“I’m sorry.” She shook her head as mortification started to set in the pit of her stomach. “I’m so sorry. I won’t do it again. I just… I’m sorry. No more hitting, you’re right, that’s inexcusable.” She turned away and hid her face in her hands. “We need to stop kissing. There isn’t a future here and so we can’t… there’s no point in it, you know? No point in getting all attached or whatever is going on here.”
“Okay.”
She turned, her stomach clenching. “You’re not going to argue?”
Bryant shook his head. “No. You’ve made it clear that you might want me physically but there are more important things to you than physical attraction. I’m not going to waste my time and yours trying to convince you to do something when there is no future for us.”
“But there could be!”
The dragon stared at her. “You just said no.”
Heat rushed to her face and Esther took off her glasses to pinch the bridge of her nose. She really should just tell him that they needed to leave it as it was. They needed to just get this crazy situation sorted out and part ways. That was all there was to it, right? There was nothing else…
“You’re giving off those mixed signals again.”
“Well, I’m sorry,” Esther snapped at him. “I’m sorry that I don’t know how to react in this situation. I’m sorry that I can’t just say no, I don’t want anything to do with you. It would be a lot easier for both of us. And it’s stupid, I’m stupid, but I didn’t wait all this time to find the right guy to love and marry and build a future with just to fall in love with the guy who kidnapped me!”
His jaw dropped. Esther suddenly became aware of what she said and her breath caught in her chest. What was she talking about? They hadn’t really spent any time together except that one night when they married. How could she possibly think she was in love with him? There was the animal attraction, yeah, and he was super-hot but that wasn’t enough to fall in love. But as she opened her mouth to deny it, to tell him that she misspoke, she couldn’t.
It wasn’t possible, though. She didn’t believe in love at first sight. Then why did the thought of never seeing him again, even now, feel like her heart was being ripped out? It made no sense whatsoever.
Bryant stepped forward. “Wait… did you just tell me that you love me?”
“No.” Esther shook her head, then nodded. “Okay. Maybe I did. But I can’t be falling in love with you. I mean, one night isn’t enough for love. We haven’t had the time to fall in love and all that jealousy crap is just proof of it. I’m just infatuated. That’s all it is.”
Bryant stepped in again. “I know it’s confusing. And this situation we’re in isn’t helping. But…”
She waited.
“But… but I have a confession to make. When we woke up together and I had your warmth in my arms, I realized I was missing something. It was like a piece of the puzzle that I had been missing for so long. I loved Shaya. She was my life. My sun and stars and moon and sky.”
Esther chewed her lip, not knowing what to say or do now.
“When she died… she was killed in a clash between my clan and another one. I wasn’t there to protect her and I lost her. I never thought I’d ever have a chance again. But with you…” He looked at the floor. “I don’t know how to explain it. Dragons often fall in love at first sight. We often just know who we are meant to be with. Every fiber of my being says that I already belong to you. I don’t understand, I already had a mate… but I think I’ve fallen in love with you, too.”
When she looked up again, Esther saw tears glimmering in his eyes. Her heart ached at his confession. It must have been very difficult for him to admit that. Her palm stung and her stomach cramped again. How could she have hit him? She was a terrible person!
This is about him, not me. Esther sucked in a deep breath. She wasn’t going to start making him comfort her because she had hit him. She pulled her mind away from her own sins and concentrated on him again.
He cupped her face in his hands. “I don’t know why. But I don’t want an annulment. I don’t want a divorce. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. You’re so brave and beautiful and strong. When I look at you… I see a resilience. A determination. I don’t want… I don’t want to lose you.”
Esther slowly wrapped her arms around his waist. She knew how he felt. She didn’t want to lose him, either. But there was more than just the two of them, wasn’t there? “That girl you were with when I ambushed you in the elevator…”
“My sister-in-law. Shaya’s sister. She’s like a little sister to me, too. I wanted to talk to her about Shaya… because of…”
“Because of me,” Esther whispered.
