She looked up at him, searching his eyes with her own. Did he feel it, too? Did his soul come alive at her touch the way hers did at his? It was hard to truly read his expression now. His eyes were a mixture of emotions, and the moon had slid behind the clouds. Zeke’s back was facing the streetlight, leaving his face dark. Mac strained to see the story his eyes might hold. He did not keep things a mystery for long.
“Do you want me to stay?” he asked her. His voice was deep and full. There was no mistaking his meaning. Mac realized suddenly that she liked this about him. When he wanted something, he made it clear. When he felt strongly about a subject, he spoke his mind. There were times that this could come across as harsh, of course. Before she had understood his personality, she’d thought he was just being an asshole in all their meetings. But now she saw that he was just a man who knew what he wanted and went for it. There was a certain comfort in that. Mac liked knowing that, with Zeke, what you saw was what you got.
“Stay,” she said, her own voice soft and barely more than a whisper. Zeke smiled tenderly at her, then reached with one hand to pick up her broomstick that had been leaning against the SUV. With his other hand, he grabbed one of her hands and started leading her up the walkway to her front door.
As they approached, Mac raised her ringed hand and said, “Magicae aperio.” The door swung open by itself, and Mac and Zeke walked through it, with Zeke holding the broomstick. As soon as he had set the broomstick down, he closed the door firmly behind him and turned to look at Mac. She felt almost like she was seeing him for the first time. He stood so tall, and made such a commanding presence in her small entryway. The size of his muscles was evident from the way the fabric of his shirt strained against his arms, and she knew from watching him during the workouts he led that his stomach and leg muscles were just as impressive as his arm muscles.
It was his eyes that really got her, though. They were such a deep shade of emerald green, and the expression in them was so intense. He seemed to see right through her as they stood there, both knowing that they were on the edge of something big. They both knew that they were about to cross over the point of no return. In fact, Mac thought that perhaps it was already too late for her. She was beginning to suspect that, despite all her efforts to convince herself otherwise, she was hopelessly in love with Zeke.
Zeke took a step forward, then another, then another. The tension in the room made the air so thick and heavy that Mac felt like she was standing underwater. With every step he took toward her, she could feel her heart rate increasing. With her eyes, she begged him to kiss her, to hold her, and to make love to her.
When he reached the spot where she was standing, he bent his head down toward her and kissed her softly. His lips moved slowly and deliberately, and he reached his arm around her back to draw her in closer to him as he kissed her. Mac let out a soft moan as her body pressed against his. She could already feel his erection, straining against the fabric of his jeans. He felt huge, but Mac was not surprised by that. Zeke was tall, and a man’s man. Of course he would be well-endowed.
He pulled back from the gentle kiss for a moment, and looked deep into her eyes once more. Mac wasn’t sure what he was searching for, but he seemed happy. She gave him an encouraging smile, and he let out a low growl of satisfaction.
And then, in the next instant, the gentle kisses were gone. Zeke seemed to be overcome with a sense of urgency and a sudden, insatiable hunger. He let out a loud roar, pushed Mac up against the wall, and kissed her with a fervor like nothing Mac had ever seen. His hands were against the side of her face, gripping her with his palms and pulling her face firmly against his while he drove his tongue deep into her mouth. She moaned as the heat of his presence filled her, thinking that there was nothing quite like kissing a dragon. His tongue felt like it was on fire, and she realized suddenly that she should have expected him to be hot. He could shoot flames from his mouth when he was in dragon form, after all.
He kissed her for several minutes, sending wonderful shivers of delight up and down her spine with every skillful movement of his tongue. But soon, mere kissing was not enough for him. He pulled away and looked at her, his eyes wild with desire. He was breathless and panting.
“Where’s your bedroom?” he asked in a husky voice.
Mac pointed to the hallway on her right. “Second door on the right,” she said. Her own voice sounded strange to her. It was high-pitched and almost musical, but she wasn’t quite sure why. All she knew was that Zeke affected her like no one else ever had.
