by J. K Harper
Tightening his hold on her hips, Kai ran his tongue down into the heavenly crease between her legs where she kept her sweetest treasure.
* * *
Gabi bucked and pulsed beneath his tongue, a cry ripping from her mouth at the divine sensations shooting out from where he nestled his dark head between her legs. Spinning tidal waves of feeling roared through her, swirling and churning right at the point where his tongue stroked her nub, lapped at her folds, and drank of her like he'd never tasted anything more luscious. Like she was some sort of delicious, precious nectar he wanted to lose himself in.
"Kai." Her voice was a throaty gasp. "Don't stop. Don't you dare stop."
"Like hell I'll stop," he growled into her. His vibrating lips and tongue as he spoke sent more quivers into her right there, causing her to keen like she was some sort of wild animal. Utterly lost to the feeling of sheer bliss about to crash over her.
Damn. She'd known it would be good with him. Yet just his first lick told her exactly how spectacular it was about to be.
His fingers drifting down to her bare ass, which he stroked and kneaded even as he pulled her hips closer to him, Kai swirled his tongue around inside her, then gently began nodding his head up and down, making his tongue stroke her up, then down, then up, then down.
Gabi was pretty sure her head was about to blow right off of her body. She knew her short fingernails were digging into his shoulders as she pressed down on him, but she didn't give a damn. Hell, she was stark naked on the guy's sailboat, had her hips shamelessly thrust in his face, and her mouth was making sounds she hadn't even realized she was capable of. Clearly, she was past the point about caring if she left her mark on him.
Just like he was leaving his mark on her.
"Taste so good," he murmured at the end of an upward stroke, just before starting a new downward stroke.
Gabi's only response was to gasp, spread her legs even more, and hold on as she rode his amazingly strong, thoroughly talented tongue.
"Kai," she warned, the feelings of the past few days' and nights' worth of constant arousal coalescing so quickly in her she knew an orgasm was about to surge over her. "I'm going to—”
He tightened his fingers on her ass even more, his thumbs clutching the fronts of her hip bones as he pressed his face closer in between her legs and swirled his tongue faster and harder, circling her clit. Rhythmically diving deep into her wet folds before stroking upward to play with it again. The rhythm of all his movements was steady and even, but so strong, so wild, excitingly unknown and unpredictable, that she blew over the edge before she could even finish her sentence.
Screaming into the sunlight of the day, the dancing ocean breeze playing through her hair, Kai's intoxicating scent of wild bamboo and deep marine swells washing over her, Gabi came so strong and hard she literally collapsed onto him even in the middle of it, her shaking legs unable to hold her up.
Her voice chanted his name again and again through the stunning climax that shattered her body.
Slipping one hand behind her, his mouth and tongue still not leaving her beautifully spasming core, Kai gently took her to the deck as he drank up the last of the trembles that flowed out from beneath his tongue's slowly easing strokes.
Boneless, spent yet still aroused and ready for more, Gabi flopped back onto the deck, sucking in lungful after lungful of air as Kai easily pulled his body up to cover hers. "Look at me," he said, his voice ragged with some sort of dark, primal need that had her snapping her eyes open. The flashes of pine-green lights in his eyes startled her even as she let herself fall into their depths.
"Yes," he breathed, slowly lowering himself so she could feel his silken hardness pressing onto her thighs. "That's what I dreamed your face would look like. But I missed the actual moment when you were coming and screaming as you fell apart under my touch."
Even though she had just done exactly that, and was no stranger to sexy talk from guys, Gabi still felt the delicious flash of renewed craving tumble through her like mini waves.
"This time," and he ran his hand up her leg, over her hip, tickling along her ribs and breast and neck before gently fisting in her hair, "this time, I want to see your face right under mine when you come again while I'm inside you. I've been waiting for that from the moment I met you, Gabi," he groaned, before lowering his mouth to hers and feasting on her mouth as ravenously as he just had between her legs.
