by Bianca D’Arc
Almost shyly, she raised her arms above her head, removing the last barrier between his gaze and her bare torso. When the fabric was gone and she met his gaze, she saw the heat reflected there. Heat she was feeling deep in her soul. Heat unlike the fire of her dragon’s flame. No, this was the fire of desire. For Liam. Only for Liam.
“Come here, Rivka,” he said, his voice both gentle and commanding.
She went to him, straddling his hips and lowering her lips to his as she hovered over him.
“For the record,” he said against her lips, not allowing the deeper kiss she craved, just yet, “I have never once crooked my finger at you, though you would tempt a saint to do so.”
She laughed. She couldn’t help herself. He was teasing her, and she liked that, too.
“Stop talking, Captain, and kiss me,” she ordered, her smile meeting his lips and dissolving into pure heat. Flame made flesh.
Their tongues dueled, and their bodies strained. She pushed at his shirt, and he helped her get it off his shoulders, eventually allowing her to toss the whole thing to the floor at the side of the bed. Then, she went to work on his trousers. She got them down just enough to free what she wanted most in that moment. And then…she was riding her way to glorious pleasure, taking him along with her.
She rode him hard and hot, fast and nimble. And, when she’d come to an orgasmic conclusion, he took over and drove her wild, all over again. They tangled in the sheets, rolling around on the big bed, luxuriating in the warmth and softness of their secure nest. It was different from the other times they’d been together, but just as delicious. Just as startlingly pure. Perfect. Right.
After the first round finished, he held her to his side as they both tried to catch their breath. She loved the feel of the soft featherbed beneath her, but she loved the man holding her even more.
Love. There it was. The thing she had been trying to avoid admitting, even to herself.
Even if Liam could get over the tragedies in his past, there were many obstacles between them. For one thing, Rivka was Jinn. She had a duty to her Clan and responsibilities Liam knew nothing about. He would have to be initiated into the Clan in order for her to be able to share certain things with him. Another potential problem was that Liam loved the sea. He had a fleet of ships at his command—a fleet he had built from the ground up. Or, perhaps, she should say the waves up.
He had responsibilities to his crew, and the crews of all those ships that he had working under his banner. He had people depending on him, both on land and on the sea. Those who depended on his import-export business for their livelihoods and continued existence. It was clear to her, based on the short time she had known him, that he was more comfortable on the ocean than on land. Could he be the partner she dreamed about, with one foot in Draconia and one on the high seas? She didn’t know how that would work.
And then, there was his daughter. Livia might be married now, with mates of her own, but she was still Liam’s only kin. Would Livia object to another woman in her father’s life? Rivka had only met Livia once, very briefly. She didn’t really know her, or how she would react.
But all these thoughts could wait. They should wait, because Rivka really wanted to enjoy the moment with Liam. The man she loved. Against all rational thought, she truly did love him.
Liam lay next to Rivka, his mind in chaos. He’d thought maybe the thrill of the quest had added to the amazing feelings Rivka had brought to their lovemaking, but he’d been wrong. The quest was all but finished, and here he was, feeling even more powerful emotions while making love to this remarkable, incredible, magical woman.
She brought something out in him that he had seldom encountered before. She made him lose control, and she seemed happy to do so. Liam had always been very careful to hold back his baser instincts when he’d been with Oliva. His late wife had been a delicate flower of womanhood. He hadn’t wanted to frighten her with the needs that drove him, though the few times he’d come close, she’d seemed excited rather than scared. Still, he’d held himself in check out of respect and care. He’d loved taking care of Olivia, and she’d loved him for doing so.
Rivka was an altogether different story. This was a woman with the soul of a dragon. She didn’t really need his protection, though she did respond well to his instinct to offer it. That was nice. She didn’t ask him to change his innate nature—one of the protector—to suit her more rugged exterior.
He got the impression that few men had treated her with the simple care he had shown her. They probably assumed she was a dragon—tough stuff—and not needful of the simple, thoughtful gestures most women enjoyed. She’d been so happy that he’d thought to bring that tent for her along on their journey. Had no male ever been so considerate of her comfort? It boggled his mind to think so. She might be fierce, but she was also feminine. All women liked gentle treatment from time to time, in his experience. He was honored she had allowed him to show her kindness and she had been incredibly kind to him in return.
She hadn’t pushed him to reveal his inner thoughts, though she seemed to know them without him talking about anything. She’d been intuitive and supportive. She’d offered him the comfort of friendship—and more. She’d been his anchor, at times, and he’d like to think he’d done the same for her, as well.
He regretted deeply that their journey together was almost at an end. If he could find some way to extend their mission, he would take it in a heartbeat. He…liked being around her, though that was a weak description for the deep feelings she evoked in his heart. He liked the man he was when she was with him and wanted to continue being that man, though he wasn’t altogether certain he could do so without her steadying presence.
So much had happened. So much to get accustomed to, now. His former way of life was over. There was no more phantom to chase. He was at loose ends, and he wasn’t sure where he would go now. All he knew for certain was that he had been set adrift…to sink or swim on his own.
