She knew he was going to come for her, but Alexis had hoped that he would wait long enough for her to get her composure back. What had happened in the kitchen…she knew that there was a spark of attraction between the two of them, but that was a raging inferno.
Alexis could still feel his hands on her. She touched her swollen lips. No man had ever kissed her like he wanted to consume her. It was a soul-shaking experience that ruined her for any other man. Alexis was experienced enough to know that kind of passion was a rare find.
Everything in her was telling her to open the door and finish what they had started in the kitchen. Everything except fear. Fear was telling her that Ladon would possess more than her body if she gave in.
Her inner debate about whether or not to open the door was still raging as Ladon’s knocks became more insistent. His temper was flaring because of her lack of response.
“Alexis, you are going to talk to me whether you want to or not,” Ladon growled. His fist left a dent in the wooden door. Still she didn’t answer him.
Alexis was being a coward and she knew it. Never in her life had a man knocked her so off balance. But he’s not a man. He is an alien that can turn into a fucking dragon. Maybe that was the problem; if he had been human she would have latched onto him and done her damnedest to keep him.
Crash! Alexis’s door flew open and she saw Ladon silhouetted in the hall light, his boot still raised in the air.
Alexis knew that his violent entrance should have frightened her, but the sight of his masculine form as he stalked towards her had her shivering for an entirely different reason. Somehow she knew on an instinctual level that Ladon would never hurt her. But he would make demands of her body and possibly her heart and not take no for an answer.
Alexis gave in to the inevitable. She reached her hand out and cupped his rough cheek. Her eyes questioned as her thumb caressed his lips. Ladon’s eyes closed with a moan as his face pushed into her palm as if it craved the contact. She lifted her other hand to pull him down.
Ladon’s eyes opened and the golden depths seemed to burn with an inner fire. The heat between them wasn’t one sided. When Alexis considered the possibility that she could demand as much from Ladon as he demanded from her, suddenly the idea of him being a different species seemed to fade into the background of her mind. It was simple: he was a male; she was a female.
Alexis nipped at Ladon’s chin and smiled as the flames in his eyes flared with her touch. Her hand trailed down his neck to his chest. Her fingers traced the hard muscles beneath his shirt. Her decision was made. No more denying what was between them.
Alexis heard the voice in the back of her mind tell her that this wouldn’t last, but she firmly shut it away. She was going to explore what was between her and the dragon. If it ultimately fizzled she knew that these moments would be memories burned into her psyche forever. But the future was only speculation, only now was real. And she was going to fill the now with as much sensation as she could.
Her lips found his, and like a switch his arms wrapped around her, crushing her to him. In that moment, Alexis felt something within herself break, the pieces falling reforming into something new, something that carried parts of Ladon with her. She knew that indefinable something would be with her always, even if things between them were to fall apart. Somehow she knew that today she was changed forever.
Alexis fisted her hands in his shirt and pulled him closer. Her mouth crushed his. It was a fight for dominance and both refused to surrender. As Ladon’s hands trailed down her back and cupped her hips, she admitted to herself that this was what she had been searching for. She needed masculine balance, a partner, an equal. She would never have to worry about being too much for Ladon. Too intelligent, too strong, too sexual….in the past she had heard all of those from her failed attempts at finding a life partner. But Ladon would never accuse her of being too much; she was made to be his match in every facet as he was hers.
Then Ladon kissed her back and she lost every coherent thought, save one. I want this man.
Alexis smiled her mysterious female smile, causing Ladon to stop and look down into her eyes. She gazed up at him longingly, communicating without words. Whatever he saw there must have satisfied the questions she saw in his eyes. Because he trailed kisses across her face and neck.
Nipping at her ear, he whispered, his warm breath tickling across her skin. “I need to hear you, love. Tell me that you want this…need me the way I need you.”
Alexis could hear the vulnerability in his voice. If she had any reservations left, they flew away at that sound. Her fear and longing were not one sided, and somehow that gave her strength to banish those things from her thoughts.
