She only knew that she never wanted this feeling to end.
Ever.
Her throat vibrated with an unspoken protest when he leaned back and broke away from her greedy mouth, his eyes capturing hers and holding. She swore that she heard him audibly swallow.
Marissa stared back at him in silence as she once again realized how devastatingly handsome he was. Strong and powerful, his perfect jawline was defined and squared with just a hint of scruff, which only served to enhance the dangerousness of his looks to toe-curling perfection. Thick, dark hair and eyes the color of quicksilver. He made her want things she hadn’t even realized she wanted before, and although the very thought should have frightened her senseless…it didn’t. It only caused her pulse to race and her confidence to soar. She knew beyond a doubt that she was in good hands.
It was as if she had been created solely for this purpose. And as crazy as it sounded in her head, she knew in her heart that it was true. This was meant to happen. She was meant to find him that night.
Destined.
“Marissa, I want you to…”
She stopped him with a finger pressed to his lips and a small shake of her head. She didn’t want to talk. She didn’t want to analyze and think about where this might or might not lead. She wanted only to, for once in her long, miserable life, let herself go and just enjoy the moment.
She reclaimed his mouth, pressing herself blatantly against him as if her very existence depended on it, and she felt, more than heard, him groan, his chest vibrating against hers and causing her body to shiver as a tingle of pure desire slid up her body, coiling itself around her and filling her was liquid heat.
Before she could even begin to comprehend what was happening, he twisted his massive body so that she was lying on her back on the blankets that lay in a crumpled mound on the floor, his own muscular form pressing up against hers as his hands began roaming her body as she had so wished they’d do.
And it was everything she had imagined…and more.
His skilled, strong fingers slid across her skin and down her leg, whispering against her flesh and leaving a trail of white-hot heat wherever they happened to venture.
And venture they did.
He gripped the hem of her sundress and slid it up…up until there was no other choice but to release his mouth so that he could slip it from her body before tossing it across the cave with a soft whoosh of fabric.
She experienced a split second where she wondered if she should feel embarrassed or shy, but it quickly passed. The only thought running through her mind was: why am I naked and you’re not!
Planning to rectify the situation posthaste, her fingers traveled across his incredible chest and down over his tight stomach to his waist. She deftly pulled his shirt up and over his head without a moment’s hesitation and tossed it to where she was sure her sundress lay. She felt him shiver when her hand made its way back down to the button of his jeans.
He groaned deep in his gut as she boldly unfastened the button, taking in a quick breath as her hand brushed against his erection which was fighting valiantly against the constraints of the fabric.
With a growl that sent a ripple of desire rushing across her, he moved and slipped out of them in record time, moving back and pulling her into his arms once more.
Heaven.
Chase was fairly sure that he was going explode right then and there as the little imp’s hands moved across his body. The sensation one of pure sensory overload.
The Gods knew that he had been with his fair share of women over the years, but this beautiful vixen was…different. Different in a way that was throwing him for a loop. She fired his blood as no one else ever had, and his mind was going in a million different directions all at once.
A part of him was screaming at him to slow down. That she had been through a lot, and he needed to go easy with her. Not to mention that he really didn’t need this type of entanglement in his life. He was a loner. A leader who didn’t share himself with anyone. But his body was aching to touch, feel, experience every freaking single inch of her silken flesh.
It was one of the hardest battles he had ever fought, and when in that next instant, her warm lips made contact with his shoulder and placed tiny kisses there and up his neck as her fingers scraped across his stomach, he knew he was lost. There was no fighting, nor denying the need coursing through him any longer. He just swore to himself to take is easy with her.
That was, if he could.
He returned the favor and nibbled at the pulse beating wildly in her throat, loving the feeling of it as it fluttered against his lips, not to mention the sweet taste of her skin. It was sublime. He made his way down, taking great pains not to miss a single inch of flesh as he kissed his way across her collarbone and down to the valley between her breasts, reveling in the soft mewling sounds coming from her as he did.
Chase knew, in the pit of his stomach, that this woman was pure, and that she needed to be cherished. He reminded himself once again, to go slow. He didn’t want to frighten her.
His mouth made contact with her breast, moving from one taut peak to the other, before tracing his tongue down her stomach and around her belly button before playfully dipping inside and pulling a sexy as hell gasp from her that did nothing to ease his raging libido.
He glanced up and met her passion drugged gaze as she gave him a knowing smile. With a groan of pure desire, he moved between her thighs, his mouth taking possession of her honeyed sweetness. His tongue tasted and teased, causing a cry of desperation to escape her, and he was vaguely aware of her fingers slipping into his hair and pulling him closer as his teeth nipped and toyed the tiny bud of her womanhood. It was only a moment later that he felt her hit her peak, and she cried out. His name flying past her lips in a husky rush as he continued to work his magic until her body stopped convulsing and relaxed. Although he could still feel her tiny quakes of contentment.
“Chase,” she almost begged, and it was sexy as hell, “more.”
