He moved to stand, but Gaby took his hand. "Before she comes out, will you have sex with me, Ryan?"
He searched her gaze. While his dick shouted yes, he didn't want to hurt her. One orgasm didn't make up for the way he'd claimed her virginity. "Are you sure? If you need to rest, I understand."
She stood and placed a hand on his chest. As she lightly traced shapes on his skin, even more blood rushed south. She answered, "Yes. This can be my first time. Before was my dragon's, but now it's my turn."
Damn, he loved that she asked for what she wanted, without embarrassment. He kissed her quickly and turned off the water. "Then let's hurry. I won't take you in the shower for your first time." He winked. "I'll save that for later, when you can handle me being a little rough."
She snorted. "I thought being near tile was a concussion danger zone, or something?"
His eyes turned heated. "Not if I'm in charge, your dragon is contained, and I'm taking you against the wall."
"Oh," she murmured.
Grabbing a towel, he quickly dried her off and then himself. Without another word, he scooped her up and exited the bathroom. She stated, "I can walk, you know."
"Of course you can. But let me show a little strength to try and impress my dragonwoman. I can handle you being stronger than me, but not by much."
She caressed his bicep. "Oh, I know. And eventually, I'll lick every one of your muscles, too."
His cock let out another drop of moisture.
He had no idea how Gabriela Santos knew exactly the right thing to turn him on, but she did. Every time.
Laying her on the bed, he crawled over her. "Ready, my lady?"
She smiled. "Why yes, my dear knight." She lowered her voice. "Just don't try to kill the dragon, okay?"
He chuckled and leaned down, closer to her lips. "Never. I need you in one piece."
His mind added, For many years to come.
Pushing aside where the hell that had come from, he closed the distance and took Gaby's lips again.
Not for the first time, Gaby was glad her true mate was human and not a dragon-shifter.
If she had kissed a dragon-shifter true mate, then they'd still be going at it, at the whimsy of one beast or the other, both of them probably unable to control their dragons long enough to do what had just happened in the shower.
Never had Gaby imagined a simple shower being so damn erotic.
Ryan may be a little more considerate than she'd expected, but holy hell, he knew how to use his tongue and make her scream.
And as he framed her body, on his hands and knees above her on the bed, she burned to have him inside her. Any lingering pain be damned.
Then he kissed her, and Gaby reached up to pull him down, loving the feel of his weight and heat over her.
She consciously parted her legs farther, loving how his hard dick pressed against her belly. It took everything she had not to raise her hips and beg.
Not just because she pulsed between her thighs, either. Her dragon had stopped fighting, almost as if she would stay calm as long as they were having sex.
Which suited Gaby just fine. This was her first time, not her dragon's.
Ryan released her lips and kissed her forehead, her cheek, her jaw, and the side of her neck before murmuring, "Why does it feel as if I could never get enough of you? Do you have some sort of spell over me?"
She ran her hands down his back until she could grip his muscled ass in her hands. "No, dragons don't have magical powers or special pheromones. Those are all silly rumors, probably started by dragon groupies to explain their behavior."
Ryan lightly bit where her shoulder met her neck, and Gaby arched her back, loving how her hard nipples pressed against his firm chest.
He moved down, flicking his tongue against her nipple. "I almost want to call you a liar, but I'll just put it up to you being the woman I was waiting for this whole time."
She was aware—just barely, as she had trouble breathing whenever Ryan flicked her nipple with his tongue—how it was probably just the sex making him say that, but she didn't care. "Then show me just how much you want that kind of female, the one meant for you."
His hand snaked down to between her thighs. As he stroked her opening, she parted her legs even more, loving his long fingers against her most sensitive flesh. He growled. "You're so fucking wet already."
"For you, Ryan. I want you."
He gently pressed a finger inside her. While she vaguely recognized some soreness, the more he gently thrust, the harder it was to recognize anything but how good it felt.
And to think, she'd waited so damn long for this kind of closeness. Her make-out sessions had never included penetration of any sort.
Ryan added a second finger, kissing her as he did so, to the point Gaby moved her hips to get him even deeper inside her.
Yes, this is what sex was supposed to feel like. Needing, aching, and a building pleasure that would send her over the edge.
Ryan finally removed his fingers and placed his cock at her center. He deepened his kiss, stroking her tongue, letting her know how much he wanted her.
Gaby pressed against his hard ass, urging him to enter. She wanted—no, needed—to have him inside her or she'd burst.
Inch by slow inch, he filled her, loving how he let her relish the fullness, getting used to him. It still hurt a little, but she hid it. Because no way in hell did she want Ryan to stop now.
When he finally was inside to the hilt, he kissed her again at the same time his thumb brushed against her clit. She moaned into his mouth and he kept up the torture of both his tongue in her mouth and his thumb on her clit.
Soon she arched her hips, wanting more, done with him staying still. She broke the kiss and said, "Move, Ryan. I need you to move."
To accentuate her words, she arched her hips and clenched her inner muscles. Ryan sucked in a breath. "Fuck, Gaby, I'm not going to last if you do that too much more."
She squeezed him again. "Then start moving or I'll keep teasing you."
