Sasha (Dragon Isles Book 4)

by Shelley Munro

  “What if we can go home? What then? If Max came with us, what if our parents force him to leave and refuse to let us stay together because he’s a human?”

  Her dragon didn’t reply for a beat, and some of the building tension slipped from Sasha. Her dragon didn’t have an argument for that. It wasn’t as if crossing between their worlds was possible. Her presence on this side of the barrier was unusual. She’d never heard of another dragon leaving the Dragon Isles.

  “We could seduce him and get pregnant with his young,” her dragon said. “He’d never leave us then. He’s too honorable.”

  “No!” Sasha blurted, shocked to her core by the suggestion. “I’d never try to trap a mate in that way. It’s wrong and no better than our parents trying to foist Bruceous on us.”

  “Who are you talking to?” Max grumbled. His warm breath feathering against her collarbone, making her shiver.

  “Um, sorry. I didn’t realize I spoke aloud. My dragon and I are having a difference of opinion about the way to discover a mate.”

  “What did your dragon suggest?” Max asked, sounding more alert now.

  “You don’t want to know.”

  “Actually, I do.” His hand slid across her collarbone and lower before freezing in position. “I thought you were sleeping in clothes this time.”

  “My dragon’s idea.” Guilt forged through her because she hadn’t precisely argued much. For the sake of peace, she’d taken off her T-shirt.

  “Do you do everything your dragon tells you?” Max’s thumb worked back and forth over the skin just below her shoulder.

  Sasha’s breath caught, and everything in her tightened with sensual tension.

  “Sasha?”

  “My dragon wants me to seduce you and hopefully become pregnant, so you’ll keep us with you all the time,” Sasha blurted. This wasn’t possible because she’d started taking a contraceptive potion when she broke her fast each morning. She still wasn’t certain what had made her do this, and she’d fibbed to her dragon, telling her the potion was part of a new health regime.

  The thumb ceased stroking for an instant before it resumed, increasing the crazing-inducing stupor in Sasha.

  “Can dragons have offspring with humans?” Max asked.

  Sasha wasn’t one hundred percent certain and said so. “I don’t know, but we are sexually compatible. I mean, our parts will fit. The kissing books and Justine, The Smart Computer, confirmed that.”

  “Good to know,” Max said. “I didn’t think to bring condoms with me. An oversight, considering.”

  “Why?” her dragon demanded. “Ask him why.”

  “My dragon wants to know why this is an oversight,” Sasha said.

  “Because I’ve wanted you from the moment I first saw you with Noel. That attraction has increased during the time you’ve looked after my brother. That Noel likes you, too, increases my feeling for you. Women in my past have rejected my brother because he’s different. You get bonus points because you’re you, but trapping a man isn’t the way to start a happy relationship.”

  “I know that,” Sasha said. “I was about to explain that to my dragon.”

  “Also, if you became pregnant and traveled home, taking me with you, how would your parents and brothers react? They’d blame me and maybe accuse me of taking advantage of you.”

  Her dragon sniffed, but Sasha knew Max’s words had reached her, and she’d cease pushing that angle.

  “However,” Max said. “If you and your dragon agree with me, that would be different. We’d be on the same page.”

  “Describe the page,” her dragon ordered.

  “What do you mean?” Sasha asked.

  “Instead of dancing around the subject, let’s make everything clear,” Max said. “I want you, and since your dragon is a package deal, that means both of you. I’ll be honest, we haven’t known each other for long, but I care for you, and what I feel is damn close to love. It wouldn’t take much more to push me over the line. Things would be easier if you weren’t a lost dragon, but strangely, the complication just makes you more interesting to me.”

  “You have complications in your life too.”

  Max brushed a lock of hair away from her face and sought her lips. He brushed a kiss over her mouth. “I have Noel to look after and my grandmother gunning for me. I have no job now that I refuse to return to the one my grandmother maneuvered me into accepting. Talk about manipulation.”

  “Challenges help us grow,” her dragon said, spouting their father’s favorite words.

