The Boss

by Abigail Owen

  She pressed closer. “But I’m more attracted to you than I’ve been to anyone…in a long time. I like you. I trust you. Friendship I could handle. And…”

  She stopped, dropping her gaze and nibbling at those lush lips.

  “And?” he prompted.

  She raised eyes that reflected her own internal conflict, as though she was arguing with herself. Maybe she was. He suspected this offer was miles away from how Delaney usually handled men.

  She let out a slow breath. “I would like to let my problems go, forget all the awful things, even just for a few minutes. I think I could do that…with you.”

  She twined her arms around his neck. It took only a light tug for him to lower his head. “Help me forget, Finn,” she whispered.

  That’s all it took. That one breathy plea. His need for her, to claim her, only grew stronger with each passing day, every kiss. Could he do this? Could he risk this?

  Only the taste of her, the feel of her against him, already had him in its thrall. Captured. Captivated.

  Too far down the road to stop now, Finn wrapped his arms around her, one hand at her waist, one cupping her ass, pulling her in tight against him. He lifted his head, and she whimpered a protest.

  “I think I can do that,” he murmured. “But it will definitely take more than a few minutes.”

  By now the tension inside him had reached screaming pitch, but he was determined this wouldn’t be some quickie fuck. Instead, he took his time, slowing things down, barely brushing his lips over hers in a series of kisses that had them both panting and had her canting her hips, rubbing against him in an imitation of what she wanted to be doing right then.

  “Finn.” His name was a plea on those sweet lips.

  He grinned against her mouth. “Are you in a rush?”

  “Yes, dammit.” She buried her fingers in his hair and tugged him closer. “Kiss me and mean it.”

  His control snapped. Finn slammed his mouth over hers in a kiss that made no bones about the need underlying it.

  At the same time, he backed her up. He held her upright with one arm, while he yanked her shirt over her head with the other hand.

  She squeezed her hands between them to attack his belt, then pulled his shirt off. With frantic, fumbling fingers, they divested each other of clothing. Finn was too far gone to take the time he wanted to worship her body, so he made a mental note to do that after this first round.

  If he was able to get through the first round without his past demons taking over.

  He picked her up and laid her on the bed, then went to crawl up over her, except she halted him with a hand on his chest.

  She wanted to stop? Fuck.

  His gaze collided with desire-drugged gray depths—storm clouds in a bottle. “You’re the boss, right?” she asked.

  Not what he’d expected. “With my team, yes.” Where was she going with this?

  She lowered the hand keeping him at bay and stretched under his gaze, like she was reveling in having him watch her, moving with a sensuous grace designed to drive him out of his mind. “Then take charge.”

  Breath punched from his lungs and his inner dragon roared his approval inside Finn’s head. She was giving him control in bed? Please let her be offering that. “Are you sure you know what you’re asking?”

  Her lips tipped up, all siren. “I need to let go.”

  He didn’t move.

  “I mean it, Finn. I don’t want to even think. I need—” She took a shuddering breath, and that was all he needed.

  “Fuck.” Heat flared through him, tightening his skin, searing his blood.

  Now she grinned. “I hope so.”

  With an animalistic growl he couldn’t have held in even if he wanted to, Finn grabbed her by the hips and flipped her to her stomach.

  Delaney squealed, then giggled, the sound going straight to his straining cock.

  He positioned her with her ass in the air, spreading her legs wide, and salivated at the sight of her. Gods she was glorious.

  He leaned over her and she pushed back into him, but he didn’t enter her. Instead he took her wrists and stretched her hands forward, laying her palms flat against the mattress. “Don’t move your hands,” he whispered in her ear.

  “Okay,” she whispered back.

  He stood up and admired the picture she made, all creamy skin, positioned just for him. First, he intended to make her come. Hard. Just in case he was forced to stop when he was inside her.

