Ran had seizures twice lately after shifting, before that, it had been every few years.
It was getting worse.
He’d been so happy when he’d come down the hall to see Draven connecting with Melissa. It was everything he’d been wanting, and he’d been running out of time when he’d seen Melissa outside the library.
He didn’t have time to look for another dragon-heart.
Melissa’s soft ass pressed into his abs and he sighed in contentment. She was so warm, so soft, so safe and calming compared to the tempest always swirling inside him. As she leaned forward to kiss Draven on the mouth, Ran enjoyed the interplay of the two beings, wondering what it would be like to be able to give oneself so openly to a lover without worrying about losing control or someone dying.
He’d tried not to be jealous or bitter every time Draven had been able to go inside one of their lovers. Every time his eyes rolled back in ecstasy, Ran told himself it was enough to just watch.
But his dragon was hungry to be trusted with more, and Ran couldn’t.
And that last time with Melissa, for the first time, he’d felt angry, had wanted more, so much more, had wanted to take her and pump inside her until the anger in him was spent, until all that was left was ecstasy and the peace he always saw on Draven’s face.
But Ran would never understand what Draven’s life had been like. He’d been raised with others, while Ran had been kept carefully alone, trained to control the dragon inside him until he could be trusted to even take a partner.
Draven had been his life ever since.
He ran his hands over Melissa’s shoulders, shuddering at the softness of her skin. If only he could trust himself, he thought, distracting himself by placing soft kisses along her shoulder and up her neck, smiling as her hair tickled his face as he leaned in to kiss her ear. She was sitting straight up now as Draven reached from beneath her, fondling her breasts.
Ran avoided the breasts, unless Draven was going inside her. They were so soft, so wonderful, and too much temptation, unless he had something ultimately distracting, like stroking or licking her clit to make her go or watching Draven pound into her. It was a powerful aphrodisiac usually.
She sighed as Draven played with her nipples, and Ran dipped a hand down to stroke in her folds, playing in her wet juices before testing a finger inside her pussy. It was tight, and she gasped and leaned forward onto Draven’s chest as Ran dipped in a little deeper, stroking as she let out a small scream.
It was risky, but Ran couldn’t help wanting a little taste of the heaven Draven usually got to experience.
He shared pleased looks with Draven as he continued to move in and out and reached around to stroke her clit with his other hand, pressing against the sensitive nub with one finger while his other hand moved inside her. It was warm and so tight, and he could only imagine what it would be like to truly go inside her.
She was panting and gasping at the stimulation, as Ran surrounded her on all sides, pressed to her back, and Draven reached up to tweak her nipples once again, moving in a lazy rhythm that was in time to Ran’s strokes.
Her breaths were catching in her throat as the tension increased. Ran could feel her energy building in the air as she arched further and further, as was possible with him dipping inside her. Oh, what it would be like to do more, to go further, to be the one filling her all the way, making her scream his name instead of Draven’s.
He was glad at this moment that Draven wasn’t in his head.
Sometimes they shared mind connections while making love; other times Ran preferred his privacy.
Like now, as he struggled with mixed feelings and stroked their future mate closer and closer to ecstasy. He tuned into her mewling cries, the little moans when he pressed harder, when he tested deeper, the gasps as she pressed into his hand and finger. He let himself be swept up in the vortex of her pleasure, where nothing else mattered but watching her scream.
Soon enough, with one hard flick over her swollen nub, she came apart in his arms, facing away from him, but held by him all the same, convulsing around his finger as she tensed and released. He kept his strong arms wrapped around her, and Draven watched them with glowing eyes, as aroused as Ran by her going.
Dragons liked nothing more than treasure, and seeing a beautiful woman go in their arms was the greatest treasure of all. His dragon was glowing, restless, but Ran trusted him not to break free. Sometimes he wondered if it could be possible… but then he’d feel frightened and back off, and Draven would take it from there, removing him from any mate.
But for some reason, with Melissa especially, his body, his cock ached to take the chance more than ever before. But he wouldn’t let that part of him take over, not until Melissa had much more pleasure. He couldn’t bring himself to leave her now.
Melissa gasped as Ran caught her around the waist and easily lifted her and turned her backward, so she was sitting in reverse cowgirl position on Draven, facing Ran.
This time he wanted to watch her come.
Her beautiful face, warm skin, full lips, and dark curls tantalized him. She was dazed, still glowing from the pleasure she’d just had, and Ran was anxious to push her back onto Draven’s hard cock and imagine her riding his.
Draven reached up, cupping her breasts in his large hands, but the beautiful flesh still spilled over, the dark, swollen nipples tortured in his hands. He made eye contact and nodded, as if signaling to Ran that this was fine, that he would please her from behind while Ran enjoyed the pleasure from the front.
Damn, Dray was a good partner.
Ran wrapped his arms around Melissa and kissed her deeply, putting one hand in her hair and the other at her hip, kneading the soft, generous flesh that felt so perfect for taking him.
Maybe someday.
As he kissed her, he guided her back, and Melissa raised herself on her knees, using her hand to guide herself over Draven’s length. Then she lowered herself over it, and he felt her gasp into his mouth.
