by C. D. Gorri
On the contrary, Cora brazenly met his gaze. Sucking in a breath, she found herself empowered by knowing she had captured the attention of this powerful man. It was a complete and unexpected turn on.
Unable to remain still she moved in the water, a slow widening of her thighs, a subtle thrust of her chest. Yes, she thought as his eyes widened, following each movement. She wanted him to see her like this. Wanted his eyes on her and more.
Her tongue wet her suddenly dry lips and she swallowed hard. Her Lynx stood at attention, aware there was a larger predator in the area and that he was ready to pounce. The question was did she want him to?
Oh boy. Rei was in the bathroom. Her bathroom. Where she was presently lying naked in the tub. And yet, instead of screaming for him to get out, she wanted nothing more than to demand he join her in the warm scented water.
Yes, please. As if he read her mind, he stalked her across the space. Gold eyes flashing, he grabbed his shirt and flung it off over his head. His jeans seemed too complicated a task, he simply tore them from his long, hard body with the six-inch claws that suddenly sprouted from his fingertips. His impatience made her all the more eager for his touch.
This is stupid, Cora. It’s just your heat. Stop this now. Demand he leave.
She tried talking herself out of the insanity that had clearly claimed her mind and body, but she couldn’t speak. Her Lynx growled deep in her chest and she hissed a long slow sssss, as he stroked his thick cock from root to tip.
“Need help with that,” she said licking her lips.
“Like what you see, kitten?” His question was little more than a rumble and it sent sparks of awareness straight to her core.
“Yes,” she answered honestly. She saw no point in trying to disguise her need.
“Then tell me you want me.”
“I want you, Rei,” she responded stroking her hands over her breasts, down her belly to her slick heat. That seemed to get his attention and he strode forward once more.
“Es meus,” he growled the unfamiliar phrase and Cora’s sex clenched in response. Her body recognizing something in his softly growled phrase that her mind did not.
She sat up at the same time he reached for her, gripping the back of her neck and slamming his lips to hers. She expected wild and rough, braced for it even. But what she got was incredibly intense. His unyielding, singular focus was only for her, but it was tempered with such sweet gentle tenderness, she nearly cried.
Returning his kiss for all she was worth Cora opened for him. Their mouths met, crushing together, and she sucked on his tongue, swallowing it down greedily as he licked and nibbled her lips. They were both panting by the time he raised his head.
That delicious smoky taste slid into her mouth and burst along her taste buds as she continued to nibble his lips and swipe his tongue with hers. So good.
Golden eyes watched her as he lowered his body over hers, sliding into the tub that was made to hold at least two adult Shifters. Water sloshed over the side, but he didn’t seem to care. He pulled her firmly, yet gently to him, claiming her lips once again. His kiss a brand that was going to mark her forever, she just knew it.
Throwing caution to the wind, Cora pressed herself against him. Loving the sensation of his smooth, hard chest against her sensitized flesh. It wasn’t often she’d embraced her lusty side, and, in all honesty, she’d never felt so compelled to do so.
Mate, her Lynx pushed at her, but Cora shied away from the word. It was too complex an issue for right then. She just wanted to feel in the moment.
“Rei,” she moaned his name and claimed his lips. Lifting her head only when she felt him turn them around. His large body sat on the bottom of the massive tub and he tugged her atop him.
Setting her astride his large thighs, she gasped as he took one plump nipple into his mouth. She held him there, gripping him by his long, wet hair as he suckled her.
Cora had never felt anything like the warm, hard suction of his mouth on her breast. Unable to hold still she slid her slick sex across the hard bar of his arousal. He growled against her nipple, the vibration sending streaks of arousal straight through her body to where she wanted to feel him most.
She moved as if to take him inside of her, but his strong hands stilled the motion. Frustration nipped at her heels and she growled at him.
“Rei,” she moaned his name.
“Tell me you want me, kitten,” he said as he licked the valley between her breasts, up her neck to her chin and bottom lip.