  Sasha breathed out a laugh, seeing the incongruity of the memory. “My dragon is pointing out challenges strengthen us.”

  “Exactly,” Max said. “And for the record, I could see a child in our future, but I’d like our lives settled before we move in that direction. Do you agree?”

  “Yes,” Sasha said.

  “We can still have fun and enjoy ourselves until we can get some condoms,” Max said.

  “We can do anything we want,” Sasha said. “The reason I have been taking a draft to prevent a child.”

  “You didn’t tell me,” her dragon screeched.

  Sasha clapped her hands over her ears until the ringing in her head ceased.

  “What’s wrong?” Max asked, concern in his features as he pried her fingers away from her ears.

  Sasha rolled over to face him properly, her vision perfect in the dark. “I didn’t share that information with my dragon. She thought we were taking the potion for the health benefits.”

  Max laughed. “I see.” His expression sobered. “We can still mess around instead of going all the way. I never want you to feel pressured.”

  “Like you, my interest was snagged as soon as we arrived at your house with Noel. You’ve been kind to us. Generous.”

  Max started to speak, and she placed her fingers across his mouth in a signal for him to listen.

  “Still my turn,” she said with a smile. “The more I’ve learned about you from your actions, from Noel, and from your grandmother, the more I’ve liked you. My feelings for you are strong, and if my parents plucked me away from here in five minutes and the barrier came down between us so we could never meet again, I would mourn you.”

  “God, Sasha.” Max’s arms came around her, and he hauled her close. “I like the way you say what you think without playing the angles or making everything into a game.”

  “Apart from not telling you about my dragon.”

  “Trust takes time to build. I understand that. Keeping your dragon secret was to maintain your safety. You needed to blend with the rest of us. I understand that. Later, you can tell me more about your world, but right now, we have time alone. You’re not wearing clothes, despite promising me you would.”

  “Is he gonna spank us?” her dragon asked.

  “Stop! I need to concentrate. I let you drive us when we’re flying. Let me take care of this part,” Sasha pleaded, barely holding back her groan of frustration. “Please, I promise we can discuss this to the nth degree later. For now, remain quiet, Okay?”

  “But—”

  “Please,” Sasha said aloud with more than a touch of irritability.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “My dragon is inserting her opinion. I’ve asked her to hold her questions until later, but she’s very opinionated.”

  “Ah,” Max said, his teeth flashing white in the bedroom's darkness. “I have a cure for that. How about if I keep you too busy to think? Would that help?”

  “He can do that?” her dragon asked, and she sounded intrigued. “Tell him to prove it.”

  “Yes,” Sasha said with a trace of desperation.

  Max’s rich chortle drove the tension from her stiff shoulders. In the next instant, his lips covered hers. This time it wasn’t a gentle kiss. It wasn’t a playful kiss. It wasn’t a quick kiss. His was a claiming, and of the type a male gave a female he adored. At least according to the kissing books she and her dragon had devoured.

  Max rose over h
er and pressed her into the mattress, holding her in place with his bulk. For a man who spent his time sitting at a desk, he had impressive muscles.

  She wanted to ask but decided to enjoy and act in the same manner she’d requested of her dragon. Hold all questions until later.

  Max kissed her again and slid his tongue across the seam of her lips. She gasped, and he took immediate advantage, exploring the interior of her mouth. Ooh. She and her dragon had discussed this French kissing thing, and it wasn’t disgusting at all. Every part of her body softened, and she felt his touch clear to her toes. A moan vibrated between them, and she realized the sound came from her.

  “Like that, do you?” Max whispered.

  “I thought it’d be gross, but I enjoyed it immensely.”

  Max barked out a laugh. “Excellent. I can’t wait for your reaction to the other stuff.” He stilled for an instant, his beautiful blue gaze turning somber. “Are you sure you want this? We can’t take it back later.”

