Fire Breathing Blaise (Dragons of the Bayou Book 3)

by Candace Ayers

  I offered her a smile, the torn remnants of Remy’s shirt hanging from my closed fist. “He smells bad. You do not want to sit next to him.”

  Her cheeks darkened with a tinge of blush as she glanced up and met my gaze. Beautiful eyes of the darkest brown with thick, dark lashes surrounding them held my stare, and her full lips parted in such a way that I could almost feel the soft, inaudible gasp that escaped them.

  When I shifted to face her, my knee brushed her leg. Electricity coursed to the spot where we’d connected, and I sucked in a shaky breath. Flaming scales, that was intense.

  “Hello. I am Blaise.” Your future.

  Her hands flew up to cover her cheeks, and she stammered. “Is it warm in here? I mean, yeah, it is warm in here. That’s why my cheeks are heated. It’s stifling hot in here.”

  I bit my bottom lip as I watched her mouth tumble around her quick words. Her lips were splendid. Fuller and wider on the top, they begged to be kissed and stroked.

  “My name is Blaise.” Had I already said that?

  She pressed those extraordinary lips tightly closed for a moment and nodded. “Of course. I’m Chyna.”

  I held out my hand, hoping to touch her—needing to touch her—and nearly groaned when her small, delicate hand slipped into mine. Buzzing started behind my eyes and traveled all the way to my feet before centering in my dick. Her skin was so soft, and when she leaned into me, I could smell her sweet, chocolatey aroma even more. It was a game of torture. How long was I supposed to wait before I yanked her into my lap and sucked that top lip into my mouth? I should have studied human mating behaviors like Cezar had. Then, I might know what to do, what to say, how to behave.

  “Well, Blaise, I see you’ve met my new friend.” Armand looked like he wanted to pout, but finally just shrugged. “We have been getting acquainted discussing her job and…”

  I’ll shred you like a napkin if you do not shut up. As I quickly glanced at Armand, I forced a fake smile so Chyna did not think I was rude. I focused back on her to gauge her reaction, hoping she was not uncomfortable. She’d been sitting alone with Armand, and now there were two more huge men sitting with her, myself included, blocking her in and sitting maybe a little too closely.

  Like she’d read my mind, she lightly touched my forearm. “I’m going to run to the restroom, if you’ll let me out.”

  I jumped into action, leaping out of the booth, pausing when we were standing side by side. She was slender, and tall for a woman, but still much shorter than me. I fought the beast within that was telling me to lift her into my arms and run out with her. I had listened to some of what Cezar had preached to us about mating rituals in this world, so I knew I had to…what was the phrase he used? Ah, yes, play it cool.

  “I’ll be right back.”

  I watched her derrière sway as she crossed the bar and then turned back to Remy and Armand.

  “Mine. She is my mate! What do I do now, for fire’s sake?”

  3

  Chyna

  I yanked my phone out of my purse as soon as I stepped into the bathroom and called Cherry. She didn’t answer the first time, but that didn’t stop me from calling her again, right away. Still no answer. Not until I tried another three times. I needed her input.

  When she finally picked up, she was out of breath and swearing. “You better be dying right now, Chyna.”

  “I met a dragon. Three of them. I’m thinking of sleeping with one of them.”

  “What?!” She barked an order away from the phone, but I was pretty sure she was telling Cezar to back off for a second. “What dragons? Which one do you want to sleep with?”

  “His name is Blaise. My body is going crazy. I’ve never felt this way before. Like, ever. Tell me this is crazy. Tell me that I should go home and sleep this off.” I blew out a wild breath but didn’t give her a chance to answer. “Cherry, he’s so hot. He’s hot, and there’s something about him that makes me want to strip naked right here in public and beg him to take me on the table. Oooh, there might be enough room here in the restroom.” I looked around the tight room and mentally mapped out the space. I imagined that if I leaned up against the sink and raised my leg in the air, I could prop my foot against the paper towel holder and…

  “Smoldering flames!” Cezar’s voice rang out in the background.

  “Why do you need my input? It sounds like you know what you want.”

