Oberon Dragon

by Sage Hunter

  It didn’t take long to fill out, which made her feel kind of sad inside. Was that really all there was to her marriage of five years? A couple of sheets of paperwork? She gulped down the rest of the glass and poured another as her phone started beeping with messages from the new app.

  The first guy was a skeezer (she wasn’t sure what it meant but she liked the sound of it). He was a wolf like Marcus, but with sandy blond hair and she didn’t trust that he wasn’t cheating on someone who was just like her.

  She swiped left and his leering picture disappeared.

  Next was a lion – intriguing, but clearly too into his own body from all his weight lifting pics. He was even kissing his own bicep in one of them.

  Corinne was about to put the phone aside when she got one more ding.

  The picture that popped up was a guy with dark skin and a warm smile. She couldn’t help but smile back at her phone and the way the skin near his bright green eyes crinkled up. It made him seem more… real.

  She flicked the screen so she could read more about him.

  Confirmed Bachelor. Hmmm.

  Looking for fun and friendship. Is he for real?

  Firefighter. That could be fun!

  Corinne hiccupped and slurped up the rest of her wine as she swiped right and sent a quick message to meet her at the same place her no-good husband went to get lucky.

  Her heart skipped a little when he messaged back right away that he’d be there in half an hour.

  Just enough time to write a Dear John note to dear Marcus.

  Chapter 3

  Corinne paused, hand lightly brushing the door handle to the bar. Her heart beat along with the faint drumbeat coming from inside. She felt ill. This was the place she and Marcus had gone for their last anniversary – quiet, dark and filled with the sounds of actual tropical birds and island music.

  But now all she could picture was Marcus – the old Marcus who used to devour her with his eyes – looking like that at another woman. What if they were still in there? What the hell was she doing?

  Corinne took a ragged breath and spun around, nearly banging into the broad chest of a tall man.

  “Oh!”

  “Are you okay?” Strong arms steadied her as she craned her neck back enough to look up into bright green eyes.

  “It’s you,” she said, unable to form any other words.

  “Corinne, right?” He smiled broadly, flashing bright white teeth against the smooth dark skin of his face.

  Corinne’s heart sped up faster than the drums as she nodded. “And you’re—” She stopped just short of saying ‘hotter than your picture.’

  “Gordon.” Keeping his strong hands on her arms, he guided her gently out of the way when the door opened behind her, almost knocking her aside.

  “Um, thanks.”

  “No problem.” Gordon tore his eyes off her for a moment and surveyed the scene through the door before it swung closed. It was pretty dark, but his expression darkened slightly like he saw something more.

  “Everything okay?” she asked, missing the warmth of his hands after he realized he was still holding her and let go.

  “I’m sorry. Yes, of course. I’m just not used to places like this, I guess. I’m a bit of a homebody to be honest. But if this is where you’re comfortable…”

  “Actually,” Corinne admitted, “I was having second thoughts myself.”

  “I have an idea.” Gordon’s smile broadened – still nowhere near as wide as his chest – and he offered her an elbow before steering her around a pothole and to a black luxury sedan where he opened the passenger door for her and waited for her to get in.

  “How do I know you’re not some serial killer?” Corinne asked, half-jokingly when he took the driver’s side.

  “I guess you don’t. But then again, I know nothing about you either.” He started the engine and was backing up when Corinne caught site of Marcus’ silver mustang on the side of the building. It was only about five seconds, but it felt like an eternity as she watched the naked figure of the bimbo straddling him in the front seat, his face buried in her fake boobs.

  Corinne squeezed her eyes shut, unable to get the vision out of her head as Gordon took off down the street, oblivious to the situation.

  “So… It’s been a while since I’ve done this sort of thing,” Gordon said, staring out the windshield. “To be honest, I only did it to get the guys at the firehouse off my back.”

  “Oh. But you sent me a message,” Corrine said, mind still mostly on what she’d just witnessed.

