CollectiveMemory Read online

  Devin tried to keep moving. In the short time since they’d arrived, the club had filled up and the walkways were growing crowded, people pressing against her. Normally she hated crowds, but tonight her body was humming, almost vibrating with the need to be touched.

  Not that she wanted these strangers to touch her. She wanted the two hot, studly guys following her through the club. Both bad ideas. She kept her forward momentum, leading the way and trying not to look too deeply into the shadows. She didn’t want to see what was happening. The hints of skin and sounds were enough.

  And around every corner there seemed to be another stage, with a couple or trio performing. She tried not to watch but the displays were blatant and sexual and her eyes kept being drawn to the bodies. Butterflies danced in her stomach and her skin tingled.

  She forced a long, calming breath into her lungs but all that did was slide her nipples across the satin lining of her jacket. A shiver raced across her skin. She had to get out of here. The overwhelming sexual atmosphere pressed down on her and the urge to do something stupid—like grab Mace and Cayl and rub over them like body lotion—was sounding more and more reasonable.

  Home. Finish up. Get Cayl settled. Go home.

  “Any luck?” she asked Cayl when they circled back around to near the entrance.

  “No.”

  “What’s this guy look like?” Mace asked. “Maybe I can help.”

  Cayl blinked and met Mace’s curious stare. “I do not know what his current form looks like. His trace elements will linger after he has passed and I should be able to track him in that manner.”

  The edges of Mace’s eyes squinted down. He watched Cayl for long moments as if trying to decide if the guy was mocking him. Finally, Mace looked at Devin.

  “We don’t know what this guy looks like?”

  “No.” She sighed. “But Cayl will recognize him if he sees him.”

  Mace nodded. “Listen, why don’t you two find a table and I’ll go have a word with Vanessa about new memberships. This guy is fairly new right?”

  “Yes!” Hope flared in Devin’s chest. “He came to Ear—uh, town about ten days ago, right, Cayl?”

  “Yes. Ten Earth days.”

  “Earth days. Right.” This time when Mace looked at her, there was intent in his eyes. He was going to demand some answers.

  “We’ll be over there.” She tipped her head toward a couple of open tables.

  “I’ll find you.”

  Her chest was tight as she took a breath. Mace wasn’t the knight in shining armor type but he knew the club and he’d been some level of protection. Now she was left on her own in a sex club…with a curious alien.

  She took Cayl’s hand, led him across the aisle, and moved a few tables in. Unlike most clubs she’d been to, where the tables were crammed together to accommodate maximum bodies, these were spread out to allow for maximum viewing to those walking by, even allowing small bulges in the paths for people to stop and watch.

  The lights were dim enough that if someone wanted to hide, they could but somehow she didn’t think the people who came here chose that option often. Most seemed too eager to see what was happening around them. Even couples wrapped in octopus embraces took a moment to look up when she and Cayl walked by. The gazes seemed to invite them—to watch or join.

  Devin ignored the people around her and kept her focus on the empty table in the corner.

  Cayl tugged on her hand, pulling her to a stop. Devin looked back. Cayl’s gaze wasn’t on her. It was on a couple at a table right beside the aisle. Devin had done her best not to look. Now she had little choice. The woman was wearing what looked like a bra and boy shorts, only the bra was open and the man was vigorously sucking on one nipple. His hand covered the woman’s other breast, squeezing and rubbing.

  Her already tight nipples seemed to grow even more taut and press against the slick jacket lining. The woman opened her eyes and smiled, a dazed sexual smile that made Devin’s stomach drop. A flutter moved through her pussy, heat and liquid filling her core. She shifted and pressed her knees together, trying to ease the ache. It made it worse.

  “Come on.” She yanked on Cayl’s hand. “It’s rude to stare.”

  “But is that not the purpose? If they didn’t want people to watch, why would they do it in public?”

