by Anna Lowe
And she was the one with the keys. She pictured creeping up to a castle tower, inserting a skeleton key, and slowly unlocking the creaky door to his soul.
A candle flickered in the corner of her vision, reminding her she was playing with fire. He was a dragon shifter, and she was part witch.
My dragon shifter, she told herself.
She let her mouth follow her hands, kissing her way down the chest she’d dreamed about. Pushing aside the sides of his shirt, she slid lower and lower until she was palming his cock through the pants.
Silas surged against her, and his eyes flared red. Not a scary red — a sensual scarlet that triggered every hormone in her body.
“Help me with this,” she whispered, touching his pants.
He took her hands and guided them to his sides, stepping toward the bed. “Not a good idea if you want me to be careful with that dress.”
She worked his shirt off, taking care around the sensitive skin of his left arm. As long as she didn’t actually press down there, it seemed all right. Then she ran her hands over the back of his steely rear.
“I get the shoulders,” she murmured, half to herself. He was a dragon shifter, after all. “But what do you need all this muscle for?” She patted his ass.
He grinned. “Takeoff. Landing. You know.”
That’s what he said aloud. But the glow in his dragon eyes said something more like, The better to pleasure you with, my dear.
She gulped then hurried to cover up with another kiss. “Right. Takeoff. Landing.”
He ran his fingers over her shoulders and neckline, making her head tip from side to side. Then he turned the kiss sideways, broke it off gently, and guided her through a half turn, putting her back to him.
“I liked your hair up,” he whispered, combing his fingers through the long strands. Then his voice dropped an octave. “But I love it down even more.”
The needy bass made her wiggle in anticipation, and she groaned aloud when he parted her hair with his thumbs. He kissed her from behind, unzipping her dress at the same time. Every move smooth, stimulating. One side of her mouth crooked up as she laughed at herself. Silas could get her dress off so smoothly; she hadn’t even been able to work down his fly. Well, the next chance she got, watch out.
“Pardon?” he murmured, touching the bare skin of her lower back.
“Nothing,” she said, arching for more.
His strong hands gripped her hips and pulled her back against his cock. Then he eased away and bumped against her again, harder. A low, hungry hum came from his chest, giving her a hint of the beast within.
“Silas,” she whispered, just about ready to bend over and do it right there. Who needed a bed?
On the other hand, she wanted to look Silas in the eye when he moved inside her. Somehow, she sensed that would be important if she were to maintain the delicate power balance they had.
Silas undid the clasp of her bra and pushed it forward. She moaned when he cupped her breasts, then sighed as he pulled the dress from her shoulders and let it puddle at her feet.
She turned, kicking the dress away, letting his eager eyes touch every part of her body. They roved over her bare breasts, her navel, the black lace panties. His mouth opened a tiny bit before he jerked his gaze upward again.
Oh, yes. Her dragon liked what he saw.
She hooked her thumbs in the panties and slowly wiggled them down. He made her feel beautiful. Desired. She lifted one foot then another to take the panties off, gripping his arm for balance.
A smile played over Silas’s lips. Apparently, he knew as well as she did that that part was for show. She didn’t need his help. But she liked it, for sure.
She let the panties drop to the floor and swung her hair back, standing half in moonlight, half in shadow.
Silas’s cheek twitched again. He definitely liked what he saw.
“We need to even the score here,” she said, beckoning him closer.
He arched an eyebrow, coming so close she had to tip her chin back to maintain eye contact. “Score?”
“One dress down, one pair of pants to go.” She rolled forward on her toes, bumping his groin.
He beat her hands to his belt, quickly undoing the clasp, and together they pushed his pants and boxers down. Cassandra made sure to go extra slow, enjoying every inch of the journey.
“Dragons are known for patience, but…” he croaked.
“No ifs.” She chuckled. “And no buts, except maybe this one.” She patted his cheeks.