“Exactly.”
And she had once again jumped to conclusions and was terrible towards him. He deserved better than being treated like that. Like this, like she deserved everything and he deserved nothing. Esther opened her mouth to tell him that, that he deserved better than her, but she stopped. She could be better. She could be supportive and loving and give him everything he deserved. Couldn’t she?”
His mouth brushed against hers. “Tell me yes or no. If you say no, then I am going to let you and the others go right now and I’ll turn myself over to face punishment for what I did. If you say yes, I am going to carry you to a bed and make love to you. My wife. My… my mate.”
Oh, how was she supposed to answer?
“And if you say yes, I’ll release Shane and Kayla, of course. I’ll still turn myself over,” Bryant added. “And you can change your mind. If you say yes and then decide that you don’t want—”
“I want it,” Esther whispered. “I want you. I want to be your wife.”
His mouth closed over hers. The kiss was hungry, deep, but also sweet. Bryant picked her up, her legs circling his hips, and his arms banded around her. He carried her from the kitchen, down the hall, and into a small room. There, he placed her on the bed and draped himself over her, still kissing gently. Heat pooled in her core as his hands coasted over her body, soft, gentle, eliciting a response in her that she had only dreamed of before.
“Undress me,” she whispered.
Bryant grinned as he pushed his hands under her shirt. He lifted it over her head, then unfastened her bra and pulled it off. Cupping her breasts in his hands, he kissed one before sucking the nipple of the other. The tension inside her pulled even tighter and she felt moisture pool between her legs. Her dragon didn’t spend as much time there as she would have liked, moving down to unfasten her jeans and pull them and her underwear off together.
His head lowered between her legs and her back arched, a cry bursting from her throat. He mimicked what he had been doing with her mouth between her legs, his tongue flicking and thrusting. Her core twisted tight, heat flooding up through her body. She gripped the headboard, fighting to keep herself still as his big hands gripped her thighs and pushed them further apart. He burrowed deeper and Esther cried out.
“Bryant!” He started to move back and she grabbed his head, twisting her fingers into his hair. “Don’t stop. Please.”
Her dragon chuckled and bent over her again. Esther squeezed her eyes shut as he kept at his work, focused so intently that she felt like she might fall apart at any moment. A finger slipped inside of her as he continued his ministrations, and after another few moments, he inserted a second finger. She felt stretched out, full, and had the sudden fear that when he entered, she wouldn’t be able to take him in. That she was too small and tight…
Then the tightness exploded and she forgot all about her worries. Her back arched again, his name flying from her lips as she fell apart. Bryant continued a soft pressure, guiding her through the shockwaves that made her writhe under his touch, before easing off entirely. Esther lay still, panting, as a smile spread across her face.
“Wow. That’s much better than anything I’ve been able to do myself.”
Bryant chuckled as he moved up to wrap his arms around her waist. “T
rust me, it can get better than that, even.”
Esther groaned with desire, flinging her leg over his hip. “Show me.”
“I will.” He kissed her neck. “Once I’m sure you’re ready.”
He ended up using his hand and mouth to bring her to climax three times before he decided that she was prepared enough. He entered her so slowly that she thought she might go wild with need, but as she stretched to accommodate him she was grateful for his patience. Once he was fully in he began to move softly and gently, his gaze never breaking from hers.
Something deep inside of her rose to meet him. Her legs clenched tight around his waist. Her fingers dug into his shoulders. His name repeated again and again on her lips like a prayer. For the first time ever, she understood what it meant to be one… they were joined not only in flesh but in spirit, so connected that she was surprised that she couldn’t hear his thoughts as they moved together…
And she never wanted this to end. Never.
Chapter Ten
Bryant
She smelled so sweet, like vanilla wafers. Bryant held Esther closer, kissing her neck and jaw gently as their breathing evened out. His muscles unwound as the relaxation that always overtook him after sex swept through his body. Esther wound her fingers in his blond hair and brought her mouth to his, a sleepy smile on her face.
