He lifted his chin from his chest and stared at her openmouthed. “You’re not going to banish me to the book?”
“What?” The sincerity on his face stunned her.
“Banish me to the parchment. It is your right, as is anything else you want from me.”
Her brows knotted at the matter-of-fact way he spoke. “Wait. You just said the combination of blood and sun granted you a fortnight. If memory serves, that’s fourteen days. How can I banish you if the rules say otherwise?” Either she missed something, or he screwed up his script.
He blinked, taken aback. His gorgeous mouth opened but then closed again. “I have no answer for you. I have never had a fortnight of freedom that wasn’t tied to a woman’s whim. Not since my captivity.”
“Captivity.” She repeated the word, and it tasted as bad as it sounded.
“Yes. The facts of my existence are what they are. I am yours to use as you please.”
It took a minute for her to wrap her head around his words. “Wait, back up. I don’t understand what is happening here, but I’m too wiped out to argue fact from fiction anymore. Someone needs to explain this better. If not you, then whoever, but either way it will have to wait until I shower and swallow enough Advil to kill the pain in my head.”
“In the meantime—” she continued, but stopped mid-rant, watching him smirk. “Dude, seriously. Don’t you own any clothes? I can’t talk to you when you’re so…so…”
He grinned. “Naked?” He raised one eyebrow, but then turned in a circle.
Holy crap! His full flipside was just as perfect as the front, and she bit her lip at his amazing ass and muscled shoulders.
She itched to run her hands over his hard body, but shoved her arms into her robe’s pockets, instead.
As he turned back, his dark eyes travelled her length. “With all your talk of clothing,” he said, taking a step forward. “I much prefer you without the rough blanket.”
Rough blanket?
She glanced at the nubby terrycloth robe and had to laugh. “Very funny. I took a bath earlier, after chasing down Agg—” She shrugged. “Well, before.”
“I would be happy to help bathe you. You only have to ask,” his sexy voice practically purred.
“I can manage, but thanks for the offer.” She aimed for offhand, but heat crawled up her cheeks anyway.
“Are you sure?”
No…but—
What buts? He’s gorgeous and his BUTT is exactly what you need!
Angling his head, he considered her. “Are you our new seer?”
Hannah’s eyes went wide and she took a step back at the intensity of his stare. “No. I’m a rare folio fellow. A librarian. I work with rare books.”
A slow smile crossed his gorgeous face. “Then you did summon me with your blood.”
With two steps he closed the distance between them. “It’s been forever since I’ve seen or smelled anyone as sweet as you.” His hand slipped behind her head and his mouth took hers.
Hannah’s mind went fuzzy at the taste of him and she closed her eyes.
“Your scent makes me want to bury my tongue in the soft folds between your legs and lap every drop,” he whispered against her lips. “You stir the forgotten places inside me where my dragon used to roam. No one has done that in eight hundred years.”
Dragon? Did he say dragon?
Yeah, didn’t you catch his winged shadow earlier?
Aggie’s words came back in a rush, but Hannah shook her head. Can you believe in the impossible? In things your mind tells you aren’t real, but your heart and your senses say otherwise?
A man held captive in an ancient book. A dragon no less. Some sort of shapeshifter. Even by her more-fantasy-fiction-the-better standards, it was a lot to swallow.
At the feel of his hard body pressed against hers, she swallowed a moan, and all thought left her head. She registered every hard line, including the stiff bar of his cock.
Rough hands roamed from her ass to her waist and he skimmed his fingers upward to her breasts.
Oh, God.
She dug her fingers into his hair as he grazed her nipples. If this was real, she could have her own personal boy-toy.
He reached to spread the front of her robe, but Hannah’s eyes snapped open, reality crashing through her wine-soaked sex haze.
She put both hands on his chest and pushed herself back from him. “Hold it right there, Jack-in-the-Book. You and your pop-up-penis need to keep your hands and all other protruding parts to yourself. Until I get a believable explanation, that’s as close as you get!”