She loved it, wanted more. Wanted him to lick and mark her everywhere with his kiss, his scent, his sex. Yes, please.
“I want you,” she whimpered, trying to follow him with her tongue, but he was too elusive.
He sucked her lip, then lowered his head to her neck, and ear. She felt his fangs across her clavicle and her pussy clenched on air, demanding to be filled. She’d never felt anything like this. It could truly be her heat, or it could just be her Lynx reacting to his unmistakable dominance. She didn’t know or care. Cora just knew she wanted him. Now.
“Tell me you need me,” he insisted, tormenting her slick folds with skillful hands.
He slid his thick digits back and forth over her swollen nub, parting her folds and dipping a curled finger into her heat. Tendrils of pleasure spiked through her from her core.
“I need you, Rei,” she agreed wantonly.
“Tell me you’re mine,” he growled his final demand and Cora’s Lynx answered with a roar of her own.
“I am yours, only yours,” she cried out, gripping his throbbing length in her hands and impaling herself on him.
“Please,” she pleaded with him to move, but he refused, holding her in place.
“Easy, I don’t want to hurt you, kitten,” he growled, forcing her to keep still and adjust to his incredible girth.
“You’re killing me, Rei, please.”
“First, I have a question.”
“Another one? Ask, dammit, then for fuck’s sake move!” She groaned in frustration, annoyed at the cocky glint in his eye.
“I will give you what you need, kitten, but it is the way of my kind. I need to know something first-”
“What do you need to know?”
“Can I have you, Cora Tesouro? Can I have you now?” His eyes glittered in the candlelight, his Dragon peeking at her through his thick lashes.
“Yes,” she answered his Beast first, squeezing her thighs around his.
“Yes,” she cried out again, this time to the man, “you can have me, Rei Dorado, any way you want me. Please, I am begging you, just do it now,” she pulled his hair tight and licked the seam of his mouth, forcing her tongue inside and moaning in pleasure as he took control and began to thrust his hips upwards.
“Oh gods!” She groaned. Nothing had ever felt so good in all her life.
Water splashed over the sides of the tub, soaking the rugs and both their clothes, but neither of them cared. What was a little flooding when oceans were welling up inside her at the feelings he’d invoked?
Pure bliss pulsed through her as she lifted herself and came back down on his hard length. Ripples of ecstasy reached out throughout her entire being.
“Feels so good,” she moaned into his mouth.
Every swipe of his tongue, every flex of his incredible body only served to increase her desire. She wanted everything he had to give. She wanted to drown in him.
“Cora,” he said her name as he pumped his hips, lifting her and squeezing her plump buttocks in his large hands.
Senses heightened; desperation clawed at her insides. Her heat had come. The mindless craze that coaxed Shifters into mating to ensure their species would endure. And yet.
Cora couldn’t blame what she was feeling on some sort of sexual frenzy. Yes, she wanted him, needed him desperately. But it was so much more than that.
Her heart thudded in her chest, stomach tightened, that little nub that held the key to so much pleasure brushed across his pubic bone with ev
ery movement. And through it all she felt him, right there with her.
Rei filled her mind and heart as he filled her body. Staking his claim assuredly as she staked hers. The bathtub groaned underneath them as the water emptied. One of them must have hit the drain. It didn’t matter. Not when their first orgasm began ripping through the two of them.
“Flaming balls!” He bellowed as she squeezed him between her thighs.
“Cora,” he groaned her name, increasing speed until she felt her walls tense and squeeze him as pleasure spiked through her blood.
“Yes,” she cried and reveled as his seed filled her womb. That primal part of her roaring in satisfaction that her lover, her mate, had bathed her in his scent.
“Es meus,” he growled softly nipping her ear between his teeth. She was boneless, too tired to move.
Her Dragon lover nuzzled her cheek, imprinting himself on her and she smiled slowly. His thick length was still buried inside of her, still hard, she realized with a shiver. Rei lifted them both out of the tub and carried her to the bedroom.
