Ice Dragon's Caress (High House Draconis Book 3)

by Riley Storm

  In seconds, she was writhing frantically, begging him to stop teasing her, to give her everything, that she couldn’t take it. Pleading wasn’t her style, but with Valla she couldn’t help it. He just made her want it that bad, and he knew it.

  When he finally did shift his focus entirely to her clit, she moaned loudly as first one, then two fingers slipped inside her, just adding to the pleasure, assaulting her body and mind. Liz didn’t know if she could handle it. It was just too much, too fast and hitting all the right places. Her body tightened, and in the first minute she shook hard, only Valla’s firm grip with his free hand keeping her where he wanted.

  The first climax slammed into her, releasing all the pent-up energy from the day as it pummeled her brain into mush and blasted her body with wave after wave of bliss that seemed to go on forever. Valla wouldn’t stop until she told him to.

  “Holy shit,” she whispered, the last word trailing off into silence as she pushed his head away from her pulsing clit, needing a moment to regain her senses. “That was really strong. I…no, I need a minute,” she said as he tried to go back again, always eager to please her.

  Valla paused, and their eyes met, and suddenly it wasn’t a minute that Liz needed.

  “Now,” she commanded, eyes falling between them, to where his cock was hidden from her view. “Please, I want you inside me. I need it, Valla.”

  The big man wanted to please her, and when she asked nicely, he couldn’t resist. He crouched overtop her, lining his cock up with her opening, even as Liz tensed in anticipation. He was so big that she—

  “Ohmyfuckinggod,” she moaned as he entered her ever so slightly.

  Valla took his time, moving slowly, but he never stopped, never gave her a break. He was always inching forward, a tiny fraction at a time. Liz barely had a chance to focus, let alone breathe. Her body somehow accepted him, never protesting more than that littlest twinge of pain that somehow brought on more pleasure as she stretched to accommodate his girth.

  “Oh, God I remember now,” she said once he was buried fully inside her. “This is so much better sober.”

  Valla snickered, his eyes meeting hers. “I have to agree,” he said, then pulled back and thrust into her in one smooth motion. He was gentle, but it was much faster than before.

  Liz’ head flopped back limply, too overwhelmed. Valla didn’t stop, and she soon lost sense of time, space and everything, her only focus the sensations of his cock as he fucked her.

  Something landed on her clit an unknown amount of time later and she stiffened, eyes going open wide to see Valla rubbing his thumb across it, while still thrusting into her. The combination, as always, proved too much.

  “Valla,” she hissed, hands latching on behind his neck, fingers digging in deep. “Yes, don’t stop!”

  She felt her walls close tighter around him, the answering grunt from Valla when he felt it. His thumb didn’t stop. Nor did his hips. Liz arched against the couch and spasmed, a ragged cry ripping from her throat as she crashed through yet another orgasm.

  Moments later to her surprise, Valla’s eyes went wide, and he started to shake.

  “Liz,” he whispered. “Can’t control it,”

  “Don’t,’ she told him, more than fully satisfied, even as hearing her name roll off his lips sent more shivers through her. “I don’t want you to control it. I want you to cum,” she whispered into his ear as he came closer. “Please. For me.”

  The subtle begging was more than he could handle, and Valla twitched, and a moment later warmth erupted inside of her as he came hard. She watched it all, seeing his body tighten, every muscle etched into stark relief below his skin. He looked her in the eyes the entire time, and she held that gaze, biting her lip at the sensations flowing inside of her.

  Then Valla was spent, and he collapsed over her, barely keeping the bulk of his weight off her. She saw his sides rising and falling as he breathed heavily and smiled to herself.

  Yes, the night had gone quite well.

  The only question that still remained was what happened between them next, and could she continue to keep him at arm’s length?

  Liz didn’t know, and just then she didn’t quite care.

  That’s a question I’ll have to answer in the morning.

  22

  Dawn came both far too early, and not soon enough.