With a growl, his hips pulled back and thrust forward slowly, all the while never stopping his thumb on her sensitive bundle of nerves. Between his cock and his wicked caresses, Gaby felt only pleasure and no pain.
But she needed to be a part of it, too, and so she moved her hips to meet his, loving how it made him reach a little deeper inside her, stroking her need even more.
Ryan continued the motion of his hips, his pace increasing with each thrust, and Gaby dug her nails into his ass, careful not to accidentally extend a talon.
Her human male was many things, but he would never heal as quickly as a dragon-shifter. And she needed him in one piece to face her dragon again.
Said male took her lips again, almost as if he needed to feel as much of her heat as possible.
Each motion made the pressure build more, making her skin burn in a good way, and both woman and dragon wanting the pleasure that was so, so close.
Her male never let her up for air and he claimed her mouth and core. Her clit throbbed, needing more than just a light stroking. And as if reading her mind, Ryan pressed down on her clit and she screamed into his mouth, pleasure erupting into her body, sending her into a kind of euphoria where she almost felt like she was floating.
Ryan gave one final thrust and stilled, his tongue still tangling with hers as he groaned and joined her.
When he finally finished, he released her mouth and collapsed on top of her, laying his head on her shoulder.
Both of them breathed heavily, trying to catch their breaths. Her first time with Ryan was such a contrast to that of her dragon's. They hadn't merely fucked. No, it'd felt more like making love.
Not that love was on the table.
Yet.
Although for the first time, Gaby was starting to think maybe fate had picked the right male for her after all.
She lifted a hand to his head and lightly ran her fingers through his hair. She blurted, "That was good, really good."
He looked up at her, those dangerously sexy hazel eyes making her want to claim him all over again. "So it ranked up to your expectation of your own first time?"
Moving her fingers, she traced his jaw, loving the slight stubble there. "And then some."
Ryan took her other hand and threaded his fingers through hers. "I don't want to hurt you again, Gaby. But I can't stop your dragon, once she comes out again."
"I know." She squeezed his hand. "But I think it'll be okay now. And besides, the sooner I'm pregnant, the sooner we can maybe have an actual conversation."
He chuckled. "So you do want me for more than my cock, huh?"
A possessiveness coursed through her—one she'd never felt before. "Yes."
At the fierceness of her words, he sat up a little to better see her face before he said, "I want you to know right here, right now, that no matter what happens in the coming days—weeks?—I will be around to help raise our kid."
Gaby wanted more than a sense of duty, but knew it was soon, way too soon to expect anything else from him.
Still, she couldn't help but tease, "You'll just have to survive my family first. Because if you can't handle them, then you don't stand a chance with our kid."
Just saying "our kid" made her belly flip in a good way.
Ryan raised his brows. "Trust me, if I can deal with my sister, I can deal with anyone."
She snorted. "You may think so, but my family is close, really close, and it's not unusual to have twenty or thirty people at my parents' house for dinner. And subtlety is not an art form that either the Santos or Garcia families are known for."
The corner of his mouth kicked up. "Well, that's a lot different than what the TV is always saying about dragon-shifters being private and almost hermit-like. The more I learn, the more I think you're a lot like humans."
She lightly bopped his nose. "Except for the small detail of us being able to shift into dragons."
He moved up until his face was a few inches from hers. "And I can't wait to see yours. I'm sure you're the prettiest dragon, too, even if I don't know what color she is."
"Gold." The compliment stirred Gaby's beast and she knew it wouldn't be long before her dragon came out and took control again. So she added quickly, "I see you're already trying to get on my dragon's good side. And before she comes out again, I'll let you know that usually she's my best friend and would never try to hurt me. However, the frenzy does things to our inner beasts, things they can't control, either." She bit her lip and said, "If you can find a way to win her over, too, then it might help in the long run."
He cupped her cheek. "I'll try, but ADDA doesn't exactly hand out how-to books when it comes to wooing a dragon."
"You seem resourceful. I'm sure you'll figure it out. Although two small tips—she loves compliments and dirty sex. So, really, when with her, do your worst. She'll love it."
"Well, then, I guess I'll have to get creative."
As he smiled at her, she admired how brave he was. She didn't think many human males would take a mate-claim frenzied dragon so easily.
Speaking of her beast, she stirred inside the mental prison again. So Gaby closed the distance between her and Ryan, needing to kiss him for as long as she could before her dragon broke free.
Ryan pulled her close, into his lap, and tilted her head for better access. She moaned, wishing she could have him make love to her again.
However, the pounding inside her mind grew, to the point she knew her dragon would burst free any second. So Gaby broke the kiss to say, "She's coming, Ryan. Get ready," before her beast took charge of their mind and jumped their human again without warning. A little less frenzied than before, but not by much.
Still, her human male managed to handle her beast almost as well as he had her human side.
And it made her want to get to know him all the more.
Weird as it was to think it, she couldn't get pregnant fast enough. Only then would she regain control and be able to finally date the father of her child.
Chapter Five
Days and days later—Ryan had lost count after about day five—he awoke, feeling every twinge in his body.
