by S. E. Smith
“You’ve been avoiding me,” Paul murmured gruffly. “I don’t like that,” he added as he pressed a kiss against the side of her neck. “I don’t like it at all,” he breathed out against her silky skin.
Morian gasped at the unexpected embrace. She had spent the last two and a half weeks doing everything in her power to stay away from Paul Grove and his explosive touch. The one blazing kiss in the corridors had shattered all her perceived concepts of keeping her heart safe. His touch ignited her until she was sure she glowed from the flaming embers of desire that she could barely contain.
“Paul,” she whispered out, wanting to protest but unable to say more than his name.
Paul turned her slowly in his arms. He kept her caged within them, unwilling to take the chance of her escaping from him again. Once she was facing him, he pulled her close against his body. He wanted her to know that he was not taking no for an answer this time.
“I want you,” he said quietly, looking intently into her eyes to see her reaction to his claim. “I want to make love to you. I want to hold you in my arms. I crave it with a force that is driving me mad,” he admitted ruefully. “I haven’t felt this way since…. since Evelyn.”
Morian tilted her head back to look into his eyes. “Evelyn…. Trisha said she was your…. true mate,” she responded hesitantly.
She tried not to feel the hurt deep inside that came from knowing another man she loved could never feel the same way about her. Tears burned her eyes and she turned her head slightly and lowered her lashes to conceal the tears from him. Only through the self-discipline that she had worked so hard at developing over the past centuries was she able to hide her heartache. She was about to pull away when she felt his hand tenderly caress her jaw.
“She was my soul mate when I was but a boy back on Earth,” he agreed before adding quietly to his statement. “But you….,” he murmured tilting her head back so she had to look at him. “…. What I feel for you is much more. You consume me with the need of a man,” he added before he claimed her lips in a passionate kiss of longing and need.
Morian felt not only her passion flare but her dragon’s. Neither one of them would be denied any longer. His words resonated through her, sending hope and desire crashing through the flimsy walls she had tried to erect around her heart. A low sob escaped her as she felt his answering response. Her head fell back as he threaded his fingers through the long tresses that he had unbound.
He is worse than Zohar, she thought fleetingly before all thoughts were consumed with claiming him as hers.
“Paul,” she whispered hoarsely as she pulled back enough to expose her throat to his searching kisses. “I want you,” she moaned.
“Come with me to my living quarters,” he requested huskily.
Morian pulled back just far enough to smile up at him. “I have a better idea,” she responded with a seductive smile.
She turned and looked at her symbiot briefly before giving it a jerky nod, a clear image that it was to protect the atrium from any intrusion. She wanted to make sure they were not disturbed - not for a very long time. It would bar the door to the atrium and make sure no one entered. She pulled out of Paul’s arms, sliding her hand down to grasp his. The darkening of his eyes sent a wave of hot, furious desire coursing through her.
“You are mine, Morian,” Paul whispered as he looked down at their clasped hands. His fingers tightened possessively on hers and he brought them to his lips. “You need to understand when I take you, there will be no more distance between us. There will be no more hiding from me. You will be mine. You will be by my side from now on.”
Morian bit her lower lip and nodded. “I claim you, Paul Grove. You are my true mate – for now and for always,” she swore out quietly. “Come with me,” she said, pulling on his hand.
Paul let out a low growl at her words and swept her up into his arms. “Show me,” he demanded hoarsely.
Morian wrapped one arm around his neck and buried her lips against his neck as she pointed with her other one toward the stairs leading up to her private sanctuary. Even as he carried her up the staircase, she felt her teeth elongating despite her attempts to hold back. She knew the males claimed their females through the dragon fire but she and Jalo had never shared that experience as neither her dragon nor his cared passionately for each other the way their two-legged forms did. Their dragons had tolerated each other because it was expected for the sake of their people. In truth, their dragons had never even mated with each other.
