by Kyle, Celia
“Ooo-kay.” Lily tipped her head to the side, eyebrows drawn together.
“He stated I should apologize.” His mate nodded at him, so he continued. “And if that did not appease your anger, I was to look like an abused canine.” Her eyes flashed and he hurried to speak again before she vented her anger. He had one other thing to say before she shouted at him. “You are the perfect mate, shaa kouva. You are beautiful and intelligent. You are so full of life and joy… and that is what you have given me. No matter the past and no matter what life may bring, being claimed by you is the answer to my greatest dream.”
Some of the fury in her expression eased and he risked stepping closer, easing one arm around her waist and holding her still as he took that last step. Now their bodies were flush, her curves and the hard planes of his muscles aligned. “Before you…” He sought the pretty words that would make his explanation clearer, but he was a warrior, not a negotiate master. “I had not planned on finding a mate, shaa kouva. I meant to travel to Earth, see a strange planet, and then return to Preor to take my final flight. I had not found my mate and no female even spared me a glance with… this.” He brought his hand to his face, fingertips hovering over the long scar. “I am broken, shaa kouva. I am nothing more than a hardened warrior who does not know how to speak with a mate. I know how to fight. How to protect.” He shook his head. “I do not know how to nurture. I do not know how to love.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
Lily couldn’t imagine anything better than the view from her own private beach and then Argan had to go and ruin it—by being perfect. The stupid dragon was going to make her cry and she was not a pretty crier. But the depth of emotion in those few words, the heartache and pain that lived in every syllable… Her heart cracked and broke for him.
For the young Argan who had looked forward to finding a mate, only to have his chances demolished by a single scar. For the older Argan who had spent year after year under scrutiny—used for his skills but otherwise ignored. For the Argan that had arrived on Earth—one final trip before he leapt off a cliff on Preor.
He didn’t know how to love? Lily called bullshit on that one. “I don’t believe you.”
Argan’s lips parted slightly, mouth dropping open as his eyes widened. It was the last reply he’d expected and that delighted her. He opened and closed his mouth a few times, cheeks flushing, and she took pleasure in his surprise—at getting a reaction from a stuffy, staid Preor.
But she didn’t tease him simply to get a rise out of him. It was a useful—very human—way to get his thoughts turned away from morose thoughts, and Lily found the value in that.
“I do not know how to respond to your words,” he confessed, peering down at her. Lily turned so his arms caressed her side and that sensation of being gripped by the strong, damaged male made her heart flutter. His thumbs stroked her bare skin as he gave her a gentle squeeze and held her closer, all while searching her expression with his gaze. Those little things made her feel loved in a way so few things could. He didn’t just want her. He wanted her so badly that he attempted to unconsciously seduce her.
“You don’t have to respond.” She shrugged and then reached for his scarred face, stroking the long line of pale tissue. She ran her fingers over his chiseled features and not once broke their eye contact. “All I want you to do is show me.”
Lily caressed his strong jawline while one of Argan’s hands slid north along her curves. He paused near the tie on her bikini bottoms just long enough to silently tell her how much he wanted to tug on the string. She’d thought about releasing the bow from the moment she slipped her bikini on. His rough warrior’s hand traced her spine and a shiver traveled its length before he slid his fingers through her hair and cupped the back of her head. He leaned in and pressed his lips to her, and the moment they touched, emotions flared through the Binds.
The kiss was hungry. The primal, aggressive need was even hungrier—desperation coming from Argan’s dragon. It was everything she expected from him and more. The echo of the Binds flitted between them and didn’t just add to the experience. No, it gave her an entirely new landscape to explore. The words wouldn’t come to mind, and the more she tried to describe the feelings, the more they were drowned out by other sensations. Sensations that urged her to lie back and enjoy Argan’s touch.
Yeah, those desires won in the end.
