He dug his fingers into her hips, claiming her. She loved the way he held her. For the first time in her life, she felt like she belonged somewhere. Here, in this bed with Ryker, she’d found her place in the world.
Then his tongue slipped past her folds, over her most sensitive part, and all thoughts fled. He lapped her up like she was his favorite flavor of ice-cream, and she melted in his hands. Pleasure built inside her. It wasn’t a sudden blast like the mark on her neck had been. This slowly gathered, like a rope being pulled taut. She didn’t know when it would snap, only that she would drift away when it did.
Ryker kept her anchored, though. His tongue slid inside her, and she let out a sound that was between a squeal and a moan. His every move was unexpected. She didn’t know what would happen next, only that she wanted that and more. She remembered the way his cock felt in her hand. It’d been huge, impossibly thick.
Mina worried it would not fit where she wanted it. Though she had no experience to judge by, the sheer difference in size between them worried her. She was small, almost diminutive. Ryker was the kind of man who made the room hush when he walked in. He was imposing, frightening.
He would never fit inside her.
Then she felt it, the tip of his cock brushing against her entrance. Mina cried out, suddenly hungry and eager. Just the barest touch of it and all thoughts of incompatibility had fled. She arched up, a silent plea.
“We should take this slow,” he said, though she could hear the gravel in his voice that said he was struggling to follow his own advice.
He was right, though. She’d only healed enough to wake. Her body was still working through the wounds she’d received in the fight. When she reached over her head to grip her pillow, her shoulder rebelled with shooting pain. The distant echo of crunching bone filled her ears to remind her of the damage she’d done to herself.
“Don’t…stop…now,” Mina managed to beg.
Ryker’s responding laughter was husky. When she peered at him, his gaze was hungry, devouring her inch by inch in a way that told her she was special. This wasn’t just another hook-up. His shoulders trembled. Mina reached for him. She let her fingers curl in his hair. This was real. It was happening.
Slowly, inch by inch, he eased inside her. Just as she was coming to terms with reality, her mind was blown. She could barely think as ripples of pleasure consumed her. This…this was only the beginning. Once he was inside her, Ryker hesitated. She gripped the back of his neck and held on to keep from drifting away. He’d fit inside her, and she couldn’t believe it.
It was as if they’d been made for each other.
“Are you alright? Do you need me to be gentle?” Ryker’s voice was breathy.
Mina felt the same breath-stealing need inside herself. She didn’t want him to stop. She wanted to push her limits, to experience everything they could have together all at once. Even with her brain scrambled, she knew she had to take it slow. Not only was her body still healing, but this was her first time. Everyone always said the first time would hurt.
Slowly, he slipped in and out of her. The motion sent small pulses through her body. Her toes curled and her eyes rolled back while she succumbed to the waves of pleasure. Distantly, she heard Ryker’s pleased growls. His motion became faster, harder. Not so much that he was slamming himself inside her, but enough that the pulses grew stronger. Her core tightened until she thought she might snap. Tighter and tighter with every stroke.
She clenched around him, pressing her knees into his sides. Mina didn’t know what else she was supposed to do. She could barely think, let alone return the pleasure. Before she could organize her mind, Ryker clamped his teeth around the mark on her neck and drove himself home inside her.
Mina cried out. The tight sensation in her core burst. She shattered into waves of pleasure. They radiated from her core, from her shoulder, and met in the middle where they amplified into something more. Into fiery pleasure. Mina dug her nails into the back of Ryker’s neck. He growled in her ear, only feeding the pleasure in her core.
“That didn’t take long at all,” Ryker breathed. “I think we have time for another. Don’t you?”
He wound his arms around her back and pulled her into a sitting position without ever exiting her. Her knees touched the soft sheets of the bed. Now, she straddled him. He took the time to pull the shirt over her head and free her small breasts. Once they were free, he gazed at her with an obvious hunger. Even though he was already hilt deep inside her, Ryker still wanted more.
Mina couldn’t help but smile as her heart fluttered. She never thought anyone would look at her like this, like she was the silver moon in the sky. Ryker made her feel like a goddess, the way his fingertips slipped over her skin or the way his lips brushed over her breastbone with devotion. It was all so far beyond her expectations.
His hands settled on her hips, rocking her back and forth. Her cheeks warmed when she realized she should have been doing the work herself, but her embarrassment didn’t last long. Not while her core tightened again. She didn’t know it worked this way. She didn’t think she could feel this much this fast.
Ryker controlled their rhythm. She glided over his cock with ease, arching her back as she let the pleasure overtake her. Ryker’s growls were muffled when his lips found her hard nipple. He brought it into his mouth. His tongue flicked over the sensitive tip, sending tiny waves of pleasure through her.
Mina held onto his shoulders, because if she didn’t, she was sure she would disappear altogether. Her body felt impossibly light. The only places she felt real were the places where her body met Ryker’s. She ran her hands down his chest and found the little steel bar through his nipple. She flicked it with her fingertips, just like she’d done when he first showed her.
This man belonged to her. They belonged together. The thought filled her and amplified everything she felt. Her beast echoed the sentiment. The creature inside her already loved Ryker, though Mina wasn’t sure it was the right time to tell him.
