Sugar, Spice, and Shifters: A Touch of Holiday Magic

by Élianne Adams

  “Jesus, fuck, Maddison. You’re stunning.” One finger traced from her neck down to her breast, leaving a trail of fire on her skin where he touched. He paused at her nipple, circling around it once, twice, then moving on to the next. “Absolutely perfect.”

  He moved so fast, she only had a moment’s notice of his hot breath on her breast before he had the stiff peak in his mouth, sucking with gentle but insistent pressure. She moaned as she ran her fingers through his hair, holding him to her. His hands moved to push the fabric off her shoulders, then went to her hips, tugging at the bottoms to get them down. She lifted off the bed, helping him along.

  When she was completely nude, yet still mostly covered by the blankets, she tightened her fists in his hair. “Now it’s your turn,” she said.

  He pulled his mouth from her nipple with a pop, then came up to kiss her lips again. “I could feast on your body for hours and not tire of it.”

  Her clit throbbed at the thought of his mouth down there but now wasn’t the time. She needed him, all of him. Another time, they could go slow. “Later. Please, take your jeans off.”

  He wiggled next to her, shifting his weight this way, and that, before finally coming back to her. When he pushed her so that her back was against the mattress, he followed, pressing his chest against her breasts, and her hips cradled him. He was so close to where she needed him most, but he made no move to penetrate. Instead, his lips found hers again, and his hands roamed her body, in a slow, torturous, exhilarating caress. He shifted his weight so that he could explore lower, and her whole body tensed. She wanted him to touch her everywhere, but especially there.

  He slid his hand down one inner thigh and back up again, then down the other. As he was about to go higher again, she ground up against him. “Please, touch me, Luke.” She wasn’t afraid of asking for what she wanted, and she wanted more.

  “Tell me what you want, Maddison. Do you want me to suck on those gorgeous nipples of yours again?”

  A bolt of pleasure streaked down her body to land in her clit.

  “Or do you want me to slide my fingers into your pussy?” he asked before she could answer.

  “Yes, both, please.” She gasped as his lips locked around her nipple again. They’d only started, but she was already close to orgasm.

  He moaned, sending the vibration from his mouth to her breast, and she thought she might come from that alone. He slid his hand between her thighs, cupped her, the heat from his palm making her throb even more. “Tell me, Maddie. Hearing your voice while I touch you is making me so hard I can’t think straight.”

  She didn’t hesitate. “Touch me. I want your fingers on my clit, and in my pussy. And your cock…”

  When he stroked his fingers between her folds, she couldn’t continue. The intense pleasure rushing through her took the breath from her lungs. She couldn’t think. He slid the pads of his fingers around and around her clit, building the pressure within to new heights. Just as she was about to fall over the edge, his fingers were gone, and she whimpered at the loss. “Please,” she begged.

  He grazed his teeth along the soft flesh of her breast. His teeth, pointier than they had been, only made her want to press harder into his mouth.

  “I want to be inside you when I make you come for the first time, Maddison. I want to feel each tremor, and every single tightening muscle around my cock while you shatter in my arms.” He took her nipple into his mouth again, sucking hard. When he finally positioned himself between her thighs, she thought the sensual torture was over, but his thrusts only had him stroking between her folds with his shaft. The throbbing in her clit intensified, but it wasn’t enough. She needed him inside her like she’d never needed a man before.

  Just because he was happy taking his time didn’t mean she had to make it easy for him. Maddie drove her fingers through his hair, tugging until he came up to kiss her lips. She kept him there, thrusting her tongue into his mouth, savoring him as he’d done her. When she broke free, she kissed along his jaw and down his neck. She slid her hands over the hard ridges of his chest, stopping only once she reached the little loops in both nipples. She gave them a little flick, then a small tug. Luke moaned, and tilted his hips against hers again—harder.