He moved his body so that he was above her, his arms straining to keep his full weight off of her as the rock-hard proof of his desire made its presence known between them.
“Marissa,” breathed, his voice no more than a hoarse whisper. “I don’t want to frighten you.”
She stared into his eyes for what seemed an eternity before her face lit up with a smile that could have outshone the brightest of stars in the night sky. It was beautiful. It was powerful.
It was magical.
And if very nearly did him in.
“You don’t frighten me, Chase,” she said with a confidence that was awe-inspiring.
“I’ll hurt you when I come into you,” he responded, trying his best to be considerate, something he had never worried about before tonight.
She nibbled at her bottom lip a moment, her eyes sparkling with what seemed to be a bit of mischief mixed with undeniable passion. “You’ll hurt me if you don’t,” she replied finally, and he felt his heart seize up in his chest.
The little minx was going to kill him.
With every single ounce of restraint that he possessed, he moved so that he could join their bodies, taking the utmost care to go as slowly as was possible and give her time to adjust to him. He felt her barrier and stilled, hating that he would need to cause her even the slightest amount of pain, but this astounding woman merely wrapped her legs around him and with a small wince, he was buried in her to the hilt.
He stilled, attempting to give her a moment, but by the Gods – she wasn’t having it. With another saucy little grin that did something undefinable to his heart, she began to move beneath him, and his breath was quite literally ripped right from his lungs.
Chase slammed his eyes shut as he began to move his body, matching the rhythm of hers to perfection, slowly at first, but with increasing intensity as she urged him on, his name slipping from her lips over and over again on a sigh.
Just when he thought he could hold back not a second longer, he felt her
orgasm slam through her once again and her body tightened around him.
He let himself go, reaching that euphoric release right along with her.
It was like nothing he could have ever imagined or hoped to experience in his lifetime. These feelings just didn’t happen to him.
And…it scared the ever-loving piss out of him. This woman was different. She was…everything.
Marissa bit down on her lip so hard that she tasted blood as she tried to quell the scream that was threatening to burst from her as her body was wracked with the most astounding sensation. It was like being caught in the heart of a tidal wave and being tossed and turned in every direction all at once.
It was staggering.
He moved to lay beside her and pulled her into the crook of his arm and tightly into his embrace, as if afraid she might take off, which was the furthest thing on her mind at the moment.
She happily snuggled against his chest; her ear pressed to where his heart was pounding rhythmically against his ribs. She smiled as she listened to it begin to ease itself into the steady tempo that was so darn comforting.
“So, tell me more about your people,” she whispered with contentment. Wanting to know as much about him as he was willing to offer. “Who gave you your amulet?” She asked.
She was aware of his lips kissing the top of her head as he wriggled to make himself more comfortable before reaching over to grab the extra blanket to throw over their cooling bodies.
She fought back a giggle, not wanting him to think she was nuts, but she was positively giddy!
“It was my father’s,” he replied on a yawn, and she realized that he had to be exhausted. He still wasn’t fully healed and had just used up quite a bit of energy. “He presented it to me as his father before him had done to him, and so on,” he continued, and she could hear the weariness in his words as he spoke. “It’s not that it holds any special powers or is innately valuable, it is just given to each leader when he takes over the clan. It’s an age-old tradition that has been upheld for centuries. I wished to one day give it to my son.”
She felt her stomach flip at that one. Did he have a wife? Children? Oh, God! What had she done?
Almost as if reading her thoughts, he squeezed her a little tighter to him. “When I have a son of my own.”
Feeling about a thousand percent better with his words, she let herself relax. “Traditions are important,” she noted softly. “My father led our people for many years. Well, for what that is really worth. For the most part, merpeople are solitary creatures by nature, so there really wasn’t much to rule.”
“I’ve heard as much.” He agreed. “But you don’t seem to fit into that mold,” he observed with another soft kiss to her temple this time.
“I am…for the most part. I’m just particular on whose company I keep.”
“Mm,” he chuckled, his voice thick with drowsiness. “I hope I made the grade.”
“You have.”
“Good.”
She could feel his breathing beginning to even out as he drifted off to sleep and couldn’t help but smile when her cheek began to vibrate as he started to snore.
Marissa lay there for a very long while, content as a clam, reliving the moment in her mind over and over. As much as she hated to admit it, she realized that she liked the man.
Really liked him. More than she probably should.
She had no idea what tomorrow would bring, but she wasn’t about to worry about it. She couldn’t. It would drive her insane. She was just going to enjoy the moment, and let things happen as they may.
Deciding that sleep was not going to come anytime soon, she slipped from his arms and quietly crept over to where he had tossed her sundress, deciding that she would sneak back into town and pick up something for the morning.
Something special.
Hopefully the young girl at the store would be working and would help her decide what to get. She’d seemed nice enough the last few times Marissa had ventured there.
Maybe she could even find something else to wear. Something nice. She bit back the squeal of excitement and silently headed for the opening, grabbing her last bit of money as she did and trying to keep herself from dancing all the way.
