“Thanks again for coming for me.”
“Every time,” he said. “I’ll always come for you.”
She grinned. “You gonna come for me now, then?”
His face froze in an expression of shock, and then he relaxed with a smile. “That was blunt, Kate.”
“Yeah, well, you’re becoming such a modern dragon now. I don’t think I have to take it easy with you anymore,” she said, tugging on his arm, pulling him toward the bedroom. He chuckled as he went with her.
When they got to the bedroom, she began changing out of her work clothes, unbuttoning her blazer as he sat on the bed watching, his beautiful teal eyes heating up.
She still felt a little awkward changing in front of him. In the rushed first time in the shower and the dark second time in the hot tub, there hadn’t been a lot of time to just look at one another. To hotly, slowly anticipate what was about to happen.
When she was down to just her panties, she saw him watching avidly, almost holding his breath he was so intensely focused.
She walked forward, standing between his legs and against the towel. “Breathe,” she said, and he exhaled.
She grabbed the towel, whipped it away, and came up against him. He let out a grunt and pulled her tight, wrapping his huge arms around her.
Then with a pull and a little jump, he jerked them both back onto the bed, in the middle of the silky covers. He brushed a hand through her hair, and she closed her eyes and smiled, enjoying the caress on her cheek. Even that gave her little tingles.
Perhaps he really was made for her.
“When did you know I was your mate?” she asked.
“From the minute I saw you,” he said. “Well, here, not at the castle. I felt something when I looked at you, but I assumed for some reason that you were taken, so I didn’t explore the feeling.”
“I felt something, too. When I looked at you, it was electric.”
His full lips curved. “You did?” He seemed pleased by it.
She nodded. “So that’s why when you came over, you asked if I had a mate?”
“Yes.”
“So funny,” she said. “So weird that you can just know like that.”
“I’d rather it was like that,” he said. “Then I have one chance and have to work really hard for it.”
“I know,” she said. “I’m still getting used to the idea, but it seems like a nice system.”
He continued to stroke her hair, and she continued to feel warmed and slightly aroused by it. “We can still get married. Would you like that?”
She shook her head. “I mean, we could do it for the certificate. Make it legal and, you know, take care of money stuff.”
“You can have all my treasure,” he said. “Whatever you want.”
“So you really think I can just stay home and do things with you? Travel the world?”
“If you want to,” he said. “If working truly makes you happy, then I won’t argue with you doing it. But sometimes I felt you were working to avoid happiness, not to feel happy.”
“You’re right,” she said. “It filled my life when I had nothing else. I’ll still want to give two weeks’ notice, but then I’m open to just living with you. Really getting out there and enjoying the good things that have come to me.”
He held her close. “I’m glad.”
Then he pressed a kiss to the bottom of her ear, gently sucking the earlobe into his mouth and grazing his teeth along it. She shuddered. “Liam.”
“Kate,” he replied, twirling his tongue over the sensitive skin on the shell of her ear.
“That’s nice,” she said, arching as he made his way down her neck, hitting the sensitive area where it met her shoulder. He flipped her over so she was beneath him, and his lips trailed to her collarbone, the tops of her breasts, and then over to the edge of her shoulder, placing a long kiss there, sucking gently.
She sighed as his hands moved down her body, caressing her breasts, her waist, her hips. She felt something lightly sharp cut the waistband of her panties, and then he tugged her underwear away.
“Dragon claws come in handy sometimes,” he said with a grin. He leaned over to kiss her breasts as his hand settled between her legs, working her into a frenzy with soft, circular touches. She moaned, and he came up to kiss her on the mouth, tongue thrusting deeply in time with his finger. His other hand came to her breast. How could he do all of this at once? She didn’t even care so long as he didn’t stop.
The mixed sensations built up a flurry inside her that exploded with mind-blowing pleasure that made her whole body seize up against him. One arm went behind her to hold her against him while his other hand stayed at her center, stroking as she convulsed around him. It made the orgasm even stronger, longer lasting.
