Colton: Rogue Beginnings (A Rogue Enforcers Novel)

by Grace Brennan

  He wasn’t at all worried about that from Katia, of course, and it wasn’t that he didn’t want to tell her. He just didn’t know how she’d react to it. She was handling the fact that he was a shifter well but admitting that he was a dragon might be what sent her running.

  Maybe the best way to do it was to just rip it off like a Band-Aid. Quick and painless.

  Hopefully.

  “I’m not a snake. I’m a dragon.”

  He hadn’t thought her eyes could get any wider, but they did as her breathing stalled. Swallowing hard, she huffed out a breath as she slowly shook her head. He didn’t think it was in denial, but rather in shock as she tried to process it.

  The silence stretched out, and the nerves were starting to well up again when she finally spoke.

  “A dragon? Seriously? That’s so cool.”

  Blinking at the enthusiasm in her voice, he smiled slowly as relief filled him. “You really think so, don’t you?”

  “Hell yes! Do you look like dragons in movies? Scaly, horned, big as a house? What color are you?”

  He chuckled at the barrage of questions. “Yeah, the movies actually give pretty accurate depictions of us. I’m green with a yellow underbelly.”

  “I’d love to see him some day. Do you have anything you can do differently than the rest of us?”

  “I’d love to show him to you some day,” he replied, awe for her overwhelming him for a moment. She was a hell of woman, there was no doubting that—not that he ever had. “We’re stronger and faster, and we don’t get sick. We heal very fast, and things that can kill a human are less likely to kill us. We have excellent vision and hearing. And every shifter has a gift, something different and special.”

  “Really? What’s yours?”

  “Yeah, some are physical, some are mental, and they can be a human trait that’s enhanced or something totally supernatural. Mine’s controlling the elements.”

  “Like weather and stuff?”

  “That’s part of it.” Pausing, he concentrated hard, chuckling as she jumped at the loud clap of thunder he produced.

  “That was you?”

  “Yeah.” Holding out his hand, he focused on it, watching as a ball of fire appeared, hovering over his palm. “It’s mostly that I can control earth, air, water, and fire, like this.”

  Getting up, she moved closer, studying the fire in his palm. “That doesn’t burn you?”

  “No, but it’ll hurt others just like real fire. It doesn’t affect me because I created it. If I were to create a tornado, I could stand in the middle and not even feel a breeze from it.”

  “That’s amazing. I can’t imagine being able to do something like that.”

  Letting the fire die away, he shrugged as she moved to sit back down. “When it first started developing, I thought it was the coolest thing in the world, and I played with my abilities constantly. I guess as I got older, it became commonplace, just something I could do. Not all shifter gifts are as powerful as that, though. Some are pretty normal. Like Justin’s. His is the ability to go without sleep.”

  She smiled ruefully. “That seems pretty amazing to me. Working two jobs and going to school means I don’t have as much time to study as I’d like. And that also means I have no life, because most of my spare time is spent studying.”

  “You’re pretty amazing, you know that, right?”

  “What? Why?”

  “Because you have a dream and you’re not afraid to work for it. You even turned down a full ride because you wanted to do it yourself. You convinced me to bring you back here, where you’re in danger, just to help my cousin. And I just told you something that most would either not believe and they’d think I’m nuts, or they’d run screaming away from me as fast as they could go. And yet here you sit, calmly asking me questions about it. You’re sweet, kind, smart, talented, and you have a big heart. I can’t believe you don’t see for yourself just how amazing you are.”

  Her cheeks pinkened with a blush as she glanced down at her hands. “I’m just doing what anyone else would do.”

  He shook his head as she glanced back up, meeting his gaze. “No. You’re not. Trust me on that.”

  “Well, whether I am or not, thank you for those words. I’m not really going after my dream, though. That’s art. I’m just going after an occupation that gives me a good chance of using my dream in some small way.”

  “Either way, you’re doing everything you can to achieve your goal, so my words still stand.”

