“Well, that is a nifty trick,” she said to cover her awe.
Wes couldn’t help but laugh. He twisted, grabbing an ottoman and pulling it in front of the flames. “Sit. I’ll bring you back some clothing.”
She brushed past him to sit on the threadbare ottoman. The beast inside of him lurched, pushing him closer to her. He stumbled. She turned, attempting to catch him by putting her hands on his chest. His body collided with hers.
“Still trying to throw yourself at me?” she asked and let out a small, nervous laugh.
“It’s a bit hard to explain,” he said as he looked down at the woman. His arm moved to hold her almost reflexively. She was small in the circle of his body. His mouth moved while he tried to find the right words to give her an explanation to what she’d fallen into, but came up with nothing. “I’ll be right back.”
Wes pushed himself away from her despite the roar of the beast inside of him. It roared and thrashed for their mate, but Wes had to remind the beast that she didn’t trust them. They had to win her over, little by little, in order to have a real bond. He didn’t want this sudden claiming to drive a wedge of resentment between them.
In his room, the smell of her skin had touched everything. It sank into the sheets thrown across his bed. He would sleep in his own room for the first time in months if only to smell her each night. It drove him mad, knowing that it would fade with time. Quickly, he snatched a tee shirt and a pair of sweats from his dresser. He almost didn’t want to cover her beautiful legs, but he knew she would be cold if he brought down shorts.
***
Dakota let herself fall onto the ottoman that he’d pulled out for her. Her heart was racing inside her chest. She’d pulled all the snark she had to keep him from knowing just how he affected her. More than once she’d thought about touching the planes of his chest and letting her hands run lower. She told herself that she was losing it. Was it the remnants of the drug in her system that was making her act so unlike herself?
Distantly, she heard his heavy footfalls coming down the stone stairs. His soft, blue eyes fell on her and lit up with joy. Probably because she hadn’t tried running away. He handed her a lump of fabric that she assumed was clothing and directed her to the door to her left, telling her that it was a bathroom.
Keeping her eyes lowered, she took the offered clothing and ducked into the bathroom. A clawfoot tub that could have easily fit two people, or maybe just Wesley, sat before a stained-glass window that depicted a dragon flying over a castle. The light coming in through the window cast dazzling colors about the room. It was beautiful and serene.
Dakota set aside her borrowed clothing and reached to pull the zipper on the back of her dress. Her shoulders barked in protest. No matter how she reached, the zipper remained out of her grasp. Her muscles throbbed with the effort. She fell onto the toilet lid and felt her eyes burn with tears of frustration.
No, she would not cry. She swallowed and looked to the door. There was another option, she told herself. She could be an adult and ask for help. There was nothing wrong with that.
Chapter Ten
She shoved herself up and opened the door. Wesley was no longer in the living area. The fire burned and crackled without him. Watching him create the fire had been a breathtaking experience. It had defied all forms of science. It should have terrified her, but instead, she was awed.
Distantly, she heard noise coming from around the curve of the hearth. She followed the sound and found herself in a small kitchen. Wesley stood with his back to her. She watched the muscles of his back flex and dance as he carefully chopped potatoes. She could have done it all day, mesmerized by muscles she hadn’t even known existed.
His head shot up and he turned around. Dakota squirmed, wondering how he’d known that she was there. Could he smell her? Did she smell awful? She resisted the urge to lift her arm and sniff. She could do that in the bathroom later.
“You didn’t change,” he said. His voice sounded strained, like his throat was tight.
“I, uh, can’t seem to reach the zipper.” She pointed redundantly at the back of her dress. “Do you mind helping me?”
Wesley shook his head. His long legs closed the space between them in a few steps. She turned, her heart thumping inside of her rib cage. She swore that it was only moments from spreading wings and flying around the first floor of the tower. She felt the soft tug of his fingers when he found the zipper pull. Her breath caught in her throat.