“Are you okay?” he murmured as he eased himself out of her.
“Yeah…”
Bryant smoothed the hair from her face and gazed worriedly into her eyes. At the time it seemed like the thing to do, his desire to be close to her, to have her in his arms feeling more powerful than anything. But now that they had been one and she was no longer a virgin, what if she regretted her actions? What if she decided that they didn’t have a future after all and it had all been for nothing?
But she smiled at him and snuggled closer to his chest. “I thought I’d feel more shy about this. But I don’t. It was amazing. Is it always that good?”
“Mostly, yeah. Sometimes it’ll be faster. Other times it’ll be rougher. The important thing is communication. You telling me what you like, what you don’t like.”
“And you telling me the same?” Esther rose a brow at him.
Bryant nodded.
“You do have me at a disadvantage though.” Esther pushed herself to her elbow. “You already know everything you like. Me, I only have my fantasies. I don’t know if I’ll actually like the things that I’ve seen.”
“Seen?” Bryant’s eyes lit up as he contemplated her. “You watch stuff on the internet?”
“I have. And I do. Occasionally. It’s hard to find stuff I like, though. So often the women look like they’re in pain or its close-ups on body parts that I don’t want close-ups on. I like things that are a little more… romantic, I guess? I don’t know.” She shrugged, then groaned. “I was going to make chili for Kayla.”
Bryant grimaced. “I need to let them out. I was an idiot for locking you three up. Career’s over already, and maybe I have a chance at Shane not killing me if I just free them.”
“He’s not going to kill you.”
Bryant shrugged as he pulled her in for one last kiss. “You’re probably right. I’d beat the crap out of him.”
Esther sighed. “Are all dragons this competitive?”
“I’m from a prince’s line, even if the clan that my family once ruled is gone. Dragons might get along but we have strong alpha instincts. We protect what’s ours and we don’t like being told what to do.” Bryant rolled out of bed and reached for his clothes. “Our societies are built in such a way that competition is actively encouraged. It’s one of the reasons why I gave up clan ties to be part of the Emperor’s guard. I want to make a difference, not just live in petty fights.”
Esther knelt behind him and pulled him in for an embrace. She kissed his neck, which made him want to abandon his struggle with his clothes and just take her again. “I think I remember you telling me that on the night we married. I think it’s one of the reasons I decided to marry you…”
She trailed off. As Bryant pulled on his pants, she went on a hunt for her own clothing. It was a shame to cover up her soft curves and delicate skin, but they did have to get a move on. He’d wasted too much time already and it was time to release his prisoners and accept the consequences of his actions. Still, he sighed.
“I might end up in jail for this. And then what will we do?”
“Wait,” Esther replied. “I want to be your wife. Whether you’re with me or I have to wait for my jailbird to be free, I want you.”
A smile blossomed over Bryant’s face as he heard those words. He caught her and rolled her onto the bed, kissing her deeply. “Good. As long as it’s what we both want, I know we can make it work.”
“Me, too.”
Suddenly, the building shook. There was a massive roar from the foundations. Debris and plaster fell from the ceiling. Bryant threw himself over Esther, shielding her until the shaking was over. Another roar filled the air and he dashed into the hallway. A thunderous crashing noise filled the corridor, combined with shrieking metal and the sound of claws against rock.
Where the kitchen once was now was an empty hole. Shane in his dragon’s form stood in it, nostrils flared. He pulled in a deep breath but there was the sound of a woman shrieking and he whirled about suddenly. Kayla clung to his back as he jumped into the air, leaving the castle behind.
“Dammit!” Bryant started after them, his fires roaring up in his belly. They scorched his throat but before he reached the kitchen, the castle shook again. Not as badly as it had before, but enough to make him instinctively turn back.