  Blinking open his eyes, Valla absently wiped the sleep away, forcing energy into his body. He didn’t want to get up, but the prospect of being able to roll over and see Liz next to him was just too heart-poundingly exciting to let him get back to sleep.

  To his surprise, she was stirring too.

  “I didn’t wake you, did I?” he asked, wondering if the simple action of him rolling over had disturbed his sleeping beauty.

  “No,” she said, covering a yawn. “No not at all.”

  He leaned in closer and stole a kiss. His actions were tentative. After all, Valla wasn’t sure how things were going to go now. Had the night before just been a booty call, and would Liz want him to take her home right away?

  If that were the case, things like little kisses and cuddling were not on the menu. Trying to engage in them would be more likely to scare her off than not, and Valla found he didn’t want to do that. He wanted to do right by Liz, including whatever would make her stay.

  Which was not at all what he’d expected himself to feel.

  “What?”

  Blinking, he saw Liz staring at him.

  “Pardon?” was all he could come up with.

  “You’re frowning at me.”

  Confusion about his internal feelings must have shone through enough on his face for Liz to react. Valla quickly cleared his face, replacing whatever look had been there with a broad smile. “Just waking up still,” he assured her.

  Liz raised her eyebrows slightly but was interrupted by another yawn. “Oh, goodness,” she said halfway through it, the words stretched out by the deep breath that usually accompanied such an act.

  “You can go back to sleep if you’d like,” he said quietly, rolling fully onto his right side, wanting nothing more than to reach out and pull her tight against him.

  That might still be too much for her, however, so he resisted the urge, instead just letting his left arm flop down onto the bed between them. To his immense delight, Liz moved her hand on top of his, letting it rest there, her thumb gently stroking the back of his palm.

  Perhaps she did want to stay after all. Women were confusing at the best of times, so Valla wasn’t ready to rubber-stamp that thought as being correct just yet, but he had a good feeling in his stomach about it all. If she wanted to go home, she would be wanting to get up and leave.

  “I think I’m awake now,” she said, absently answering his question. “But you never know. This bed is super comfy.”

  He grinned but didn’t say anything. That had been a clear chance for her to get up and go, and she hadn’t taken it. In fact, she’d left the door open to her staying longer. Valla was quite okay with that. Quite.

  Beside him, Liz shivered, and the smile abruptly left his face. “Is everything okay?” he asked, worried that he’d read the situation wrong.

  “Just cold,” she assured him. “A little chill ran down my spine.”

  “Oh. Right. Well, come here,” he said, reaching out with his arm and pulling her in tight.

  Valla lay back down as Liz snuggled up into his shoulder, using his right arm as a pillow of sorts. That was perfectly okay with him, because now he could rub her back with his arm, further enveloping her in the heat he knew he would be giving off—ice dragon or not, in human form, he was always warm to the touch.

  “You’re so warm,” she exclaimed as if reading his mind, trying to force herself tighter against his side.

  Valla breathed slow and deep as the touch of her bare skin down the entire length of his body reminded him that she’d gone to bed naked.

  Keep calm, he urged himself silently, not wanting Liz to think that the on
ly thing he wanted was to have sex with her. Despite the growing stiffness of his shaft, Valla was more than happy to just cuddle. It felt…right, in a way he couldn’t entirely place.

  As if on cue, Liz lifted her leg and rested it right on his hip and upper leg, dangerously close to—

  “Oh, hi,” she said as his cock slid over to the side to press against her upper leg.

  “Don’t mind that,” he said tightly. “Mind of its own.”

  “Just a little magnetic, is it? Attracted to me?” she teased.

  Valla growled. “I told you that when I saw you on the dance floor, I thought you were the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen. It’s not the only part of me attracted to you.”

  Her head tilted up at his words, and he saw that she was biting her lip.

  “Ask it,” he said, sensing she had a question, though he had no clue as to what.

