by Reus, Katie
She nodded as she picked up the spoon. “It is possible. But luckily I’m smarter than the average witch.”
He was silent as she started eating, then he started pacing only to stop when his phone buzzed in his pocket. “I’ll be right back.” Then he left, allowing her to breathe for a moment as she dug into her vegetable soup.
After she finished the soup and all the crackers, she didn’t feel like eating three energy bars, but knew she needed to. She’d used up so many calories. And he was right, this would help her sleep and recover faster. So she choked them down, eating them in little bites before she slid under the covers. She was so cold and had been secretly hoping he would join her again.
As if she’d conjured him, the door opened, but she didn’t turn over, exhaustion sapping her strength. She actually recognized his footsteps as he approached the bed. She heard him pick up the tray and he must’ve set it outside the door before it closed again.
“Are you still awake?” he whispered as he slipped in behind her.
She made a humming sound as he wrapped his arm around her and pulled her back against his chest.
It was kind of bold, him getting into bed like this with her. But she liked it. She wanted to tell him that he didn’t need to bother, that she didn’t need anyone to take care of her, that she would sleep just fine by herself. But that would be a big fat lie. She liked having his arm around her. She liked having someone take care of her like this.
No one had ever taken care of her, not truly. Certainly not her mother. To her mother, Dallas had just been a tool, power to wield. Until she’d gotten old enough and seen through all the lies. So many lies.
“I know you said not to thank you,” she said around a yawn. “But thank you again anyway.” She curled her hand over his bigger one and patted it.
In response he simply wrapped his arm tighter around her and held her close. The steady beat of his heart and his even breathing lulled her into a deep, soothing darkness.
Chapter 20
Dallas jerked in Rhys’s arms, her eyes flying open. She’d only been asleep for three hours and he knew she needed more. It was clear in the wild, almost unfocused glaze of her beautiful gray eyes.
“Is Willow okay?” she rasped out.
His heart clenched. She was always thinking of other people, other beings. He’d never imagined a female like her in his life. “She’s fine. Currently being spoiled. It’s only been a few hours, Dallas.” The blackout curtains were firmly in place but bits of the late morning light still peeked through.
Dallas sighed and seemed to settle more against the sheets. “Good.” She nuzzled her face against his chest, wrapping her arm around him and throwing one leg over him as if it was the most natural thing in the world.
Just like that, his cock hardened. He’d already been in a semi-state of arousal on and off for the last few hours. Every time she shoved her ass up against him, or turned over and wrapped her body around his, he got hard. Then he’d have to think of shitty things so his erection would go down. It was a vicious cycle.
Now with her curled up against him, her full breasts pressing against his chest, it was definitely too much for his waning self-control.
He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, fighting to steady the wild beat of his heart, and tried to think of anything but Dallas’s lush body pressed up against his.
“I wouldn’t mind that kiss right now,” she sleepily mumbled against his chest.
Oh, hell. He rolled his hips against her, leaving no doubt how aroused he was.
She leaned her head back to look up at him. She was half awake, but he saw the fire simmering in her bright eyes that had gone almost silver and he could clearly scent her desire. It was sweet and overpowering, leaving him no doubt that she wanted him as badly as he wanted her.
Without second-guessing himself, he crushed his mouth to hers, tasting, teasing, taking. Goddess, he wanted to consume her, to bring her so much pleasure that she passed out from it. His female needed rest—and an orgasm.
Moving quickly, he caged her body underneath his, glad they had an actual bed in here now as opposed to that flimsy cot.
Moaning, she stretched out underneath him, arching her unfortunately covered breasts against his chest. But he felt the beaded points of her nipples rubbing against him as he plundered her mouth. Her taste was perfection. She was perfection.
He slid his hands up the tiny shirt he’d picked out for her earlier, cupping her breasts, shuddering at the feel of them in his hands, at the fact that she wanted him to touch her at all.
She groaned into his mouth and the scent of her desire spiked in the air as he slowly teased her nipples.
He needed to see her naked, or at least more of her. And he needed skin-to-skin contact, was desperate to feel her against him. When he leaned up to tug her top off, he realized he was slightly glowing.
The mating manifestation. Dallas was…his mate.
He jerked at the reality of what was happening to him, even as his dragon sniffed that of course she was. He’d just been too foolish to see the signs. He…would digest this later.
He tugged on her shirt, wanting to see all of her.
She stared at him, a soft, sleepy smile playing across her face. “I think you’re a little bit magic too,” she whispered, running her fingers over his biceps and down his forearms. “You’re glowing.”
That he was, and clearly she didn’t know what his glow meant. He would tell her later.
Once she was bared to him, he stared down at her breasts, feeling as if he had the most precious thing in front of him. She was better than any dragon hoard, better than…anything he deserved. “And you are perfection,” he managed to growl out as he reached for the top of her sleep shorts and tugged them down.
