by Kari Thomas
“No.”
He settled fully over her now, and she immediately felt the hard ridge of his erection pushing against her center. What! She’d been so distracted she hadn’t realized she was completely naked!
So was he!
“Who took my clothes off?” She glared up at his unrepentant expression. “And why the hell are you naked too?”
Slade raised his brows. “Now, sweetheart, watch the language. You’re too innocent to be talking like that.”
She growled. “Start explaining now.”
“It was Boyce’s idea.” He spat out a curse word, low and rough. “He said you needed to be as comfortable as possible. I had to slam him up against the wall for even suggesting that, because he is a doctor��of sorts–he would take care of you. Lucky for him, Aleta stepped in. She shooed us out of the bedroom with a ferocious growl and a threatening look so damn mean, I couldn’t decide if I wanted to smack her or be proud of her.”
Summer exhaled, her insides shaking with a desire so rampant, she was beginning to wonder if they weren’t both on fire. “And why are you naked too?”
“That,” he stated, his voice deep and husky, “was my idea.”
Before she could say another word he leaned down and claimed her lips. He caught her open mouth with his and immediately swooped in to tangle his tongue with hers. It was an erotic claiming; possessive, so hot and delicious, that she moaned her acquiescence and kissed him back. She reached up and tangled her hands in his hair and held on as the kiss quickly raged out of control.
He took her lips over and over, moaning his need into her mouth and swallowing her answering groans. The world spun away from them, and Summer lost all sense of time and place.
“I’ll never get enough of your sweet taste,” Slade murmured against her lips. Allowing them both some breathing space, he nipped at her bottom lip with his sharp teeth and then smoothed it over with a long lick of his tongue. “Soft. Sweet. I want to devour you.”
Oh, that sounded so good! She playfully nipped at his bottom lip too, and he growled in satisfaction. “I knew it would be like this,” he said.
“What?” She was so lost in the feel of his naked body over hers and his hot kisses stealing all coherent thoughts, she couldn’t make sense of his words.
He lifted his head and stared down at her, his amber eyes glowing like molten fire. “I knew you would take whatever I gave you and give it back just as passionately. I’ve sensed the fire beneath your innocence. I knew it could match mine. I almost drove myself crazy with the constant thoughts of finally making love to you. I’ve been wanting to claim you for so long.”
“We haven’t known each other that long,” she told him. Still, it felt like it had been forever already. From the first moment they’d met she’d somehow known one day she would be his. She could admit that now. She still wasn’t sure how he felt about her exactly, but she knew what her heart and soul were telling her.
“I’ve known you a long time,” he answered. He lowered his head and tenderly kissed her brow. “I think I fell for you the first time I saw your picture on Reed’s desk. You haunted my dreams. I thought about you more than I should have allowed myself to. And then when we met, there was this connection I couldn’t deny.”
“But you wanted to deny it, didn’t you?” She wasn’t sure she wanted to hear the answer to that.
Slade closed his eyes tight for a moment. “I had to. I thought you were fully human. I couldn’t allow myself to fall for a human woman. There was too much at stake.”
She reached up and touched the scar on his forehead where a vein beat hard. “How did this happen?” Some inner instinct told her it had to do with humans.
He shook his head slightly. “A battle with a human years ago. When we first came here. I could have allowed my dragon shift to heal the wound when it happened but I wouldn’t. I wanted the reminder.”
“What does it remind you of?”
“The fact you can’t trust a human. Not completely. And humans don’t have long lives.”
Summer sighed. “I’m human, Slade. Despite my Fabrizio heritage of longevity, I’m still mortal.”
He growled low under his breath and frowned down at her. “Dragons live for several centuries. It is the same for their Bond Healers.”
“Their human Bond Healers.” Something made her want to stress that.
He had to realize there were still obstacles standing in their way of being together. Her entire life and every plan or thought for her future had been changed. She had to know what would happen now if she stayed here with the Shamara Dragons, and if there was any chance for her and Slade.
