by Milly Taiden
She nibbled his jaw, scuttled down and tugged on his T-shirt. Getting him naked was the best idea she’d ever come up with. He sat up, making it easier for her to remove the shirt. Wind whipped around them. The temperature dipped but the heat from his body warmed her along with the fire roaring at the pit.
She pushed him back, getting his pants to come off next. He was naked under the sweats. His long, hard cock stood proud, waiting for her touch. With most men, she was unsure about doing this, but with him, it felt natural.
His skin was warm, smooth. She curled a hand around his thick shaft and pumped slowly up his length.
“Ah, fuck, Lexi.”
She grinned at the desperate way he said her name. Like he was hanging on by a thread. “Tell me what you like.”
He lifted his head to meet her gaze. His abs contracted with his movements. “I fucking love everything you do, baby. Every goddamned thing.”
She lifted her lips in a smile. “Really?”
“Really.”
She lowered to run her tongue in a circle over the head of his cock. A rough growl sounded from him.
“Do you like that?” She did another slow lick and swept her tongue down to his balls, taking each into her mouth and sucking lightly. “Or that?”
He growled. “I love it all, but I’ll love your lips wrapped around my dick more.”
She snorted a laugh and went back up, taking him into her mouth, letting her spit slide down his shaft and using it to lubricate him as she jerked him in her grip.
“Fuuuck!” he groaned. “Your mouth feels like heaven.”
11
Lexi took him deeper, letting him slide in and out of her mouth. He twined his fingers into her hair, grasping her curls. His ass came off the blanket as he thrust his cock into her mouth. Her pussy soaked with every groan and sound he made. She loved that he was enjoying what she did. His pleasure was making her thirsty to have him inside. Beads of moisture gathered at the tip of his dick. She flicked her tongue over it, tasting him. He was salty, earthy. Her body craved more.
She sucked him deeply again, taking him farther. His groans got louder and deeper. She worked him with her hand, jerking him faster, sucking him tighter. His grip on her hair grew painful and the thrusts he made into her mouth suddenly stopped. He gave a loud roar as he came in her mouth, his seed spilling down her throat. She swallowed quickly, taking every drop of him into herself.
She didn’t get a chance to think about his taste. He slipped out of her mouth and was sitting up, jerking her hoodie over her head in seconds. Then it was her pants. Soon she was straddling his legs again. He sucked one of her breasts into his mouth, the sensation sending fire shooting to her clit.
“Oh god,” she mumbled.
He glided his hands all over her as if unable to get enough of her body. He tweaked her other nipple, pinching and pulling, making her squirm. She leaned forward, pressing her breasts into his face. His lips moved over her skin like a hot brand, taking, tasting, owning.
He leaned back, tugging on her hips. She scooted up until her knees were to either side of his head and her pussy was above his mouth.
“Now this,” he rumbled in a sexy low voice that made her nipples tighten, “is what I call dessert.”
He curled his arms over her legs and pulled her down to his mouth. She held on to his hair, unsure of how low she could go without depriving him of air. When his tongue flicked over her folds, she knew she was at the right spot.
He licked at her pussy, rubbing up and down her sex, sucking at her wetness and biting at the inside of her thighs.
She cupped her breasts in her hands, caressing her swollen flesh and pinching at her nipples. Her arousal grew in strength, and need coursed through her veins like a drug seeking its target.
He licked and fondled her pussy with his tongue, drawing circles and lapping at her like he loved her taste. She sensed he did. Would bet on him loving her flavor.
Tension curled in the pit of her stomach, winding quickly with every lick he gave her. Every groan and each of her moans only pushed her closer to that moment she knew she’d see stars. Her body shook, making her fall forward to grip the blanket.
He nibbled on her clit and sucked hard, making her fly over the edge. He slipped his tongue into her, fucking her in short, hard thrusts. Pressure exploded inside her and a wave of joy took her by such force, she was left breathless and gasping for air. She choked, her pussy grasping at his driving tongue.
