by Lucy Lyons
“Good,” he grinned. He stood and offered his hand to hers. “I suppose we should get to my castle.”
“Castle,” she snorted. “A dragon and a castle. Can we be any more cliché?”
“Nope. Especially when the dragon has a damsel in distress.”
She hit his arm playfully. “I’m no damsel. And my only distress is that I’ll never remove the grass stains out of this skirt and I’m going to be walking funny for a couple days.”
He raised his eyebrows. “Are you?”
“And don’t be proud of yourself for that either.”
“Okay,” he smiled. “I’ll keep my gloating to myself.”
“You damn well better.”
“Well, let’s get going.”
“Wait. You can’t walk to the castle like that.”
“What am I supposed to do?”
“Here,” she said. And she reached under her skirt and pulled out a silky sheath and held it up to him.
“What is this?”
“My slip. My mom is an old-fashioned gal. Insisted that I wear a slip. It’s a habit now. Thank goodness my mother had a couple. At least it will cover the essentials.”
Ryan took the garment with doubt in his eyes but stepped into it. Steph helped to settle it on his hips. It was a tight fit and the sheer silk left nothing to the imagination. He looked down at himself.
“This is ridiculous.”
“They wear kilts here in Scotland. Call it a French kilt and leave it at that.”
“A French kilt? Is there even such a thing?”
“Nope. But wear it with pride and people won’t question you.”
“I don’t know how much pride or dignity I can have wearing what amounts to a silk skirt.”
“You’re a tough dragon. You can take it.”
Steph picked up her stilettos that slipped from her feet during their lovemaking and they walked to the castle. Actually, it was a stout turret with a large building built at behind it. The slip had a curious effect and rubbed his cock sensuously as he walked arousing him again.
“Gee. Put that thing away,” complained Steph.
“Can I help it if my cock likes silk?
“Here,” she said pulling off her sweater. “Hold this in front of you.”
“How about if I wear it?”
“Your shoulders are too broad. It won’t fit.”
“What about this?” He draped it over his hip and knotted it the side. “See? French kilt.”
“Your fashion sense needs work.”
“Hey, I’m only working with what I got.”
“You got a lot to work with,” she said with a sly smile.
“Thanks,” said Ryan.
“Just don’t go gloating about that either.”
“Nice to know you don’t have any complaints.”
“Except for that walking funny thing.”
“You seem to be walking just fine. In fact-” Ryan made a show of checking out her backside, “you are walking mighty fine.”
They stepped through an arch that was part of a wall surrounding the turret. They entered into a paved courtyard. The curved outer wall merged with the front of the house on either side. There was a large double door in the middle of the facade of the building and two large picture windows on either side.
“Ouch,” said Steph as she stepped on a rock.
“Can’t have that,” said Ryan and he lifted her into his arms.
“Now wait. I can put my shoes on.”
“Nope, we are right here.” Ryan took a few long strides and deposited Steph on the lowest of the stone steps that led to wide double door. He took the rest of the steps and rang the doorbell.
They waited for long minutes until the sound of lock was heard in the door. It opened to reveal a short and portly, balding man.
“Mr. Kaur,” said the shocked man in a snooty English accent.
“Simmons. Good to see you. And this is my fiancé, Stephanie Brooks.”
“Ms. Brooks,” said the man neutrally. “Pleasure to meet you.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you too,” said Steph as she put her shoes on her feet.
“Have you had some trouble, sir?”
“Why?” said Ryan.
“Your clothes.”
“Oh. That. French kilt. Lost my shirt when I took it off to get some sun.”
Simmons gave him an incredulous look.
“At night, sir?”
Ryan looked up at the starry sky. “Well, at least I won’t get a sunburn.”
“And where is your car, sir? Did it break down?”
“No. We took an Uber. We asked the driver to let us off down the road so we could stretch our legs. Long flight.”
“Yes,” affirmed Steph, “long flight.”
“An Uber in this part of Scotland?” asked Simmons with doubt on his face.
“Simmons, are you in the habit of questioning your employer?”
“No, sir. It’s just that we had no word.”
“Then let us in, get the maids to draw us a bath in the large tub, and get us some food. I’m famished. What about you, Steph?”
“I could eat.”
“There, the lady is hungry, too. Are my and my mother’s rooms ready?”
“As always, sir.”
“Good. Steph, darling.” He held out his hand she took it. They stepped into an atrium where the walls were paneled wood. Ryan led her up a staircase of polished wood and down a hall to the second floor. When they got out of earshot of the majordomo she punched his arm.
“Hey,” he protested.
She glared at him. “When did I become your fiancé?”
“Um,” said Ryan. He wasn’t thinking when he said it but it sounded like a good idea.
“Um is not an answer.”
“You don’t want to be my fiancé?”
“I didn’t say that. But a girl likes to be asked.”
“Does she now?”
She grunted in frustration. “What am I going to do with you, Ryan Kaur?”
He knelt on one knee and looked up into her eyes. “Steph Brooks, will you take a bath with me?”
