by Eliza Gayle
He tore his mouth from hers and looked down at her. The previous glimpses of lust and need were nothing compared to the blaze in his eyes now. Whatever shield she had tried to maintain to keep this situation simple, disintegrated under the force of his hot stare.
“Goddess, Kenzie, you are literally going to kill me.” His hoarse voice sent a zing all the way to her toes. “You need this. Hell, I know I need this. But I’m so twisted up over you and what this means, I’m not sure we’ll both come out of this okay at the other end.”
His breath caressed her lips with every uttered word. All she could think about was the delicious heat and what it meant. She knew there was something she was supposed to say in a moment like this, but she couldn’t think of it for anything. Nothing beyond the desire currently consuming every living cell of her body. He’d done that. He’d awakened something in her and it had grown to the point there was no stuffing it back into the proverbial box.
She had to see this through.
“Please don’t stop now.” There was nothing else she could say. To put a halt to this now—well, she feared there’d be no recovery.
He breathed out on a shudder that vibrated against her skin, and he pressed his lips to hers once again.
While no less urgent, this kiss was nothing like their first. In his office they’d come together under stress and impulsive needs. With no thought of anything other than a compulsion to be together. This time it was still as exhilarating and stunning as before, but they no longer felt like strangers. Every touch, every bite, and every kiss felt intentional despite the temporary nature of their relationship.
For just one night she was prepared to surrender to the undeniable attraction that held her enthralled.
Kenzie pulled back from the kiss and blinked up at him. “I need you to be my first.” She had no idea why she continued to bring that embarrassing fact up, but for whatever reason she wanted him to know just how important this was to her. It would never be forgotten.
A low, quiet groan rumbled from his chest, making her shudder against him. Good Goddess, but that was hot.
“As far as I’m concerned, that makes you mine.” Before she could respond he lowered his mouth back to hers and whatever question or comments still in her mind disappeared. Instead she was lost in the scent and feel of her wolf. His conviction in what he wanted from her was a powerful aphrodisiac that fed every desire and need consuming her.
Another groan from him and the kiss deepened, making her feel like he was drowning in her every bit as much as she drowned in him. It was obvious as they continued to press against each other that some barrier between them was dissolving. A fact she couldn’t—or wouldn’t—face right now.
They were no longer two people, unknown to the other. Something much deeper was happening and they were both helpless to stop it. All while lips clashed and hands fisted in each other’s clothes.
Fuck.
She hated obstacles.
Kenzie pulled on her magic and in an instant they were both naked and pressed skin to skin. That low growl of his increased and the heat of his erection was suddenly pushed against her inner thigh.
“Don’t move,” he commanded, his voice taking on a gruff, gravely tone that made it hard not to melt on the spot. She froze in position—that being the position of his cock pressed against the most sensitive spot on her body.
“Simon,” she started to protest and stopped. There was a look in his eyes that in no uncertain terms let her know that he was in charge now, not her.
She didn’t normally take orders well, but there was something about that look, or about him, that made her make an exception. She also didn’t want him to stop and was willing to do just about anything to prevent it.
“I don’t want to hurt you. You are far too precious to me for that. We need to go slow.”
She pulled her brows together because she didn’t understand why he thought she needed kid gloves. Then she realized it was her own fault.
“I’m a virgin, not dumb, Simon. I’ve been to University, I’m well read, I’m more than capable of any diplomatic mission I could be tasked with as well as a warrior fully capable of taking on any front line enemy that dares to threaten my family. But you don’t think I know what I’m getting into with sex?” She laughed. “I have a box of sex toys at home that would make you blush six ways to Sunday if you saw them. I’m not a virgin by choice, but by design. My family name made it all but impossible for me. Doesn’t mean I don’t know how to take care of business. Needs are needs.”
By the time she finally shut up, his growls had turned downright feral. His eyes were also glowing gold with just a tinge of blue left around the edges. “You are treading on dangerous ground, Kenzie,” he said on a hoarse whisper.
“Am I?” She tried to pretend she didn’t know, but failed. Her breathing was as erratic as his. “Do it,” she dared, hoping her teasing him didn’t backfire.
“We should have went to my place. I at least have a bed. You deserve more than a quick fuck against a wall in a crumbling pile of rocks.”
She followed his gaze around the long abandoned great room of her family’s home. “I don’t need a bed, but if it makes you feel better.” She reached for her magic once again and conjured a luxurious bed like the one she used back in Scotland. In fact, all the details were the same right down to the exquisite and very expensive sheets she preferred for sleeping.
His arm tightened around her back as he lifted her and tossed her onto the plush mattress, following her down at the same time. “If it’s so easy for you to create whatever you want with magic, why not go ahead and use it to fully restore the castle? Why make do with the much smaller house Galen is staying in?”
Kenzie breathed through the rush of need having his weight press down on her caused. Now was not the time for remodeling conversations. “It doesn’t quite work like that. The magical stuff isn’t exactly real.”
He shifted his leg to push hers farther apart, making it easier for his hand to run the full length of the inside of her thigh. “This bed feels pretty real to me.”
