Burn: Dragon Shifter Romance

by Ava Frost

  The smile returned to his voice as swiftly as it dropped, though Natalya thought his voice wore it more crooked than before. “I’d like more if you wanted more. But a hug would be a very good start. It gets kind of lonely out here.”

  Natalya thought of the crisp mountains outside her window, the city at the base casting leaping gouts of neon orange flame up stone turned crystalline by moonlight, all the way up to the silvering peak. She didn’t know if America had anything like that, but she thought Rhys might be the sort of man to mention a pretty sight if he had one.

  Yet, as beautiful as it was, listening to the voice of the older man she had been exclusively talking to for months now, neglecting her friends, her workouts, her hobbies to grab even a few more seconds with him, suddenly that mountain seemed a pillar of isolation. And now she was the self-imposed queen.

  A hug might be nice, she admitted to herself.

  “Can I think about it?”

  “Of course!” Rhys shouted excitedly, and then spoke hurriedly, as though his voice ran through the wind to try to extinguish flames clinging to his clothes. “Absolutely, my dear! You take as long as you need to!”

  Deep inside, she already knew her answer.

  Chapter 2

  Acquiring the passport was the easy part. The eleven hour flight was harder, though surprisingly not as hard as Rhys thought it might be. Though he wasn’t normally a man to splurge for a small upgrade to anything when it wasn’t necessary, he went ahead and bought himself a ticket for first class just for the occasion. After all, it wouldn’t do to meet Natalya while in the midst of a foul temper.

  And so for eleven long hours, Rhys enjoyed a constant barrage of cranberry juice and friendly chatter from the attendants. The basket of cookies and crackers headed in this direction at regular intervals, to the point where he barely felt able to eat the actual meal offered to him. Comfortable seats and ample leg room, important for a taller man such as himself, lulled him in and out of a steady dose. During his waking time, he finished reading one novel and began the next, or else he simply stared out the window where the sky and the ocean met at a barely distinguishable line, and he thought of where he was and what he was doing.

  Though he wasn’t a nervous flyer, he decided there was something decidedly human about conquering spaces not meant for them. And meeting a virtual stranger from across the world felt pretentious and almost shallow, in comparison to the days when men married childhood sweethearts only from neighboring towns.

  Although, there were mail order brides in those days too, he reminded himself, and fiddled with his shirt collar. He couldn’t imagine waiting weeks between letters or, at the opposite end of the spectrum, actually buying a woman to marry on the spot.

  Right about now, his Russian beauty would be just getting ready to head home from work in the next half an hour or so, before they were to meet in the airport in full view of dozens of witnesses –for her security, as he wanted her to only ever feel comfortable around him. And though he’d made arrangements with a hotel, he let himself daydream about what might happen if she let him stay the night.

  He adjusted the blanket on his lap, bunching the material up loosely so the sudden twinge in his groin wouldn’t make itself known to the woman watching a movie on her laptop in the seat next to him.

  I’m too old for this, he thought, suddenly doubtful. Too old for this dating nonsense. I’m too old to fly this far more than once. If we don’t hit it off, I won’t waste any more time on this.

  He knew better than anyone how personalities could change from online to the real world, often without a person being aware of it. This wasn’t his first rodeo, though he had to admit how hopeful he was about someone not being raised in America having different standards.

  And perhaps, a very open mind. Rhys was very tired of keeping his secret to himself all the time.

  An eternity later, the pilot came over the intercom to announce their descent. Rhys looked out the window intently as the plane tilted, turbulence increasing slightly as the wings cut through rougher air. Eager for his first view of a country which wasn’t Canada or Mexico, he felt almost disappointed at the sight of the city –the name of which he couldn’t even try to pronounce- which really resembled nothing more than St. Louis. The only differences here was he saw far more fully-developed trees lining the streets, clumping in groves before and between skyscrapers, and there were lights on everything. Purple bruises of night swelled in thin veins across the sky, casting pale shadows down across the city, but these lights weren’t merely that emitting through the windows but were bright designs of neon lining every street, up and over the frames of towers. Steady lights in a myriad of color, from warm yellow to pink and orange, even green shining up from within the parks.