  “I’ve never been more certain of anything in my life.” Sasha pulled down his head and kissed him. It lacked finesse, and she decided she needed more practice, but he didn’t laugh. Instead, he groaned, and his arms tightened around her. Their tongues slid together in a sensual dance, and excitement pounded through Sasha. Every part of her sizzled with enjoyment, her body light and full of tingling joy. When Max parted their mouths, her breath caught because she was eager to learn what would happen next.

  When the suspense became too much for her, she exclaimed, “What’s next?”

  “That’s what I want to know,” her dragon said. “So far, it has been enlightening and immensely enjoyable.”

  “Shush,” Sasha reminded her dragon.

  Max chuckled. “This is the most interesting time I’ve ever had in bed with a woman.”

  “Only interesting?” Her dragon sounded disappointed, and Sasha echoed the emotion.

  “Is that bad?”

  “Hell, no,” Max said immediately. He hesitated as if he wanted to say something but thought the better of it.

  “Honesty is always best,” she reminded him. “I prefer it.”

  “I do, too,” Max said. “Do you know what happens? Did your mother tell you?”

  “My mother would’ve told me before my betrothal became official, although my friend shared what her mother told her recently before my friend’s marriage.”

  “All right.”

  “Her mother didn’t tell her much. I hope my mother was intending to tell me more. I’ve picked up a little by eavesdropping on my older brothers, but I’ve learned the most during my time on the mainland. My dragon and I read lots of kissing books, and when we didn’t understand something, we asked Justine, The Smart Computer.”

  “I see.”

  Max bore a weird expression as if he wanted to laugh but was frightened of hurting her feelings. The knowledge warmed her through.

  “We watched some stuff on the internet that Justine showed us. There was lots of grunting and groaning, and a woman wailing about a big dick.”

  “You watched porn?”

  “I think that is what they called it.”

  “Oh,” Max said, biting his lip again while mirth danced in his blue, blue eyes. “All right then. No more talking. Just feeling, okay.”

  “Tell him to hurry,” her dragon said. “We grow older while we wait.”

  Sasha burst out laughing.

  “What?”

  “I promise to tell you later.” She aimed a kiss at his lips and got his chin instead. It was faintly prickly beneath her mouth and tongue. Fascinated, she raised her fingers to explore the roughness.

  “You have my permission to touch me anywhere you like. Anything you enjoy me doing to you, I’ll probably get the same pleasure from too.”

  Emboldened, she ran her fingers down his neck. She kissed the strong column and tasted a faint saltiness. Recalling one of her kissing books, she sucked slightly, and he rewarded her with a masculine groan. Sasha let her fingers wander his collarbone and lower, his firm chest. She kissed and sucked and explored, elated when Max’s breathing became hoarse.

  She lifted the blankets. “That looks painful.”

  Max grunted. “It’s not. My erection is a physical reaction to your presence. Your touch. Your kisses. Your scent.”

  “Can I remove the last of your clothes?”

  “Not now,” Max said in a hoarse voice. “We’ll leave that until later. How about I explore you for a while?”

  “Okay. What should I do?”

  Max’s eyes crinkled in silent humor. “You can touch me in return if you want, otherwise enjoy. If I do anything you’re not sure of, tell me to stop. Okay?”

  “Yes.”

  Eager anticipation pulsed to life in her. At long last, they’d get to experience more of the things they’d learned from the kissing books.

  Max started slowly. He caressed her mouth and slipped his tongue between her lips. Just as she opened her mouth to complain of the repetition, his hands wandered down her arm to stroke the slightly rougher skin where her dragon lay on her torso. Her dragon’s purr rippled through her mind, but Sasha got the feeling Max could do much more. Seconds later, he proved her right when his hand settled on her breast. A double whammy since his touch had her dragon purring louder while the brush of his fingers against her nipple had darts surging down her torso to collect between her thighs.

  “You’re so pretty,” Max murmured. “Inside and out. And you’re soft, but I can feel the muscles beneath your skin. You’re sleek and sexy.”

  “Thank you. I like your body too.”