Gabi tasted her own spices intermingled with Kai's deliciously salty tang and the purely masculine scent of him that was driving her more wild by the second. Her greedy lower lips, which apparently hadn't been fully satisfied, sharply tingled with another spasm of desire. She arched her hips up against him even as she pulled his head down onto hers, claiming his mouth back with just as much fierceness as he claimed hers. His slight chuckle at her bold display of passion was met by a light swat to his ass as she gave him a naughty little spank.
Jumping slightly, pulling back his head just enough to look at her with an even more intense curiosity and rush of desire, Kai said, "Oh, really? Who's on top right now, hmm?"
In response, Gabi caught his lower lip between her teeth, giving an experimental little nibble as she kept her eyes open and looking straight at him. Gently releasing his lip, she murmured against his mouth, "You may be on top, my sexy dangerous stranger, but that just means I've got you exactly where I want you. So I guess I'm in control, after all."
Smiling in satisfaction as the shadows of desire made his eyes even darker and those funny little green flecks even brighter, Gabi ran her hands down his back, along his hips, and slid one underneath him to gently grasp his enormous, hard length in her hand. This time, Kai was the one who sucked in his breath, making a half strangled sound as his eyes half lidded from his arousal.
* * *
Gabi gave a light squeeze with her hand. Kai sharply inhaled as his cock became even harder beneath her fingertips. Gabi's eyes, now practically the color of espresso, looked up at him with mingled desire, curiosity, and such trust that he felt something hard in his chest squeezing in response. His dragon, pushing against his mind and beginning to guide Kai's movements into a more primal beat, crowed with a firm acceptance of her trust.
For some reason, his dragon side seemed more attuned to and interested in this woman than anyone Kai had been with since—
He shook the thoughts out of his head and focused on the pure pleasure of this moment. Gabi's soft, lush body beneath his, the aching swell rolling over him which longed to slam into her, taking possession of her, the certainty of the mingled physical sensations he knew would sweep over them soon, all encouraged Kai to do nothing more than focus on this moment.
He pushed himself back slightly on one forearm and onto his knees, reaching with his other hand to first gently drag his thumb across her lips. Pressing into the corner of her mouth, he watched the pulse beat more strongly in her neck. She licked his thumb, then lightly bit down on it. Groaning, he gently brushed his hand over her cheek and down her body. His questing fingers traveled between her legs and dipped into the soft, hot, soaked folds and crevices that had exploded like the most succulent ambrosia on his lips and tongue moments earlier.
Gabi gasped again, her hand convulsively tightening on his rock-hard cock. Holding himself back, fearing he would move too hard, too fast for her, he said, "Put your hands over your head, beautiful." His voice was so deep from his need to get inside her that it rumbled between them. Eyes locked on his, hips unabashedly straining toward him, Gabi obeyed. The upward tip to her mouth as well as the sweet, fierce fire in her eyes, however, told him she was only obeying because she wanted to. Because she knew she was strong enough to not only say no to anything he asked, but also to ask him for anything she herself wanted.
He knew without a doubt that anything she asked him right now, he would do for her. First, though, he needed to sink into her rich depths and feel himself actually encased by her softness and wetness. As her hands stretched out above her head, he s
hifted more of his weight onto his knees so he could reach out with his other hand to gently grasp both her hands in his and lightly hold them up there. Her breath snagged in her throat and she stared up at him, but the widening smile of thrilled anticipation spreading across her face told him she loved it.
"You ready for me, beautiful?" The deep timbre of his dragon sounded in his voice.
Gabi nodded, the drying strands of her hair still sticking to one side of her face and cheek as she spread her legs beneath him and tilted upward so he could have easier access. Her sheer responsiveness to him almost blew his control right then. He managed to rein it in with a mighty struggle, another small groan building in his throat as he reached down with his other hand to guide himself to the deliciously welcoming center he craved so desperately.
