by Zoe Chant
It almost hurt to pull away. "You know you don't have to—" he started.
The soft smile Theresa gave him warmed him through and through. "I know," she said. "That's why I want to."
She kissed him again. This time, he didn't hold himself back. He let himself drown in the taste of her, the feel of her body pressed against his. Her scent was changing already, turning sweet and heady with arousal. Her kisses were hungry and eager. Samuel had never wanted a woman the way he wanted her now; his entire body felt lit up by her touch. It was almost physically painful to pull back. But he had to. This wasn't fair to her. If they were going to do this, she deserved to know the truth of what he was.
Samuel's chest clenched. If she got scared, if she decided to walk away…
She deserved to know the truth.
He took a few steps back, putting distance between them. Theresa watched him worriedly. "There's something you need to know about me," he said. "Please don't be scared. I won't hurt you."
He closed his eyes, and let the transformation take over.
***
Theresa stared, wide-eyed, as a golden glow enveloped Samuel's body. For a moment she could see nothing but his silhouette, backlit by the warm bright light, and then even that blurred and changed. When the light disappeared she could finally see the full effect of the transformation that had just taken place. Theresa gasped.
Dark wings emerged from Samuel's back, glossy black like the lake at midnight, shading towards red at the edges as if they'd been dipped in molten fire. They were shockingly beautiful. Later, it would strike her that that had been her first thought: the beauty of his wings, instead of the fact that they couldn't possibly be real.
"I'm sorry," Samuel said. His great wings curled in tightly around him, as if he was trying to make himself seem smaller. "I won't hurt you," he repeated. "If you want to leave, I won't stop you."
He was standing by the wall opposite the door, leaving her an easy escape route. But she wasn't scared, Theresa realized, just as it belatedly occurred to her that maybe she should be. Samuel had just changed into… into some sort of mystical creature, right before her eyes.
But it was Samuel! Even with the addition of the wings, his body was familiar. And the first thing he'd been worried about was making sure she knew she didn't have to be scared. Whatever he was, she couldn't imagine that he was going to hurt her.
"Can I look at you?" she asked.
Samuel came a little closer. The wings weren't the only thing that had changed, she saw. His eyes glowed golden in the dim light of the room. Glossy black claws emerged from the tips of his fingers. When he noticed her looking at them, he retracted them neatly, like a cat, until only the very tip of them still showed. He curled his hand in as if to hide even that, as if worried his claws might scare her, or maybe disgust her.
"What are you?" Theresa asked.
"I'm a dragon," Samuel said.
Theresa squinted at him dubiously. He had the wings, of course—and she could see now that they were dragon's wings, like something out of a storybook—but the rest of his body was still very human.
"This isn't my real shape," Samuel said, as if reading the objection from her face. "Unbonded dragons can't transform all the way. I won't gain my full powers until I meet my mate."
That stung; a terrible, unexpected pang. So somewhere out there, he had a mate waiting for him, probably another dragon just like him.
She'd always known this was a temporary arrangement, she reminded herself. And maybe this was the reason he couldn't date like a normal person. He was a good guy; he wouldn't want to lead anyone on when he couldn't commit to a human woman. At least she'd gotten to spend this time with him. At least she'd gotten to see this, his miraculous transformation, living proof that magic was real in the world after all.
"I'm sorry," Samuel said again.
"Are you kidding me? This is amazing! Dragons exist! Dragons exist and I get to see one!"
She suddenly laughed, although it still sounded shaky. "Now it makes sense why that non-disclosure agreement had so many pages. I knew you had to be hiding something."
Samuel looked at her, startled into a laugh. "You're taking this really well," he said.
"I wish I could see you in your actual dragon form," Theresa said. How magical would that be? But he'd have to meet his mate before that could happen. And once that happened, once he found this mystical dragon woman he was waiting for, what would he care about a plain librarian?
"I'm sorry I can't show you," Samuel said.
"This is already pretty amazing," Theresa said honestly.