She smacked him in the arm.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Steph
Steph thought she could get used to taking luxurious hot baths in large stone tubs. And most definitely she could get used to having the sexiest man on the planet between her legs showing how long he could hold his breath while tonguing her clit. She bucked her hips forward and his tongue slipped inside her. She panted because they had been doing this for the past fifteen minutes, with Ryan breaking for air every couple of minutes. The tease, release, tease, release was driving her insane.
Despite the fact she sat immersed in water sweat beaded on her forehead. Ryan broke the water again, and shook his head splashing water droplets on her. He rose and sucked the tip of her nipple causing a shock of electricity to surge through her.
“Ryan,” she whimpered. “Please.”
“Please?” he said with a smirk. “I thought I was pleasing you.”
She splashed water at him.
“You know what I mean,” she said.
Ryan lifted her up with his strong arms and she shrieked. He lowered her to his lap and rubbed the underside of his straining shaft between her pussy lips.
“You are a wicked, wicked man,” she rasped. What he was doing felt good but she wanted more.
He pulled her closer and nibbled on and behind her ear. “Baby,” he whispered. “Big bad lawyer. I thought you take what you want.”
“No, actually. We are taught to negotiate first, and then go for the jugular.”
“Mmm, well we can negotiate,” he said seductively.
“On what?”
“Let’s say you marry me and I’ll fuck you now.”
“Fuck me?” she said incredulously.
“You prefer ‘making love?’”
“On second thought, I’ll go straight to taking what I want.” Before he could stop her; she
gripped his cock, rose up and put it at her entrance. She let the head go in, then backed off.
“Oh fuck,” he said dropping his head to the lip of the head. “You’re killing me.”
“You’re a dragon and immortal, so I highly doubt that.”
She held him to the petals of her entrance and dropped on his shaft slowly, inch by inch.”
“You are a tease,” he complained.
“Uh huh,” she said rocking sliding up his cock and down again.
“You feel so good,” he rasped. “Fuck. Stop teasing.”
“And start pleasing?” she said.
“Yes,” he rasped.
She loved having him inside her. He filled every inch and touch places that shivered pure pleasure through her. Steph started a rocking motion that elicited groans from Ryan. The throaty sounds he made sent shivers down her spine. He gripped her ass cheeks and urged her to move faster.
“Greedy,” she teased.
“Yes,” he said. “I want all of you all the time.”
She placed her knees on either side of his. “Then get ready, mister.”
She stared deeply into his eyes and lowered herself on his shaft. Steph sighed as he filled her. She lifted herself delighting in the sensation of his cock searing her with his passion.
Damn, woman. Ryan’s words rang inside her head and his rising excitement merged with her own. All he knew and experienced he shared with her in one explosion of thought. It was too much to process at once but she felt all he felt. Steph saw how beautiful she appeared to Ryan, how his breath caught when looked at her, his abject terror of losing her. There was no doubt in her mind how much he loved her despite the short time they were together. His dragon’s heart knew from the first moment he saw her that she was his mate forever and always.
She picked up the pace and the intensity of her strokes and they rose on a shared every nerve ending laid open to jolts of sizzling energy. Together they climbed, their breathing ragged, and broke apart in white heat.
She fell against him and they sat like that in the cooling water as they come down from their lovemaking.
“That was amazing,” Ryan said stroking her red hair. “Now let me ask you a serious question.”
“What’s that?”
An urgent rap on the bathroom door interrupted him before he could ask what was on his mind.
“Sir, I think you should come out here,” said Simmons through the door. His voice was muffled and Steph could barely make out what he said.
“We’ll be a few minutes,” called Ryan.
“Sir, this is important.”
Ryan sighed. “We just can get a few minutes alone, can we?” he murmured into Steph’s ear.
“I’ll stay right here,” she said lazily.
“Mr. Ryan, sir,” said Simmons more urgently after a few more raps on the door.
Ryan stood with water dripping from his lean body and grabbed a towel.
“Just a minute.”
“He sounds upset,” said Steph standing after Ryan. The majordomo’s voice was not calm unlike the first-time Steph saw him and this made Steph take notice. Warning bells trained into her a Marine went off. She rubbed herself furiously with a towel and then put on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt that Ryan brought her before he got into the bathtub. She drew on the hoodie and canvas mules grateful that Ryan’s mother was the same size as her.
Ryan finished dressing the same time she did, and he opened the door. Simmons stood outside his face pale.
“Sir. There are some gentlemen to see you.”
“What gentlemen?” questioned Ryan.
“They didn’t say sir. They wait in the atrium.”
Ryan and Steph walked the hallway and then halfway down the stairs when they spotted two men. Ryan froze in his tracks.
They’re dragons.
How do you know?
I smell them.
What do we do?
Run. Up the stairs now! There is a ladder in the hallway that leads to the roof. Get to the roof and I’ll meet you there.
But what about you?
I’ll meet you there, he said firmly in her mind.
But-
No buts. I know you are an ass-kicking woman but you can’t go up against a single dragon, let alone two.