He wanted to be the one making her gasp. In his mind, he saw himself filling her to the hilt, making her eyes bug out in pleasure. Instead, he swallowed her gasps, tasting her pleasure and holding her in his arms as Draven leaned back and focused on thrusting. Dray’s strong hips lifted her easily, and she shuddered against Ran as the thrusting continued. He could feel her shiver with the pleasure of it, and once again he let himself just get caught up in the feel of her ecstasy, the knowledge that two of the people he cared deeply about were approaching ecstasy, and he let that be ecstasy for him.
Then his eyes opened wide as a hand wrapped around him. When had she snuck into the loose pajama pants he’d been wearing? He gasped in shock, but her hand stayed around him, firm and reassuring, and her other hand wrapped around his head, holding his lips to hers.
He was so caught up in the pleasure, her gasps, Draven’s hoarse breathing, and now the pleasure stroking up his most sensitive skin. He was included, finally and for the first time.
Should he pull away? He didn’t know. He was glad Draven wasn’t in his mind, because he’d worry. But it didn’t feel like other times when women had startled Ran by trying to bring him into their games. It didn’t feel threatening to his dragon.
Maybe there was something truly special about Melissa, even aside from her being a dragon-heart.
As he knelt between Draven’s legs, pressed to Melissa as she rode Draven, as she gasped out her pleasure at being filled again and again, Ran thought this might be the closest he’d ever get to heaven.
He controlled his breathing and felt his muscles tightening with impending release. He wasn’t used to being touched. He was used to pleasing, to focusing so deeply on another person’s pleasure that he couldn’t think about his own.
This was different, and not just because of her hot touch on him. It was the fact that she’d thought of him, wanted him, was gentle with him.
It made him only want to take her more roughly, with more fervor. If it were him, he’d be p
ounding into her from above, over and over, hitting every spot inside her with each powerful thrust. The thought moved him closer to release, and he knew his only hope was making this beautiful creature go before he could. He dropped a hand to her clit and rubbed quickly. It was slick from her juices, and she groaned into his mouth as he stroked quickly. Draven picked up on it and thrust faster, and he could feel Melissa’s heartbeat increasing.
When she could no longer hold on, her hand stopped moving on him as she gasped in anticipation. Her beautiful lips were parted, her eyes wide and slightly glazed, and Ran wanted nothing more than to take a picture of this with his mind and keep it with him forever.
Beyond beautiful.
She caught him staring and gave him a slight smile between gasps.
“That’s it, sweetheart,” he said, pulling gently away from her hand. “Focus on your pleasure.”
“No,” she said, shaking her head and starting to stroke him again. Even without lube, her touch was so soft, so hot, Ran could barely control himself. How much more amazing would it be inside her? “Not without you. We go together.”
Draven’s eyes widened and he looked at Ran as he shook his head.
“No,” he said, working harder over Melissa’s clit until she bit her lip and arched back.
“No,” she said, stroking harder.
Ran gasped and bit back a harsh moan. Draven continued to thrust, caught up in the pleasure.
They hadn’t tried this in a long time, but Ran didn’t think he could pull away if he tried.
So he simply tried not to pay any attention to the burning building inside him as he stroked over her clit and took Melissa’s mouth with harsh ferocity, kissing her deeply, satisfied from the sound of her noises that she couldn’t hold on much longer.
When he was nearly at his tipping point, everything inside him shaking with how tightly restrained he was, he felt her body arch back, pressing against his hand, her hand holding him tightly.
When her body convulsed in pleasure, Ran’s eyes went wide in shock that verged on terror as he felt his body release. His eyes flew open in panic at the intensity of the overwhelming feeling.
He couldn’t afford to lose control. Not now.
However, Melissa’s eyes widened as she studied Ran, feeling him jerk in her hands. She seemed to quickly realize something was wrong and threw her hands around him, holding him tight as everything inside him flew apart.
It was a whirlwind. He could still feel the echoes of her pleasure, her gasps, and in the midst of that, could feel his entire body electrically alive as the greatest pleasure he’d ever known raged through him.
He felt his dragon close to the surface but didn’t feel scared by it. Instead, he felt a ferocious need to do more for this incredible woman who’d seen him, really seen him, for more than the dragon he was.
As his body jerked, he felt her holding him inside his skin.
She was one in a million, even more incredible than he’d guessed.
Draven lifted Melissa gently off of him and then set her on her knees and got behind her, taking her in one smooth stroke from behind while pinning her between him and Ran. She squirmed as Ran dropped a hand over her clit again as Draven began to thrust once more. She kept her hands wrapped around Ran, holding him as his body fought the fire inside.
He had to see her come again; that much he knew. He felt Draven’s hands touch his shoulders, grounding him as he kissed Melissa hard on the mouth, his hand stroking over her clit as she rode Draven toward her next release.
Draven’s touch was soothing and protective, and he could feel the warm glow of his dragon shield protecting them as they worked together toward pleasuring their mate.
