He flipped on the switch and turned up the speed to full. A cry filtered through the receiver as she managed to say his name. “Brent, I can’t…”
Her words were cut off as a groan filled the speaker. He couldn’t keep teasing himself, one handed. He pushed the speaker option and settled the phone near his ear as he slipped further into the bed. He reached over and grabbed the bottle of lube—peppermint flavored—squirted some into his palm and wrapped his hand around his cock. The sparks of cold sucked the air from his lungs, damping down some of his arousal, but only for a second. His dragon took advantage of that small reprieve to surge forward, increasing the swirl and tension of desire in his body. Scales rippled over his skin as his hands were transformed into claws. The roughness of this new texture combined with the cool kiss of peppermint added to the sensations coursing through his body. Nerve endings lit off brightly, flooding his body with need.
He shuddered and groaned as he worked his dick with strong, sure strokes.
“Tell me what’s going on,” Carissa urged. He could hear the soft murmur of other voices and tinned music and he grinned. She’d done what he had told her. She’d returned to her customers.
“Good, honey, you’re doing what I asked. Right now I’m changing. My dragon has come to the party and I’m stroking my cock. I have talons and scales.” Pain lanced the base of his spine as the dragon continued to push forward the change. Sparks and flames and twinges broke out as his tail grew out. He spread his legs to give it room. The long appendage grew quickly and waded into the fray immediately, teasing his testicles with quick flicks. He was thankful that the dragon hadn’t allowed the barbs to form. For now, it was just the basics.
Brent concentrated on giving himself pleasure and arousing his mate.
“I’m coming over. You need me,” she insisted with a low raspy tone.
Brent chuckled. “No, honey, what I need is for you to listen and stay where you are. Now, I’m stroking my cock. It’s thick, and long, and ready to sink into your tight, wet, pussy. My balls are so hard right now, they ache. I can remember how it felt to be inside you. Deep inside.” He let out a shuddering breath as the memory came back in full color. “Gods, you feel so good. I can’t wait for tonight.”
His hand moved fast, as electricity crackled through his body. He reached up and tugged his nipple. Spikes of electricity shot straight to his groin and rolled around his cock to add to his desire. The dragon opened his maw and breathed out a stream of steam followed by blue fire that saturated his body and made him feel as if he was in the middle of a firestorm. Sweat bathed his body as he breathed out steam. His vision changed from clear to hyper-focused. He could see the dark patches on the ceiling where there needed to be paint. His senses came alive. The path of a bead of sweat along his temple added to the sensations that swirled within. He pumped his hand faster and faster as the pleasure increased.
“Goddess, Carissa, I wish I were with you, fucking you right now.” His cock jerked in his hand as his balls tightened to his body. Almost there. “I want to come with you. I want to be buried deep inside of you when I come.”
“Brent, don’t, not yet,” she murmured. Voices still spoke around her. “Slow it down. Pull back.”
He shook his head. “No. Can’t. Almost…there,” he muttered.
“Brent, stop,” she hissed.
He obeyed her command, and all movement ceased. Even his tail teasing his balls had stopped.
“Now, with slow movements, work your hand up and down,” she purred. “Picture it as my hand. Imagine my tongue teasing the top of your cock and my fingers rolling and massaging your balls.”
He let out a groan at her husky words.
“Imagine my lips teasing your cock, kissing you all over, my hair teasing your thighs, my breath brushing against your dick,” she whispered.
“God, yes.” He could feel her hair, her mouth, her tongue on him. Her words wove around him, taking him away from the actions of his dragon to push him into a fantasy world where she had complete control over his actions.
The tide pulled back as the pressure inside of him increased, reaching every corner of his body, the tension too big to hold back.
“My body is so hot, I’m so wet and I wish to the gods that I were blowing you right now. I want to give you the same pleasure you gave me last night.” She let out a soft moan that wrapped around his dick.
“But you are,” he insisted as another wave hit him. His hips pistoned as he pumped his hand faster and faster, trying to reach that pinnacle that seemed to move further away whenever he got close to it. “So close,” he gritted out.
