by Anya Nowlan
To his delight, she seemed to want to fight him just as little as he wished her to.
He liked the sharp intake of breath she made when his tongue lapped over her hot core for the first time, tasting her sweet juices. She was like an aphrodisiac and the most potent painkiller all rolled into one. The pain his body was feeling seemed to waft away, lost somewhere in the background of his mind. For now, there was only Ruby.
„Cillian,“ she moaned as he brought his fingers to trace the wet folds, parting them and giving him better access.
„Yes,“ he urged mildly, secretly grinning to himself.
His tongue flicked over her clit once, twice in rapid succession before he sucked on it, bringing a strangled groan from her that made him hard as a rock, ready to plunge into her and claim her as his own.
„I want you so bad,“ she pleaded with him, music to his ears.
She was wearing the dragon stone again, now glowing brighter than ever. It was not a piece from his hoard, but knowing that the gold moon was still ahead of them, he did not worry. There would be time enough to douse her in gold and jewels, cover her in his riches and make her part of his bounty.
He swirled his tongue teasingly around her entrance before moving back up again, sucking and taunting her until she was a mewling, gasping mess underneath him. Cillian held one of her thighs in his iron grip as she shuddered beneath him, his other hand letting his fingers plunge into her depths, filling her tight, wet heat. She writhed around them, her pussy contracting and releasing with maddening force, his cock pulsing with need at the thought of having her around him.
„Oh my god, Cillian,“ Ruby gasped, her nails digging into his hair, coiling around the brownish-red locks and tugging at him as if that would ease the tension within her.
„Go on, sugar. Cum for me,“ Cillian growled, his dragon bubbling close to the edge.
He had to restrain himself from plowing into her, every fiber of his being contorted with waning self-control. As he spoke the words and scissored his fingers inside of her, she trembled and gave in to the release he had been promising her. Her moans echoed through the high-ceilinged room, and Cillian caught himself enjoying the thought that others might hear their hungry lovemaking.
He knew there had to be other dragons on the premises, most likely the Goldplains twins, which would explain why he was able to move at all so soon after the fight. Frankly, he didn’t care who heard them. He was a dragon, and he did what he fucking wanted, after all.
Ruby’s nails raked down his shoulders as she wailed and twisted around his fingers. When she calmed, he slowly pulled his fingers out of her sopping wet pussy, licking them clean. She tasted like honey and sex, and he wanted more of it. Ruby lay on the bed, breathless and with her eyed foggy with lust. Cillian positioned himself between her legs, but she stopped him with a hand on his chest.
Fluidly, she rose up and pushed him down on the bed in one smooth move, a smile dancing on her lips.
„No, it’s my turn now,“ she promised, and Cillian growled his approval.
She pushed down his boxers – the only item of clothing he was wearing – and wrapped her fingers around the base of his hard, throbbing erection.
Immediately, he gave in to her. Keeping his eyes on her, he watched as she stroked him a few times, her other hand cupping his balls and fondling them. He could already imagine her mouth on them, licking and sucking. Adrenaline rushed through his veins, even more so than during the fight. This gorgeous, voluptuous woman did things to him that he couldn’t put into words. It was all worth it, all for her.
Though he knew it would sting to think of his brother and his betrayal in the coming days, he was safe in the knowledge that his choices had been right. Cillian hadn’t given up when control of the family seemed to be slipping through his fingers. With his determination and Ruby’s resourcefulness, it seemed that even their most harrowing troubles were falling behind them now. He’d have to get the full story from her soon, but now was not the time.
His eyes rolled back as her talented lips touched the head of his cock, her pink tongue peeking out and tasting his precum. His muscles tightened, and faintly, he could feel the strain and ache in them, but it was lost under the wave of pleasure her hands and mouth were bringing. She sucked him into her mouth, and he hissed in a breath. He grabbed her by the hair, one hand piling her long red locks into a ponytail and holding tight as he pushed her down harder on his cock.
„Oh, fuck, Ruby,“ he growled as she opened willingly to him, letting him sink into her mouth and throat.
She gagged a little, and he eased up, but she wouldn’t budge and just took him harder – his kind of woman. Her lips were tight around him as she moved up and down his length, Cillian struggling to keep a grip on his sanity as she pushed him mercilessly towards the edge of his release.
„That’s so good,“ he confessed in a low rumble, his voice straining between the deep timber of the dragon and the man.
Then, when she pulled back almost all the way and swirled her tongue over the tip of his penis, he was gone. She sucked him in deeper just as he couldn’t take any more, and he shot his heavy, thick load into her mouth. Long ropes of cum filled her mouth, and she swallowed it down without hesitation, licking him clean as Cillian groaned under her touch.
When he regained what modicum of sense he could hope to have after being so thoroughly decimated, he pulled her up to him, cradling her against him in his arms. He kissed her on the lips, tasting himself in her mouth as she was sure to taste herself in his. Ruby purred a little moan of satisfaction, and the beast within him settled with exhausted relief. She was his. There was little else to worry about.
„I love you,“ he said, liking the way those words rolled off his tongue.