Heaven, it was heaven, and he’d make sure she got to heaven too. He worked over her and then dropped away from their hands and onto his stomach, flicking his tongue out to lick her clit and then lick all the way over her soft stomach and navel and then up to her neck again until he was on his knees and reaching for her head to take it in both hands so he could take her mouth in one more harsh kiss. As he did, Draven wrapped both hands around her from behind, encircling her breasts and hips and thrusting hard, pressing them all together. A split second later, she went, digging her nails into Ran’s back as she arched back in a powerful orgasm that surpassed everything thus far.
Draven jerked a moment later, and Ran lost himself in the haze of powerful emotions from his lovers, enjoying the energy in the air, feeling how different it was after his own body had been on fire as well.
Her nails scored his back, the best feeling in the world, and each of her gasps was ecstasy. She said his name, she said Draven’s name, and Draven kept his head down over her shoulder as he jerked inside her, extending her orgasm as she clenched around him.
All that mattered was pleasing their mate, and he could feel Draven’s satisfaction emanating from him at having done just that.
As Draven and Melissa came back down to earth, the room buzzed with the tension and heat of a moment before. Ran’s whole body felt awash with pleasure, and Draven and Melissa looked exhausted. He shared a look with Draven and then picked Melissa up in his arms.
Tonight she would sleep in their bed, where he could look over at her at any moment and know she was safe.
He wanted her. His dragon was pleased by her. Draven had been won over by her.
The only thing that remained to be seen was whether she’d stay once she found out everything she had to lose.
He shook off the chill in his heart at the thought and laid her carefully in the center of the bed before climbing in next to her. He curled on one side of her as Draven went on the other, and she snuggled between them as they held her tight, all their heartbeats slowly returning to normal.
He shared a look with Draven, not sure he wanted to see inside his mind.
Tonight had been risky, but they’d been fine. Would it be safe to try it again? To go even further in the future? He didn’t know.
He also didn’t want to know if Draven was worrying about it.
He just wanted to hold his mate, stay here in this bed that needed three instead of two, and think over the past few moments. He had no doubt they would always be some of the best of his life.
No matter how long that lasted.
Chapter 8
The next morning, no one seemed to know what to say. As they all sat sipping coffee and eating the scrambled eggs and bacon Draven had cooked, there was an uncomfortable silence and tension in the air.
The night before had been so unexpectedly amazing, so connected. Without even a word spoken between them, they had known each other’s bodies and how to love each other, and if that wasn’t magic, what was?
“So what are we doing today?” Melissa asked, finishing her last bite of eggs and taking the other plates to the sink to do dishes. Before she could, Ran was there, taking them from her hands as he turned on the water to rinse them and put them in the dishwasher.
The dragons seemed unwilling to let her do anything for them. That would have to change if she planned to stay.
Ran grinned. “Forgive us for being a little too grateful,” he said, gesturing for her to sit back down and join Draven. “I’m sure we’ll calm down after a while.”
“Right,” Draven said, rolling his eyes. “Because that’s what dragons are known for. Calm.”
Melissa sat forward, eyes glowing. “I want to know more about dragons. I want to see your dragon forms. When do I get to do that?”
Ran and Draven shared looks.
“I’m not sure that’s a good idea,” Draven said, running a hand through his dark hair, setting it on end. His blue eyes were cool and calm, and she loved the contrast between them and the black lashes and brows and hair he had. Everything about him was harsh but somewhat beautiful.
If he were the black dragon, she was sure he looked incredible.
Ran went quiet, as if sensing her thoughts, and paced over to a chair far away from them in the living room, resting
his head on his palm and looking lost in thought.
Draven gave her a quiet smile. “That was a good move, including him last night. He always stays too distant.”
“I can hear you!” Ran said, but he let out a sigh and continued facing away.
Melissa could sense something was wrong but couldn’t put a finger on what.
Ran was getting edgier as the morning progressed, and she didn’t know what was causing it.
Draven shook his head. “We’ll still have to be careful. You see, the relationship between our human forms and our dragon forms is a complicated one,” he said.
Ran waved a hand. “Do we really have to go into this now?”
Draven stood, keeping a hand on the table. “When are we going to tell her, Ransom? When is fair?”
Ransom. Was that his full name? She looked at the beautiful man sitting in the corner, lost in his own personal storm, and thought it was the perfect name.
He was holding something ransom. Maybe even holding her ransom. And neither she nor Draven could release whatever it was until he was ready.
And she sighed because Draven had finally been willing to tell her about dragons.
“Don’t look like that,” Draven said, sitting down again and putting a hand over hers. He was still his stern self, but he’d backed off on her after their moment together yesterday, when he’d held her after the memories.
She didn’t remember ever feeling so safe, so protected. It had been the opposite of being alone. Or being dead.
And then the lovemaking that had come after had been even more wonderful. She felt those moments helped her grow in her relationship with them in leaps and bounds.
She’d seen just how much Ran enjoyed watching her and Draven come together, but when she’d looked into his flickering green eyes, she’d seen a heartbreaking kind of longing she couldn’t resist soothing. She’d wanted to bring him with them. She kind of had.
But she wanted more. She wanted both dragons inside her. Wanted them all to be one.
Ran snorted in the corner, and she felt a blush at her own thoughts.
A Tiger's Destiny (Tiger Protectors Book 3) Page 19