She gasped when his fingers reached the apex of her thighs and he slid one of them inside her. “It’s only temporary,” she panted. “When I leave the area, so will my magic. And while it’s simple enough to make some clothes or a bed appear, an entire castle is far outside the scope of my power.”
When he grazed the perfect spot, she arched into his hand for more.
“Hold still,” he growled, removing the pressure he’d begun to apply.
She whimpered, partly in frustration and partly because she knew he wanted something from her that it wouldn’t be easy to give—her submission.
Although she did try to keep still. She definitely couldn’t handle him stopping now as the desire and need flamed through her blood, threatening to explode at any moment.
“I’m going to make you come first, beautiful. Not only do I want to watch you come apart underneath me, but it will make this much easier for you.”
She could have protested, but why? He was offering her everything she’d ever wanted and he seemed intent on not taking no for an answer. Instead she reached out and touched him, her hands running along the hard slabs of muscle that covered his chest and shoulders.
The feel of his strength made her itch for more. She wondered if every man felt like this and promptly decided they could not. Simon was unique. Perfect. Made for her.
She tried to shut that thought out and couldn’t. The more he stroked, the higher she climbed and the knowledge of what he was to her solidified.
Mate.
Kenzie squirmed, struggling with the feelings and sensations Simon’s touch created inside her. The pressure that was building was enough alone to make her want to scream. He wasn’t just going to make her come. He was going to make her COME!
She stared into his eyes, afraid to look away and miss one single moment. Especially when his blue eyes turned golden with the glow of the wolf. They were both
shifters and she understood what it meant to have those two sides always competing for control. She also knew that when the two halves co-existed in equal states, it was about the sweetest place to be.
Was that where he was now?
“I see your wolf,” she gasped as his finger stroked her sweet spot.
His cock jerked against her thigh and her heart skipped a beat as she thought about all of that inside of her. Shifters didn’t shy away from nudity and she’d seen her fair share of naked males, but good Goddess she might as well have never seen a single one because they simply didn’t compare to—him.
She tightened her fingers deep into his flesh as her inner muscles began to contract. She tried to wait. To make it last a bit longer, but she’d never felt anything this incredible.
“Go with it, beautiful. Let me see you come.” The guttural command sent shivers along her skin as her body detonated in waves of intense pleasure. If that wasn’t enough to begin with, Simon moved so quick, spreading her legs wider and lowered his face to her core. Where he proceeded to lap at her pussy and lick up all the slickness his touch had caused.
Her hands grabbed at his shoulders, her fingers curling and her nails scraping against his back. Her orgasm bombarded her with continued ecstasy and his name tumbled from her lips in an endless stream. As he continued to work her over, she bucked her hips for more and it threatened to become too much, until finally the convulsions began to subside.
Yet, she still wanted more. So much so it was easy to see that he could become an addiction. If he wasn’t already.
As her brain tumbled a million different thoughts through her mind, Simon lifted his head and returned to his knees. She followed the lines of his body until her gaze clashed with the long, thick cock jutting in her direction.
She thickly swallowed as the enormity of what they were about to do slammed into her. He’d warned her that he wouldn’t just walk away and she’d chosen to ignore that warning in favor of this one night.
And she didn’t care. That realization crystalized in her brain as he leaned toward her with his hand fisted around his cock, a spot of precum leaking from the tip.
Yes.
She wanted more.
Even if that meant he would never settle for once.
He pressed the head to her entrance and stopped. “Tell me this is what you want, Kenzie. I need to hear you say that you need this as much as I do. That you understand that you are mine.”
Nothing could have stopped her from having him. No words. No threats. No responsibilities.
She nodded and that must have been good enough for him. He slid his hand up her belly to grasp a nipple between his fingers as he pressed into her nice and slow.
She gasped and tried to squirm for more, and yet he continued torturously slow. Her inner muscles clenched as another orgasm began to roll through her before he was even half way in.
“Simon!” She knifed upward until she could sink her teeth into his jaw.
On a deep growl, he slammed home with one thrust as the release tore through her in continued waves. She couldn’t think, only react as everything became a blur. Teeth. Fingers. Cock. Pussy. He may have lifted her legs over his shoulders, but she couldn’t be sure. She truly felt blinded by pleasure as he pounded into her.
Every angle. Every thrust took him deeper than the last. And then he was on her sweet spot and all was lost. She exploded again while Simon never stopped. There were screams, although even those sounded disembodied as he rocked into her one last time as a fierce roar ripped from his lungs.
Her eyes widened as she felt the pulses of his release. Her fingers dug into his back as she begged him to get closer. Not an easy feat with their sweat slickened skin. Although they both clung to each other to attempt that very thing.
By the time her mind came back into her actual brain, they had both collapsed against the bed. She released the death grip she had on his arms and winced at the deep rivulets she’d caused with her nails.
“Sorry,” she whispered.
“For what?” He raised up on his elbows and looked down at her.
