by Chant, Zoe
“You deserve it.” Timothy’s eyes were the dark blue of the depths of water they’d crossed together.
There was a heat in his gaze Liana knew all too well. It made an answering heat rise in her own body.
All of a sudden, she became aware of the press of his naked, wet body against her own—and of the way she could feel his arousal pushing hard and heavy against her thigh.
She reached out to rest a hand against his chest. His skin was hot. Against her fingers, she could feel the rapid beating of his heart.
His eyes were still gleaming with the blue light of the ocean, but at her touch, they darkened further. She could feel his own need for her through the bond. Even though they were mated now, her desire for him hadn’t changed.
If anything, it had increased, now that she knew how overwhelming it was to be fully joined with him, their bodies entwined as their souls already were.
His hands rose to her shoulders, and then she felt his mouth on hers. At the same time as his tongue invaded her mouth, she felt herself gently pressed to the ground.
With a moan, she wrapped her arms around his neck. She didn’t want to ever let go of him again.
His hands on her skin felt unbearably good as they traced a path from her shoulder down to her wrists. She could feel herself breaking out in goosebumps, every nerve in her body suddenly so sensitive that the slightest touch sent little pinpricks of pleasure through her.
She made a sound of disappointment when Timothy broke the kiss—but it was only so that he could press kiss after kiss to her throat, along her collarbone, down into the hollow between her breasts.
Her nipples were already stiff and aching before his mouth sought them out. As soon as he swirled the tip of his tongue around a nipple, she gasped and arched against him. It felt like electricity sizzling through her, a current of heat that raced straight from where his tongue touched her to her clit.
She could feel wetness trickling from her folds. Her body was ready for him—and his was more than ready for hers, still hard as a rock against her thigh.
But instead of hurrying up to claim her, Timothy went even slower, as if he was actually intending to drive her insane this time.
He kissed his way further down her body, her clit throbbing in aching anticipation while she buried her fingers into the warm sand, desperate for something to hold on to.
And then his fingers spread her wet folds open, and his tongue began to slowly explore her.
She arched against him, trembling at every slow, careful swipe of his tongue. Through the bond, she could feel how much he loved her reaction to him.
Even if she’d wanted to hold back, it would have been impossible. As gentle as his mouth was, every touch was demanding, his tongue circling her and dipping inside her until she thought that she’d really go insane from need this time.
And then, at last, he showed some mercy. He’d driven her so far that she felt as if she was walking on a tightrope, barely able to hold herself together under the onslaught of pleasure. At the first, teasing lick of his tongue over her clit, she could feel herself falling.
Pleasure rushed up to meet her. It raced through her entire body as she trembled and cried out from the force of the sudden climax.
And while she was still trembling through her orgasm, his tongue kept circling her clit, teasing and demanding until she felt herself coming again and again, her body writhing helplessly beneath him.
When he finally released her she felt utterly exhausted. She was still shivering with pleasure, her clit swollen and so sensitive that the smallest touch would set her off again. But she didn’t want his tongue. She wanted more. She wanted to feel him inside her—and she wanted to feel him find his own pleasure, with her, inside her.
He groaned when his hard shaft pressed against her folds. She could feel the way his powerful muscles contracted.
In encouragement, she ran his hands over his shoulders, pulling him against her—and then, at last, he finally pushed inside.
Liana cried out at the sensation. She was so sensitive now that even the feeling of him sliding inside was almost enough to set her off again.
But she wanted to come together with him. She wanted to feel his pleasure, and so she dug her fingers into his shoulders, moaning at each of his thrusts.
His skin slid against her own, still wet. He smelled like saltwater, a scent that was clean and wild and powerful, all mingled with the virile, warm musk of his desire.
Desperately, she pressed her mouth to his shoulder to muffle her moans. She could taste the salt on his skin. As she kept clutching at him, she felt his muscles contract every time he pushed into her.
He filled her perfectly, her inner walls clutching at him as if to keep him inside her forever. She could feel the pleasure building and building and building.
There was a faint ringing in her ears now, a haze of golden light surrounding them. Wherever their skin touched, the light grew more brilliant.
It was the mate bond—fully in place now, stronger than steel and diamonds. Through it, she could feel his overwhelming love and desire.
Again he pushed into her, and she wrapped one thigh around his hip as she arched desperately, wanting, needing him even deeper. Again he thrust, and again. Every thrust sent almost painful sparks of pleasure through her, every nerve in her body feeling raw from the repeated onslaught of pleasure.
And then the light grew so brilliant that she had to squeeze her eyes shut. At the same time, she could feel Timothy’s pleasure rise, the sensation sweeping through the bond like the first gust of wind moments before a storm breaks lose.
She gave herself up to it, crying out as she was swept away. Her entire body tightened as pleasure pulsed through her. She couldn’t even say whether the pleasure she felt was her own or Timothy’s—and it no longer mattered.