The dress loosened around her body as he pulled the zipper lower. It dropped all the way down to the top of her ass. She heard him swallow hard behind her. It warmed her between her legs to hear what her body was doing to him.
She jumped when his fingers touched her bare back where she knew a small black, bird tattoo sat. They traced lines down her spine and the warmth between her legs doubled. Then, his light touch disappeared. Brazen, she turned to face him.
“Why did you stop?”
She wasn’t prepared for the heat in his eyes when she looked up at him. Those gray eyes flamed with a heat that she thought might burn her up. She raised her hand to touch the tension that made his jaw tight. His body rumbled when her skin touched his.
His hands snatched her and pulled her close. She let her head fall back as his lips met hers. They moved with urgency and need. His tongue pushed its way into her mouth. She nibbled at it teasingly, threateningly. The rumble of his growl filled her mouth and sent tremors down her spine.
His hands crushed her to his body. He was warm and hard beneath her. She could feel the presence of his cock growing full against her thighs. She rocked her hips to grind against it.
What was she doing? Dakota stumbled away from him, breaking the hot kiss. She’d woken up in a strange man’s bedroom that morning and now she was kissing him in his kitchen? Something in her logical brain had snapped. That had to be it. She mumbled an apology before running back to the bathroom and locking the door behind her.
She felt the wet warmth damp between her legs. She had wanted him. He set her alive with just a look. The touch of his lips against her had done darker things. She’d been ready to pull up the hem of the stupid dress right there in the kitchen.
Was it something about dragons, she wondered? Did they have some kind of pheromone meant to make human women mad for them? Dakota had never felt like this about anyone in her life before. Sure, she’d had fun with guys before, but none of them held a candle to the things that Wesley did to her body.
The look in his eyes when she turned around stayed with her. She did the same thing to him. It was her own desire mirrored in his gaze. He lusted after her just as much as she wanted him. She knew it.
Why was she denying herself? He was attractive and he wanted her. She was a grown woman with needs and if she wanted him, too, then there was nothing wrong with that. She slipped from the uncomfortable red dress and let it fall to the floor. She reached for his soft tee shirt and let it slide over her head. It was so large that it hung to the top of her thighs. It was shorter than the skirt of the dress, showing another tattoo that was on the outside of her thigh.
She glanced at the sweatpants still sitting on the floor. Feeling confident, she picked them up, folded them, and gently sat them on the counter before unlocking the door. When she came out of the bathroom Wes was standing between the living area and the kitchen. He was leaning against the stone wall, legs crossed at the ankle. It would have been the picture of casual if it weren’t for the heat still burning in his eyes.
Those eyes trailed down her body, pausing when he realized that she wasn’t wearing any pants.
“Are you trying to kill me? There already isn’t enough blood in my brain to make breakfast. I had to give up. Or, were you thinking of offering me a different breakfast?”
Dakota felt her face warm at his words, but she didn’t shy away. “I thought that was obvious.”
He closed the space between them inhumanly fast. His arms circled her, hands cupping her ass as he pu
lled her from the floor. She wrapped her legs around his body, grinding herself against the hardness of him.
***
He threw her down onto the mattress. She bounced and laughter bubbled up out of her. Her hair splayed all around her like a dark halo. Her legs came together and he fought the urge to touch her knees to pull them apart again. She was wearing nothing but his shirt, wrapping her in his scent. He felt his pants tighten as something else stirred within him. His beast growled with pleasure, happy that they had finally won their mate.
She isn’t ours just because she wants to share her body. We don’t have her heart.
“What is it?” she asked as she sat up. The laughter was gone from her eyes, replaced with concern.
He felt something stir inside of him once more. He looked down into her eyes, studying the flecks of emerald that swirled inside the honey brown. They barely knew one another, but the concern that she showed him made his chest tight.