  “Is he…um, a nice…dragon?” I hated the insecurity in my voice, but I couldn’t help it. I didn’t want to hook up with a guy and find out later he was a monster. Er, well…

  “Cezar?...Cezar?...Hang on, I’m asking Cezar. Not sure where he disappeared to.” Cherry was quiet for a while, and then the sound of Cezar’s laughter filled the line. When Cherry spoke again, her voice was filled with regret and anxiety. “Uh-oh.”

  “What?” I stared at my reflection in the mirror and held my breath. “What do you mean ‘uh-oh’?”

  “So, you know how I haven’t quite gotten the knack of this telepathic dragon-party-line thing yet?”

  I hissed. “Cherry! What did you do?”

  “I was only trying to ask Cezar if Blaise would be sensitive. You know, for you to lose your virginity to. I don’t know him well enough yet to give you an answer.” She rushed on. “I had to ask Cezar…and…well…maybe Blaise didn’t hear me!”

  “He heard.” Cezar laughed again. “Sorry, Chyna, but we should hang up now. You will have a dragon hanging off of you any second now. And, for the record, yes, Blaise is a worthwhile male.”

  “Oh, god. Cherry, I’m going to murder you! After you give birth to the perfect niece, you’re dead.”

  “Nephew,” Cezar growled.

  “Or niece,” I shot back before hanging up.

  I shoved the phone back in my purse and assessed myself in the mirror. My eyes were dilated, and I could see my pulse fluttering at the base of my neck. I was also ruddy cheeked from the embarrassment of knowing that Blaise was now aware I’d been asking my sister about him because I was considering propositioning him.

  That wasn’t exactly smooth, but at least he knew where I stood. That’s what the whole night had been about, anyway. Mission: deflower Chyna. If Blaise was willing, and I’d been picking up vibes that he was, I could lose my virginity to a sexy dragon with the hottest bod I’d ever seen.

  I couldn’t deny the chemistry between us. It was electric. As soon as I’d spotted the man, it was like everyone and everything else in the room had faded away. My body had instantly reacted to his presence, and that was as good of a go-ahead as I really needed. Blaise was the first and only man I’d ever really been sexually attracted to and, boy, was I hella attracted. That meant green light, full speed ahead as far as I was concerned.

  I took a few more minutes to reapply my lipstick and remove the tie that held my hair and finger comb it out. Halfway down my back, it was basically unmanageable while down, but I thought it left more of an impression than my normal ponytail. I swung it over my shoulders and slipped my purse back on my arm before nodding at myself in the mirror encouragingly. I could do it. It was just casual sex. Everybody was doing it.

  Some niggling in the back of my mind warned me that it might not be just a no-strings-attached hit and run. That was crazy thinking, though. Of course, it would be just sex. For research purposes. With my mind made up, I raised my chin, took a deep breath, and pulled open the bathroom door…and found Blaise there in the hallway leaning against the wall directly across from the bathroom door.

  I should’ve been embarrassed. I should’ve been freaked out that he was just standing there, waiting on me. Instead, I couldn’t take my eyes off his. His irises had a reddish-amber hue that was stunning, and I found myself moving closer to him, wanting to crawl as deeply into those eyes as I could. They almost matched his shock of flaming red hair.

  “Your sister hasn’t lost her flair for making group broadcasts.” His low voice was barely more than a growl, but it echoed in my ears like he’d s
creamed at me.

  I shook my head. “I’m thinking of disowning her.”

  “I am very pleased with what she has broadcast this time.” Still, he stayed put, leaning against the wall in a way that made me want to grab his T-shirt and yank him to me. He seemed too calm, besides the husky voice. I wanted him to be just as addled as I was.

  I stepped closer to him, counting on the fact that he wanted what I wanted. If he didn’t, he wouldn’t be standing in the hallway alone and waiting seconds after he’d learned that I wanted to sleep with him, right? “What happens now?”

  He flashed a predatory grin and pushed off the wall. Standing straight up, he towered over me. I was 5’11” which meant he had to be at least 6’5” or 6’6”. His unique eyes raked over my face, and then he lightly trailed his knuckle over my jaw, down my neck and across my collarbone, teasing me in the most innocent of ways as it traveled, driving me crazy.

