Call of the Dragon: Flight of Dragons

by Victoria Pinder

  "Do dragons exist?"

  "In my imagination only. Robert, I’m hoping you'll kiss me."I covered my lips. “Did I just say that out loud?"

  "Is that what you want?"

  "Yes." My eyelids lowered and I boldly lifted my mouth, a second later, his hot, firm lips met mine.

  Explosions can’t describe what happened as everything else disappeared. My life bloomed in color as his mouth captured mine. I was his.

  5

  My chest was thrust into his when Robert's lips left mine. I was breathless and light-headed, claimed in some strange way. He ran his fingers through his hair and I swear I saw flames. Then he reached for my hand and said, "Come with me."

  In the movies, this was the moment where everything in life changed. I was lost in my head and unsure. The street noises around us blared in my ears as my fingers sparked. It was like I too was on fire but never burned. Part of me wanted to run and find a way to fade out the sounds as I stared up at Robert. I had never met anyone like him. His kiss had left my own lips tingling. I nodded. "Anywhere."

  He gripped my hand tighter and diverted us toward another building instead of the café. All I wanted was to be with him. I ached with need to touch him as we went through a huge glass door. I blinked and focused on the elegant lobby that resembled a castle. The people sitting in high-backed chairs that might double as noble seats near a throne wore business suits instead of velvet robes. Robert guided me toward the front desk made of a deep mahogany as my eyes widened. I ran my free hand up his arm. "A hotel?"

  Robert didn't answer my obvious question. Instead he spoke to the manager and handed over his credit card. A second later his card was returned and he held two plastic keys. My heart pounded. Palms locked, he directed me to the bank of elevators where he leaned me against the wall as his fingers trailed my body. "I want you Daphne."

  I had wanted him from the moment we met on the rooftop. I stood there unsure what to say. I didn't want to spoil anything. He hit the elevator call button and I pressed my body close to his. His touch was sweet torture. "Are you sure?" he asked.

  I wanted him so much I can’t keep my hands to myself much longer. So, yes. This was my choice. I’d read about what happens and seen so many movies. My lips pursed for a kiss and I closed my eyes. I clenched my hand on his belt buckle and then released. He understood and kissed me as I trembled, encased in flames though physically untouched. Yes. It was time to live. I swallowed, opened my eyes, and nodded as the elevator opened beside us. "I've never been more sure."

  Robert pulled me into the elevator. "Let's go."

  His five o'clock shadow tickled my sensitive neck as he kissed me. The elevator doors closed and I let my fingers play with his thick, coarse hair. In my mind's eye I saw how his dark hair sparked as if I’d marked him. My heart fluttered. Robert's mouth lowered toward mine as his hands wrapped around my waist. I leaned in as he kissed me again. This time his lips were harder and more demanding. I sighed and kissed him back. His firm but tender lips met mine and I lost the ability to think.

  A noise dinged and somewhere in my head I knew the elevator stopped. Robert led me out and into the hallway, art lined the walls but I hardly registered anything. My hands grazed his back, and as his lips detangled from mine, I swallowed. My heart raced.

  He opened the door to our room, his pupils dilated as his gaze locked with mine. I never thought in my life this would happen to me. I was living a movie.

  I stroked my throat as I tore my stare away from him and looked around the suite. There was a full living area and in the distance I could see the Tower of Pisa. In the air the smell of the forest overwhelmed me, and I played with the collar of my shirt. I heard Robert leave his car keys and wallet on a table. I turned. He loosened his shirt. "This is the penthouse? It's huge."

  "Come here." He motioned for me to join him in the living area. My heart skipped a beat. I turned away from the tower and glanced at his huge pupils. It felt like I floated toward my destiny as my pulse fluttered.

  His hand brushed against my side and every cell in my body was alive for his touch. I had to have him. I had to find out what being his would feel like. I had to remember everything. With Robert, I'd finally know what it was like to be a woman.

  My muscles had no tension, but as his muscular hand brushed against the sensitive skin on my back, I sparked to life. His hand roamed all over me. My arms wrapped around his neck as I trembled. I closed my eyelids and whispered the truth, "I've never done this before."