She reached for one of his hands, uncurling it until she could see the sharp tips of his claws. Samuel slowly flexed his fingers, letting her see his claws emerge. She ran her fingers over the side of one. They were smooth as polished glass.
"Careful," Samuel said, but Theresa was already making sure not to get too close to the wickedly sharp edge.
When she let go of his hand, he immediately retracted his claws again. Theresa figured he was still worried about scaring her; but fear was the last thing on her mind. She reached out to touch one of his wings.
The glossy scales were smooth as polished stone, but somehow soft, too, a texture like nothing she'd ever felt before. She ran her fingers over them, fascinated. Samuel made a low sound. The wing beneath her hand flexed and tensed.
Theresa snatched her hand back. "I'm sorry. Did I hurt you?"
"No," Samuel said. He curled the wing around himself and looked down at the place she'd touched as if he'd never seen it before. "No one's ever touched my wings," he said. "I can't believe you're taking this so well. This isn't exactly what you signed up for."
"Did you think I'd be scared?"
Samuel suddenly laughed. "I guess I should have known better. You've been so damn brave from the first time I saw you. Hell, you showed up for a meeting with some crazy billionaire offering you fifty thousand dollars for God knows what."
"That wasn't brave. I was scared as hell at first," Theresa said.
"And yet you didn't let it scare you off," Samuel said, as if that proved his point. "And now I've sprung this on you with no warning—" he shrugged one wing illustratively— "and you barely even blinked."
"I think I might still be a little bit in shock," Theresa said. "But… Look at you! You're amazing!" She smiled. "I'm glad you decided to show me. Thank you."
The golden glow surrounded Samuel again. When it disappeared, it was just him again, ordinary and human. But she knew what he was now. He'd trusted her with his most well-guarded secret. Theresa smiled to herself.
Samuel's shirt was still hanging over the back of a chair where he'd left it. When he reached for it, Theresa caught his hand. "I don't think you're going to need that," she said, feeling her face heat up with a blush. She wasn't usually this forward. But Samuel had trusted her with his secret. The least she could do in return was let him know that she still wanted him just as much as she had before she'd found out what he was. She reached out and yanked him into a kiss. Samuel's arms came up around her, holding her close. Theresa moaned.
***
Samuel walked backwards until he hit the couch, still holding Theresa close to him, exchanging hungry kisses. He let himself slide down onto the cushions, pulling her with him until her whole body was stretched out on top of his. His thigh pushed up against her through her dress. Theresa gasped, pressing her hips against him. She was already getting wet. Samuel had never been more grateful for his sensitive dragon's nose, the way he could smell how true and deep her desire was.
She still wanted him, even now that she knew the truth. The knowledge burned like an ember inside his chest, a blazingly bright spot of warmth.
When he ran his hands down Theresa's back, she arched into the touch like a cat, tilting her head to the side so he could kiss her neck, her shoulders, the exposed skin at the top of her breasts.
But when he reached for the fastenings at the back of her dress, she hesi
tated. "I should probably go change in the bathroom. I'm not exactly wearing sexy underwear," Theresa said, blushing. "Actually, it's pretty much the direct opposite of sexy underwear."
"I could honestly not possibly care any less," Samuel said, heartfelt. "It's you wearing it, that's all I care about."
"If you're sure," Theresa said hesitantly.
She was still wearing the dress Sue had made her for the musical, a gown in a deep wine red that brought out reddish highlights in her hair. It laced up the back, showing a tantalizing glimpse of smooth pale skin.
The lacing on the back of her dress was complicated enough that it took Samuel a little while to undo it, but that only made it better. He felt as if he'd been given some absurdly precious gift to unwrap. He felt something like awe as he slowly pulled the ribbons through their eyelets, baring Theresa's skin inch by inch.
When he had the lacings all the way undone, Theresa took a deep breath, visibly bracing herself, and then she stood up, yanked the dress off over her head in one smooth motion and turned to face him. There was something defiant about her stance, but wary at the same time. This is me, take me as I am, screamed the way she squared her shoulders, but the way she crossed her arms tightly in front of her chest betrayed her nerves.