  “I want you to fuck me, Luke. I need you inside me, now,” she whispered into his ear. His arms tightened around her and a soft growl rumbled from his chest. The sound was way too sexy to be anything but the dragon’s reaction to what she’d said. She continued kissing down his neck, then when she reached his shoulder, she nipped at his skin. Not hard, but enough that he felt it.

  Luke’s body tightened and he remained still for a second, but in the next beat, he lifted himself from her body, positioned himself, and finally slid into her.

  He filled her, stretching her until there was no room for anything but him.

  “Maddie,” came his hoarse whisper, “are you okay? Did I hurt you?”

  She shook her head, and loving the reaction she had received from her first bite, she did it again.

  “Fuck, Maddie,” he moaned before he started retreating from her body.

  For a moment she thought she might have done something wrong, but as he was about to leave her entirely, he thrust back in again. As though sensing the pleasure rushing through her had culminated on her clit, he reached between them, stroking her with one long finger. He continued the slow, deliberate pace until her body had adjusted to his girth—until she couldn’t stand the pressure building inside.

  On the next inward thrust, Maddie met him halfway, making them both moan. She was sending him a signal, one that he heard loud and clear. Each stroke came harder, and faster, until her whole body quivered. Luke kissed his way to the base of her neck, and she tilted head, giving him more room. She loved having her neck kissed. His lips, his finger and his cock all worked together, building her pleasure until she couldn’t keep from crying out. His teeth scraped at the base of her neck, then just as deep spasms rocked her body, he bit her.

  EIGHT

  Maddie lay motionless beneath him. Luke still felt the milder aftershocks of her orgasm squeezing him, but she didn’t utter a sound. Didn’t budge. He had been so caught up in what he was doing, and how damned good it felt, that when she had bared her neck to him, he hadn’t stopped himself from biting her. It wasn’t a mate’s mark, but it didn’t get any closer.

  “Maddie…” He had no idea what he had been about to say, but he had to say something.

  After a moment, she brought her hands to his cheeks and kissed his lips. “I’ve never experienced anything like that before.”

  “Are you okay?”

  She got an odd look on her face, her brows drawn down a little. “Of course I am. But we’re not done here.” She nipped at his chin, then tilted her pelvis, sheathing him inside her again.

  “I didn’t hurt you? When I bit you?” It had to have hurt. The dragon’s bite was much stronger than a human’s.

  “No. My turn.” She pushed against his shoulder indicating that she wanted him to move. The moment he turned onto his side, then his back, she followed, straddling him. She didn’t wait for him to take the lead, reaching down between them, she positioned herself over him and sank down until he was all the way in again. Maddie threw her head back and moaned, giving him a gorgeous view of her breasts. He was about to come up to suckle them again, when she placed her hands on his chest, stopping him.

  “Not this time,” she said. “I’m playing now.” Her fingers traced the muscles of his abdomen, then his chest and shoulders, all the while, she rocked on top of him. He expected her to go back to his nipple rings, was eager for it, but she kept her hands away from them. She moved faster, lifting her hips a little more with each grinding thrust. His cock throbbed with each moan that slipped past her lips as she ground her clit against him.

  He brought his hands to her hips, lifting her higher, then helping her come back down onto him faster.

  “Did you bite me, or was it the dragon?” she asked
, her voice low, and silky.

  He didn’t want to admit it, but he wouldn’t lie. “Maybe a bit of both.”

  He lifted her again, and she whimpered as he slid her back down, grinding his pelvis into her clit. She leaned forward, coming to within a couple of inches of his mouth. “So if I bit your neck, would your dragon like that?”

  He slid her up and down again, and the muscles inside her gripped him hard. “Hell, yes.”

  She gave him a little grin, then brought her mouth down to his neck, her hand to his left nipple, then tugged on the ring, before clamping down on his neck—hard.

  Luke couldn’t hold back. With a muffled roar, he thrust up into her, as he brought her down over and over again until their mingled cries filled the room. Maddie’s pussy clenched and released around him, milking him. When she finally released his neck and her orgasm overtook her, she brought him right along with her.

  Maddie collapsed against him, and he wrapped his arms around her. What in the hell had he ever done to deserve such a woman?

