Chapter Two

Genevieve

If someone had told me that by the end of the day, I'd be living out my wildest kitchen make-out scenario, I would've laughed my butt off. Which was saying a lot since I loved donuts and it showed in my backside.

As his mouth moved with mine, and his fingers dug into my hips to keep me from sliding away, I circled my arms around his neck and tightened my thighs around his waist like I was a koala and he was the last eucalyptus tree on earth.

The only thing that could have made it hotter was if he'd spun around and laid me on the long kitchen island that took up most of the room and doubled as a dining area. We must have been on the same wavelength because no sooner had I thought it, then the guy spun us around and laid me gently down on the island.

He had the height of a basketball player and the bulk of a football player, but also the agility of a cat, because a heartbeat later he was on top of the counter… never breaking our kiss or releasing his grip on me. The man's hands settled on my waist and his large thumbs brushed my sensitive ribs, causing my skin to flush.

As heat rushed between my thighs, I couldn't help but think how similar this was to what I imagined when I was taking care of my needs. Except if it were a dream, his mouth would be making its way toward my breasts while his hands would be pushing my shirt out of the way.

Maybe I was dreaming, because the man began kissing and sucking his way down my neck, while the heat of his palms seared my skin as they moved up my abdomen.

"Ohhh," I moaned, keeping my eyes closed so I didn't risk breaking the dream of all dreams before we got to the good part.

The scent of bergamot tickled my nose, followed by the cool sea breeze whispering across my bare skin. He shifted his weight to one arm, and his mouth pressed kisses to my collarbone, before slowly trailing lower.

When his tongue swiped across the swell of my breast, I squirmed beneath him, inadvertently grinding my aching entrance against something very hard and very thick. Before my poor sleep-addled brain could process the need exploding in my belly just from that one touch, his hand gently massaged my breast and his tongue flicked my nipple.

"Yes," I groaned, loving the heavy petting and craving more.

His mouth disappeared and his hand moved to the top of my head.

"Good girl," his melodic voice praised as his hand stroked the top of my head. "Such a good girl."

My lust turned to confusion as I blinked up at the man. "Wh-What are you doing?"

His hand paused on the top of my head. "You wanted heavy petting. Isn't this what you meant?"

The man resumed brushing his palm down my hair.

Spluttering, I flattened my palms on his chest and pushed him off me. The mood had been broken, but I couldn't hide a tiny smile. This was the weirdest experience of my life, which was saying something since I'd been born on one of those gondolas that took people between ski slopes and lodges.

This wasn't a dream, and there was definitely a blue man with a magic tongue and hands in my kitchen. I knew when I moved to the island there would be monsters and other paranormals; my boss had included that in my NDA when I signed on with the company.

But I'd been expecting trolls, orcs, werewolves, or vampires. Not a lost member of the blue man band. Spinning on the counter, I hung my legs over the island and rubbed my forehead. Time to think with my head instead of my hormones.

"Sooo," I drawled, trying to figure out how to ask what he was politely. "Are you like a ghost?"

Yes, I'd seen the kids' movie. I knew what the situation pointed to, but somehow a ghost seemed more believable than a genie.

The man's low chuckle set butterflies fluttering around my stomach. He turned to face me, propping his hip against the counter.

"Djinn, not genie." He reached out and patted my head.

"Stop that." I batted his hand away.

His brows drew together. "But you like heavy petting?"

"Not when you do it like I'm a cat." Although, I might like it if he petted the kitty between my thighs.

The man's eyes widened and focused on my lap. "You keep a feline in your pants?" His fingers brushed between my legs. "Are you sure it can breathe in there?"

My laughter turned to a strangled gasping sound, both from the absurdity of keeping a cat in my pants and his fingers touching me in a zone that still hadn't calmed down from our make-out session.

I caught his wrist, holding his hand still, because I didn't have the willpower to push him away, but I knew I'd be in trouble if he started trying to pet me there.

His blue eyes studied my face, and he sucked his bottom lip into his mouth as he tried to puzzle something out. Finally, the look of concentration faded, and the sexiest little smirk snuck across his face.

"I see. You refer to your genitalia as a cat. Modern language is tricky, but I will learn."