That was until her hand snaked forward, fingers wrapping around the waistband of his jeans. She jerked him closer to her. It earned her a growl that rumbled through his chest. He had to bite his tongue as her hands worked at the button on his jeans. In no time at all, he fell free from the denim and filled her hands.
“Oh,” she said with surprise. “Well, then.”
“What?” he could barely croak out. He could smell her desire and it was driving him into a frenzy. He wanted to throw her back down and tear the shirt from her body. But, he would not force her if she was not ready. No matter his own need.
“I don’t know if I can, um, fit all of that…”
“I think you’ll surprise yourself,” Wes told her, his voice husky with need.
Her laughter became uncomfortable and his desire banked. He looked down at the woman who sat on the edge of the bed. She fought to look anywhere else but him and it drove him mad. It killed him to see her look so out of place, like she might bolt any second.
Against his own desire, he tucked the length of himself back into his jeans. He didn’t zip them back up in the hopes that the morning would still end with him inside of her. He leaned down, scooped her up and tossed her further onto the bed. She landed among the stack of pillows and the small giggle that escaped her made him smile.
He loved it when she laughed for him. He needed to hear more of it. So, he pounced onto the bed much like he had pounced around the field when he first saw her. The smell of her desire still filled the air. He prowled closer, running his hands up her bare thighs. He watched from below as her breath caught in her throat.
Good, he thought.
His fingers touched the hem of the shirt and he paused. He needed her permission to go further. When she didn’t crawl away or slap him, he edged his fingertips beneath the fabric. His hands moved to cup her ass beneath the shirt, surprised to touch bare flesh. Wes was always amazed by the sheer seduction that women’s underwear could pull off. He pulled her toward him so that his face met the warm mound of her. Her moan met his ears.
He nuzzled her with his nose though the fabric of her thong. She moaned in pleasure, sounding surprised by herself. He looked up at her. Her eyes were lidded, but the green in them gleamed like the scales of a sea serpent.
His fingers tugged at the sides of her underwear and he felt them snap beneath his grip. She made a small sound of protest that she swallowed when he dragged his teeth lightly over her folds.
“I’m going to make it so that you never want to wear underwear again,” he said into the mound of her. He could smell just how much she wanted him. The scent invaded his mind and drove him toward her. He needed her just as badly, but often the woman didn’t orgasm from simple sex. She needed more and he was glad to give it to her. He peeled away the tiny scrap of fabric and tossed it to the side.
He was pleasantly surprised to find that she was bare of hair. He nipped the bare flesh of her labia between his teeth to hear her gasp. His tongue slipped between the folds. It flicked the bead of her clitoris and she gasped above him. Her hips arched into his lips. His hands moved to grab her ass and he pressed his face deeper into her.
His tongue delved inside of her and he could feel her body beginning to contract. To make it last longer, he pulled back. His tongue ran in wide, lazy circles around her clitoris. She rocked her hips into him, craving more. She reached down and fisted her hand in his hair. The pull of her hand on his scalp pulled things lower inside of him. His hands tightened around her thighs.
He flicked her clitoris in quick succession before she arched beneath him. Her orgasm spilled out from her with a moan of pleasure. He gripped her ass tight and lapped up the taste of her. She writhed beneath him, the orgasm sending aftershocks throughout her body with each swirl of his tongue.
Her body fell limp from pleasure. Wes growled in satisfaction. This was his mate and he was going to make her a happy woman. He kissed his way up and down the inside of her thigh, ending near her most sensitive spots. She squirmed beneath him when his lips touched her. He smiled.
“Do you want more?” He asked from where he knelt between her legs.
She looked down at him. A new fire burned in her eyes. “No more,” she breathed.
Chapter Eleven
Dakota needed him inside of her. She couldn’t take it anymore. She wanted to feel every inch of him inside of her. The need was overwhelming. She sat up and reached for the waistband of his jeans. They strained against the hard length of him.
“Are you sure,” he asked, leaning back.