Argan walked her back to the gradual incline from the water to the beach and then guided her to the ground. The powdery sand made a soft crunch as he fell to his knees, straddling her, but not making contact. She giggled as he maintained their kiss the all while, and once she was on her back, he teased her lips with his tongue.
She didn’t hesitate to open for him, let him into her mouth so she could brush her tongue along his. Her mind hung onto every scrap of emotion she sensed flowing through Argan, warm emotions radiating from him like a hot oven. She ached to delve a little deeper, the way he dove into her, but something held her in check.
Their passion turned messy, bodies reaching for something that lingered out of reach. He left her lips and trailed a line of kisses across her warm cheeks and down her neck. The feel of him sent the first inklings of a tickle over her skin and she wiggled and squirmed against the sand. Instead of her getting away, it merely made Argan laugh—the sound tinted with desire. His kisses continued down her neck until he reached an open swath of skin—enough space to open his mouth and nip her soft flesh. Her giggling laughter transformed into a breathy gasp, and one of his hands moved to her breast, giving the aching mound a soft squeeze.
His biting turned more aggressive and she didn’t miss the feel of his hardness pressing against her through their swimwear. The longer they kissed and touched the more and more out of hand it became and Lily… wasn’t about to do anything to stop it. In fact, she loved its out of control nature more than anything.
His fingers curled around the knot at her hips and she was so very, very close to saying “screw it” and letting him tear the tie, except… She grumbled and put her hand over his, stopping him from taking things further. He pulled back just enough to shoot her a questioning look, eyebrows furrowed, and lips turned down.
“I want you,” she breathed, cheeks heating, “but I’d like to be able to wear these upstairs.”
A hungry grin split his features and a delicious shudder raced down her spine, spreading to consume her. His hold changed, fingers pinching the tie and he carefully slipped the knot undone and then pulled the thin fabric away. Now she lay on the sand completely exposed to him. He moved down her body, running his whiskered cheeks along her sensitive skin—not stopping until he rested between her thighs.
And she had no plans to stop him.
Lily sifted through his strands, running her fingers through his hair and finding something to grip as she braced herself for the pleasure to come. Sure, words floated in her mind—several things she wanted to get out—but it was all a garbled, passion-fueled mess in her mind. And the closer those full lips got to her pussy, the more those thoughts melted into white noise.
Then he reached where she ached for him most. When his tongue touched her pussy, every other thought fled her mind and every ounce of her focus was on the dragon between her thighs.
He tasted her, gathering her cream with his tongue, and the Binds let some of his emotions leak through. He didn’t just enjoy lapping at her slit, he loved her natural flavors. He tightened his grip on her hips, her thighs over his broad, muscular shoulders, and his golden wings flared open before her. The sun glinted off his wings, flashing shades of light across her pale skin, and it was more than she could have ever imagined.
His tongue wandered its way across her pussy and then dove deeper, lapping at her sensitive flesh with long, slow strokes. Pleasure simmered in her veins, the rising bliss pumping through her from head to toe. It grew with every lick and lap at her aching core, and she parted her thighs even wider, aching for him to take—and give—more. Argan somehow restrained
himself, being careful when she sensed how badly he wanted to be anything but. He could break her without much effort and yet he treated her like she was made of glass.
He treated her like a treasure he hoarded, and she knew without pressing the Binds for more information that his dragon’s soul made her experience that treasured sensation.
The tip of his tongue brushed her swollen clit and she tightened her thighs, squeezing his head with her legs as a sharp gasp escaped her lips. Every part of her was torn between opening herself to him and letting him discover her every secret, and hiding from wave after wave of utter ecstasy. Her wants didn’t matter, though. His powerful, gentle hands guided her exactly how he desired—making her vulnerable to him in a way that made his dragon’s soul purr.
Argan’s strokes were long and lingering, his tongue savoring every bit of her he could find, and he truly found everything. He explored the landscape of her folds and she writhed and squirmed in his grasp. Movements he seemed to enjoy. Pleasure echoed through the Binds when she struggled, and if she moved too much, he simply found another way to hold her and returned to tormenting her again and again.