“Come with me,” he commanded. His gruff, authoritative tone turned her on. She liked it when he was a bit rough with her, and right now, he was being rough. He was making it clear that he wanted her, and he wanted her now. He grabbed one of her hands firmly and led her down the hallway toward the bedroom.
Once they were inside the room, he made short work of removing her clothes. She wasn’t wearing her military robes today. She had opted for less formal wear instead, and this morning had chosen a form fitting button down shirt with the Falcon Cross military insignia on it. Zeke tore it off in one single movement, sending buttons flying across the room. Mac didn’t care. Buttons could be sewn back on. Right now, she was reveling in the fact that the most gorgeous man she had ever seen was desperate to make love to her.
He finished pulling her now-buttonless shirt off, and she wriggled her arms out of the sleeves as he did to help him. Then he reached behind her to unclasp her simple black bra, quickly sliding it off and throwing it across the room. He stepped back for a moment to admire her breasts, letting out a long, low growl of appreciation as he allowed his eyes to slide hungrily over the soft, full mounds and hard, alert nipples. He stepped forward again, and drew one of those nipples into his mouth, sucking and chewing on it with intense pressure. Fresh waves of heat shot through Mac’s body as Zeke teased and pleasured her nipples. She could feel tiny beads of sweat forming on her forehead as her dragon set her on fire.
He was only getting started, though. After acquainting himself with her nipples, he moved his hands down to the button of the black dress slacks she was wearing. He unfastened it and unzipped the zipper. Then he pushed the pants down, grabbing her underwear at the same time so that both garments were removed in record time. Mac didn’t even remember kicking off her shoes at the door, but she must have because they were no longer on her feet. She was so focused on Zeke right now that it was hard to think about or remember anything but him.
Zeke looked her up and down several times, taking in her naked curves and grunting with approval. Mac breathed a sigh of relief as he did. He was clearly pleased with what he saw. After a few moments of letting him look at her, Mac grew bolder and stepped forward to reach for his shirt. She gave him a devious look as she pulled it up and over his head, and he growled in response. Mac continued on, dropping her fingers to find the button on the waistband of his jeans. He had taken off all of her clothes, so it only seemed fair that she return the favor. As she fumbled with the button and zipper of his pants, he reached his hand down to feel between her legs. Mac was dripping wet by now, which brought another growl of approval from Zeke. He stuck his finger deep inside her slick entrance, stroking at her inner walls and making it impossible for her to focus on taking off his pants. She gave up on the task for a moment, moving her hands instead so that they rested on his hips as he reached his own hand deep inside her. He stroked firmly and with a steady rhythm, causing pressure and heat to build rapidly in her core. She could feel the juices of her desire oozing out over his hand as he searched and found her most sensitive spots.
She trembled as she felt her pleasure reaching a breaking point. He must have been able to tell that she was nearing the edge, and he increased the speed of his finger until Mac could hold back no longer. With one loud, long scream, she cried out and gave in. She was on fire, and spasm after spasm rocked her body. She was filled with a fire even hotter than before, and she cried out his name again and again as the sweet rele
ase passed over her. He only grunted again, then lifted her in his arms and carried her to her bed, where he laid her gently down on her back. As she sank into the soft comforter, he reached for the button and zipper on his jeans, which she had never gotten a chance to undo. He took care of it for her, pushing his jeans off, and leaving only tight black briefs, which didn’t leave much to the imagination as far as the size of his dick was concerned. His erection was stiff and long, poking insistently against the fabric of his underwear.
In another moment, the briefs were gone, too, and Zeke stood naked before her. His dick pointed proudly in her direction, its thick shaft throbbing with the anticipation of what was to come. Mac’s body had stopped spasming, but at the sight of Zeke’s erection she felt a fresh wave of wetness between her legs. He was huge, and she could not believe that he was about to be inside of her.