They tumbled together, a mix of limbs and wet skin, to the large bed. Still, he remained seated deep within her slick heat.
“You feel so good, kitten,” he swiveled his hips and sank even more into her tight sheath.
Cora moaned, desire spiking as he continued to grind against her in slow, soft movements. Swivel, swirl, swirl, swirl. He was long and thick, deeper now that he had the advantage, tipping her hips and hardening even more with every movement.
She felt her heart pounding in her chest, the rhythm thundering in her ears. Or was that his? He tensed, hovering over her with glittering eyes and his long, dark hair tousled about his wide shoulders. Cora trembled; her entire body wound tight like a cord that was about to snap.
“Es meus,” his rough voice spoke the phrase like a chant against her neck, scraping his fangs across her flesh once more.
Cora moaned deeply beneath the onslaught of sensation. Her raging need for him increased with every whisper of promised pleasure. It was like he was touching every single one of her nerve endings, creating a friction so rapturous she knew she was ruined for any other man.
“Oh, yes, more, Rei,” she was mindless with need as the slow steady pressure swelled to unfathomable heights.
“Hold on, kitten,” he whispered, seeming to know exactly what she needed, what she craved.
Instead of the long hard fucking she’d often found satisfying with her infrequent lovers, Rei wasn’t content to reach her with only his dick. That would have been far too simple a thing.
No. He touched and caressed every single inch of her with every single inch of him. No more, no less. He gave her everything, and greedy little thing that she was, she took. Oh gods, how she took.
“That’s it, sweet, open up for me, feel me here,” he moaned.
All she could manage was a gasp in response. His hands were everywhere. On her face, in her hair, covering her breasts, rolling her nipples, sliding over her swollen clit, reaching down her hips, to her ass, thighs and even her knees. His stomach tensed against hers, the muscles in his neck and arms bulging with the effort to go slow, to give her more.
It felt wonderful. So much more than good and yet it was the perfect word for it. Good. All that word embodied. Her mind could hardly comprehend it. He was giving her more pleasure than she’d ever experienced. Selflessly, tenderly. Intent on lifting her to incredible heights.
Rei lifted her legs. He wrapped them around his waist, sliding deeper into her slick, heated channel. And still he touched her. Skimming his long fingers along her calves and shins, to her ankles and around, down to the soles of her feet and, eventually, to each of her ten toes.
He literally stroked her from head to toe. And she loved it, like the feline she was. All the while, he continued to move inside her, building pleasure as he swirled his clever hips, caressing her walls with his incredible length.
The curve of his cock woke new and rousing sensations inside of her. She moaned and writhed with him, no longer boneless. She was an extension of him, riding the waves of pleasure he presented to her with care and pride and love.
Yes love, her Lynx screamed.
Cora had no time to think about what that meant. Her broken pants and groans rose in volume. Head thrown back, arched against his chest she marveled at his incredible endurance.
“Mine,” he growled and tipped her hips upward. The motion allowed his thick sex to find and stroke that special place inside her that no other man had ever touched.
“Come for me,” he used his teeth against her neck to hold her in place as she threatened to buck him off with her incredible strength.
She had no time to be embarrassed, only wondered at the steel in his embrace as he didn’t budge an inch. One more flex and swirl and Cora screamed wildly. Wave after wave of sensation hurled her right over the edge.
And with it, came a strange stabbing sort of pain on her shoulder. It lasted only a second, and she was so wrapped up in ecstasy that she didn’t question it.
A second later, Rei roared above her. She felt his entire body tense as he arched his back and thrust one final time. His cock throbbed deep within her as his seed coated her womb.
Cora gasped as a tidal wave of emotion slammed into her. Strange feelings and thoughts, his feelings and thoughts, streamed into her mind as though coming from some channel or stream that had been suddenly unlocked between them.
Mine. Mate. Beautiful. Need. Want. Protect. Es meus. Love. Love. LOVE. Ad infinitum.