His eyes skimmed her face again and he chuckled softly. “For one so small, you have a dragon’s fire in your belly. Does your pussy burn with the same passion?”
She swallowed again, trying to ignore the slick wetness between her legs. It was the champagne. It had to be the champagne. Well, mostly the champagne. Maybe a bit of him, too.
Naked him.
Erect him.
Stop it, Foster!
“I can smell your need, my lovely one.” His smirk swept into a gorgeous full-on grin and he inhaled, his dark eyes going even darker and she swore he growled or rumbled again or something.
“What is your name?” she asked, this time not taking no for an answer.
His eyes held hers and he inclined his head. “Soren Draakki. And yours?”
“Hannah Foster.” She felt herself blush again, but she didn’t know why.
Chapter Five
“Hannah.” His mouth savored the word. “As beautiful a name as any I’ve heard.” He took a step closer, closing the arm’s length gap between them.
She shook her head. “I meant what I said, Soren. Clothes. My house. My rules.”
“Clothing is not an option unless gifted to me.” He shrugged. The gesture seemed apologetic, but the sentiment didn’t reach his eyes.
“So you’re telling me you have nothing to wear unless I give it to you?”
He nodded. “Yes, and for a warrior it adds another level to my humiliation. I can manifest scented oils, candles, even sugared sweets to feed my summoner, but not clothing. For past summonings, clothing was more of an impediment.”
“My brain can’t absorb any more tonight,” Hannah lifted a hand, “and I’ve lost the ability to resolve fact from fantasy.” The buzz from the jug of mimosas ebbed, and she yawned. “What I need is sleep.”
She turned to head for the sliding doors, but then stopped, looking back. “I assume, because you still claim I summoned you, you have nowhere else to go except back to the book, right?”
He inclined his head.
“All righty, then. We’ll play this your way until I can find a way to speak with Aggie. I trust her, so I will give you the benefit of the doubt and trust you, too. There’s plenty of food in the kitchen.
“Help yourself to whatever you want in the refrigerator, or in the pantry closet, but first you need to put on some clothes. I have some of my brother’s old things in a storage bin upstairs. They might be a little musty, but they’re clean.”
Soren’s eyes swept her again. “You keep telling me to clothe myself, yet your scent and the way your body responds to mine tell me otherwise.”
She glanced at his thickening crotch and coughed. “Uhm, I thought we just covered that.”
He chuckled. “No, but you keep trying to.”
“Trying to?”
“Dude, seriously. You’re so naked.” He chuckled, mimicking her.
Hannah couldn’t help but smirk. “I do not sound like that.”
His humor sobered along with his gaze. “No, you do not. Your voice is music to ears that have suffered silence, insults and orders for centuries. I especially liked listening to you talk as you touched yourself. Maybe you can do so again and let me watch.”
Holy hotness! Butterflies jumped in her stomach at the thought of him watching her masturbate. She didn’t know what to think. Soren seemed so truthful. Then again, psychotics often lived in their own fant
asies.
What if he wasn’t psychotic?
Aggie and her damn secret book.
Her mental sparring said it all. Soren’s story was more involved and fantastical than she could imagine, but she was the one who told Aggie she believed in the impossible.
“C’mon then,” she said. “You can have the guestroom.”
“Guest?” he questioned.
She looked at him. “Yes. Guest. What did you expect?”
He shook his head. “No matter. What I expected is of no consequence.”
Hannah blinked, unsure if it was disappointment or relief she heard in his voice. If he truly was what he claimed, then maybe he was glad not to perform on demand. If he wasn’t, and this was some elaborate scripted ruse, then he earned a night off with pay.
They climbed the stairs in silence, though the weight of his eyes was on her the whole way up.
“You have a tantalizing ass, Hannah. If I was not obliged to obey you, I would bury my mouth between your juicy folds right here and now, and you would beg for me to share your bed.”
Her nether bits jerked at the raw words. So much for not having to jump through sex hoops. The guy obviously liked his job.