Samuel's breath caught at the sight of her: her beauty, but also her courage and her strength.
"You're gorgeous," he said.
Theresa wore a dark blue bra, broad straps supporting the generous weight of her breasts, two lush, perfect curves. God, he couldn't wait to touch her.
She also wore some sort of support garment that covered her from her thighs to the top of her stomach, shaping her body into a smooth hourglass curve by pinching her sides and squishing her belly. Samuel knelt down in front of her to peel it down inch by inch. The boning in the sides left red, angry welts on her skin. Samuel kissed the marks he'd revealed.
"You know you don't have to wear this stuff for me, right? I mean, you should wear whatever you feel comfortable in, of course," he added quickly. "But I like your body exactly the shape that it is."
Theresa looked down at him nervously. "Sorry. I know spanx isn't exactly sexy date underwear. If I'd known we were going to, um..."
"I really, really don't care what you're wearing," Samuel repeated. "I get to see you out of your clothes. I'm the luckiest man in this city right now."
Theresa was looking down at him as if she still didn't quite believe his words, but desperately wanted them to be true. Samuel kissed her rounded belly, the soft curves of her hips, the pale skin just above the waistband of her panties. God, she was so hot. He loved her softness, he loved her feminine curves. He wanted to kill anyone who'd ever made her feel like her body was something to be embarrassed about.
Theresa was breathing harder, looking down at him with wide dark eyes. He could smell her wetness.
"Do you want to move this to the bedroom?" Samuel asked. He didn't want to push too fast too far, but Theresa nodded immediately.
"Yes," she said. "God, I want you."
He stood up, meaning to give her just one quick kiss, but then he got caught up in her again, her lips against his, the feel of her soft body pressing against his, nothing between him and her skin now but her bra and panties...
He'd meant to take her to the bedroom, he reminded himself. But he didn't want to let go for her even for the thirty seconds it would take to walk there.
"Samuel, bedroom," Theresa said with a low, throaty laugh, but then she went on the tips of her toes and caught his mouth again, as if she had no idea how distracting it was when she did that; how was he ever supposed to make himself let her go?
He wouldn't, he decided.
Theresa gave a startled squeak when he swept her up in his arms. "Samuel!"
"To the bedroom, milady?" he asked, smiling at her, and her look of startled outrage turned into a laugh.
"Put me down, for God's sake! I'm much too heavy for you."
"You're the perfect weight for me," Samuel said. Actually, with the supernatural strength of a shifter, she was hardly more than a featherweight to him. But it was wonderful to have her in his arms, fully awake this time, safe and close and all his; inside him, the dragon wanted to purr in contentment.
He set her down in the middle of the bed and took a moment just to look at her: her breasts framed by her blue bra, her hard, tight nipples that he could just barely glimpse through the fabric. There was a little scattering of freckles on her chest that he wanted very badly to kiss.
Theresa was watching him back. "You're overdressed," she said, which was true enough. He was still wearing his shirt, although it hung crookedly where her exploring hands had pulled it loose from his pants, and the top four buttons were undone. His hard cock pressed painfully against the confines of his pants. Samuel worked his cufflinks loose, carefully set them aside, and then yanked his shirt off over his head, not caring that a few buttons went flying.
When he pushed his pants down, Theresa's eyes immediately went to the front of his boxer briefs, where his cock was making a very noticeable bulge in the fabric.
"Nice," she said, in a low, dark voice. She reached out one hand for him. Samuel came eagerly, leaning down to kiss her again, his hands braced on the bed beside her.
Theresa ran her hands over his arms, where the muscles were thrown into sharp relief by the position. "Look at you! I still can't believe you ended up choosing me," she said. "You could have had anyone."
"I don't want anyone else," Samuel said. He cupped her breasts in his hands, rubbing her nipples with his thumbs. Theresa made a low, purring sound, her back arching.