He dipped his head to one breast even as he got rid of her shorts—and it was taking all his self-control not to simply incinerate her clothing and just be done with it. She should be naked all the time around him. As he tugged her nipple into his mouth, she let out the sweetest moan and arched into him.
Hell yeah. Hearing that sound from her lips made him shudder.
As her back lifted off the bed, he slipped a hand underneath her, palming her back, feeling more grounded as he held her. The beat of her heart was wild and out of control as he teased her breasts, moving from one to the other, so that her skin was slick with his kisses.
She clutched onto his back, her legs spread wide for him as she moaned out his name.
Her scent was driving him crazy, making his glow even brighter. He’d heard about the mating manifestation before. Hell, he was just surprised it had taken this long to manifest. A week ago he would have scoffed at anyone who told him that he was destined to mate a witch. A week ago he was a fucking fool who needed a good punch in the face.
Mine. That was the only thing he and his dragon knew with certainty. Dallas was his.
He reached between her legs and gently teased a finger between her folds and found her soaked. All for him.
Finally, you please her, his dragon purred.
He was rock-hard between his legs but he didn’t dare take off his pants. He needed to taste her, needed her to come. His sweet Dallas deserved all the orgasms.
And he needed her to find the release she so desperately craved so she could get some more rest. She’d done so much, and he’d learned in the few hours she’d been asleep that the amount of power it had taken for her to rip that wall open was superhuman. It should have taken a whole coven to rip it open but she’d done it all alone and in seconds.
His female was truly remarkable.
She speared her fingers through his hair as he started kissing a path lower along her body. Her skin was soft, smooth, and he nipped everywhere, giving her little love bites. She gasped out in pleasure every time he did and his cock pushed even harder against his pants.
When he knelt between her legs, she tried to close her thighs.
He looked up the length of her body and realiz
ed her cheeks were flushed red and not just from desire. Was she nervous? Or was this something else?
“Is this okay?”
She nodded, her breathing erratic but her gaze hesitant.
“Say it,” he murmured. “Yes or no.” He needed the words, wanted to make sure she was all in for this. Because he never wanted her to regret them. Regret him.
Her thighs slowly fell open. “Yes.”
It was clear she was nervous and he didn’t think it was because she’d never had this done to her before, but more likely because of the way their relationship had started off. She was at her most vulnerable with his face between her thighs. He had to do this right, had to make this perfect for her. Because he didn’t think he could let her go. He didn’t want to.
Ever.
He bent his head between her legs, inhaling the sweetest scent of her as he slowly licked up her slick folds.
In that moment she clenched her legs around his head, her desire filling the air and making him light-headed as it overpowered everything else.
As he started flicking his tongue against her clit, she cried out. “Rhys.”
Hearing his name on her lips was almost too much. His cock jerked against his pants again. He felt like an untried adolescent, ready to spill his seed in his pants, instead of the ancient he was.
He dipped two fingers inside her and her inner walls clenched around him as he continued teasing her clit. He could tell she was close. She was riding the edge so hard it wouldn’t take much to push her over it.
He continued teasing her, increasing the pressure on her sensitive bundle of nerves, and when her fingers dug into his scalp, pleasure mixing with pain, he knew she was about to come. So he slid another finger inside her.
She arched up against his fingers and mouth as she climaxed, crying out his name as she trembled with the pleasure. When she fell against the sheets, boneless and satisfied, he crawled up her body, caging her in with his forearms. He could look at her all damn day and not get tired of it.
She gazed up at him, a slightly dazed expression on her beautiful face. “Thank you,” she murmured, looking sleepier by the second.
But then she reached between their bodies and rubbed his cock over his pants.
He took her hand away. “You need sleep,” he murmured.
“I need you to come too,” she whispered back, wildfire entering her gray eyes as she tried to dip her hand underneath his pants.
“Fine. But you lie here and do nothing,” he ordered. She’d given way too much of herself and he wasn’t letting her do anything else. Not even for his pleasure.
“So bossy,” she murmured as he freed his thick length from his pants.
He started stroking himself, pinning her with his gaze as he did, imagining it was her hand stroking him. It wasn’t going to take long and that should probably embarrass him, but he had the most perfect female underneath him. And he had the taste of her orgasm on his tongue. Yeah, it wouldn’t take him long at all.
He covered her mouth with his as he stroked. She joined him, wrapping her fingers around his. Oh, goddess.
His balls pulled up tighter at the feel of her fingers skating against his hard length, and that was what set him off. Her touch.
He started coming in long, hard waves.
All his muscles pulled taut as he found release on his stomach and hers. When he was done, he felt a bit savage and primal as he rubbed himself into her skin. He had the most primitive need to mark her, to claim her so that all other supernaturals would know she was his and only his.
She gave him a sweet kiss, then curled on her side as she made that soft humming sound he was coming to realize she often did. As she started to drift off into sleep, he slid in behind her and tucked her up against his chest before he pulled the covers over them.