She would wait until she was sure he loved her, too.
Right now, as they pulled away from one another and came crashing back together again, Mina was sure his thoughts would be biased. She thought she saw a flicker of love when he looked up at her. There was a glimmer in his eyes, a spark. Then his hand left her hip and slid between them. His thumb parted her folds and sent a shock of pleasant surprise through her.
“You don’t have to…” But Mina lost the words as the sensation inside her tripled. Her head rolled back, and she succumbed to the feeling his fingers brought her.
Each circle felt like a mini orgasm. She shuddered atop him, thinking it was over, that she was spent, when another ripple came and shattered her. It was all she could do to hold onto him. All the while, he thrust inside her. The bed rocked back and forth, slapping the wall though neither cared.
Mina felt the final break, like a wall crumbling under the force of a flood, and her eyes snapped open. Just as her own orgasm came, she met Ryker’s gaze and saw the same feeling in his face. At the last moment, Ryker reared back and spilled his seed onto the sheets. When he rose again, she felt the pulsing warmth of his cock pressed against her damp folds.
He cupped the back of her neck and brought her forehead to his. Mina fought to control her breathing while the last of the ripples faded. They still pooled in her fingers and toes, like butterfly wings grazing her from the inside. It was a curious sensation, one she was eager to explore again and again.
After their breaths had returned to normal, Ryker scooped her up from the bed. “We shouldn’t sit in the mess. We might as well take a shower, too.”
Mina laughed, filled with glorious glee. She didn’t know if she’d ever felt like this before. The room smelled of their love making, of the two of them. This was more than she’d ever thought would be hers. Mina always assumed she would enter a loveless relationship. She thought a mate bond was something she would have to endure because of her ran
k.
Instead, Mina had found a man who acted like he loved her. The act was enough, for now.
Chapter Thirteen
Ryker stood at the massive windows of his living room. Beyond the peaks was an encampment of unfamiliar dragons. They’d already attacked the king of these mountains once. Their intent was clear, even if they hadn’t yet announced it.
The sound of soft footsteps echoed in the hall before Mina appeared. Her hair was bound in a wet braid. A towel cloaked her small frame, nearly wrapping around her twice. She stepped up to him. He could feel her hesitation, as if a voice inside her was still trying to convince her this wasn’t real.
He reached and drew her into his arms. She belonged to him. The mark on her neck announced his claim to the world. His beast was pleased, sated and purring like a cat. He clutched her tight. She sank into him, resting her cheek against his chest.
Ryker wanted to fold her into him, to become a barrier that protected her from every outside force that threatened her. It was easy to carve space for her in his home so that she could escape her uncle, but he didn’t know when the unfamiliar dragons would strike. Fear of the uncertain future bothered him. He’d just only gotten her, and the idea of having her taken away terrified him.
When he closed his eyes, he saw Mina plummeting through the air once again. He could see her in the clutches of the unfamiliar dragons, hear her screams. He would not allow that to happen. He’d sacrifice his own life before he let anyone hurt her. But that made him a shitty knight. It was his job to uphold Jasper’s rule and protect Grove.
If all his focus was on Mina, then there was a strong chance he would fail Jasper. Fail Grove.
“You’re tense,” she whispered. Mina laid her hands on his chest, rubbing small circles in an effort to ease the anxiety gripping him.
Ryker had found his mate, the woman meant for him. He only worried about keeping her now. He’d spent his life moving from one place to the next, never thinking about what he left behind because he’d left before it could leave him. He drowned himself in music and alcohol to keep from having to deal with reality when silence rolled back in.
“We should be talking to the dragons on our border, but everyone wants to have a family night. They’re going to the karaoke bar while war waits for us.”
“Do you think they’re ignoring the problem?”
He paused, trying to mull it over. “I think everyone is waiting for a miracle. Ashton and Griffin hold onto the idea that Jasper will suddenly be okay overnight. I don’t think they’re being realistic. We need to be getting our shit together before the dragons strike, not singing in a bar.”
“Maybe this is their way of getting their shit together. You were all alone for so long, each in your own corner of the world. This family night is to bring you and your cousins together. That way you can be a unified court before you face the dragons again.
“Before you, I was alone. Every day was a challenge just to get out of bed. You and your family gave me a reason to enjoy life. Maybe that’s all Jasper needs. A reason.”
He knew Mina was right, but it did nothing to solve the issue at hand. Until the dragons on the border were banished, he would not sleep easy. He would constantly look over his shoulder, remembering the way they’d batted his mate out of the air. He’d almost lost her before he’d even got a chance to love her.
“Will you come to family night with me? I hate going. Having you with me would be nice. You could also give me a reason to leave early if I get annoyed with them.”
She hesitated, going still in his arms. At first, he thought he’d insulted her, but then she slowly nodded. The look of surprise in her eyes was unmistakable.
“This is your life now, your family. Of course, I’m going to drag you to all the family affairs with me.” He did his best to show her that she had a new life, but he knew it would take time for it to sink in. His Mina was accustomed to her old life, to the hierarchy the chromatic dragons had instated. He needed to allow her time to change.