“I might have gotten a wee rough. You’ve got holes in your arms from these.” She wiggled her fingers in front of him.
“Holy shit, Kenzie. You think I care about that? Fuck. That was insane. I need to breathe for a minute, but then you’re going to have to do that again.”
Warmth bloomed in her chest and it had nothing to do with physical activity. There were so many reasons why this night couldn’t be repeated. She had to tell him. If she didn’t he would never relent. Maybe the truth would get to him.
“I know what you’re thinking and you need to stop. I told you. You are mine and I meant it. This only made me more certain. Now give me a kiss and make sure you mean it.”
She couldn’t believe it when a giggle slipped from her lips. He was making her lose her mind. There was simply no other explanation. Soon she would have to ruin it all. But couldn’t she take a minute to pretend? Just a minute to revel in his power and strength and ability to make her nearly pass out from pleasure?
Yes, yes she could.
Because reality was coming soon enough and it was going to rip her heart out—again.
Chapter Eighteen
“What do you mean dragons don’t have a problem with breeding more dragons? I thought there weren’t many fertile females? Won’t you eventually die out if you don’t find a solution?”
“No,” she said, staring off into the distance below them. “Shifters and humans are compatible, as you’ve no doubt learned. Shifter DNA is far dominant to human DNA and that allows shifters to have shifter babies. They might be birthed by human women, but they are shifters in every respect. So our general population has grown steadily while in Scotland.”
“Okay. So why the big deal about you mating with a different shifter? You have five brothers, right? They should have no problem carrying on the family line. Provided they can find humans that will have them.”
She laughed, a beautiful sound that made his body tighten with desire to sweep her back to the pretend bed still sitting in the middle of the room.
“You don’t strike me as that naïve, Simon. When have you ever found anything about shifters to be that easy?”
He pulled his lips into a tight line. He couldn’t ever remember a time when shifter life was what anyone would call easy. While they had good times and bad, certain situations always seemed to go from bad to worse and that stress caused a lot of fighting amongst the clans which inevitably lead to war. “There’s a catch, isn’t there?”
It was her turn to frown and he hated seeing the light disappear from her face. “There is always a catch. And sometimes those exceptions are taught to us in the most painful of ways.”
Sadness filled her voice as he glimpsed something he expected came with a lot of pain. “I didn’t mean to bring up something that would cause you pain. I only wanted to explore why the woman I have come to care for can’t become my mate.”
Her eyes closed and he swore he saw moisture gathering at their corners. Fuck. He was somehow saying all the wrong things.
“I know what you’re thinking, Simon. And I wish it were an option. But if you take nothing else from all of this you must understand that what we have together has gone as far as it can. Even if we both wanted it to happen, it just can’t.”
A surge of anger whipped through his blood. He was so sick and tired of people telling him about what “can’t” happen. He balled his hands into fists and stalked across the room away from her and the back again.
“I’ve devoted my entire life to finding the impossible solutions. Nothing is impossible. Tell me why and I will do whatever it takes to find a resolution. Use me. I’m certain I can help. I did it before, I can do it again.” He hesitated, taking a deep breath as the trace of humor he’d felt dissolved. “You need to take this seriously, Kenzie, because I’m not walking away from this. Not now. Not ever. It’s too fucking important.”
&
nbsp; Her visible cringe made his stomach cramp.
“Trust me. I am taking this seriously. You think I can’t feel the bond trying to form between us? This is going to hurt me as much as it hurts you. But I’m not stupid. I KNOW the truth and the truth is we CAN. NOT. BE. TOGETHER.”
“Then you need to fucking tell me because I’m ready to tear this castle down piece by fucking piece if I have to.” He stepped close to her and drew her into his arms, stomach to stomach, chest to chest. “Tell me why.”
He could see that whatever she was holding back had etched pain across her face and he hated that. But as much as it hurt him to see her hurt, he needed her honesty more. “Tell me,” he repeated, this time putting the thread of steel only an Alpha possessed into his words. While she was dragon, with abilities that far outweighed his, she was not an Alpha. And he hoped that with the bond already formed between them, because fuck her assertion it was ‘trying’ to happen, she’d feel a compulsion to answer him.
“That’s not fair,” she hissed at him.
“Fuck fair. I want a damned answer.”
She glared at him, her anger evident. But he didn’t back down. She was far too important to roll over and give up.
“My parents didn’t have six children. They had seven.”
He reared back, completely confused. “What the hell does that have to do with us?”
“Do you want the story or not? If so, then shut up and let me tell it.”
He wisely closed his mouth.
“In addition to myself and my five brothers, I had a sister. A beautiful, sweet and loving woman and a rare white dragon. Goddess, she was so beautiful. My mother always used to tell me that when I was born, Fiona refused to let my mother care for me. She insisted that it was her duty to raise me. Apparently they used to fight about it and inevitably she would win because one of my bone headed brothers would cause some sort of trouble that my mother would need to take care of and force her to leave me in Fiona’s care. Needless to say, we were close. Unlike me, however, she was perfect in every way.”