It was on the tip of her tongue to say he would be hers for good first, but she resisted. The thought alone scared her; she wasn’t sure if Finn could remain in control if she said it to him. Dragon-shifter males were possessive to a fault. The instant someone claimed one with words, they became unbearable and cocky.
Finn sure as hell didn’t need any more cockiness.
Her beast snarled. Stop thinking so much. His dick is waiting. Play with it.
Fine, but learn some patience.
Shutting her dragon into the back of her mind, Arabella moved one hand to grip his cock. Gently, she took him into her mouth just as Finn tightened his grip in her hair.
Twirling her tongue, his nails dug into her scalp. Taking the encouragement, she took him deeper and teased his taut, soft skin with her tongue down the length of his erection. When she took him as far as she could, Ara tightened her grip of her hand at the base of his cock and moved her mouth.
Working a steady rhythm, she grew accustomed to his size and reveled in the way a flick here or a twist there would elicit a groan or her name from Finn’s lips. Also, for the first time, she burned to feel his hard length inside of her without fear.
Pushing aside panic about the frenzy and resulting pregnancy, Arabella concentrated on sucking, licking, and even nibbling. Judging by how tight Finn gripped her hair, he was close.
Her dragon hummed. Good. His scent will be embedded in our skin. Everyone will recognize our claim.
We haven’t claimed him yet.
Isn’t that what you’re doing right now?
Forcing her beast to the back of her mind, Ara increased her pace until Finn grunted. “I’m coming, Ara.”
It was a warning, but there was no fucking way she was pulling away. Squeezing him harder, Finn roared her name as he came with hot, salty spurts into her mouth.
When Finn’s grip eased and he caressed her head, Arabella swallowed, gave one last, long flick with her tongue and pulled away. Taking a deep breath for courage, she looked up to Finn’s face and sucked in a breath at the tender-yet-heated look in his eyes. “Stand up, lass.”
Without a word, Arabella stood and Finn drew her against his body. Laying his forehead against hers, he murmured, “That was bloody fantastic, Ara. While your mouth is hot and tight, I can’t wait until I can fuck your pussy with my cock and make you scream.”
Despite her best efforts, her dragon broke free and filled her mind with Finn taking them hard from behind, the side, and any which way before adding, I want all of that, and soon. I can’t hold back much longer.
Try. Two days isn’t enough time for me.
With a grunt, her beast stated, Just one more day, at best. Any more than that, and I will lose control.
Finn’s voice broke through her inner conversation. “Tell me what you’re thinking.”
Narrowing her eyes, she tried to pull away but Finn’s hold was like steel. “Don’t order me around.”
Grinning, he lightly brushed his fingers against her side. “It seems to be the only way I can get you away from your dragon. She’s become bloody chatty.”
Since talking about the progress with her dragon could bring back memories of why her beast had been silent so long, Arabella changed the subject. She wouldn’t let the damn hunters ruin this memory. “Before you start trying to charm my dragon, there’s something more important we need to do.”
His eyes flashed. “What, me licking between your thighs again?”
Slapping his chest, she growled. “No. Focus, Finn. And not with your cock.”
He winked at her. “With you, I’m always thinking with my cock, Arabella. You’re sexy, clever, and stubborn. Not a second goes by that I don’t ache for you.”
Unable to tell if he was joking or being serious, Arabella decided to ignore his remark. “You might have forgotten your leader duties, but I haven’t. We have a gathering to attend.”
Sighing, he kissed her nose. “And here I thought I’d convinced you with my wondrous, magical cock to do whatever I wished. I guess I’ll have to keep trying.”
The corner of her mouth ticked up. “Someone is a little proud of themselves. I’m sure other males have wonderful cocks, too.”
He growled. “Don’t be thinking of other males’ cocks.”
She laughed. “If it keeps you on your toes and knocks down your ego a few notches, I may bring it up on a regular basis.”
Finn stared at her a second before his fingers fluttered against her sides and Arabella laughed. “Stop…it.”