  It took a few minutes for his heart to stop racing, and by then, he could feel the goosebumps prickling at her skin. “What do you say we either get you back under the covers or get you dressed? You’re freezing.”

  Maddie smiled against his chest. “I’m starving. How about we grab a shower, then we can go find a place with some heat and have breakfast?”

  “Now that would be wonderful, except that I doubt you have any hot water,” he laughed.

  “Oh, right.”

  “I’ll tell you what? I’ll warm up enough water for you to freshen up, and then we’ll go eat. Maybe by the time we get back, the power will be on and we can enjoy the shower.” He couldn’t use his fire without shifting, and there was no way he could do that inside, but if he had a basin of water, he could use his body heat to warm it so that it wasn’t ice cold.

  “Okay,” she scooted to the aside and let him up. “I’ll wait in here while you do that.” She grabbed the blankets and pulled them all the way up to her chin, cutting off his view of her luscious body. Not that it mattered. He’d have plenty of opportunities to see it over the course of their long lives.

  He leaned in and gave her a kiss on her cold nose. “I’ll be right back.”

  Luke didn’t bother dressing, going to the kitchen was a short walk, and once he amped up his body heat, he’d be plenty warm. He carried the pot he found to the bathroom, filled it, then placed both hands inside. It took five, minutes to warm the water until she could wash without freezing, but he waited until it would be nice and warm for her before calling her in.

  “That was fast,” she said as she walked into the room as naked as he was.

  Luke groaned.

  “What’s wrong?” She nibbled at her bottom lip, and he wanted to moan a second time.

  “I have to get out of here. Otherwise, I’m going to drag you back to bed, and you won’t get to eat anything today at all.” He gave her a long, lingering kiss before he slipped past her to go find his clothes.

  Josephine’s Diner wasn’t far, and like Maddie’s house, it didn’t have power, but they had set up a generator out back and the place was warm-ish. If he sat next to Maddie, he could keep her warm enough.

  He led Maddie to the only empty booth left in the place, let her scoot onto the bench, and then slid in next to her. He grabbed the beat up tri-fold that passed for a menu and started reading. “What are you in the mood for,” he asked.

  “Oh, I don’t know—”

  “Don’t bother looking at the menu,” an older waitress with bleach blond hair and a raspy smoker’s voice said as she approached the table with her coffee pot in hand. “We don’t have a lot of power. We’re serving omelets, no toast, and nothing else. Do you want coffee?”

  “Please,” he responded. “Maddie?”

  “No, thank you. Can I have a glass of orange juice instead, and an omelet sounds wonderful. Thanks.”

  “Same here,” he smiled at the woman who gave him an annoyed stare in response. He didn’t bother asking what kind of omelets they were serving for fear of irritating the woman further.

  “Actually, can you double up his omelet? If that’s all we’re having, I’m sure a regular one won’t be quite enough,” Maddie asked, her cheeks turning a bright pink. “Thanks.”

  A warm fuzzy feeling filled him. Already his mate was looking out for him. Of course, a regular omelet wouldn’t be anywhere near enough to fill his dragon-sized appetite, but he hadn’t wanted to make special requests of the already put-upon woman.

  “It’ll cost double. I don’t make exceptions for his kind.” The venomous words caught him a little off-guard, but he wouldn’t let them rile him. There were idiots in all parts of the world, and Glen Farley was no exception.

  He’d assumed the woman had been grumpy because she was busy, but no, she just didn’t like dragons. The woman looked at him, then Maddie, and then grunted when she saw the pink spot where he’d bitten her peeking past the collar of her shirt.

  “That’s fine,” he told her, not wanting the irritating woman to say something to upset Maddie. All he wanted to do was get some food into his mate so they could leave. The looks some of the men were giving him had his stomach churning. He could take them all, no problem, but he had Maddie to worry about now. If she got hurt, even accidentally, he didn’t know if he’d be able to control the dragon. If feeling his scales close to the surface had frightened her, experiencing a full dragon’s rage would send her running for the hills.