„You better, or we’re going to have a very awkward ceremony,“ Ruby said, giggling.
Cillian kissed her on the forehead, holding her against his chest as if he was never going to let go of her again. Considering the way he felt at that very moment, he might not. She’d been taken from him one too many times, and now he was intent on keeping her safe, close and happy for the rest of their days.
„I love you too,“ she said in a soft voice, and the fire that always burned within Cillian roared to life larger than ever. It was like a kick of power straight through him, awakening his most ancient, primal parts. The love of a good woman – what couldn’t it do?
EPILOGUE
Ruby
Ruby surveyed the grounds quietly, her arms crossed on her chest as she leant on the stone railing of the Emerald Ridge keep. She’d quite taken to leaning lately. A tummy full of rambunctious dragon babies did that to a woman, after all. Well, in truth, there were only two (according to Cillian, and she was quite sure that she could take him for his word), but those two were handful enough.
Absently, she stroked one hand over the swell of her stomach, feeling a kick as her hand went over one of the dragonlings – twins were supposedly a good sign.
„There’s always more power in two than there is in one,“ Apollo Goldplains had said when he and his brother Alexander had been over for dinner some months ago, celebrating the good news.
Cillian, of course, had retorted that there was plenty of might in any Greenmeadow, alone or multiplied. The memory brought a smile to Ruby’s lips.
The horrific crashing, booming and banging had settled for the day, and Ruby had every reason to expect her husband home any moment. Their life had been a bit of a whirlwind since the wedding ceremony during the gold moon. The Goldplains had been there to bare witness, along with Devon Bluewing and his wife Gemma (also rather notably pregnant), and though the ceremony was short, Ruby could only think of it in the grandest of terms.
Cillian had taken some time off to rest and recuperate, but had taken up fixing his own problems, instead of everybody else’s soon enough.
That same night, after the ceremony, he had taken her down to the vaults under the keep and shown her his fortune. To her, it loo
ked like countless lifetimes worth of wealth, and it had certainly felt more than enough when he made love to her on top of the piles of gold. Still, she could see it in his deep green eyes and the way his voice fell when he talked about the downward spiral of his family’s name that her husband was not quite done building the Greenmeadow riches.
Whatever he wanted to do, Ruby would support him. Considering that his mode of fixing the predicament also kept him close to home, instead of running around fixing issues for dangerous people, Ruby couldn’t really complain.
She squinted slightly, seeing something move over the mountains in the distance. It grew larger with each moment until the afternoon sun glinted off the golden green scales of her husband, heading home after a long day of literally digging for gold.
„Your daddy’s almost home,“ she whispered, looking down at her belly.
The closer he got, the better she could see that Cillian was again covered in mud and dirt, and he was loving every second of it. She watched with a sense of happiness as the large dragon landed on the roof of the keep, making the whole building shudder under his weight. Soon, there would be three dragons bounding around Emerald Ridge. If nothing else, at least the townsfolk at Emerald Court would have something to talk about.
Cillian shifted, and as soon as he was in human form, Ruby found herself in his muddy, dusty arms, getting the breath kissed out of her. She laughed as he finally let her come up for air again, grinning brighter than the sun.
„Good day, I take it?“ she asked, letting her hands trace over his wide, strong shoulders and the tattoos that ran down his arms.
She knew that under his shirt, right above his heart, he now wore a tattoo with her name and a golden green dragon coiled protectively around it.
„We’re getting close, yes,“ Cillian said with a nod, before leaning down and laying a smacking kiss on her stomach. „And you three? On your worst behavior?“
„Always,“ Ruby promised with a smirk.
Things were finally coming together. Uncharacteristically for a dragon, Cillian had turned out to be an avid, relentless worker. He knew there was gold in the mountains around Emerald Ridge, and he was determined to find it. His enthusiasm was infectious, and soon, Emerald Court had started teeming with life again.
The only real dark spot in their lives at the moment was Carrick. He’d all but disappeared after Cillian’s impromptu meet-up with him. Ruby had just about had to rip the words out of Cillian to hear what had happened. She understood why he didn’t want to dwell on it. If Carrick ever showed his face again, he would have to be shunned from the family. A dragon without his family wasn’t much of a dragon at all and Ruby knew it must have been eating at Cillian to make such a decision. It was the only right thing to do, though. Carrick couldn’t be trusted anymore.
Families long lost had returned and joined Cillian on his quest, setting to work on the little streams of gold he had already uncovered, while he dug for the mother load. His family barely approved, but when their coffers started filling with gold again, they couldn’t really grumble for too long. Even Cillian’s younger brothers had promised to come pitch in as soon as the babies were born.
Births were far too rare for dragons those days, and it was not unusual to have most of the kin gather when there were new dragons to be welcomed into the fold.
„You look radiant,“ Cillain said, straightening up again and kissing her gently.
Ruby’s heart warmed. Forgotten were the days when she couldn’t wait to run faster and further away. Now she was staying put and all her adventures involved the most caring, brave and smart man she had ever known. Chicago was just a distant memory, though judging by her parents’ calls, things must have been going well.
