Step back, step back, step back, a voice in his head screamed at him in alarm. But the voice in Jake’s heart was louder than the one in his head, and instead of stepping back, he stepped forward. Before he could think any more about what he was doing, he leaned forward and put his lips on Rachel’s.
In that moment, he knew that he had never truly known what it was like to desire a woman before. The moment their lips met, the air felt like it was once again filled with the sparklers that Rachel had been setting off with her magic ring. But there was no magic spell here, at least, not one that a wizard had cast. There was only the intoxicating intertwining of two hearts. Heat filled the water around Jake as his whole body responded to Rachel’s touch. Her arms tightened around his neck, and she made no attempt to pull away. Jake felt a fire in his core, and his erection throbbed, sending hot, tingling jolts of electricity through his entire body. He had never known a hunger like this.
He knew the longer he kissed her, the harder it would be to pull back. But logic could not reach him anymore. Any semblance of rational thought had flown out of his head the moment his lips met Rachel’s. Now, as his tongue danced with her tongue, and as his hands firmly held her hips, pressing her soft stomach against his hard erection, only one thought could get through to his brain.
More, more, more.
Jake held her tighter, and kissed her deeper. She did not resist. She melted into him, and he wondered how he had ever felt anything but love for her. How had he ever judged her to be anything less than wonderful? She consumed him now, her kiss and her skin and her soft moans making him feel like he could drown in this water right now, and he would have lived a full life.
The throbbing in his erection continued, and he started to hear the little voice inside him screaming at him to take her, to dip his erection just a few inches lower to her soft entrance, where he could enter her and let her fully burn him up. But no, he could not. How could he mate with her, when just a few hours ago she had made it clear she did not even want to marry him for business purposes? He forced himself to pull back and look into her eyes. What would he see there? She was enjoying the kiss, that much was undeniable. But did she want more? Would he see a hunger there, like the hunger that filled him now?
Her sparkling green eyes looked up at him through thick eyelashes. She panted, as did he. The night was perfectly still, and the only sound was their breathing. Their eyes were locked together, as they stood together at the point of no return.
“Jake,” she finally said, her voice no more than a whisper. It sounded loud in the quiet, though. “Jake, please.”
That was all he needed to hear. He knew that this was reckless. He knew that what they were about to do would change things between them in a way that could never be undone. But in that moment, he didn’t care. All he cared about was the fact that he had never needed anything or anyone as badly as he needed Rachel right now. Consequences be damned. He would deal with the fallout later, whatever it was. In that moment he would have even given up his chance to be People’s Governor, if that was the price of making love to the beautiful woman in his arms. He had seen her for who she really was, and who she was, was perfect. Perfect for him.
He put his mouth over hers again, letting the flavor and feel of her overwhelm his senses. He moved his hands from her hips up to her breasts, and moaned as he felt the soft mounds and hard nipples between his fingers. And then, he gave in to his desire completely.
He dipped slightly lower in the water, so that his erection pushed at her entrance. He waited a few moments, giving her time to pull back and stop him if this wasn’t what she wanted. But she didn’t pull back. Instead, she pressed her hips forward, wanting more. Jake felt his breath catch in his throat. He felt like he was about to explode as he slowly slid into her.
After the coolness of the water, her warmth was shocking. Inside, she was just as wet as the lake, which gave him a thrill. She wanted him, badly! But she was much warmer. Her soft inner walls enveloped him, and he felt the throbbing pressure grow stronger. He could have exploded right then, but he forced himself to wait. He held back, wanting to give her pleasure first.
For a moment, he held still inside of her, just feeling what it was like to be there, to fill her and to push against her. She was tight around him, and she trembled in his arms. They had broken off their kiss now. She had her head against his neck, and her arms wrapped tightly around his back. She shuddered every few seconds, as though she could barely contain the emotions within.
He knew exactly how she felt.
Slowly, he began to thrust his hips. He moved in and out, increasing his speed and intensity each time his hips rocked forward. Her panting grew faster, and she started to let out little gasps. He felt the pressure inside of him growing with each movement, until he could barely hold back. Just when he thought he couldn’t take it anymore, she let go and found her release.
She threw her head back and screamed, a long, sweet sound of pure ecstasy. He felt her insides pulsing as she trembled and squeezed around his erection, over and over. Her arms around him tightened, and he closed his own eyes to drink in the feeling.
And then, he let go. With a loud, long grunt, he stiffened and found his release inside of her. He held her close, his nose pressed against her soaking wet hair, as he throbbed and pulsed and found the purest bliss he had ever known.
For several minutes, they stood there together, their bodies connected and their arms wrapped around each other. Neither one of them spoke, and Jake kept his head pressed against the side of Rachel’s head. He was too overcome with emotion to do anything except hold her.
When finally they stepped apart, the water softly swishing around them, he turned to meet her eyes. She looked back at him with a mixture of wonder and fear, and the fear worried him.
