the edge. Also, for my friend, Sue, who is dear to my heart.

  LADY OF THE LAIR

  Alter-Human 1

  KIYARA BENOITI

  Copyright © 2010

  Chapter One

  Consummation

  Thunder rolled across the landscape. Breathing in the aroma of rain, Dillon waited for Isis to lock the car. He admired her ass as she bent to insert the key into the door lock of her black 1966 Corvette. He’d been dating Isis Waverly for two weeks. Until then, he never thought it was possible to meet someone special, especially through bar hopping, but fate surprised him with Isis. In just fourteen days, he’d become crazy about her.

  “Ready?” Isis asked.

  “As ready as I’ll ever be.” Although thrilled to spend time with Isis, Dillon tried not to sound bored about the focus of their date. Wandering around narrow, dusty passages and admiring rocks just didn’t seem all that interesting, but right now he’d do anything to please Isis. “I’ve never been in a cave, let alone a system of caverns,” he added, hoping she didn’t detect his lack of enthusiasm.

  She fastened a fanny pack around her hips and deposited the keys into it. She caught him watching her and dazzled him with one of her perfect white-toothed smiles. The sparkle in her vibrant blue eyes nearly knocked Dillon off his feet. Maybe he’d get lucky tonight. It was important to him that Isis didn’t feel pressured into having sex. He wanted it to happen naturally.

  She walked toward him dressed in form-fitting jeans, a pristine white T-shirt, and hiking boots. She’d pulled her dark mahogany hair, composed of tumultuous curls, up into a ponytail.

  “If you enjoy the cavern tour,” she said as she reached him, “then maybe I’ll take you spelunking with my group next weekend.”

  “Sounds great,” Dillon replied, taking her hand. “I never knew this place existed until I heard about those twelve tourists who disappeared six months ago.”

  “Those people got lost because they didn’t stay with the tour guide.” She threaded her fingers with his.

  Warmth traveled up his arm. Just touching Isis in a simple, innocent way sent tendrils of desire through him. Although they hadn’t known one another long, he was ready to take their relationship up to the next level.

  “That’s why you shouldn’t let me out of your sight,” she continued, a warning tone in her voice. “I know the paths, plus my group is charting the caverns’ unknown regions. I don’t want anything to happen to you, Dillon, so stay close to me.”

  Something about the way she said that last part sounded so suggestive. Dillon gulped and mentally told his libido to quiet down, but it didn’t want to listen to him. Was he reading too much into Isis’s voice inflections, body language, and the messages in her big blue eyes?

  Thunder boomed again, the sound curling across the inky sky. Crickets chirred in the tall grass. A damp breeze whipped across the nearly vacant lot. Only an Aztec, a Honda Civic, and a Dodge Ram remained. About two hundred yards away, the lights of the tourist gift shop and the information center winked in the deepening twilight.

  “I’ll bet you a vodka tonic it will pour rain all night,” Isis mused, looking up at the threatening heavens.

  Dillon laughed and squeezed her hand as they walked toward a weathered staircase constructed of heavy lumber. It led down to a large hole in a slab of rugged, gray rock.

  “I’ll pass,” he said. “You’ll win that bet hands down.”

  “Hi, Rory!” she greeted the tour guide standing just inside the cavern entrance. “Are there still people inside?” She indicated the parking lot behind her.

  The guide smiled, the expression in his eyes showing more than friendship for Isis. Dillon glanced at her, and dismay swept through him. She favored the guide with a look of adoration.

  The guy’s smile grew wider, revealing pointed incisors that gave Dillon the chills. He hated it when people had eyeteeth that looked vampiric. The man stood well over six feet tall, his long arms and legs sinewy. He sported a small, black goatee that matched his neatly cropped blue-black hair. His deep brown eyes, overshadowed by heavy, dark eyebrows, reminded Dillon of oil slicks.

  Rory brushed a cracker crumb from his tan uniform and tossed an empty wrapper into a nearby trash receptacle. “Nah, they all met for a picnic in the glen over there.” He pointed toward a cluster of trees. “They better get going soon or they’ll get drenched.”

  “You two know one another?” Dillon asked. Jealousy nipped at him. The thought of another guy homing in on his territory didn’t sit well with him, but he sensed something from Isis, too. Did she have a thing for the guide? Was she using him to make the guy jealous? Whatever the case, the dude seemed too familiar with Isis. He steeled himself for the competition he feared was coming.