Through the bond, she could feel the intensity of his own climax, at the same time as she felt the heat of his release inside her. Breathless, overwhelmed, she dug her nails into his skin, crying out his name while the ocean lapped at their feet.
Again and again her body throbbed. Pleasure filled her to the tips of her toes and the roots of her hair, her entire body burning with a heat that seemed nearly unbearable while Timothy’s hips jerked against her as he groaned.
And then, at last, the storm subsided.
His lips were warm against her throat. He was still inside her, slowly softening while she ran her hands over his shoulders and his back, too exhausted to speak.
At last he slipped out of her and rolled to his side, and when he looked at her, there was a grin on his face.
“What are you looking so pleased about?” she demanded, although there was an answering grin on her face.
Who knew that sex could be so damn good. No wonder her sister had kept teasing her about her single status.
“Nothing. I’m just happy,” he said and reached out to playfully tap the tip of her nose with his finger. “And you?”
She giggled. “Do you have to ask?”
The bond was surrounding her with warmth and comfort. It was like resting in a pile of warm, fluffy towels just out of the dryer. Everything felt overwhelmingly good and perfect.
But of course, everything was not good and perfect.
Her friend Braeden had been sent off on a terribly dangerous mission to Mordor, or wherever it was the fire dragons were hiding. The game she’d invested so much time and energy into would probably sink under their new management in a year or two, and then she’d be without a job.
And as much fun as it was to be the lady of the water, she loved her job. Maybe not this particular job—but she’d always dreamed of working in the gaming industry. Making it through college and getting this job had been hard work. And she’d liked the feeling of making people happy.
“I’m just amused that I ended up with my own ocean dragon. Just when we released our virtual one.” She laughed as she ran her hand down Timothy’s chest.
There was de
finitely nothing virtual about him.
“Hmm. So how do I compare?”
Liana pretended to think. “I’m not sure how well you’d deal with getting dressed up by hordes of twelve-year-olds,” she said. “So that’s a strike against you.”
Timothy gave her look of mock outrage. “You mean I’m losing to a virtual dragon?”
“You’re pretty handy to have around,” Liana admitted. “Let’s see... You get a point for being useful for beach barbecues. And for bringing me coffee in bed. Oh! And getting a dragon lift into the city wins every time against any Uber driver.”
“Three to one for me,” Timothy said smugly. “I guess I can live with that.”
Liana pulled him close—close enough that she could brush her lips against his mouth and feel the immediate surge of desire as his hands came up to frame her face and he deepened the kiss.
“Plus ten points for being a damn good lover,” she said, laughing breathlessly when she managed to come up again for air. “Or twenty points. No—a hundred.”
“A hundred, huh?” He grinned at her with that intoxicating mix of pride and possessiveness. “In that case, I’d better show myself worthy of that rating some more...”
Epilogue: Liana
Liana stretched in the sunshine, staring out at the calm, blue ocean for a moment before she returned her attention to her laptop.
She’d been in meetings all morning. As the new owner of Dragon Heights Games, people kept asking her questions and wanting answers every day.
At first, it had been daunting. She understood nothing about businesses, after all—she was just a simple geek and a coder who loved dragons.
But when her real life ocean dragon had given her the company as a belated wedding gift, she’d had to learn quickly.
And it wasn’t all bad—there was a lot she had to learn. But she already knew the most important thing, which was what their players wanted from their game.
Some of the decisions she’d made had surprised people. And it was true that Dragon Heights had made less of a profit since Liana had taken over.
But they still made a very nice profit.
Enough of a profit that Liana’d been able to give a raise to not only their coders, but also their customer support people, who did one of the hardest jobs, in her opinion. The memory of having to deal with upset people all day still made Liana feel exhausted. She was determined to show that she appreciated the hard work people put in.
And they were still going make a nice profit even after Liana hired another coder. She wanted someone like herself, a young woman fresh out of college who was desperately trying to break into the gaming industry. Because that had been hard, even with her sister’s support.
After all, what good was it to be your own boss if you couldn’t learn from the mistakes you’d seen others make?
Liana was determined to do better. She loved her virtual dragons—and she was going to make sure that her players would keep having fun, without having to spend ridiculous amounts of money.
And to start off her new reign, she’d made some changes in the code for the new event. Now every player who played for at least a few minutes on their commute every day would receive her beautiful, powerful ocean dragon—without having to pay any real money.
She couldn’t make sure that all the lonely people out there would find a real life dragon of their own. But at least she could make sure that everyone had fun in her own game.
And the rave reviews for their latest update had only proved her right. On the forums, there were even delighted comments from players who’d left during the past year, and who’d decided to give the game another chance after Liana’s changes.
Still, as amazing as it was to see that finally, she could undo some of the damage her former corporate overlords had done, she’d been adamant about one thing.
In the afternoon, after the endless meetings and discussions, she stopped being Liana the Boss. For an hour or two, she went back to being Liana the Coder, typing away on her keyboard with only the ocean for company as she came up with new events and game mechanics.