Esther clutched her shirt to her chest as he rushed back to her. She opened her mouth and he seized her around the waist and flung himself towards the door. More chunks of plaster fell from the ceiling. There was a snapping, crackling noise but he ignored it until he got Esther safely out of the building. Then when he turned around, he saw smoke billowing from what was once the kitchen.
Had he left the stove on?
The shaking seemed to have stopped, but Bryant still held Esther back as he eyed the hole in the foundations where Shane had dug his way out of the dungeon. “Well, I guess that wasn’t as stable as I thought.”
Esther pointed. “It’s on fire.”
Bryant turned to her. “Stay here. Don’t go back in, I don’t know if it’ll collapse again.”
She nodded and he quickly ran around the building to the kitchen, finding the propane tank and turning it off. The fire hadn’t gotten very big yet and he was able to put it out quickly. By the time he was done, Esther had circled the building, too. She’d put on her shirt and had her arms wrapped around herself as she stared with wide eyes at the damage Shane had done.
“If he hadn’t had Kayla with him…” Bryant let the thought trail off as Esther began to shiver. He quickly wrapped his arms around her, uncertain if it was stress or cold that was making her shiver. “It’s okay. We’re okay.”
Esther nodded as she leaned her cheek into his chest. “Yes. We are. But now what are we going to do? I mean, your prisoners escaped… they’re going to call in the police or something. And Kayla knows about Thunder when she shouldn’t and Shane was so angry… I won’t be surprised if he comes back to kill you. He was so angry.”
Bryant didn’t blame him, but his natural fighting instincts rose up and he wanted to say that the other dragon could go ahead and try to get the drop on him. He wasn’t going to go down so easily. However, those thoughts would only get him into trouble, so he pushed them aside. There really was only one thing for it.
“We’ll have to head back. Go to Virdi and explain the whole thing. It’s the only thing we can do. He might be able to take authority of my punishment over human governments. Whatever happens, though…” He hesitated, wanting to tell her that he loved her, but a sudden surge of anxiety seized him.
Yes, what they had shared was wonderful but what if everything that had seemed too obvious befo
re they made love turned out to not be true? What if when they went back, what she had said before, about it happening too quickly, came back? What if Esther decided that he wasn’t worth it after all? Or worse, what if this passion cooled, and in the warmth of the sun the feelings he had for her couldn’t live up to the hopes they were already building?
He had had his mate. What if Shaya really was all he was going to have, and this thing with Esther was just desperation?
Esther put her hand on his arm. “Whatever happens, I love you.”
Her words calmed the raging storm inside. He smiled and kissed her. “I love you, too.”
A smile flashed across her face, but it melted away into worry again quickly enough. There was no more time to talk, though. His mind was made up and what else was there to do, anyway? Even though his career was over and he might go to jail, he wasn’t the kind of dragon that just abandoned everything to run away.
After making sure that nothing was going to ignite again and collecting clothing to change into once they got to the city, Bryant shifted. He cradled Esther in his arms close to his heart and leaped into the air. Destiny was calling.
Chapter Eleven
Esther
When they landed outside of Virdi and Dominique’s house, it was utterly empty. Esther rushed around looking for her friend. The baby’s room was empty. Some toys were left, some clothes, but it looked like it had been packed up in a rush and then they left. Her heart jumped into her throat, but there was no sign of a fight and so Esther tried to force herself to be calm.
She rushed back to Bryant, who was on the phone. He cursed as he slammed it back into its cradle. “I can’t get hold of Virdi or anybody else. They left in a hurry.”
“What does that mean?” Esther twisted her hands, trying desperately to keep the worst-case scenarios from her mind.
“I don’t know. Maybe they found out that somebody learned about them. The house has been empty too long for it to be Shane and Kayla. Maybe… Maybe Dunn did something.” He swore, a harsh word that Esther winced at hearing, but had to agree with. “I should never have run away. I should have come right back and—”
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