CHAPTER 8
“What the fuck was that?” Cora sat up in bed nearly upending him. Her incredible Shifter strength was more than any other female he’d ever come across.
Grrr. My mate is strong and feisty, he grinned loving the feel of her soft skin against his flesh.
She was going to be a fine mother to their dragonlings. Dragonlings, his eyes went immediately to her abdomen and he blanched. She might already be carrying!
“What the fuck is what, my sweet kitten?”
“I’m not a kitten, Rei. And I swear to God, did you just mark me?”
His sexy little mate shrieked and jumped out of bed. Good. He didn’t like this room anyway. He wanted their master suite. Not this paltry guest bedroom for his beloved kitten!
“Cora, my love, let’s go to my room and discuss this there,” he began, but she was already pointing to the mark he’d left on her.
“You did! You actually bit me!”
“Yes,” he smiled at the scar his fangs had left on her shoulder and mourned the fact that she had yet to mark him.
He looked over her supple flesh for any sign that would bear his Golden rose and was disappointed to find it missing.
“Why are you upset? You know we are mates,” he began trying to placate his sweet kitten, while turning her around to inspect her back for any sign of his rose.
Hmm. The mating claim must have to be complete between both of them before it appears, he thought to himself.
“What are you doing?” She frowned and slapped his hands away.
“Ouch,” he growled. He did not like that at all.
“Sweet, tell me what is wrong?”
“Just leave, please.”
“No-”
“Rei,” she pleaded, taking the wind right out of his sails, “Just give me some time in my room alone. Leave me to think about this.”
“Kitten, I mean, Cora,” he said when her eyes narrowed at him for using the pet name.
She must only like to be called “kitten” during intimate times, he mused. Duly noted.
“Cora, love, I did ask you if I could have you,” he began.
“I thought you meant right then not always for Pete’s sake!”
“I did mean right then and always. We are fated mates. Is there someone else?” He felt his Dragon push forward.
“No!” She denied it immediately, calming his beast.
“No. There is no one else, but please stop saying we�
�re mates-” She turned around holding her head in her hands.
“But we are!”
“Shh!”
Okay. Now he was truly confused.
“Cora, I think we should talk-”
“Out,” she barely whispered the word.
“What?”
“OUT!” She screamed and Rei took a step back. Her gorgeous ocean eyes glimmered up at him with unshed tears and he felt well and truly fucked for the first time since he’d awakened.
“Listen to me,” he began with one hand to stave off her harsh reply, “I do not know what is going on right now. I admit things have changed since I was last up and about, but one thing I do know, Cora Tesouro, you are my mate. That is a fact.”
“You only think that because you haven’t been anywhere yet or seen anyone else-”
“That is not true, and you know it. I know you feel this too, why are you trying to deny us?”
“Rei, I just met you. From your file, I know you’ve been here on this mountain since you woke up after decades of sleeping it off! You’re just lonely-”
“That part is curious, I grant you that. I have never jumped through time like that before. It is all very strange. I woke to find my castle in ruin and almost all of my holdings gone, but Cora, there is one thing I do know. One thing I am completely clear about. You are my mate. You are the most important thing in the entire world to me.”
“Wait,” she said, “Hush about the mate stuff for a second. What do you mean? The accounts you have with us are more than stable, Rei. What other holdings?”
“I confess, I have not had a chance to look at them yet. After I contacted your offices it took them a few months to gather my information and when I had trouble reading the files, they said they would send you. Naturally, I didn’t have all my monies with one bank. Unfortunately, the local depositories had been wiped out and a large bit of my ready treasure had been taken.”
“Taken? Don’t you have locks or wards or something around your treasure?”
“Yes,” he said, curious about where she was going with this, “But I suspect the person who did the robbery was close to either me or one of my servants at the time. But the truth is, I do not care about any of it Cora, I just want to know what I need to do to convince you I am sincere. You are my mate.”