by Julia Mills
His next statement nearly made her trip over her own feet. “I’ll also need to meet your parents. It’s customary that I present myself to your father so that he may question me and make sure my intentions are pure.”
“That won’t be possible. My parents are dead. They have been since I was almost seven years old.”
He pulled her close to his body, she couldn’t explain the comfort she felt but she damned sure appreciated it. “Oh, mo chroi, I am so sorry for your loss,” he cooed, his grief at her loss palpable.
“I appreciate your concern but it was a long time ago and my granny has been gone for a few years now, too. I’m the only Masterson left, so you will have to present yourself to me.” She batted her eyes deciding she could play games with his heartbeat just like he was doing with hers. She even patted his arm for effect. Despite all her efforts, she knew he had somehow picked up on her feelings, knew she felt exposed and needed to regain some of her control. When he reached down and threaded his fingers through hers, she sighed despite herself, wondering if there really was truth in what he had told her before. Could they really have been made for each other? The skin to skin contact sent warm tingly feelings straight to her core. She shivered despite herself.
“Are you cold, mo ghra’?”
“No, I’m fine. What are those names you keep calling me?” she tried to keep the breathy sound from her voice but with him that close and his hand wrapped around hers it was more than she could manage.
She looked up to see a grin on his perfect lips, “That is my family’s native language.”
“What are you calling me?” her voice suddenly had a sharp quality that hadn’t been there before. She hoped he didn’t pick up on it. The squeeze to her hand said he had.
“Mo ghra’ means my love. Evgren means ray of sunshine. I hadn’t even realized I was using the old language but whether in the language of old or the one of today, that is the way I see you.”
“Last night you said something like tamagotchi astronaut. I thought maybe you were thinking about video games.”
She smiled so hard her cheeks hurt as Rayne laughed out loud. If he bottled his charisma, there was not a woman alive that would not buy it. He turned her towards him, placed his hands on her shoulders, and massaged some of the tension out of her coiled muscles as he looked deep into her eyes. “I said, ‘Ta’mo chroi istigh ionat. It means ‘my heart is within you’. Because that, my beautiful mate, is how I feel now that I’ve found you. You are the keeper of my heart. From the moment I laid eyes on you, you owned me, heart and soul. I’d heard stories my whole life about what it would feel like when I found my mate, but there is absolutely nothing that could have prepared me for all I am feeling right now, from just the sight of you. Last night was just a taste of the passion we will share. I’ll cherish and protect you with all that I am and all I will ever be. You are my sole reason for being. My sun rises and sets with you, a thaisce.” He had that heated look in his eyes again. “That means, my treasure,” he teased and then winked. She was becoming addicted to the twinkle in his vibrant violet eyes.
He pressed his lips lightly to hers and the world shifted under her feet. She grabbed his forearms to keep from melting into a puddle of goo at his feet. She sighed softly and all the tension that had been creeping up on her in the few blocks they had walked, simply disappeared. This guy may be an absolute lunatic but she couldn’t stop herself from leaning into his touch or from opening her mouth, deepening the kiss of this gorgeous man. It had been such a long time since she felt like she was something important, something to be treasured and loved; to be truly special to another person. She was going to try her best to see where all of this led. Hell, she was already addicted to his kisses. And she wasn’t even going to think about the sex right now or they would end up naked in the street.
She felt Rayne grudgingly pull away and immediately missed his warm lips on hers. She looked up and found him staring at her. “Kyndel, my love, if we don’t stop soon, I promise I’m going to throw you over my shoulder and head to the nearest bed until neither of us can walk.” He cupped her chin and she could’ve sworn she felt his hand shake a bit. “We will finish what we’ve started, of that you can be sure, but now we must meet my brethren and get you to safety.”
He let go of her face, wrapped her hand in his much larger one and headed them towards the meeting spot and his waiting friends. Once again she wondered if she’d lost her mind. Only the wind on her face, touching her kiss swollen lips assured her everything she was experiencing was very real. Her lips curved and she leaned against the handsome warrior at her side deciding she would enjoy the adventure and worry about the rest later. It was time for her to really live and she was going to do her best to do just that.
CHAPTER SEVEN
“Good Lord! The dragon shifters were a hearty stock of men.” She thought as she stood among them. She’d never seen so much man candy in one place, not even the gym. Of course Rayne was more handsome than all of them but she knew more than a few ladies that would be reduced to excited little puddles of mush at the sight of these perfect specimens of manliness.
The minute they had walked into the clearing, a brawny blonde with blue eyes, she likened to lasers came right over, bear hugged Rayne, slapped him on the back so hard it sounded like thunder. Rayne introduced him as Lance, the one he had spoken to many times since she had met him, in his head!
Lance had a cocky grin, twinkle in his eye and one little dimple that seemed to wink at her. He was the troublemaker of the crew, absolutely no doubt about it. She could tell he was sizing her up with his thumbs hung in his front pockets, feet spread about shoulder width apart and a cocky grin spread across his face. “Well, Kyndel, if you ever get tired of the old man here, I’ll make sure you know where to find me,” he ended his little comment with a wink, then faster than she could follow, swooped her up in a hug.