Slade shifted, aligning their bodies so that the hard ridge of his shaft was pushing aggressively against her center. She gasped with the exquisite pleasure of feeling the rigid, hot pressure. Her entire body quivered.
“When Chen came here, he was looking for you. He wanted to take you back to his Clan. I told him you belonged here with me.” He kissed her, quick and hard. “I meant it. Now that I know your life is entwined with the Shamara Clan, I’m not letting you go. I would have tried if it had meant keeping you from finding out about us, but you are a part of our secret, our heritage. There’s no need to send you away.”
She loved his loyalty and fierce protection of the Clan, but was that the only reason he wanted her to stay? Was he only in this for a fling?
“I do know what a fling is,” she stated, somewhat angry now.
Slade stared down at her, his eyes wide with confusion. “Where did that statement come from?” Then he frowned angrily. “Is that why you think I’m here with you now?”
“You won a draw.” That still stung! Even Leo had been in on it!
“I cheated to win.” He grasped her chin. “Look at me, Summer. Do you honestly think I would let some other man come in here and touch you, much less spank you? I’d kill the first one who tried.” He glared down at her and then stressed the words with a low rough growl, “I would kill.”
Summer’s heart skipped several beats. The possessiveness in his tone, in the dark gleam of his eyes was her undoing. She exhaled a soft sigh and whispered, “I know.”
“Then know this too, little vixen. You’ve driven me crazy these last few days, but it’s going to stop here and now. No more risking your life to heal. You will do what you can–what you are gifted to do–but there will be no more marathons. Dragon shifters can heal themselves most of the time, baby, if it’s something simple. Right now, only Ruliard and Ansel need you. I don’t care who else gets hurt.”
“Who made you boss?” One minute he could be so sexy, and the next he was being a jerk.
“When it comes to you? I did.”
“What exactly is that supposed to mean, Slade? I’m not Aleta. I don’t owe you anything. I’m a grown woman who can make her own decisions.”
“Fine. Grown woman, you’re about to get that promised spanking.”
He lifted his body off hers and had her flipped over on her stomach before she could even utter a scream.
Whack!
Chapter Twenty-Six
Summer screamed every foul word she could think of as Slade’s hard hand landed two more times on her bare butt cheeks. She couldn’t believe he was actually spanking her!
Just as she was about to yell for Leo’s help, she felt his hand come down on one cheek with a soft caress. She choked back her cry. “Slade?”
“Stop wiggling, baby,” he gritted out huskily. “It’s too distracting. How am I supposed to punish you when all I can think about is touching you? Damn. You’re so soft everywhere.”
His hand smoothed over the spot he’d smacked. The touch was firm, leaving streaks of fire in its wake. Just as she was about to wiggle again–this time silently begging for more of his touch–she caught her breath in a loud gasp.
Slade’s hand stopped moving as it hovered over the crack between her cheeks. Then he oh-so-slowly pushed one of his fingers in deep. Summer nearly came off the bed.
He held her down, one hand pushing firmly against her lower back. “Shh. Just feel, baby. Nothing more. I promise.”
No man had ever touched her before Slade. In all her wildest dreams, she’d never experienced the incredibly overwhelming emotions she was feeling. She knew deep within her heart and soul that no other man would ever take his place.
Slade withdrew his finger with a low moan. Just as fast as he’d flipped her over before, he now had her on her back and underneath him once again. His voice was gravelly. “I can smell your heat, your wetness.” He shifted, pushing his cock against her center again. His groan was harsh. “I can feel it.”
She wanted this more than she’d ever wanted anything in her life, but she had to know one last assurance. She softly touched his rigid jaw. “What are we doing, Slade?”
His grin was a slash of his lips, nothing more. “I’m claiming you, Summer. I’m asking you to let me take you, make you mine. In every way possible.”
She chewed on her bottom lip for a moment. “And then?”