Knowing how much he enjoyed tasting her simply made her pleasure all the greater. Part of her had always been anxious about a guy going down on her for a hundred different reasons—the scent, her taste… anything and everything. But with Argan… There was no self-consciousness or uneasiness. The Binds allowed her to sense the pleasure reflected off him like the sunlight on the crystal-clear seas. It tickled her and made the tension pooling in her lower abdomen all the more electrifying.
He delved deeper, tasting her most sensitive parts, and she fantasized about him impaling her with that massive hardness between his legs. In the meantime, she allowed herself to get lost in him bit by bit. It was delicious for them both and she ached for the oblivion of release.
His heavy, steady heartbeat thudded through her with each stroke, the tip of his tongue flicking against her clit over and over again in a steady, rhythmic pace. Those movements made her realize he hadn’t been aimlessly exploring her pussy. No, he read her just as she’d read him and learned what she liked based on her thoughts and body’s reactions.
Now he owned her body’s most private secrets and she sensed his delight at the knowledge. His pace increased, rising higher and higher as her pleasure grew in size. He’d up his rhythm and then remain at that level for a while, hunting the perfect touch to make her scream his name. At least until he found that perfect tempo that had her squirming to get farther away and closer at the same time.
White-hot tension curled low in her stomach, tendrils of bliss spiraling out from her core to slink through her veins. Her pussy clamped and tightened on air, silently begging to be filled—taken. She was close, racing closer and closer to the edge of release—one she couldn’t wait to claim.
She was desperate to come, to scream Argan’s name, and allow utter ecstasy to overcome her. Her breathing came in desperate pants and she let her eyes flutter open to stare down at the male who pleasured her so fully. She stared at the beast of a male between her legs, his scarred, handsome face glistening alongside her. His wings were spread and his heavy chest rose and fell with precision. Still his tongue lashed out over and over. Beyond the gentle lapping of the green waters and endless blue sky, she lost whatever hint of control she’d possessed.
She hadn’t realized her panting had turned into soft whimpers, and soon she whined for more, less, even more, just a little less and… fuck it was all so good. So delicious she wasn’t sure what to do except crave more. She shuddered from head to toe, and her whole body threatened to coil in on itself, to hold that delicious pleasure even closer and never let it go. The only thing that kept her in place was Argan’s firm grip. She was his to do with as he pleased, and when she finally surrendered, the sensations through the Binds more than doubled. Tears welled in her eyes as the orgasm racked her body, and her heart soared when she sensed that her bliss made Argan feel as if he soared through the clouds.
She tasted his masculine pride, that powerful beast she wanted to love and hate at the same time. It was a live wire pulsing inside her, thrashing and flailing while the dragon who tasted her flexed his wings in triumph. It lasted longer than she could track and her mind swam as she let her head fall to rest on the pale sand. He guided her through her release. What had been rapid, ravenous strokes turned into something more careful, but just as hungry. He licked her clean when it was over, and she peered down at him when he lifted his face to flash her a smug grin.
“I proved you wrong.” Lily’s voice was thick and rough. There had been passion in what they’d shared, but also love.
“Perhaps,” he growled and crawled up her body, not stopping until he cupped her cheek. “But there is nothing poetic about what I wish to do to you.”
“Good.” Lily grinned. She put a hand on his broad chest and nudged him. With a furrowed brow, he allowed her to guide his massive body to her side and eventually to his back with those glorious wings folded beneath him. She changed their places—her now kneeling between his thick thighs. She placed her palms on his thighs, smiling when his eyes widened and nearly popped out of his head. She trailed her fingers over his legs, all the while eyeing the large bulge at the juncture of his thighs.
“What are you doing, shaa kouva?” His deep voice rumbled through her, forcing a tiny aftershock of bliss to jolt through her veins. His question wasn’t purely innocent, a knowing gleam in his eyes. There was a playful edge to his words and he ran a hand through her hair while she tugged on the fabric hiding him from view.
