Steel (Rent-A-Dragon Book 1)

by Terry Bolryder

  She let out a sigh, telling herself to be patient as he shut the truck door and started it.

  Or… not.

  The engine made an odd screeching noise and then sputtered to a halt. Liam’s look of alarm was comically awkward. It was clear he meant to make a statement with the kiss and make a cool exit, and that wasn’t working with the stalled engine.

  She covered her mouth to stifle a laugh.

  He desperately tried to start the engine again, and she could see him making jerky motions before slumping back in his seat, looking irritated.

  Looked like her “dragon” wasn’t going to leave right away after all. She couldn’t even pretend she was bummed.

  7

  “Damn. Damn, damn, damn.” Liam couldn’t keep from swearing as he tried the key again and again. The engine sputtered, strained, but didn’t roar to life as it should.

  And from the porch, Kate’s eyes bored into him like a drill. He was aware, acutely aware, of her gaze on him.

  He could still feel her lips on his. The softness and slight hint of something delicious as they kissed. Her scent and the sound of the quiet moan she let out.

  It was so wonderful he hadn’t wanted to stop there.

  But Aegis had told him to keep her in suspense. Court her gradually, step by step.

  Panicked, he began furiously sending texts to Aegis and Citrine and his crew mates. But nobody responded. For all he knew, Magnus and Titus were off doing something, and Aegis was spending time with his mate. And Citrine… Well, Citrine had a habit of disappearing into the forest behind the mansion at odd times.

  “Is everything all right?” Kate called from the porch, still watching.

  “Yes, everything’s fine,” Liam said as he got out and popped the hood of the truck. But as he looked inside, he realized combustion engines were a lot more complicated than sprinklers or drain pipes. And from his initial guess, nothing looked particularly off. Which only made the situation more frustrating.

  He dialed Aegis’s number, but unsurprisingly, nobody answered.

  “Why don’t you come inside and we can figure this out?”

  Liam resisted, but standing here looking like an idiot wasn’t helping anything, so he came inside, closing the door behind him as Kate took a seat on the couch in her living room.

  “Is nobody picking up?” she asked, the calmness in her voice somewhat soothing.

  “No.”

  “Sorry to hear that.”

  Despite the formality, the air was still thick, their kiss and the lingering sexual tension still hanging above them.

  “You can stay the night if you want, have someone come out in the morning to look at it,” Kate said, cutting the silence with a short cough.

  “No, I should call a car fixing company. They have those, right?” Of course they did. The longer he waited, the more stupid he certainly appeared to his mate. He was going to lose her at this rate.

  At that, she stood, pacing over to him. “I wouldn’t do that. The charges for visits after working hours are ridiculous,” she exclaimed.

  With her standing only a few feet from him now, he could feel the hairs on his arms stand on end. The low-frequency thrumming of his dragon calling out to its mate. His body reacted to her very presence.

  And as her eyes appraised him, he wanted to kiss her all over again. Harder. More pleasure for his mate.

  “So… um, about that kiss…” Kate said, changing the subject to exactly what was on his mind, clearly feeling awkward bringing it up.

  “Yes?” he said, turning to face her more directly.

  “You said you’d been wanting to do that. Why?”

  He thought about it for a moment, caught off guard. But he supposed he had nothing to lose by telling the truth, as long as he didn’t say anything about dragons. “Because I want you.”

  “Why?”

  “Many reasons.” You’re my mate. “You’re beautiful, strong, fun to be around, beautiful, kind, a hard worker, beautiful.”

  Compliments. Liam remembered Opal saying something about women liking lots of compliments.

  To his surprise, Kate just laughed, an exasperated, almost incredulous sound. She tucked her soft brown hair back, and he saw a light pink flush over her adorable freckles. Her hazel eyes were twinkling. “So weird hearing that from someone who looks like a male model.”

  Male model? There was such a thing as a male model?

  “You don’t believe me, do you?” he said, only now realizing she thought he was joking. He took a step closer, sensing her response as they drew nearer to each other.

  “I don’t know what to believe,” she said. “Maybe you were just out there in the hot sun, working too hard. Maybe you didn’t drink enough water.”

  Seeing his mate doubt herself like this was difficult. He’d seen the way she looked at him. Why couldn’t she believe that was how he looked at her?

  “I wish I could explain it better. But there’s something special between us. And I’m sure I’m not the only one who feels it,” he said, taking another step closer.

  The words “I’m a dragon and you’re my mate” had never wanted to leave Liam’s mouth more than right now. But he would keep Aegis’s rules.

  Patience, Liam.

  They were only a foot or two apart now. She was so close he could almost feel her without touching her, could scent her, floral and unique, could feel the warmth of her body temperature as it slowly rose.

  Kate didn’t back down, but instead straightened herself and kept her arms crossed, standing up to him even though he stood a good foot taller.

  “So this isn’t some sort of joke?” she said, testing the words on her lips. So full and luscious.

  “No.”

  “Then prove it.”

  The second the words left her mouth, he was there, lips crushed over hers. But this time, instead of a sort of sensual tenuousness, there was hot surrender as he pulled her to him and she melted against him.