Focus, Genevieve.

Releasing his wrist, I took a deep breath. "Okay, djinn. I'm afraid I don't know much about your species."

He shrugged. "That's unimportant. I'm the one who needs to learn about how to best please you."

My heart high-fived my libido at the words every girl wanted to hear.

I reminded myself he didn't mean that kind of pleasing—

"Yes, I do. You own me, feel free to tell me anytime you want coitus or petting. I am happy to provide for all your needs." He crossed his arms over his chest and smiled warmly.

Back the truck up.

The blood left my body, my mouth went dry and my lust took a swan-dive down the drain.

"No, no, no." I hopped off the counter and backed away from him. "I refuse to have any part of this."

Blue Dude only lifted an eyebrow. "Which part? The part where you possess me?"

"No! I mean yes! Absolutely no owning and no possessing is going to be happening here." I threw my hands up and started pacing the kitchen as the reality of the situation I was in finally seeped into my exhausted mind.

He shook his head with a small smile playing on his lips. "I can fix many things for you, but not this. You can't unrub the lamp. What's done is done. I'm yours."

"Well, I can't be your first—" I hesitated and tried again. "This can't be the first time someone rubbed you into existence."

I winced, realizing that rubbing one out takes on an entirely different meaning when it's a magical lamp.

The man's features twisted into a mask of consternation. Somewhere in one of the boxes stacked around the kitchen, a clock ticked away the seconds as he stared off into the distance, seemingly lost in thought.

Stepping closer, I gingerly touched my fingers to the back of his hand. "Hey, are you okay?" I whispered.

"I hadn't thought about myself since being awakened. It seems I don't remember my past." His eyes turned to me, an emotion I couldn't place glinting in their violet depths. "I don't even know my name."

From the corner of my eye, I sent the battered Xedef box a glare. Was it any surprise he was a bit scrambled?

"Maybe you just need to rest?" I offered, not having a clue what you were supposed to do when comforting a djinn in a crisis. Offer him a gin and tonic?

I could use a stiff drink, but I didn't have a clue where my bottles of alcohol were, let alone my glasses.

"Here." A glass materialized in his hand.

"What is it?" I asked, taking it from his hand and trying not to look suspicious.

How was a girl supposed to know if her drink was drugged so the guy could take advantage of her if he pulled it out of the air?

"I don't need to drug you to get you into bed." He rolled his eyes and some of the tension left his face. "You've imagined us naked together twenty-three times since you've awakened me."

I choked on the ice-cold coconut rum. My mind replayed our interactions, and I came to the belated conclusion that he could read minds. I should have noticed sooner, but it had been a freaking long and exceedingly strange day.

Lifting my chin, I eyed him coolly. "Just because I imagined it doesn't mean it has any chance of happening."

He pushed away from the counter, stepping closer to me. "But it's not just your thoughts." Bending, he took a sip of my drink, then he hooked a finger under my chin and captured my mouth.

His kiss tasted like my favorite rum. Despite my initial impulse to pull away and prove him wrong, I parted my lips, allowing him better access to deepen the kiss. His knee parted my legs, pressing his muscular thigh against the part of my body that kept ignoring our no-man policy.

"Your body tells me you are open, maybe even eager, to have me in your bed," he purred against my puffy lips.

I would've been irritated by his cockiness, but when his hands moved to my hips and rocked me onto his thigh, it was hard to be mad about anything. Heck, it was also hard to remember how to breathe.

He slid me along his silk-covered thigh a second time, and my eyes fluttered closed. "I enjoy how responsive you are to my touch."

It had been far too long since I'd been touched, and what girl wouldn't crumble at the chance to make out with a sexy monster man? For a few seconds, I let myself simply enjoy the moment and the way his every move seemed perfectly designed to please me.

But I was too worked up, and it didn't take long before I knew we had to stop before I embarrassed myself to the point of no return.

"We have to stop," I gasped.

"I will do whatever you wish." He nipped my bottom lip.

I wished he'd keep going and release the pressure he'd built inside me.

"Then that's what I'll do," he murmured against my mouth.