“Returning the favor.” She slid her palm over that thick outline and a flutter of delight in her chest pulled a smile from her lips as Argan’s length pulsed against her hand. That pulse came with a low murmur from Argan, one laced with the harsh edge of need. The thought of her mouth on him gave him a rush of anticipation and excitement, the Binds tying them closer and closer together with every breath.
No, it didn’t excite him. It made his every base instinct roar to the surface. He wanted more than for her to return the favor. The most basic parts of him wanted to claim her.
For now, Lily had her eyes on the prize and she wanted it. As much fun as it was to explore his swollen cock, she ached to taste him as he’d tasted her. She could feel his swollen balls beneath his clothing and sensed how much he wanted to empty them inside her with his seed.
She leaned over him, lowering until she reached his skin with her lips. She kissed her way up his chest, not stopping until she encountered his neck. He put two fingers under her chin and encouraged her to turn her head and meet his stare. He gazed at her with both pride and desire, and she licked her lips in anticipation.
“Do you want that, Argan?” she spoke softly. “Do you want me to return the favor?”
“More than anything,” he growled but before she could retrace her path, he sank his fingers into her hair. He fisted the strands and pulled her head back just enough to demonstrate that he had control over her. “But if you are to give me pleasure, we should go to our rooms. I have no doubt that your touch will leave me senseless, and I would like to be secure before that happens.”
“You don’t want to have fun right here?” She teased him and changed position, sliding her thighs up to straddle his hips, her bare pussy against his cloth-covered cock. “Are you afraid someone’s going to catch us?”
His smile turned into a grin and he tugged her hair just a hint more.
“I would like nothing more than to show you off to the world, shaa kouva. But you are too great a beauty to be exposed to all.
“Nobody can see us here. No one even knows about this alcove.” Lily rocked her hips, knowing she played with fire but not giving a damn. “But… a nice bath and clean sheets afterward does sound nice.”
He snatched her close and pulled her down onto him, wrapping her in a tight hug as he captured her lips with his own. She tasted herself on his mouth, the salty sweetness of
her cream teasing her tongue.
“All right, inside it is.” Lily finally murmured after Argan released their kiss, but a grin couldn’t help but form on her lips. “But I want to feel you first.”
Feel him and then taste him as soon as they were behind locked doors.
Amazement flowed from Argan to her, and she hated that he was so surprised about her desire for him. Scars didn’t matter to humans. Not the way they seemed to be so important to the Preor.
“As you wish.” He reached around her and soon his pants were loose, space to reach into his shorts and free him now given to her.
Lily changed position for the third time in as many minutes, adjusting so she could reach his dick with ease. She sought out his hard, thick length with her gaze, cheeks flushing with heat when her stare finally found him in all his glory. Her mouth fell open and she reached for him, fingers tingling with the need to caress his cock.
She dragged her fingertips from tip to root and back again, smiling when a shudder overtook his muscular body. She wrapped her hand around him and slid it up then down his full length. Yet another tremor overtook him, one subtler and yet more intense at once.
Her stroke stopped just beneath the crown. She ran her thumb over the tip, and she licked her lips, curious of his taste. His cock pulsed in her hand, desperate to be deep inside her. Or at least stroked until he found the ultimate pleasure. Argan tensed, and the fever of his need sank into her from the Binds.
Lily eased down and brought her mouth to his hardness, kissing the underside of his length. Argan sank his fingers into her hair, grip tight but not forceful as she teased him. She made love to his arousal, raining more and more open-mouthed kisses from base to tip. She didn’t trust herself to truly taste him, to take what he’d given not long ago.
New pleasure worked its way through her, the feel of Argan’s enjoyment and rising bliss feeding her own. It stoked her wanting, her craving for the massive alien male, a warrior who could crush her so easily but touched her so gently.