He loved sex as much as the next guy, but a sex marathon was a lot more work than anyone realized.
It was a miracle he didn't have cock burns by this point.
But then he looked over, finding Gaby awake and smiling at him, and her smile erased every ache in his body. He rolled over to cup her cheek and kiss her gently. "Good morning, I think?"
"Yes, it's still morning, but only just."
She studied him a second and only the smile on her face prevented him from worrying. "What is it?"
"Well, I don't know how else to put this, but it's happened. My dragon suspected, and the special pregnancy test confirmed it—we're having a baby."
He blinked as she took his hand and placed it over her lower belly. Ryan stared at their hands, fully aware that had been the goal, but this was reality.
As long as everything went right, he'd be a father in about nine months' time.
With a whoop, he rolled Gaby to her back and kissed her, slipping his tongue into her mouth and stroking hers slowly, possessively, letting her know he wanted all of this. The baby, them being parents, and him with her.
Well, maybe the last part wasn't settled yet, but he was going to work on it.
He finally let them both up for air and Gaby searched his eyes. "So you're still happy about this, huh?"
"Happy? Baby, that doesn't even begin to describe what I'm feeling. This will be our adventure, one that's going to last a long, long time."
She moved a hand to his hair and lightly played with it. He wanted to lean into her touch but didn't dare break his gaze with the mother of his child.
The woman he wanted to be his wife, if she'd let him.
Wait, wife? Ryan expected panic to set in at the word, but only a sense of rightness settled over him. He had a feeling that if fate had said she was his mate, then he'd have a good chance with her, better than he'd had before.
So now his plan included wooing and wedding his dragon lady.
Gaby kissed his cheek and then tried to roll away. However, Ryan held her close, asking, "Do we really have to leave this bed yet?"
She snorted. "After being in this bed nonstop for about ten days, you want to stay some more?"
He brushed hair away from her cheek. "I just want some time with you, Gabriela Santos. As much as I've come to like your dragon, I want some time alone with your human side."
"Well, I could wait an hour or two before calling ADDA and my clan." She raised her brows. "Although fair warning—I want food above sex right now."
He grinned. "Well, it's a good thing I can make a mean bacon and eggs. If there's any downstairs, that is. It's not like we've had a lot of time to check out the fridge."
She laughed, and his good mood went even higher. She said, "I'm not sure, but let's go find out? I hope there's more than ketchup and moldy cheese, though."
She slipped out from under him, grabbed a robe, and raced out of the room.
Oh, she wanted to play chase, did she? Ryan ran after her, snagging his boxers and tugging them on along the way. He caught up with her at the bottom of the stairs and hauled her back against his front. As he nuzzled her cheek, he murmured, "Gotcha."
She giggled, and the sound made him grin. Gaby said, "I let you catch me."
"Did you now?"
She looked over her shoulder, to meet his gaze. "Dragon-shifters can run faster than most humans, and I'm not just any dragon-shifter. Part of my job requires lots of drills and training. You don't stand a chance against me, human."
He hugged her tighter against his chest. "Once we're both rested, we may need to put that statement of yours to the test. Being a programmer may not require as much physical training as your job, but I've spent a lot of time in my home gym over the last two years. I may beat you yet."
She tilted her head and tapped her chin. "Hm, if you're nice
to me, I might even give you a head start and then maybe you'll have a chance to best me."
He twirled her around and placed one hand on her ass and the other on the nape of her neck. "We'll see, Gaby. I may surprise you."
She sucked in a breath, her pupils flashing, right before she wiggled out of his hold—making his cock more than ready again—and dashed toward the kitchen.
Chuckling, he went after her, hoping he'd get more than an hour alone with his dragon lady. He wanted more, so much more.
Gaby rushed into the kitchen and dashed to the far side of the island in the center. Seconds later, Ryan entered and headed toward her.
She could probably evade him indefinitely if she really wanted, but both woman and beast craved the will-he-or-won't-he chase.
Her human may never be able to follow her into the air, but as he circled and mirrored her actions around the kitchen island, she didn't care.
This, right here, was what she'd always wanted. A male who was sexy as hell in bed but also playful out of it.
The only thing left was to see if he could stand up to her family and the others on PineRock.
Normally her dragon would pipe up with an opinion, but her inner beast was too tired to say anything. But Gaby didn't worry. Frenzies tended to wear dragons out and make them a little more complacent for a few days after, or so her brother had said.
Not wanting to think about her brother and allow reality to invade quite yet, she darted in the opposite direction, straight for Ryan. She jumped into his arms and he caught her, hugging her against his body. He grinned as he said, "Giving up while you still can, darling?"
Looping her arms around his neck, she grinned back. "You can think that way, if it helps to stroke your ego. But one day you'll see me at full force, I'll win, and then I’m going to collect a prize from you."
"A prize, huh?" He nuzzled her cheek. "I'm not enough of a prize?"
She leaned into his caress. "You're a great prize, but competition and small bets make things more interesting."
He leaned back to look into her eyes. At the amusement in his gaze, she wanted to jump onto the counter and ask him to take her all over again.
The Dragon's Need (Tahoe Dragon Mates Book 2) Page 4