by Anya Nowlan
“Do you see this?” She nodded, glancing at the bracelet, sparkling with blue and green as the gems caught the light. “More often than not, you have to be careful with the jewels you can put together. They will overpower one another, become loud and obnoxious. But here, they are in perfect harmony. And I think you and I could come together like the stones on this bracelet as well – as one, complementing each other, not distracting. I’m expecting a lot from you, my Gem, but I don’t think you will ever give me cause to be disappointed.”
His words rolled around in her head as she was held so tightly against him. Heat tingled through her, and she shuddered, causing Devon to only hold her tighter. Conflicting emotions rattled backwards and forwards in her, making her doubt everything she thought and felt. This bastardly man had decided what she was going to do with her life for her, just told her that his way was the only way, and she would have no choice but to agree with him.
And for that, she hated him. But here he was, actually laughing and having fun with her and opening his heart and soul to her, showing her the greatest treasure he held – she knew from the way he carried himself as he showed her around that it wasn’t just the wealth, but that his heritage meant the world to him.
Oh, and the way she lit up like a light every time he was around… Damn it. It wasn’t love yet, but it definitely wasn’t just hate. If the door had been opened, she wouldn’t have walked out. Wouldn’t even have thought about it.
With their fingers still entwined around the delicate bracelet, desire won over Gemma’s rationale. She rose up on her tiptoes, heard the golden coins crunch under her feet, and kissed Devon softly, almost timidly, as if testing the waters on a hot summer day before throwing herself into the surf. But the surf rose up and caught her instead. Devon growled with pleasure, and his hold tightened around her, cradling her against him like he was afraid she’d slip between his fingers.
She murmured softly as his tongue dipped into her mouth, waves of pleasure crashing through her immediately.
Gemma fell into the kiss willingly, her cheeks red with a blush and her core throbbing with a maddening pulse, demanding for more, right now. She moaned and it just drove him on. With expert fingers, Devon slipped the bracelet on her wrist, freeing his hand, and before she knew it, he was holding the back of her hair and kissing her with the need of a man denied for far too long.
Their tongues twisted and tasted one another, and his lips felt like the softest velvet against hers. It was even better now, basking in the warmth of his glory, than it had been in the dark rainfall of the earlier night. Then, there had been anger mingling with the lust, but now a softer note peaked over it, still hungry, famished for one another, but taking the time to explore each other’s kiss. Gemma’s hands slid up his chest and neck, loving the way his muscles firmed under her fingertips wherever she touched him. Only when she finally came up for air, breathless and a little bit disheveled, did that ugly rationale want to take foot again.
“This doesn’t mean anything,” she said quickly, not sure if it was for him or to calm her own frazzled nerves. Devon’s expression went steely for a moment, and then he nodded, smirking that bad boy smile of his.
“I know.”
Gemma yelped as he literally swept her off her feet, dipping her down on the ground with ease. She was laid on her back on a pile of colored silks, with the flat sides of the gold coins just underneath. For a moment, she hesitated, but when his mouth was back on hers, Gemma let go of all her uncertainties. So what if she shouldn’t have been doing it? It was just sex, right? And if she wanted to get down and dirty with the hottest man in the world, she had every right to do so!
I’ll work out all the moral ambiguities later, she told herself, grinning inwardly.
For now, she’d just enjoy herself. As hungrily as his mouth claimed hers, her fingers unbuttoned his shirt with equally hurried motions. The matte black button-up finally came loose, and Devon almost ripped it off of himself, discarding it somewhere over his shoulder. Gemma let her hands trail over his hard, chiseled body, and he reacted immediately.
Devon pressed against her touch, and her nails raked across his carved abs, making him hiss out a breath. She liked hearing that sound. Any sign of weakness from him made her appreciate him more. Knowing he was a man underneath all those scales and spite was something she’d scarcely hoped to see.
