by Donna Grant
Grace was floating, allowing the bliss to sink through her. Then Arian’s finger touched her sex, stroking just under his tongue.
Before she could even register that, his finger pushed inside her. Grace moaned when he began to move his finger in and out, twisting it as he did.
It was just a moment later before he added the second finger. Grace tried to breathe between the waves of pleasure, but it was too much. She could feel her body hurtling toward the climax and there was nothing she could do about it.
When the orgasm came, it swept her away completely. It was so intense, so powerful that she was helpless to do anything but feel.
It was as if she were falling endlessly through a pleasure-filled void led by Arian. Instead of panicking, Grace didn’t fight any of it.
As the climax began to fade, Arian crawled back up to her. Grace pushed at his shoulders and rolled him onto his back as she kneeled beside him. She ran her hands over his chest and leaned over, breathing and kissing on his skin.
She moved closer and closer to his arousal, but each time she got near, she would go another direction.
He was moaning as he watched her, his champagne gaze focused on her face. Grace looked up and met his eyes. The desire she saw there caused her heart to miss a beat.
She stopped with her mouth breaths from his cock. It had been six centuries since he felt a woman or pleasure. Then, still holding his gaze, she took him in hand and let her lips slide over his head.
His fingers dug into her thigh. “Fuck, Grace. That feels so damn good.”
Spurred on by his words, she began to move her hand and mouth, taking him deeper. She cupped his ball sac and massaged them with her free hand.
She was enjoying herself, but all too soon he had her on her back once more. Arian held her arms above her head with his. She looked down at their bodies.
Logic intruded through her desire-filled brain. Protection. She needed protection. “Condom,” she said, hoping he had one. It wasn’t as if she carried one in her laptop.
His brow furrowed. “I’m immortal, lass. I doona carry disease, nor do I pass it on.”
“Uh, huh.” That was great news. “I don’t want to get pregnant.”
He leaned down to kiss her nose. “Mortals can no’ carry the seed of a dragon.”
Oh. Well that was something she didn’t expect.
Then all thought fled as he moved his thick cock to the entrance of her sex.
“Do you want me?” he asked.
Grace glanced up at him and nodded.
“Say it, Grace. I have to hear you say it.”
“I want you. I want you inside me,” she said breathlessly, unable to take her eyes off his arousal.
He shifted his hips forward until the head of him brushed her. Grace sucked in a breath and raised her hips for more.
“Look at me,” he demanded.
Grace dropped her head down and looked into his face. He was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. Even if he was a dragon. Or maybe because of it.
With their gazes locked, she gasped as he entered her. Little by little, he filled her, stretching her as he did.
“So damn wet,” he murmured. “And tight.”
She wanted to say something, but once more words deserted her.
With one last thrust, he was fully inside her. Since he was still holding her arms, she raised her legs and wrapped them around his waist. She smiled at him when she began to move her hips.
“Minx,” he whispered with a grin.
Then he began to move, and all smiles vanished. His thrusts were slow and long, filling her deep. The tempo began to increase steadily.
He released her hands and leaned over her to give himself more leverage. Sweat slicked their bodies as he plunged hard and fast.
His long hair fell over his shoulders, tickling her, but she didn’t care. She met his thrusts with her own, silently urging him on with her movement and her cries of pleasure.
To her surprise, she felt a second climax coming. She looked up to see him watching their bodies as they came together.
Grace cried out as the second orgasm seized her. It was even stronger than the first, taking her breath with it.
“I can feel your walls pulsing,” Arian said. “Can’t. Hold. Back.”
She held him as they climaxed together. The strength of it carried them high, as if they were flying.
Grace had no idea how long she lay entwined with Arian. She opened her eyes to see him leaning on his elbow staring down at her.
He touched her cheek gently. She couldn’t tell what emotion was on his face, nor did she try. She simply allowed the moment to happen.
Arian pulled out of her and rolled them so that he held her against his chest. She closed her eyes, content where she was. Only then did she hear the rain. The thunder and lightning had stopped, but the storm was far from over.
Chapter Nine
Arian was content to just lay with Grace in his arms. Not only had her body felt good, but it felt right to have her next to him now.
He knew she wasn’t asleep. She tensed every time the distant sound of thunder reached her. He could end her discomfort with a mere thought, but halting the rain would allow her to leave.
And he wasn’t ready for that yet. It was selfish for him to keep making her deal with her fear, but he couldn’t let her go. Arian was happy. Actually happy. The last time had been before he sent his dragons away.
How could he even think of losing Grace now?
Arian looked down at the top of her blonde head. He wondered what she was thinking. There was no doubt she enjoyed their lovemaking. Her cries of ecstasy, and the fact she had two orgasms, told him he had pleasured her well.
That should make him feel good about the situation. Instead, he wondered if she wanted to leave. He also worried that she couldn’t handle his world.
Arian’s thoughts halted immediately.
Why would he care if she couldn’t deal with magic and immortality and shape shifting? Grace was beautiful, intelligent, and extremely gifted in her writing, but that didn’t make her more to him.