“Rachel,” he said, reaching out his hand for hers. But she shook her head and took a step backward.
“I…I have to go,” she said. Before he could reply, she dove beneath the surface of the water and started making her way toward the shore. He started to walk through the water rapidly. He didn’t want to chase her if she didn’t want to be chased, but he also didn’t want her to run off like this in fear.
“Rachel,” he called after her as she climbed out of the water. But she did not turn back to look at him. Instead, she ran up the shore to where her clothes were piled up. In the moonlight, he saw his first glimpse of her nakedness, which had been hidden below the water the whole time they were making love. She was perfect, her wet skin glimmering beneath the moon and stars, her curves appearing as perfect as they had felt beneath his hands. She started to pull her clothes on over those curves, even though she was still soaking wet.
“Rachel, wait.” Jake sped up his pace now, but she was almost dressed already, running away from the water while still pulling her t-shirt on over her head.
“I have to go,” she yelled over her shoulder. “Please, just let me go.”
Her words stopped him. He stood, knee deep in the water as she grabbed a broomstick from where it had been leaning against a tree trunk.
“Magicae volant,” she yelled out as she hopped onto the broomstick. And then, she was flying. Her takeoff was a bit unsteady, but she managed to quickly gain control of the broomstick and rise into the clouds. Jake could have shifted and chased her, but he let her go. She needed her space, and he’d already made enough of a mess of things.
Where did this leave them? He stood, watching her silhouette as she passed by the moon, her flying unsteady but rapid as she turned back toward the hill where her house stood. Jake wished she had said something, anything, that would clue him in to how she’d been feeling when she ran off.
Because he knew with certainty how he felt. He felt a hot, glowing warmth in his very core, and he could feel his heart intertwined with hers even though she was far out of sight by now. He knew what he was feeling, and that knowledge both shocked and frightened him.
The lifemate bond. After giving up o
n love completely, he had found his lifemate in the unlikeliest of ways. It seemed fate had not forgotten him after all.
But Rachel’s reaction left him unsure of whether she felt the same call of destiny that he did. With a frustrated sigh, Jake climbed out of the water and prepared to shift back to dragon form. It was time to go home, although he still wasn’t sure whether Rachel’s house was truly his home or not. Destiny still had quite a few details to work out.
Chapter Sixteen
Sleep never came for Rachel that night. When she arrived home, shivering and confused, she’d taken a hot shower in hopes that it would both warm her up and settle her nerves. But even the warm, steamy water could not soothe her. All it did was remind her of what she had done in the water of the lake less than an hour before.
Had she lost her ever-loving mind? She had gone from breaking off her engagement to Jake to letting him make love to her in the middle of the lake, all in the same night. He must think she was crazy. Heck, maybe she was crazy. She had no idea what had come over her. All she knew was that she’d been so mad at Jake, until he showed up in dragon form, looking impossibly magnificent.
She still didn’t know why he’d been flying around. At first, she’d thought maybe he was looking for her, but that seemed unlikely. He wouldn’t have even known she had left the house unless he knocked on her bedroom door, and she didn’t think he would have done that. He was no fool, and he must have known that she had been too angry to be in the mood to talk to him after their argument on the patio.
Her best guess was that he had gone flying to clear his head, just as she had gone to the cove to do magic and clear her head. She had discovered that cove several months ago, when she was practicing her broomstick flying and had accidentally taken a left turn far too sharply. She’d ended up in a horrible wind current that made it difficult to fight her way back onto her intended path down the middle of the lake, but she’d been happy for the wind when it brought her to the cove. Rachel had been back several times, mostly at night, to swim in the cool, secluded water. She wasn’t sure whether anyone else knew about the place, but she had never seen another soul there. Not until tonight, at least.
She should have known better than to do a magic trick as showy as the sparklers on such a clear night. Anyone flying by was sure to see her. But she loved that trick, and it had been so late that she’d thought no one else would be out. Who went flying around at two in the morning? People who’d gotten into arguments with their ex-fiancées, apparently.
Rachel had tried her best to act angry when Jake landed. She’d known right away that the dragon was him. His eyes gave him away. She couldn’t believe how affected she was by the sight of him in dragon form. She’d never seen a dragon up close before. During the war, she’d seen them flying over the city of Falcon Cross on occasion, and even that had been a magnificent sight to behold. But to see a dragon only a few dozen feet away from her, his scales shimmering in the moonlight, had been an overwhelming experience in the best possible way. As she looked at Jake’s dragon, she’d had the crazy thought that this dragon could be hers, if only she went through with the marriage. She’d tried to push away the thought, telling herself that it was ridiculous to marry Jake now, after he’d shown what an asshole he could be about her wealth. She’d already made the decision to call things off, and she’d look ridiculous and weak if she went back on that now. But how could she deny the thrill passing through her heart when he turned his beautiful dragon head to look in her direction?