Tickling her for another minute, she was out of breath when he finally stopped and hugged her tightly against his body. “Bring up other males’ dicks and I’ll do it again.”
She rolled her eyes. “How about you just shut up and kiss me before we head back?”
His hand caressed down her back until Finn gripped her arse possessively. “That I can do, love. That I can do.”
As Finn kissed her, he devoured her mouth, and Arabella forgot all about her past with the hunters, her scars, or what Clan Lochguard would think of her when they saw her at the gathering. In this moment, she was being kissed by a male who could make her laugh one minute and heat her body in the next.
Woe betide any female who tried to flirt with him. Finlay Stewart was hers and she would make sure his clan knew it.
Chapter Two
Arabella was eyeing the purple dragon-shifter dress on her bed when someone pounded on her door. With a sigh, she yelled, “Finn, I told you to leave me alone. I’m trying to get ready and I don’t need your distractions.”
An amused female voice answered, “The twins are keeping him occupied. We thought you could use some help getting ready.”
Recognizing Aunt Lorna’s voice, Arabella strode to the door and opened it. “Sorry, Finn kept knocking every few minutes and I got rather tired of opening the door only to slam it shut again.”
Faye poked her head out from behind her mother. “I wished I’d been able to see that. The cocky bastard gets his way too often.”
Lorna scowled at her daughter. “Faye Louise, you do realize your cousin is clan leader?”
Faye shrugged. “So? He’s still my cousin.”
Shaking her head, Lorna looked back to Arabella. “If you don’t want our help, child, just say so.” The older dragonwoman raised her arm and Arabella noticed the dresses hung over it. “We just thought it’d be fun to get ready together.”
Arabella looked from Lorna to Faye and back again. Apart from Melanie and occasionally Evie, Arabella didn’t have much female companionship. This could be practice for the gathering in a few hours.
Her dragon did a mental eye roll. You don’t need to justify every action. They’re kind and fun. Let them in already.
Someone’s bossy.
I’m stuck inside a house when I’d rather be flying or fucking our mate. Whatever it takes to help me forget about Finn and the frenzy, I will do.
She didn’t like her dragon’s grumpy tone, especially since she sensed the tension underneath it. If nothing else, spending time with Lorna and Faye would help her forget about Finn, his talented tongue, and the way he’d made her come in the clearing.
Her dragon growled. Stop it. Remembering our male licking between our thighs only makes me hornier.
I could take a deep breath and you’d think of sex. Don’t blame it on me.
With a huff, her dragon settled down and sulked.
Smiling at her beast’s response, she stepped aside. “All I plan to do is toss the dress on and pull back my hair. That should take me about ten minutes, but you’re welcome to come in.”
As Lorna walked past, she clicked her tongue. “If I have any say in the matter, it’s going to take more than ten minutes, Ara.”
Once both dragonwomen were inside the room, she shut the door. “Do I dare ask why?”
Faye held up a case and winked. “We’re going to send Finn to his knees.”
Worry gathered in the pit of her stomach, but before she cou
ld ask anything, Lorna beat her to it. “Not that you aren’t beautiful just as you are, Arabella MacLeod. But from what little I know of you so far, you enjoying teasing my nephew. Give us a little time, and we’ll surprise him. You can make him speechless for once, which is a rare thing for Finlay.”
Arabella eyed the case. The old Arabella would’ve just lied and said she didn’t enjoy teasing anyone. She might have even told them to bugger off.
Yet after her afternoon with Finn, combined with the strength and confidence of her dragon, Arabella decided to be truthful. After all, Lorna and Faye would soon be her family.
Blinking, Arabella wondered when she’d accepted her future would be with Lochguard. Her dragon spoke up. Of course it’s here. Do you really want to leave Finn behind? He’s so much fun to tease. I want to tease him more when he’s naked.
Rather than answer her randy dragon, she straightened her shoulders as she met Lorna’s eye. “What do you have in mind?”