  She didn’t have an answer for that. She just needed to find them a seat and get her body back under control before Mace returned because jumping him was sounding more and more like a good idea. Not that he’d be interested. He was probably a god in the sex world and could have any woman he wanted. He wouldn’t want someone like her—a little too plump, a little too boring. Still, the bodies she’d seen around the room hadn’t been perfect. Not all of them anyway. Gave her some comfort that Mace might—

  She stopped herself. What was she thinking? She wasn’t. And that had to stop. She needed to remind herself this was work and nothing more. Mace was just helping out. Out of the kindness of his heart. Right.

  And dammit the bastard had spanked her! Her cheeks grew warm again, the memory sending heat through her body. How mortifying. How embarrassing.

  How arousing.

  She flinched as her conscience jumped into the conversation reminding her she’d been wet and hot while he’d spanked her, as if every stroke was a tap to her clit.

  Brushing away the thought, she wove her way to the empty table and sat on the cushioned bench, jumping at the slight sting in her backside. Oh, Mace was going to pay for that.

  Cayl sat down beside her, his eyes scanning the walkway and the tables around them. She couldn’t tell if he was looking for Harken or other couples to watch.

  “What do we do now?” he asked after a few moments. “Are we just going to hope that Harken walks by us?” The snotty tone had returned. Good to get back to normal.

  “No. Mace is asking about new members. This guy most likely got a membership if he’s come here more than once.” It felt good to talk about their case. Her mind shifted focus from the rampant sex around the room to finding Harken. This is good, she thought. Think about finding the megalomaniac and maybe when Mace comes back you won’t drag him down on the bench and beg him to finish the job he started with his spanking.

  Devin groaned. Her conscience tended toward sarcasm but it was a good point.

  “We will sit here until Mace returns?” Devin nodded. “It would be best if we blended in, would it not?”

  Her mind trapped in her own thoughts, she answered Cayl’s question without much consideration.

  “Yes.”

  Cayl shifted, turning toward her. His hand reached behind her shoulders and pulled her close.

  “Wait, what are you doing?”

  “You agreed we should blend in? All of the other human couples are embracing. Should we not do the same?”

  She blinked and couldn’t deny his logic.

  “I guess.”

  “Then we should kiss.”

  “Oh! Okay, right.” She turned to face him. “We should kiss.” The delicious ache in her pussy swelled but she took a breath and tried to ignore the sensation. This wasn’t a real kiss. It was business and Cayl had never kissed anyone. She would have to take control.

  She put her hands on his shoulders and stared into his eyes.

  For five seconds, his eyes went blank, almost black, then he leaned forward, drawing her near as he did so, and placed his lips on hers. Devin braced herself for a quick buss on her lips, or worse, a bad kiss.

  His mouth moved, soft and gentle at first, exploring—like a man experiencing the sensations for the first time. These weren’t the awkward caresses of a first-timer. He turned his head, matching their mouths closer, sucking lightly as he rubbed his lips against hers. His hand slid down her back and eased her closer, pressing her breasts to his chest.

  The wicked distraction of his hand on her back caught her attention long enough so she missed the fact that he had his tongue in her mouth, teasing and playing with hers. Her thought
s short-circuited. The heat and wicked taste filled her mouth and flowed through her body, sinking into her core. She squirmed on the soft bench, wanting to be closer, needing to be closer.

  Only Cayl shifted, not moving away, but he lifted his head and looked at her chest. Even beneath the thick material of her suit jacket she felt the intense green stare, like a caress to her breasts.

  Devin swallowed and forced her lungs to breathe slow and deep, hoping to calm her speeding heartbeat. But her mind was still locked on that kiss.

  “I thought you’d never been human before,” she blurted out. “Where did you learn to kiss like that?”

  “My species has a collective memory,” he said absently, not shifting his stare, his one hand flexing like he wanted to reach for something but didn’t quite have the courage. “I merely accessed a previous visit to Earth. Was it not done properly?”

  “No, it was great. Perfect.”

  His head came up. “Then we should do it again so as not to attract attention to ourselves.”