She’d forced herself to keep a hard line, and to call him out on following her there—even though she wasn’t sure that he had, in fact, followed her. When he switched back into human form and she saw his naked human body in full view, though, her heart started pounding so rapidly she thought she might faint. How was it possible for a man to look so perfect? The moon had accented every angle of his body perfectly. His chiseled jaw line, that she knew so well by now. The broad shoulders that were also familiar. She’d seen their outline under his t-shirts so often that she had their shape memorized. But there were other parts of him that weren’t so familiar. The sculpted six-pack of his abs, and the tantalizing v-shape of muscles that pointed down to the spot where his legs joined. Legs which, of course, were larger and more muscled than any she had seen before. But what was between his legs was what gave her body the biggest trembling thrill. His dick was impossibly large. Even though it was not erect at that moment, it had been easy to see that his manhood surpassed anything she had ever imagined possible. And why not? He was a mighty dragon, after all.
Rachel had forced herself to remain calm, and to keep a serious expression on her face. But when he came into the water and bared his heart to her, apologizing with deep sincerity for the way he had treated her, she’d been unable to keep up a strict exterior any longer. She’d tried to cover up the swelling desire within her by splashing him, but that had only backfired. When he’d dunked her, and their naked bodies had touched, all bets had been off. The water between them had felt like it was electrified, and Rachel had lost all sense of reason. She’d kissed him with abandon, and practically begged him to make love to her. The sex had been the best of her life, but somehow that had only freaked her out. She’d taken off in a hurry, and now, hours later, she still felt freaked out.
The dark, quiet privacy of her own bedroom had done nothing to calm her. She tossed and turned on her bed, trying to make sense of everything. She’d heard Jake come home not long after her, and she’d half hoped he would come into her bedroom, demanding to know how she felt. That would have given her another excuse to fall into his arms while she was still on too much of an emotional high to resist him. But now, it was five-thirty in the morning, and she could no longer claim to be merely overcome by the confusion of the moment any longer. She’d had quite a while to think rationally about things, and the conclusion she’d come to frightened her.
She felt like she might actually love Jake Palmer. She realized that she might be slightly insane to feel that way. After all, she hadn’t known him very long and he hadn’t exactly been a model gentleman in the way he’d treated her. But, she had judged him too, hadn’t she? She’d assumed he did everything because he was a proud, stuck-up dragon, and maybe there was some truth to that. But there was also some truth to the fact that she was spoiled. She’d never had to worry much, and that had given her a certain breeziness and confidence others weren’t so fortunate to have. The bottom line was: neither she nor Jake were perfect. But were they perfect for each other?
Rachel sat up in bed. Maybe she should calm down and stop stressing so much about this question. After all, she and Jake had agreed last night to reinstate their planned marriage. If they went through with that, then she would have a lifetime to decide how she really felt about him. There was no point in making herself crazy trying to figure it all out in one night. She was marrying him whether she loved him or not. If she wanted to, she could write last night off as a weird fit of passion and leave it at that. Jake never had to know that she’d actually started developing feelings for him, unless she wanted him to.
This thought made Rachel feel better. Still, the thought of facing Jake right now made her squirm. How was she supposed to act normal around him when her heart beat faster at just the thought of him? She needed to get her emotions under control before she faced him again.
Rachel glanced at the clock. The bright green letters on the digital display told her it was five thirty-six in the morning. In a little under ninety minutes, she was supposed to be riding with Jake to work. But she couldn’t imagine sitting next to him in his truck right now, trying to act normal. She needed at least another day before spending that much time with him in a close, confined space.
Feeling slightly panicked, Rachel hopped out of bed and quickly pulled on some clothes. She went to her bathroom and pulled her hair into a neat bun, then tried to disguise the tiredness in her face with plenty of makeup. She was mildly successful, but undereye concealor could only
do so much. She hoped no one would notice the bags under her eyes and ask her about why she hadn’t slept much.
After determining that she had made herself look as presentable as possible after the sleepless night she’d had, Rachel crept out to the kitchen as quietly as possible. She wrote Jake a quick note and left it on the counter.
Hey, Jake. I have a lot of work to do today so I decided to head in early on my broomstick and won’t need a ride today. Don’t worry about picking me up after work, either. I’ll fly home, too. Have a good day! Rachel.
Rachel knew that a cheery, vague note like this sounded ridiculous after what she and Jake had done together last night, but she couldn’t think of any other way to get out of seeing him this morning. With a long sigh, she grabbed a muffin from her pantry and her broomstick from its spot by the door, slipping out the front door as quietly as possible. Her quietness was all for nothing, though. She never noticed the dark brown eyes watching her from down the hallway, where Jake stood in the dim morning light. Rachel had a lot to learn about dragons, and how hard it was to sneak anything past them.
Dragon Proposing (Torch Lake Shifters Book 2) Page 13