Now, her dragon refused to hold back. She was determined to claim her mate. Morian fought against the desire to bite him, not wanting to hurt him but her dragon had waited too long for this time. The moment he reached the top step, her dragon overwhelmed her control and sank her teeth into the vulnerable neck exposed to her.
“Shit!” Paul groaned fiercely as he felt a sudden sharp pain as Morian sank her teeth deep into the curve of his neck. “Morian….” He moaned as the pain turned almost immediately to hot waves of lava coursing through his blood straight to his cock.
When Morian began breathing the dragon’s fire into his blood Paul stumbled and leaned against the doorframe for support. The initial wave burst over him with a ferocity that knocked him off balance. He didn’t know what was going on but whatever in the hell it was, it was causing his body to explode with a powerful yearning. It took all of his self-control to focus on the large divan that was against the wall in order to keep from coming in his pants. He knew one thing, he was going to fuck Morian hard and fast this first time. His control was shot to hell from being denied for so long.
He barely made it to the long couch where he laid her gently down on the soft cushion. “Morian,” he choked out through gritted teeth. “God woman, I have to have you!”
Morian slowly withdrew her teeth as the first wave of the dragon’s fire finished pouring out of her. She gently licked the two puncture wounds on his neck, savoring the taste of his blood on her lips and tongue. Her dragon was panting and purring deep inside her as it sensed the burst of fire coursing through its mate. It knew that its claim had begun, there would be no turning back. The thought of finally being sated by her true mate caused the dragon fire in her own body to ignite from the slow burn to a blazing inferno. The scorching heat only increased as Paul took a step back to gaze down at her as his hands reached for the bottoms of his shirt.
Her eyes followed the slow movement of his hands, darkening to a molten gold as he pulled his shirt over his head. The sight of his rippling muscles caused her nipples to swell and pucker to the point the thin fabric covering them became painful. Her eyes widened as she allowed her gaze to slide over his smooth shoulders and down over the dark hair that coated his chest. A purr escaped her as her eyes followed the line of hair as it narrowed and disappeared under the waistband of his jeans.
“Paul,” she whispered as she reached out to touch his flat stomach with the tips of her fingers. “You are so beautiful.”
*.*.*
Paul closed his eyes as he felt Morian's tentative touch along the smooth skin of his stomach. His fingers stilled on the buckle of his belt. He felt an unfamiliar heat building inside him, driving him with a primitive need that almost frightened him. His head dropped forward and he gritted his teeth as she continued to explore, her touch becoming more confident the longer he held still. He breathed in through his nose trying to stay focused on holding onto his fragile control. His eyes snapped open when he felt her fingers on top of his, loosening the buckle.
“Morian,” he hissed out in warning.
She looked up into his eyes even as her fingers undid the button on his jeans before pulling the zipper down. “I want to see you,” she breathed out. “Let me do this.... Please.”
Paul's throat closed up at the innocent plea. All he could do was nod and clench his fists to keep from burying them in her hair. His eyes closed half way as he watched her grasp the sides of his jeans at his hips. He drew in a swift breath as she slowly pulled t
hem down, taking his boxers with them. A sense of masculine pride caused his lips to twitch at her gasp when his fully engorged cock sprang free. He was a big man - all over. He was also not shy about his desire for her. His cock jerked eagerly as she released his pants which pooled around his ankles. He quickly toed off his shoes and kicked them and his pants to the side.
He reached out and gripped her wrist in warning. “Don't!” He growled out in a low voice when she reached up to touch his cock. “I won't last,” he admitted ruefully when she started to touch it. “You have far too many clothes on,” he muttered as he pulled her up to stand in front of him.
“No, I don't,” she said, reaching up and releasing the clasp at her shoulder.