  “Well, yeah. Your picture was so beautiful. My buddy, Blake, was making me pick someone to message and well… I’m really glad your picture was real. I mean, you look amazing.” Gordon cleared his throat and shifted awkwardly while still focused on the road.

  Corrine couldn’t help but smile. “Thanks.”

  “So… what made you post on a shifter app? Wait. Don’t tell me. Let me guess.” Gordon turned into an older neighborhood with tall brick duplexes lining one side of the street and shops, cafés and other small businesses lining the other. He pulled into a spot on the commercial side of the street and finally turned to survey her.

  “You’re a tigress,” he said, narrowing his green eyes in thought. “Felines are among the most dangerous shifters. People don’t realize the power they possess.”

  Corinne giggled. “Nope. Sorry to disappoint, but I’m actually not a shifter at all.” A thought suddenly occurred to her. What if he wasn’t a shifter either? What if they both went on looking for one?

  “You can’t be one of those women who are obsessed with shifters, you know, for the animal part, right?” Gordon grimaced, looking worried for the first time.

  “What? Oh.” Bestiality wasn’t part of it. She and Marcus had human sex, just wild. “No, I’m not a groupie. I…” Oh what the hell? The worst-case scenario she’d have to use an app to call for a ride. “I was married to a shifter for five years.”

  Gordon’s eyebrows rose in the air. “I wasn’t expecting that. Okay. Recently divorced then? I can deal with that.” He nodded.

  Corinne didn’t bother to correct him. As soon as Marcus signed the papers, she’d be recently divorced.

  “What type of shifter are you?” she asked, tossing her hair back over her shoulder. If he was 100% human she wanted to know. Though she doubted it. Not with those eyes.

  Please don’t be a wolf.

  A grin spread over Gordon’s face. “I don’t want to scare you.”

  Corinne shrugged. “My ex is a wolf. Alpha male. I doubt you could be worse than that. Besides I didn’t ask you to shift.”

  Gordon chuckled. “Alpha male, eh? Is that what he calls himself?”

  “Why?” Corinne asked, a little offended until she remembered she was angry at Marcus.

  “Sorry. It’s just that I’ve met a few wolves in my day. The ones who brag about their standing are usually the ones who couldn’t make it as a pack leader – at least in my experience.”

  Corinne snorted. “Yeah, that’s probably about right.”

  “Dragon,” Gordon said, opening his car door.

  It took a moment for what he said to register. Dragon? Those were the most powerful and rare shifters around. Corinne snapped out of it when he opened her door from the other side.

  “Ready?” he asked, offering a hand.

  Corinne remembered the warmth and strength of his grip on her arms from earlier and eagerly slipped her hand in his.

  “So where are you taking me?” she asked, noting that most of the stores and even cafés were closed at this hour.

  “Nadine’s,” Gordon said, leading her down the sidewalk. “It’s kind of a diner-dump, but it’s great food and they’re open 24 hours.”

  Corinne realized she was hungry when he mentioned food, though she hoped this Nadine’s offered some kind of alcohol.

  The place was deserted, but the waitress, an older woman with a bun and a pen tucked behind her ear, recognized Gordon and came ov
er right away.

  “Do you like omelets?” Gordon asked, capturing her with those emerald eyes of his.

  “Yes,” Corinne said, surprised. She loved breakfast food. She could eat it morning, noon and night, but Marcus hated it. He skipped breakfast most days.

  “They serve breakfast all day here and it’s amazing,” Gordon raved. “I’ll have the works in mine, Loretta. And a beer.”

  Loretta winked. “Hash browns and wheat toast. Extra butter. I know. But how about your lady friend?”

  “I’d love a veggie omelet,” Corinne said. “And a beer, too, please.”

  Gordon turned out to be as charming as he looked as they chatted and laughed over omelets. She watched, fascinated, as he poured hot sauce over all his food and even in his beer.

  When he caught her staring, he winked. “Dragon thing,” he said. “We like it hot.”

  Corinne felt the heat work its way through her insides until her nether regions burned with desire. She wondered how hot he liked it exactly.