  “Me and my spelunking group chart the cavern system for the park, so I’ve gotten to know Rory rather well.” Excitement gleamed in her eyes. “Are you ready to go in? I can’t wait to show you the sights.”

  He glowered at Rory. “Isn’t he going with us?”

  She laughed, the sound echoing in the far regions of the entrance. “He’ll check on us later, especially if we’re late coming out, but Rory is confident in my abilities as a guide.” She patted his arm. “It’s okay, Dillon. I know what I’m doing.”

  Relieved he wouldn’t be bothered by the guy, Dillon relaxed. “But we didn’t bring any gear.”

  She favored him with a patient expression. “Stop worrying. We’re not going anywhere dangerous or uncharted.”

  Rory grinned, and Dillon fought the sudden urge to wipe the smile off the guy’s face. Slugging the jerk wasn’t the best of ideas. He had to play it cool around Isis.

  “You’re in very capable hands, dude,” Rory said. “Isis has been doing this a long, long time. She and her spelunker friends have been very useful to the park.”

  “Okay.” Glad to be rid of him, Dillon took his date’s hand, following her down the stone corridor. “I’m game.”

  They progressed quietly, the only sounds their breathing and the crunch of their boots on the sandy path. Lights anchored to the ceiling and high on the granite walls offered Dillon little comfort. Something tickled the back of his mind, as if a spider had crept into one of his ears and up into his brain. He passed it off as a bit of claustrophobia and the unease of being in a str ange environment. The aroma of dampness and dust invaded his nose. He sneezed twice and shook off his discomfort, but he couldn’t shake off his unease about Isis and Rory.

  “How far are we going?” he asked, trying to keep his gaze off of Isis’s round ass. He attempted to concentrate on the minerals twinkling in the smooth passage walls, but his attention kept straying to her butt.

  “Just to the first small cavern.” Isis’s long, curly ponytail swung to and fro in front of him. “Next time we’ll plan for some serious spelunking.”

  They descended farther into the bowels of the earth. The cool, damp air increased, the temperature dropped, and the aroma of moisture and wet minerals grew more prevalent. Stalactites and stalagmites glittered in pointed columns of bizarre beauty and composed a dimension of dreamscape proportions. Dillon thought of the Greek underworld and shivered.

  I’ll shit a brick if we round a bend and run into Hades himself.

  Isis paused and turned to look at Dillon. “Need to rest?”

  “Yeah, if you don’t mind.” He sneezed again. “It’s getting sort of difficult to breathe.”

  “Are you claustrophobic?”

  “Never have been before, but, then, I’ve never been in a place like this before, either.”

  Isis sat on a large stone jutting from the wall. She patted the spot next to her. The lights strung along the center of the passage ceiling glinted on her hair. Dillon liked the way it looked as if someone threaded her locks with glistening strands of red and gold.

  “Sit and relax,” she suggested and smiled, the expression soft, seductive.

  The moment Dillon caught the mischievous gleam in Isis’s eyes, thoughts of the encroaching walls and millions of pounds of crushing earth above him fled his brain. He knew he shouldn’t have allowed himself to fall for the woman so quickly, but he had. Isis was all he could think about. He dreamed about her at night, pined for her when she was away, and couldn’t stand to leave her side when they were together. Not only beautiful, Isis also possessed a keen intellect that intrigued him. Her allure was beyond intoxicating. It was addictive.

  Thoughts of her lips caressing his cock filtered across his mind’s eye. He grew hard. Oh, how he wanted her, how he’d been patient the last two weeks. For the thousandth time, he imagined what it would be like to fondle her large breasts as his rod sank into her hot, silky center. He wanted her as his woman. The idea of introducing her to all his friends and family as his girlfriend or live-in tantalized him. What would it be like to wake up to her naked body entwined with his, her first smile of the day reserved only for him?

  She scooted next to him, slipped her arms around his shoulders and nuzzled his neck. “We’re alone down here,” she said, her tone suggestive.

  He fidgeted on the outcropping, his cock hardening more. It pressed against the zipper of his jeans.

  Dillon gulped and replied, “But someone might find us.”