Alexis turned her head and captured his lips. “Yes.”
23
Yes…that one simple word shifted Ladon’s entire universe. Alexis had given herself into his keeping. Ladon knew that she didn’t fully understand what she had just agreed to. This was no tumble for him; this was a lifetime. Every scale in his body knew that this was forever. Once he tasted Alexis he knew that a lifetime would never be enough. He had time. He could convince her of forever.
Alexis bit his ear with a growl to bring his mind back to the present. The future could figure itself out. Right now he had a dragoness to satisfy.
Alexis turned and headed to the window, unbuttoning her shirt with each step. She shrugged out of her shirt and Ladon’s breath caught in his lungs. Shirt fluttered to the ground leaving behind an expanse of creamy white skin. No bra…she wore no bra and her rosy nipples proudly thrust forward, beckoning Ladon to come forward and taste them. Ladon could see a drop of perspiration trail its way down between the valley of her breasts. He was so mesmerized that it took a while for his brain to register that Alexis had given him a husky laugh and crooked her finger at him.
Ladon’s body tightened even more at the sound. Never had he had such a visceral reaction to a woman. No wonder Drakonians who found their true mates would forsake all others. Every experience he ever had paled in comparison to this one woman—and he hadn’t even touched her yet.
Her hands reached up and fluffed her dark curls. A feline grace stretched her body as she arched her back in the moonlight. She cocked one jean-clad hip in challenge, and Ladon’s dragon raked his insides trying to get to the surface.
Alexis must have seen the dragon in his eyes as he stalked closer because her breath hitched and she raised one hand to touch his scruffy cheek.
“I don’t think I have it in me to be gentle, Alexis,” Ladon declared as he kissed down her throat.
“Who said I wanted gentle?”
Ladon buried his face at the juncture of her neck and shoulder with a groan. He couldn’t help but inhale the tantalizing musky scent that was Alexis. He was fairly certain he would be able to track her by scent alone.
Her fragrance was ripe and feminine and laced with arousal. A growl crawled up Ladon’s throat as his dragon demanded freedom. Never in his long existence had Ladon had difficulty controlling his beastly nature. It wasn’t the sex; it was all Alexis. Something in that woman called to everything in him; the good, the bad, the dangerous.
Ladon lifted Alexis by her thighs, wrapping her legs around his waist, so he could bury his face between the gorgeous breasts that had enthralled him so. He suckled and licked like she was his favorite dessert. Her skin tasted like heaven. From this point on, this would be home for Ladon.
Alexis threw her head back, moving her body, hot with need, against the solid evidence of his arousal. She was hot, her entire body heated with lust.
Ladon bit down on her sensitive nipple. He felt Alexis shudder and the front of her jeans became wet.
*****
Dear god! The man was lethal. Even when she had been a hormone-crazed teenager, she had never orgasmed dry humping her partner. But Ladon seemed to be able to play her body like a master musician.
She untwined her legs from Ladon and stepped back with a hand on his chest. She
could see the question and worry in his eyes. Alexis knew he was afraid that he had done something wrong. Her heart melted even more at that. Never had a lover been concerned about her comfort or pleasure before.
Alexis smiled like a Cheshire cat and shoved. She knew that with his incredible strength she would never have moved him if she hadn’t caught him off guard. He took a step back, his knees buckling as he hit the edge of the bed.
He flopped on the bed and then raised himself up so he could watch Alexis. Alexis saw his eyes flash like a cat’s, changing between the slitted pupil of the dragon and the rounded pupil of the man. It made Alexis hesitate.
Ladon just watched her, his dragon eyes staring at her. She wanted the man, but could she accept the dragon?
Ladon’s face remained stoic, but his dragon eyes suddenly looked forlorn and lonely. That look made Alexis’s chest hurt; her heart ached so bad. In that moment, she realized that the man and the dragon were one in the same and she wanted them both.