Hurry then.
I will.
With trepidation clenching her stomach, Steph retraced her steps. At the top of the stairwell she leaned over the railing and looked at Ryan, arms crossed and sensed that he was holding them off with talk to give her time to get to the roof.
She ran along the corridor and found the wooden ladder attached to the wall. Steph climbed.
“Miss?” said Simmons from under her. “Where are you going?”
“Get some air,” she said put one hand over the other to make the top. Once there she encountered a recessed handle.
“Pull it and it will open,” said Simmons. “But I don’t understand why-”
“Thanks. You’ve been a big help. Will you see to Mr. Kaur? He might need you.”
The ceiling panel swung open with a pop and Steph pushed herself onto the ceiling. She scanned the sky with her hand shading her eyes, her doing a pitter patter in her chest as she waited for Ryan. She hated not being in the thick of the action, but he was right. As much as she hated to admit, Ryan was better equipped to handle the dragons that she was.
A frightening roar filled the air, and Ryan as a blue dragon dove and grabbed her by the claws. Turning her head, she saw a red and green dragon rushing toward them.
Take a deep breath.
Steph gulped a deep breath of air and Ryan dove. Cold prickled her skin and her heart hammered in her chest.
When air rushed around her body again, she breathed. It was night again, though the air wasn’t quite as cold as Scotland. Ryan settled on a broad lawn and Steph saw he returned to his home in Connecticut. He shifted and Steph felt the strange curl of dragon magic around her as he became human again.
“Right back where we started,” she said.
He set her on her feet.
“It was the only place I could think of. Apparently I need a mental picture of a place to get there.”
“And in the same state of dress I see,” said Steph looking at his naked body.
“Well, you have nothing for a French kilt here. Unless you give me your hoody.”
“We have to figure out something about clothes for you. If you keep shredding them every time you change—”
Ryan took her hand and started the walk back to the house.
“At the dragon’s palace people wore robes. I understand why now.”
“Wait. Dragon’s palace?”
“Yeah, that’s where Calvin took me after we left you at the hospital.”
“Where is that?”
“I don’t know. But I met the queen of the dragons. She’s the one behind adopting out dragons to rich families.”
“It makes sense dragons were behind that. I didn’t think there was one dragon who directed it, though.”
“Yeah, she’s one scary dragon. She’s the reason I left abruptly.” Ryan fell silent then and a pensive look came over his face and Steph didn’t like the silence. She punched his arm playfully.
“Well robes don’t work unless you want to join a monastery.”
“No, I definitely don’t want to join a monastery,” he said with a wicked smile. “I hear they don’t allow women.”
“Can’t live without women?” Steph asked coyly.
“Can’t live without you.”
“That’s sweet, but that doesn’t solve your fashion problem.”
“I should have landed in the pool and I could have said I was skinny dipping.”
“Well, there is one thing that is true about you. Life with you is not boring.
“I pride myself on my “not-boringness.”
They walked into the security lights by the pool and Ryan ducked into the cabana by it for a couple minutes. He walked out a pair of shorts
and a tee-shirt.
“How’s that?”
“Not as exciting as you naked but it will do.”
Ryan pulled Steph into his arms and kissed with a passion that made her head spin.
“Let’s go upstairs to my room.”
“Aren’t you hungry?”
“Only for you.”
“Well, maybe you can live on love alone, but I’m famished.”
“Okay, we’ll make a trip to the kitchen first. Then I’ll ravish you.”
“Incorrigible,” she said as Ryan drew open the patio door and they stepped in. Immediately lights in the study switched on. His father sat at his desk with a drawn and pinched expression on his face and several police officers stood by the double door.
“Son,” said Mr. Kaur. “I’m sorry. These men are here to arrest you.”
“What are the charges,” said Steph. “I’m his lawyer.”
“Evading responsibility, assault, and kidnapping,” said one officer who stepped forward.
“They have a warrant,” said Mr. Kaur. “Ryan, you have to go with them.”
CHAPTER TWENTY
Ryan
Ryan huffed as the police officer ordered him to put his hands on his father’s desk, while the cop patted his body searching for weapons.
“You should have seen me five minutes ago. You wouldn’t have needed to pat me down.”
“Ryan,” his father said in a warning voice, “don’t say a word.”
“He’s right,” said Steph. Alarm sounded in her voice. “You don’t want additional charges brought for resisting.”
“You have the right to remain silent…” The officer went through his spiel.
“Do you understand these rights?”
“Yes.”
“Then this way, sir.”
“Where are you taking him?” said Mr. Kaur.
“You can check the docket for his arraignment.”
“But I’d like to arrange bail.”
“For these charges, there is no bail.”
“He’s right,” said Steph. “In this state for felonies there is no bail before arraignment.”
“We’ll see you in court tomorrow, son.”
“And we’ll bring a decent change of clothes,” added Steph.
“You might want to bring several,” said Ryan with a wink.
“Come on, Kaur. I don’t want to be at the station all night doing paperwork.”