“Brent, I want you come for me, baby. I want to hear you shout my name as you come,” she said raggedly.
He wanted to come for her, needed to do as she said. Faster and faster, his palm moved, and his tail wrapped around his balls and squeezed the sac gently. He teased his nipples to oversensitive tips. The heat burst in his gut, consuming his body in one glorious blaze as he came. He shouted out her name, working his hips and hands until he’d pumped every last drop of his seed out.
Exhausted, he lay back in bed, his sheets and body soaked in sweat. His lungs ached with each breath and his heart threatened to burst through his ribcage. He could hear Carissa’s voice in the distance, cooing to him, soothing him with garbled words he couldn’t understand. All he knew was that she was there for him.
He felt like an exposed nerve. Everything hurt. His body was one throbbing pulse. Pain rushed through his body all over again, taking the breath from his lungs. Scales rippled on skin in a searing wave that burned him right to the bone. He could feel his muscles being pulled, stretched out until they were so taut, he was sure they would snap. He could feel his bone marrow melt as his heart crashed against his ribcage in a fast-paced cadence that took his breath away. Each pull of air into his lungs hurt until he just couldn’t do it anymore.
His vision blurred as sweat and tears bathed his face until he couldn’t tell the difference. The base of his spine ached as his newly-formed tail swung side-to-side. He knew he’d lost control, knew the dragon had taken over. He still had his mind; the rest of him, though, was no longer human. He felt as though his jaw had been punched over and again and a mad dentist had changed his teeth into fangs. There was nothing he could do.
The door flew open. “Shit! Brent!” Fletch’s voice came from a distance.
Brent tried to turn his head to look at his friend but couldn’t get up enough energy.
“Jesus,” Fletch swore.
He felt Fletch’s hand on his forehead. It felt cool and yet it hurt like hell. “I’ll go run you a bath.”
Fletch’s voice continued to chatter on, but other than that he had no clue what was going on. He felt his newly changed body being lifted up and carried, then lowered into water. But other than that his mind was completely blank. He couldn’t even respond or move anymore. Brent was just a dragon-man-shaped ball of goo.
“Carissa,” the dragon whispered. That was it. Sleep took hold of him and he closed his eyes, letting the bliss and darkness take him. He could feel as he went under that some of the shift began to pull back, but he couldn’t care.
Deep down, fear churned in his gut. He had to wonder if he’d be trapped in this form forever. He didn’t have the energy to push for a change back to his human form. Worry gnawed at his sensitive nerves. Would he be stuck in dragon form? Or worse, would he change into his larger, more dangerous form and become a monster, an uncontrollable beast that would have to be put down?
Chapter Fifteen
Fletch’s voice came over the phone, but Carissa couldn’t make heads or tails of what he was saying. Her legs were shaking, her knees had turned to jelly and she felt light-headed. Worry gnawed at the edges of her desire. Why Fletch was speaking to her wasn’t clear, but she knew that something was wrong with Brent.
She looked over at Anna who nodded toward the door. All she could do was give her friend a quick smile. “Fletch, give me a
minute okay? I’m on my way.”
She grabbed her purse and left the store, ignoring the dull buzz of the plug and silver bullet. Carissa would take them out later. Now was about getting to Brent and taking care of him. She speed-walked to her car, trying to resist the urge to run. Once inside, she had Fletch give her the directions and then started off. With the light, late-afternoon traffic, she got to the house within ten minutes, and met Fletch at the front door.
“He’s in his room…well, bathroom, sleeping it off. Do you know what’s going on?” Fletch reached out and grabbed her hand.
She gazed up into his brown eyes. She shook his head. “Not much. I know the dragon is trying to take over, but that’s about it.”
Fletch took off his glasses and ran a hand over his face. “He’s going through mating heat…with you.”
Carissa let the words sink in. Understanding dawned on her. “Oh.” Her own wolf felt that Brent was their mate, but she hadn’t really given it much thought.