  My body felt the stroke of his knuckle through every nerve fiber. My core pulsed, and I realized with a start that my panties were damp and the dress I was wearing suddenly seemed indecent. My thighs felt slick, and I worried that with his enhanced shifter senses, he could smell how turned on I was.

  “You tell me, Chyna. What do you want to happen now?”

  “You know.” I tugged my bottom lip into my mouth and held his gaze. “Cherry simulcast it to the lot of you dragons.”

  His grin was slow as he closed the distance between us, leaving only a gap of less than an inch. Electrical charges crackled and pulsed between us like a Van de Graff generator. “I do not want to hear it from Cherry. I want you to tell me.”

  Someone came down the hallway, and I had to step farther into Blaise so they could get by. As my body pressed firmly against his, I sucked in a sharp breath and stared up at him. “Sex. I want to have sex with you.”

  A throat cleared behind us as the person walking by hadn’t made it all the way past before I’d blurted out my confession. I was already beyond the point of being embarrassed. The way Blaise pulled me into his gaze was like a tractor beam, erasing everything surrounding us. His heavy-lidded expression was far too distracting to care about someone overhearing what I had to say.

  His large hands clasped my waist, and a puff of warm air drifted over my face as he swore. “How close do you live?”

  “My car’s in the parking lot. We can use the front seat.” I wondered if there’d be room for both of us. “Or the backseat. Or the trunk. Whatever.” I wasn’t feeling particularly picky. Matter of fact, I was feeling about as unpicky as a girl could be. I just wanted to do the deed, and I wanted to do it with him. I took another look at his massive chest and thick biceps. “Will you fit in my car?”

  He grinned. “Probably not.”

  “Want to try?”

  “Let’s fly.”

  “Fly?”

  His hand slid to my back, then lower, resting on the top curve of my ass. “Fly.”

  I let him lead me out of the bar, and we quickly jogged to an abandoned parking lot a few buildings over. The sun had set, and I should’ve been worried about following a strange man into the dark, but I knew I was about to see a dragon for the first time and, for that, I would’ve followed him anywhere—as long as it also included the promise to deflower me and make it as amazing as I’d always hoped it might be.

  4

  Blaise

  It was a novelty the way my heart was pounding in my chest. I was about to reveal my dragon form to my mate for the first time. Although I knew my dragon was a fantastic beast, my mate was a human. What if I scared her? What if she thought I was a freak or a hideous savage? Unwilling to give in to self-doubt, I spun around and caught Chyna in my arms. Her body molded to mine so well. She was soft and silky smooth in the places her skin touched mine. With the swell of her breasts pressed against my chest, I fought to keep my eyes on hers.

  “Nervous?”

  She shook her head. “Are you kidding? I can’t wait to see a dragon.”

  I found it difficult to release her, but the sooner I shifted and flew us to my place, the sooner…

  I made myself let go of her and walked backward until there was enough room between us. Then, I flashed her one last quick reassuring smile before shifting. As my body morphed and transformed, I couldn’t help thinking about how exciting it was that I’d finally found my mate. Less than an hour earlier, I hadn’t been sure I was ready, but after seeing her gentle curves and glorious face, I now knew this was what I was made for—her.

  I finished shifting and stood over her, my crimson dragon, tall and proud as she stood, eyes wide in amazement. I puffed out a ball of flames over her head to impress her and chuffed with laughter as she grinned and bounced on her feet. She was impressed.

  “This is…you are…amazing.” She came closer, not a trace of the fear or disgust I’d been concerned about. “How do you do it? Where is all this mass when you’re in man form? Where do your scales and wings and…talons and fangs…go? Whoa, that’s a lot of fangs. You’re huge, Blaise.”

  “Can I touch you?” Without waiting for my response, too engrossed in studying me, she stroked her hands over my wings and gasped. “They’re delicate. Like silk.”

  I puffed out another ball of fire and growled at her. I wasn’t delicate. I was a mighty and fearsome warrior. I could destroy the entire town in mere seconds, should I choose it.