“Liam?” Rivka’s sleepy voice came to him as she rolled over to lean up on her elbow and look at him. She raised one hand and ran it through his hair, pushing it back off his forehead in a way that made him feel warm all over.
“Yes, princess?” She seemed to start at the pet name, but she was a princess, even if nobody else acknowledged it. By her dual nature, she was of wizard blood. Royal blood. She would forevermore, from this moment forward, be his princess, if no one else’s.
A sly smile raised one side of her mouth and lit her eyes. “Are you mine to command, then?”
He smiled back at her. “Always,” he promised, meaning it on more levels than she probably realized.
“Then…as your princess…I order you to make love to me again, Captain. I want to you to send me to the stars and hold me as we come back down. Do you think you can do that?”
Liam leaned up to bring his mouth very close to hers. “Oh, I can promise to do my best, my princess. And, if I don’t get it right the first time, I can always try again. And again. As long as it takes to get it right.”
She giggled. “Oh, I like the sound of that, very much, indeed.”
He took her lips and pressed her down on the bed beneath him, rolling to cover her body with his. He took things slower this time, now that the edge was off. He brought her to many small climaxes before joining with her and riding them both to the stars, as requested.
Deep in the night, when they had dozed between sessions of unparalleled ecstasy, Liam woke suddenly. He’d been dreaming of the moment Fisk had died. Only, instead of empty threats, Fisk outlined an empty future rolling out forever, in front of Liam. It had been so realistic, the fathomless images in his mind, he was shaking in reaction when he woke.
Rivka was there. She woke alongside him, gathering him gently in her arms, holding him tight and crooning soothing words near his ear. Nobody had been so gentle with him since he’d been a small child.
Liam hadn’t realized how comforting it was—even as an adult—to have someone simply h
old him and tell him everything was going to be all right. He felt a moment of disorientation as the last of the dream left him, and he faced the reality of the dark night and the woman in his bed. Waking alongside someone wasn’t something he was used to, anymore, and he had mixed feelings about how easily he’d come to accept Rivka’s presence in his bed…and in his life.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered in the dark.
“Don’t be. You’re a strong man, Liam, but everyone has weak moments. Even dragons.” She kissed his cheek and held him tight.
“I dreamed of an empty future. Fisk showing me that I’d lost more than I’d bargained for by my endless vendetta,” he confessed. “It felt so real.”
“But it’s not.” Her tone was steadfast in the quite of the night. Something he could cling to. “Your future is up to you, Liam. You’ve fulfilled your quest, and it’s time for a fresh start. Perhaps your unconscious mind was just worrying at the edges of that problem, helping you realize that you have to make some choices in the near future.”
“Perhaps,” he allowed, drawing back so he could look into her eyes. The moon shone in through the window, giving him just enough light to see her lovely face. “But, momentous decisions or not, I’m going to put off thinking about that until tomorrow. Or the day after. Right now, I just want to enjoy being here…with you.”
Rivka smiled at him, and his heart skipped a beat. “I like that. I like that a lot, Liam. I want the same.”
She reached up and kissed him, drawing him close, and this time, they were partners in a sweet, loving ecstasy unlike what had passed between them before. Each time was unique. Each time chipped away a little more at the wall he’d erected so long ago around his heart.
It wasn’t just the sex, either. It was the little things. The way she took care of him without making it obvious that she was doing so. The way she was there for him—and had been there for him throughout their entire journey. She was dependable, but more than that, she…cared.
He could feel it. He wasn’t stupid enough to ignore the signs. She cared for his welfare and his happiness. It had been so long since he’d let a woman get this close to him, he’d almost forgotten how great it felt to have someone else show that level of concern.
Liam had to admit that he cared for her, as well. At first, the level of his emotional involvement with Rivka had felt like a betrayal of his lost love for Olivia, but he’d come to realize over the past days that it wasn’t. What he felt for Rivka was on an altogether different scale than what he’d felt for Olivia. Both feelings were strong and all-encompassing, but they had entirely different flavors.
Olivia had depended on him for just about everything. She’d been somewhat helpless to do much for herself in the way of everyday life. She’d been raised to be a lady, and not much else had been taught her. The simple act of arranging for the common needs of life often escaped her. It had been up to Liam to schedule deliveries for their home and make sure it kept running in all respects, other than dealing with the more womanly areas of food preparation, decorative furnishings and clothing. It had been up to Liam to arrange everything else that kept their lives rolling along steadily.
It hadn’t really been Olivia’s fault. She was a clever woman, but she’d been raised in a genteel setting where she had not been allowed to learn any other things that might be of use in a normal person’s life. She’d been taught only those things which her parents and teachers had thought suitable for a high-bred lady.
Liam had encouraged her to learn other things once they were married, and she’d taken to bookkeeping and managing the household accounts with great interest. She had an eye for fine things and helped him select profitable items to import. She’d helped him in many ways, but her life had been cut short before she could blossom into the mature woman she had been becoming.