  The city was an artwork in itself, but then he noticed the low mountain range in the background, where rainbow lights refracted across cliff faces and ragged shadow caught in the valleys.

  If for nothing other than this, Rhys was glad to have come.

  Sudden nervousness overcame him as the plane landed smoothly and began to roll across the runway to dock. The other passengers began to mill around, packing away their things and preparing to stand. Rhys waited patiently until the center aisle was mostly empty, and then he finally gathered his bag and stood up. As he walked through the long, looping hall to the gate, he trailed one hand along the wall for mental support to stop his legs from shaking so badly. He could barely breathe, and his thoughts were a soupy mess of emotion.

  He walked out past the terminal gate and looked around at the sea of unfamiliar faces, new fashions and a barrage of rough languages hitting his eyes and ears harshly. In an instant, his mind went blank. He could only stand there, terrified, the secret part of himself deep within stricken into stillness, as he forgot what Natalya looked like. She could have been any one of these strangers staring at him, rebuking him for being in there way.

  She could have changed her mind, and he would never know because he would just stand there forever and ever.

  And then a low, purring voice spoke very close to his face.

  “Rhys?”

  The voice moved his name oddly, but in a familiar manner, over a foreign tongue. Through a monumental will, he lifted his head up a few inches though he hadn’t been aware of the decision to look down in the first place.

  Natalya stood there, larger than life. And surprisingly tall, almost matching him in height. She wore very little makeup and her eyes glowed in the harsh airport light, as blue as the line where the horizon had lain between ocean and sky. “Rhys?” she said again. “Are you alright?”

  “Oh,” he gasped, relieved as his mind returned to him through the paralysis. “I’m fine. It was just a little overwhelming.”

  “Ah.” Natalya nodded. She was close enough to touch. “Do you need anything?”

  Do I need anything?

  He nodded, dropping his bag so it fell and then clattered over to one side. Though he told himself all today he would let her make the first move, for her comfort, Rhys reached out and wrapped his arms around her. She stiffened at his touch but he only rested his forehead down on her shoulder. Very slowly, her body relaxed against his and her arms rose to clutch at his back.

  He pressed her for nothing, not even a kiss. He simply held onto her and breathed in her warm, clean scent, and felt himself begin to relax down on the other side of an enormous hill of stress he hadn’t even felt himself acquire. And Natalya hugged him back, her breasts rubbing very slightly against his chest as she breathed.

  After far too short of a time, they parted.

  Drawing in a deep breath, Rhys reached for her hand and kissed her palm. “It’s so good to see you after so long,” he said very softly.

  “Yes,” Natalya agreed, but she studied him like a wild animal in her backyard, hesitance shading her gaze.

  Chapter 3

  Rhys was the perfect gentleman, and exactly as he had been online and over the phone. That might not have bee
n a problem for Natalya, if that didn’t mean he was somewhat aloof. Far from the interesting state in which she encountered him for the first time, he quickly settled into a pleasant, but blank, attitude, leaving her only speculation as to what caused him to seem so lost and confused. Perhaps he was just as nervous as she.

  Somehow, thinking about it like that helped to resolve her feelings, as she walked through the airport with him respectfully right at her side, occasionally stepping in front of her to push them a way through a particularly thick crowd. Maybe this was his way of coping, as hers was smoking.

  I didn’t tell him that yet, did I? That might be a deal-breaker.

  For some reason, she didn’t want that to be the case. It seemed a very wasteful prospect for him to spend so much money to come see her, only to reject her because of a habit, and so she resolved to hold off for as long as he stayed.

  Only once he held open the door to the parking garage and she stepped through, did she suddenly realize they had no other plans.