Then she rested her head on his chest and looked down, stroking his cock. Watching the tip glisten, feeling him harden. Silas’s breath came in heavy huffs that stirred the hair at the nape of her neck. She cupped his cock with both hands and slid up and down, forcing herself to go slowly. He rocked into her hands, sliding his fingers along her ribs in an echo of the motion. Up and down, up and down, until she couldn’t wait a second longer.
She backed up, meeting his eyes. When her calves bumped the edge of the bed, she held her breath.
Take me, she wanted to say. Make me feel even better than I do now.
Silas stood still, practically quivering under her hands. Then he leaned forward into a kiss that started as a light promise — an I will take care of you promise — and gradually unraveled into something deeper, hungrier. Wilder. So wild, she barely noticed the transition from standing to lying beneath him on the bed. Without breaking the kiss, he pushed her legs apart and pressed his weight over her, pinning her down. Then he pulled back from his kiss and met her eyes.
“Last chance,” he murmured.
She bent her right leg, running it along the outside of his.
“Right,” she deadpanned, rolling to open the bedside drawer. She’d discovered a packet of condoms there her very first night on the estate, along with a nail file and tissues. Everything a guest at this luxury estate might desire.
Literally, she joked to herself.
“What’s so funny?” he asked as she handed him a condom and lay back again.
“Private joke.” She tapped her hands on her chest impatiently. “Now, where were we? Oh, I know. Somewhere around here.” She slid her hands under her breasts and slowly circled the nipples.
Silas smiled a wicked grin — a hint of the dragon within. Then he ripped the packet apart and slid on the condom. She helped him unroll it while folding her knees out of the way. Ready. Waiting.
“Last chance. For real,” he warned.
“Not going anywhere, mister. And neither are you.” She linked her legs around his waist.
His cock was right at her entrance, and her body burned for him. But Silas’s first move was to slide downward, breaking away. She nearly protested until his mouth closed around her nipple.
“We were here, you said?”
His warm breath washed over her bare skin, making her nipples ache.
She arched back and moaned something incomprehensible instead of the snappy comeback that got lost in the haze of pleasure that enveloped her. Silas had the hands of a master and the tongue of a pirate. He’d started the night clean-shaven, but now, his cheek scoured her breast as he moved from the right side to the left. She threaded her fingers through his thick black hair and leaned back, greedy for more.
“So good,” she moaned.
He squeezed her nipple in and out of his mouth in a popping motion that made her see spots. Then he tiptoed a hand down her belly and between her legs, making her writhe. Using the flat of his palm, he rubbed — teased, damn it — until she was ready to scream.
“Silas…”
Her moan of protest turned into a howl of pleasure when he dragged a single finger through her folds.
“Shh,” he whispered.
She bucked up against his hand and squeaked. “You expect me to be quiet while you do that?”
She heard his chuckle, but her chin was tipped too far back for her to see his grin. If Silas thought she was a partner who would silently follow his bidding, he was in for a s
urprise. Someone had to shake him out of his carefully ordered world. Her new mission in life, as of there and then.
So she called his name, cried out her pleasure, and raked her nails across his back. She did everything but shush, in fact. And it wasn’t lost on her that Silas didn’t protest. On the contrary, his breath grew faster, his touches less measured. His tongue lashed out at her, probing deeper, and his chin scratched harder. He paused long enough to get a better grip on her hips before dragging her closer and closing his mouth over her again.
“Yes… Yes…” she cried, not sure if she was urging on the man or the beast.
Then he muttered and rose above her again.
Their eyes locked. No last chance warning this time. Silas looked serious as ever, and his eyes blazed. And for once, she was speechless, because she felt it too. The feeling of destiny at the door, playing out a hand of cards she couldn’t see. The feeling of some momentous event being thrust into motion by what they did next. Something bigger than sex. Bigger than the two of them. Bigger than one night.
She nodded once and spread her legs wider. Whatever her fate was, she’d embrace it, as long as she got this one night.
Silas pushed forward, driving in deep.