“Liam,” she moaned again, digging her nails into his back as he began to stroke her again. Another orgasm overtook her, warm and soothing in some ways, exciting in others. But the best part was having him there with her, knowing he’d done it to her and that he was here to stay.
She finally had someone of her own, and it was more than she’d ever hoped for.
She rode out the orgasm, and he wrapped both arms around her this time, holding her tight as she cried out and tensed up with the last of the aftershocks.
Holy hell, life was going to be hot with her dragon.
Liam felt his mate’s body jerk in his arms, heard her moans, and felt like he was in utter heaven.
Was he really allowed to do this for the rest of forever? He could hardly wait to be inside her, but he wanted her to be ready so it was perfect.
When they came together this time, with his bracelet on her wrist, they would be mated. They would have to discover what that meant together, but he knew somehow deep inside that it would be okay.
“I’m ready,” she said, writhing against him. Her curves felt so soft, cushiony, perfect. Feminine.
He loved every bit of her. His hands dug into her hips, cradling the soft roundness of them. He was hard, ready as well, and there was nothing between them. He spread her legs swiftly, and she gasped, but in a good way.
He positioned himself at her entrance, and she wriggled slightly, inviting him.
Without the water or darkness around them, this was a totally different experience. The only sensations were the soft light of the bedroom, the soft covers around them, and his beautiful, curvy mate spread on the bed beneath him, flushed from pleasure, hazel eyes glowing, brown hair spread out like flames around her head.
“I love you,” he said, pushing inside her.
She bit her lip as her body stretched to accommodate him. He went slowly, watching her movements, and when she nodded, moved farther until they were all the way joined.
And that was the best feeling in the world, knowing she was safe and with him and that they fit together like two puzzle pieces that had been lost in the wind.
“I love you, too,” she said quietly, still controlling her breath as she fought to deal with the sensation of having him inside her.
“I’ll be careful,” he said.
She nodded.
He began to move, withdrawing only a little and shuddering slightly at how good even that felt. She was so tight, so hot, and when he pushed back in, he had to bite back a groan as pleasure shot through him. Especially when she arched back with a little moan, showing she felt as good about it as he did.
He put a hand between them, gently rubbing over her clit as he pulled out and pushed in again, wanting to pleasure her both ways. She gasped and moved against his hand, pushing her into him. He increased the rhythm, thrusting out and then in, and worked his hand over her at the same time. It became more difficult as they went faster, but he didn’t give up, rubbing over her and enjoying the excitement on her face as she got close again. As she went over the edge, he went still inside her, enjoying the feel of her clenching around him, the look of her as she clutched the sheets and twisted, lost in pleasure.
“Oh, Kate,” he murmured, s
ure she wouldn’t even hear him.
When she started to relax, she locked her legs around him, urging him to start moving again, this time at a faster tempo. The heat and urgency was building inside him this time, and he allowed himself to build toward a crescendo with her.
As he did, as her legs pulled against him, he could see his old country, beautiful and pristine and wild, but it blended into this new world, with Kate and Tank and this home. And visits to the other dragons. And flights in the sky. And Kate pregnant. The thought was enough to almost make him lose it in the moment. He didn’t know if he was seeing the future or just the culmination of all his hopes. He knew shifters sometimes felt or saw amazing things during mating, but he’d never known what until now.
“I’ll love you forever,” he said, feeling his whole body tighten as they grew close to the finish. He placed kisses over her shoulders before locking his lips over hers to seal his promise. She wriggled slightly under his lips, unbearably turned on, so he moved again, pulling back and looking into her eyes as they went over the edge together with one powerful thrust.
She screamed, rocking forward and clutching his back, digging her nails in as his body jerked and his seed released, gushing into her in hot waves.