He frowned. “Then, what?”
“And then…what happens after?”
“Are you asking for a declaration of love?” His eyes darkened. “Dragons don’t express their feelings the same way humans do. We claim. We mate. It’s always been that way.”
“Are you saying that it’s only primal instinct–the need to claim and mate–that is between us now?” The realization hurt deep. She closed her eyes for a minute, unable to look into his.
“It’s our way.” He growled softly. “Open your eyes and look at me, Summer. Tell me what you see in my eyes. Look deep.”
She stared into the hot depths of his eyes, searching for something she wasn’t sure she would ever find. She saw lust, desire, need, possessiveness.
She found herself whispering in deep despair, “What does love look like?”
Would she ever know?
Slade lowered his head and kissed her. The light touch of his lips was in sharp contrast to the tension burning in his body as he leaned into her. “If you can’t find what you’re looking for, then close your eyes.” He kissed her softly again, his voice hoarse, “But don’t deny us both this claiming. I can’t walk away from you, Summer. Can you leave me?”
No! Despite the soul-searing pain hovering deep inside her, she couldn’t walk away from him. No matter what happened between them, she would never be able to leave him.
Slade moved his hand down to her hip, and he positioned the other under her neck to tighten in her hair. Their gazes locked. Summer held her breath, an encompassing myriad of emotions shooting through her.
Slade smiled, slow and sexy. “You can’t hold your breath, baby. I don’t want you passing out on me.”
She exhaled shakily and smiled back. “You make me forget to breathe.”
“Hmm. Not the reaction I wanted, but I like the sound of it anyway.”
She slowly moved her hands up his chest, around his neck and curled her fingers into his hair. She tugged him closer. “Kiss me again, Slade,” she whispered, “Make me want to keep on breathing.” She heard the desperation and the underlying meaning behind the words, and she knew he did too. His eyes narrowed, long lashes coming down to conceal the heat in his gaze. Then he kissed her, hard and deep.
She put every ounce of love she had for him into that kiss. It didn’t matter if he didn’t feel the same. She wanted him to know she was giving herself to him, because she loved him.
His hand moved from her hip to slide across her lower stomach. Her skin quivered beneath his hot caress. He released her mouth and kissed across her cheek to her ear. He nipped on the lobe and then soothed it with a swipe of his tongue. His rough breathing was loud; hers came in soft pants. Their breaths mingled again as he kissed back across her lips to the other side of her face. Summer kissed his face anywhere her lips could reach, but then he was lowering his head to her throat, and she simply held onto his hair, fists tight.
Slade kissed his way across her throat, from shoulder to shoulder. With a warning growl he dipped his head and enclosed his hot mouth around one of her nipples. Summer arched up with a soft cry of pleasure. He laved his tongue around the extended nipple and then bit down lightly. More hot kisses soothed over the sting and then he abruptly moved to the other breast.
Summer couldn’t lie still. Her body was on fire. She squirmed beneath him. Slade pressed harder against her, releasing her breast long enough to murmur hoarsely, “Stop, baby. I’m trying to be slow and gentle this first time.”
She almost laughed. She was on fire, and he wanted to be slow and gentle? Not going to happen. She didn’t think she could stand this building inferno inside her another moment. She wanted him to fully claim her. Now. Wanted it more than breathing.
“Take me, Slade,” she whispered over his bent head. “I need this as much as you do. I’m ready.”
His harsh groan was half growl as he buried his face against her stomach. “Hellfire, Summer. You can’t want this as much. You have no idea what I want to do to you. How much I want from you.”
“Show me.” Take me now before I realize giving my heart and soul to you might one day destroy me.
He lifted his head. His hot gaze snared hers. “I’m sorry for the pain, baby,” was all he managed to get out before he surged forward and buried his cock deep inside her.
Summer cried out, the pain brief but shocking. He was huge, hard, burning. She lost her breath. He gave it back, kissing her until they were breathing in unison, and their hearts were beating in rhythm. When he lifted his mouth he asked in a gruff but gentle tone, “Are you okay?”