  His hands froze and then left my backside. My body craved him and wanted his touch again. "We don't have to, if you want to stop."

  "No." I took his hands and placed them on my hips as I shook my head. In my dreams he loved me and I'd love him, but I'd not ruin the physical now with my own wishes. This connection was what dreams were built on. I rocked on my feet. "Absolutely not. I want to remember every moment. I'm yours, Robert."

  He winked and squeezed the fleshy part of my butt. A thrill rushed through me.

  "Then take off your clothes and kiss me."

  Nothing prepared me for how electrified and on edge I was. I had never done this. He unbuttoned his shirt and I saw his hard abdomen and dark brown hair on his chest. My body grew moist and I lowered my gaze. My fingers ached to curl into him. I nodded and lifted my shirt over my head. His eyes widened as I slipped my slacks down my hips. He liked staring at me. I was the opposite of perfect, but his acceptance and desire was obvious from the rise in his shorts. The room smelled of forest as I dared to unclasp my bra. He held his breath. My heart hammered.

  Then, as if empowered by his desire, I became some other woman. I enjoyed his stare and rolled off my underwear. His gaze followed the length of my thigh, the roundness of my hips. My skin seemed dusted with gold and I sparkled with beauty. We were about to be one.

  The room protected me like a dark cave as I stood in front of him, completely naked. He crossed the room and his lips met mine. My universe became who I was in his arms. My feet lifted off the wooden floors, but I knew it was my imagination. I felt so airy and free.

  His hands roamed down my body and massaged my nipples. I leaned into him as the sensation overwhelmed me. His kiss then followed where his hand went and he suckled my breast. I ached with need.

  He gently pressed my buttocks and pointed me toward the bed. My knees were weak but Robert guided my steps. He laid me down passionately on the bed while his hands touched me everywhere.

  He suckled my breast again and my fingers caught in his thick, coarse dark hair. His touch went lower and I bit my lip. "Robert...”

  "Yes?" He slipped one of his fingers inside me and I quivered.

  My mouth parted and I was awash in a sea of sensations. My eyes glazed over as he caressed my hidden lips. "Oh wow."

  He flashed a dimpled smile. I hadn't known he had them, but they made him even more devastating. My yearning grew as he brought his fingers in and out of me in a teasing rhythm. "You like?"

  "Mm mm." I licked my lips and quickly brushed the hair off my face.

  He slid his pants and underwear off and all I could do was stare at his massive erection. His organ was bigger than anything that ever showed up in a rated R movie. I tried to press my parted lips together, but his caress of my skin the second he was naked was my undoing. "You're perfect Daphne."

  No. I wasn't perfect. I was at the moment inarticulate and all I could do was moan.

  He then kissed me again.

  I ached for more and a frenzy took over me as I kissed him back.

  He entered me in a smooth stroke, and I felt my entire universe rupture. I was blinded with need as he rode inside me and all I could do was sigh.

  His lips captured mine in a possessive kiss. I wrapped my arms around his neck as he drove me over the edge.

  * * *

  Much later, I woke up nestled in Robert’s arms. The moon out the window framed the Tower of Pisa, like another postcard. His hands rested on my breast as he slept beside me. I
could smell the forest on my pillow and imagined what my life would be like if he loved me. Nothing would change except the addition of words.

  His hands caressed my stomach and legs and I knew he was awake too. I turned away from the window and toward Robert’s warm sexy body. He held me closer. "Daphne, you're mine."

  I felt like the dawn that breaks free of the night sky to let the sun burst forward. "Yes, Robert. I am."

  He inched his body closer, his fingers interlocked with mine. "Marry me."

  The sheet slide down my naked body but I couldn’t move. My lips parted as my heart thumped. I must have misheard. "What?"

  He held me so close that I had no choice but to gaze into his blue eyes that seemed to drink me into his soul. "I asked you to marry me."

  I mirrored his narrowed gaze and I swear I saw circular red embers in his deep blue hues. "I don't understand."