  Lightly giggling, she touched my scales. “Not silky here, though. Hard as stone. You’re magnificent.”

  I wanted to show her more, impress her further with my power and might, but she pressed her face into my wing and released a soft sigh. Her reaction made me feel like the strongest, most worthy dragon in all the worlds. I was so captivated and thrown off guard by the act that I almost didn’t notice a human walking down the street toward us.

  Quickly, I turned my head back and nudged her, gesturing for her to climb onto the back of my neck. She understood instantly and wrapped her arms around as much of my neck as she could. Then, she let out an ebullient string of laughter as I shot into the sky.

  I was sure we’d scared the hell out of some unknowing human walking home, but it was worth it to hear her laugh like that. She seemed so uninhibited and wild—so free. I was desperate to feel more of her, and taste her, and take my time savoring her. That desperation made me fly a little faster, a little wilder. I flew straight to my castle in the middle of a swamp and dipped dangerously low, under the cover of trees, to set her down on my dock.

  “That was incredible!”

  I shifted back and told myself to take it easy with her, but there was no use. I closed the distance between myself and a suddenly startled Chyna. She clearly had not been expecting my nudity. I grabbed the back of her head and pulled her into me so I could slide my lips over hers.

  Flames of desire coursed from my mouth down to my cock and back up to my brain. The scent of her arousal was stronger; I inhaled through my nose and growled. My hand cupped her hip and tugged her tighter against my body as I ran my tongue over her bottom lip with the need to taste her. More fudge brownies and cream icing. Vanilla, chocolate, and every tantalizing flavor that existed in the universe as she opened her mouth for me, allowing me to slip my tongue inside and sample her deliciousness.

  The world around us faded to nothing as her tongue tangled with mine. I was positive there was going to be a strip of scorched skin from my lips to my cock. I needed her. Fast. We could take our time later. I bent to grip the backs of her thighs and hauled her up against me. With our tongues still tangling, I walked down the dock to my front door.

  Chyna’s fingers ran down my back and back up, burying themselves in my hair, twisting and tangling against my scalp. She tugged at my hair and bit down on my bottom lip in a way so wild and primal my knees weakened for a moment and I stumbled through the doorway into my castle.

  I caught us before we hit the floor and kept us moving toward my bedroom. I had to navigate the space. I didn’t want to trip on any of the piles of
dirty laundry, construction supplies, or other debris tossed around the place. I wasn’t the neatest dragon. My hands squeezed her ass tighter and I kissed down her throat, teasing her until I felt her legs tighten, squeezing themselves around my waist. She wanted me just as much as I wanted her.

  As soon as I made it to my bedroom, I put her down on her feet and forced myself to step back and take a breath. Great balls of fire, I wanted to race to the finish line, but this was too important. I didn’t want to hurt my mate, and I also wanted to prove my sexual prowess by pleasuring her. I needed to show her I was a worthy male.

  While I was trying to slow us down, Chyna had other plans. She dragged her dress over her head and stood before me in just a pair of pale pink panties. When my eyes locked on her bare chest, she cupped her small breasts in her hands and raked her thumbs over her pebbled nipples. Dusky brown and puckered, they were begging for my attention.

  My mouth was suddenly dry, and when I tried to swallow, I had to clear my throat to accomplish it. I was struck stupid by how incredibly beautiful she was. I stepped closer and let out a shuddering breath. I was truly the luckiest dragon that lived.

  “You are exquisite.”

  Her lips curled in a smile, and she dropped her hands to the sides of her panties. With a slow tug, she slid them down her thighs and stepped out of them. “Now, we’re even.”

  I shook my head. “We’re nowhere near even. Come here.”

  She stepped into my space and rested her hands on my chest. Her nipples followed a beat later, and her smile was so seductive, a groan escaped my lips. “What do we do now, dragon?”

  The innocent question contrasted with her sultry moves, combining to form an aphrodisiac. I cupped the sides of her neck and ran my thumbs over her throat. She was so delicate, so breakable. Not like the dragon females of the old kingdom. I didn’t know how much she could handle, what she was able to withstand, and I would die if I hurt her.