  “The only person left on duty is Rory. He won’t say a word should he find us.” She caught his earlobe between her teeth. At his sharp intake of breath, she added, “And then later I’ll show you my place and we’ll start all over again.”

  He turned his head and sought her mouth. Claiming her lips, he tasted Juicy Fruit gum and her own personal flavor. She sighed and pressed closer to him. Pausing, she drew away long enough to unfasten the hip purse and then straddled his lap.

  “Isis?”

  She paused, drew back, and looked directly into his eyes. “Yes?”

  “I just want you to know that I think you’re special. I’ve wanted you from the moment I first saw you.”

  A beautiful smile lit up her face. “I’m so glad you feel that way because I think you’re special, too.”

  “Yeah?” Happiness soared through his heart. “You don’t mind that I’m just a bartender?”

  “Not at all.”

  “Would you be interested in taking our relationship to the next level—beyond sex, I mean.”

  “Absolutely.” She wiggled on his lap. “Now let me show you how much.”

  Her words catapulted him into pure euphoria.

  He captured both sides of her face in his hands and kissed her slowly, savoring her softness pressed against his body. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and his kiss became more insistent, demanding. She touched the seam of his lips with her tongue. A fire erupted in his loins, and he opened his mouth to her. Their tongues danced and dueled, fueling the flames that swept through Dillon’s body. His cock strained against his pants. He moaned, the urge to throw her down and sink it into her satiny folds so overwhelming he could barely control it.

  “Te quiero,” he mumbled against her mouth.

  “What does that mean?” she asked.

  “I want you in every way,” Dillon answered. She nibbled his lower lip, and he gasped, adding, “Damn, I didn’t bring any protection.”

  “We don’t need it.” She rocked back on his lap and yanked his polo shirt up over his chest. He raised his arms, allowing her to strip him of it. “I trust you,” she continued, “and I know you’re safe.”

  “How could—?”

  She silenced him with a finger across his lips, and then replied, “Trust me, I just know.” Her voice took on a serious tone. “I need to tell you something, though.”

  “What?”

  “When I kiss you, a light toxin will enter your body through my saliva. You’ll feel disoriented and your sex drive will explode.”

  He laughed. “I’m feeling that way already.”

  “I’m serious, Dillon.”

  “So am I.” He chuckled.

  “I’m being honest with you,” she said in an even firmer tone.

  “All I care about is being with you and loving you. I want you so badly I feel like I’m going to fly into a million pieces.”

  Isis regarded him for a long moment. Finally, she nodded and said, “All right, Dillon. Just know that I’ve told you the truth.”

  She stood and began unfastening her jeans and untying her boots. Quickly, Dillon scrambled out of his clothes, too. He spread his shirt out on the rock and sat on it as Isis bundled her jeans and shirt and placed them on either side of his hips for kneepads. She straddled him again, her bare ass hot across his thighs.

  “Damn, you feel great, babe,” said Dillon, his breath catching. “I can’t wait to be inside you.”

  She snuggled closer, her dark, softly haired pussy planted tightly against the base of his cock. Her breasts, heavy and ripe with large, pert nipples, rubbed against his bare chest.

  He struggled to contain himself. Isis was a lovely woman, but his imagination hadn’t done her body any justice. Naked, she was spectacular.

  “You’re so handsome,” she breathed as she nipped the skin along his neck, her breath fast and warm against it. “You have such pretty brown hair and eyes that look like chocolate drops. Your dark skin is so smooth, and I love how you’re toned, but not overly muscled. I like athletic-looking men.” She sighed, the sound half desirous, half relaxed, and moved up along his neck to suck on his earlobe. “Just how athletic are you?”

  “I’m about to show you,” he said, lust thick in his voice.

  She palmed his cock and clenched it rhythmically. He drew air in between his teeth, moving his hands up over her slender thighs, along her hips, the niche of her trim waist, and upward to cup her breasts. She sucked in an excited breath and worked her hand a little faster.

  “Isis,” Dillon whispered. “If you do that much more…”

  She giggled and captured his mouth in a kiss that urged a range of emotions and sensations to spiral straight to the base of his cock. Slowly, she raised her body and positioned her cunt on the head of his penis. Nestled next to her hot, wet opening, his cock throbbed until Dillon groaned in pain for want of her.

  “Please,” he begged. “You’re killing me, Isis. I got to have you. I need you.”