  “Oh,” she said out loud. Rhys turned to her. “What do we do? Shall I take you to hotel?”

  Disappointment raced across his stoic features, but he answered neutrally. “If that’s what you want. I need to check in, anyway.”

  “Of course,” she said, and led the way to her car.

  The drive wasn’t very long but it seemed that way, the silence between them very strained until, just as they pulled into the hotel parking lot, Natalya could bear it no longer.

  “Rhys,” she said, to catch his attention. “Maybe we can talk real quick.”

  “What is it?” he replied pleasantly.

  She focused on backing into her parking space, trying to stay within the lines as much as possible on this first go, perhaps to see if she could impress him. “We are both nervous. I think we will both be much happier if we are more open with each other.”

  “Then, what do you think of me?”

  Natalya blinked, taken aback. For some reason, she hadn’t quite expected that jump in conversation. Was it because he wanted to be close to her, or could she even hope to understand his mind?

  Was he a sweet wolf looking for love, or the enigma?

  “I think you are very handsome man.” She spoke honestly, surprising herself. “I want you to enjoy Russia. What do you think of me?”

  “I think you are a very desirable lady.” His voice thickened as he spoke. Natalya turned off her engine and closed her eyes with relief, glad for him to finally show some emotion. “And I would greatly enjoy the chance to have dinner with you after I check in, here.”

  The sweet wolf also seeks food from those he wants to love him, she thought, and suddenly smiled. “Yes. I would like this.”

  They ate dinner at her favorite local restaurant, where the host –and the owner’s daughter- knew her by name. Rhys sampled many small bites of Russian cuisine, and Natalya just enjoyed watching his expressions change as he made miniature discoveries. They also ordered a sweet desert wine, which the host delivered with a knowing smile.

  Rhys paid for the meal, being the gentleman once again. And Natalya thought fast and hard as they left the restaurant and headed for her car again. Rhys walked significantly looser now, with a flush to his face. He really was handsome, muscles ripping as he moved. And their difference in age melted away over the course of the dinner, as they spoke of small things which didn’t matter at all.

  Her gaze slid slower, to ogle the firmness filling out the rear of his slacks. Pleasant warmth tingled in her loins, and she made up her mind.

  “This isn’t the way to the hotel.”

  “I thought you might like to see apartment in person,” she said cautiously. “I can turn around.”

  “No, my dear.” One broad hand moved to lay on her knee as she drove. She struggled not to gasp from pure delight as the warmth became heat pooling between her legs. “I bet your interior design is wonderful.”

  She laughed.

  And laughed again as he stood in her foyer, looking around. Really, there weren’t very many personal touches in her home. A few pieces of furniture and flea market pictures, and the TV wasn’t even plugged in. But at least she vacuumed earlier, and emptied the trash.

  “And I was right,” he said, smiling. “This suits you.”

  That doesn’t make it wonderful, she wanted to point out, but let it drop in favor of another topic as he kicked off his shoes –setting them neatly on the shoe rack, of course. Sometimes she kicked off her own shoes as hard as she could at once, just to see how far apart they landed. “What do you mean by that?”

  Rhys turned back to face her. His expression was dead serious, but then he stepped in so close to hug her again. However, this time, she felt the bulge press hot against her leg. “I mean,” he whispered, breath searing her ear and making her shiver, “you’re so beautiful, but you don’t have a shallow bone in your whole body.” He touched his lips to her ear. “Do you even know how beautiful you are?”

  Natalya thought of herself, with uninspiring blue eyes and boring russiy hair –russiy being a word for the many common shades of hair coloration which fell into a category between dark blonde and light brown- and shook her head.

  His voice lowered to a sultry growl. “You will when I’m done with you.”

  The sound of his voice pierced her straight to the core with desire, making her body shake against his. The bulge in his pants strained the fabric where it pressed against her leg, almost burning her skin through the material.