  Her soft curves were so sexy as her mouth opened and his tongue swept inside, claiming, hot. She let out a stifled moan against him, and he held her pinned to him with his arms as she went slightly limp from arousal.

  Each lick inside her, each flick of his tongue, only stoked her further, and he felt her hands dig into his back as she tensed, begging for more, despite her legs buckling beneath her.

  Instinctively, Liam picked her up in his arms, enjoying the feel of her soft ass as he swiftly carried her to the nearest table, which in this case was the small wooden one in the kitchen.

  The soft moans she gave out as he moved from her mouth to her ears, her neck, were sweeter than music, signaling she wanted him just as badly as he wanted her. As if overcome with fever, he kissed everywhere he could reach, claiming her with each touch, marking her as his alone.

  Her breath racing now, Kate began to undo the buttons of her white work blouse, and when she began to flounder with the task amidst his kisses, Liam helped by tearing the blouse open, the tiny buttons clinking on the floor in a miniature cascade, revealing a white lace garment.

  Tantalized by the soft swells of her breasts beneath the contraption, he reached beneath the lace and squeezed them both, teasing her nipples with his thumbs. Kate let out a startled gasp of excitement, wrapping her legs around him and pulling him even closer, rubbing against him.

  He pushed the bra lower, and her breasts spilled out of the fabric, smooth and perfect, and he immediately lowered himself and kissed both, first lightly, then more firmly, lightly grazing one small, firm nipple after the other.

  Liam could hardly comprehend that a simple job to fix someone’s yard had come to this, being here with his mate, doing one of the many million things he could wish to do to her. But fate just worked like that sometimes.

  He just had to make sure he could keep her from here on out.

  As he continued to work on her breasts, Kate’s cries of pleasure letting him know exactly how much she wanted and where, he hiked her knee-length pencil
skirt up to her hips, giving him a glimpse of her white underwear.

  Without waiting, he rubbed a finger up her center, and she clenched tightly onto him from the force of the arousal. But he didn’t let up, holding her close with one hand while the other did small strokes against her over the soft material, feeling the tiny nub that made her wild with want for more.

  Soon enough, she began to thrust her hips into his finger, wanting the sensation to come harder and faster, moaning in between breaths as she moved closer to completion. And adding to it all, he continued to kiss at her neck, her cheek, his lips brushing over her as tried to hold on amidst all the sensations.

  And then she came, her legs holding his hips tightly as her neck arched and she cried out in pleasure and release. Liam flicked his finger twice more along her, pushing her even deeper into the orgasm as her nails dug into his back, her hair coming mostly loose from its ponytail and strands curling around her face.

  It was only the first of what Liam could only hope was a limitless number of orgasms he hoped to give her in their future together.

  But maybe that was being too hasty. For now, he just savored the feel of her body against him, her long, rushed breaths as she came back down to earth from whatever heights she had been caught up in a moment ago.

  He wanted more. He wanted everything. He wanted her to relish it, enjoy it so much she’d never stop wanting more from him.

  She looked so perfect, and he was standing here sweaty, covered in dirt, and wanted to be clean before they went any further.

  He picked her up off the table and headed for the stairs.

  “Where are we going?” she asked, her words nearly breathless.

  “I have an idea.”

  8

  Kate held on tight as Liam carried her up the narrow stairs of her home. But despite his size, he moved with surprising grace and swiftness, and she felt light in his arms, almost floating.

  What he’d been doing a second ago had been so erotic she hadn’t wanted to stop.

  There was just something so magnetic about him, so raw, she couldn’t stop herself from wanting him even if she tried.

  They stopped abruptly as Liam reached the top of the stairs, and he looked both directions in consternation.

  “Which way?” he muttered, appearing lost despite the fact that her house was so small.

  Kate just pointed in the direction of her bedroom, feeling a rush of excitement as he turned and headed for the door.

  “Good,” he said.

  The excitement grew to a fever pitch as he opened the door and approached the bed.

  Her heart sped up, hammering, as she realized this was it. They were actually going to do it.

  But to her shock, he passed the bed entirely and went for the bathroom instead.

  Why?

  As he went inside, Kate quickly surveyed to make sure she hadn’t left anything embarrassing out. Thankfully, she was a tidy person by habit and sighed with relief when everything looked in order.

  Then Liam stopped.

  “A shower?” Kate asked, curious about the sudden turn of events from a moment ago.

  “Yes. I’m in no condition to be making love to you like this,” he said, opening the glass shower door and turning the water on.

  Kate felt her heart drop.

  “That doesn’t mean you’re not coming with me, though,” he said into her ear, his lips tickling the skin there and sending a tiny shock down her spine.

  At that, her body was back in the game again, ready for round two.

  Liam put her down and pulled off her already sufficiently ruined blouse, and she quickly unhooked her bra, which he took off for her as well.

  She was fumbling with the hook on her skirt when her legs almost gave out under her as his mouth covered one breast.

  “At this rate, you’ll need to take me right here on the floor,” she said, holding back a moan as she let the skirt drop, then went on the attack, going for the thick leather belt at his waist.

