Holland wanted to do just that with Ezra. “Hey.”
“How do you like your blind date?” asked Sammy with a wide smile. She looked at Bhaltair and stepped back a bit. “I didn’t think I’d ever meet someone paler than me.”
Bhaltair winked and then disappeared into the sea of dancers, leaving Holland standing in Ezra’s embrace as her best friend grinned from ear-to-ear.
“What?” demanded Holland.
“You’re letting a guy hold you,” returned Sammy. “Cool. And just so you know, your surprise wasn’t really this stud. It was some jack-hole Louise picked out for you. He’s a social media darling and comes from money. Total butt-munch.”
Holland pressed against Ezra. “You got me a guy as my birthday surprise?”
Sammy sighed and leaned in, raising her voice over the music. “Babes, your surprise was going to be finding you a super-hot guy to lose your virginity to.”
Holland yelped and then covered Sammy’s mouth a little too late in the game. She hoped Ezra hadn’t overheard her friend.
Sammy pulled her hand down, looked at Ezra, and then back to Holland. “I think this one is way better looking. He’ll know how to rock your world. Why don’t you go give the birthday girl a night she’ll never forget?”
“With pleasure,” said Ezra, taking Holland’s hand and moving her through the crowd once more.
Stunned, she followed. They walked down a hall that was basically body-to-body. Finally, they came to a door. Ezra pulled something from his back pocket and swiped it. A green light lit, and he opened the door. Once inside, he shut the door, and the first thing she noticed was that the noise level in the room was significantly less than in the club. The next thing she noticed was that they were now totally alone.
He walked over to a wet bar near an oversized secretary desk, and set about making a drink in the dimly lit room. Holland wasn’t sure how he could see what he was doing clearly. “Want one?”
Holland shook her head. “I’ve had more than enough today.”
He slammed the contents of the glass, his green gaze never leaving her as he did. The way he held the glass and the way his lips slid over it made her belly feel like butterflies were fluttering about inside.
Good gods, the man just made drinking whiskey erotic.
It was then she realized she was in over her head with him, and way out of her experience league. She reached behind her, still facing Ezra, but touched the door.
He set the glass down and closed his eyes a moment. “Holland, if you’re scared, we’ll go back out into the club. I didn’t bring you back here to freak you out.”
“What did you bring me back here for?” she asked, stepping forward, closer to him. She wasn’t afraid of him. She was scared of her reaction to him.
He poured himself another drink. “Honestly?”
She nodded.
“To fuck you.”
“Oh. Right. Yes. That makes sense. Do you fuck a lot of girls back here?” she asked, wanting the words back. Now was not the time for questions. And she didn’t want to hear about his conquests.
Ezra snorted. “Uh, no. None. You’d be the first.”
She took a few more steps in his direction, further closing the gap between them. There was a large leather sofa in the room full of high-end furnishings. There were three other doors along the opposite wall. She wondered where they led, but didn’t ask.
Ezra was suddenly before her. He touched her chin lightly, lifting her face. “Holland, I know you’re still a virgin.”
He’d heard Sammy.
She blushed as heat crept up her neck and over her face.
“No being embarrassed,” he said softly, lowering his lips closer to hers. He teased her by keeping them just out of reach. “I honestly don’t think I could handle knowing you’ve been with someone else. I can’t really explain it to you, but trust me when I say, I’d have been forced to hunt the bastard down and gut him.”
She believed him.
“I want you more than I’ve wanted anything in a very long time, but I’m not going to make your first time being with a man happen in the back room of a nightclub, with a man you only just met.” He walked away, leaving her standing there as he went to the other side of the room.
She wasn’t sure how it was possible, but she liked him even more now. She took a deep breath—and then went for the zipper on her dress.
He froze. She undid the zipper and let the top portion of her dress fall somewhat, leaving the mounds of her breasts showing. Her nipples were only barely covered, as she was braless.
The muscles in Ezra’s neck worked, and he stayed rooted in place. “W-what are you doing?”