Devon’s hot kisses trekked down her neck and chest, finding the zipper of her dress and pulling it open. She helped him take it off of her, and for the briefest second, felt self-conscious as his blue gaze took her in. But there was nothing to be shy about. The look he gave her was pure lust, and the growl that tumbled from his lips made her smile with fevered need.
She wasn’t a small woman but had plenty of curves in all the right places, and though she didn’t need his admiration, she loved basking in it.
He kissed her with fast, hurried pecks like he thought lingering in any one spot would make the other disappear, and his strong hands worshipped her body. Her bra was discarded as easily as her dress had been, and when Devon slipped down her chest to suck one of her nipples into his mouth, Gemma thought she would just explode in his arms right then and there. Her back arched against him, and her hands scuffed through his short, dark hair, tugging at it when he caught her nipple between his teeth, grazing the delicate skin just a little.
Devon growled again, and Gemma knew she had to be wetter than she’d ever been. It had become impossible to deny her attraction for Devon after having spent so much time around him over the past week, and now that it all came to flame, it was like her body couldn’t get enough. She let one hand move down his back, nails dragging white marks on his skin and drawing those delicious, guttural noises from him.
“Oh my god, Devon!” she gasped as his hand slid over her soft stomach and between her legs, rubbing against the lace of her black panties.
“Oh my dragon, please,” he said with a smirk, having released her nipples from his teasing hold. “Do you like that?” he asked, driving Gemma wild with slow, languorous movements as his fingertips pressed against her sex just hard enough to make her squirm under his touch, wishing he’d go further.
She nodded, clinging to him for dear life, little moans dying and coming to life again in her throat.
“Say it, Gem,” he hissed, that almost threatening, predatory grunt in every word. She looked at him with green eyes wide with need and surprise at his aggressiveness, though she knew it shouldn’t catch her off guard. Devon Bluewing was a bad boy, and good girls should know that playing with fire could only get you burned if you weren’t careful. She didn’t want to be careful.
“I like it,” she managed, her voice cracking.
“Do you want me to keep going?” he asked, pressing two fingers against her clit and just hovering there as she bucked against him, desperate for release.
“Yes, please,” she begged, completely surprised by how much it was turning her on that he was making her beg like that. Gemma had never been with a man who took charge like that, and she found herself gushing with excitement, ready to bend to his will – at least in sex. “Please fuck me, Devon. Please!”
Her hands went to his belt just as he growled his approval, slipping his fingers under the already wet fabric and ripping the panties off of her. Gemma yelped, but undid his pants swiftly, unzipping them and pushing them down as if her life depended on getting to what was underneath. By the way her body was throbbing with want, it may as well have been. She needed him, wanted him, desired him. And it had to be right now or she would just burn up in the heat of her lust. In time with Devon’s fingers spreading her moist folds, Gemma’s hand grasped his thick, long cock. Her fingertips didn’t even touch at the base, coming just short, and a different kind of tremble struck her.
What if it won’t fit? she thought in a fit of feverish worry, quickly wiped away when she felt just how wet she was from his touch.
A smile hung onto Devon’s lips as he hovered above her,
letting her take in the sight of his muscled body and his huge cock as her hand worked up and down it, feeling the bumpy veins under her palm.
“You want me to fuck you, princess? You need me to fuck you?” he teased, though she caught the way his breath hitched just a little as he spoke the words and her fingers slipped over the velvety head.
Gemma nodded, her eyes pleading. The light glinted off of the bracelet she was wearing on her right wrist, and Gemma kept seeing him watch the bracelet on her as much as he was paying attention to what she was doing to him.
She loved the way he throbbed when she jerked him and even more the way that the drop of precum glistened on the head. Gemma spread it with her thumb, the feel of the wetness maddeningly enticing under her touch. There was no room for modesty between them, and for once in her life, Gemma didn’t wish to hide behind shyness or indecision. She knew what she needed, and she was going to get it.