He tried to imagine walking her to her car and seeing her drive away. And it made him want to bellow in fury.
No. He didn’t want her to leave.
Ever.
Arian closed his eyes. How the hell had he gotten into this situation? He realized as soon as that thought entered his head that there was no answer. It could be a myriad of things that allowed Grace to sink deep in his soul.
Whatever the cause, she was there. And he was going to hold onto her. It didn’t matter what Con or any of the other Kings had to say about it.
“You’re quiet,” Grace said.
Arian found himself smiling. He noticed that he had been lightly rubbing her back the entire time. “So are you, lass.”
“I’m thinking.”
“About?” he urged.
She snuggled closer to him. “Don’t laugh.”
“I would never,” he responded solemnly because he had a feeling whatever she was about to say was about them.
Grace flattened her palm on his chest. “I’ve not been writing it correctly.”
“Writing what, exactly?”
“Passion. I forgot what it was,” she whispered. “I went off what I saw in movies or read, but I haven’t...experienced...it in many years.”
He didn’t like thinking about other men being with her, but they were in the past. Where they would remain. “Were they no’ good lovers?”
“They were all right, but without passion, it all feels...empty.”
Arian tightened his arm around her before he rolled her onto her back so he could look into her face. “I’ll be happy to show you several times a day.”
Her smile was infectious. “You’re up for that job?”
He looked between their bodies to his cock that was already hard again. “Oh, aye.”
Her smile softened as she put her hand on his cheek. “I just met you, and yet
it feels as if I’ve known you forever.”
“Is that wrong?”
“No. It’s just...scary.”
Arian didn’t want her to be scared of the storms or the feelings developing between them. “How, lass?”
“I feel there’s a connection between us. I’ve felt it from the moment I saw you. I don’t instantly sleep with people I first meet, and yet I was drawn to you. I couldn’t stop it, and I didn’t want to.”
“What we did is natural. There’s nothing to be ashamed of.”
“I’m not ashamed,” she said as she ran her hand down his neck to his shoulder. “All I can think of is doing it again.”
Arian returned her grin. “It’s our connection that frightens you, aye?”
“Yes. There isn’t the normal anxiety I feel around men I’m attracted to. With others there was nervousness and uncertainty, which can make relationships difficult to form. But with you, I’m comfortable. Except when I saw you in dragon form. Then I was scared out of my mind.”
She laughed, but Arian heard the truth in her words. “Are you still afraid?”
“Of you?” she asked, eyebrows raised. “No.”
Arian once more felt Con push against his head, shouting Arian’s name. He opened the link long enough to tell Con, “I need a moment.”
“There are more of us,” Arian told her.
Grace swallowed. “Yeah. Those I might be a tad nervous around.”
“I willna let them harm you.”
Her navy eyes softened. “They’re your brethren. You would do that?”
“Without question.”
Grace closed her eyes for a second before she said, “Where have you been all my life?”
“Waiting on you to find me, lass.”
She laughed and pulled him down as she wrapped her arms around him. They remained like that for several moments. Arian knew he couldn’t hold Con off forever, but he also suspected that Con would want to interrogate Grace himself. With the war, they were all on edge.
Though Arian was assured Grace was innocent, Con would have to be certain as well.
Arian rose up to look at her. How he wanted to stay right here in this moment, but it was fading no matter how desperately he clung to it.
“Tell me about you,” she pleaded.
Since he wasn’t ready to answer Con, he touched the tip of her nose with his finger. “What do you want to know?”
“Everything. We all have pasts. I want to know yours.”
“Aye, I do have one.” He leaned on one elbow and traced figures on her stomach. “I was the only child of my parents.”
“Dragons.”
“Dragons,” he said with a nod. “I’m glad they were no’ alive to see the war with the mortals.”
“Did they know you were a Dragon King?”
Arian smiled, recalling that special day. “That they did. They were so proud.”
“Do dragons mate for life?”
“That we do.”
Grace stretched her arms over her head, causing her breasts to poke in the air as she smiled. “I like that. I like that a lot.”
Arian ran a hand down her side, wanting to be inside her again. His gaze followed his hand down to her hip where she had the leg closest to him out straight and the other bent, leaning against him.
“Did you have a mate?”
Arian nuzzled her neck. “Nay. After what happened with Ulrik’s woman, Con cast a spell over us no’ to feel anything for humans. We couldna fall in love again.”
“Oh,” she said softly, hurt in her gaze.
That pleased him immensely. “All that changed when Ulrik’s magic was returned. It erased Con’s spell, and Kings have been mating with mortals for several years now.”
“So you didn’t have anyone?”
Arian paused briefly. “I had lovers, aye. I didna get attached to them because of the spell. My duty and honor to Dreagan and the other Kings always came first.”
“So you chose honor over love?”
“I was never in love,” he reminded her. “But aye, when Con gave me orders, I did them.”
Grace regarded him solemnly. “You left those women, didn’t you?”
