For the movie, Hallie chose something on the tame side, a romantic comedy with a little action sprinkled throughout. But as the movie began, Luc just sat next to her on the couch, sitting upright, his gaze darting from her to the movie, as if unsure of how to proceed.
Had Luc never done this before?
First, she nestled into him, leaning back on his muscular frame, testing his reaction and seeing what he’d do next.
He maintained his upright position but looked down at her with a curious glance.
“You can relax, you know,” she teased, poking him in the side, trying to get him to loosen up.
“I just want to make sure I’m doing it right,” he said cautiously. It was kind of cute to think of this huge, overprotective guy taking cuddling too seriously.
“The key is to just find the right position for you and your partner so you can experience maximum comfort and enjoy the experience,” she explained.
Luc made a hm sound, as if thinking for a moment. He then shifted his position, leaning into the back corner of the couch and then helping her move closer to him so she could rest back onto his chest, with the popcorn bowl in his lap before her.
Heaven.
“Ah, so this is cuddling,” he said discerningly as he wrapped an arm around her side.
“Yes. And now we watch,” she said, turning his attention back to the TV, more for her own sake than his. Every second those deep, multifaceted blue eyes watched her, every second his hands touched her anywhere, she could feel her skin warming, could feel her body’s reaction to him.
As they watched, Hallie’s mind wandered between paying attention to the TV, trying to ignore the rising sensations in her, and thinking about how radically different things were with Luc in her life. How even with the ups and downs, she didn’t think there was anything she would change about it all.
“What are you thinking about?” Luc asked as he ran his fingers through her hair, his touch light despite the size of his hands.
“Just about how different things have been ever since you came. Now that things are so changed, I’m not sure I could go back to my life the way it was before.”
“So you can see a future with me in it?” he asked thoughtfully.
“I mean, it hasn’t been long, but if the present is any indicator of the future, then yes, I can only hope so,” she said, turning back to see him looking down at her, his gaze tender and attentive.
“Me, too,” he replied as she nestled back, moving the popcorn bowl to the floor so she could rest on his big, surprisingly comfortable lap.
“You’re pretty good at this cuddling thing, by the way,” she exclaimed, relishing the feel of his thighs beneath her and his arm resting on her side.
“Perhaps we should make it a regular thing, then?”
“Definitely.”
As the movie finally wrapped up and the credits rolled, Hallie sat back up and stretched, yawning. Between their fight in the morning, the scene he made at her workplace, and the rescue right in front of her house, it had been a pretty long day.
“Here, let me get you upstairs,” Luc said, sweeping Hallie off her feet and holding her in his arms, walking up the stairs toward her bedroom. “We can do some more cuddling in bed before we go to sleep,” he said with a smile.
But as he took each step, there was definitely more than just cuddling on Hallie’s mind. And it certainly didn’t hurt that Luc had been the perfect gentleman the entire night, helping with dinner and holding her sweetly as if she meant the world to him.
Maybe she was just being stupid, lining herself up for more hurt. But she’d learned the hard way that no matter how careful you were in life, you could still get hurt regardless of what you did. So it was best to just live in the present and hope things turn out okay in the end.
“Um, Luc?” she said tentatively as he reached the top step and opened the door to her room.
“Yes?”
“If you’re staying tonight, do you think we could do more than just cuddling?” she asked, feeling embarrassed by her delivery, but not sure how to bridge the subject smoothly.
“You mean go all the way this time?” he said bluntly, a smile quirking the corner of his lips.
She didn’t reply, just nodded, her mind wild with thoughts of what that would entail.
Luc didn’t reply immediately, but laid her on the bed, coming over her and straddling her with his powerful legs. He then leaned down, cupping the back of her neck with one hand and her cheek with the other as his lips touched hers in a powerful, soul-rocking kiss.
“How’s that for my answer?” he asked, sitting up and looking down at her, his gaze now heated, the blueness of his eyes swirling like a fathomless whirlpool.
She could lose herself in those eyes, and she wouldn’t even mind.
Luc thrummed with desire at this point. Both with the desire to be with her, and the powerful need to pleasure her, to own her and make her his.
Everything had gone perfectly. He hoped this was what their future would be like. Easy evenings full of fun conversation and new experiences. And nights bursting with heat and passion.
The kind of life Luc had never dreamed of being able to have, if not for Hallie.
He didn’t waste time going slow tonight, though. He knew what Hallie wanted. And he wanted to give it to her. Wanted to give her everything, every part of himself he could offer. Everything they’d denied themselves the night before.
He pulled off Hallie’s T-shirt and bra, followed by her soft sweatpants and underwear, leaving her bare to him so no clothes could stand between him and her pleasure. The sight of her naked was still astounding, still breathtaking.
This time, though, Hallie tugged restlessly at Luc’s shirt, and he obliged by taking off his own clothes, satisfied with the way her eyes widened more with each article he removed, until there was nothing left to take off.
Immediately, he came back on the bed, his hands finding her soft breasts, his mouth covering hers in a ravenous, claiming kiss.