  She wanted to let go and relieve some stress. That, at least, he could do for her. Maybe for them both. Please the gods, he fucking hoped so.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Delaney expected Finn to shuck the rest of his clothes and go at it. Hell, she was on fire for him to do just that. To her shock, and increasing frustration, he was taking the long road around to their ultimate destination.

  He started by running a finger down her spine in a barely-there touch that had her arching her back, seeking more while her nerve endings leapt to charged life under the feathered caress. He repeated the action, and Delaney let out a frustrated huff.

  A dark chuckle greeted the sound. “Wait.”

  The word was a command in that voice he used when he was in full boss mode. She shivered at that voice, all authority. She could come just listening to him speak to her like that. Who the hell knew that she’d respond like this to a minor display of dominance? Not that she had any interest in pain or bondage or the like, but letting go in the bedroom? Yeah. She could do that.

  This time when he stroked his way down her spine, he didn’t stop there, smoothing over the curve of her ass and between her legs where he used that same gentle touch to drive her mad.

  Those seeking fingers parted her lips, only to penetrate shallowly then slowly move up to circle her clit, which throbbed in anticipation. She found herself rocking, seeking a harder touch, a deeper touch, little mewling sounds coming from her.

  But he didn’t give her what she wanted.

  Heat poured through her body and her mind entered a hazy space where every part of her was focused only on what Finn was doing to her body.

  She dipped her hips, chasing his touch. God, she could come right now if he’d push a bit harder.

  “Dammit, Finn,” she snapped, when he continued to torment her.

  “How close are you?” Tension filled his voice, and she had to see his face.

  She angled her head to look over her shoulder at him and gasped. Fire lit his eyes with a hypnotic blue light, and he watched his fingers sliding over her with a fevered intensity that only charged her systems even more.

  A rush of wet heat flowed from her.

  His gaze flicked to hers and held. “How close?”

  Again, that voice.

  “Close,” she moaned. So damn close.

  A satisfied smirk graced his lips, one she would’ve slapped him down for if she wasn’t so far gone, a slave to her body and how she responded to this controlling man.

  As she watched, he withdrew his hand, pulling a whimper from her. He licked the taste of her from his fingers, then her eyes widened as he inhaled and blew a concentrated stream of blue, sparkling flames over his hand.

  Oh. My. Holy. Hell.

  With a wicked smile, he reached between her legs. There he paused without touching. Again, that smirk emerged as he looked down at her. “Take a deep breath.”

  One? Hell, she was panting for him at this point.

  Delaney turned back forward, fisting the sheets in her hands and did as he commanded. At the pinnacle of inhaling, he sank two fingers inside her, at the same time twisting to simultaneously push into her clit with his thumb. The heat combined with the firmer touch slammed an orgasm through her with zero warning.

  All that pent-up air burst from her in a hoarse shout of completion as sensation plunged her into a world of darkness and light and pure, heady physical fulfillment. Finn didn’t let up, pumping those heated fingers into her, drawing out the orgasm until she shuddered an
d her head fell forward. Limp. Spent.

  Sublime.

  But Finn wasn’t done.

  Handling her as if she were a featherweight, he rolled her to her back and positioned himself between her legs. The weight of him over her body should’ve been uncomfortable or maybe even annoying when she should be exhausted after what he’d pulled from her body.

  But the weight and warmth of his skin against hers, the breadth of his hips pushing her legs wide, had her tipping up her hips, rubbing against the hard, hot length of his cock.

  He grunted. “Slow down. Give your body a second to recover.”

  She didn’t want a second. Her lips parted as the contact stimulated parts of her that were usually too sensitive after an orgasm to be touched. Instead, that lovely pressure started to gather again. “I don’t need to recover,” she panted.

  She tipped her hips and he bucked above her, as if he’d lost that iron control for a second, his body seeking hers the same as hers sought him.

  “Careful,” he growled. “Or I’ll come right now.”

  She snaked a hand between them, wrapping it around his cock, squeezing hard. “Then you’d better hurry.”