“Yes, Devon! I need you to fuck me,” she said, her voice rising a pitch as his fingers forced into her wet tunnel, spreading her roughly as he pumped them in and out of her.
She squealed with delight, parting her knees wider so he could have better access. Everything he did made her ache for more, and when his thumb rubbed over her clit again, sparks flew. She caught her lower lip between her teeth, and her nails dug into his shoulders, tearing at the skin as he plowed into her with his fingers, driving her mad.
Gemma moaned, and as she bucked against him once more, the release took her. Like a fire consuming her, her world turned hot and bright. She arched her back in lustful want, and when she was just at her peak, screaming like there was no tomorrow, Devon pulled his fingers out and thrust into her.
He was far too big, but she was as wet as she could be, and the pain quickly vanished under the ecstasy of her orgasm. She barely registered as he whispered those hurried words in her ear, telling her that nothing would happen – he was a dragon, and dragons weren’t in the habit of getting women pregnant unless they really wanted to. All she really cared about was the pained tremor in his voice, desperately needing his own release. Gemma kissed his lips, drinking from them greedily as he worked himself into her, and when he sunk in completely, she knew that he was exactly where he needed to be.
He was perfect – from the way his body felt under her fingertips to how he filled her completely – and it was all exactly how it was supposed to be. She mewled as Devon started pumping into her, faster and faster with each stroke until, much to Gemma’s pleasure, all pretense of gentleness was lost. She didn’t hold back either. Her hands groped his body, those delicious, hard asscheeks and that powerful back that made her feel so protected and safe. Every thrust was heaven, even as she slowly came down from the high of her orgasm.
Gemma reached up, kissing his neck and then his ear, catching his earlobe between her teeth. She sucked on it a little, and he moaned, rolling over on his back so she was on top. Gemma gasped, sinking even lower on his cock so the way he filled her was just on the very edge of intense pleasure and pain.
This is so good… she managed to think, before Devon grabbed her by her hips and started moving her up and down on his slick, throbbing rod.
“Yes!” she hissed, grinning as she rode him as hard as he’d pumped her.
Gemma locked eyes with her demanding dragon as he kneaded her tits with his big palms, so obviously enjoying all that her body had to offer. “This is amazing,” she whispered, watching Devon’s muscles constrict and spasm as he teetered on the very edge of his release.
“Fuck, Gem…”
“Cum for me,” she said, and that was it.
Devon let out a roar, and his fingers dug so hard into her flesh that she was sure he would break skin. Her nails scraped at his biceps, holding on for dear life as he pounded into her, his thick seed filling her pussy.
Gemma didn’t want to get off. She watched him, bathed in the golden light of his treasure cave, completely sated and with that hazy look in his blue eyes that told her that he was as relaxed as he could ever be. She didn’t just see the billionaire dragon bastard she’d been seeing since moving in. There was softness there. Affection. Admiration even. The way he looked at her made her feel beautiful and valued.
Like someone who could make a difference in his life. Fighting back a rush of emotions, she slumped down on his body, resting her head on his chiseled chest. Immediately, his arms cradled her against him, his hand fisting in her honey hair.
“I think we’re going to have to come down here more often,” he said, grinning. She couldn’t have agreed more.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Devon
Devon’s life had certainly been on an upswing during the last few days. After the scorching hot session with Gemma in the caverns, he had been walking on cloud nine. Though everything wasn’t quite perfect yet (she still wouldn’t wear the things he gave her, and she’d taken the bracelet off as soon as they’d recovered from their little romp), at least she wasn’t avoiding his company anymore. She would join him for dinner, and he would seek her out daily in the library, stealing kisses when she least expected it and meeting only the most meager of defenses.
The way her tongue dipped into his mouth every time he went in for a kiss told him all he needed to know. He wasn’t in it alone anymore, and there was some comfort in that, even though there was still a long road ahead.