The gown she was wearing parted and slid down to the ground in a silky puddle around her feet. She wore nothing underneath it. Paul's slender hold dissolved with it as well. The flames burning inside him exploded and he pulled her against his body as need overcame all other rational thought. The feel of her soft skin under his callused hands pulled at his conscience to handle her with care even as he wanted to do nothing more than bury himself balls deep inside her. She deserved better he kept repeating to himself in a mantra hoping it would keep him from acting like some uncouth barbarian.
“Fuck!” He groaned as her distended nipples brushed along his chest. “I'm not going to last this first time. Forgive me,” he choked out hoarsely. “Forgive me, Morian.”
“Don’t stop,” Morian whispered desperately, running her hands through the coarse hair on his chest and over his smooth shoulders. She ached so bad with need it had become a physical pain. She gripped his shoulders, her short nails leaving crescent moons in his skin. “Don’t stop, Paul, please,” she wailed as the fire in her scorched her and her dragon howled with need.
Paul slid his hands around her, lowering her back down on the divan. He briefly dropped one hand down between her parted legs, searching and finding the heated channel. He moaned as his fingers sank into her liquid sheath. She was more than ready for him. Her cry resonated in his head and heart when he withdrew his fingers so he could grip his cock to align it with her heated core. His own cry mingled with hers when her hips shifted. The movement was enough that the tip of his cock slid into the entrance of her slick channel. Both of them froze for a moment, staring deeply into each other’s eyes as if on a precipice of discovering something explosive.
“You are fucking mine,” Paul suddenly growled out before impaling his cock as far as it could go inside her molten vagina. “Forever!”
Morian's eyes widened in shock and awe as his steely length slid deep inside her. Every nerve was so in tune with him that it was like he was touching her very soul. Her dragon roared out in triumph, exploding into a frenzy of passion as the dragon's fire burst in all directions. The combination was too much for her and she arched under him, screaming out as her body erupted in her first orgasm. Her body tried to hold him in, almost as if it was afraid if he withdrew she would wake to discover it had all been a dream. When she felt him pull back, she wound her arms around his neck and pulled him down until her lips touched his vulnerable neck.
“As you are mine,” she snarled back before sinking her teeth into him and breathing the century’s worth of pent up dragon's fire into him.
The little she had breathed before was nothing compared to what she released now. She held nothing back. She didn't think - didn't fear what could happen. Deep down she knew he was strong enough to handle anything that was thrown at him. She felt his body stiffen as the waves of heat mixed in with his bloodstream. She released a long moan as his cock swelled, stretching her already sensitive channel even more as she continued to breathe the dragon's fire. His arms tightened around her and he began moving, pressing harder and faster with each stroke. Only when the last of the dragon's fire had been released did she pull away to look up at his face.
Paul's face twisted, almost as if in pain, as the waves of fire danced through his body. His cock had never felt so full or so heavy before. He looked down with blazing eyes, gazing into Morian's gold ones as he pounded into her. He felt his cock touching her womb as he drove deeper and deeper into the hot haven of her body. He had loved his first wife with a gentle and tender passion. With Morian, he took her with the driving need of a male for his female. He needed to lay his claim to her, seal her to him so she would never leave him. He took her with the thirst of a man denied a drink after crossing the desert.
“Yes,” he moaned as his balls drew up tight. “Yes!” He shouted as he felt her clench him again as his orgasm ignited her own and her vagina fisted his cock, holding him inside her as he emptied his seed into her marking her as his.
The sound of their heavy pants echoed in the small room. Paul lowered his head, pressing a kiss into Morian's sweat dampened shoulder. His shaky arms were the only thing keeping his weight from crushing her even as his hips continued to move slowly, grinding against her. He pulled back enough to look down at her with worried eyes. He had not been tender with her.
“Are you alright?” He asked huskily.
Morian smiled up at him, her eyes softening until they glowed a dark gold. “Yes,” she whispered before a low groan escaped her. “Can you feel it?” She gasped.