  By the time they finished, it was after midnight and the table was filled with empty dishes and beer bottles.

  “Cherry pie?” Gordon offered, leaning across the table until she could feel the heat roiling off him.

  “No thanks,” Corinne said, voice throaty from desire. “That’s not what I’m hungry for right now.”

  Did she say that out loud?

  She could swear she heard a low growl emanating from somewhere deep in his chest. His green eyes were smoldering, but also not quite clear – probably from all the beer and Corinne was feeling pretty uninhibited, too.

  “You can’t drive like that,” she said when he laid some money down on the table for Loretta.

  “My place is right across the street,” he said, offering a hand again when it was time to rise from the booth. “But don’t feel pressured. I can call you a cab and I’ll be happy to pay.”

  “I’d love to see your place,” Corinne said, ignoring his chivalry. This was one princess who didn’t want to be saved from the dragon.

  They grinned silently at each other as he slung an arm around her shoulder and walked her across the way. She at once felt both comfortable and familiar as she drunk in his spicy scent. He led her across the way to one of the red brick buildings she found so charming and helped her navigate the steps up to the door.

  “You live in a duplex?” Corinne asked as the world spun around her. But as long as Gordon kept one arm securely around her as he fished for his key, she wasn’t worried.

  “Yes. Well, the other unit is vacant. The other owners and I have been talking about maybe going in together to rent it and turn it into kind of a clubhouse for the kids around here. A lot of them are out on the streets with nowhere to go during the day.”

  The door clicked open and Gordon helped her inside and to an overstuffed sofa. Comfy.

  “Can I get you something? A beer?” Gordon asked, rubbing his palms on his jeans. He looked as nervous as Corinne felt. When Corinne got anxious though, she had a habit of saying things she’d later regret.

  “I’m good on beer,” Corinne said, leaning back into the cushions. “Why don’t you come over here and show me how hot your dragon breath is.”

  Like that.

  Gordon sat beside her, making the couch sink in a bit. “Look, I don’t want you to do anything you aren’t ready—”

  Corinne threw her arms around his neck and pressed her mouth over his. It was hot. Hell, everything about him was hot, she decided, as she yanked his shirt free of his pants and slid her hands up over the smooth, taut skin of his back, enjoying the heat and the feel of his rippling muscles.

  To her delight, he kissed her back with abandon, sucking on her bottom lip and drawing his teeth back lightly over it, which sent shivers down to the bottom of her belly. His mouth moved down over the curve of her chin to her bare neck where he sucked at the tender skin, also lightly teasing it with his teeth as his hand slid up her side, cupping her breast through the halter and running his thumb over the bare top poking out of her low neckline. Her skin seared from the contact, prickles of desire awakening beneath his touch.

  Corinne closed her eyes and laid back on the cloud-like cushions as Gordon pulled her shoes off and began working his way up her body with his mouth – starting with her toes. By the time he reached her inner thighs, she was dripping with desire and her hips arched in the air, legs opening to welcome him.

  Slowly, he drew the bottom of her dress up toward her waist, lightly rubbing her skin with his thumbs until she moaned with delicious frustration. He chuckled softly as he tugged the thin strap of material that made up her thong to the side, revealing her swollen sex, waiting for him.

  His tongue flicked against her clit, and she sucked in air like she was drowning. Whatever he was doing, it wasn’t anything she’d felt before, and it was amazing.

  “What is that?” she gasped as he seemed to taste multiple parts of her at once.

  “Forked tongue,” he said, rising up from between her knees.

  “Oh lord,” she said, falling back into the cushions again.

  Gordon stood and dropped his pants, revealing a cock about two inches longer and at least an inch thicker than Marcus’ pathetic junk. She could almost feel the heat roll off it as he positioned himself between her legs.

  Now naked, he leaned down over her, body against body, hot and sweaty and hard as he tugged her breasts loose from their prison. She could actually see his long forked tongue this time as he controlled the tips of it individually to surround her hard nipple and tug.

