by Amelia Jade
He kissed her, a much longer and more thorough affair than any that had come before. Andria loved the smoothness of his face, the lack of hair not irritating her sensitive skin. She could handle a beard, but the smoothness was just so nice.
The rest of his body called out for her to touch, and she moved on from his arms, first to his shoulders, feeling their broadness, and then down his sides, marveling at the taut muscles there. The rigid ripples of his abs flexed to help support him as he hovered on top of her, leaving enough distance between them that she could explore.
“Take off your shirt.”
Cowl pushed back onto his knees, the motion doing wonderful things to his muscles. The shirt flew off in a hurry, disappearing into the dark. Andria looked up at him, admiring the physique. Cowl was a good person, she liked his personality, and the fact that he had a body like a Greek god was a bonus she didn’t always feel she’d earned.
But there was no way in hell she was giving it back either.
“Now your pants.”
“Who’s in command here, you or me?” he teased, sliding off the bed and undressing until he was completely naked.
“I think I am,” she informed him, wrapping one hand around his thick, hard shaft, feeling it pulse and swell further as she touched it. “Do you care to argue the point?”
“No. No I think I’m good,” he muttered, looking down as she stroked him gently, feeling the smoothness of his skin and circling the outline of his head with one finger. “Really good.” His voice grew thicker the more she played with him.
Andria had planned on doing more, but the hunger inside of her rose up and doused any other ideas. She needed him inside her. Now. There was no more time to wait; her body was ready and aching for it.
Cowl was still standing, so she moved to the edge of the bed. With more than just a little trepidation she slid her pants off, revealing her uneven, and decidedly unsexy legs to him. For the longest time she avoided looking up at him, not wanting to watch his reaction, but even curiosity got the better of her.
He was biting his lips, the muscles on his chest and upper arms standing out even more as they flexed.
“May I touch you?” he asked eagerly.
“You want to?”
He nodded. “Yes. You’re a goddess, so beautiful. I want to explore every inch of you to the fullest, leaving nothing untouched, uncaressed, unpleasured.”
Andria reached out and took one of his hands, tentatively laying it on her shin, thanking her stars that she’d decided to shave that morning simply because it needed doing. She watched his face, noting the way his eyes were nearly glowing in the darkness. There was no denying that Cowl was aroused by her. She decided to stop asking how and simply go with it for now.
It proved a good choice as both his hands moved along the inside of her thighs, making her weak and lightheaded, filled with warmth. She tugged at his cock, pulling it closer until it was resting against the outside of her cotton underwear, already damp with her own wetness.
“You’re sure you want this?” Cowl asked, his voice deep but not menacing.
Andria smiled. She enjoyed how he grew more masculine as his arousal intensified. It was hot. “Yes. But…I’m staying like this.”
“Oh.” The disappointment was palpable, but she just wasn’t ready to bare it all to him. Not yet.
Andria pulled her underwear to the side. “But I still want you.”
“It’s not just the wine talking?”
“Cowl.” She reached up and hooked a finger under his jaw, pulling him down to her level. “I’m a grown adult. I know what one glass of wine can and can’t do to me. Plus, I wasn’t drinking one when you touched me before. I know what I want. I’m just not ready to be naked around anyone, that’s all. It doesn’t mean you don’t turn me on and make me crave that hard cock of yours inside me.”
The dirty talking seemed to do it. She felt him swell in her hand once more, and he nodded.
“Okay. I can’t deny that I want you as well. Can I…touch you?”
She smiled and grabbed his hand, placing it over her breast. “Is this what you meant?”
That might have been the wine talking. Andria wasn’t normally quite so aggressive. But his hands were so strong, so warm, she wasn’t going to stop him. Not now.
She bit her lip unconsciously as he gently parted her opening, entering her at long last. Andria still couldn’t quite believe she was doing this, but it felt so good, and strangely enough, with Cowl it felt…right. She felt okay. At ease. Relaxed.
There was something else she was feeling, and that was sheer ecstasy as Cowl slid deep within her, the wetness of her arousal allowing him to move easily. His cock was slick with her juices, and he didn’t pause long before he began to thrust. Every time he pushed back in she moaned, her brain close to shutting off as it was bombarded by the pleasure receptors between her legs.
When Cowl bit gently on her neck she lost control and immediately came all over his cock, coating it further. He held her tight as she writhed and thrashed from the unexpected climax. It was strong, but somehow she knew it was just a precursor of what was to follow.
Strong hands looped around her legs, and Andria gasped as he lifted her hips clear of the bed so that she was just resting on her shoulders. His eyes were literally glowing white now as he thrust harder, each stroke sending her breasts bouncing wildly. Andria grabbed at them through her shirt to hold them still, which seemed to only spur Cowl on even more.
He wasn’t going overly fast, but his cock was huge, and it filled her completely each time his hips slammed forward. A growl ripped from his throat, and Andria watched as his arms flexed, holding her pinned. The angle was rubbing him against something inside her, and she felt the pressure begin to grow. He was going to make her come again.
“So sexy.” His voice was gruff, yet passion-filled at the same time. The perfect combination of manly and lustful.