  She smiled, ducking her head, and his heart felt so full as he gazed at her. He was still in awe that she was his mate, and he didn’t think the feeling would fade any time soon. He’d imagined what his mate would be like over the years, if he was lucky enough to find her, but he couldn’t have dreamed up a woman as gorgeous and amazing as Katia.

  His imagination just wasn’t good enough for that.

  Neither was mine, his dragon whispered inside him. She’s so much more than I expected.

  He and his animal had always been in accord, but never more than in that moment, as he watched the woman he was falling for.

  Did he maybe even love her already? He’d never been in love before, so he couldn’t be sure. But his gut said if he wasn’t fully there yet, he was very close. And it didn’t bother him at all.

  He couldn’t imagine anything better than loving her—unless it was her loving him back.

  Chapter Seven

  Katia brushed her still damp hair back from her face, biting her lip as she concentrated on her newest sketch. Colton was taking his turn in the shower, and she was hoping to get this finished before he got out.

  Pausing, she studied the image, wondering how close she’d gotten it. To one side was Colton, standing with his arms crossed, cowboy hat perched on his head and a grin on his face. On the other, she was drawing his dragon—or at least what he looked like in her head.

  It was still a little mind blowing that he was a shifter, and his animal was a dragon, of all things. But it fascinated her. She thought if anyone else had told her that, she wouldn’t have believed them in a million years, or if she had, she would have been scared out of her mind.

  But she immediately believed him, and she hadn’t been a bit scared of him after learning what he was. It was a little ironic, though. The mafia was a group that very definitely existed and was real, but she never believed her uncle when he told her stories. Yet Colton told her that he was a supernatural being who shared his body with a dragon, and she never once questioned it.

  Maybe it was because she’d seen his eyes change for herself. She’d known before he told her that there was something different about him. After all, normal humans didn’t have pupils that elongated.

  It probably went a long way in making her so certain he was telling the truth, but she thought even if she hadn’t seen it, she still might believe him. She knew in her bones that he was an honest man, and he wouldn’t lie to her about something like that.

  If she’d had any doubts, though, seeing his gift would have wiped them clean. Man, what a gift! Controlling the elements would be amazing. Pausing in the middle of finishing off one of the dragon’s horns, she quickly sketched a tornado behind Colton, nodding when she saw it all together.

  She was just finishing the horn when she heard the shower shut off. Gazing at the image one more time, satisfaction filled her and she smiled as she closed the sketchbook and put it on the bedside table.

  A few moments later, he walked out of the bathroom, and she swallowed hard as she adjusted the glasses she was wearing. He was once again in just a pair of low riding pajama bottoms, and his skin was still a little damp.

  How was it possible that a man could be as good looking at him? She hadn’t thought it could be, outside of the movies and magazines.

  He glanced at her, eyebrows raising and a slow smile curling his lips up. “I didn’t know you wore glasses.”

  Reaching up, she touched the black frames self-consciously. “Only at night when my ey
es are tired, and I want to focus on something.”

  “They’re sexy as fuck on you, Katia,” he replied, his voice husky and deep.

  Her self-consciousness faded as heat filled her cheeks. What was with her blushing so much? She didn’t usually do it often, but she’d done it a lot since meeting him. “Thank you.”

  Eyes full of warmth, he winked at her, and then his gaze dropped, slowly sliding over the tank top and shorts she always slept in. When he met her gaze again, his eyes were swirling with green and yellow, and so full of heat, they nearly singed her where she sat.

  Looking away, he cleared his throat, a muscle in his jaw flexing. After inhaling deeply, he looked back over at her. “Where can I go get an extra blanket for the couch?”

  “Shoot,” she said, uncurling her legs and standing up. “I’ll go get it. It totally slipped my mind.”

  While she was walking past him, he snagged her hand, pulling her up against him. She gasped as she came in contact with his hot skin, and her hands immediately went to his chest. She’d just meant to steady herself, but she couldn’t help sliding her hands over the muscular planes, swooning inside at the feel of his skin, and the heat and desire that washed over her.

