I could watch you eat ten more of them. I could watch you all night.
“Order more. Have as many as you like,” he urged.
He wanted, for some odd reason, to make her smile and listen to her laugh once more.
Her eyes flew open and she gave him a long, thoughtful look. “I suppose it’s different for you wizards. You snap your fingers and have whatever you please. But for me, it’s the savoring of a meal I seldom experience that holds the real enjoyment. If I had all the scallops I ever wanted, they would lose their taste after a while. Too much of a good thing is not good.”
Lacey set down her fork, and it clattered against the table from her trembling hand. “Even though I’ve never had the chance to experience it.”
“Too much of some things is not good. But others can be excellent.”
“Oh. Such as? Name one thing, wizard.”
“Sex.”
Now the flush returned to her pretty cheeks, turning them scarlet. “Too much sex cannot be a good thing.”
“Have you ever tried it?” He leaned across the table, fascinated by the change in her. “Have you ever spent an entire night in bed with one partner, making love until the dawn broke and streamed colors into your bedroom?”
She gave him a pointed look. “Short term memory loss wizard? Remember the debacle at my work, with my ex? I’ve never spent a minute in bed with a lover, let alone an entire night.”
His nostrils flared, and caught the delicate scent of vanilla surrounding her. “I had forgotten.”
“No matter.” Lacey toyed with her water glass. “We can talk about something else. Talking about sex in public isn’t polite.”
“I thought Skins enjoyed sex, from what I can recall.” Drust looked around, spotted a young couple with gold bands around their ring fingers.
“Are you two married?” he blurted out.
They smiled and the man gazed at his wife. “Newlyweds.”
Perfect.
“Do you enjoy spending all night making love? Sex is one of life’s pleasures.” Drust inclined his head toward a now crimson-faced Lacey. “I am trying to convince my partner that overindulgence of sex can be a good thing. What do you think?”
The woman’s eyes widened and the man sputtered. “Yeah… I guess.”
“Drust,” Lacey hissed.
His smile widened. “Sex, like a good meal, is something to be savored, but if one is hungry, then why deny the pleasure? Do you agree?”
The man grinned. “Yeah, sounds good to me,” as his wife sank deeper into her chair.
“Thank you for your opinion.” He considered. “Should I convince my partner that sex following a meal is most delightful?”
The man’s grin widened. “Why not? Skip the dessert and go straight for the dessert, if you know what I mean?”
“Indeed,” he murmured. “Enjoy the rest of your meal.”
Drust signaled to the waiter and in a low voice, told him to add the couple’s meal to his tab.
But his smile dropped when he realized how red-faced she was. Tension made her shoulders rigid.
“I know what I am, and who I am. But mocking my lack of sexual experience is beneath you, Drust. I’d expect the same from my asshole ex-boyfriend. Not you. You’re a wizard and you’re in control and confident. I thought you were being nice to me and treating me nice. What’s wrong with you?”
You are. You scramble my senses and turn me inside out. I cannot think of anything else but you, and desiring you in my bed.
“I was teasing, Lacey,” he said quietly. “My apologies. It has been a long time since I’ve been in the company of a beautiful woman. I was not mocking you, but finding a way to joke about my own … frustrations.”
She rolled her eyes. “Right. You aren’t interested in me, Drust. I couldn’t have put out more signals last night if I were a road repair crew. But you made it clear there’s nothing between us. Or can be nothing between us because you have to focus on saving my life. So why joke about sex?”
“You are quite wrong. There is something between us. Something deep and rich that deserves more than a mere tumble in bed.”
Oh hell, he was, as Xavier put it, on a roll. Drust let it all out.
He took her hand and held it, his feelings burning in his gaze. Drust lowered his voice. “I want you, as a man wants you. I want to taste you and feel your skin, and bring you to the burning heights of pleasure until you cannot leave my bed. Until we both lie exhausted from pleasure, and you know the passion that comes from being well-loved. I want to open your thighs and sink my cock deep into your body and claim every luscious inch of you. I want to thrust inside you and hear you cry out my name as you climax, and make you come over and over as I watch the passion darken your lovely eyes. I want to make you burn as a dragon burns. And when we are finished, kiss you all over and begin anew until dawn streaks the sky.”