  A real growl escaped him, a rumble of sound that skittered over her sensitive nerves and only served to amp her further. But he still made her wait, scooting back so that she couldn’t rub herself against him, and took a beaded nipple into his mouth. He played with her breasts, sucking, licking, tugging, kneading, until she was a writhing twist of nerves beneath him.

  “Spread your legs wider,” he said.

  Finally. With an eagerness that might be embarrassing if she didn’t see the same need reflected back at her from his pinched expression, she did as he asked.

  Finn moved up her body and aligned the tip of his cock at her slick entrance but stopped. Again.

  His jaw clenched, his throat working. Again, she got the odd feeling that this incredible, controlled, strong man was…afraid.

  Please don’t stop.

  “Fuck, Finn,” she gasped.

  Her words seemed to pull him from his thoughts and he smiled, though it looked a bit shaky. “I fully intend to.” He took her hands and brought them up to either side of her head where he threaded his fingers through hers.

  Then he paused, and the world seemed to still around her, even as sensation buffeted her body, demanding release. He stared into her face like he’d never seen anything more beautiful. Like she was…precious.

  A flutter of fear disturbed her for a heartbeat. That look was too much, too primal, too—

  He surged forward, impaling her on his cock, filling every part of her. She moaned, long and low, and gripped his hands, needing an anchor.

  He blew out a long breath, shuddering over her. “Thank the gods,” he whispered.

  Only she didn’t have time to wonder at the words as Finn started to move, slowly at first, with deliberate motions, then faster and harder, his face beautifully harsh above hers.

  She lost all ability to think, all notion of anything other than his body pounding into her, driving her toward that cliff, one she’d gladly leap off.

  “Now,” he growled.

  To her shock, he buried his face in the crook of her neck and bit that tender spot just above her shoulder. Her body gathered then exploded outward from her core. Every part of her tingled as waves of her orgasm crested over her, pulsing with the beat of Finn’s body pumping into her.

  Her orgasm triggered his and he threw back his head with an elemental roar as he filled her.

  Lethargy stole over her as her body calmed and the high she’d reached ebbed out of her system. Delaney could hardly keep her eyes open. Vaguely, she was aware of Finn pulling the covers up over them and wrapping his body around hers.

  Lips trailed over her skin, pressing against her shoulder, her neck, teeth giving her earlobe a playful tug.

  “Let go and sleep.” The even cadence of his voice filtered down a tunnel of pure relaxation. “I’ve got you.”

  Another kiss was pressed against her lips as she slipped further into oblivion. Then, very softly, he sighed, his chest rising and falling against her.

  “Damn,” she thought she heard him mutter.

  But darkness claimed her.

  …

  What had he done?

  The elation that had swept through him when Phoebe hadn’t appeared could only be topped by the moment he’d come inside Delaney.

  And that’s what had him shaken.

  Despite the strong urge to relax into Delaney and sleep, Finn couldn’t stop his mind. This was supposed to be just sex. Cure his visions of a dead woman, give in to this crazy need, and give her what she’d pleaded for, a moment out of time to let go of everything.

  That was it. Even if she had been a dragon mate, he couldn’t do more. Because seeing Phoebe all over was one thing, but losing another mate to his fire, losing another part of his soul with her…no way could he survive that. His vow still stood.

  But somewhere in the space of protecting this brave woman from things beyond her comprehension and teasing her body until she came all over him, more had crept in. He’d filled her with his cock, and then stopped. Because at the sight of her face—lips parted with need, those dark gray eyes showing total trust, cheeks flushed from the rush—his heart had contracted hard enough to knock the wind out of him.

  Delaney Hamilton had snuck under every defense he’d set around himself, and that scared the ever-loving shit out of him.

  Because he wanted to keep her.

  After all this was over and she no longer needed his protection, he wasn’t all that sure he could let her go. However, keeping her was not remotely possible. Not a human.