Zeke’s eyes looked at her with that same intense hunger Mac had seen all evening. He crossed the room in two quick steps, the powerful muscles in his thighs rippling as he moved. He climbed onto the bed, and pushed Mac, who had sat up slightly, back down so that she was flat on her back. He looked at her and smiled so sweetly that Mac had to fight to keep tears of happiness from filling her eyes.
“Are you ready for me?” he asked. His voice was low and gravelly, filled with unrestrained desire.
“Yes,” Mac whispered. “I’m ready.”
With swift, skillful movements, Zeke positioned himself so that he was hovering above her, his swollen, stiff erection positioned just above the spot where her legs joined together. He looked directly into her eyes, smiled sweetly, and then closed his eyes just before sliding deep into her.
Mac gasped as he filled her. Her own eyes flew open in surprise at how large he was. Just the sight of his dick had not been enough to prepare her for what it would feel like once it was actually inside of her. She could feel burning hot pressure pushing against every available centimeter of her inner walls. The pressure only grew as he started to thrust, sliding slowly in and out of her and sending hot electricity throughout her body. Mac had barely recovered from her last release, but she could feel herself already building to the point of erupting again. It was impossible not to be overcome by the pleasure, with Zeke’s enormous manhood pushing insistently against her most sensitive places.
And so, although Mac tried to hold back for as long as she could, she soon found herself screaming out Zeke’s name again at the top of her lungs. Moments later, her release came again. Spasms of pleasure rocked her body as her inner muscles clenched around Zeke’s dick. Sweet, hot tingles spread from her core and radiated to the furthest reaches of her fingers and toes. She had never felt more alive than in that moment, with her whole body responding to the passion and desire of her dragon.
Zeke moved faster now, thrusting harder and more urgently as the pressure within him began to build. He gave a few short growls, and then, with one giant, stiff thrust and one long, loud roar, he found his release as well. He came into her, his body racked by shivers of delight as he gave himself fully to Mac. For several long moments, they were both silent and still as they let themselves fully experience the pleasure filling their bodies. Finally, Zeke slid out of Mac and moved to lie next to her on the bed. Mac glanced over at him and smiled, wanting to say something but unsure how to put words to the joyful emotions that were filling her.
Zeke reached to offer her a blanket, but she waved him away.
“I’m so warm,” she said. She lay on her back, still catching her breath as her chest rose and fell, her breasts rising and falling to the rhythm of her breathing. She was still wearing her magic ring, and a beam of moonlight that was shining in through the window reflected off the deep purple of the stone. With her ringed hand, she reached for Zeke’s hand and held it. He stroked at the ring, and it struck Mac in that moment how strange it was that only a few years ago shifters hadn’t even known wizards existed, and wizards had been forbidden to speak to shifters. Now, here they were, two individuals with different powers and abilities, but the same desire: to see good triumph, to live in peace, and to find love and happiness.
Mac had so much she wanted to say to Zeke, but she didn’t know where to start. And besides, she was so tired. The fatigue that had been following her around all day was closing in on her again. She told herself to get out of the bed and put some clothes on so that she could work for little bit longer before going to sleep, but it was so hard to move when the bed was so comfortable, and Zeke’s hand was so strong and warm.
Mac told herself that she would give herself five more minutes to lie there, and then she would get up and keep working. But her willpower was no longer stronger than her exhaustion, and in less than a minute she was asleep. She did not even stir as Zeke gently tucked a blanket over her before going to get some work done himself.
In fact, Mac would not stir again for the next ten hours.
Chapter Ten
“Holy shit!” Mac said.
Zeke was in the kitchen, but he heard her loud and clear. Her exclamation was followed moments later by the sound of her scrambling out of bed, banging around in her bedroom—presumably looking for clothes—and then stumbling out into the kitchen, where Zeke was seated calmly at a barstool next to the kitchen’s island.
“It’s past eight o’clock already!” Mac announced loudly as she entered the room. Zeke felt his lips twitch up slightly in amusement.
“So it is,” he said. “And good morning to you, too.”