To hell with destiny, his determined expression said. We’ll make our own fate.
Her whole body convulsed, and her arms flew over her head. She gasped at the burning sensation.
He paused until her eyes fluttered back to focus and found his.
“Don’t stop,” she gasped. “Please, don’t stop.”
Silas studied her for a heartbeat longer. Then he withdrew an inch and hammered forward again, making her howl.
“So good.” If he stopped now, she’d scream. “So good…”
He did it again — a slow retreat, a sudden thrust forward, shoving her body up the bed.
“Yes…”
She pushed against him, begging him to move faster and thrust harder. Silas plunged deeper and deeper, pinning her hands over her head. Claiming her with every sharp punch of his hips, every swallowed growl.
Mine, the glow in his eyes crowed. You are mine.
I am yours, she might have said — if she could manage more than moans of delight.
Silas hitched her leg higher and pounded deeper. She bucked against him, crying out each time.
Like the sea over sand, they broke apart then crashed together in intensifying waves. The moon dipped lower, blazing right through the open door and lighting Silas’s back. She raised her head and watched the muscles ripple, loosen, and tense again. The bigger slabs on his shoulders, the oblique lines by his ribs, the chiseled line of his ass — all that power helping him piston into her again and again.
“More,” she chanted breathlessly. “More.”
Urgency built inside her, as if they’d resisted the attraction for years and not days. As if her life only really started now.
When Silas briefly paused to hitch himself higher on his elbows, a drop of sweat dropped from his chest to hers. She watched it roll between her breasts and toward her stomach. Silas watched too, and for a moment, the world was still. The calm before a storm.
Then he pushed her legs wider and hammered forward, making her cry out. His teeth were bared, his body glistening with sweat. Gone was the cool-headed commander, the well-mannered gent. Within his glowing eyes was a beast who hungered for her.
I will worship and protect you for all my days, those eyes said, warming, not frightening her.
She locked her eyes on the glow. That beast was part of Silas, and the deeper she looked, the more she saw the interlocking facets of his character. The raging dragon, the fearless leader, the passionate lover. Then she couldn’t see anything. Her vision blurred.
“Yes.” She panted with each of his wild thrusts. “Yes…”
She clamped down with her inner muscles, making him groan. Inside, the waves of ecstasy swirled, spinning her in a whirlpool of wild pleasure.
“Yes… Yes…”
Was she screaming? Whispering? She couldn’t tell. All she knew was no man had ever driven her this far past her threshold to a place of pure ecstasy.
Then Silas jerked inside her, and every nerve in her body exploded.
A roar filled her ears. Heat raged through her body. A tear slipped down her cheek. Her muscles relaxed briefly then spasmed as she came for a second time.
“Yes,” she moaned, squeezing Silas’s hands as her body shuddered in an absolute high.
Slowly, she let herself unwind, one muscle at a time. Succumbing to an afterglow like none she’d ever experienced before. Silas lowered himself gradually, resting his body on hers. He tucked his cheek beside hers and panted into the sheets. She patted his back, not coordinated enough to say or do much else. Which was good, because what exactly was there to say about an experience that pushed her so far off the charts?
“Are you sure you don’t have any dragon in you?” Silas murmured.
She chuckled, tightening her legs around him. “Actually, I think I have a lot of dragon in me.”
She wiggled to emphasize the point, and they both collapsed into the sheets laughing. The perfect end, Cassandra decided, to perfect sex.
Not that she was done for the night. Candles flickered all around the room, assuring her they still had plenty of fuel. The moon glittered over the sea, winking at her.
She grinned at the ceiling. No, she was definitely not done for the night.
“Just a quick breather and then…” she murmured.
“And then?” Silas popped his head up and arched an eyebrow, making her melt all over again.
She hadn’t actually meant to let the words slip, but now that she had, she might as well run with them.
“Well, now that we’re warmed up and all,” she teased.
“Warmed up?” he protested.