Chapter Six
Marissa left the shop with a newfound spring to her step as she held her purchases tightly against her chest. She was positively walking on air as she made her way back toward her little hideaway.
Their hideaway, she silently corrected herself, and allowed herself a moment or two of unguarded fancy to just enjoy the feeling of jubilation that the thought evoked. It was like a slap of happiness straight to the face, and she found that she wanted it to go on forever.
No matter what her common sense was whispering to her.
She wasn’t dumb. She knew that this couldn’t last, and she wasn’t about to lie to herself and pretend that it could.
No matter how much she may have wanted it to.
She found that the admission really didn’t take her by surprise. She knew she was beginning to have feelings for the strong-willed dragon.
Strong feelings.
Feelings that were frightening, yet exhilarating all at the same time and were making her head spin. But, if nothing else, Marissa was also a realist, and knew that she didn’t fit into his world.
He was a leader of dragons. Strong. Powerful. Important.
A man who, she was sure, needed to get back to his people. She was nothing more to him than a distraction to entertain him while he healed. Well, that and to be his one and only hope at the moment of finding the men he was looking for.
As she neared the entrance to the cave, she had the sudden and overwhelming feeling of being watched. That subtle, but uneasy sense of something creeping along your spine and making the hairs at the back of your neck tingle. She quickened her pace a bit, wanting nothing more than to crawl back into the safety of Chase’s arms and perhaps get some sleep.
She chanced a quick glance back and swore she saw a shadow dart behind tree, then another, but couldn’t be sure. It could have simply been a play of the moonlight filtering through the clouds. She took a breath, eyeing the crevice to the cavern on a few yards away, and tried not to panic.
She must just be overtired. The past few days had been exhausting is so many ways. Both good and bad.
She was no more than twenty feet from the small opening when a voice from coming from behind stopped her cold.
“Daughter of Krill, this is truly an unexpected surprise. Who would have ever thought you would be foolish enough to interfere in our affairs? Such beauty. It’s a shame you have nothing going on upstairs.”
Marissa spun around to find three men standing behind her, partially hidden within the darkness of the shadows, but she knew immediately who they were, and she felt her blood turn to ice. She took a small step back, preparing to run when an arm wrapped around her waist and the other across her chest in a death grip.
The cry of terror that started to fly past her lips was abruptly cut off by the intensity of his hold, knocking the air straight out of her with a mighty whoosh.
“Not so rough, Magnum,” the leader instructed, although she could hear the humor in his voice. These men knew nothing other than rough, and the bastard holding onto her only tightened his grip. “It has come to my attention that you took it upon yourself to save the dragon shifter we had, shall we say, disposed of. And that you were actually stupid enough to bestow upon him, The Kiss.”
Marissa glared back at him, her body trembling with fury. “You are nothing but disgusting filth!” She hissed, struggling to free herself and wanting nothing more than to lunge at him and gouge his eyes out. “You and your cronies are boils on the asses of decent people!”
The group of men laughed.
“That may be,” he replied with a snort, “but, we choose our paths as we see fit. Much as you have chosen yours. And now you must pay the price, I’m afraid.”
Marissa growled in pure hatred as s
he did her best to lash out, and was somewhat pleased when she managed to deliver a quick kick to her captures shin. It didn’t give her any leeway towards escape, but his soft grunt of pain did give her a glimmer of satisfaction.
“She is a feisty little thing,” the man holding her laughed. “I say we keep her around for a bit, Aquilas. I’m sure we could have some fun with her.”
“Outstanding idea,” he agreed. “Once we dispose of the dragon once and for all, we’ll celebrate.” He walked up to stand in front of her and ran his finger along her cheek, causing her to flinch just as a mighty roar filled the air.
Everyone turned, their expressions filled with shock as the silvery dragon moved closer, and Marissa knew in an instant that it was Chase. She would know those eyes anywhere.
She took the opportunity at hand, and pulled free from Magnus’s hold and slamming into Aquilas, knocking him off balance as she moved away from the group of stunned mermen.
She looked to Chase, in awe of the beautiful creature standing so magnificently before them, his iridescent scales sparkling as if they were made of diamonds in the light of the moon, and understood instantly what he meant when he tossed his mighty head in the direction of the cavern.
She gave him a knowing smile and took off running.
The night sky lit up with an orange glow as a burst of flame exploded just as she was about to step through the crevice sand she paused, turning to and stare at it a moment in wonder before slipping through and waiting, pacing back and forth near the opening.
What seemed to be an eternity passed and Marissa was just about to lose her battle with patience and run back outside when Chase finally made his way through the opening in all his splendid glory. Huge, powerful…her heart jumped to her throat and she couldn’t have stopped herself from launching her body into his arms if she had tried.
“Now, that’s what I call a proper greeting,” he laughed, wrapping his arms around her in return. He tilted his head and took her mouth to which she responded to him ten-fold.
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