Positioning the nearly throbbing head of his cock at her entrance, he made sure he was nestled in just the right spot. Gabi's knees spread wider as she angled herself to receive him, her breath coming so quickly that she was panting now. Despite the early hour, beads of perspiration dotted her hairline and cheek in shining little dots, which only added to her beauty.
"Oh, damn, Gabi," Kai muttered in a savage whisper before gently easing himself inside her. She was so slick, so ready, that he slid in all the way to the base of his cock without effort, although the tightness of her inner walls held him in snug embrace. They both gasped simultaneously, Kai's hand tightening on her wrists as his other hand clutched her shoulder. Not taking his eyes from hers, he pulled back, and gently thrust forward again. Gabi's neck arched to the sky as she flung her head back, revealing her smooth golden neck to him. He reached down and tongued her fast-beating pulse, pulling out of her again only to drive back in more quickly this time.
"Kai," she said. Her voice was surprisingly steady and clear. "This is exactly how I was imagining it would feel with you for the last several days." This sentence, though, trailed off into another gasp as he plunged into her again, faster.
Harder.
With more intent.
Sinking into her depths, losing himself to her sweetness.
Claiming her. His dragon roared in approval, taking control. Kai couldn't remember why he should not claim her. Why he should not claim her lusciousness, her openness, her unfettered abandon that met him stroke for stroke and cry for cry.
Why he should not claim this amazing woman to be his, and his alone.
Knowing that the next time he opened his mouth his voice might be totally lost to the deep register of his dragon's tone, Kai began slamming in and out of her with earnest urgency. She felt so good. She fit him perfectly. The sweet spiral upward of his impending explosion spread throughout his entire body. Every limb was rigid with purpose and intention as he gently held her down, wildly, ever faster pumped into her, tensing himself in aching anticipation.
Even so, he just barely managed to hold himself back. To wait for her to come with him. He wanted to see her face the moment she shattered around him. If he came before her, he would be so lost in the sensations he was certain he wouldn't be able to keep his eyes open and watch her.
Holding himself back for another long moment was sheer agony, yet at the same time sheer bliss. Fascinated, he watched the procession of expressions rippling across Gabi's face as she neared her own release. Right now, she was the most beautiful woman he'd ever laid eyes on in his life. The joyous intensity on her face, the opening of her mouth and hoarseness of her breath only served to excite and urge him on.
He was about to erupt. Teeth slightly gritted, he forced out a word that he knew would be guttural and wild when he said it. "Now. Now!"
As if his voice had flipped a beautiful switch within her, Gabi let go. She convulsed around his cock even as she screamed out his name. Roaring out loud, hearing his dragon's rough rasp in his voice, Kai let go with her. Her face tightened and loosened at once as she came, her eyes nearly rolling back in her head as her inner walls convulsed around his cock. The view was so sweet it intensified Kai's own sharp, furious release, causing sparks to explode across his own vision.
Bending his head down to hers, laying his mouth on her neck, he cried out his joyous release into her neck, at the same time sending the rolling tidal wave of his breath into her and throughout her. Shooting the whisper of his name into her, leaving it incised into her skin, her heart, her very soul.
His dragon bugled with fierce, possessive joy as Kai claimed Gabi for his.
* * *
They lay together, entwined in a wet, sprawled heat, just heaving muscles and limbs coated with sweat. Gabi felt the languor that followed the most amazing orgasms of her life spread throughout her as she nestled into her dangerous, sexy stranger's arms. Her sexy, gorgeous, familiar Kai. His breath tickled over her skin and gently played in her hair as they basked in the sunshine on the boat's deck.
When everything finally quieted, Kai slowly pushed himself up on his elbows, staring at her for a long time. He reached his hand out to her face, gently stroking the delicate skin by her eyes and lips. She admired his muscular thighs as they rested on either side of her body, his gorgeous cock still heavy as it nestled on top of her stomach. Grinning with delight, she stretched her arms up behind her back and arched herself toward the sun for a long, luxurious moment. Letting her arms come back down, she looked at him again, still smiling.