  Her eyes darted to the side, and her chin started to follow, but Valla caught it with his free hand, forcing her to maintain eye contact. “Ask,” he urged softly, trying to let her know that he wouldn’t judge her.

  Liz looked past him, chewed her lip for a few more seconds, then stared at him so directly that Valla almost recoiled at the intensity of it.

  “Even now?”

  He waited for her to continue, but she didn’t.

  Even now? Even now what?

  “Three months pregnant, my stomach starting to expand even more. My body changing,” she said, the words barely audible even to his supernatural hearing. “Do you still find me the most beautiful woman you’ve ever seen, even now?”

  Valla’s growl ripped through the silence, coming so swift and loud that it caught even him off guard. “Yes,” he stated as emphatically as he could. “I do. Do you think last night was an act? That it’s an act right now? I swear to you on my ancestors, it is not. Physically, I find you growing more and more beautiful. You are carrying my child within you,” he said, searching for the right words to describe how deeply that resonated with him, how it changed her and the way he saw her, in more than just a physical dimension.

  “You’re going to be a mother soon,” he said. “That…that is the most wonderful and beautiful thing I could ever imagine, except that you’re going to be the mother of my child. I cannot explain to you how that makes me feel, nor how that makes me view you, other than to say that you’re beautiful.”

  Liz was blushing slightly, and this time he let her look down, knowing it wasn’t in shame but in embarrassment at his proclamation.

  “And I find you sexy,” he rumbled, letting his head slide closer to her ear. “If the memory of the way you made me explode last night is already fading, I would be more than happy to give you another demonstration, if that would help at all?”

  Liz hissed as he slipped a hand under the covers and dragged his fingers down her arm and across her side, relishing the touch of her bare skin under him.

  “Wait,” she said abruptly.

  Valla froze. What? What had he done wrong? Everything was going so right, he’d thought. All his words, truly spoken, had seemed to resonate with Liz, to push past the defenses she’d been slowly raising between them. Yet…she wanted to wait? Had they not been enough?

  What more could I have done, he wondered to himself.

  “Last night was in the dark, only the firelight,” she said quietly. “And now it’s dark in here again.”

  “I can turn on the lights,” he said, wondering if that was what she meant. Did she truly think that adding light would suddenly change his mind? That he would go soft at the sight of her?

  Of course, she couldn’t know that he could still see as clear as day just now, that it was only she who would have difficulty seeing. But that wasn’t something he could just come right out and say.

  “No, no artificial. But…” she slipped from his arm and the covers, moving faster than he’d have expected, and made for the window on her side of the room. “What if I open this? Will you still find me beautiful then?”

  Valla flung back the covers to reveal his now throbbing erection. “Don’t take too long. I’m ready for you. Trust me when I say this is only going away the old-fashioned way.”

  Liz groaned, though it turned into a giggle as she threw the curtains back before finally falling silent as her eyes followed the light back between his legs, fully revealing to her what she was in for.

  Not that she didn’t know from the night before, but a reminder never hurt, in Valla’s opinion.

  “The old-fashioned way, you say?” she asked, breathing heavily.

  Valla could see her nipples hardening, though whether from the cold or the thought of what was to come, he wasn’t sure.

  “Very much so,” he agreed.

  Liz was about to come over to him when she turned back to the window, something catching her eye.

  Valla was prepared for a lot of outcomes just then, but one thing he wasn’t ready for was the way the blood abruptly drained from Liz’s face as she backed away from the window, stammering unintelligibly as one hand slowly raised to point a finger.

  “What? What is it?” he asked, suddenly alert, hard-on completely forgotten. Kicking the last of the covers free, he moved to her side, throwing one arm around her protectively.

  His head followed her pointing finger out the window, just in time to see the last of a red and gold scaled dragon disappear, leaving only a familiar naked figure in its place.

  “A—Aaric?”

  “Oh fuck,” he muttered, closing his eyes.