"Wait! I don't want you to do anything that you don't want to do." With a herculean effort, I leaned my head back and away from the delicious heat of his mouth. A horrible thought entered my mind. "Earlier, when you kissed me the first time…" I paused to catch my shaky breath. "Did you have to because I was thinking about wanting it?"

A devilish smile curved his lips and fiery mischief flickered in his eyes. "I wanted to touch you from the moment you touched my lamp. Knowing your thoughts as we kissed simply gave me the advantage of knowing what you desired so I could act on it. Djinn grant wishes, but we do not have to grant our own—" He must have read the disgust on my face because he paused and then continued. "We do not have to grant the one who holds our lamp the right to touch our bodies. If I didn't want to touch you, I would have stayed in my immaterial smoke form. Now, allow me to grant your wish… and mine." Taking the glass from my hand, he turned so that he leaned against the island.

With a smoothness that stole what was left of my breath, he grabbed my hips and settled me slightly higher on his thigh so that my tippy toes barely touched the ground. Gripping my hips, he ground me against him.

My body trembled and flushed as he kept me balanced and continued sliding me against him. I stared down at where I straddled his leg. Was there anything more humiliating than being almost thirty but humping a guy like a horny teenager?

"There is nothing to be ashamed of. Stop thinking so much. If this provides you pleasure, just enjoy it." His lips brushed my forehead as he continued the steady rocking motion that was stirring my desire to a boiling point.

I could feel the orgasm preparing to explode inside me and knew I needed to make a decision. Either stop this now or ride the wave.

"Let me give you this." His voice had gone soft, losing all signs of cockiness. "Please."

Unable to think of anything but the lust in my belly that was fighting to be released, I gave in. Circling my arms around his neck, I looked up into his eyes. They'd shifted to a deep purple, and I made a mental note to ask what that meant. Later.

Sensing I was close, his rhythm quickened, and I came apart so fast I would have been humiliated if I wasn't already fully immersed in my humiliation era. Still, I refused to close my eyes or look away as mind-numbing pleasure ripped through me.

The man had given me the best ride of my life.

On his freaking leg.

Which totally highlighted the level of lame my exes had been.

"I like this," he murmured.

"Hm?" I panted, still trembling from the aftershocks.

"Earlier you pretended you were dreaming, and I was nothing more than a figment of your imagination." His lips brushed mine. "This time you looked at me. You saw it was me, but you didn't pull away."

I wasn't sure what to say to that. My exes would have just been relieved to know they'd done their duty and eager to stick it in so they could get off. He wasn't making any move to pressure me to take things further.

The djinn slowly lowered me so my feet were on the ground. The dark spot on his silk pants where I'd been sitting had me flushing all over again.

Grabbing me around the waist, he twisted around so that I was sitting on the counter.

He leaned down until we were eye level. "Enough. Your body is sexy, and your pleasure is natural. I like seeing the evidence of your desire. I know little of the men of this time, but I assure you, there is no reason for you to feel upset about having needs and enjoying yourself."

What about what he wanted? What would he expect from me?

Catching my chin between his fingers, he forced me to look at him. "Nothing. I expect nothing from you. And I will accept nothing that you feel obligated to give me."

"But—"

"No." He scooped me into his arms.

I blinked in shock, then slowly took in the room. We weren't in the kitchen anymore. We were in my bedroom.

"You are overwhelmed and your body is going into sleep deprivation. It's time for you to rest." He was so matter-of-fact that I didn't mind his bossiness.

"I can't sleep!" I protested. "The sheets aren't on the bed—"

"Now they are."

"I need to call my mom and my cell phone is in the kitchen—"

"Here you go." He pressed the phone into my palm.

"The guest room needs to be set up for you—"

He shook his head. "I don't sleep. The couch is fine for me to rest on while you sleep."

I was running out of protests.

The man snorted and moved to lay me on the bed. "Finally."

Staring up at him as he straightened and moved toward the bedroom door, I had a moment of panic. I didn't want him to leave me, which was crazy, since I was a grown woman who enjoyed living alone.

"Wait! We need to talk things out—"

He cut me off with a wave of his hand. "Tomorrow. Your body is relaxed. Stop thinking so much and enjoy a good night's sleep."

With that, he vanished, leaving only a thin layer of sparkling glitter on the floor where he'd been.