Her mouth opened and her pupils widened, a clear sign of her own desire. But he was not finished. Not yet.
“I have flown with you in the sky, but have you ever made love in the sky? We dragon can, and it is…exotic. But that is not all.
“I want you in my bed, not for one night, but hundreds of nights. To fall asleep in your arms and wake up to see you next to my pillow. To breed you and make babies with you, children who will be our unique legacy. I want to grow old with you, and watch our grandbabies and great-grandbabies play at our feet. And finally, when it is our time to leave this earth, to soar toward the sun with you until we burst into flames and our ashes cover the earth, our souls entwining as we fly to Tir Na-nog.”
Tear glistened in her eyes. “Oh Drust… oh my sweet dragon.”
For a moment they simply held hands, staring at each other. She blinked, as he could see the confusion finally clouding her expression.
“But… you can’t leave this earth, my darling Drust. You’re an immortal wizard. You died long ago and became immortal.”
Drust slowly pulled his hand away, the realization slamming into him like a freight train. She was right. He was immortal, and he’d said those things to her as if he still walked on earth as a dragon shifter…
As if he’d said them to her before, long ago.
His gaze went to her dragon birthmark. It glowed blue. He did not need to open his shirt to see his own marking, for he knew instinctively it also glowed blue, signaling the intimate and deep connection between them.
He knew.
The reason why he felt so compelled by her, so drawn to her. So frustrated.
“Why do I dream exclusively of you, of making love with you, of being with you as if we were meant to be together?” she whispered.
“These dreams you’ve had, they are not dreams, sweet Lacey. They are memories.”
“I, I.” She pulled her hand away. “They can’t be. It can’t be.”
Doubt clouded her face and he knew this was the wrong place to discuss something so very serious. People talked and laughed around them. Silverware clinked against plates and reggae music played in the background. It was too cheerful and vibrant.
He signaled for the check, adding a silent mental push for the waiter, who brought it immediately. Drust paid in cash, adding a generous tip for both the honeymooning couple and their dinner.
Hand on the small of her back, he guided Lacey out of the restaurant. There was a walkway leading to a nearby canal. Clasping her hand, he walked with her as they said nothing.
At the canal’s edge, he turned and faced her. Finally, a little privacy to say what was on his heart, what he knew was the truth.
“Lacey, you and I have met before, in another life and time, when I was mortal. The dreams you’ve had were memories of that life. You are my soulmate. It is rare to happen but it does. Do not fear it,” he said softly.
Her lower lip wobbled as she touched her birthmark. “It’s the reason for this.”
He nodded. “The mark is the same as mine, so we would find each other again. Through time eternal, we are destined
to be one. You hold my heart within you, and nothing, not even death, may part us.”
“I don’t remember my other life, but I know from my dreams what we shared was precious and wonderful and I loved you dearly. It was horribly sad to leave you. I don’t want to lose you again,” she whispered.
“You won’t.”
He kissed her gently, hungering for her, but knowing he must restrain himself. Everything must seem so new and a little frightening to her.
Lacey touched his cheek when they parted. “Drust, I don’t know about this soulmate thing. All I know is I have these crazy feelings for you and part of me doesn’t want them. Because they scare the hell out of me.”
They walked back to the restaurant. When the valet brought around his car, he opened the door for Lacey himself.
They said nothing on the drive home, the self-driving car smoothly navigating through the crowded streets. When the Jag pulled into the driveway, he walked around the car to open the door for her.
Lacey made no move to walk into the house. Instead, she toyed with the strap of her purse.
“What’s wrong?” he asked softly.
“It’s…” she pushed a hand through her hair. “I can’t deny my feelings for you anymore, Drust.”