Holland found her nerve and spoke. “I’m taking full advantage of my birthday surprise.”
“But you’re—”
She let the dress fall more, fully exposing her breasts to him. All protests were lost as he stormed across the room at her like a charging bull. The move excited her, and she let the dress fall all the way to the floor.
Ezra snarled as he yanked her to him, his mouth instantly devouring hers. His hands found her breasts and he squeezed them, his forefingers and thumbs going right for her erect nipples. He artfully tweaked them, making cream flood her panties. There was no way she could handle a man like him, but she didn’t care. She wanted him.
She yanked at his shirt, pulling it up and over his head. His chest was even better than she’d imagined. Thin, shiny lines crisscrossed it, and it took her a minute to realize what they were—scars. How had he gotten them? Why did he have so many?
He returned to kissing her and then surprised her by lifting her with ease and walking her in the direction of the sofa. He set her gently on it and then bent, slinking down, going to his knees on the floor before her. He took hold of the top of her panties and slid them off.
Holland was left totally naked, sitting on a sofa, while Ezra was only minus a shirt before her on his knees. She felt exposed and liberated all at once. Boldly, she opened her legs wide, earning her a wicked smile from Ezra.
“You’re fucking gorgeous, woman. I want in you so bad that my dick is about to burst.”
His words were crass, but she liked them. They turned her on more. “Then do it. Get in me. Now.”
He chuckled low and deep. “I want to, but there isn’t any way you can take what I have to offer without me getting you ready first.”
He leaned in and captured one of her nipples with his mouth. He sucked on it, rolling his tongue around it, drawing tiny gasps of delight from her. His hands skimmed up her thighs and then under her backside. She squeaked as he grabbed her butt, lifted her slightly, and moved her backside forward, to the edge of the sofa. He then bent more before her and stunned her by pushing his face right between her legs.
The second his tongue connected with her clit, Holland tossed her head back. “Ohmygod!”
Pleasure built quickly with each swipe of his tongue. His long beard rubbed against her too, adding more friction. She cried out, her hands going into his hair as she held his head to her pussy, wanting more of what he was giving her. His green gaze found her and she stared down at him, feeling sexy and free.
Ezra touched her wet core, his gaze never leaving hers as he pressed a finger into her, breaking through her thin virginal barrier. There was a quick pop of pain, but it faded away, and he flicked his tongue over her clit. He pushed his finger into her deeper and Holland shut off, closing her eyes, enjoying the feel of it all. There was more pressure, and she realized he’d added another finger, her body giving slowly to the extra digit.
Her lower region was liquid fire, and she wasn’t sure how she’d be able to possibly stand anything else. Ezra began to thrust his fingers in and out of her rapidly, his mouth on her clit as he varied licks and sucks. Pressure built inside her, and for a split second, she feared it was her darkness. As her body shattered into a million pieces, she realized what it was—an orgasm.
And it was fucking awesome.
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As it continued to crash over her, making her body jerk, Ezra withdrew his fingers, stood, slipped off his boots and his jeans, leaving him there naked before her. His long, thick cock jutted out from a thatch of well-maintained dark hair. She was no expert, but at first glance she guessed what he was packing was eleven inches of hot man meat.
Holland reached for him, wanting to touch him, but he grabbed her, lifted and stunned her by suddenly having her up against the wall of the office. Her legs wrapped around his waist and his cockhead pushed at her wet entrance. She tried to move down and impale herself on him, but his powerful body kept her locked in place.
His breathing was harsh, and he strained. At first, she thought she might weigh too much for him to support, but then she realized he was fighting for control.
An inborn knowledge came over her, as did the urge to speak. “Ezra, please don’t fight it.”
“I could hurt you,” he whispered. “It’s been so long for me.”
“Please.”
He pressed the head of his cock into her gently, barely feeding any in. Everything on him looked to be straining, and it tugged at her heartstrings. “Holland.”