“You are too.” She eyed him up and down, making no effort to hide her leering. “I want you on top of me.”
Cowl acted immediately, picking her up by the waist and pulling her to him. One arm wrapped around her he eased himself up onto the bed, and then half-dropped half-threw her back into the comforter, immediately pinning her wrists at her sides. She shook her head, and he immediately released. “Maybe another time. But not now.”
He nodded. “I understand. I’m sorry.”
She grinned, grinding her hips up into him, capturing as much of his length as she could. “I know a way you can make it up to me.”
Cowl winked. “I think I can manage that.”
He settled his elbows on either side of her head, smothering her with his deliciously firm, muscle-covered bod. It was heavenly. Everywhere she touched was tight and hard under her fingers.
Her gasps came more frequently now, her fingers digging into his back as everything happened faster. She was close to the edge, and judging by the groans and tremors she was feeling in him, Cowl was too.
“Faster,” she commanded breathlessly, pulling on his hips. She needed it hard now.
Cowl obliged, the bed shaking and squeaking as they reached the end together. She pulled him in tight, her hands locking around his neck as he buried his face in hers, groaning loudly while she bit down on her upper arm, trying to keep her climactic cries from waking her roommate.
The world went dark and she struggled for breath, every muscle in her body locked down and overwhelmed by the pleasure erupting from between her legs. It spread to her core and her brain, extending down her limbs to the tips of her toes. Her nipples were rock-hard, the rubbing of the shirt sending tiny little aftershocks through her breasts as well with each ragged breath she drew.
Cowl slumped on top of her after a minute, utterly spent, and she lay there, unable to move. She’d never had sex quite like that. Nothing so intimate and erotic. Or passionate. Or…well, just nothing at all like it. None of the men on the short list who had slept with her had been so energetic or into
her. But Cowl…she believed him now when he said he thought she was sexy.
She had the hard proof of it still between her legs.
Wait…Hard?
“Already?” she gasped as he heaved himself up onto his arms, little thrusts of his hips reawakening her own desire.
“It’s your fault for being so damn attractive,” he muttered, nipping at her neck and ear, causing her to giggle. “But if you’re done we can be too.”
“Can we go slow this time? I want to be able to see your face. To kiss you.”
“We can do whatever you want,” he told her.
She swore his eyes were still glowing in the dark somehow, filled with a white light unlike anything she’d ever seen.
But then, Cowl was unlike any man she’d known before either.
Chapter Sixteen
Cowl
“We need to talk.”
Cowl had been intent on the eggs cooking in the pan, and the sudden voice and presence of someone behind him caused him to flail wildly, knocking the pan askew and nearly spilling the contents to the floor.
He recovered and turned to find Andria waiting for him, arms crossed. Like usual with her lately, he was confused. He thought that despite everything that had happened yesterday, they’d made a huge breakthrough. She’d opened her body to him.
In the dark, with almost all of her clothes still on, yes, but in the end they had made love for the first time. It was an intense, passionate thing that had only made him wish harder for the day they could be open and free with one another.
So why did she seem to want to have a “talk” now? What had he done wrong?
“Okay. I’m making eggs and toast. Are you hungry?”
The answering noise from her stomach revealed the truth of the matter. He finished cooking the eggs, ignoring the impatient tapping of her foot. For once they were going to do this his way, and on his terms. There was absolutely nothing wrong that he could think of, no reason for her to get as wound up as she was, and he was intent on neither of them being deprived of food when they talked. All that would do was lead to greater emotions, and that was the last thing either of them needed.
“Okay, what’s wrong?”
“Why do you think something’s wrong?”
He sighed. This was going to be rough. Andria was really wound up. “Okay. What do you want to talk about?”
“Us.”
Hoo boy. He changed his outlook from rough to very rough.
“What about us?”
“I need to know what’s going on between us.”
Cowl ate some more of his eggs and toast, enjoying them, not letting himself be rushed. “I told you, I don’t think you’re ready to know that yet.”
She blinked rapidly, looking around the room, frustrated with his cryptic answer. “Maybe. You might be right, but I think I need to know.”
“Why?” Cowl was intrigued now. She hadn’t pushed him the last time he’d brought it up, but now she wasn’t backing down so easily.
“Because. I have a plan, you know. I’ve had everything planned out for years now. I was going to go to school, study kinesiology. Get my Master’s. Then I was going to leave this town behind. For good. I wasn’t coming back.”
“So you’ve told me,” he said around more bites of food.
“I know. Because it’s the plan I wanted. The one I’ve worked so hard toward. It always has been. Even more so now.”
Cowl’s fork froze halfway to his mouth. Was she about to tell him? Is that what was going on? “Why now?”
But she ignored him. “I need to know if things are getting serious between us. I didn’t want it; it’s not what I intended.” She stopped, shaking her head. “I didn’t intend for anything to happen at all, but I guess it did, didn’t it?”
He was trying to figure out what to say in response to all of this sudden acknowledgment of the budding romance between them when Andria started speaking again, rushing on. Was she taking his silence negatively? Cowl hoped not. He was just caught completely unawares by the sudden opening up from Andria.