“Oh…oh my god!” she finally got out.
He was at her back in a heartbeat, his cock spreading her pussy folds open and gliding in. He felt massive, filling her so completely, she swore there wasn’t a millimeter of space left. Then he reared back and drove forward, sending fire racing through her pussy.
She moaned, her body aflame with need.
“No matter what happens,” he ground out, his cock driving in and out of her like a hot branding iron. “You’ll always know I loved you first.”
“Clacher,” she moaned, pushing back into each of his thrusts.
“You were mine first. You’ll be mine no matter what happens,” he said on a hard thrust. “Always mine.”
He dropped over her, caging her under him.
“Always,” she breathed.
He took her faster, harder. He curled an arm around her waist and pressed her back into him. Then he slid that same hand between her legs and pressed at her clit. “Suck my dick with your hot pussy. I want to feel you tighten around me.”
She curled her nails into fists on the blanket and let herself go. She screamed this time. Loud. Her pussy clasped tightly around his driving cock. His body tensed, making his movements jerky at the same time she rode the pleasure wave. His thrusts slowed until he stopped completely, his cock pulsing inside her grasping sex.
He filled her with his cum, the pleasure intensifying for her. Her body shuddered as mini orgasms rocked her core. Her pussy continued sucking hard at his cock. They fell on the blanket still linked. On their sides, they stayed as they were, enjoying each other. Unwilling to cut the moment short.
Lexi was in a castle. She knew this place. This was her home. Her room. She ran from her bedroom toward the door and caught her reflection in the mirror. She was someone else. Her hair was blond and her skin an almost translucent pale ivory. Her features were fine, almost aristocratic. She glanced down at her outfit. It was a beautiful long dress with a lot of layers to it. Very constricting.
Something in the mirror caught her eye. She lifted her left hand and saw an antique ring on her left ring finger. She was engaged? Her heart thudded in her throat. A loud banging sounded at her door. A woman came in. She looked like she could be her mother.
“Are you ready, darling?”
Lexi nodded.
“Your fiancé is downstairs. Your father will talk his ear off unless we hurry and save him. Come, my love.”
Lexi gulped and followed the other woman, her stomach in knots wondering what was going on. She knew all this. How did she know everything that was happening? It felt familiar but different.
They went down several sets of stairs, through massive hallways, and all Lexi could think of was seeing this fiancé. This man who had proposed marriage.
She reached the parlor and saw a man with an older one she knew was her father. The other man turned and her breath caught in her chest.
“Clacher?”
Her mother gripped her arm and laughed nervously, moving to stand next to her husband. “Darling, it’s Prince Drachen.”
She frowned and met his gaze. “Prince?”
He came forward and took her hand in his, lifting it to his lips for a kiss. In a low voice, he said, “You can call me whatever you want, love.”
The scene changed. Now it was dark, night time. She was in bed, sick. She knew she was dying. Life was leaving her with every breath she took.
“Bring the doctor,” her mother urged the maid.
“Where,” she croaked. “Where is Cla
cher?”
“The prince?” her mother asked, wiping her forehead with a cool compress. “You said you didn’t want to see him again, so we left the house in London and moved you to the country. I don’t know what your father had the maids tell him, but he won’t come here. He doesn’t know where you are. You’ve been so sick, darling. I know it will be fine.”
She shook her head. “It won’t.”
A dark figure loomed by the door. He walked closer to the bed. The sense of dread filled her chest to the point Lexi felt she couldn’t breathe.
“Ah, Doctor. You’re finally here.”
The doctor’s dark eyes bore into hers. He leaned closer, the stench of death curled around him like a blanket. He brought his face down, whispering by her ear. “Don’t worry, little human. Your time is almost up. I won’t have to kill you this time.”
Lexi woke with a scream.
Clacher sat up in bed in a flash, taking her in his arms and holding her close.