  He flipped me so that he leaned over my body, his elbows on either side of me. My hands went to his chest hair, needing to touch him. I licked my lips and motioned for him to return to me. He lowered his hips. "It's a simple question."

  This was real. My eyes glistened. Robert and I would be together forever. Tears streamed down my face as I lifted my face to kiss him. "Yes. Oh Robert, yes."

  "Why did you hesitate?"

  "I thought I, I wanted you to feel the same for me so badly that I worried I’d imagined everything."

  “It’s time to start living your own dreams. What do you want most?”

  “You.”

  “We’ll get married tomorrow.”

  He kissed me and the swirls in my stomach grew uncontrollably. As he tore his lips from mine, “Let your golden streak be seen.I like the new look.” He then ruffled my hair to ensure the gold was on top and then he traced my nose. "I'll have someone arrange everything for us tonight."

  Live my dreams? Everyone would believe me mad if I truly explained gazing down upon the world with eyes much larger than my own.

  He pounced off the bed and picked up his phone. I grabbed the sheets and wrapped myself in them. He had already texted someone as I sat on the bed and brushed my hair out of my face. "Are you sure?"

  "Of you and how perfect and wonderful you are? I'm positive."

  My heart constricted. I had never been perfect in my life. I couldn't live up to that. I crossed my arms. "I'm not. I'm human. I make mistakes."

  He stood over me and uncrossed my arms for me. Then he lifted my chin so I'd stare at him. "I know what you are."

  I glared at his dilated eyes and there was a hint of a flame in the center. I lost all the steam inside me, and lowered my gaze. "I don't want to disappoint you."

  He leaned down and kissed me. Once again his lips were firm yet also tender. I hugged his shoulders and refused to let go. "Marrying you is a fresh beginning for both of us. I won't put you on a pedestal, Daphne."

  All I could hear was his heartbeat and my own. My body ached for Robert, and his fingers unfolded my sheet.

  6

  I was half asleep when Robert hustled me into his car the next morning, the pre-dawn sky dark. What seemed like minutes later my eyelids burned and I opened my eyes to look at Robert, seeing a flash of mythical dragon. Of course he’d be a dragon as his broad shoulders, muscled arms and brooding strength were the stuff of fantasty.

  I glared at the Italian morning sun pummeling me through the car window. My grogginess still had me in a fog. I turned my head to avoid the blaring light and watched Robert drive on the highway. We must have been traveling for a while now. I blinked and yawned. "Are we almost back?"

  He pointed ahead of us. I rubbed my eyes and glanced in the direction. The river near our hotel in Florence was in front of us. We only had to cross the bridge. "Yes. Your boss promised to help you find a wedding dress."

  Aura would see my wedding as a distraction at best. She was always single-minded on business. I frowned. "I don't need her help. I can find one on my own."

  Robert’s hand covered mine, and sparks ignited. He squeezed. "Don't worry. I paid her for her time as she knows more where to go than you do."

  “Why would you do that?”

  “It’s time the tables are turned around for you.”

  “Oh goodness.” I pressed my lips together. I had to tell him. I admitted in a low voice, "She scares me sometimes."

  His eyebrows quirked over the rims of his designer sunglasses. "Why?"

  'Socializing is for other people' was the first thing Aura had ever said to me. I lowered my gaze, unable to voice all that at once. "She is very intense about her work."

  He shrugged. "She is nothing compared to you. You must see that she makes money when you are around."

  “Why?”

  “Why what?”

  “Why would I bring her luck?”

  “You bring me luck.”

  "She is an excellent business woman. She’s had luck at making money all on her own."

  Robert drove his car to the front of the hotel. "She's only that successful near you or your great aunt, I would think."

  He stepped out of the car. I had to wait until the bellman opened my door, helped me out, and Robert met me on the sidewalk. "Why would that matter?"

  He kissed my forehead and then took my hands. "Prosperity is one of your gifts you bestow when you are around other people."

  A horn beeped, the driver wanting to pass Robert's car on the narrow street. He stayed with me. "That doesn't make any sense. I’ve never had money."