She needed that time. It felt good to realize that nothing had changed—that at her heart, she was still simply Liana, the geeky girl with a fondness for dressing up virtual dragons.
“Are you done for today?” Timothy’s voice called out from the door.
He’d been in a conference call since noon—and now it seemed he’d finally managed to escape.
“All done,” Liana called back, making sure to save her work before she closed her laptop.
“The werewolves invited us over for a drink,” Timothy said when she came closer.
“That sounds great. Do you think I need to change?”
She was wearing her favorite sundress—it was made of white lace and a soft, turquoise cotton printed with cheerful sunflowers.
It was perfect for beach walks with Timothy, but not exactly what she’d call formal.
But then, their werewolf neighbors were the opposite of formal...
“You look stunning,” Timothy murmured as he watched her with obvious appreciation.
Liana felt her cheeks heat a little. Against her skin, the gorgeous pearl they’d found together pulsed with warmth. She wore it on a simple chain of gold around her neck.
She hadn’t taken it off since the day they’d found it. Even when she was deep in a frustrating discussion with her game’s development team, it filled her with the deep, calm confidence of the ocean.
“Then let’s head out.” She smiled at him as she took his hand.
They’d spent the day on the large deck that rested on wooden stakes right above the water of the ocean, at the back of the house. And while that gave them an incredible view of the ocean stretching endlessly before them, it meant that they couldn’t see what was happening on the beach in front of their house.
Of course, as Wing Island was a privately owned peninsula, usually there was nothing going on there.
But today, as soon as they stepped out of the door at the front, they were greeted by loud cheers.
A large crowd had gathered.
Overwhelmed, Liana tried to take it all in. There was the old werewolf couple, James and John—and there the chameleon shifter family who ran the coffee shop, together with coyote shifter Aimee who’d become a good friend.
Everyone was there. The entire community of Wing Island had gathered in front of their house.
Many people were holding flowers—and as Liana stared in amazement, a banner was unrolled, held up by two excited seal shifter kids.
“Congratulations, Liana & Timothy,” it read.
“Did you know about this?” Liana asked, utterly overwhelmed as she turned to Timothy.
Timothy was beaming, but he shook his head.
“I was promising them that we’d have a real celebration—once we’d had time to settle in and I’d found a free weekend in your sister’s busy schedule, but—”
“Liana!” a familiar voice shouted.
When Liana looked up again, she found her sister standing right next to the seal shifter kids.
Clairice didn’t look like she’d escaped her job only for an hour or two, ready to head back as soon as possible—which was usually how holidays with her went.
Which Liana had never begrudged her, because she knew just how hard her sister’d had to work to get to where she was.
She’d never imagined that one day she’d get to see Clairice in a long skirt and a bikini top, with a pink flower in her hair and what looked like a cocktail served in an actual coconut in her hand, complete with a little paper umbrella. And Clairice didn’t look harried. She looked completely relaxed for once.
“You came!” Liana laughed, running towards her to hug her. “I didn’t even know this was happening, but I’m so glad you’re here!”
“I’m staying all weekend,” Clairice said smugly. “You don’t think I’d let my little sister’s wedding pass without telling lots of embarrassing childh
ood stories at the party? Or wait—mating, not wedding. This’ll take a while to get used to.”
“I’m so happy you’re here,” Liana whispered, tears of joy in her eyes as she hugged her sister tightly.
At first, she hadn’t been sure what her sister would make of all of this—her sister, the sensible lawyer with the perfect career, who didn’t even like fantasy movies?
And at first, Clairice had been extremely skeptical. But it was difficult to keep denying the existence of shifters when there was an entire island community of people who could turn into animals.
Moreover, when Timothy had bought the game company for Liana as a gift, Clairice had spent an entire night going through the contract. She’d scrutinized every clause and footnote. And at last, she’d come to grudgingly accept that—despite his reputation as a suave billionaire CEO—Timothy wasn’t out to hurt her little sister.
“Good to see you,” Clairice now said with real warmth in her voice when she looked at Timothy.
Timothy held out his hand, which she shook—only to keep hold of it and pull him into a sudden hug.
“Congratulations,” Clairice said, her eyes gleaming a little. “I’m so glad you two found each other.”
“Thank you,” Timothy replied softly, his voice hoarse as he drew back at last. “That means a lot.”
A moment later, Aimee was hugging Liana. She’d put on thick black eyeliner and had dyed a strand of her hair a deep purple.
“Congratulations again,” Aimee said, giggling when Liana was too overwhelmed to answer. “I can’t believe we managed to keep this a secret from you all week!”
Clairice smirked again. “We’ve all planned this together. James and John called me last week, and ever since then, it’s been non-stop planning. Fortunately, your neighbors told us that you usually spend the afternoon out on the deck facing the ocean. So we had time to get everything into place.”
“Wow,” Liana breathed when the shifters before her parted.
And there, behind the crowd that had gathered, blankets had been spread on the beach, a few pavilions had been erected, and someone had managed to construct a tiny tiki bar.