She stalked towards the bed, adding an extra sensual roll to her hips. Ladon’s eyes lost their desolation as the dragon’s fire returned to heat his gaze. She stood above him as he lay like a pasha across her bed. The fire in his eyes flared with each move she made. When she reached for the button of her jeans and slowly stripped them off, she was almost surprised that the linens didn’t catch fire from the heat in his gaze.
Ladon attempted to reach out and grab her, but Alexis danced away, wagging a finger at him with a glint in her eye. No words were exchanged, but Ladon seemed to understand that she needed him to submit to her as much as he needed her to submit to him. He returned to watching her as he leaned back, propped up by his arms.
Alexis watched him as she crawled up his body. She could feel the heat pouring off Ladon and goose bumps race across her skin as her sensitive nipples brushed across the light dusting of hair on his chest.
She captured his mouth in a soul-searing kiss. She poured all the confusion, lust, and love she felt into that kiss, trading a bit of her soul with his. Neither one noticed the brief glow of nano machines flaring to life.
Alexis’s hands trailed down his body, followed by her lips. Every few inches she would nip him with her teeth and scratch his skin with her nails. She rubbed her body across his like a cat in heat. Every other man would start complaining at her aggressiveness or that she was too rough at this point, but not Ladon. He seemed to revel in the marks she left across his skin. He closed his eyes and groaned, his body arching, begging for more. This man was made for her.
She got to his jeans and growled in frustration as the snug fit she admired from afar impeded her skin-to-skin contact. Ladon chuckled but raised his hips enough that she could pull his jeans off of him.
Finally, he was as bare as she was. She hummed her appreciation as his manhood stood demanding attention. She rubbed her body across his, marking him with her scent. Humans may not notice any difference, but Drakonians would immediately recognize her mark.
She moved up his body, until she reached his shoulder and her kisses and licks turned into a love bite. Ladon’s blood surged, making his already engorged cock rock hard.
Alexis broke the skin with her bite and suckled, tasting blood. Ladon’s nano machines converged on the area, not to repair the damage—to flow into the small amount of blood Alexis ingested.
Ladon’s body chemistry had already changed slightly in the presence of his true mate. His nano machines tuned themselves to Alexis for this moment. Without conscious thought, Alexis began a mating ritual that predated even humanity. Those few machines began to change Alexis’s chemistry immediately. She felt it as an intense heat that flushed through her body, making her lust spike.
She started back down his body, her hand reaching for his member, demanding attention.
Ladon hissed in a breath as her delicate hand squeezed him with surprising strength. Alexis could feel his eyes on her as she licked her lips. One corner quirked up as she felt, more than heard, him groan. She loved that she could affect him so much.
Hands braced on his thighs, she lowered her head, until her nose was level with the part of him she desired to taste. She closed her eyes and inhaled his masculine scent. He smelled spicy with a hint of cinnamon. She nuzzled him before licking him from root to tip. Her tongue swirled at his flared head and his hips jumped, begging for more.
She obliged him, wrapping her lips around his throbbing shaft. Her tongue felt every heartbeat through his heavily veined member. It beat a rapid tattoo as she sucked. One hand milked his base in time with the movement of her mouth and tongue. The other massaged his heavy ball sack.
Alexis lightly scraped her teeth across the sensitive bundle of nerves on the underside of his cock’s head. She smiled and hummed as he fisted the sheets of the bed with a moan. She knew he was close because she could feel his balls tighten.
Suddenly she was lifted away from her new favorite toy, and Ladon’s mouth crushed hers with a growl. He grabbed a handful of Alexis’s hair and pulled. The small bite of pain added to the heady mix.
Ladon used her hair to direct her where he wanted her without a word. Alexis found herself on all fours at the edge of the mattress. The other hand caressed her shoulders, fingers tailing down her back as if he was trying to memorize every curve. Those fingers traced over her rounded backside. Alexis whimpered when his touch left her, only to gasp when the flat of his palm landed across her ass. The sting sent heat straight to her core and her anticipation dripped down her legs.
She arched her back, pushing her ass against his thighs; silently begging for more. Ladon pulled her hair until her head looked over her shoulder. He leaned down and captured her mouth; their tongues fighting for dominance.