  "Your family never lacked it, though yours did not indulge as mine did." His tender, strong lips met mine and my body became misty and loose.

  “How do you know anything about my family?” Grandma’s rocking chair on the sagging front porch needed tender loving care, and money would have been nice.

  “Once I knew your name the day we met, I had my staff run a background check on you.”

  I held my breathe, unsure of what to say or how I felt. “Why?”

  “To make sure you are who you say you are.”

  He was rich and this was part of marrying him. I loved him so it didn’t matter. “My grandmother spent of her days in the rocking chair while we discussed topics she enjoyed. We never watched television or listened to the radio much.”

  “Your grandmother it seems didn’t approve of frivolous expenses.”

  "I'm not sure of any of that." I sighed as he took his mouth away. "The only thing I'm sure of is how much I want to marry you."

  "Good. I've arranged for the ceremony to be at four in the afternoon."

  I nodded and spotted Aura in the hotel lobby. It was no longer just Robert and I, the two of us. The real world and the man on the horn broke my bubble. Robert released my hand but I couldn't let him go, not yet. "Robert, until I met you, I had no life."

  "Yes, you did. You just don't remember." He winked at me as he walked toward his car and opened the driver’s door. "I will pick you up from your hotel soon. Get a dress."

  My tongue seemed slack in my mouth and I knew I wouldn’t form the right words eloquently, but I stuttered out what I needed to say. "Robert, I... I will be ready."

  Those dimples of his would warm me for the rest of my life. I hugged my stomach and turned to go into the hotel. As the door rotated and I was inside the glass, I felt my entire body shrink. Aura stood, waiting. I joined her and she said, "I can’t believe you said yes."

  My skin crawled under the weight of her words. I averted my gaze and brushed my hair behind my ear to hide that streak, for now. Robert was the best thing that ever happened in my life. My lips parted to tell her to mind her own business, but I couldn’t. "Why?"

  Aura motioned for the doorman to open the outer door for us. She took my arm and we walked out into the street. "You have the money to start again. I didn't think you would marry for it."

  My pulse raced. I'd never been anything to anyone except my grandmother. I never caused trouble. My breaths hitched. I had to argue. I had to say something. I wasn't a bad person because I�
�d said yes. I stared at the ground. "I'm not marrying him for money. We are in love."

  "Love?" Aura's voice had an incredulous peak to it. I couldn't look at her. I hugged my stomach as she continued, "Oh wow. Daphne, if you run, you'll still get your last check deposited at the bank."

  I shook my head furiously and gazed into Aura's big blue eyes. "I won't run. Robert and I are getting married."

  Aura crossed her arms and tapped her foot. "He loved Serena. Everyone did and she died three months ago. It’s way too soon for love."

  I realized that we’d stopped outside Domo Adami. Had this been Aura’s plan? I might not be able to afford one of the fancy designers with my meager savings, but I'd figure out how to get my own simple white dress without Aura’s help. "Well, he's marrying me now."

  Aura held her hands up, her face pale. "Okay. Let's get the dress. Robert is paying me back for it anyhow, but I hope for your sake Serena was secretly evil."

  Secretly evil sounded ominous. I rubbed the goosebumps that grew on my arms as we entered the shop. "How did Serena die?"

  Aura snapped her fingers and a salesperson appeared. She immediately began to measure me as Aura motioned for her to get started. The clerk checked my waist, bust and hips as Aura talked. "Nobody knows. Her murder is unsolved.”

  “Murder?”

  “No arrests and there are rumors her body isn't in the grave she's buried in."

  My heart thudded. No, it wasn't right to gossip or hope somehow the past was damaged. I had to look forward not backwards. Robert and I were getting married. I averted my gaze. "Robert must have been devastated."

  The woman led me to a dressing room and placed three dresses on the door. I stripped as I thought about what Aura had said. No. I shouldn't wish that the past be forgotten, in any way. I'd have to live with the fact that Robert had loved someone else first.

  Without looking I slipped on a dress. I came out and the clerk fixed it for me. As I stepped into the aisle, I stared at myself in the mirrors. The dress was too dramatic with edges everywhere. I grimaced.