by Rosko, Mandy
She crossed her arms over her chest and narrowed her eyes at him. “You said you wanted to make me a deal. One of my options is to go home; tell me what the other is.” She sounded irritated now, something he’d hoped wouldn’t happen but wasn’t shocked to hear.
“You’re angry.”
“It just doesn’t sound like something my true love would be doing. Throwing me away when things get hard.”
“Giving you the business of your dreams is hardly throwing you away like trash.”
Her brows came together. Fiona pressed her lips together, as if she wanted to say something to him, maybe to shout at him, but didn’t. Was she choosing not to because she was fearful of what she would say? Inferno was suddenly very eager to know what it was she wanted to shout at him.
He had to leave. The heat between them, even as they were having this almost fight, was too much. The scorching gaze of her eyes, the anger, the disappointment, and her combined beauty was enough to make him want to grab her, to yank her towards him and crush his mouth over hers, proving to her that he had no intention of letting her go no matter the cost.
He shook the thought from his mind. No. Not no matter the cost. The cost could be her life, and it was a stupid, idiotic risk to take.
Best to walk away. He would come for her later.
“H-hey! Where are you going?”
Inferno didn’t answer her. He marched to the front apartment door, knowing she was following him, but he shut the door quickly before she could leave his rooms with him.
He counted on her not to follow him. He couldn’t have her chasing him around the palace. He stopped, looking back at the guards, and nodded to Eric. “Make sure she stays put.”
When Fiona didn’t emerge from the apartment, Inferno sucked back a heavy breath. He turned and continued walking away.
15
Fiona didn’t sleep that night.
Not very well, at least.
Mostly, she lay in the overly large bed that would have taken up the entire space in the living room of her apartment. She was surprised it didn’t have a canopy.
Fiona put herself in the exact middle of it because then it somehow seemed like slightly less of a waste of space, but she was lonely. She was trapped on her own tiny, private island, and while the sheets were soft, thick, and managed to keep her warm without overheating her like her quilt at home could do, she was lonely as all hell.
And angry. And sad.
Inferno had gone through all of that, had kidnapped her from her home—he’d saved her life, too, but currently, that wasn’t the point—and after insisting to her that she was the long-lost princess in a line of humans who could truly mate with dragons…
She didn’t even know why this was bothering her. She hadn’t wanted to be here in the first place. She had only become interested in the deal when Inferno had offered her a bakery.
Now he was talking about getting rid of her.
Fiona’s fingers clenched the sheets. She couldn’t stop gripping them, worrying them. She was going to tear a hole into the quilt any moment now. Maybe it was because she was imagining it was Inferno’s neck she was holding onto so tightly.
He wanted to send her back, something that honestly should have thrilled her. If he was serious about taking care of her, about giving her the business of her dreams and her freedom, then it was akin to winning the lottery.
There was a time when she would have jumped at the chance to let some rich guy take care of all her bills while she flitted off to follow her dreams. No commitment, no sex, no bearing children, no relationship, and everything would be taken care of. Who didn’t want that?
This was somehow different. This was something Fiona wasn’t comfortable with, and the fact that she was alone in this enormous bed, in a room that was bigger than her apartment, which was part of a series of rooms that was larger than most houses…
It was just lonely. That was the only word she had to describe it. Inferno was supposed to be here with her. He’d said he was going to take her, and now that he wasn’t here, it left her body wanting. The fact that the sheets smelled like him didn’t help.
Fiona had been under the impression that the staff around here would have been cleaning the sheets and replacing them every single night, but it seemed that wasn’t the case, because all Fiona could smell was Inferno.
It was making her all kinds of crazy.
At some point, Fiona did nod off. She knew this because, when she snapped her eyes open again, even though it was still dark, she felt as if she’d been sleeping. But she also felt as if someone had just been in the room with her.
Her heart pounded, eager anticipation pushing through her as she sat up, and Inferno stood off on the far side of the room.
Was he here for her? Had he changed his mind about letting her leave?
More importantly, was he going to come into bed with her? “Inferno?”
He stepped back. She couldn’t see the expression on his face, but it was clear she’d embarrassed him by catching him there.
She wasn’t embarrassed in the least. “You can come over here. I’m not mad at you.” Please come over here. She wanted him to go to her so badly she could taste it. Her body felt tight, her nipples perked, and absolutely everything inside her called out to him.
So when he turned away from her, walking out, Fiona sat there frozen.
And embarrassed.
She listened to the dull thudding of his footsteps as he walked out. A door opened somewhere, not the front door to the bedroom. Had there been another entrance?
Either way, he took it, because Fiona listened hard and did not hear him come back.
Without knowing why, and without her body so much as giving her a warning, Fiona burst into tears. She fell back against her pillow, hating him so much. Hating him for bringing her here. Hating him for teasing her, for making her want him and then being aloof and distant when her body ached to have him.
The stupid mating. Fiona punched her pillow several times. She imagined it was Inferno’s stupid face to make herself feel better.
And then she imagined his face when she had to touch herself, to make the physical ache she felt from him bearable.
