An invitation. By the Flame, her words loosed his passion and he felt need taking control of him. She was hot and ready for him, and he would have her here for no other reason than that he wanted her. He’d make certain she wouldn’t regret it, though. Tonight he would not take from her, only give. Because she deserved no less from him.
In the very back of his mind, the distant voice of reason reminded him that there was no wisdom in this. What was the point in passion without need? He did not need her; his strength was restored. He should not toy with her this way.
She was all human and he was all dragon. Now that he no longer needed her, he owed her nothing more than to keep her safe and return her to her life. His sole concern should be tending to the clutch, not dabbling in passion.
This yearning he felt for Lianne was not natural. Dragons made love, but they did not love. Humans were treated fairly, but even during such intimacy, dragons never crossed that line into caring. This was pure heat and unbridled passion, that was all. Why was he imagining so much more?
“What is it, Nic?” she asked, pulling him away from his thoughts. “Something is distracting you.”
He was not reading her mind, yet she seemed to read his perfectly. How could she know him when he’d given her only lies and deceit? He brushed a wave of auburn hair back from her forehead and kissed her there.
“Nothing but you,” he assured her. “Tell me what you need from me.”
“I don’t need anything from you. You fixed my leg, Nic. So I’m fine. But…I like what you’re doing right now.”
He ran his fingers through her long hair, brushing her earlobe and her neck and feeling desire sizzle off her skin.
“You like this?”
“I do.”
“Good. Then I’ll do more of it.”
“And maybe we could…Oh, that’s really nice, too.”
He trailed kisses from her face down her neck and to the soft valley between her breasts. She moaned with pleasure when he took one puckered nipple between his lips—so sweet. She was still tense, tied up inside with knots, but he could undo them. He’d get her to let go so her passion could run free and they would both soak in release.
His body tingled with anticipation of the surge he’d receive when a full, searing climax raged over her. His soul hummed to know that for the first time their joining would be unhampered by lies and agendas and the fear of being found out. They could both give themselves fully.
That’s what he needed. Perhaps this wasn’t unnatural, after all. She was a fiery woman and he was a dragon. Their completion would be unfettered and hot beyond measure. All the pent-up emotion he felt inside her—a wild torrent of fury, courage, delight, and pure lust—would finally be free. He simply had to get past the careful walls she had built. Once inside that bastion, he’d unlock the doors and throw them open. Release would surge through them. Her passion and power would become his, magnified a hundredfold by his own.
If he was going to be called on to do battle to defend the clutch, he needed all the strength he could get. Joining with Lianne now was not about what he wanted, but what he needed. It was not feeling or emotion that made him ache to see her writhe with pleasure beneath him, it was pure need. There was nothing unnatural about that.
Her body was so taut, her quiet moans so tantalizing and erotic. He just had to keep focus—it would be easy to get lost in the sensations. He wouldn’t, though. No matter how powerful their connection was growing, this was still just a means to an end. He could not lose sight of that, no matter what.
“You make me want to forget everything…all the crazy things going on around us…” She sighed against his skin.
He caressed her with his fingers, his tongue, his voice, and his mind, using every part of himself to give her pleasure. “Give in, Lianne. Forget all the horrible things you’ve seen and concentrate on what you’re feeling right now.”
She was melting under his attentions. He could feel those walls crumbling, the viselike grip over her senses weakening. His own carefully constructed battlements were fading, too. His body was becoming hers, and hers was becoming his. Passion engulfed them and they were free to do whatever they liked.
And he liked.
* * *
She loved what he was doing to her. It was insane, to give in to this right now, but it felt so damn good she ignored the little voice of reason niggling in the back of her mind. She was tired and aching and terrified. What Nic was doing to her now—stripping off her clothing and running his hands over the most sensitive parts of her—was exactly what she needed.
He said he would take care of her and for some reason she chose to believe him. She’d been with her share of assholes, and they’d never made her feel like this. Whatever his reasons for doing this now, she was happy to let him take control over her body.
“You are beautiful, Lianne,” he said as he continued to trail kisses over her skin, lingering in just the right spots.
“And you’re like some damned Russian sculpture,” she said, sliding her hands over his arms and his shoulders, loving the feel of him. And those sizzling tattoos. “These letters look like they mean something. Is it Cyrillic?”
“Er, it’s a very ancient form, much older than any Cyrillic script known today.”
She traced over the outline of the word seared into his shoulder like a brand. It was tantalizing and she could almost imagine that her fingers tingled as they touched it. “I see. Are you into ancient languages or something?”
“Right now I’m into you,” he said smoothly, taking her hand in his and bringing her fingers up to his lips.
Okay, so his body art was off-limits. Of course that really only made her more curious about them, but if he didn’t want to go there she wouldn’t push. Clearly they both had secrets they weren’t ready to share. She would give up on figuring things out and just enjoy what he could do to her. There would be time for conversation later.
She hoped.
“Lie down for me, Lianne,” he instructed. “I want to look at you.”