In a single hard thrust, Ladon filled her; capturing her moans with his kiss. He broke away from her mouth to set a brutal pace with each thrust. It was all Alexis could do but to hold on and feel.
Every lover had taken one look at her petite frame and thought her fragile. They treated her like art glass—only to be handled with a gentle touch. She didn’t want gentle. She didn’t need gentle. She needed a man who would throw her down and fuck her senseless. She wanted to feel the experience days after the fact. She needed a man whose libido and fire raged just as much as hers. Hallelujah, she finally found him in Ladon.
Alexis could feel the waves of her climax rising. She pushed back against Ladon’s thrusts. The sound of flesh against flesh filled the bed chamber. His thrusts were so forceful that his testicles hit her clit each time. But it wasn’t quite enough to send her over the edge until Ladon reached around with one hand and started stimulating her. First he kneaded breasts and pinched her nipples, sending little electric shocks through her body. She moaned as her body melted into the sensation.
Then he pinched her clit and she screamed as the wave of her orgasm crested. Ladon increased the speed and force of his thrusts, which kept the shockwaves of her orgasm going. With a final thrust and roar, Ladon emptied himself inside her and bit her shoulder at the base of her neck, locking her in place with instincts as old as time.
His teeth broke the skin and he held her there as her channel spasmed against his still hard member. Nano machines poured into Alexis’s body from his. All the while her body milked him of everything he had until they both collapsed.
Ladon reluctantly pulled free of his true mate and rolled to the side, so as not to crush her. He gathered Alexis in his arms, her head laying on his chest. He looked down to tell her all the things in his heart, only to discover his true mate snored.
Alexis had fallen asleep almost immediately. Ladon chuckled and pulled the covers over both of them. Tomorrow would be soon enough to figure everything out.
24
Ladon woke to the feel of Alexis stirring in his arms. He opened his eyes when her warmth left his body. For some reason, the chill wasn’t just from the lack of body heat. Ladon quietly propped himself up on one elbow and watched Alexis dress. By the stars, she was a beautiful
woman, who at this moment seemed to be running scared.
“Good morning, Alexis.” Ladon watched Alexis jump at the sound of his voice, confirming that she was trying to sneak out without waking him.
“Um, morning….”
“We need to talk about last night, Alexis.”
“I seem to remember that we communicated quite well without talking.” Alexis gave a nervous giggle.
“Alexis….”
“It’s okay, Ladon. I’m a modern girl. Last night was fun, but I don’t expect anything from it.” Ladon tried to speak but Alexis just barreled on. “I know your first priority is to find out what happened to you and your people. Besides, we are entirely different species.” Alexis pulled her jeans on and started tucking in her shirt as she gave her little speech. “We both have physical needs, and I am sure we can scratch that itch while we are thrown together. Afterwards we can part as friends.”
Alexis flashed him a brilliant smile as she finished dressing. “It was just sex, nothing more.”
Ladon lay in bed dumbfounded. Just sex? She thought that last night, the most meaningful night in his entire existence, was just sex. Alexis breezed out the door before Ladon could collect himself enough to call after her.
*****
Ryuu held out a cup of coffee to Ladon as he stumbled into the makeshift kitchen.
“After the noise the two of you made last night, I didn’t expect to see you for at least a couple of days.” Ryuu grinned as his friend glared daggers at him. “Alexis ran in here like a demon was after her and grabbed a mug of coffee and disappeared to go over my translations.”
Ladon grumbled incoherently and took the mug. Something was definitely off with the pair this morning.
“I could smell the changes in Alexis’s body chemistry. I take it the mating went well.”
Ladon slammed the mug on the table. “According to her it was just sex,” he practically shouted. He let go of the mug and buried his face in his hands with a groan. “I never wanted to tie myself to one female in all of my existence, and when I finally find the one, she tells me it was just sex.”
Breathing Fire (Drakonian Chronicles Book 1) Page 9