  A tiny part of her mind acknowledged that he sounded as eager as she felt but the portion capable of coherent thought disappeared as he kissed her again. Her toes curled inside her shoes as he worked his tongue against hers, tangling with it and drawing her inside his mouth.

  As if moving under their own power, her hands slid into his hair, the soft strands slipping between her fingers, teasing her skin with light strokes. He grunted and leaned forward, pressing her back against the wall, giving her no chance to retreat. The strength and power called to something in her and she whimpered, wanting more, wanting to feel him on top of her, inside her.

  This is bad, but oh so good. You shouldn’t be kissing the alien. It’s bad, bad.

  But the words faded as Cayl sucked on her tongue. Shivers skipped down her spine and she moaned. Her body vibrated with the need to be closer.

  As if he heard her plea, he sat up, placed his hands on her waist and picked her up. The strength in his arms was incredible. The world spun as he lifted her, flipping her around. The twirling stopped abruptly. Devin looked down. Her legs straddled his thighs, her knees digging into the soft cushions. The boring black skirt she’d worn to work this morning looked sexy and hot hiked up almost to the top of her spread thighs. The thighs she normally hated for being too big looked strong, sexual.

  She blinked and looked around. Her back was to the aisle, giving them some illusion of privacy.

  She lifted up on her knees, not wanting to crush his legs. He didn’t seem to notice or didn’t care. His eyes locked once again on her chest, watching the breathy rise and fall of her breasts beneath the gaping jacket.

  She gulped and glanced over her shoulder. People might see them.

  “We really should—”

  “Open it,” he commanded in a voice that warned he wouldn’t be denied.

  The sound sent a shock into her pussy. Mace had used the same voice when he’d told her to bend over for her spanking. Something deep inside her reacted to the power flowing from Cayl. Her throat tightened and she couldn’t find the words to protest.

  Her fingers trembled as she reached between her breasts and worked the button, undoing the simple clasp but keeping the edges closed. They were in public. Not that anyone she knew would come to a place like this, but why take chances. For all she knew the director of the agency was a closet submissive and was even now having his ass whipped in some private room.

  The frightening thought disappeared as Cayl reached for her. One hand stayed on her back, supporting her, the other brushed aside the flaps of her jacket, baring her breasts. She gulped and looked around, wondering if anyone could see, if anyone was watching. No one seemed to be paying attention to them but still…

  “Cayl, we shouldn’t—”

  He didn’t lift his head. His gaze never left her breasts. “Hush, Agent Denning, we are blending in.”

  He placed his hand on her stomach, spreading his fingers, as if he wanted to absorb as many sensations as possible. Long curious strokes whispered across her stomach. An invisible band squeezed Devin’s chest as she watched his hand move across her skin.

  Heat flowed through his touch, sinking into her flesh. Devin held herself still as his fingers drifted upward, teasing and testing the lower curve of her breasts, first one, then gliding over the other. A low hum rumbled from his throat, the sound part curiosity, part hunger.

  The sampling caresses seemed to make him want more. He curled his fingers beneath her breast and lifted as if testing the weight.

  She held her breath, allowing herself to be explored.

  His tongue slipped out between his lips and touched the corner of his mouth. He flashed a look to his right, to the other couple and the man sucking on the woman’s breast.

  Devin braced herself and opened her mouth to protest, to tell him this really wasn’t a good idea.

  But Cayl didn’t move forward. Instead he rotated his palm over her breast, gliding his fingers over the already tight nipple. Devin gasped. Warmth flowed through his palm as he rubbed a long slow circle across her skin. Her nipple popped forward. He pulled his hand away and looked at the protruding peak.

  “Fascinating.”

  A corner of her mind rebelled at being a “learning experience” for his species. That part was quickly silenced by the dominant side that loved the way his hand stroked her. He circled her nipple with one finger, watching as it tightened, his eyes glowing—literally glowing—bright green.

  “Most intriguing,” he murmured as he leaned forward. The hand at her back pulled her up, arching her spine and positioning her breast to his mouth. Cayl leaned down and skimmed his nose across her skin as if testing her scent first. Another hum and he flicked his tongue out, a quick brush along the curve.