  Humans weren’t supposed to know about dragon shifters, and if she stayed, the Alliance Council would eventually find out. Not only that, but, while the guys might give him the thumbs up for casual sex, they definitely wouldn’t be on board for a human to stay with them longer term. Her presence put them in too much danger of discovery by others.

  Exactly what his team was meant to stop from happening.

  Finn scrubbed a hand over his face.

  Longer term? What the hell is wrong with me?

  All he should be doing right now was celebrating the fact that he’d managed to sleep with a woman without his dead mate making an appearance. That and thinking about capturing the cocksucker who was after Delaney. Maybe also fucking her every which way from Sunday until that happened.

  That was it.

  Long term shouldn’t remotely be part of the picture.

  He flopped back against his pillow, but Delaney murmured a protest. Without his urging, she rolled and snuggled into him.

  He wrapped an arm around her, idly toying with one of her curls, silky to the touch.

  Finn sighed as his dick perked up, going semihard despite the thorough, and frankly earth shattering, orgasm he’d just experienced.

  That he could deal with—the way his body reacted to this woman, now that he had access to her tight little body. He’d focus on that. Fuck Delaney. Capture and kill Graff. End it after that. The rest was a no-go zone.

  Images of what he’d do to her next sprang to mind, helping to further wipe away any trace of the strange possessiveness and need for her that had overcome him. He wrapped a hand around his cock and pumped—once, twice.

  But a feminine hand settled over his. “You shouldn’t be doing that alone.”

  A smile tugged at Finn’s lips. His human was as greedy for him as he was for her? Excellent.

  “I didn’t want to wake you,” he said.

  She gave an annoyed tsk, and then before he could stop her, she managed to scoot over, landing between his legs, her mouth close to his cock. She slapped away his hand, replacing it with her own. “And miss this?” she asked.

  She blew lightly on the tip, even as she squeezed the base hard.

  “Delaney,” he warned.

  She lifted innocent eyes to him. “Tell me what you want.”<
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  Usually he liked to be the boss, but damned if her taking over wasn’t sexy as hell. His mind let go of all those worries as he allowed his body to sink into that sexual stupor. “Suck me off.”

  She didn’t quite obey. Instead of taking him into her mouth, Delaney licked him from his balls to the top of his shaft. Finn tensed and groaned, and the minx grinned and did it again. Then she took his long length into her mouth.

  He speared his hands into her waves, brushing them back from her face, because he wanted to watch every second of that lush mouth wrapped around him as he pumped into her.

  This he could do all damn day.

  I can do this. I can do just sex, and then let her go.

  He looked down, obsessed with the image of her mouth sealed around his cock. She lifted her gaze and he slammed into those incredible eyes, watching him with naughty intent, every promise of pleasure there for him to see. And more…

  Trust. Need. Belief. Connection. All there in those swirling gray depths.

  Fuck. I am so screwed.

  Chapter Seventeen

  “Boss.”

  The word whispered through Finn’s mind. Instantly he came alert, eyes open. He didn’t move, not wanting to disturb Delaney who slept peacefully wrapped around him. He’d already disturbed her two more times during the night, and the woman was only human.

  Most dragon shifters could only use the telepathy when in dragon form. Finn was no exception, so he waited now. That had been Levi’s voice.

  “Boss, we’ve got a problem.”

  Something that his Beta couldn’t handle on his own, something that had him already shifted into a dragon. Which meant it was big.

  Damn.

  Finn rubbed a hand over Delaney’s back.

  She stirred then half groaned, half laughed. “Again?”

  Soft hands crept over his chest, exploring. Finn grunted and laid a hand over hers, stopping her, though he now ached from the needed halt.

  “Wake up, luv. We need to go downstairs.”

  She lifted her head, her golden waves framing her face, which was pinched with a worried frown. “Downstairs?” She flicked a glance at the clock on his bedside table. “At this hour?”