  Talk about the absolute worst timing. Valla had no idea where his brother had been that he would be arriving back that late, but he’d never even thought about such a thing happening.

  “Valla.”

  He became aware of Liz squirming out of his grip and rushing to the window, where she stared down at the grounds outside. Aaric walked purposefully toward the Keep, soon disappearing out of sight as he made his way indoors.

  “Valla!” Liz turned on him, eyes wide, both fearful and confused.

  “Yes?” he asked heavily, knowing what conversation was about to happen, and not being at all prepared for it.

  “You have one chance. One opportunity. Tell me the truth, and nothing but the truth.”

  He nodded numbly, knowing what was coming next.

  “Did I just see what I think I saw?” Eyes that were normally soft and filled with warm had turned hard, her gaze stabbing out at him like a pair of lances, determined to pierce every possible layer of deceit he could pull up.

  Valla knew defeat when he saw it and was well aware that he would be fighting a losing battle from the start.

  “Valla,” Liz prompted again, hands falling to her hips. “Did I just see a dragon land in the yard and transform into Aaric?”

  So, he decided not to fight it at all.

  “Yes,” he said bluntly, and awaited her response.

  23

  Liz rocked back in astonishment.

  “You’re not lying,” she said.

  “You told me not to,” Valla said with a shrug, as if that explained everything.

  “But…”

  “But you didn’t expect me to agree. Or you thought that you’d had some sort of hallucination or delusion, right?”

  Liz nodded, her mind playing the scene through her head over and over. The massive dragon had landed, all four taloned feet digging deep into the soft soil. She could still see the rents they had made in the lawn. Then, in the span of several seconds, the creature had shifted and shrunk drastically, until all that was left was a human figure.

  A naked human, one she happened to know, having been through any number of meetings with him. Aaric Drakon. The eldest of the Drakon brothers.

  Of Valla’s brothers.

  “Are…” Liz couldn’t bring herself to ask it.

  She went over to her side of the bed and sat down heavily. Belatedly, she realized her own nudity but shook it off. It seemed to be a running theme of the morning after all.

  �
��Liz…”

  Valla hadn’t moved from where he’d come to join her at the window. A distant part of her brain still noted his nakedness and her appreciation of it all, but the rippled muscles and thick cock were the farthest thing from her mind at the moment.

  “Aaric…can change into a dragon,” she said, the words sounding strange to actually say out loud. “Or is it a dragon can change into Aaric?”

  “If you ask questions,” Valla said softly. “Then you’re going to get answers. Don’t ask the questions, unless you aren’t ready for the answers. Think them over first.”

  Liz gave him a reproachful look. “Valla, I just saw a creature from myth land in your backyard and go poof into a man. A man I’ve met before, that I’ve spoken with. I wasn’t really ready for that, but here we are, you telling me that it was real. Not magic, not me going crazy all of a sudden. But a real thing that happened.”

  “Yes,” he said quietly, still not moving from where he’d stood.

  “Okay. So that means dragons are a real thing. Is that also correct?” she asked, blinking quickly and shaking her head, forcing some blood back into it.

  “Yes.”

  “Feel free to use more than one word,” she snapped.

  “What would you like me to tell you?” Valla asked, sounding chaste, his voice dropping quieter again.

  “Everything?” she said without thinking.

  “I’m not sure that would be a good idea.”

  Liz’s head came up like a rocket, and she glared at him. “Why the hell not? Are you going to keep more secrets from me?”

  He held up his hands, trying to placate her. “I did not say I wouldn’t tell you everything. But perhaps bit by bit would be better? Don’t tell me that you’re not feeling a little overwhelmed already. That you don’t feel a little faint, maybe even nauseous, perhaps? It’s normal, Liz.”

  She shook her head. Aaric, a dragon.

  “How can nobody know this?” she asked.

  “They do know,” Valla explained. “Some do, at least. They know that we exist…”