Would this be the time they got pregnant? He couldn’t help thinking it, even if he knew he’d be happy until the end of time with Kate regardless. She thrust with him through the last of her orgasm, and he loved the sensation, going with her in his arms, going at the same time, both of them lost in a pleasure that was theirs alone to share.
Like they were in their own little universe.
When they were done and she was panting beneath him, having let go of his shoulders to collapse back on the bed, he grinned down at her. “I love you, Kate. I know I say that a lot, but—”
She reached up and pulled him down against her, letting his heavy weight rest on her small form. “I love you, too, you silly dragon. You can say it as much as you want.”
“Let’s live here,” he said. “We can travel, we can visit the castle, but I want to make this place beautiful for you. And since it’s the place where we fell in love, I want to always keep it.”
She nodded against him. “I can do that. As long as you’re here.”
“Besides,” he said. “I like the hot tub and the shower and—”
“Shh,” she said with a laugh, tracing lazy circles over the sensitive skin of his back. He shuddered slightly. “When are you ready for another round, dragon?”
“You can call me Liam, you know,” he said, feeling embarrassed.
“I loved seeing your dragon, though,” she said. “And saying it helps me remember who you are. Something special about you.”
“Are you saying my human form isn’t special?”
“Not at all,” she said, pulling back to look into his eyes. “The human you is what I fell in love with. But after seeing your dragon today, I’m a little bit in love with him, too.”
He smiled. “Glad to hear it. He’s pretty impressive, right?”
“Huge,” she said. “I can’t wait to fly with him.”
“We’ll have to get permission from Aegis,” he said, nonplussed about that part.
“It’s fine,” she said. “We can figure it out from here.”
“That’s true,” he said, moving off of her to cuddle at her side. He loved pushing up on one hand to look down at her. She was relaxed, lying on her back, totally naked and secure, looking up at the ceiling with a thoughtful smile on her face.
“What are you thinking about?” he asked.
“I was just thinking about how you always used to say, ‘I’ll see you at first light.’ Now I’m going to see you at first light for the rest of my life. I like the thought of it.”
Warmth moved through his entire body. “I like the thought of it, too. And the reality.”
He thought of the storm that had struck his ship, the icy, panicked sinking to the bottom of the ocean. Waking up with only his crew and feeling alone and having to adjust to the modern world.
Looking over at his mate’s hazel eyes, he knew he’d do it all again to be able to meet her in her time.
He lowered his lips to kiss her, and as she melted into his arms, he felt shaken to his core at the reality that she was his now.
First light, last light, darkness. No matter how the world turned, he’d never have to leave her.
He’d found the place where he belonged.
Epilogue
Liam watched Tank run across the huge lobby of the castle, his paws skittering and slipping as he fought to gain purchase, his tongue hanging out as he slid toward a column.
Aegis, who was walking nearby, deftly stepped in front of the column, making an “oof” noise as Tank slid into him.
“Watch your animal,” Aegis muttered to Liam, but there was a hint of a smile in his green eyes.
“Thanks,” Liam said, jogging over to Tank and crouching down to rub his ears. “Say thank you to Aegis, boy. He saved your butt.”
Tank looked up at Aegis and then bounced up on his back legs to put his paws up on Aegis, who, looking mildly horrified, stepped back, pushing the dog off of him.
Kate walked over to them, grinning, and called Tank to her. He came in front of her and sat obediently. A fluffy grey cat wandered down the main stairway and sat on the bottom step, cleaning its fur.
“Kate, have you met Cuddles?” Aegis asked drily.
“I haven’t,” Kate said. “Is she dog-friendly?”
“She’s equal opportunity,” Aegis said. “In that she’s usually either humping or keeping to herself.”
Tank eyed her with interest but didn’t go over to her.
“Since you two are going to be staying here, I guess we should have some ground rules with the pets. Tank is welcome to go anywhere as long as he is trained and safe.”
“He is,” Kate said. “Mostly thanks to Liam.”