The Accardos and the Crimson Fang Riders had stuck to their deal, and it seemed it might have been the best call they could have made. With less reason to oppose either faction, the streets had become calmer and even safer – funny how life worked itself out.
„I look pregnant,“ Ruby bit back, laughing.
„I believe the two are not mutually exclusive.“
Cillian’s arm wrapped around her, and she sighed contentedly. She had gold chains braided through her locks that made her long red hair twinkle with a gilded glow. On private days like this, she also wore the tiara Cillian had meant to give her when she went missing. A gorgeous emerald pendant framed in bright and gorgeously carved gold rested around her neck. It had been the dragon stone that had brought her back to him, and now it was a symbol of their love, turned into the emerald necklace during the ceremony.
In the beginning, it had felt odd wearing such lavish jewelry, but the way Cillian looked at her when she wore them – as if she were the most precious gem of all, making the jewels pale in comparison – gave her plenty of incentive to keep wearing them.
„You know, Apollo invited us to one of their concerts,“ Cillian said, leading her towards the door that would allow them entrance into the keep.
„I have not seen him or Alexander for much too long,“ Ruby said, leaning against Cillian.
The Goldplains brothers held a special place in her heart. As if called by some greater force, the duo had arrived in Chicago just in time to help her get Cillian back to Colorado. They’d healed him with their presence, and Alexander had even helped Ruby find a doctor in the area so she could finish her residency. She was going to start her own practice in Emerald Court as soon as she had had the babies and felt comfortable with spending some time away from home.
Considering how fast the town was growing, they were going to need a good doctor.
„Well, hopefully their absence has been due to happy reasons,“ Cillian said with a chuckle. „We haven’t exactly made ourselves publicly available either.“
„How about you make yourself privately available for me?“ Ruby teased, ducking into the keep. She yelped as he grabbed her ass, batting him away.
That man could make her flame with need at the slightest touch, no matter how pregnant, tired or grouchy she got. And, best of all, she was sure it would never change. This one was for keeps.
„After you shower!“
„Only if I can take you with me,“ Cillian growled, picking her up in his arms like she barely weighed more than a feather.
Her hands locked around his neck, and Ruby gladly let herself be carried off to a very steamy shower. Rebelling was so much more fun when there was someone to do it with.
Did you miss the first book of this series? Check it out here:
Billionaire Dragon’s Bride
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BILLIONAIRE DRAGON’S FATED EXCERPT
Just then, a perky looking waitress sauntered over to them, giving Alexander and Apollo a dazzling smile and Jade barely a glance. Jade relaxed immediately. Finally, someone who treated her like she was expecting to be treated! Like she barely existed next to the forces of nature that were the Goldplains. Jade smiled and slumped back against the backrest of the booth they’d taken up right under the big windows overlooking Main Street.
She could deal with catty women and bitchy servers. It was much easier than wracking her brain over what the hell was going on.
“Hey, boys! Haven’t seen you around in forever!” the waitress purred, her long legs seeming to go up forever.
Jade watched with guarded interest as Apollo and Alexander greeted her. She knew Apollo’s reputation. He was an absolute womanizer. Jade wasn’t sure of what she was hoping to see, but one thing was for sure – Apollo wasn’t doing it. He barely seemed to notice the hot, redheaded waitress, his attention mostly flickering between his beer and Jade whenever he thought she wasn’t looking.
But Jade definitely noticed all the looks she w
as getting from him. How could she not?
“Yeah, Katie. We’re back in town for a little while. Can we have the regular? I assume the fish platter hasn’t changed?” Alexander said, flipping together his and Apollo’s menus and picking up Jade’s as well.
“Nope, still the same. Some good things never change,” Katie said with a wink, accepting the menus.
Alexander nodded at that, giving her a mild smile, and Apollo just tipped his beer in reply. The leggy waitress looked at Apollo long and hard, but he remained as impassive as ever. Katie didn’t even look at Jade as she spun around and trampled off, obviously a bit taken aback by her reception. Jade noticed that even when she was pissed, she could keep her hips swinging back and forth in that exaggerated, sexy walk that women sometimes did when they thought they were being watched.
Just, this time the only one watching was Jade.
“What’s her deal?” Jade asked, grabbing for her bourbon and taking a long sip.
“We sometimes hook up when I’m in town. Nothing serious, though she might not agree with me on that,” Apollo said grimly.
Jade smirked at that. Of course it was Apollo who was getting up to no good. She’d expect nothing less from the charismatic singer of one of the biggest rock bands in the world.
“Is that what you do? String women along?” Jade teased.
The look she got from Apollo surprised her, though. He seemed almost… hurt. Or at least a bit unhappy that she would think that of him. She filed it away for later. There was a lot of stuff she found herself wondering about all of a sudden, most of it having to do with the Goldplains and how she was going to survive being alone with them for so long without doing something… ah, silly.
“No, I don’t. I made it clear to her that I wasn’t looking for a relationship. She knows what I do.”
“But?”