She laughed and ran a hand slowly down his chest, reaching lower and lower. “You don’t think I’m going to sleep away a perfectly good night, do you?”
Chapter Sixteen
Silas tried to remember the last time he’d roared, climaxed, and laughed himself silly all in the same night, and came up blank. And, hell. The night was still young.
Best night ever, his dragon puffed.
Of course, his inner beast had been declaring that every night for the past week. Not the night after the auction, maybe, but every other evening since he’d met Cassandra. Just having her nearby was a treat. Hearing her movements and little mutters in the library, sniffing her scent, and best of all, having her stop by his office to say goodnight. Every time she had, he’d fantasized about a night like this.
Not a fantasy any more. His dragon grinned.
The beast was oversimplifying, and he knew it. One night with Cassandra did not equal happily ever after. But, hell. He’d take it one step at a time.
“That tickles,” he laughed as she inched her fingers down his belly.
She snorted and imitated his voice, which had dropped several octaves. “That tickles.” Then she laughed and spoke in her normal voice. “Only a dragon could say it that way.”
He forced himself to lay still instead of rolling around. “Well, it does tickle.”
“Softy.” She sighed, pushing a finger against his abs.
He flexed. “Nothing soft down there.”
Cassandra’s eyes lit up with mischief. “Oh, no? I might have to verify that.”
She drew a box around every muscle of his abdomen then circled his navel, going torturously slowly. Her eyes, though, kept wandering to his cock. When she licked her lips and reached lower, his eyes rolled back. The second her delicate fingers touched his cock, he inhaled sharply.
“See? Nothing soft,” he said between clenched teeth.
She ran an index finger up his stiff cock, featherlight. The skin all over his body tingled as if she were touching him there too. The woman was magic.
She is part witch, his dragon murmured, pleased as punch.
Which really went to sho
w how far gone his dragon was. Witches were supposed to be the enemy. To be avoided, at best.
His dragon huffed. See what dragons have been missing for centuries?
She tapped the tip of his straining cock then circled the head.
“Aha. Soft. I knew it.”
“That doesn’t count.”
She raised an eyebrow, obviously enjoying his indignation. “Soft is soft, mister.”
He was about to protest, but she licked her lips and looked at his cock, making his mind go blank. Well, almost blank.
Please, yes. Please, yes. Please… his dragon whispered inside.
Cassandra collected her hair in one hand and twisted it behind her neck. Just that move would have been enough to make him rock hard, but what really did him in were her eyes. Intent. Focused. Appraising.
“Velvety soft,” she whispered, dipping her head.
With her free hand, she circled his cock, barely applying pressure, making it all seem like a dream. Then she angled him slightly and exhaled over the tip.
Silas hid a groan. Barely.
“Hard,” he muttered, keeping up the game. “Definitely hard.”
“I’ll be the judge of that,” Cassandra said, pinning him with a naughty look.
She worked her lips against each other until they were as shiny as her hair in the candlelight. Her eyes held pricks of light, making it all too easy to fantasize about her being a dragon. Her being his.
Then he couldn’t imagine anything, because she opened her mouth and drew him in.
His head flopped back on the pillow, and his eyes slid shut as he succumbed to pleasure. Pure, gentle pleasure unlike anything he’d ever felt. Then she sucked, increasing the air pressure, and he groaned out loud.
“See?” he managed a second later. “Hard.”
She released him long enough to kiss the glistening tip of his cock. “Velvety. Now, hush.”
A good thing she couldn’t hear his dragon moaning inside. Roaring like the king of the world, ruler of the seven seas. He threaded his fingers through her hair, following her next moves. The downward bob, the upward slide. The side-to-side wiggle while her tongue circled him. She came up for a breath of air with a tiny gasp, and he peeked just in time to see her glazed eyes. His must have been the same, because everything he saw was out of focus, like those old-fashioned photos where only the center was clear. Then she inhaled and started moving over him more boldly, and his whole body went stiff.