  He tilted his head and gave another glance toward the couple in the corner as if gathering ideas. Devin felt like she was barely breathing when he returned, focusing on her. He opened his mouth and slid his tongue slowly around her nipple. Bright shivers ran into her pussy.

  It didn’t make sense. Her breasts weren’t usually so sensitive. It had to be the atmosphere, the fact that they were in public and that her panties were soaking wet. But that didn’t make it right. She should stop him.

  “Cayl, that’s—”

  He held up his hand, stalling her halfhearted protest.

  “Please. I am exploring this fascination with the female breast.” Exploring? Her brain briefly protested at being a test subject but the throaty gravel of Cayl’s voice told her he wasn’t as unaffected as he might want to believe.

  He gave another lick and returned his free hand to her other breast, soft fingers stroking back and forth across her nipple.

  “Most compelling, Agent Denning. I would understand why the human male is so intrigued.”

  Devin didn’t have an answer—women had been trying to figure that out for years—but her ability to think disappeared. He opened his mouth over her breast and sucked. The wicked shiver turning into a zap, flowing into her core and making her squirm. She couldn’t stop the gasp that followed. Cayl raised his eyes as if to monitor her response. The green in his eyes seemed to sparkle with tiny silver lights. That couldn’t be real—Cayl was in a human body—but it was beautiful.

  She cupped her hand along his cheek. The glittering lights seem to grow brighter. He dropped his gaze and focused on her breast, sucking her nipple into his mouth. Her back arched, instinctively trying to give him more of what he wanted.

  Cayl released a noise that sounded suspiciously like a growl then drew hard, as if he wanted to swallow her whole. Heavy pressure flooded her pussy. Her fingers gripped his hair, holding him in place. Damn, he’s a fast learner. He licked and sucked, focusing his attention on one breast, tasting her, learning. He explored, seemed to monitor her reaction, and repeated the ones that interested him.

  The club, the mission, everything disappeared. All that mattered was the hot, wet pressure against her nipple, the long seductive draws of his
mouth, sending sweet pulses into her pussy.

  Movement fluttered around her and her eyes drifted open. She blinked and realized she was staring up…at Mace.

  “Having fun?” he drawled.

  She tried to nod but couldn’t find the strength. Cayl lifted his head.

  “It is quite fascinating. You were right about her having fantastic tits. They are most intriguing in my mouth.” He looked at her other breast then up at Mace. “Mayhap you would give attention to the other. I would be most interested to see her response to two males sucking her pretty tits.”

  Without seeing if his suggestion was being followed or perhaps he didn’t really care, he returned to what he’d been doing, licking, kissing. Driving her insane.

  Mace’s presence made it so much more real and she tried to move away but the pressure, the need was too deep for her to retreat. Without lifting his head, Cayl shifted her until she was positioned against the table, leaning back, her jacket spread wide and her breasts bare and open for anyone to see. That should have panicked her, but instead another sliver of arousal pierced her flesh. She wanted to be seen, touched, fucked.

  Mace planted the heel of his hand onto the table and leaned over her.

  “Is this what you want, Devin?” She blinked and nodded, her voice locked deep in her throat. A light flared in Mace’s eyes and he bent forward, not moving toward her breast but to her mouth. She opened her lips ready to meet his kiss. He teased her with a brush of mouth to mouth, a caress using his lips. She stretched up, silently pleading, wanting more, needing.

  The edge of his mouth kicked up in a half smile as if he was pleased by her hunger. If she’d had the strength to protest, she might have but he covered her mouth with his, his lips meeting hers and his tongue sliding inside. God, she didn’t think it could get any worse. Better.

  Heat rushed through her pussy and she moaned, arching up into the kiss.

  Unwilling to lose the strong suction of Cayl’s mouth, she sank her fingers into his hair and held him in place as she offered her mouth to Mace. She lost herself in sensation—Mace’s mouth ravaging hers, Cayl’s lips drawing deeper and deeper.