“You’re not used to being turned down, are you?” she asked, trying to keep her voice even.
“No. In that you are correct. The women who summon me have very definite demands. Being told to put clothes on and sleep in another room is definitely a first for me.”
She stepped onto the landing, and then walked toward the second room on the left, pushing the door open.
“You should be comfortable in here,” she said, snapping on the light. “Towels and guest amenities are under the vanity.” She moved past the bed to the bathroom door and opened that, as well.
Hannah waited as he took in the room, but he didn’t say a word. Unsure of what to do next, she walked back toward the door.
“My brother’s old gym clothes are in the plastic bin in the closet. Sweats and over-sized tees and a few pairs of shorts. He moved away a long time ago, so you’re welcome to whatever works best for you.”
She turned to leave, but Soren reached for her arm. Hannah froze instinctively, the realization a complete stranger was about to stay the night hitting her like a Mack truck.
“Thank you, Hannah,” he whispered. “I’m overwhelmed by your kind heart.”
What was she supposed to say to that? No problem. Try not to kill me in my sleep?
With a simple nod, she left the door ajar behind her, praying this wasn’t an epic mistake.
***
Hannah turned over and punched the pillow. Exhaustion spiked through every nerve-ending, but sleep was nowhere to be found.
Her door was closed tight and locked, but even so she spied the guestroom light peeking under the bottom jamb.
Tiptoeing to her door, she unlocked the latch and opened it enough to peer into the hall. Soren’s door was still ajar and every light in his room on.
What the hell was he doing?
Barefoot, she padded into the hall in her cotton nightie and listened outside his door. All was quiet, except the mechanical whir of the clock on the night table turning over the minutes.
“Come in, Hannah,” his voice called from inside.
Startled, she scrambled for an excuse but came up empty. “I…I…sorry. Go back to sleep.” She hesitated, half turning back to her room, half not.
“It’s okay. I wasn’t asleep.”
Closing her eyes for a moment, she steeled herself before pushing the guestroom door open the rest of the way. This was her house, why should she be embarrassed? It’s not like she was snooping.
“I saw your light and was concerned. I didn’t mean to disturb you.”
“You’re not disturbing me. I’m actually grateful for the company. I apologize if the light woke you. I couldn’t bring myself to lie in the dark.”
The look on his face was sincere, as if the thought of being in the pitch dark was unthinkable, even with an open door within reach.
“I see you found a pair of shorts that fit.” She gestured to the black nylon gym shorts resting just below the sculpted V at the base of his torso.
He glanced down, and then lifted his eyes again with a soft close-lipped smile. “Fit is putting it loosely, which is more than I can say for the shorts. Is your brother very small, like you?”
“Small? Dude, he’s well over six feet and plays professional hockey.” Looking at Soren, she chuckled. “But then again, compared to you—” She angled her head. “I’m guessing the sweats didn’t cut it.”
He lifted his hands behind his head and grinned. “If by cut it you mean they were asphyxiating, then yes. They would have cut the circulation to vital parts.” He glanced toward his crotch. “And these shorts barely leave enough room for growth.”
Catching his meaning, heat crept up her cheeks. “Okay, then. Since neither of us can sleep, how about I make us something to eat?”
Soren grinned and the look was almost predatory. “The thought of food is only surpassed by the thought of pleasuring you.” He slid his legs to the edge of the bed and stood, the motion fluid and sexy.
He closed the distance between them and before she could protest, he slipped a hand behind her head and dipped his lips to hers. His other hand slid over her waist to the small of her back.
Electricity flamed up her thighs and into her sex at the taste and feel of his mouth. He pressed his body close, his thick rod rigid against her thin nightgown.
“Food holds no appeal when you are this close, Hannah. The only thing I want to taste is you.”
She gasped. “Soren, no. We can’t.” The words left her lips, but her mind screamed yes.
“Who’s to stop us?”
Yeah, who?