Each day that passed brought the gold moon closer – a fact that was certainly not lost on Devon Bluewing. Each night, he would take a long flight around the mountains and over Gold Valley in a desperate attempt to clear his thoughts, and each time, he would come up short. There was no getting over the fact that his immediate future loomed over him, as foreboding as it was promising. Yes, things were warming up between him and Gemma, but would she go through with the wedding voluntarily?
Or would he have to force her, driving a wedge between them again? And not only that, the other council members would doubtless want to witness the ceremony, so the pleasure and the pain wouldn’t even be a private affair.
His blood boiled at the thought of any of them even laying eyes on her. Until she was marked as his, anything could happen. This meant that he was constantly on high-alert, suspecting everything and anything of trying to ruin his budding happiness.
Devon could easily imagine himself ripping off the head of another dragon just because he thought to crack wise about his betrothed and how she hadn’t worn anything from his hoard yet. It made his stomach turn. Making Gemma Teeley do anything she didn’t expressly want to do wasn’t exactly an easy feat, even for a dragon with all the resources in the world.
So, it wasn’t any wonder that nothing but dread filled him when Jolly trundled into his study late one night, breathless and panting.
“What is it?” he asked, looking up from the draft of the rules of combat he was compiling to present to the council on his wedding day. His brows furrowed at the sight of the little man, so uncharacteristically out of sorts. Under his gaze, the servant straightened himself up, trying to look presentable but failing at it.
“Master Redblade is here, sir,” he said, his expression morose.
Fucking hell…
“Where is he? What does he want?” Devon asked, standing up and rushing out of the study with Jolly at his heels.
“He is on the roof, sir. And he didn’t oblige me with a reason.”
“Go stay with Gemma. I don’t want him anywhere near her,” Devon hissed through clenched teeth, receiving barely a nod in return from the servant as he skittered off quickly. For a passing moment, Devon thought he spotted a smirk on the man’s lips, but discarded it in favor of more pressing matters – like getting the fucking Redblade out of his house and away from his bride.
Devon ran through the mansion almost as fast as when Gemma called him. His heart pounded heavily, jealousy and rage broiling him from the inside out. He couldn’t stand the thought of another man near her when she still wasn’t entirely his. He couldn’t allow anything to happen
to her. Those green eyes and pillowy lips were meant for him and him alone. Rationally, he knew that there was likely little to fear, but rationale didn’t work so well for his dragon, or his heart.
Devon took the steps to the roof three or four at a time, and when he burst through the door, his head was swimming with irritated thoughts and whispered threats. There, in the middle of the massive landing strip of a roof stood Remington Redblade, his huge wings partially outstretched, and his maw contorted in a bitter smirk, showing his long, deadly teeth.
Devon’s eyes narrowed. He fought the urge to shift as well. If intimidation was the game they were playing, he could easily match the blood red dragon. Still, he resisted.
It’s the time of the civilized dragon, his father’s words rung in his ears. He’d never paid much heed to such wisdom before, but apparently fear for one’s mate made a man do every manner of improbable things.
“If you need to talk to me, Redblade, you better do it like a man. I’m not playing any games,” Devon said sternly, closing the door behind him. The dragon tilted its head a little, smoke flaring from its nostrils. Devon had to suppress a smirk – Redblades always did have a short temper.
With obvious reluctance, Remington shifted into his human form. Devon shoved his hands in his pockets, more to keep from strangling the other man for showing up when he was in mid-courtship than for any other reason.
“What can I do for you, Remington?” Devon asked, trying and failing at keeping the strain out of his voice. He watched the tall, gray-eyed man walk closer across the roof, all bitter Cheshire grins and shifty glances.
“Can’t a dragon simply drop by for a cup of gold or a friendly word?” Remington teased, coming to a stop some feet from Devon.
“You know I wouldn’t loan you gold if it was the last thing keeping you from an eternity in hell,” Devon said, returning the smirk. Remington nodded. No love lost between the families, as usual.