  Once the waitress was gone, he turned his attention back to his mate, refusing to allow the other patrons to ruin his time with her. He’d deal with whatever came along, and keep her safe, too. He draped an arm around her shoulder and tucked her in close, sharing his warmth with her. “So, what are your plans for Christmas?”

  “I’m staying home. I might stop in to see Marybeth, Gloria, and the kids, but that’s about it.” She smiled at him, but her voice was more than a little sad.

  “You don’t have any family in the area?”

  “No, my mom is back home. My dad died before I was born. I moved here a few months ago, so I don’t really know all that many people. I’m lucky I ran into Gloria at the store one day, and she took me under her wing.”

  “I’d understand if you said no, but I’d love for you to spend it up at the estate with me.” He didn’t have to ask the others to know that they’d be happy to have her. In fact, Stella would be thrilled to have another woman to talk to. As well as they all got along, he could only imagine that she must miss female companionship.

  “I couldn’t impose. That’s only two days away. There’s no time to prepare for an extra person in that time.”

  “It’s no imposition, we have plenty of food, and I have three bedrooms in my section of the house alone. There’s more than enough room.” Luke looked up when he heard the chime of the door, then his heart sank. “Crap. I’m in trouble.”

  “What?” Her hand came up to rest on his forearm. “What’s the matter?”

  Luke laughed. “Nothing serious. I was supposed to call Stella when I got to your place last night. When you opened the door with your head banged up, I totally forgot. My reminder just walked into the Diner.”

  — — —

  “Yeah, I found him. He’s safe, but not for long.” A deep, male voice broke in. The sound of someone removing their coat, and then sliding on the bench across from her had her eyebrows lifting. She let go of his arm and slid her hand down to his thigh. “I’ll be home soon,” the man paused for a second, then “I love you too, baby.”

  “Forgetting something,” the man said after another moment.

  “Dude, I’m sorry. I totally forgot to call. In my defense, I had other things on my mind when I got here.”

  The man’s deep, throaty laugh helped her relax a little. “I’m sure you did, but I meant you hadn’t introduced me to this pretty woman snuggled up next to you.”

  She felt Luke’s chuckle against her side. “So
rry, Brycen, this is Maddison, my mate. Maddie, this is Brycen. He’s Stella’s mate. She probably drove him crazy all night, and again this morning worrying because I hadn’t reported in.”

  “Nice to meet you, Brycen,” she extended her hand across the table. His hand when he took hers was as warm as Luke’s. Another dragon.

  “It’s a pleasure to meet you, too, Maddie. There’s another storm front coming in, Luke. I’m heading back up the mountain. I suggest that if you plan on coming home today that you do so earlier rather than later,” he told him.

  “I will. Tell Stella that I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to worry her.” The sincerity in Luke’s voice made her smile. He really did care a lot about his family.

  “I’m going to the bakery for some of those cookies before I head back. Need anything?”

  “Hey, why don’t you let us get the cookies. It can be a peace offering when I get back. I’m trying to convince Maddie to come up to the estate for the holidays,” Luke told Brycen.

  “You really should, Maddie,” Brycen added. “Stella would love it. We all would.”

  She heard the heeled footsteps before the waitress reached their table and cringed. A plate was dropped in front of her, then another in front of Luke.

  “We’re out of eggs,” the snarly woman said. “Do you want some coffee?” she presumably asked Brycen.

  “No, I’m good. I was just leaving.”

  “Even better,” she said, and then plodded off to another table.

  “What the hell was that about?” he asked.

  “Dragon hater. Don’t worry. As soon as we eat our breakfast we’re heading out of here,” Luke assured. A long heavy silence followed.

  “You know what? I think I could use a coffee. In fact, yours looks damned good. Enjoy your orange juice,” Brycen said.

  Maddie heard the slide of a cup across the table.

  “It’s not great coffee anyway,” Luke said, his voice a little lighter than it had been.