“Yes.” She wanted to shout the word. He felt so good throbbing deep inside her.
“Wrap your legs around my hips,” he told her huskily, “and hold on tight.”
She clung to him, heart beating wildly, her body burning with every thrust he made, and she let her spirit soar. It was incredible.
Slade thrust into her, over and over, sometimes slow, sometimes fast and hard. She felt a roaring wave of sensation building deep inside her. It rose higher, hotter, and she tightened her legs around him.
“You’re mine, Summer,” he told her, kissing her in between each stroke of his shaft. “No man will ever be able to claim you now. You’re mine.”
For just a moment she wanted to believe the words meant more than just a possessive way of saying her body belonged to him now. She knew the truth and had already accepted that although he desired her, he didn’t love her. It didn’t matter. She loved him, and somehow she would make that be enough. For now.
Slade’s thrusts became faster, harder, and his body tightened above her. At the same time, the impending wave surfacing deep within her erupted. Her orgasm took her breath, choking her scream of pleasure, and clouding her vision. Her entire body shook from the force of it.
Thrusting hard, Slade suddenly choked out a rough cry and came. His release spurted into her like lava, making her gasp as another orgasm hit her.
Minutes later, their bodies stopped shaking and their breathing slowed. Slade rolled over and gathered her against him, holding her tight. Summer hid her face against his broad chest and listened to his heart as it beat wildly before eventually calming to a normal rate.
A while later Slade kissed her bent head and asked softly, “Are you okay, baby?”
She nodded, unable to talk. Her emotions were still too uncertain, too raw.
He appeared to understand she didn’t want to talk about what had just happened. Not yet. He snuggled her closer with a rough sigh. “Sleep for awhile.”
She didn’t want to sleep. She wanted to think. She wanted to understand why this had been the most incredible moments of her life, and yet she was sadder now than she’d ever been in her entire life. She found herself drifting off as the warmth from his body seeped into hers, cocooning her safely and possessively, reinforcing the claim he now had on her. She bit her lip to keep from saying the words she desperately wanted to say.
I love yo
u, Slade.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Slade was sleeping so deeply he didn’t hear the knock on the door. Summer softly called out, “Just a minute” and got out of bed. She found a silk robe on the chair next to the bed and said a silent “thank you” to Aleta for thinking about it.
She half expected to find Leo standing there, outraged that Slade was in there with her. The man standing in front of her, though, was a stranger. She nervously glanced over her shoulder at Slade. Surely no one would be here that wasn’t allowed to be.
The man bowed slightly. “Sorry to disturb you, Miss Althea. I am one of the royal secretaries here. I have a message from your father. He is ill and needs you to come right away.”
Summer’s heart raced. “Where is he?” She could imagine all kinds of scenarios. Reed was never ill. Had he been injured in the line of duty?
“He gave these directions.” The man handed her a piece of paper.
Glancing at it, she immediately recognized the address of his small summer cabin on the far side of the county. Why was he there? Had he been hunting and then injured? She thanked the man and closed the door. She hurried back to the bed.
Slade hadn’t moved. He was stretched out, his body completely relaxed and his features calm as he slept deeply. She remembered the last time she’d seen him sleeping and the comment from Aleta that he was hard to wake. She debated on whether or not to try and wake him and have him go with her to her father’s cabin, or to just let him sleep and sneak out while he was unaware of it?
Chances were that he would try to stop her from going. Not only was he overly possessive, but there was also something about the way he acted whenever Reed’s name was brought up. She wasn’t sure what had happened between the two men, but there was obvious tension now.
She found clean clothes on the dresser, thanks again to Aleta, and dressed quickly all the while watching Slade sleep.
When she was ready, she hesitated, standing by the bed and looking down at him. Should she leave a note? Would he be angry she left their bed before they could talk about what happened between them last night?