Aegis raised an eyebrow at that and nodded. “And I’m sorry for calling you back here. I know that with your house newly worked on, you’d prefer to be there, but with rogue dragons out there that we don’t fully understand, we are safer together.”
Liam sighed. “I understand, but I don’t like it. I can keep Kate safe on my own.”
“Be that as it may, I don’t fully trust any of you,” Aegis said, folding his arms and leaning back against the column as Cuddles jumped off the steps and slunk over to him, rubbing herself against his leg with a loud purr. Aegis’s jaw twitched. “Here it goes.”
Opal came out of nowhere, scooping Cuddles up and cooing to her as Cuddles tried to get away. Opal held her nonetheless and the animal began to purr again as Opal stroked her cheek. “It’ll be fun having you here. I’m so happy to have another girl in the house.”
“Thank you for the rescue,” Aegis said to his mate. “Now, back to you, Liam. As I said, I can’t fully trust any of you because you didn’t tell me about Gold or the other dragons when you first knew they were running around.”
“I’m sorry,” Liam said. “But until I knew what was going on, I wasn’t sure what to say. And I didn’t want you to call me back. Not when I was winning Kate.”
“I would hope you would trust me more than that,” Aegis said, shoving his hands in his pockets.
“Well, you were quite a villain at one time,” Opal reminded him.
“That was before these guys knew me,” Aegis grumbled. “Besides, I think I’ve more than redeemed myself. Would I be running a crew if I hadn’t?”
“No,” Liam said. “It wasn’t that I didn’t trust you personally, it’s that things are complicated with these dragons in particular. They aren’t…well, they weren’t always our enemies in the past. And even when we were fighting, when we did have a rivalry, they weren’t the type to sneak in the dark or trick mates.”
“I see,” Aegis said.
“Is there another emerald dragon?” Liam asked.
“Why?” Aegis asked.
“Because Kate’s b
oss denies calling her into work, even though it was definitely his voice. Could he have been mind-controlled?”
Aegis thought about it, green eyes narrowing. “I don’t think so. I don’t know of any others of my clan surviving. They are dead as far as I know, and deserved it.”
Liam focused intently as Kate bit her lower lip. “The other thing that doesn’t make sense is the break-in with Gold.”
Kate lit up. “That’s right. I called him out on the break-in when I was captured, and he was almost offended by the implication that he could commit something as vulgar as burglary.”
“Though apparently he is fine with kidnapping,” Aegis said.
“That makes sense with him,” Liam said. “He would have considered it an open challenge to me, and an opportunity to win her. I never said he was a great person. I just don’t see him as that kind of a sneaky bastard.”
“That’s right,” Kate said. “The first time he came, he came with flowers and knocked right on my front door.”
“Hm,” Aegis said. “You’re right.”
“I don’t know of any other dragons that can control minds,” Opal said hesitantly. “But there are many types of dragons out there, and with the world changing, there are a lot of mysteries yet to be solved.”
“I guess you’re right,” Liam said, putting an arm around Kate. “Are you sure you’re okay staying here for a little while?”
Kate nodded. “I’ll miss the hot tub, but otherwise, I’ll be fine.” Her arm crept around his waist. “I’ll have you.”
He blinked. “That’s right. Aegis, I had something I wanted to discuss with you. Something we really should put in the back yard.”
Aegis sighed and walked toward the dining room, motioning for them to follow. “We can discuss it during dinner. Along with which of your crew you think should be sent out to find a mate next.”
“So we’re going to continue with Rent-a-Dragon, even with the other dragons out there?” Opal asked.
Citrine joined them at the door to the kitchen and dining area, golden eyes flashing. He flipped his dark, silky brown hair over one shoulder and nodded. “We still need to get Magnus and Titus out in the world and out of the castle. Once everyone finds mates, we can figure out what to do next.”
Steel (Rent-A-Dragon Book 1) Page 13