Fiona woke up to natural sunlight. She groaned, listening to the sharp hiss of metal on metal as the curtains were pulled open.
She sat up suddenly, startled that someone was in the room with her.
No one was there. The curtains were opening on their own. They must have been on a timer.
Fiona rolled her eyes and flopped back down onto the bed, pulling her pillow over her face to block out the light.
Hideous sunlight. She wanted it off her body.
It didn’t seem as if she was going to get what she wanted when she heard a door in the apartment open and then shut again. Then she heard talking. There was more than one person out there. One of them sounded like Inferno, but she so didn’t care. Fiona groaned, pressing more pillows to her head to try to drown out the noise.
Which was about the time when Inferno walked into her room. Or rather, his room.
“Get up. I let you sleep in by two hours.”
Fiona didn’t get up, and she didn’t lift her face out of the mountains of comfortable pillows. She did, however, raise her middle finger to him.
Someone snorted a laugh, but it was cut short.
“Fiona,” Inferno said in what he probably thought was a playful growl. He didn’t say anything else as he grabbed the comforter off Fiona’s body and yanked it away. Her bubble of perfect body temperature went away with it, the chill in the room that assaulted her so suddenly made her curl up in reflex.
And lift her head enough to yell at the idiot. “What are you doing? For all you know, I was naked under here!”
Inferno smiled as if he’d been hoping to see that exact thing, never mind the fact that she could see Eric and a few other guards through the doorway, politely pretending to look at anything else.
“You’re perfectly decent; no
w get up.” Inferno tossed the comforter on the floor in the corner, where Fiona wouldn’t be able to snatch it back without getting out of bed. She was glad that she’d decided to ransack his room to find a t-shirt and boxer shorts to sleep in.
She grumbled, forcing herself away from the bed. God, this was such a nice bed. If Inferno was interested in kicking her out of the palace for her safety, she hoped he would let her take this mattress with her.
Inferno sniffed at the air, a slight frown pulling at his brows.
Fiona glared at him. “What’s with you?” She was still irritable at having to get up out of bed. The clock on the nightstand said it wasn’t even seven in the morning yet.
And Inferno said he’d let her sleep in by two hours? Jesus Christ.
“Eric, close the door, right now.”
Fiona froze. She didn’t know what the hell that was supposed to be about, but the sudden and sharp tone in Inferno’s voice had her stopping as if she’d just done something wrong.
Eric didn’t ask questions. He didn’t even look as if what Inferno had just ordered was out of the ordinary. The door quickly closed, with a very quiet click.
“Hey, wait, what’s going on?” Fiona wasn’t sure she wanted to be rid of witnesses. She was afraid of Inferno’s angry expression and the way his nostrils flared when he faced her.
“Okay, I’ll get dressed. What the hell is your—hey!”
Fiona didn’t have the chance to ward off his attack. He came at her suddenly, his hands, strong and demanding, wrapping his arms around the waist and pulling her up to her knees on the bed, her sleepy body pressed against him.
Her body didn’t stay sleepy for long. An eruption went up inside of her, sparking every nerve with heat and excitement. Not a thought went through her mind as her lips moved to connect with his.
His mouth against her was hot. Hotter than his namesake, and the sudden rush of it all was almost too much for her to bear. Fiona moaned. Her mind felt dizzy, her body melted against the kiss, and his body, as if she was in a sauna, and her muscles were forced to relax against him.
He pulled his mouth away from hers with a hard gasp, as if it was a struggle to keep away from her, to not kiss her.
“You touched yourself last night.”
Fiona blinked, her brain needing a minute to catch up with what she’d just heard. “What?”
Inferno’s eyes positively burned. She could see a fire crackling within them as if his inner dragon was breathing fire as he pushed her towards the bed. “I can smell you in the room.”
Fiona found herself pulling him down on the mattress on top of her.
“What did you think I was going to do after you left?” She asked between kisses. “A whole day telling me we were mates. A whole day of this spark between us. You whisking me off to your room, and then leaving me here alone.” She licked his ear, and then for good measure nipped it.
Inferno growled a noise that didn’t belong to a dragon, but to a man who had a great need to be with his mate. As he rocked his body against hers, they moved to the center of the bed, and then he pinned her arms on either side of her while he trailed kisses down her neck. She felt so good but also felt such torture. She needed him to touch her, everywhere. She needed to touch him.
She freed her arms and reached for his hair, which had been tied back and was now becoming undone. She pushed her fingers into the dark strands and gripped hard, making a mess of how neat it had been. He looked at her, breathless, and she used her grip to pull him back to her mouth.
She also wanted to show him that she was part of this, too. She was not just going to lie here and let him do whatever he wanted to her. She was going to participate. She was going to make him just as crazy as he’d been making her.
As if to prove it, Fiona pushed one of his shoulders, guiding him off her of her and down on the bed on his back. She went on top of him, feeling the intensity of the heat of his pelvis against hers, through the thin clothes she was wearing, and the slacks he had on. Fiona couldn’t help the small moan that escaped her.