She kissed him, thrusting her tongue into his mouth and showing him just how much she wanted him.
He plunged into her, impaling and driving himself deep within her. She cried out in his mouth and somehow managed to adjust to the size of him. It took a bit, but then pleasure began to build with each movement he made. His low abdomen rubbed against her sensitive mound, making her gasp into his mouth.
He broke their kiss and sandwiched her against the wall, pressing his body to hers firmly, his lips finding her ear. “You feel divine.”
She smiled and tilted her head. The urge to give him her neck was great, but she couldn’t figure out why. “So do you.”
Ezra pounded into her, his cock like a piston. He jerked and then froze, his body straining once more.
Holland was on the cusp of another orgasm. She whimpered, her fingers digging into his upper arms. “Don’t stop. Please. Don’t stop.”
He turned his head away from her and suddenly, the flesh where her fingers were digging into him felt different. Somehow harder than it had been before. Like armor. She was pinned to the wall by his body and couldn’t get a better look at what she was feeling. And it didn’t make any sense.
Ezra kept his head turned from her. “No. No. No.”
No?
“Ezra?” she asked, running her hands up his shoulders and to his neck. She tried to get him to look at her, but he wouldn’t. Holland moved on his cock, wanting the pleasure to keep going. As she swiveled her hips, Ezra lost it, shoving deep into her, giving her what she wanted from him. He kept going like a machine, ramming into her. The back of her head hit the wall over and over, but she didn’t care.
All that mattered was him and the fact he was inside her.
Her body burst and white-hot gratification radiated through her, causing even more cream to let loose. Ezra slid home, his body jerking a second before he yanked his cock free from her and came in scalding waves all over her inner thighs, still refusing to look at her.
As the pleasure ebbed away slowly, Holland became more alert, more aware of what had happened. His refusal to look at her during the end of their lovemaking stung.
She pressed on his hard chest that still felt like armor, but that she couldn’t see very well in the dimly lit corner of the room. “Off.”
He still refused to look at her.
“Wow, asshole. Thanks for the fuck. I think we’re done here.” She tried to move, but he didn’t let her. “Ezra, put me down. You can’t even face me. You clearly didn’t want this.”
A choked sob came from him. “I want this.”
His voice was incredibly deep now.
Alarmingly so.
“Ezra?”
“I want to fuck you until I know you carry my child. I want to fuck you until you know you’re mine,” he said, his face still turned away.
“What?”
“Mine.” His cock hardened once more, pressing against her soaked pussy.
He thrust into her and pounded, going at her like a depraved man. She clung to him, taking all of what he was giving, knowing deep down that he needed this. That he needed full control. She surrendered to him.
He turned his head somewhat—enough to put his lips to her ear, but not enough for her to see his face. “Tell me that you’re mine. Say it.”
She wasn’t about to say anything of the sort. Or so she thought. The minute she opened her mouth, a protest was not what came out. “Yes. I’m yours.”
What?
Had she lost her damn mind?
He pummeled her harder and desire poured through her. The harder he fucked her, the more acutely aware of his body she became. Her darkness awoke, and Holland cried out, terrified it would hurt Ezra. She shook her head, trying to stop what was happening between them, but she couldn’t find the words, and deep down, she didn’t want it to end.
She wanted him to brand her. To forever make her his. She wanted his seed, his children, him for eternity.
Forever make me his? Babies? What the hell?
Her darkness went wild, seeming to love the idea of everything as well.
That did it. That caused her alarm. She shook her head and another orgasm struck, this one more intense than the previous two. Her entire body contorted with the effects of it, her pussy squeezing his cock.
“I’m not ready,” she managed, the words scarcely above a whisper. “Please, Ezra, you’ve had forever. I’ve only had twenty-one years. I’m not ready to be a wife yet.” While the words had come from her, they made no sense.
But they apparently meant something to him.
He cried out, struck the wall behind her, yanked free from her and exploded again, this time partially on her legs and partially on the floor. He jerked back, and the movement left her nearly falling on her ass. She reacted quickly and stood, the absence of his cock inside her noted at once.