The words rang in her ears. She hadn’t had a man…a real man…in so long. And certainly not one that looked and felt like Soren. Wasn’t that what she complained to Valerie? Crazy or not, she didn’t think she had the strength to tear herself away, but somehow she did.
She ripped herself from his arms and backed toward the door. “Omelets,” she panted. “How does that sound?”
Soren’s eyes flamed red and his skin winked with the same iridescence as the book. “Hannah—”
“I have thick sliced bacon in the fridge.” Her nipples ached as she watched him lick his lips. “Or I could order pizza? What about Chinese?” She swallowed hard as he eyed her like she was something to eat.
His intensity sent alarm skittering across her skin, a tsunami of panic and desire.
“No, to all of the above. Just you. Somehow you’ve managed to awaken what I thought was gone from me forever. I have to have you, Hannah. My dragon demands it.”
“Wait. You named your dick?”
A smirk slanted across his mouth. “No, but the title fits.”
“Oh, it does, huh?”
“Yes.” He nodded, moving to the door. He swept her into his arms, turning with her to the bed. “My dick is hard and hot, but only for you. Let me please you, Hannah. Not because you summoned me—”
Soren laid her on the pillows and ran his hands over her shoulders, slipping her nightgown to her waist.
“—but because I haven’t felt this way in nearly a millennium.”
“What?” she whispered, her voice near breathless.
“True desire.” He slid her nightie the rest of the way from her body and let the light garment float to the floor.
“I want you, Hannah.” He pushed the tight gym shorts to the ground and kicked them to the side. “Every curvy, delicious inch of you, and everywhere in between.” A slow grin took his full lips. “Especially what’s in between.”
His hands skimmed her body, her full curves and what she called her jiggly bits, and yet his eyes smoldered with desire. For her.
Soren crawled onto the bed and pushed her knees to her shoulders, spreading her thighs. Dipping his head to her sex, he licked the damp seam spreading her folds.
“Mmmm, so wet. So fucking wet.”
He slipped two fingers through her slit and curled them up to her spot.
Her eyes went wide as heat flared through her lower belly. Jesus! How the hell did he know?
Soren lifted his head as he worked her, bending his thumb to her clit. “Why so surprised?”
“Because—” She sucked in a breath. “Most men need GPS between a woman’s legs.”
He cocked an eyebrow. “GPS?”
“G-Spot Positioning System. They couldn’t find the right spot with both hands and a dildo-shaped flashlight.”
Soren laughed out loud and the honest pleasure made her heart squeeze.
With a smirk, he winked. “Let’s see if I can’t redeem the male species.” He dipped his head again, drawing her clit between his lips.
“Oh. My. God! Not even in the same league.” Eyes glazed, she let her head drop back as he pressed her spot again.
He pinched her hard nub between his teeth and the raw feel sent her careening toward the edge. Colors exploded behind closed lids as an orgasm ripped through her lower belly, but before she crested, he lifted his face and pulled his hand back.
Her head shot up. “What the fuck!”
Soren got to his knees and grabbed her legs, hiking her up. “Exactly. What the FUCK!”
She was wet and loose and perfect to take every inch of his cock. He wasn’t waiting any longer and plunged his thick member balls deep.
Hannah’s eyes flew open as he stretched her wide, her slick walls straining to take him. “Holy fuck! Ahhhh!”
She hissed as waves of pleasure hit hard and fast. A strange friction built, like sparks igniting an inferno within her core. Fire scorched her pussy walls and she cried out. “Harder! Fuck me raw!”
Her hands clawed at the bedsheets and her body spasmed, squeezing and releasing as she came over and over again. Soren held her tight, pounding deep and rough until he threw his head back with a guttural snarl, his body tense as his cock pumped hot jets until there was nothing left.
Hannah’s legs shook, trembling hard, and tears leaked from the corners of her eyes. The last of his orgasm passed and he looked down, shocked. “Did I hurt you?” He bent, gathering her to his arms. “Tell me!”
Her Captive Dragon: Howls Romance Page 4