He undid her bra with one hand, pulling the cups down. Her nipples were small and tight and pink. When he sealed his lips around them, Theresa gasped, both her hands coming up to hold the back of his head as if to keep him exactly where he was. Samuel sucked, first gently, then harder when the sounds she made told him exactly how much she liked it. Finally, Samuel started kissing his way down. He peeled her panties off her legs.
When he pressed his mouth between her legs, Theresa's back tightened into a bow. She was so wet already, and the taste of her was delicious.
Samuel licked her hungrily, circling the nub of her clit with his tongue until she was gasping, breathless, her legs wrapping around his shoulders, her hands fisting restlessly in the bed sheets.
He slipped one finger inside her, and then another one when she clenched around him hungrily. He licked and sucked her until his tongue was numb and his lips were aching perfectly, until Theresa cried out, every muscle in her body going taut.
She sprawled out limply in the bed with a sigh of bone-deep satisfaction.
"God, that was amazing," she said, lifting her head up to give him a quick dazed grin, and then flopping back into the pillow. "Come up here," she said, beckoning with one hand.
Samuel looked at her, naked and happy and satisfied in his bed. He followed her beckoning hand up the bed, bending over to kiss her hungrily. Theresa ran her hand over his shoulders, his back, around the side of his hips.
***
"God, you're gorgeous. I lo—I like you," Theresa said, catching herself just in time. I love you, was what she'd almost said. Now that she'd thought it, it was impossible not to know. Thank god Samuel didn't seem to have noticed the slip. Theresa wrapped one leg around his hips and pulled him against her, pressing herself against his thigh between her legs, trying to stop thinking. She couldn't be in love. They only had a few more days together. Somewhere out there, his mate was waiting for him.
And yet she'd fallen for him. I love you, she thought, letting herself admit the truth of it, at least to herself. I love you. I don't know how I'm going to give you up.
She looked down for a moment, hiding her face behind her hair. She wouldn't let her feelings ruin what they had now, she told herself. He liked her; that was enough. Better to have this than nothing at all, even if it couldn't last.
She dragged him down on top of her, pressing their
bodies together. They spent a long time kissing, his hands stroking her breasts, her nipples, her sides; he was finding sensitive spots she hadn't even known she had.
She explored him with her hands in turn, learning the shape of his body, what made him shiver and what made him gasp. She'd only just had an orgasm, and usually one wiped her out for the evening, but right now, she felt as desperate as if they were just getting started. She wanted him again, she wanted him every way she could have him.
When he started kissing his way down her body again, her breath caught.
"Can you go again?" Samuel asked.
"Oh God, yes," she said. "Please."
It was even better this time, as hard as she'd have found that to imagine before. He knew exactly what she liked now, and every time she looked down and saw him, her heart beat a little faster: his strong broad shoulders, the chiseled muscles of his back, his smooth, golden skin. A wave of pleasure washed through her, so intense it almost hurt. She came with a loud gasp.
And yet the hunger didn't go away. She still wanted him closer, wanted him inside her desperately, her whole body aching for his touch.
She waited impatiently while he put on a condom, reached for him before he was even properly done, her fingers tangling with his, and guided him inside her.
His cock was big enough it might have been a little intimidating, but right now, she was so wet, so ready for him, it felt like the perfect fit; as if her body had been made for him.
Samuel groaned. He started moving inside her, slowly and cautiously at first, picking up speed when she wrapped her legs around his hips and urged him on, his body moving in perfect rhythm with hers. Every thrust set off sparks like fireworks inside of her.
They came together, his mouth opening in soundless pleasure while Theresa gasped and hung on to him with both hands.
He lay down next to her when it was over and pulled her close against him.
Theresa drowsed contentedly, her head on his shoulder. She still could hardly believe that this was happening to her – that he'd chosen her, when he could have anyone, her gorgeous Samuel with his looks and his easy charm and his wealth…