Faye whooped and lightly slapped her bicep. “You just made my day, Arabella.” She lifted the case. “As for this baby, I call it the master makeover kit. But first, you need to get dressed.”
Lorna picked up her dress from the bed and the older dragonwoman asked Arabella a question with her eyes—was she able to undress in front of them, or did she need to go to the bathroom down the hall.
Her heart rate kicked up. Finn seeing her body was one thing, but for anyone else to see her was another.
Her dragon’s voice was grumpy. Just undress. If we leave this room, we might run into Finn and then I’ll want to kiss him. At least in here, his scent is barely noticeable.
Drawing strength from her dragon, Arabella unbuttoned her jeans. “Just don’t turn me into a complete tart. I don’t want to give the clan the wrong impression of me.”
Faye grinned. “Don’t worry. We’ll find just the right amount of sexiness and kickass.” Putting down the case, she clapped her hands. “I can’t wait. I never had a sister, so this should be fun.”
As Arabella continued undressing, she fought the urge to run. Yet as she revealed more skin, the two dragonwomen barely paid attention. They were treating it as an everyday occurrence.
Once she was naked, a sense of accomplishment rushed through her body. It may only be with two dragon-shifters, but if she kept pushing her boundaries, Arabella might soon be like any other dragon-shifter on Lochguard, meaning she could talk with her dragon, shift at will, and not care two cents about being naked in front of others.
The only thing she really needed to do was survive telling Finn about the rest of her time with the dragon hunters. After that, she might finally be free of her past. The thought of visiting Stonefire and being whole again warmed her heart. She would never be ‘poor Arabella’ ever again.
And it was all because she’d taken the chance of fostering with Lochguard. Coming to Scotland had been one of the best decisions of her life, not that she’d tell Finn. His ego was already big enough.
As she pulled the dress over her head and tugged it down her body, the silkiness of the material caressed her skin. Once it was on, she looked in the mirror. Rather than noticing her scars, she saw herself as pretty for the first time.
Her dragon grumbled. Not pretty. We’re bloody beautiful.
Smiling, Arabella turned toward Faye and Lorna. “Okay, ladies, do whatever it takes to render Finn speechless.”
~~~
Finn paced his living room as he waited for Arabella. Faye and his aunt were helping her to get ready, but they were taking a bloody long time. Given the glint the two females had had in their eyes, he was fairly certain they had something planned.
A part of him itched to go check on Arabella again, but he knew she would hate him for it. The lass was growing stronger. He wanted to protect her with every iota of his being, but if he did that, she would hate him.
Truth be told, all he wanted to do was spend the rest of the next week with Arabella naked in his bed. The memory of her hot, wet mouth around his cock nearly made him groan.
His dragon growled. Stop it or I won’t last the night.
I thought you could take anything.
I hadn’t expected Ara to be so good.
In that, Finn could agree. Maybe we can have more tonight. Can you last that long?
His beast huffed. I will try. Just keep the other males from touching her.
Finn shouldn’t have a problem with most of the clan, but glancing at his twin cousins on the couch, they were bound to give him a hard time.
Fraser noticed his look. “Have you reconsidered, cousin? A quick flight and a game of chicken might help your nerves.”
Fergus added, “I could referee. I’ve been spending too much time at the computer and need to stretch my wings.”
Finn crossed his arms over his chest. “Fergus, you always favor your twin.”
“No, Finn, you just like to lose,” Fergus stated.
“I wouldn’t bloody well be the clan leader if I lost as much as you claim,” Finn answered.
Fergus opened his mouth, but Fraser rubbed his hands together and beat him to the punch. “I can replace Fergus with someone else. So, if I find another referee, is that a yes?”
Finn’s dragon chimed in. It will help. Do we have time?
No.
Steps sounded down the stairs and Finn nodded toward the stairs. “That sounds like our answer, lads. And don’t try to find someone else to play chicken during the gathering.”
Fraser gave an exaggerated look of hurt. “It pains me you would think the worst of me, Finn.”