He didn’t look at her as he spun and moved at a speed that stunned her toward one of the three doors on the other side of the room. He left without clothing on—and without so much as glancing at her or saying a word.
Stunned, Holland stood there for what felt like forever, thinking at first that maybe that was a bathroom. When he didn’t emerge, she walked over to her discarded dress and lifted it with shaky hands, her body still tingling from the events that had transpired.
“Ezra?”
Holland eased her dress on, her breasts seeming much larger than they had before. It took some work, but she managed to get the dress zipped—barely. She went to the door he’d gone through and knocked. “Ezra? Are you okay?”
Nothing.
She tried the handle and it opened. But it didn’t reveal a bathroom. No. It opened to a darkened alley. The smells of garbage were strong, and she was pretty sure she heard rats. Still, she took a partial step out, holding the door open with one hand. “E-Ezra?”
He was nowhere to be seen.
The reality that she’d just been fucked hard by a guy she didn’t know, who couldn’t even look at her before he ran out on her, struck hard. Holland’s lower lip trembled, and she burst into tears—something she hadn’t done in years.
Chapter Four
Four Years Later, Present Day…
Ezra’s lip curled at the smell of the slop being pushed through the cargo container door on a rusty tray, the sound of metal scraping against the concrete floor bothering his sensitive hearing. The ship he surmised he was on listed to one side slightly. The smallest bits of moonlight came through the open door, blocked partially by the guard kicking the tray in his direction. Smart man. If he dared to draw closer, Ezra would find a way to kill him.
He’d managed to kill four others so far during his time being held captive. He’d be happy to make this guy number five. The guard glanced at him with fear in his eyes and then slammed the door, bolting it from the outs
ide. Ezra could hear the man scurrying away. He could also pick up on the man’s rapid pulse, and the stench of the man’s sweat. Even chained, Ezra was able to scare the hell out of the guy.
Good.
Ezra caught another whiff of the rotten food and closed his eyes, trying to will away the need to be sick. Mostly because he didn’t have much in his stomach to bother throwing up. He’d been granted fresh water, in small measure, earlier in the day, and a guard he trusted had managed to sneak him a piece of stale bread.
It was something, at least.
The rotting meat stench managed to be stronger than the smell of salty air, fish, and body odor—most of which was probably his own, as he’d been denied a shower since his capture. The sound of waves lapping rushed over him, helping to pull his attention to the ocean rather than the slop. Condensation dripped just out of reach in the corner of the shipping container he was being held in. The small puddle of water was brown from rust. With as thirsty as he was, Ezra would have more than likely broken down and drank the water, unconcerned with its quality. It was cleaner than what they tried to give him most of the time.
He listened for any sounds of birds, an indication that they were nearing land, but heard none. The cargo container he was in was reinforced for a supernatural. Made to hold his kind—shifters.
He’d woken to find himself shackled in it, after first being on the back of a truck, and then loaded onto a freighter. He’d been heavily drugged at the start, making his senses dull and his mind slow to process the sounds and smells around him. When he’d realized he was on a ship, he hadn’t needed to be told more. Felix—the man holding him—liked to box up his merchandise and ship it off to the highest bidder, or even trade with other auction houses.
Ezra was now merchandise.
A product to be bought and sold.
He’d lost track of the exact number of days or weeks he’d been at sea, but knew the number was growing to the point he was more than likely headed to either Africa or the Middle East. Neither would end well for him.
What else is new?
Whatever mystery meat was on the tray had gone bad days prior, maybe even longer. The meat wiggled and pulsed, a sign it was home to the future generation of flies that would fill the container. As if there were not enough already buzzing about as it was, biting him and trying to infest his wounds. It didn’t surprise him that this was what he was offered as sustenance. What did shock him was the fact his captors were even bothering to feed him at all.
The Dragon Shifter’s Duty Page 5