She moaned beneath him, her hands holding on to his thighs as he continued to kiss, touch, whatever he could do to fill her with as much pleasure as she could handle.
Already, he felt he’d known Hallie his whole life. Yet he could spend every night, every day, every second with her and still not have enough time; they were so perfect together.
He came lower and kissed her nipple, laving each of them with his tongue and then letting the cool air cause a firm tip to form before he kissed and sucked them again.
And maybe it had just been all the physical contact between them during the movie. Maybe it was just that they knew each other’s bodies better now, knew each other better. But whatever it was, he could feel Hallie’s first release quickly building, could tell she was already teetering near the edge.
He reached a finger between her legs and started to stroke slowly over her clit, continuing to use his mouth to full effect on her delicious breasts as she writhed beneath him, her long moans punctuating the air as she got closer.
Then with one last stroke, she came beneath him, her fingers digging into his legs as she called his name and tried her best to ride out the incredible experience of her orgasm.
Mate.
There was that voice again. His dragon saying plainly what he clearly wanted.
Mate, mate, mate.
He tried to ignore the sound, but the sight of Hallie, the woman he was clearly meant to be with, stretching out on the sheets, her dark hair splayed all around her, beautiful and naked and always ready to receive more pleasure from him, was too strong to ignore.
For a moment, he twisted the sapphire ring on his finger, his heirloom, his gift for his one and only mate.
“I don’t think I can handle all the lead-up,” Hallie said with a happy sigh. “How about we skip to the main event?” she asked, her hands feeling along his chest, his abs.
“Whatever you want,” he said, painfully aware of how hard he was for her, the reaction of his
own body just as strong as hers was to his.
First, he slipped a finger inside her, then two, testing to make sure she could accommodate his sheer size. She moaned a little, but it was clear only one thing would fully satisfy her.
Once Luc was content she was ready, her slick warmth erotic and inviting, he came close, ready to enter her. The air crackled with excitement as she watched him.
Then with one slow, long motion, he thrust into her.
The sensation was magical, tight and hot and everything he could have imagined. She gripped him from all angles, making the delineation between them seem nonexistent, making him feel he was wholly a part of her soul.
He slowly withdrew and then joined them again, enjoying the friction, and she gasped from the pleasure of it, the sensation.
Somehow, it was just perfect. Her soft, inviting warmth an unflawed contrast to the hard, unyielding side of him. Every time they moved together, it sent shocks of ecstasy through him, all the way to the tips of his toes and fingers.
It was so intimate. So wonderful.
There was no going back from this. He could never give her up.
And as he continued to thrust, Hallie wrapped her legs around him, as desperate to keep him as he was to keep her.
Over and over, he came into her, holding for a second before moving out and then back in. And the more he did, the stronger and more vocal Hallie’s responses became. Her hands wrapped into the sheets, pulled on her hair, looking for something to hold on to. So Luc held them for her, gripping her tightly as he continued to move, carrying them both toward the release their bodies begged for yet resisted at the same time.
And then Hallie began to move faster, thrusting her hips into his, and Luc found it very hard to maintain control. He started to go quicker, increasing his momentum as they came together over and over.
Luc could feel her getting nearer. Could feel the twitch of her muscles as she came so close he could almost taste it. With one final push, he went all the way into her, their bodies closer than ever before, as if one being.
And then she came, her hands gripping his as she arched back in ecstasy. A split second later, he was pulled into his own release, feeling his entire body awash in powerful pleasure that coursed through him in seemingly limitless amounts.
Even as their pleasure was replaced by sensual satisfaction, Luc didn’t want to come out of her, didn’t want the experience to end. If he could bottle it up and save it for eternity, he would.
But that’s what life was all about, he guessed. Treasuring the good experiences and trying to make new memories, even better ones, with each new day.
Hallie relaxed back onto the bed and let out a long, contented sigh. The sight of her bare breasts and the glow of her pale skin and her happy, exhausted smile would be etched into his memory forever.
He leaned down to kiss her once more, then got up and cleaned off quickly in the bathroom, returning to the bed and covering them both with her sheets before curling around her.
“So now will you tell me what you really are?” she asked, yawning. It had been a long day. She’d had a lot to deal with.
“Not tonight,” he said. “I just want to hold you.”
“Okay,” she said. “But soon?”
“Soon,” he said. “Maybe tomorrow.”
She murmured something and snuggled into him, muttering something about how he knew how to exhaust a woman. He curled around her tighter, as if with his body he could protect her from the whole world. Maybe he could.
“Hallie?” he asked quietly.
“Yes?”
“I love you,” he said, surprised the words came so easily to him. But he knew what he felt. Knew what this was between them with certainty.
She turned toward him, more awake now, and gave him a sleepy smile. “I love you, too.”
He brushed her hair back and gave her a kiss on the forehead. Pulling off his ring, he lifted one of her hands. “Will you be with me?” he asked.
“Like, officially?”