Rayne removed her from his grasp and growled, “You will keep your suggestions and your hands to yourself, young man.”
Lance threw his head back and laughed so hard his whole body shook. The other members of Rayne’s Force came forward and introduced themselves to her, making sure to only shake hands. Rayne even scowled and grumbled about there being no need for them to touch her.
All of the men were polite, so old worldly in their mannerisms. Most laughed and carried on as Lance filled Rayne in on the hunters’ activity and they formulated a plan of action. It was still light out so Rayne had told her they would not risk being seen shifting to their dragons, which meant they would be hiking at least a little of the way to their destination. Kyndel hated to think about hiking very far, even though she had been working out religiously for a year. She had missed working out last night, unless her calisthenics with Rayne counted. She smiled to herself. Then realized she was grateful to have a little more time before witnessing the man that had turned her world upside down turn into a dragon.
While they’d walked to the meeting spot, Rayne had told her a little more about his dragon and since she was always honest with herself, she had to admit that she wasn’t sure she would ever be ready to come face to face with the 1000 pound beast. And the thought that she was standing with six of them was downright freaky.
She glanced around and realized the one with light brown hair and the clearest amber eyes she’d ever seen was sitting by himself on a rock, surveying their surroundings. Rayne had explained all about the dragon shifters enhanced senses. She found it amazing they could see, hear and smell so much better than she could let the alone the speed she had briefly witnessed. These boys were wicked fast. She was sure he was the one that had introduced himself as Aidan. She knew he was keeping watch in the direction they’d last seen the hunters, but there was something in the way he held himself that told her he was in pain. Not physical pain but some kind of emotional pain. If his body language wasn’t enough, it was written in his amber eyes as plain as day. She knew these men were warriors, but she couldn’t stand idly by when
someone was in pain. It just wasn’t in her DNA to let someone suffer.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Aidan could hear Rayne’s mate approaching. He would have known it was her even if he hadn’t been able to smell her feminine scent. The softness of her footsteps in the grass was a dead giveaway. All of his brethren stomped like a herd of cattle unless they were tracking prey. He had seen her scrutiny of him when he’d introduced himself. He hid his pain well from all the men in the Force because they just knew not to pry but this woman seemed to sense the sadness in his heart. He recognized the way she held his hand that extra second. He’d actually cracked his first smile in longer than he could remember when she swatted their very capable Commander on the arm for growling at him during their introduction. She was definitely a spitfire, a woman that could handle Rayne’s controlling and overbearing ways. This special gift from the Universe to his friend would bring out the softer side of Rayne. Aidan had seen the way the Commander always took the time to play ball with the young drakes and he had heard the giggles of the young vibrias as he swung them in the air. He was sure Rayne didn’t know he had witnessed him chop cord after cord of wood for all the vibrias who had lost their mates. It was his heart that made Rayne an incredible leader, one like Aidan himself aspired to be. Rayne tried to keep his softness from showing but it was shining brighter than ever now that his mate was by his side. Aidan couldn’t be happier for his friend.
“Mind if I have a seat?” Kyndel motioned to the rock next to Aidan’s.
“No, not at all,” Aidan tried to force a calm and friendliness into his voice that he just didn’t feel.
After a few minutes of silence and fidgeting he wasn’t surprised when Kyndel spoke, “Enjoying the scenery?” He appreciated that she was trying to lighten the mood.
Aidan snorted, “Yea, something like that.”
“Bet it gets boring.”
“Not really. I like the solitude. Gives me time to think and I really like the outside.”
“Yea, I bet y’all like the outdoors seeing as how you guys change into big 1000 pounds dragons that can fly and shoot fire from your nostrils.” She visibly flinched and hurried on, “Oh, shit! Sorry about that. I shouldn’t have blurted that out. I have a bad habit of engaging my mouth before my brain.”
She chuckled. Aidan was reminded of another’s giggle he’d heard what seemed a lifetime ago and still carried in his heart. She thankfully spoke and broke his melancholy walk down memory lane, “I didn’t mean anything by that. I was just trying to start a conversation. Standing around and waiting is making me crazy and…”
“It’s ok, don’t worry about it,” Aidan felt the smile break across his face. This little female had a special way about her. She was going to make a great addition to their clan.
“No, really! I am sorry. I’m going to have to get used to this kind of thing if Rayne and I are really going to try to be a couple.”
“I’m sure you’re going to be more than just a couple, from the way the Commander looks at you.”
He saw how she wrung her hands and could feel her anxiety. She was trying to help and he wasn’t making it easy on her, no matter how hard he tried. She surprised him when she placed her hand on his forearm. He tensed but instead of moving her hand away, like he’d expected, she rubbed little circles of comfort before putting her hand back on her leg.
“Did I say something wrong?” He heard the worry in her voice.
“No, vibria, you didn’t. There are just some things that are better left alone.” He answered and with his tone tried to reassure her.
“Well, Aidan, I want you to know that as long as I’m around, you always have someone to talk to if you feel the need.” He heard her conviction to help him in her words.