  “I think I need a kiss before you go anywhere.”

  A shiver of heat danced up her spine as she felt the rumble of his words underneath her palms. “I think you do too,” she whispered in agreement.

  “As sexy as these are, I think they’ll just get in the way,” he said, gently plucking her glasses off and sitting them on the dresser next to them.

  Leaning in, he kissed her gently and then slowly deepened it, just as he had for their first kiss. She thought she knew what to expect, that she knew how she was going to feel, but it was even more intense than it was before.

  A wave of desire nearly knocked her over, and she leaned into him more fully, needing the support as her knees weakened. He ran his tongue over her lips and she opened for him, meeting it with hers as her core tightened in response.

  What this man did to her was unbelievable. Fire was burning through her veins, and she felt like she was going to spontaneously combust at any moment. His hands dropped to her ass and he pulled her in closer, his fingers kneading the globes and making the desire she felt nearly unbearable.

  Arching her back, she pressed against his rapidly forming erection. He made a hissing growl noise, and maybe she was weird, but knowing it was because he was feeling something strong enough that it made his dragon come close to the surface only turned her on more.

  Easing back, he nipped at her bottom lip, harder than he had before, and then soothed the spot with his tongue. “Keep that up and I won’t be able to let you go anywhere.”

  “And maybe I don’t need to,” she replied breathlessly as she met his kaleidoscope green eyes. “I’m thinking that bed is definitely big enough for the both of us.”

  The desire in his gaze flared hotter and he immediately walked her backward to the king bed, not stopping until the backs of her knees touched the mattress. “You’ll get no argument from me on that one, sweetheart.”

  A smile slowly spread across her face and she pushed him a few steps back. Confusion filled his gaze but before he could say anything, she climbed on the bed. Once she was settled, she crooked her finger at him.

  “What are you waiting for?”

  Sucking in a breath, he ran his gaze over her slowly, and she swore she felt it like he was physically touching her. Meeting her gaze, he climbed onto the bed and crawled toward her, keeping eye contact with her the whole time. Her core clenched tightly again as desire and butterflies mixed together in her belly.

  She eased down on the pillows as he crawled over her, resting his weight on his elbows as he framed her face with his hands. Immediately pressing his lips to hers, he kissed her deeply as he eased his body onto hers. She gasped as she felt his body come into contact fully with hers, arching her back to press against him tighter.

  Easing out of the kiss, he slid his mouth across her cheek to her ear and then licked and nipped his way down her neck. Rolling her head to the side, she gave him better access, moaning as he lightly bit down on the tendon of her neck and shoulder.

  His other hand trailed down her side, his thumb lightly brushing the side of her breast, and then he paused on her hip before making his way back up. This time, he cupped it fully, his hand big enough that he nearly covered the whole globe.

  He groaned deep in his chest as he kneaded it, his words muffled against her neck. “I knew you weren’t wearing a bra. Fuck, Katia.”

  She smiled with satisfaction at the clearly strained tone in his voice, but the next moment, she let out a groan of her own as he rubbed his thumb over her nipple. He pressed kisses to her skin, slowly making his way across her chest, sliding his tongue across the skin above her tank top.

  Easing back, he pulled it down until it was caught underneath her breasts, his breath stalling as he gazed at her. “You’re so fucking gorgeous.”

  Before she had a chance to reply, he leaned down and flicked her nipple with his tongue before sucking it into his mouth. Gasping, she shut her eyes tightly as sensations exploded inside her. It felt like there was a direct line from her nipple to her clit, and every pull of his mouth set off fireworks inside her.

  Shifting his weight, he trailed his hand down her stomach, slipping it inside her shorts as his mouth switched to her other nipple. Anticipation flooded her veins as he paused for a never-ending moment, and she was just about to demand he move when he finally did, cupping her mound.