He nodded. “Yes. That’s what I want. Wear my ring. Be mine.” He knew he should be telling her more, but he could do that later. Right now, he knew this was right.
Her eyes sparkled as she looked at the ring, and then she put her hand out for him to slide it on. Everything in his heart was content as he watched it find a home at the base of her ring finger. Somehow, maybe through magic, it was a perfect fit.
She looked at it, turning her hand so it twinkled in the light. A shock went through him. She was his mate.
She lay back down and then reached up and pulled him over her, planting a kiss on his cheek. “And now I have to go to bed. It’s been a long day. So snuggle me to sleep.”
He laughed and lay down with her again, making sure the covers were perfect. She clapped, and the lights turned off. Very handy.
She fell asleep before he did, snoring lightly and muttering in her sleep.
“Sleep well, sweetheart. I’ll make everything right in the morning,” he said.
But as a shiver of nervousness moved through him, he wondered… Could he really?
13
The next morning, Luc looked with wonder at his ring on his mate’s hand.
He couldn’t believe it had really happened. And so fast. But it had felt like the perfect timing, so why wait a moment longer?
The world was fickle and dangerous, so all the more reason not to wait when you met the one for you.
Not to mention, his ring could help her stay safe. He wasn’t sure exactly what powers were contained there, but he knew it was the safest she could be.
Now there was just one thing left to do. Call the oracle and tell her to deactivate the collar. He was ready to be himself again and to align with humankind. Hallie had made him want to. Had brought back that kind part of himself, the part that thought it was possible to fight for what was right and succeed.
He tucked the covers around her and smiled at her soft snores as he left the room. He saw keys hanging up and took them so he could lock the door behind him.
When he was out on the sidewalk, the blinding morning sun beating down on him, he pulled out his phone and dialed the oracle’s number.
“Hello? Luc?”
“Yes,” he said, keeping his voice down so he didn’t wake Hallie. Even though she was inside, he knew she was a light sleeper. He intended to tell her everything soon, but he had a specific way he wanted to go about it.
“What’s going on? Is something wrong?”
“I found my mate,” he said. “I want the collar off.”
She was dead silent, and his heart pounded heavily as he waited. “Okay.”
“That’s it? You trust me? Do you even know—”
She cut him off. “I know you’ve been wanting to be asleep ever since you made that terrible mistake. I know I’ve been waiting for you to forgive yourself and live again.”
“I don’t know about forgiving myself, but I’m ready to start making amends. I’m willing to start trying.”
“I was never worried about restraining your power because I thought you would hurt humans,” she said. “I restrained it because I thought you would harm yourself. Put yourself back to sleep.”
He pressed his lips together. He had been fatalistic. Gloomy. Nothing to live for. Just wanting to return to oblivion. Amazing a mate could change all of that.
“How do you deactivate it?” he asked.
“Normally, I would have to touch it, but I can do it remotely. Give me a second.”
He heard her set the phone down, rustling in the background, and then felt the necklace slip down his front. He caught it with one hand and stared down at it.
In a way, he was grateful for it. It had kept him safe until he could trust himself.
“So what are you going to do next?” she asked. “I’m glad to have you on our side. We can use your powers. All of them.”
“You need rain?” he asked, laughing. “I mean, I don’t think there are as many crops around h
ere begging for it.”
“Right, I forgot about your effect on weather. Maybe we won’t need that as much, but we definitely will need your mass healing. Your freezing.”
“Got it,” he said. “Well, I’m at your disposal, like Zach, unless my mate is in danger.”
“You gave her the ring, right?” she asked.
“Yes,” he said. “Not sure what it’ll do for her.”
“You’ll find out at some point,” she said. “All that matters is you’re with us. You’re a very crucial dragon. I’m glad you came around.”
“Thanks for waking me up and giving me a chance,” he said. “It’s been better than I could have hoped.”
“Now just don’t screw it up,” she said with a laugh, and he hung up the phone.
He had somewhere to go. He looked down the empty street and then got into his car to head over to the shelter. With the necklace off and the adrenaline of talking to the oracle over, he could feel power flooding through him again. A warm trickle that morphed into a deluge.
He was more keenly aware of his body, of the energy around him. And the water in the air.
Making it rain. With all the other powers he’d been thinking about, like healing and attacking, he’d totally forgotten how useful that used to be for humans. Sadness fell over him as he remembered how overjoyed those in his village had been whenever it fell for their crops.
Crops that had been burned to nothing.
But no, this wasn’t going to be like that again. He wasn’t going to let everything he loved be razed to the ground. He wasn’t just watching humans, just checking in here and there. He was living among them, and he’d be there if shit went down.
When he arrived at the shelter, it was still early and everything was locked.
He took Hallie’s keys that he’d used to lock her door out of his pocket and let himself in, locking it behind him.
It was eerily quiet and dark, and he went through, flipping on lights.
He didn’t know how to explain exactly to Hallie about himself, but he figured it couldn’t hurt to start with one of his best qualities: his ability to heal.
Sapphire Dragon (Awakened Dragons Book 2) Page 9