His heart beat faster with hope.
“But whoever I was in my past life, Drust, I can’t be her again. I mean, talk about expectations… I can’t be a person who’s been dead for centuries. I wish…”
He put a finger under her chin and lifted it so their gazes met. “What do you want, Lacey? What do you truly desire?”
“Do you want to know my heart’s real desire? I want, no I need, someone to see me, really see me, as I truly am. Not what they think I am or what they label me or who I was in the past, this life or my previous one. Right here and right now.”
Lacey took his hand and guided it to her chest, letting him feel the rapid beat of her heart. “Here inside.”
For a moment he rested his palm there, filled with wonder at the physical chemistry flaring between them, at how she wanted to trust him.
Connection flared between them, one spark to another, so fiery he felt every nerve ending tingle.
Drust suspected she’d never lowered her defenses like this before another, not since she was a child. It meant taking a huge risk.
“Why are you willing to trust me like this?”
He had to know.
A brittle laugh. “I’m probably going to die soon, because your fellow wizards demand of the book, and I’m tightly woven with the book, a walking, talking volume of it. But before I die, I need you to know I matter. That my needs matter, my life matters.”
Her voice dropped to a bare whisper. “That I matter to you as much as you matter to me, Drust.”
Nothing he ever said to her would matter as much as his next words. Drust knew it with all his heart.
“I see you,” he said quietly. He framed her face with his palms, his expression tender. “I see you, Lacey McGuire. I promise you this, I will always see the heart of you. For you carry part of my heart inside you, as I carry yours. This was so from the moment we met when I walked this earth as a mortal dragon shifter. You were my first, and only love and always will remain so. Nothing can ever part us again, not like it did in the past. Nothing.”
Chest tight, he rested his forehead against hers. Maybe there was hope in this crazy, mixed up world where demons tried to kill children and evil was damn tough to defeat.
Maybe Tristan was right. He needed to find someone to love.
The moment was so intense, he could only study her rapid breathing. It was too important. Finally she gave a little laugh. “Even if you need glasses, wizard?”
He chuckled. “Always with the sarcasm.” He kissed her forehead, a mere brush of his lips, but he felt the responding warmth flare inside her. “Now, will you come inside with me?”
He held out his hand. Next move up to you, his expression said. Lacey nodded and clasping his hand, walked with him back to the house.
He knew what would happen.
And he suspected she knew it as well, and longed for it to happen with all her heart.
But he wanted to savor the moments here with her, not rush her into bed. Anticipation boiled through him. Centuries of celibacy, and he wanted to make this night last.
“Let’s walk on the beach.”
Hand in hand, they strolled around the house, removing their shoes and walking barefoot in the loamy surf.
“Drust… you know something? You’re my only real, true friend.”
His heart turned over at the wistfulness in her voice. Little by little, she was releasing her defenses.
Lacey released a dreamy sigh. “This is lovely being here with you. Magical.”
“This isn’t magick.” He released her hand, squeezed his fist and then opened it. “This is.”
She cried out and clapped her hands, child-like, at the dozens of blue fireflies sparking the air, glittering in the moonlight and winking their own special illumination.
“It’s wonderful. And you created them, just like that. Like little fairy lights.”
Drust smiled. “I feel sorry for people who don’t believe in magick.”
He drew rune patterns in the air, the symbols glowing blue. Suddenly dozens of tiny yellow, green, red, blue and purple lights joined the glittering fireflies in dancing on the air. The tiniest of giggles echoed across the sands.
“Sprites.” Lacey held out a hand and a yellow sprite landed on her outstretched palm. “Hello there.”
Dancing with the sprites, she laughed and twirled, a vision in moonlight, drenched in enchantment. Drust’s resolve melted away. He would make love with her tonight, and his vow be damned.
For once, he wanted to think of himself, and Lacey, and not his dragon charges or his duties as the Coldfire Wizard. Life was fleeting and he needed to savor every single moment with her.