Rivka was already a mature being with a dragon in her soul. She saw the world not as a genteel lady, but as a winged predator with mysterious Jinn origins. She was magical and strong, but also delicate in her own way. She couldn’t be any more different from Olivia if she’d tried, yet she had a tender vulnerability about her that she seldom showed. He knew it was there and felt privileged to have seen it. He suspected not many people had ever even guessed at that softer side to her nature.
He cared a great deal for her. He truly did. So much so that he thought he might even be in love with her. That thought both scared him to his very core and delighted him in a way he hadn’t experienced in far too long.
Love. Dangerous, delicious, decadent love. Could he possibly take the chance on loving another woman? Could he possibly deny the feelings Rivka stirred in his soul by her very presence?
He felt soul-deep fear at the idea of allowing himself to love, again…and probably lose, again. For Rivka had obligations that stretched far beyond her own desires. She was a dragon, not just a woman. And she was Jinn, with all that implied. Long-standing vows of fealty to her Clan and her people, at the very least. Liam didn’t know how, or even if, he could be part of her life, considering all that.
The crux of the problem, though, from his point of view, was courage. Did he have the courage to even try to love again? That was the biggest question he had at the moment…for which he had no easy answer.
They made love several times over the course of the night, sleeping sporadically but soundly between. They were well matched. Somehow, they were able to get adequate rest through the night and awaken refreshed in the morning. Liam woke first, hearing someone moving around downstairs.
He was surprised by that, but he wasn’t alarmed. The dragon silhouetted in his window assured him that the knights and dragons from the Lair had kept watch over the house all night. Nobody should have been able to get past them. Perhaps one of the knights came in to use the downstairs bathroom or deliver something. Whatever the case, Liam dressed and went down to see what was going on.
He left Rivka sleeping in his bed with a last lingering look. She looked like a well-loved angel, sunk deep into the lush featherbed. She was sound asleep, her hair wild on his pillows. It was an image he would keep with him for the rest of his life.
When Liam reached the staircase, he heard humming from below. Feminine humming. There was another woman in his house? Curiosity piqued, he went downstairs.
Liam stopped short, shocked to find his daughter, Livia, smiling at him from the kitchen doorway.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
“Good morning, Papa,” she greeted him, her manner more reserved than he remembered her being.
Of course, they hadn’t parted on the best of terms. Her marriage to the two knights still rankled him a bit. He’d wanted a gentler life for her, but Livia took too much after him and seemed to crave adventure more than was healthy for his peace of mind.
“Livia,” he replied, unsure of how to proceed. So much had changed in such a short time. Frankly, he was still having trouble reconciling his thoughts.
“I brought breakfast for you. I thought, maybe, we could talk,” she offered. “Krysta told me of your arrival here last night and that you’d planned to leave for Gryphon Isle early this morning. I wanted a chance to see you before you left.”
“Krysta is the mate of Mace and Drake?” he asked, to gain a little time to think. How was he going to explain Rivka’s presence in the house? In his bed?
Livia nodded. “I hope you don’t mind, but I did want to talk to you.”
“I don’t mind at all. I’ve been wanting to set things right with you, too,” he admitted. Now, he decided, was not the time to berate his little girl.
For one thing, she was no longer a little girl. He’d begun to realize that over the past weeks. She was a grown woman who had been managing the on-shore side of his shipping empire pretty much on her own for the past few years. He hadn’t quite realized how much his obsession with creating his fighting fleet had kept him away from the day-to-day running of his own business. He’d left it mostly up to land-based managers, but Livia had played an increa
singly important part that he had been only peripherally aware of until she moved to the Lair.
Livia’s smile touched something deep inside. She looked a lot like her mother, but Livia was definitely her own woman. She had a supply of courage and daring her mother had never tapped. Livia had grown into the kind of woman her mother could have become if given half a chance, and he was proud to be Livia’s father. Even if he had been an absentee parent for a lot of years.
He only hoped she could forgive him.
“Livia…” This was going to be hard for him, but it had to be said. “I’m sorry.”
She stilled, then looked up at him with wary eyes. “For what?”
“For getting so upset with the fact that you’ve grown up,” he said at once. “Without me. Which was entirely my fault. You deserved better and I wasn’t equipped to give it at the time. You suffered when it was my responsibility to make sure you didn’t. I was a bad father, and I only hope you can forgive me someday.”
She went to him, standing close enough that he could see the tears that gathered behind her eyes but didn’t fall. “You did the best you could,” she said with quiet dignity. “I know how hard you took it when Mama died.”
“I lost a wife, but you lost your mother,” he insisted. “I didn’t see that I wasn’t the only one hurting. I was so wrapped up in my own grief and later, my thirst for revenge.” He shook his head, regret filling him again, as he thought about it. “I was a blind fool. I realize that now.”
Livia took both of his hands in hers and squeezed. “Your reaction was a testament to how deeply you loved.”
He nodded after a long pause to regain his composure. It shouldn’t be this easy. She shouldn’t forgive him like this. He deserved her rage. Her anger. Why wasn’t she screaming at him? Then, he realized something.