“I did.”
“Why did you change sides from Ulrik to Con in the war?”
He groaned as Grace brought his attention from her body back to the conversation. Arian focused on her face, glad she had changed the conversation. “I understood why Ulrik was out to kill mortals, but I didna see a good outcome. We made a vow to protect them.”
“But they tried to kill you.”
Arian shrugged. “We had been around millions of years, Grace. We were the adults and the humans like children. We shouldna have reacted so harshly.”
“You didn’t. Ulrik did.”
Arian thought about how he might feel if Grace betrayed him. For the first time he began to understand a fraction of what Ulrik went through. “Whether the blame is on the female who was going to betray Ulrik, on us for killing her, or Ulrik for starting the war, the fact is, everything changed for both races.”
“What does all this mean for me? I know you asked me many questions when I first arrived. Will there be more?”
“Aye, lass, there will be. Con will want to meet you.”
Her eyes widened a fraction. “Oh. Well...that...I didn’t expect that.”
Arian kissed her, loving the feel of her lips and the way she responded to him. “It’ll be fine, lass. Answer him as you answered me.”
He heard Con’s voice in his head again. Arian could no longer hold him off. He lay back and pulled Grace against him.
“Aye?” Arian asked as he opened the mental link.
Con’s voice was as frigid as a Scottish winter when he asked, “Should I even begin to guess what you’ve been doing?”
“I’d rather you no’. As I’m sure Ryder has already informed you, everything Grace told me has checked out.”
“That means nothing. You know that. Ulrik likes to get humans to work for him. We doona suspect them, or so he believes. I also want to know how she saw your entrance.”
Arian knew exactly what Con was getting at. “You want me to bring her to the manor.”
“I do. Immediately. We need to know for sure if she’s working for Ulrik.”
“You might ought to know that she saw me in true form.”
There was a long pause. “Did you intentionally allow her to see you?”
“Of course no’.” It was Arian’s turn to get angry. “She was supposed to have been sleeping when I went out for a flight. I spotted more Dark on my mountain, and I took care of them. Sometime during that, she woke and saw the fight.”
“She’ll need her memories wiped by Guy.”
Arian didn’t bother to argue against it now. He would once they were at the manor and Grace had proven she wasn’t with Ulrik.
“I’ll have one of the Kings drive her car around to the distillery. Bring her through the mountains.”
“You would show her that?”
Con chuckled. “Aye. Watch her reaction, Arian. I want every detail.”
The link was terminated. Arian remained where he was, still unwilling to leave the serenity they had found in his mountain. Grace was all smiles and kisses now, but as soon as they left everything would change.
But Arian couldn’t wait. The sooner Con realized Grace was no spy, the sooner Arian could spend more alone time with her.
“How about some hot food?”
She shifted her head so that she was looking up at him. “We have to leave, don’t we?”
Arian nodded. “Aye, lass. We do.”
“I figured we might. This couldn’t last forever.”
“We’ll return.”
Grace’s smile was sad as she sat up and reached for her clothes. “Sure we will.”
Arian caught her hands and made her look at him. “We will. It’s going to be fine.”
“It’s not that I don’t believe you, but I’m a realist. You’r
e in the middle of a war. Things like this never go easily.”
“I’ll be beside you the entire time.”
She gave him a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. “Let’s get this over with.”
He watched as she rose and began to dress. After a moment, Arian stood and tugged on his jeans. He gathered her laptop and jacket then waited after he left her keys next to the picnic basket.
As soon as she faced him, Arian bent and took one of the logs from the fire. He used his magic to put out the fire and gave a nod to Grace. “Stay close. There are some tricky spots.”
She fell in step behind him as they walked to the back of the cavern. Arian took the tunnel to the far left. He had to duck to enter, but Grace passed through effortlessly.
He glanced over his shoulder at her often, but she stayed close to him. The tunnel was narrow at this part with nothing to see. Up ahead was a different story altogether.
“We’re going deeper,” Grace whispered.
Arian threw her a smile. “That we are. We’ll go down and then back up eventually.”
“How far do we need to walk?”
“A ways, lass.”
“How far is that, exactly?”
He chuckled at her irritated tone. “We’re going in almost a straight line to the manor. It’ll take us a third of the time than if you were walking over the mountains.”
“That means we’re going to be walking for a while,” she said with a grin.
It had been a long time since Arian had walked these tunnels, but it was something none of the Kings forgot.
“These aren’t here naturally,” Grace said.
“We made them after we took to our mountains. We had to stay hidden from the humans completely. So we dug tunnels to connect all the mountains.”
“But these are only big enough for a human.”
Arian paused and looked at her. “The ones we’ll be walking are, but there are a few large enough for dragons.”
“This is all real, isn’t it?”
“I’m afraid so.”
She shook her head in disbelief. “I’m still in shock over it, I think. I was ready to walk on water to run away when I saw the dragon. I knew it was you, because I saw you change, but I still have a difficult time grasping it all.”