Ryker needed to have a word with the chromatic dragons. There should not be a hierarchy among them. There should be respect to the generations that came before, but never this berating rank system that allowed others to walk on the backs of those like Mina.
He was going to break it. No one deserved to be treated like that. Ryker wasn’t sure where to begin or what to do, but he was going to do this for his mate.
***
Mina was thankful that everyone in the karaoke bar wore hoodies and torn jeans. She didn’t want to go home for clothing and had to wear the jeans she’d left behind in Ryker’s driveway. He’d given her one of his old concert tees, which she’d knotted in the front to keep it from hanging down to her knees. He’d finished it off by burying her in one of his leather jackets, too.
She didn’t care on the way, ensconced in his scent, but her anxiety peaked in the parking lot. The fear that she was underdressed hit her hard and fast. This was the first time she’d see Ryker’s family not as his maid, but as his mate. At least, that was what Mina thought they were. There was still no way of knowing if they were mates or not.
A small voice in the back of her mind warned her that their relationship wouldn’t last. It tried to tell her Ryker would find someone of better standing, that he would find his true mate in someone other than her. She did her best to shake it off, but her anxiety fed it until she walked through the door.
The air smelled of beer and rice, a scent Mina realized she quite liked. The others sat at a table near the stage. Wyatt’s mate was feeding him sushi rolls. He tried to return the favor, but the roll popped out from between his chopsticks and hit a nearby diner in the back of the head. The woman clamped her hand over her mouth, eyes wide. Wyatt did his best to apologize.
There were two open seats. Mina tried to tell herself that one of those seats belonged to her, but it still didn’t feel real. She waited for someone to come back from the bathroom and take the seat, but no one came. Ryker put his arm around her, the touch chasing away some of her fears.
“Do you want something to eat?” Ryker whispered in her ear.
Mina was ravenous after her healing and their lovemaking, but she was not a sushi person. Ryker picked up on it, perhaps from the way she eyed Wyatt’s plate with abject fear. Before leaving to place an order at the bar, Ryker kissed her cheek and asked her to trust him.
While she did, his disappearance left her alone. She approached the table of metallic dragons and their human mates. All eyes turned on her, and she wanted to flee, but she managed to force one foot in front of the other.
The woman who’d been feeding Wyatt jumped in her seat and clapped her hands together. “How did you like the peanut butter tart?”
Mina smiled and nodded, even though she knew she should say more. Anything. She could have said it was delicious, or simply said she liked it. But nothing came out. All she could think was that she didn’t belong here. Not among these dragons. Jasper, Griffin, Wyatt, and Ashton watched her. It felt like they were accusing her of intruding.
It wasn’t until a warm and solid chest pressed against her back that she let out the breath she’d been holding. It was then that she saw their smiles, their welcoming faces. No one was glaring at her. No one told her to go away.
Ryker pulled her closer, his arm over her chest. It felt like a barrier, one she could relax behind. Mina hoped she would not need it forever, but it was pleasant for the time being. While he held her, she was reminded that she had a place here.
“I thought your tart was delicious, Kennedy,” Ryker said. “You can continue sending everything you make to our house.”
Our house.
Mina caught the way some of their brows rose. Ashton let out a loud whoop that had half the bar turning to glare at them. Griffin’s brows fell flat as he looked away. She could not read the expression, but it bothered her all the same.
Ashton slapped Griffin’s shoulder. “Maybe we should buy you a
maid, too. Maybe then you could find someone who wants to put up with your broody bullshit.”
Griffin’s lips peeled back in a snarl, but Ashton didn’t seem affected. It was as if this was only a brotherly ribbing, and Griffin wasn’t about to bite his head clean off. She waited for the silver dragon shifter to attack, but he never did. Instead, he grumbled something and lifted his burger, words lost as he bit into it.
Makenna slapped the table. “Well! Before you all decide to kill each other, I want a chance to go onstage.”
She snatched up the guitar case that’d been hidden in the shadows behind her. Mina watched Makenna approach the stage. All Makenna had to do was salute the man behind the bar counter and he seemed to know what to do.
Ryker urged her toward a seat and took the one beside her. While Mina watched the human woman on the stage, the music began thrumming through the bar. Ashton was rapt, grinning at his mate like a besotted schoolboy. He was so openly affectionate toward her. Mina knew that was the mate bond. It folded the human woman into the family with no regard for the hierarchy that held them together.
Makenna had a place carved out for her. She didn’t have to make it, so when Mina had asked her how she’d found her place among the metallic dragons, it was obvious why she hadn’t understood. Mina, on the other hand, still felt like she needed to earn her place. She glanced at Ryker, wondering how he would want her to prove herself.
Mina found that she wouldn’t mind sleeping with him again. She would buy all the girly magazines and read all the secret ways to please him if that was what it took to keep him. Thankfully, she already knew how to cook and clean. Those would be the easy part. The other things would take some time. She could only hope that Ryker would be patient as she learned.
Aurum Court Dragons: Boxset Books 1-5 Page 37