The forward thrust of his hips against hers, the substantial length of his cock she felt beneath his pants, it all created a buzz inside her head and body that she could hardly ignore. The pleasure was instant as if she was just as frustrated and desperate as the night before.
This was what she wanted. This was everything she needed.
At least he wasn’t going to walk away from her this time.
He’d better not.
To make sure, Fiona stilled, putting her hands on his chest and leaning down until her lips tickled his ear. “Don’t you dare walk away this time,” she purred.
She felt a shudder go through his body, and Inferno shook his head.
“I mean it,” she pulled her head up, to meet his eyes, smiling as she did. “I’ll kill you if you do.”
Inferno smiled at her, his eyes dancing in amusement at the threat. Typically, it was not a good idea in any way, shape, or form to threaten a member of the royal family, but he was currently between her legs, grinding against her, so she was sure she could get away with it.
Instead of saying anything in response, Inferno pushed his strong hand beneath her tiny tank top and found her breast. He massaged it, his fingers playing against her hardened nipples. Fiona closed her eyes against the sudden pleasure of it, arching her back.
Her body wanted more. Not even in just the obvious sense, not only because it felt good. Fiona could have been dying of thirst at that moment, and given the choice of walking to Inferno, or walking to a glass of water, she would have chosen Inferno.
His heated mouth pressed softly against her neck. She could smell his aftershave. It surrounded her, made her moan and push her body harder against his, her chest more firmly against his hand.
Inferno lifted her tank top abruptly and replaced his palm with his mouth. Fiona’s eyes flew open, her mouth dropping in a silent gasp. The heat, the wet heat of him, it was enough to make the muscles in her stomach and legs clench up. She felt his erection through his pants, and the vibration of his moan against her breast caused her brain fizzle out for a moment.
The longest, best moment of her life.
Fiona squirmed on top of him. This time she wouldn’t let him get away. She wouldn’t allow any interruption stop them from doing what felt so right. She needed to get their clothes off.
She crawled off of him, avoiding his grasp when he reached for her. A look of confusion crossed his face. She gave the dragon royal a warning look and pointed a finger at him. “Don’t even think about moving,” she said, her voice breathy as she shoved down the elastic waist of the shorts she’d borrowed, followed by her underwear.
Inferno grinned. “I think I’d like to know what you would do to me if I did walk away.”
The next mission for her hands was to grab onto his belt, to fiddle with it until she finally loosened it enough that she could get his pants down.
“Don’t think you want to know.”
“But I do,” Inferno said, offering her almost no help at all as she got his pants down. As if he was enjoying the way she was undressing him.
She looked up at him, shaking her head. “Honestly, at this point, I think if you tried to leave, I’d chase you out into the hallway while naked, and make quite a show of tackling you in front of all of your guards.”
Inferno reacted in the last way she’d thought he would. He laughed. “I can run pretty fast. You might not catch me until the dining room.”
His pants finally off, as well as his socks and shoes, she made her way up to his shirt, pushing it up and feeling every ab muscle in his ripped chest as she did so. This time, he helped her by getting the shirt off his head and arms. “At least now we’d both be naked, running in front of people.”
“Almost naked.” They both looked down to the boxer shorts that he was still wearing. Her face reddened, a slight shyness finally creeping up in her.
Inferno, however, didn’t seem about to let her determin
ation disappear. He sat up, sliding his hand into Fiona’s hair. He pulled her close and pressed his mouth to her lips once more. He chuckled even as he kissed her. It didn’t entirely do away with her embarrassment, but it was a good start, and Fiona found herself able to relax again.
Fiona let herself get lost to the heat of it. It was easy. She didn’t have to think about it too much. She just let herself get swept away.
This time, she let him lay her down underneath him and waited while he got rid of the last piece of cloth on his body. Then the heat of his mouth was back on hers, wonderful, but softer and less furious than they had been a moment ago. The slide of his tongue made her entire body buzz and tingle. Her sex swelled and filled with warmth as Inferno’s hands moved all over her body, leaving a trail of invisible fire on every inch of her skin.
“Are you ready for this?” He asked, looking down at her with a tenderness she hadn’t yet seen from him.
“Yes,” she breathed, arching her body and reaching for him.
He caught her hand in his and kissed her palm. “You’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen. You know that?”
“I’d tell you how magnificent you are, but I’m sure you already know that.” She responded.
His smile lit up her heart, and her body welcomed him on top of her. Her knees on both sides of his hips, she felt his smooth member press against her entrance, and he kissed her slowly while pushing, with just a little pressure at a time. When she wasn’t sure how much more she could take, he stilled.
Her breath caught, body tensing as she adjusted to being taken.
Inferno exhaled a hard groan, and braced himself on his elbows, hovering over her, wincing, as if it were a challenge to be so still.
“I’m yours now, right?” Fiona asked.
“As much as I’m yours,” he replied, kissing her hair and giving them a moment to breathe.
When Fiona felt used to the slight pain of him inside of her, she began to move her hips. The small encouragement had Inferno moving again, slowly at first, until they started to build a faster momentum.