Since she loved the way his dark eyes raked over her with greed and desire shining like hot embers in them, she happily complied. Her blouse and her bra were long gone. The man seemed to have superhuman abilities in the field of undressing women.
If she thought about it too much she might be a little bit jealous by all that implied. Instead, she simply relaxed and enjoyed the wonderful sensation of being in the hands of a master. His hands, in fact, slid over the length of her legs, teasing her when they lingered in places that made her tingle and squirm. She watched him intently, drinking in his bronzed skin and the hint of a pleased smile at his lips.
“If you’re peeling me like a grape to just stare at me, the least you can do is return the favor,” she said.
He shot her a burning look and the hint of smile broadened just a bit. That jumpsuit hung low at his hips, but still it covered too much. He rectified this, standing so she had an excellent view and slipping the suit off completely. He tossed the jumpsuit across the room, then stood there, presenting himself before her with invitation written all over his face. The warm fiery glow from the outside chamber fell like a halo over his skin. She reached to barely touch the sculpted form of his thigh with her fingertips.
He moved back onto the bed, rising up like a giant over her, and she felt dizzy with excitement. She could hardly contain the anticipation, as a matter of fact. Her body was trembling with it now. The man wasn’t even touching her and she was nearly orgasmic just looking at him.
She couldn’t have ripped her gaze away if she’d wanted to. He was beyond imagination. Huge, yes, but perfect in symmetry and tone. The ripped abs she’d admired above the waist certainly didn’t stop there. Every muscle was clearly defined, rippling before her and just bursting with virility. His thighs were like granite, and when she craned her neck she could see around to his delectable backside.
It was a crime against humanity that he was forced to spend so much time wear
ing clothes. No one should have an ass that perfect. Even the artfully dispersed dark hairs that wisped over his body were absolute perfection.
She reached out and took his glorious cock in her hands.
“Don’t you want to take this more slowly?” he asked.
She answered him honestly. “Oh, hell no. I want you now, Nic. I’ve wanted you since I saw you in the boardroom looking all dangerous and smug, and we’ve been interrupted too much already. I don’t want to waste time playing around.”
“Very well, then. I aim to please, and if serious action is what you want, then I will not disappoint.”
“That is exactly the right answer,” she said.
The man’s cock still continued its triumphant rise. She was a little bit annoyed when he obstructed her view, leaning forward to kiss her on the lips. She forgave him, though, as electricity flowed between them and his mouth took charge of hers.
She kissed him back. These weren’t the sweet kisses of discovery or the demanding kisses of lovers staking their claim; they were the hot, searing kisses of pure, unfettered desire. Two people equally determined to fully enjoy themselves with one another. It was beautiful in its simplicity and intoxicating in its sensuality.
She wrapped her arms around him, pulling him closer and testing his taut skin with her nails. He might appear solid and ungiving, but he was tender and soft when they connected. She skimmed her fingers over his back and took hold of that wonderful, muscular ass. He kissed her harder, drawing her tongue past his lips and sliding his burning cock against her.
Damn it, she hadn’t taken off her panties. She shifted against him, trying to take him inside her, anyway. He deftly refused.
“You are not ready, my dear,” he murmured, moving his kisses from her lips to her neck.
“You sure as hell are.”
“I will make certain we are ready together.”
He seemed determined to make good on his promise when, about ten seconds later, he put his hands on her hips and scooted her up so suddenly his kisses went from her upper body regions to the lower ones. And good grief, where did her panties go?
“You deserve proper attention,” he whispered, running his finger over the inside of her thigh as his lips nibbled her there. “I want to see how you open for me, taste all that you are.”
She could only watch long enough to see his head dip low over her. Then sensation took over and she shut her eyes, reveling in his touch. His tongue explored her, his hands kneaded her, and his kisses found the secret place that made reality fade away completely. She sagged into the soft bedding and let him have his way.
The rush of sensation washed over her again and again, each time nearly sending her over the edge. Yet somehow he continued his attentions without letting her fully succumb. He truly was an expert. Light and warmth filled her, and her body tensed and relaxed with an increasing pulse. She arched against him, groping for something to grasp to keep from spiraling out of control.
“What are you doing to me?” she moaned as another wave threatened to crush her, then harmlessly subsided.
“I am loving you, Lianne. Give in to it. Let me show you how you make me feel.”
“I don’t know if I can,” she rasped. “It’s too much.”
“No, you have so much to give. Let it go and I will show you how.”
And then he wasn’t speaking, he was pressing his mouth against her again, drawing something from her. Her soul, maybe. She didn’t know and she didn’t care. It felt too good to worry about what might be happening to her. She would do as he asked.
She gave up her control, letting go of her tenuous hold over her body, her emotions. He was touching her whole body at once, engulfing her in heat and desire. She breathed it all in, filling herself with sensation and letting it flow out of her again. The climax was just waiting there, hovering over her until she could finally reach it.
With one little nip at the very peak of her arousal, Nic sent her soaring into an ocean of bliss. She cried out, gasping for air. No one had ever taken her so far with so little effort. She breathed in and out, waiting for her head to stop spinning.
“Ah, now you are ready,” Nic said.