  But he didn’t enter her. What was he waiting for?

  “Fuck me,” she cried when she couldn’t take it anymore. “For the love of God, please fuck me.”

  Gordon grinned his gorgeous grin above her as he found her entrance, wet and hot and so ready. Bursts of pleasure exploded within her as he worked himself inside, farther than she thought possible.

  “Is it okay?” he panted, fully inside.

  “Yesssss,” she hissed, hips in the air.

  Slowly he drew out almost all the way and then faster this time, plunged back inside, making her moan with pleasure. Encouraged, or maybe unable to hold back anymore, Gordon pumped his cock deep inside of her in a hard, fast rhythm as she adjusted the angle of her hips so that he struck gold with each thrust.

  Corinne lost track of where she began and he ended. They were a single, perfect organism, in sync with the universe. Wave after wave of intense pleasure flowed through her until a final rush of ultimate bliss tore through them and he collapsed to her side, breathing heavy.

  Corinne was a melted lump of jelly. Just lifting her leg a little sent shivers through her body. “Wow,” was all she could say.

  “Was it okay?” Gordon asked, brushing some of her hair from her face.

  “Okay?” she repeated, blinking. “No.”

  His face fell.

  “I would never describe what just happened as ‘okay’. Maybe earth shattering. But not okay.”

  Gordon’s beautiful grin returned. “You’re good for my ego.”

  “You’re good for my everything,” Corinne countered.

  “Make yourself comfortable,” Gordon said, carefully navigating over her and up off the couch. “I’m going to go get us some water and draw a nice bath for you. Or maybe us, if you feel like more company.”

  Corinne’s heart skittered, wondering if he’d make the water boil with his body heat. “Thanks, sounds good.”

  She watched him go and slowly stood, still dizzy, but completely relaxed in every way. She worked her way out of her dress, which was now mostly around her waist and kicked off her panties.

  She heard the rush of water through the pipes and smiled, about to go join in, when her purse, discarded on the ground, began to buzz.

  Corinne hesitated, but finally snatched it up to check it out. It was Marcus. Apparently, his parking lot hook up was over.

  WTF CORINNE?

  All caps. He was yelling
.

  DIVORCE? And you couldn’t even clean up your fucking mess?

  My mess? Corinne fumed as she punched the glass of her phone with her fingers.

  Yes. Divorce. And you can clean your own goddamn mess from now on. Or ask Little Red Riding Hood to do it for you. She’d probably think it was adorable. At least for about five minutes till she meets the real you.

  Corinne pressed send and held her breath for a second. She was extra dizzy, heart pounding, but she was also invigorated. She waited for two full minutes for a response and then…

  You are fucking nuts. I’m not cheating.

  Corinne laughed out loud.

  She opened the Shifter app and took a screen shot of his page. Then she sent it along with another message.

  Don’t bother denying. I saw you in the parking lot tonight at the Tiki Bar. Sign the papers.

  She could almost hear him howl miles away.

  Where are you? We can’t afford a hotel.

  With a friend.

  Bullshit.

  Corinne couldn’t resist. She took a picture of the messed-up couch, along with both of their clothes – clearly both hers and a guy’s – messed up on the floor and sent it.

  You’re right. More than a friend now.

  Corinne powered her phone off and tossed it on the sofa before letting the sound of the bath guide her toward Gordon, who stood waiting with a glass of water, nude and glistening with the heat of their encounter.

  The tub was oversized, and he’d set tea lights along the edge so that they flickered in the dark bathroom. A few rose petals floated on the surface of the now-filled tub and she smiled.

  “It’s beautiful.”

  “Best I could do on short notice. I didn’t exactly anticipate this. But I can’t tell you how happy I am it happened.”

  Corinne pushed the picture of Marcus out of her head and slipped into the warm water, beckoning him in with her.

  She’d planned on pleasuring him, the way Marcus always wanted, but instead he guided her forward so he could sit behind her, pulling her back against him, and working out the strain in her shoulders she didn’t even realize existed until that moment.