“I’ve got you, love. What’s wrong?”
She threw her arms around his neck and hugged him. The sensation in her chest still made her feel like she couldn’t breathe. “I had a nightmare.”
He rubbed his hand up and down her spine in slow, soothing motions. “It’s okay, Lexi. Do you want to talk about it?”
She didn’t even understand the dream herself. How could she hope to explain it to him? The last thing she wanted to discuss was that evil guy she’d seen with those pitch-black eyes. Thinking of him made her feel nauseous.
“No, I’m okay.”
They lay back in his bed. She let him hold her as she fell back asleep. That wasn’t a vision. She knew those. This was different. Scarier.
12
Clacher sat in the front porch, watching the sun rise. He’d had little sleep sensing the fear and sadness coming from Lexi while she slept. It was clear she was having bad dreams, but he didn’t know how to help her or what to do to stop them. Eventually, he’d given up and made coffee.
His cell phone rang. He shouldn’t be surprised. Tor liked to be up to take care of Noah so he could give Morgan a chance to sleep.
“Hey, bro. What’s going on?”
“Clacher,” Tor said. “I’m surprised you’re up this early. How’s Lexi?”
Clacher sighed. “She’s good. What do you know?”
“Lara called Morgan in the middle of the night and told her Lexi would be getting a mark soon.”
“Is that all she said?” he asked, lifting his cup of coffee to his lips.
“No. It was really weird. She said Lexi and her mate were getting a second chance.”
Clacher raised his brows. “A second chance?”
“Yeah,” Tor replied. He sounded as confused as Clacher felt. “We couldn’t understand it because as far as we know, nobody has ever gotten a second chance with a mate. Usually, you get one go at it.”
“What did she say? Did you ask her about that?”
“Morgan did. Lara said it’s not valid if the mate mark doesn’t show up.”
Clacher frowned. “That tells me so much.”
“Hey, no need for the sarcasm. I know it doesn’t say anything. We spent hours racking our brains over it, but got nothing. So I figured I’d let you know what we found out,” Tor told him. “Morgan was hopeful you’re Lexi’s mate, but after that, neither one of us knew what to make of what she said.”
Clacher thought back. “I don’t know what that means.”
“Well, if Lara’s right, and so far she has been when it came to Morgan being a mate, this means we’ll need to protect Lexi.”
“I’ve got her,” Clacher said.
“I know those words. I’ve said them myself in the past.”
Clacher knew all about how torn up Tor had been over the idea of Morgan being anyone else’s mate. Now he, too, was experiencing the same insecurity and fear of being in love with a woman that could be meant to be one of his brothers’ mates.
“Bring her to the castle. We can make sure she’s safe here until the mark shows up.”
“She wants to stay home. She has a job and staying at the castle would be out of the way.”
“Are you okay?” Tor asked.
He sighed. “Yes. I’ve never had feelings this deep for a woman before.”
“What about Laila?” Tor reminded him. “You almost married her.”
“It was another time,” Clacher replied. “I won’t lie, I felt a lot for her. Almost as much as I do for Lexi, but I never got a chance to spend the time with Laila that I have with Lexi. There’s so much I couldn’t ask her. That we didn’t get to discuss because of propriety and society’s rules.”
“You’re right. It was a different time. You couldn’t spend any time with her without some chaperone or another.”
“I remember. She was so young. Only a child. Her parents were nice, but the limited moments to chat and always with someone else.”
“Wasn’t she sick a lot, too?”
Clacher remembered Laila's pale blue eyes the last time he saw her. “She’d been sick. I never got a chance to find out what was wrong. She broke things off and left their house, refusing to see me again.”
“That’s right,” Tor grumbled. “You never even got a reason why she ended your engagement.”
“It’s for the best. I wouldn’t have made her a good husband.” He knew that was a lie. He’d have given it his all.