A question occurred to her. “Did my…” Her flushed her cheeks. “Did I…?” She couldn’t get the words out, feeling a sense of embarrassment and humiliation. “Did I start this? Was my wolf’s need to mate the reason his was triggered?”
Fletch shook his head. “It was triggered as soon as you two met. He’s been trying to establish a relationship with you first and would have brought it up once you two were cemented.”
The information floated around her. “So, we’re mated?” Strangely the idea didn’t bother her. In fact, her wolf was pleased by the revelation.
Fletch’s features became a mask. No emotion crossed his face or flitted through his eyes. “Yes.”
She nodded. “Okay, where is he?”
“No freaking out? No anger?” Fletch asked as he led the way to Brent’s room.
“Why? What would that accomplish? Besides, right now Brent’s health is more important and I need details. I need to know how to care for him, how to keep the dragon happy so it doesn’t keep pushing him for the shift.” Carissa stopped dead at her words as a chill iced her to the bone. “And he’s not going to die. I won’t let that happen.”
“Of course he won’t. I’ve called Tor. He’s been through this thing before. And Brent’s parents. They’re on their way. I know it’s different for everyone but this is just…” He shook his head. “I’ve never seen this before. Every freakin’ time he gets aroused, his dragon wants to shift. Only reason I came up here was because I’d been calling him from the pool and he hadn’t answered me. I got worried and rushed up here, found him like this.”
The scent of desire hung heavy in the air along with sweat, dragon musk and the unique scent of water. Carissa ignored the mess of the sheets and followed Fletch into the bathroom, where a very pale Brent lay in a steaming tub of water. He looked human enough but his skin was tinged with blue and there were some scales decorating his flesh. No tail or wings, thankfully.
“He didn’t even notice how hot the water was. He’s asleep for now, but I’m worried. And he had plans with you tonight…” Fletch’s words trailed off.
“Yeah, and those will have to change. Tonight is about taking care of him.” She dropped her purse on the floor and got down on her knees next to the tub. She placed her hand against Brent’s forehead. His skin was warm and there was movement under his eyelids but other than that, he didn’t respond. His breathing was slow and deep as if he really was asleep.
“Okay, so he’s exhausted. Here’s what you’re going to do. You’re going to strip the bed and get that cleaned up. I’ll get in the tub with him and get him washed up. He’s going to need food and water, lots of it. No alcohol. That would only dehydrate him. Do you have any incense?” She gave the orders without looking over at Fletch to see how he took her words.
She got up and began shedding clothes. It didn’t matter that Fletch was there. All she cared about was getting into the tub with Brent and holding him. She ached to have him in her arms and pain knotted in her chest as she tried to tamp down the worry.
Her wolf paced in its cage, whining and pawing the air, sadness in its eyes.
“He’ll be fine,” she told her animal counterpart. Rather than give into fear, she focused on Brent. Once she was naked, she nudged his body forward and got behind him. The water was scalding hot, but she ignored the pain and settled in behind him.
She wrapped her arms around him and stroked his chest, bathing his face and murmuring soft, soothing words, which she didn’t think were getting to him. He shifted in her arms and murmured her name, giving her a small bit of relief. The sound of running feet came from the bedroom.
“Where’s Brent? Is he okay?” came a man’s deep voice. “You sounded like you were going to freak out.”
“Brent’s fine, just asleep.” Fletch’s words floated through the doorway. “Moron pushed himself too far. Phone sex with his mate. I just told her about his mating heat, but he’s exhausted himself.”
“Help me with these sheets, then we can turn the bed and clean his room.”
Carissa glanced up to find a black-haired, black-eyed man gazing at her through the doorway, with an unreadable expression in the obsidian depths.
“You must be Tor,” she said. “I’ve got him. Go help Fletch.”
Tor backed out of the room in embarrassment. Carissa ran her fingers through Brent’s hair, and smiled when he sighed. It felt good to have him in her arms. Her anxiety level came down as the wolf calmed. Having Brent near, seeing that he wasn’t in danger, soothed them both. She placed a hand over his heart and felt the steady thud. Carissa grabbed the soap and began to wash his skin. She rubbed the bar over his flesh, going under the water to reach the places she couldn’t get to.