His voice was smoky and ragged. She didn’t even realize he had let up on his kisses, but now he was above her, his lips close to her ear and his hot breath whispering her name.
“Now I’m ready?” she panted. “I think you’ve finished me.”
She felt him press against her, softly, tenderly. Her body reacted like fire, raging and burning for him in a way she never imagined was possible. Apparently she was not finished yet. Not by a long shot.
“Now you will have what you need,” he murmured for her. “We both will.”
He was careful. Her body welcomed him eagerly as he thrust his cock into her. The heat, the electricity…it was blinding but oh, so very good. She wrapped her legs around him to take him all in.
“You are perfect for me,” he said. “I will be perfect for you.”
For a moment he let her get used to the feel of him, then slowly he began moving. Gently at first, with long deliberate strokes, he tormented her with his prowess. She wanted to climax again, to fall into that endless abyss of pleasure and ecstasy, but he held her back. He kept the waves at bay just enough that she was aware of what he was doing, but she was helpless to urge him along.
Her body was his, completely at his mercy as he pleasured them both. She could feel the warm flow of emotion that saturated them now; it went back and forth between them like the very oxygen that they breathed. Gradually his pace increased. He was thrusting with more power now, more urgency. She needed him more and more as he continued on. She held herself to him and rocked, again and again in desperate effort to survive the excruciating torrent of pleasure.
The waves of her furious release were not safely at bay now, they were swallowing her fully. She was drowning in a sea of sensation. Had she climaxed before? She had obviously thought so, but this was something much more than she’d ever felt. This went beyond pure physical pleasure. What Nic was doing had transferred her to another realm, another plane of existence.
She cried out his name, riding with him as he thrust against her over and over again. Her body seemed to become part of his, or perhaps he’d become part of her. The world was all Nic, his skin and his warmth and the way that he filled her.
She could take it no more and finally crumbled under that passion. He came over her at the same time, pouring himself into her and breathing her name as if it were a holy chant. She clung to him, shaking and gasping for air. He pulsated within her, tiny climaxes racing over her and carrying her slowly back up to the surface.
Her arms went limp and she could do nothing but wait for the tide of bliss to retreat. Nic dropped down beside her, bundling her into his arms and pulling her tight. She could do nothing but snuggle against him, warm and safe and exhausted beyond measure.
She’d never been so thoroughly happy in her life, though. Nic had made her feel things she’d never thought possible. And somehow, she knew she’d given him something, too. He had needed her and right here, right now, she had been enough for him.
That, she was pretty damn sure, was not something he could very often say.
* * *
Heat still whorled around them. Nic sheltered her with his body, but he knew she must feel the sting from some of it. His passion had filled the chamber with searing colors and light. The might of it had slammed into him with unexpected force, penetrating his skin, his will, and his soul.
Lianne had given more than he’d ever imagined, and he’d given in return. The flame in his core roared to full life. He was an inferno now, raging with every dragon power he had. He hoped he’d not been too much for her.
Years and years of denial, of hiding his true form and blending with humans, had cost him. Wearing their form and governing his thoughts and his actions day after day had drained him more than even he had been aware. Now, just now with this trembling, moaning
woman in his arms, he was himself once again. She had filled him and revived even the parts of him he hadn’t realized he’d let go dormant. He owed her everything, and he’d given her everything that he’d had. He cradled her carefully as the tumult within and without them slowly began to settle.
When she spoke, her words were languid and slurred. “Wow. If this is all just part of some brain-damaged delusion, I don’t even care right now. That was amazing.”
Her pleasure was beautiful. He was happy to have satisfied her. Aside from his own needs, there was a great sense of pride in knowing hers had been met as well. She was completely at ease in his arms and he liked that. Her mind was as open to him as her body had been. He could touch her mind and know her like no one he’d ever encountered before. The walls he had felt earlier were entirely gone.
Fully exposed to him in their place was the raw, aching realization that Lianne had protected her secrets for a reason. She’d been protecting herself. What she’d kept hidden was deeply personal to her, a vulnerability she’d never meant for anyone to discover. But Nic had, unintentional though it was now. He felt every part of her, even this harsh, shocking reality.
You are dying.
He hadn’t spoken the words aloud, hadn’t wanted to hear them, let alone acknowledge their validity. But his mind was meshed with Lianne’s now and she knew what he knew.
“I am. How do you know that?”
“Your mind. I’m sorry, but I can enter your mind. You let me see inside of you, so I know.”
“I let you see that, huh? Well, I guess it doesn’t matter now. I didn’t want anyone to find out, but it’s a little late for that, I guess.”
“You believe you don’t have much time left.”
“A few months, so they say. It’s a tumor, inoperable and without any hope for a cure.”
“And you knew that when you took this job?”
“It’s why I took the job. I needed to do something, to prove my life wasn’t completely a waste.”
“So this project…it will give you that?”
“My father’s company is searching for energy sources that can be tapped without damaging the world. Even magical creatures like dragons must realize that we can’t go on the way we have been. I thought if I took over this project, then…”
Licked by the Flame Page 21