  Oh, my goodness, she thought dizzily, drunken with desire. She clutched at him as his breath and lips did tender things to her ear which she thought might make her explode right then and there. She throbbed between her legs. Her womanhood felt swollen and needy, beginning to throb incessantly as her rosebud bloomed to full length, rubbing and being rubbed by her soft inner lips.

  And then his hand slid high up her thigh, caressing all the way until he reached the cleft between her legs. Through the thick fabric there, he pressed the heel of his palm against her and rubbed hard.

  Her back arched suddenly and totally, her breath coming in mewling gasps and she suddenly bore down against his hand and writhed against it, trying to somehow get him inside. He began to back her up as he rubbed her, almost carrying her with one hand supporting her back as her legs paddled, going weak against him. They made their way down the hall like that, and he turned her around in the doorway to her own room, releasing her so suddenly she cried out in surprise and need.

  And then he was behind and on top of her, the weight of his muscular body dropping her to the floor on her hands and knees. Clutching handfuls of carpet, Natalya crouched there for a moment, her whole body jerking with the spasms emanating from deep inside, and then his hands wrapped around her rear and began to stroke her deliciously all over. Taking his time, his fingers explored every curve and depression.

  “Oh, Rhys,” she whispered very softly, moving back against his hands.

  He whispered back, “Oh, Natalya.”

  And then his hands tore her zipper down, shoving roughly at her pants until they bunched up around her knees. Almost in the same instant, she heard another zipper be ripped down and then he mounted her from behind.

  Straddling her entire body with his bulk, an arm and leg on either side, with his member jutting straight between her swollen, sticky-sweet lips, Rhys lowered his lips to the back of her neck and kissed her there. Natalya shivered from a lighter sort of pleasure, the gentle flutter of butterfly wings which came during a good bout of flirting. She was completely unprepared for what came next, as suddenly he opened his mouth wide and clamped his teeth around the back of her neck.

  She squealed in surprise, almost ready to knock him away, when she realized he wasn’t biting so much as just holding her, letting her feel the pressure of his teeth. His hips arched up, the pressure of his teeth increasing just slightly, painlessly, as he moved around and adjusted his angle. He thrust up, inside her, hitting the exact perfect spot for shivers
to go racing up and down her entire body. He shook with her, and she couldn’t believe how good his teeth felt against her skin.

  I’m being claimed, she thought wonderingly. Animalistic, as a wolf might mate with another.

  From this position, her breasts hung down low and full inside her shirt, tender velvet peaks rubbing soft cloth as her body shook. Her legs were spread, held apart by his feet pinning her ankles, and even as she started to push back against his rock-hard member for more, his hands reached up and settled down over hers. He held her in place while she gripped the carpet, and growled wordlessly into her ears.

  Arousal surged through her whole being as she gave herself up to him, growling back and whimpering for breath between sexy rumbles. Rhys moved with her, both of them thrusting and grinding together.

  He cried out for her, and she echoed his name, the both of them arching again as passion overflowed. Their heads tossed back, voices rising to the ceiling, they were as one, as rejoicing wolves who found each other after being separated for so long.

  The next three days together were heaven. They no longer drove but walked around the city, sometimes running, always keeping pace with the other for they never stopped holding hands. Rhys exclaimed at every unfamiliar thing like a handsome child, and Natalya let herself discover again some of the things she loved, seen through his newer eyes. They caught some glances wherever they went, as people she knew and people she didn’t judged not just their age but their origins, and she ignored them all.

  For this one thing in her life, no one else mattered. Her opinions were her own. And she realized, sleeping curled up against his chest like a thing which belonged to him, she was very glad to have signed up for that bride service.

  Chapter 4

  “Will I ever see you again?” Natalya asked softly.

  Rhys looked into her eyes, holding her hands between his and massaging them. They stood before the security checkpoint, just another couple about to part from one another. His heart ached abominably.