As his breath settled back into a regular rhythm, something else slowly settled back onto his face as well. Something moved in his eyes, something so deep that it momentarily stole her breath again. Possessiveness. Pride. And then, something darker. Something a little colder, a little more distant. Some sort of internal battle surged across his face. His jaw muscles worked, as if he wanted to say something but instead bit back the words. He closed his eyes for a long moment, breathing carefully in controlled measure. When he opened his eyes again, the green sparks were gone. Unfathomable black pools remained, as cold and impenetrable as a winter ice sheet. The beautiful relaxation that had spread over his face long moments earlier disappeared. Leaving behind a hard mask as he stared at her.
Feeling abruptly chilled, Gabi froze. He pushed himself all the way back and sat up, reaching over to grab her discarded swimsuit. Then his voice dropped into the warmth with a starkness that shocked her into struggling to sit up. “So. I need to hear the truth from you now. Finally.”
Gabi shook her head in confusion. She felt vulnerable all of a sudden. As if the intimacy that had just happened between them was a hazy dream. He backed away from her, slowly standing as he grasped her swimsuit top. Not taking his eyes off hers, he slowly brought the red fabric up in between them, stretching it taut so she could see where his fingers pressed onto the little decorative lump just at the vee of the top.
The little lump that was the gold nugget she'd tucked in there that morning, determined to put it back where it belonged at the wreck. She'd forgotten all about it during the bliss of enjoying Kai. A tight ball of anxiety thunked into her stomach as her eyes darted from it back up to his where he loomed over her.
"So.” The cool seeping from his voice iced over the space between them, making Gabi protectively cross her arms in front of her. “Would you like to tell me, Gabriela Santos, assistant academic director of the underwater archeology program at California University, crew member for the Ancients Quest dive team, what you were doing stealing gold from a shipwreck that isn't even any of your damn business?"
12
Kai knew he towered above Gabi as she still sat on the deck, vulnerable below him. He knew he was looming, which frankly pissed him off really badly. He hadn't meant to do it this way. This not only wasn't his style, he actually really felt like an ass right now as he saw Gabi's paling face. But the terror that had lurched into him, after the effects of the most intense orgasm of his life had worn off and he realized with stark clarity what he'd just done—that he'd just claimed a woman as his—was horrific in its grip. Desperately, he instead sought the emptiness that had protected him for years now.
His dragon protesting the entire time, Kai managed to put up a wall between him and this stunning woman. Gabi, whom he had just claimed as his own. As being his woman.
No. He had to focus. His gold, his treasure, was all that mattered right now. He had a purpose here. It was to reclaim his gold, find out how she was able to touch it, break the spell on it, and leave. Alone, the way he preferred it. That was all. He'd seduced her and had fun.Claiming meant nothing, damn it all to hell. That was simply a slip in judgment. Now was the time for answers.
Even so, the knowledge that he was scaring her sent a pang of regret and distaste through him. His dragon blasted him with internal fire, equally disgusted. Yet before he could feel too bad for being an intimidating, coldhearted ass, bold-hearted Gabriela set her jaw and narrowed her eyes at him. As she abruptly scrambled to her feet, her own sudden fire flashed out of her beautiful cinnamon brown eyes.
"No," she said, advancing on him with a finger pointing into his chest. It shook a bit, but she seemed to regain her steadiness with every step she took toward him. "I think what really has to happen here is that you, Kai Long, island guy and amazing lover and secret chairman of the board and, and, whatever else you are," she sputtered, "you need to tell me how the hell you know about the shipwreck."
Charged silence held them both still in a tense tableau on the deck of the boat, both naked as jaybirds and, he knew, still smelling erotically and deliciously of one another's sweat and scent and the dizzying pheromones that could still do him in if he wasn't damned careful.
He held Gabi's swimsuit top up in front of him as if it were a prize. For just a second, he thought as he looked at the determined set of her chin, her furiously questioning raised eyebrows, and the pure fire sparking out of her eyes, maybe he was just waving a red flag front of a lady bull who was about ready to charge him.