  She’d tried to prepare herself for how it’d feel when his fingers slipped inside and rubbed her swollen nub, but she never could have prepared for that. A strong wave of pleasure washed over her, and she was glad she was lying down, because it would have knocked her on her ass if she’d been standing.

  His fingers circled her clit and then he dipped a finger inside her, pulling it out and adding a second. Her back arched off the bed as he pumped them slowly in and out, and then he returned to her clit, flicking it just as he lightly bit her nipple.

  She cried out, unable to help herself, and his fingers moved faster and harder, until he finally rubbed directly over her nub. Pleasure burst over her and she exploded, flying apart as her body shuddered in an orgasm more intense than she’d ever felt.

  When she finally floated back to the ground, Colton was kissing his way up her heaving chest, then sliding his mouth up her neck, his beard lightly tickling her skin. He pressed a light kiss to her lips and she sighed, her body shuddering one more time.

  “Colt…”

  “Yes, love?” he murmured, nuzzling her neck.

  Her heart warmed at his endearment at the same time she finally became aware of his erection, hard and, well, large, against her hip. Reaching down, she wrapped her fingers around it best she could through his pants, and he groaned, bucking into her hand.

  Whatever she’d been intending to say earlier flew out of her mind at the feel of him in her palm. Moving her hand up, she slid it inside his pants and boxer briefs, finally wrapping her fingers fully around him, skin to skin.

  He was silky soft and so hard at the same time, and her fingers didn’t even meet as she slowly pumped her hand a few times. He groaned again, his eyes tightly closed, and when he opened them, they were kaleidoscope green and yellow, pupils fully elongated.

  “Enough of that,” he said, his voice gravelly as he pulled out of her grip. “I’m way too close to the edge.”

  Smiling, she gently pushed him away, sitting up and pulling off her tank top. “Then what are you waiting for?”

  He gave a guttural groan as he took her in, and she hooked her thumbs into her shorts and panties, pulling them off too. He ran his eyes up and down her body, and when he met her eyes again, the heat in his gaze sent a fresh wave of desire through her body.

  The way this man could make her feel with just a look was un-freakin’-believable.

  He rolled off the bed and pu
lled his pajama bottoms down and stepped out of them, and her breath caught as she saw all of him. God, he was so gorgeous. Her eyes caught on his reception, long and thick, standing proudly, and her middle clenched.

  Holding him in her hand was one thing—seeing him was a whole different ballgame.

  He climbed back onto the bed, settling over her, and she let her legs fall open, gasping as his hardness brushed her center. Fire shot straight through her veins, and he leaned down to kiss her as he took himself in hand, rubbing his dick through her folds, coating himself in her wetness.

  Every time the head bumped her clit, it sent sparks flying through her, and she gasped as pleasure lit up her nerve endings.

  He nipped at her bottom lip—fuck, she loved when he did that—and then pulled back, gazing into her eyes. His were full dragon, so freakin’ beautiful, and it turned her on even more. He settled himself at her entrance and then ever so slowly pushed inside.

  It’d been a while for her, and she appreciated him going slowly as she felt herself stretching to accommodate him. But the stretch felt amazing, and as much as she probably needed him to go slowly, she didn’t want it.

  She wanted him buried deeply inside her. Right. Now.

  When he was a little more than halfway inside, he paused, leaning down to kiss her passionately. When he pulled pack, he thrust inside her with a powerful push of his hips, and her eyes rolled back in her head. It was a tiny bit painful, but it felt amazing, and pleasure sparked her nerve endings.

  He eased out and then thrust forcefully back in, and she moaned as her fingernails dug into his back. That was the rhythm he set, speeding up in increments, until he was rocking forcefully into her. She wrapped her legs around his waist and lifted her hips to meet his thrusts, the sensations he was inspiring inside her nearly overwhelming her.

  Rearing back, he put one strong arm under her ass and lifted her up, changing the angle of his thrusts. She moaned as he hit a spot inside her with every thrust that sent pleasure rocketing through her, and then when he set his thumb against her clit and rubbed, that was all it took.