  Liam just chuckled, a low, smooth sound as he worked on the other breast, making it nearly impossible to think. Then finally, the belt came free and his pants dropped, revealing black boxer briefs that did little to hide just how much heat the “dragon” was packing.

  She felt white-hot desire light inside her like a flame, and with a playful shove, she pushed Liam into the shower, which was already beginning to steam from the hot water. As if answering her own thoughts, he pulled off the last bit of clothing he wore and tossed it aside, giving her a perfect view of his perfect body.

  Maybe it was just lust. Maybe it was going too long without being with someone. Maybe Liam really was just that hot. Whatever it was, Kate wasn’t going to stop herself from what she wanted, no matter how stupid it might be.

  He grabbed a bottle of soap and studied it curiously.

  “Let me,” she interrupted, coming into the shower and taking the bottle from him. Then she filled her hands with the white cream and rubbed it into a lather, running her hands along his shoulders and back, then down his front, along his pecs and abs.

  Each muscle was so sculpted, a work of perfection. As if they’d been carved in stone or metal by a world-famous artist.

  “You get all this just from work?” she said, caught up in a reverie of touch and sensation.

  “My people… my family are all like this,” he said, correcting himself midsentence.

  The thought of a place full of guys like Liam and the other men she’d encountered back at the mansion he called home was staggering. But right now, Liam was all the man she needed or wanted.

  He was overwhelming enough.

  Before she could go any lower, Liam picked her up as he had before. Only this time, there were no clothes, no barriers between them, as he pressed himself into her and buried his head at her neck, sucking hard on the sensitive skin there. The feel of her slick breasts against his firm pecs, her hips against his abs was so erotic she almost came right there.

  But Liam didn’t let up, didn’t stop as he kissed lower, holding her effortlessly as his wet lips made a delicious trail down her collarbone and to her breasts.

  The feel of it was only amplified by the water, the heat, the steam. They were so close together she could almost taste him, imagine his thick member inside as it teased her with its hardness.

  Then Liam slowly lowered her back to her feet and pulled off her wet panties, which she’d forgotten to take off after seeing him naked. Then he held her up in his hands just long enough to rest her legs on his shoulders.

  And then his mouth closed over her clit, and Kate was flying. Soaring into incredible heights of pleasure she’d never experienced as his tongue licked up across her center while his hands cupped her ass, supporting her as she was pinned against the shower by his massive strength.

  It only took a few strokes for her to come again, he was just so expert, reading her body like a page from a book. And as she was overwhelmed with impossibly long pulses of erotic sensation, he held her, unmoving, anchoring her and keeping her centered directly at the precipice of pleasure.

  “Damn… that just feels… so good,” she said between gasps as he continued to stroke her clit, slow enough to keep her from coming immediately but fast enough to keep her constantly building. Higher and higher.

  Then she came once more, and this time as she did, Liam picked her up, holding her like some sort of precious treasure, not letting go as her fingers raked over his shoulders in ecstasy.

  Kate had never felt treasured. Not like this at least.

  As Liam put her down and stood back at his full height, so impossibly tall it was like being next to a giant—a hot sex giant—she gazed into those piercing blue eyes. It was like the color of the blue sky reflected off the surface of a still pool. So intense, completely focused on her.

  Yet, after so many orgasms, looking into those eyes just made her need for him that much stronger.

  “Do you have a condom?” Kate asked, her fingers playing at the ridge
s of his abs while he surrounded her.

  Liam just looked puzzled for a second. Then a realization dawned on him. He opened the shower door for a moment, the cool air from the bathroom rushing in and nipping at her warm skin, and reached into the back pocket of his discarded jeans, producing a small packet. Then he came back in and closed the door.

  “You mean this? Is this what you’re asking for?”

  Kate tried to suppress a giggle at the innocence he displayed as he held it there, water streaming down his skin from the showerhead behind him. Surely a man as hot as Liam had all the sex he wanted, so of course it wasn’t his first time using a condom. Right?

  Possessively, she took the packet and tore it open. It was just the two of them right now. Nobody else, no plans, no future. Taking what they wanted and to hell with the consequences.

  And with the way Liam protected her, looked at her, she couldn’t shake the feeling there was more to this for him than just a simple fling.

  The feel of his thick cock in her hands as she put the condom on for him was more tantalizing than she could have imagined, so steely hard and velvety soft at the same time. And he groaned as she squeezed lightly, holding him and enjoying the tiny thrill of control at having such a powerful man at her mercy.

  And then she felt whisked back into his arms again, propped against the shower as Liam growled and nibbled at her ear while he positioned himself between them.

  Just the raw, physical power made her wonder just how much of this guy was man and how much was animal.

  But there was no time for thinking as his huge tip teased at her entrance, making Kate lose her breath in anticipation, before slowly surging into her with one long, smooth thrust.

  “I…” Kate tried to summon words. Tried to say something to express just how good it felt, but her mind was blank. She was just so filled, so stretched by his size that it rode the line between pleasure so powerful it was painful.

  “Is it good?” he asked, holding her weightless as the steam thickened in the shower around them from the introduction of the cool air a moment ago.