Paul's eyes narrowed as his body responded to her husky question. Flames licked at his nerve endings, causing his cock to swell and his heart to race. He gritted his teeth as a wave broke over him causing sweat to bead on his forehead as he fought the urge to take her savagely again and again.
“What the hell is happening?” He asked harshly as a shudder ran through him.
“The dragon's fire,” Morian gasped as she raised her legs to wrap around him. “It's starting again.”
Paul swore as his body heated up again. “What the fuck is the dragon's fire?” He bit out.
Morian's eyes filled with tears as her fear of alienating him filled her. “I've claimed you, Paul. You are my life. I claim you as my true mate. No other may have you. I will live to protect you. I love you, my fierce warrior,” she choked out before sealing her lips to his in a kiss that conveyed all her hopes, fears, and longing.
Chapter 9
Paul didn’t understand what the hell was happening. At the moment, he was beyond caring. All he could think about was the soft woman he held in his arms. His body felt like it was on fire from the inside out. A primitive need to claim, mark, and possess pulled at him. His cock, which should have been spent after the intense orgasm he had just had, was still rock hard and throbbing painfully.
He groaned as a particularly fierce wave burst through him. He ripped his lips from hers and ran them down along the sweet curve of her jaw. Running his tongue along the smooth skin of her neck, he nipped it before sucking to soothe the bite.
“Hold on to me,” he demanded in a soft, rough voice.
Morian gasped as he suddenly rolled over so she was on top of him. She had never been in this position before. Jalo had always dominated her as was the way of the Valdier warrior. The thought of a female being on top would have equated to giving her control over him. A shudder ran through her body as the huge male beneath her rose up. Her head fell backwards as his cock sank impossibly deeper into her body. She had never felt such fullness or power as a female.
“Paul,” she moaned loudly as her fingers kneaded his shoulders.
“Ride me, Morian,” he demanded.
Morian’s head fell forward as she rose up on her knees before sinking down on him again. She leaned forward keeping her golden eyes locked with his darker brown ones. A gasp left her lips as he reached up and cupped her breasts, running the rough pad of his thumbs over her ultra-sensitive nipples. She started out slow, tentatively rising up and down as he fell into the pattern with her. Her fingers kneaded his shoulders as she increased the speed of her rhythm until a low wail built inside her as her orgasm rushed to wash over her.
The wail turned to a scream of ecstasy when Paul suddenly released her breasts. He gripped her hips as h
e thrust upwards, meeting her as she came down on him. His lips wrapped around the distended nipple of her right breast where he sucked hard on it. Her body shattered into a million pieces as she sobbed his name over and over.
Paul jerked back as she came, arching up into her even as he pulled her down, impaling her on his throbbing length. The pulsing channel of her vagina gripped his cock, pulling his own orgasm out. He groaned loudly as he felt his hot seed pouring into her. His arms wrapped around her, pulling her down on top of his chest as she melted into him. He pressed a kiss into the pulse beating frantically on her neck. Everything inside him demanded that he bite her, mark her as his. He pulled her closer, breathing deeply until the feeling lessened.
He reluctantly loosened his arms enough so he could look into her face. “Did I hurt you?” He asked quietly. “I don’t understand what is going on,” he said, briefly closing his eyes as he felt another hot wave of need building. He had never, ever had such an uncontrollable desire before.
Morian raised a shaky hand to run it along his temple. Her eyes widened when she saw the flakes of glowing gold mixed in with the dark brown of his eyes. Her eyes moved to his neck where the clear image of a golden dragon with its wings spread marked the spot where she had bitten him.
“It’s the Dragon’s Fire,” Morian responded with a tender smile. “When a true mate is found, our dragons release a chemical known as the Dragon’s Fire into each other. It is how we claim our mates. My dragon wants you,” she added huskily.
Paul grimaced as the heat continued to build. He refused to let it overtake him until he had some idea of what the hell was happening. Hell, if this was what happened every time they made love he wasn’t sure how long he would last before he died of ecstasy.