She met his gaze and saw what a struggle it was for him to pull back, to ask her that simple question. In response, she leaned forward and claimed his mouth with her own. She bit at his lower lip, tugging playfully. In one motion, she swung her body over his so that she was on top.
Her entrance was slick from his attention. Her body still felt shaky from the orgasms that he’d given her. The first one had exploded inside of her in a way that she’d never felt before. The second had pushed her over the edge completely. Now, it was her turn to share.
She crawled back, grabbing the fabric of his jeans in her hands and yanking them off. His thick legs slid free of the pants and Dakota was left to stand back and admire the man laying before her. She looked up the thick legs and found his cock standing at attention. Beyond that was the hard planes of his stomach and chest. His blue gray eyes sparkled as he studied her.
She pushed him back onto the bed and rose her hips over his. With one hand, she reached between them and grasped his cock in her hand. It was larger than she’d ever seen before, not that she could say that she’d seen a lot. But, she’d never tried to fit anything this large inside of her before. Now, she wanted every inch of it to fit inside of her.
Lowering her hips, she let him press against her entrance. She let her head fall back. Small spasms rocked through her muscles, leftover from her earlier orgasm. His hands rose to grab her hips. He pushed her down with an urgency that made her look at him.
The fire that she’d seen in his eyes at the bar burned in them again. It made her warm from the inside out as she fell into his gaze. He growled.
“How badly do you need it?” she whispered as she rotated her hips over his cock. She felt the tip of him move in and out of her.
He growled and pushed her hips down. She laughed and let her hips move down. He thrust inside of her and she gasped. He was everything, he was all she could feel. It took all her effort to find the muscles within her to even swallow. Slowly, she began rocking her hips back and forth. Beneath her, he moaned with pleasure.
His grip left her hips, his hands following his eyes and slipping beneath the shirt. She reached down and pulled it off, revealing the rest of her body.
“So, you do have more tattoos,” he was able to say. His hands moved up her rib cage. While his fingers touched the black ink on her side, his thumbs grazed her bare nipples. She hissed as a new sensation rippled through her.
He leaned forward and took a nipple into his mouth. He rolled the soft f
lesh between his teeth, flicking the very tip with his tongue. Dakota couldn’t handle everything he made her feel all at once. It made her forget what she was trying to do.
She grabbed his shoulders and shoved him back down onto the bed. Her hands still on his chest, she pushed herself up so that she could pull back. Nothing but the tip of him was inside of her when she looked into his eyes. Suddenly, she thrust down and took all of him. His eyes rolled back. She did it over and over again just to watch him move beneath her.
“I’m going to come,” he growled. His eyes widened for a second and he reached to still her hips. “We need to be more careful. Let me get a condom.”
Above him, Dakota shook her head. She rocked her hips back and forth against the wishes of his hands. The feeling of him inside of her was overwhelming. She couldn’t stop now. She could barely even speak, but she managed to get the words out.
“I’m on birth… control,” she breathed. “Just hope… you’re… clean.”
Wesley nodded as his eyes closed. His breathing was coming faster. Dakota knew that he was almost finished. Pressure was building inside of her, too.
Dakota took him as deep as she could. Inside of her, she could feel his cock spasm. It sent shock waves through her that made her head fall back. Her body lit up from the inside. A scream left her lips, his name falling from her mouth.
***
Dakota didn’t know what she was doing in that room. All she knew was that this man’s gaze set her on fire. She’d been making a joke and looked to him to see if she’d made him laugh and instead fell into the flames of desire that overwhelmed his eyes. He’d tried to cover it up, but she’d already fallen.
When was the last time anyone had looked at her like that? Had anyone ever bothered?
It was the reason that she’d let him carry her up the stairs to his room. He’d carefully dropped her onto his mattress before covering her with his own body. Wes hadn’t made any protests at making sure that she came first, multiple times. She’d even been pleasantly surprised when he could fit all of himself inside of her. It was nearly perfect.
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