“We’ll see if Lara can give us any other details regarding her weird comment. In the meantime, stay in touch. Morgan is extra worried about Lexi and she loves you so just stay safe, brother.”
“I will. Tell Morgan I said hi and give Noah my love.”
Clacher took Lexi home after breakfast. The smile on her face and the way her eyes twinkled with happiness told him all he needed to know. She’d had a great time.
“I got a voicemail from Morgan this morning. It was really weird. Something about me definitely being a Drachen Mate according to Lara, but this not being my first time.”
“I spoke to Tor earlier. I was given the same confusing message.”
“So what do we do?”
“We wait until we can figure out what the hell that means.”
They were going up her driveway when he noticed another vehicle parked in front of her house.
“Were you expecting company?”
She frowned. “That’s my friend Blake, but we didn’t make any plans to meet today.”
Clacher jumped out of the car and went around her side to get her door. A man came out of the other vehicle. He glanced from Clacher to Lexi, his lips pressed into a thin line.
“Hey, Blake, what’s going on?”
“Lexi, sorry. I didn’t realize you were busy. I came by to see if you wanted to grab lunch.”
Lexi handed Clacher her house keys. “Go on inside. I’ll be there in a second.”
He went ahead, though he wanted to stay and protect her. He could hear the conversation if he left the door partially open, which he did.
“I’m sorry, Blake. Today’s just not good. How’s everything with you?”
There was silence.
“Everything’s okay. I thought when you said you wanted to be just friends it was because you weren’t interested in a relationship right now,” Blake said tightly. “I didn’t realize it was because you didn’t want a relationship at all with me.”
“Blake, don’t do that. I told you I only want us to be friends. You’re a great guy, but I’m just not the girl for you.”
More silence.
“I guess I understand that now. I’m sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable always asking you to do things.”
“Don’t worry. I said I wanted to be friends and I meant it. Jennifer has told me many times how much safer she feels when you come to the shelter. You’ve given her peace of mind,” Lexi said. “And me and Jules, too.”
“I’m glad.”
“You won’t even let me put you on the payroll. You spend so much time at the shelte
r, when our guard leaves, you are part of our family. We appreciate you so much, Blake. Trust me when I say I consider you a great friend.”
“Thanks. I guess I should go. I’ll be by the shelter tomorrow. I promised Jennifer’s kids I’d show them how to play ball.”
“Okay, I’ll see you tomorrow.”
He sensed a big relief come from her when Blake drove away. She walked into the house with slumped shoulders.
“It’s not your fault,” he said.
She glanced up, her brows rising. “What isn’t my fault?”
“That he didn’t really believe you wanted to only be friends. That he had other ideas even though you told him you didn’t return his feelings.”
She walked into his arms and hugged him. “What are you, a mind reader?”
He chuckled and kissed her head. “Nope. Just a guy.”
13
Lexi laughed at Clacher’s words.
“Just a guy, my butt.” She hugged him and glanced up to meet his gaze. “So what do you want to do?”
He grinned. “I think you had a great idea of getting to know each other.”
“Sounds good, we can play that with dinner. But how about I put something in the oven and then we watch a movie?”
He made a face. “What kind?”
“Do you think I’m going to force you to watch a chick flick?”
“I have a feeling you’re into romantic comedies,” he groaned.
She giggled and slapped him in the arm. “I am, but I know there’s a very awesome action movie waiting on my DVR.”
He gave her an interested look. “What kind of action?”
“Guy action with explosions, fights, and all that fun stuff.”
He gave a slow nod. “I think we can agree to check that out.”
“Wow,” she snorted a laugh, “you’re really tough to please. I’m glad we can agree on something as difficult as a movie.”
“You’re not out of the woods yet, princess,” he told her. “I need to see the movie first.”
Lexi cuddled into Clacher’s side. The credits were rolling for the movie they’d just watched and she had to admit that was fun. “I’m sorry.” She giggled.