Brent let out a soft snore. “Carissa,” he groaned and shifted once more in her arms.
“I’m here, baby. I’m right here. It’s okay.” She ran her fingers through his hair once again and let it settle against her chest. He was heavier than her, but her wolf loaned her some of her strength to hold him up. The smoky sweetness of incense floated through the door, drowning out the sweat and sex that had been in the air before. She heard a loud thud and Brent sat up, sloshing water over the side of the tub.
“What the fuck are you two doing?” he shouted to his roommates.
He rose out of the water, rivulets sluicing everywhere to carve intricate paths over his muscles.
Carissa watched the play of water for a moment, feeling the arousal rise before she became aware of the vibrations deep in her ass and vagina.
“Shit,” she muttered as she moved around in the tub and began to remove the sex toys. She had become so concerned over Brent’s health she’d forgotten about the plug and silver bullet.
Brent turned around, his cock already semi-hard. “Carissa? Honey, what are you doing here?”
Confusion flitted across his features. She saw the ripple of scales under the skin.
“Whoa there, cowboy. We need to finish cleaning you up and then get you into bed. Fletch, call and cancel the event at the bookstore.” Carissa stood up. She held out her hand to him. “Come on back to the tub and we can finish your bath and I’ll explain.”
Desire filled his eyes as his features tightened and a red flush filled his chest. “Did they see you naked?” His voice was a low, animalistic growl.
“It doesn’t matter. Get your lizard ass in this tub now!” she ordered, feeling her own flush of embarrassment through her chest, up her neck.
“You’ll explain,” Brent growled as he re-entered the basin and allowed her to clean up his legs, feet and groin.
She was careful not to touch his cock too much but it didn’t matter what she did, he was growing more aroused by the second. Carissa took hold of his penis and gave the slit a bit of a pinch.
“Fuck, ow. Why?” He glared down at her.
“No sex. Not until we work out a plan to help with your dragon. Your parents are on their way.” She stood up and gathered up the sex toys from the bottom of the tub.
She dumped them in the nearby sink and stepped out onto the bath mat.
“Actually, they’re already here,” came an amused, husky feminine voice. An elegant woman stood in through the doorway wearing a skin-tight black, sleeveless sweater-dress and leather sandals. She looked like a female version of Brent, only taller and sleeker. Her sandals filled Carissa with envy. It was on the tip of her tongue to ask where she’d gotten them, when a soft breeze reminded her that she was standing before Brent’s mother, stark naked. Rather than try to cover up she just stepped out of the tub, grabbed a towel, handed one to Brent, and then began to dry off.
“Well, this is a wonderful way to meet you, Mrs.…” She realized she didn’t know Brent’s last name.
“Aurelia, please. Why, Brent, she’s absolutely lovely. Werewolf? What an interesting pairing. Come, come, let me hear what it’s all about. Your father is unloading the car. Once we establish what the problem is then we can fix it and we can get out of your hair. Although not without dinner with your mate first, of course.” Her sky blue gaze slid over Carissa, assessing her, but—Carissa thought—not finding her lacking. In fact, she looked pleased.
Carissa wrapped the towel around her body and followed a sulking Brent out of the room. His shoulders were slumped and his head hung. His hair covered his features, even as he sat down.
“Now, now, tell Mummy what’s wrong. Stop acting so petulant.” Aurelia dragged a beanbag chair over and sank down on it. She didn’t look the least bit ridiculous, in fact she looked like a queen taking her throne.
“Nothing’s wrong, Mum. You and Pa can go home.” Brent’s voice took on a slight accent.
“We’re from England originally,” Aurelia explained. “But we’ve lost most of our accent unless we go back home. And I don’t believe you for a second, Brent. Fletch wouldn’t have called if there wasn’t trouble. Mating heat, is it?”
Brent looked up, anger and hurt in his darkened azure gaze. Fletch and Tor fidgeted in the corner of the room.
Dragon Ugly (Dragon New Year) Page 15