“Look, what’s important here is I need you to be up front with me. Tell me the truth. Where is this going? Should I be changing my plans, and—”
Cowl pressed a finger to her lips, cutting off whatever she was about to say. “Hold that thought.” He slid from his chair and moved around behind her.
“Now.” He dug his fingers into her shoulders, feeling the tension and tautness of the flesh. “Let me work.”
“Cowl…”
“I said hush. You’re wound up far too tight. You’re stressing.”
“Yes.”
“It will be okay. I promise.” He kept working, kneading the skin and rolling it under his thumbs as he worked out each individual knot to the best of his abilities. “Take some slow, deep breaths for me, and try to relax with each one.”
Andria did as she was told, and he felt some of the tension leave her body. He worked for another few minutes before speaking at last.
“Are you sure you want to know?”
This time there was a pause as she thought about the question, and what the answer might bring her way.
“Yes.” There was a quiet solidity to her answer, and for the first time since he’d met her, Cowl believed she might actually be ready.
What he was about to do would turn her world upside down, and quite possibly put up a barrier between them if she wasn’t ready and open to accept everything. Cowl hoped that wasn’t the case, but he preferred to be prepared.
He should probably tell his brothers what he was doing, but there was no time right now. Going with his gut instinct would have to do, and if for some reason they didn’t approve, he would just deal with that later. It wouldn’t be the first time he’d had to ask for forgiveness instead of acceptance.
“The truth is that I’m a dragon and you’re my mate.”
There. He’d said it. The truth was out.
Andria abruptly tried to rise from her chair. “I can’t believe you, Cowl. What the fuck is wrong with you?”
What? Where had he gone wrong? Cowl’s hands slid from her shoulders as he fought to gain control over himself. “I don’t understand.”
She whirled on him. “I come out here and tell you that we need to have a serious talk, and then you tell me that you’re a dragon.”
“I am a dragon. You are my mate,” he repeated stubbornly. Why was she getting so worked up?
Andria laughed. “You’re not being very funny, Cowl. What’s the real answer?”
He didn’t respond. What was there to say when your mate laughed in your face at the truth? It was a lot to take in, he understood that. But shouldn’t she be at least a little curious as to whether he was telling the truth or not?
The laughter died away. Andria stepped closer, peering into his face. “Are you serious?”
“I told you that you weren’t ready to hear it. Now you understand why.” He tried to keep some of the sadness out of his voice, but it was hard. Even expecting her to scoff and accuse him of lying, it still hurt to hear such biting sarcasm and disdain. She didn’t believe him. At all.
“Like. A dragon-dragon. Big wings, scales, breathes fire?”
“Ice, but otherwise yes, all of the above are correct.”
“Uh-huh.” She took a step backward.
Cowl’s eyes narrowed to slits. “I’m not crazy. Don’t give me that look.” He sighed. “Would you prefer the version where I say that I believe in knowing my life-partner at first sight? Would that work for you?”
“More than the one where you tell me you’re actually a mythical creature, sure.”
“Okay, go with that then.”
“A little hard, now that you’ve claimed to be some sort of dragon in disguise.”
“A shapeshifter, truthfully. But that doesn’t matter. You aren’t ready to deal with the fact that your world isn’t as crystal clear as you’d been led to believe. I understand that, which is why I was trying to shelter you fr
om this truth for as long as I could.” Cowl paced back and forth.
“Is this just your way of trying to ease the shock of saying you want to be with me forever?”
Cowl didn’t respond. He didn’t know how to respond. He wasn’t trying to ease any shock, he was just trying to speak the truth, but Andria didn’t want to hear it. She didn’t want to open herself up to the possibility that he wasn’t telling a lie. That dragons were real.
It confused him. Why wouldn’t someone want dragons to be real? Dragons were badass. Cowl didn’t care that he might be just a little biased. Being able to transform from a human to a huge creature that could fly? How cool was that? Apparently not as cool as he’d thought, since Andria didn’t show any interest.
Was it possible she wasn’t his mate? Cowl had always been led to believe that a dragon’s mate would have an easier time accepting the situation than random bystanders. Andria’s denial was…unexpected.
“Cowl…”
His attention snapped back to her.
“Is this serious? Yes or no.”
“Yes.”
“Okay.” She walked over to the kitchen counter, resting on it with both hands, her back turned to him. “I need some time to think that over.”
“Take as long as you wish. I will wait for you.”
“I know, you’ve made that clear. I need some space though, Cowl. Without you always at my side. Having you nearby makes it harder to think objectively, and that’s what I need to do right now.”
He shook his head. “It’s not safe out there right now.”
“I’m going to go to campus, Cowl. If I promise to stay there, and to stay in places where other people frequent, will you let me go? Alone?”
“You’re asking too much of me.”
She smiled. “If this is serious, Cowl, then you need to learn to trust me. To realize that I will be okay without you at my back every waking second. I can’t have that. I need to live my own life as well.”
Cowl’s entire body was straining against the idea, telling him not to let it happen. She would be in grave danger. Something would inevitably go wrong if he let her out of his sight. That’s just how the world worked.