“I never thought I’d say this but you better be talking dirty to me.”

He chuckled. “I am.”

“Good.” She blushed, realizing what she said. “I mean, not good. Bad. You know that’s totally inappropriate to say to a stranger, right?”

His smile widened as he flashed more teeth. “Kiss me.”

She studied his mouth warily. “That’s not going to happen.”

“I wouldn’t hurt you.”

She hesitated and bit her bottom lip for a few seconds. She was strangely attracted to the guy. He’d grabbed her, scared the crap out of her, but he wasn’t doing anything more than pinning her down. He’d have torn her clothes off and raped her if he were a douche-bag looser. She actually appreciated his sense of humor.

They stared into each other’s gaze. His eyes were probably the most beautiful ones she’d ever seen. Up close she could see his pupils were slightly oval shaped instead of round, reminding her of a cat she’d once owned. Definitely not human but oddly sexy. Her gaze dropped from them to his lips.

Full, masculine ones that she found appealing for some strange reason. What would it be like to kiss him? She was tempted to find out. What are the chances of ever being in this situation again? She really hoped the answer would be never. Maybe. Think, damn it. You can’t really be considering this! It’s nuts.

“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. At 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? And 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.