Lacey, his soulmate.
When the sprites flew away and Lacey returned to him, she laughed. “That was amazing. I felt like I could soar upward with them. You’re amazing, wizard.”
And then she saw his face and all laughter died from her, leaving only the clear stamp of desire and passion shining in her eyes.
He stretched out a hand. “Come to my bed. I will take you to the heights of a pleasure you have never known.”
She took his hand, and he led her upstairs.
The night had grown intense, and yet she wished to cherish every moment. Because she could no longer deny she was falling in love with Drust, the cynical wizard she once thought of as an enemy.
To her surprise, he went into her bedroom, where a fire crackled on the hearth.
Drust pulled off his shirt, showing a hard chest covered with dark hair. Her anticipation mounted.
He kissed her, his mouth trailing heat. A lick of desire caressed her, making her shiver with anticipation.
She went to the bed.
Shadows danced in the golden flames cast by the crackling flames in the fireplace. On the nightstand glinted two champagne flutes filled with sparkling wine, a bottle encased in an ice bucket hinted it was a fine French champagne. It was a scene set for a deliberate seduction.
Yet she needed no seduction. She wanted this, craved it. Lacey pulled off her clothing and stood by the bed, glancing at the sheets.
“Overkill much, wizard? Satin sheets? Champagne?”
Was that a becoming flush on his lean cheeks? So adorable and boyish. Drust shrugged, muscles flexing beneath his skin. “It’s been a long time since I’ve made love, Lacey. I wanted everything to be perfect.”
“It is perfect,” she told him. “Because it’s you.”
Delight shone on his face, then heated intensity. Drust’s gaze swept over her naked body. He removed his clothing slowly as she watched, anticipation curling through her.
Then he joined her, standing behind her, pressing a single, sweet kiss to the juncture between her shoulder and neck, trailing a
kiss down to her dragon birthmark. It glowed blue, and filled her with warmth.
He cupped her breasts, palming their heavy weight as she threw back her head and closed her eyes. Drust thumbed her nipples with expert ease, lazily stroking them as they hardened. When he stopped, her eyes flew open.
She needed him. Now. Lacey climbed onto the bed and lay back, watching him in the firelight. Seeing evidence of his desire for her, his erection hard as steel, the length intimidating. Taking all that into her body… a shudder raced through her.
“You know wizard, you are kinda big down there. I heard the first time always hurts,” she whispered. “But I trust you.”
The tenderness in his expression eased any fear. “I want you to feel only pleasure, Lacey. Nothing more.”
Satin sheets rustled as she shifted her weight on the bed. Drust skimmed his long, slender fingers down her body. Lacey lay still and naked, one arm flung above her head. Between her legs, she ached for him, longed for him to fill her emptiness.
“Such beautiful breasts. I want to taste them,” he whispered.
An intense gaze dark as fiery as the sun itself, caressed her naked body, causing her flesh to tighten.
He was powerful, with a manner accustomed to command. Like his surroundings, he was elegant and refined. Black curly hair touched his broad shoulders. His features were classic, the chin brutally masculine, contrasting to the fullness of his lips.
The strength in those elegant hands could snap necks like dry twigs, or slowly stroke between a woman’s legs, making her beg and plead.
“Bind yourself to me, Lacey. Lose your soul in mine,” he whispered.
Instead of answering, she slid her arms around his neck and kissed him. Drust shuddered, quivering like a racehorse eager for the run as she trailed her fingers across the hard muscle of his chest, the dark hair covering it.
He licked her earlobe, and then fisted a hand into her hair. Tipping her head back, he ravaged her mouth. Fire danced along her nerves. Her foot slid up the length of his limb, her toes caressing the silken, dark hairs on his muscled calf.
Captured in his arms, he would never release her. She was his to claim in the flesh. Her breasts flushed with arousal, their nipples begging to be touched.
THE MATING CLAIM: Werewolves of Montana Book 14 Page 20