He wasn’t one to let his guard down, but he knew the house was well protected, and hell, he needed sleep too. Once he was sure she’d finally drifted into oblivion, he allowed himself to close his eyes and fall asleep with the woman who meant far too much to him.
The female who he now knew, without a doubt, was his intended mate.
Chapter 21
Dallas slowly came to consciousness, very aware of the heavy arm draped over her middle. She was also very aware of the hard erection pressing against her back. She couldn’t believe what they’d done earlier in the day, but had no regrets. She just hoped he didn’t either. Waking up like this, with him, was surprisingly pleasant. She’d always had her space, slept alone for the most part. And she liked it. But…this was really nice too. Really, really nice. The kind of thing she knew she couldn’t get used to.
Rhys nuzzled her neck gently. “I know you’re awake,” he murmured, the deep rumble of his voice reverberating through her.
“Just barely.” She stretched out slightly, shifting against the sheets. Her brain wanted to take over and immediately figure out what those sexytimes meant for the two of them, but yeah, that wasn’t happening now.
“How do you feel?”
“Better,” she said after she took stock of herself. She actually felt kind of incredible, even if she was hungry. “I could probably eat something in a little bit.”
“Good. Someone just restocked the fridge and I even think that lazy lion cooked, so you’ll have plenty to choose from.”
She laughed lightly because Axel wasn’t lazy. He seemed to enjoy cooking for the whole house. But she now understood that Rhys was simply jealous of Axel. It was ridiculous, but shifters could be wildly territorial when it came to lovers.
“So are we going to talk about what happened earlier?” Settling against him, she laid her hand over his—which was draped possessively over her bare stomach. She liked it there, liked being in his arms where she felt secure and safe. And she didn’t care if the safety was an illusion. For now, she’d take it.
“We can talk about it in the shower,” he murmured against the back of her head, his warm breath sending tingles of pleasure racing through her.
“As in together?”
“Yes.” That one word came out all deep and sexy and made her clench her thighs together.
She definitely liked the sound of that. “What time is it?” She didn’t think she’d slept a whole day away.
“I’m not entirely sure. The sun is about to set pretty soon.”
So she had slept all day. “How’s Willow?”
“Napping, last I checked. Trust me, she’s fine. This whole crew here loves her and she hasn’t been alone for one moment. I think I heard Lola say something about painting Willow’s claws.
She laughed even as warmth settled through her. Knowing that others were looking after Willow made her feel so much better and less guilty. She knew she had nothing to be guilty for. Still, she never wanted Willow to think that she’d abandoned her or forgotten about her.
Feeling bold, she shifted her ass against Rhys’s hard length.
He groaned, his grip tightening. “Let’s go now,” he rasped out, suddenly pushing up.
She rolled over and looked up at him as he grabbed a pair of lounge pants, likely putting them on since they had to walk out into the hallway. Right about now she really wished she was in a regular bedroom with an en suite so they had more privacy.
In the light of day, so to speak, she felt incredibly vulnerable and exposed after what they’d done, after what they’d shared. But she still didn’t regret it.
She’d been half awake before, but she’d known exactly what she’d been doing. And she had enjoyed it a whole lot. Waaaay too much. “Will you grab my robe?” She nodded at the silky black robe draped over the chair by the desk.
Wordlessly he picked it up, then held it up to her to put on. Which meant she had to drop her sheet and get naked in front of him again. He’d already seen her, tasted between her legs, made her climax—she shouldn’t be feeling shy at all. But a sudden wave of it rushed over her as she dropped the covering and stood, slipping into the robe without meeting his gaze.
Though he wasn’t hers at all. At least not long term. This thing between them, whatever it was, was likely just physical and short term. She knew she didn’t factor into his plans—he was all about his revenge. And that was a whole mess of complications she didn’t want to think about now. Or ever, really. She was just going to enjoy this time with him and take it for what it was.
She cleared her throat, unused to compliments. “I don’t know if you’re going to fit in the shower with me,” she murmured as she grabbed an extra set of clothing and underwear.
“Oh, I’ll fit.” There was something about his tone that implied he was referring to far more than the shower.
Another rush of heat slid through her and she avoided his gaze as she hurried to the door. Even though she didn’t need another shower, the thought of one sounded divine. So did food. And really, so did another orgasm but she wasn’t brave enough to ask for one.
Though they were about to shower together, so maybe she would get one anyway. And she wanted to make sure he got one too—all from her. He’d been all bossy earlier, jerking himself off mostly by himself, but it had been sexy. Oh soooooo sexy. Especially when he’d come all over her stomach and rubbed himself all over her. Goddess, her inner walls tightened as she remembered the intense look on his face when he’d come on her.
Once they were alone in the bathroom together, he surprised her by gently freeing her braid and combing his fingers through her now dry hair. She leaned back, enjoying the feel of his fingers grazing her scalp, of the simple intimacy of this.
“I’ll start the shower,” he murmured, slipping past her and doing just that.
The guest bathroom wasn’t huge but it turned out it was definitely big enough for the two of them.