“You don’t understand,” Mac said, her voice sounding peeved. “I should have worked all night, or at least gotten up at five a.m. to get a head start on the day. Now I’ve done nothing, and I have a status meeting with military leadership in less than an hour!”
Mac looked flustered, confused, and slightly angry. Her hair was a mess, flying in every direction, and she was wearing a wrinkled, oversized t-shirt that was printed with some sort of Christmas graphic. She looked so funny that Zeke wanted to laugh, but he forced himself to keep a serious face. She would only be angrier if he laughed at her.
“The meeting is postponed,” Zeke said calmly. “Come sit down and have some coffee. There are also bagels. I went and picked some up because you weren’t kidding when you said that there’s no food in your house.”
Mac threw her hands up in frustration. “Postponed? The meeting is postponed? Who postponed it? I’m the commander! I’m the one in charge of the meetings.”
“I postponed it,” Zeke said, keeping his voice steady and as neutral as he could. “I’m sorry if I overstepped my bounds, but I didn’t want to have to wake you. I’m not sure I could have if I tried, anyway. You were sleeping like a rock. A literal rock, Mac. You were so dead to the world that if I hadn’t been able to feel your breath by putting my finger under your nose, I might have thought that you were actually dead. Now sit down and eat a bagel.”
Mac opened her mouth like she was about to protest again, but then she clamped it shut and sat down at the barstool next to Zeke. She was quiet for a long time, but eventually reached for a bagel and the cream cheese that was sitting in front of her. Silently, she spread the cream cheese on her bagel, then ate the whole thing before she spoke.
“I guess I did need sleep,” she admitted. “Still, it should have been my decision to postpone the meeting.”
“Mac, I don’t want you to think I’m trying to take over your job, but you have to start being a little more sane,” Zeke said. “There’s no big difference between having the meeting at nine this morning or at three o’clock this afternoon.”
“That’s when you scheduled it for?” Mac asked.
Zeke nodded. “It’s rescheduled for three. Let me tell you, though, there is a big difference in whether you sleep and eat properly. You may be a wizard, Mac, but you’re still part human. You still need to take care of yourself. If you’re not thinking clearly because you’re exhausted, you’re not doing anyone any good.”
“I wasn’t that tired,” Mac said. “Anyone
can survive on low sleep for a little while.”
“Oh yeah? And can you honestly tell me that you’re not thinking much clearer now, after a proper night’s rest?” Zeke challenged.
Mac looked down and didn’t answer.
“I think your silence is answer enough,” Zeke said. “Things are a little less foggy now, eh?”
“Fine,” Mac said. “You’re right. I needed to sleep. But now that I have and I’m awake, I need to get back to work.”
Her voice sounded distressed, and Zeke reached over to put his hand over her hand. He squeezed her small hand tightly, and she looked up at him with tears threatening her eyes.
“I just don’t feel like we’ve done enough to prepare, but I’m not sure what more we can do,” she said. “We’re recruiting and training new soldiers, and spending every spare moment training the soldiers we already have. I’ve already seen incredible improvement in their fighting abilities, but I just don’t think it’s enough. I know we’re going to lose more wizards, and possibly lose Falcon Cross itself. I can hardly bear to think about it. I keep thinking that if only I had prepared for war sooner, none of this would be happening. I was such an idiot to assume that times of peace would continue on forever.”
“No one can fault you for not knowing that a peace that had continued for centuries was going to end,” Zeke said. “All of the commanders before you assumed that, too. And there’s no use beating yourself up for not doing more when you’re already doing everything that you can do. It will only drain away more of your energy.”
Mac put her head in her hands and made some sort of response, but it was so muffled that Zeke couldn’t understand what she was saying. He reached over and gently lifted her face away from her hands, then held her cheeks in his palms.
“Listen,” he said. “You’re not alone in this, okay? You’ve got some great people working for you, and I’m here with you, too. Whatever we have to face, we’ll face it together, alright?”
The Commander and the Dragon (Redwood Dragons Book 3) Page 10