  Max’s eyes crinkled again, and he resettled his torso. Instead of using his fingers to shape her breast and tease her nipple, he sucked the peak into his mouth.

  She gasped, and when he would’ve moved, she held him in place. He chuckled and teased her other breast while he used his mouth to excellent effect, driving every thought from her head. Meanwhile, her dragon continued to purr and seemed incapable of adding any comments now that Max had rubbed her belly.

  Max’s hands skimmed lower until he reached her upper thigh. His warm touch seemed to brand her skin, and a shiver rolled over her. Strangely, every touch and every sensation curled together in a ball at the place between her legs. She gasped as he puffed his warm breath over her sex.

  Moisture had gathered there, and if she hadn’t known better, she might have wondered if she was sickening for something. But no, her body was working perfectly. Max skimmed a finger over her flesh, and she jolted at the frisson of pleasure.

  “I’m glad you know what to do,” she whispered.

  He laughed before asking, “Does that bother you?”

  “No, one of us has to direct this operation. Besides, you’re sharing your experience with me, and your knowledge is making me happy. You seem to know exactly where to touch me.”

  “Good to know,” Max said. “Last chance to change your mind.”

  “Not happening.” Confidence and certainty rang in her tone.

  Max’s smile turned blinding white, and the emotion in his face pushed her heart to beat harder. Faster. “In that case,” he whispered, “Let me taste you.”

  He replaced his finger with the softness of his tongue, and he lapped at her juices.

  “Ooh!” Sasha said and gripped the bedclothes.

  “Should I stop?”

  “No! No, don’t stop.”

  Her stomach clenched, and her grip on the bedclothes tightened. The pleasure was slow and rolled through her in a gentle wave. Instinctively, her hips arched upward to get Max to increase the pressure. Max chuckled and continued to stroke her with both fingers and mouth until she buzzed and yearned for something extra. He traced her opening in a teasing, maddening stroke when she ached for a mysterious more.

  He pushed his finger deeper, and it slipped inside her, the intrusion welcoming and stimulating, yet still not enough.

  “Max,” she wailed.

  He chuckled softly, yet it
wasn’t cruel humor. It was more knowing. Teasing. Yep, still maddening. His finger crooked inside her, and he teased an inner wall while his tongue massaged her happy spot.

  Immediately, the pleasure within her darted higher, going so fast she became breathless. She gasped, swallowed hard, frightened to move for fear of losing this wondrous stimulation. But she needn’t have worried. Instead, the sensations expanded until it felt as if she balanced on a precipice of pleasure and pain. A part of her wanted Max to stop, and the other side of her was frightened he would cease giving her this gift.

  Without warning, Max suckled harder, and she was flying, her body squeezing Max’s fingers. She thought she might’ve cried out and couldn’t find enough energy to care. Wow. Just wow. She’d been missing out all this time.

  Max withdrew his finger, and her sex gave a protesting twitch as if the emptiness was a punishment. He rose up her body, pausing to pinch her nipple. Yet another spasm resulted from the streak of pain.

  She was about to ask questions, but Max’s mouth covered hers, and he kissed her slowly and thoroughly. Their tongues danced together. She could taste herself on his lips and savored his unique smoky flavor in return.

  His groin brushed against her hip, which propelled another surge of want to life. She parted their lips and ran her fingers over his bristly jawline.

  “Do I get to see you with no clothes?”

  “Yeah.”

  He pulled away and slid off the bed. Seconds later, he was naked.

  “That looks even more painful,” her dragon said.

  “Can I touch it?”

  “Not right now,” he said. “You’re hell on my restraint. Just the thought of having your hands roving my body is enough to make me burst. How about this first time, we move straight along? I promise, hand on my heart, you can explore as much as you want next time.”

  “All right,” Sasha said.

  “Great,” Max said before he kissed her again.

  Her dragon’s moan rumbled through Sasha’s head. “I love kissing Max,” her dragon whispered.

  “Radio silence, remember. Like they did in that movie we watched last week.”