Rolling his eyes, Finn’s voice was dry as he said, “Your antics are annoying. How I ever survived living under the same roof as you two for five years, I’ll never know.” He moved toward the stairs and added, “Now, stop your whining and come on. Arabella needs our support.”
Without another word, Finn went to the foot of the stairs and looked up. His heart skipped a few beats.
Arabella’s hair was half-swept up from her face and pinned to the top of her head. The bottom half of her long, dark hair cascaded over her shoulder and complemented the deep purple of her dress. The fabric hugged her small breasts and slim frame. Her tattoo was fully visible on her upper arm. If all of that wasn’t enough to turn his cock to stone, the light make-up on her face brought out the deep brown of her eyes and the plumpness of her lips.
His female was sexy as hell.
Then she turned her scarred arm away and he frowned. “Show me all of you, lass.”
Lorna spoke up. “That’s not much of a compliment.”
He raised his brows. “I could compliment her all day long, but I want to see her first so I can be truthful.” He met Arabella’s gaze. “Arabella appreciates the truth.”
“Since when are you so concerned with the truth, Finlay?” Arabella asked.
He motioned with his hands for her to descend the stairs. “Since I know it makes you happy.”
Despite the blush on her cheeks, Arabella kept her shoulders back as she moved toward him. “I’ll remember that the next time you spout one of your lines. That might make you stop.”
“I doubt it.” He raised a hand to her and she took it. Curling his fingers around hers, he guided his dragon-shifter goddess down the last few steps. Once she stood in front of him, all he could think about was kissing the living shit out of her. Needing a moment with his female, he murmured, “Come with me.”
Pulling her down the hall and into his study, Finn shut the door and kissed her. After a split second of shock, Arabella parted her lips and met him stroke for stroke as she gripped his shoulders. The fact she was as hungry for him as he was for her only made his cock harder.
His dragon growled. Be careful or I won’t be able to stop.
With monumental effort, he broke the kiss to look into Arabella’s eyes. The urge to rip off her clothes and fuck her was overwhelming, but somehow he managed to keep his tone light as he said, “That was me saying how beautiful you look, by the wa
y.”
The corner of her mouth ticked up. “I could wear a dress of weeds and I bet your cock would still go hard.”
Rubbing his dick against her, he murmured, “True, but I’m not lying about how beautiful you look tonight. Say the word and I can snake a hand up your dress and make you come with my fingers.”
She smacked his shoulder. “Finn, stop it.”
He grinned. “You can’t blame a bloke for trying.”
“You never stop trying. That’s the problem.” Arabella looked to the door. “Besides, we shouldn’t keep the MacKenzies waiting.”
“Oh, aye? Have you formed a coalition with Faye and Lorna against me, then?”
She gave a sly smile. “That’s for you to find out.”
He laughed. “If this is you after two days with my clan, I better prepare myself for the rest of my life. I have a feeling you’ll always keep me on my toes.”
Arabella’s smile faltered. “There’s still the threat from within your clan. I don’t want my presence here to cause a rift, Finlay.”
The fact Arabella hadn’t dismissed spending the rest of her life with him only warmed his heart. He caressed her cheek with the back of his fingers. “Don’t worry, lass. Duncan has been a pain in my arse for a while and I’ll deal with him. However, most of the clan will love you, even if you talk in a funny accent.”
Raising an eyebrow, she ran a hand across his chest. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. This is how to speak English properly.”
As he took in Arabella dressed in her traditional dragon-shifter attire and added in her teasing him, for the first time in a long while Finn wanted to dodge his clan leader duties and be selfish; he wanted to whisk Arabella away for a weekend break and show her a good time.
Yet he knew he couldn’t, and not just because of his clan leader duties. Between the dragon hunters, the Dragon Knights, and Duncan’s supporters, taking Arabella anywhere outside of Lochguard would be dangerous.
With herculean effort, he stepped back and motioned toward the door. “You can debate how to speak English at the gathering. I have a feeling the Scots’ way will win.”
Healed by the Dragon: Boxed Set (Parts #1-4) Page 13