“I thank you, Kyndel. You’ll make a wonderful addition to our clan and the perfect mate for our Commander. And speaking of our Commander, I think he’s done listening to us from behind the tree over there.” He pointed in the direction Rayne was now walking from, “It looks like your mate is looking for you, Miss Kyndel.”
She surprised him when she started laughing and called out, “You are so busted, buddy!” He wasn’t surprised at all by the way Rayne marched forward like he owned the world, but he did catch the fact that his Commander was more than a little embarrassed at being caught spying.
Aidan had to laugh when Kyndel squealed as Rayne scooped her into his arms and swung her around like he’d seen so many fathers do with their daughters. He soon took his clue to leave as Rayne let his mate slide down his body, stopping her slide when their lips were level.
“Ahem,” Aidan cleared his throat, “I will leave you to it,” he chuckled just a bit and turned on his heel.
Before he could take a step, Kyndel called out, “I meant what I said, Aidan.”
“Thank you for your kindness, Kyndel.” He nodded his head and then looked at his Commander, “Enjoy your mate.” And with that he was gone. But not before he heard Kyndel sigh at whatever attention Rayne was showing her.
He really was happy for them, really. Now if he could make the ache around his heart go away, if only just for a moment.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
He simply could not get enough of this woman. He knew the mating call was alive and strong between them but this was so completely all encompassing that just a few minutes away from her and he was crazy with the need to touch her, to inhale her scent. The sight of Kyndel that close to another man, even though it was one of his men, had triggered a primal need; the innate desire to be buried deep inside her again, the circumstances they faced be damned. He needed to feel his mate and there would be no waiting. The man and beast had to reassert their possession of her. They had to mark her with their scent inside and out. He couldn’t get the picture of her hand on Aidan’s arm out of his head. He had actually thought about throwing her over his shoulder and paddling her behind for touching another man.
He continued to reason that his very caring mate had seen the sadness inside Aidan and instinctively reached out to ease his pain but the incredibly irrational alpha mate and dragon that resided inside of him never wanted those beautiful hands touching anyone but him.
He would never live down the way he had marched toward Kyndel and Aidan without a word to any of his men. Aaron, another of his lieutenants and Aidan’s twin, had been mid sentence, explaining what they knew of the hunters but he could not have cared less. He’d had to get to her. There was no denying the need. He slowed the closer he got and used his enhanced hearing to listen to their conversation. Just as he had thought before the mating call clouded his brain, his mate was trying to comfort his broken friend. Her compassion was just one of the many things he admired about her. He would spend every minute of every day for the rest of their lives together learning and appreciating all the things that made Kyndel the incredible creature she was. Now that he had her in his arms, his mouth holding hers captive all he could think about was getting inside her.
He carried her farther away from the prying eyes of his men around an outcropping of trees to farthest point of the park. He backed her against the block wall separating the park from the maintenance shed, thankfully today was Saturday and the workers weren’t present because there was no way he was going to make it one step farther.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Kyndel felt the cold concrete at her back, a delicious contrast to the hot hard man pressing her from the front. Her hands pulled at his hair, her mouth devoured his and her legs tightened around his waist as she ground her crotch against his denim covered hard length. There were just too damn many clothes between them.
She slid her hand under the waistband of his jeans and fisted his hot hard erection, running her thumb through the drop of moisture that had already gathered on the tip. He tore his mouth from hers, threw his head back, “Kyndel… mo ghra’” he groaned.
She continued to massage him and grind her hips against the combination of her hand and his hard cock. His thrusting increased until
her butt was bumping against the wall at her back. Rayne tore at the opening of her jeans and thrust two fingers into her weeping flesh.
“Oh my God, Rayne, more…please…more…”
He pushed his thumb against her very aroused nub and rubbed circles. All thoughts fled her mind as he curled his fingers to torment the bundle of nerves that made her body burn. Time and space meant nothing with this amazing man driving her need. She ripped his pants down until his cock sprung free and fisted him from root to tip, grabbing more moisture from the tip for lubrication. She worked him faster and harder.
Rayne took his fingers from her weeping channel. She moaned at the loss and quicker than she could follow, she was bent over a fallen log that had been sanded for park goers to relax upon. Rayne pulled her pants down to her knees and massaged her ass. “You are the most spectacular woman I have ever seen.” She looked over her shoulder, saw him looking at like she was a priceless piece of art and felt more special than she ever had but her needs would not be denied.
“Less window shopping, more action there, Commander.” She teased.
He thrust straight into her gushing pussy, going balls deep in one fluid motion, filling her more completely than she had ever been filled. The fit was tighter than usual from the position and the fact that her pants were holding her legs together. She was mesmerized by the feel of her vagina contracting around his incredibly hard cock as he held completely still. He pulsed and throbbed, she was sure it matched his racing heartbeat. His deep breathing let her know she was trying to regain a bit of composure. Rayne had to be the most considerate lover. He definitely placed her pleasure ahead of his own and it was obviously important to him that they come together in the end. She could feel his attempt to hold off his own orgasm while hers was barreling to the finish line. “Please, Rayne, please…. move!” She pushed back the few inches she was able, to spur him on. “Fuck me, dammit!” she said through gritted teeth.