Vote Then Read: Volume II

by Lauren Blakely

  For the past two months, with every day that passed, she realized how her feelings continued to grow for him. It wasn’t healthy. She needed to get to know him more, but her heart was positive he was the man for her. So was her cat.

  He pressed his body closer and the kiss grew in intensity. She moaned into their tangled tongues. His hand curved around her extended waist and suddenly a kick pulled them both out of their sensual haze. She blinked and glanced down at the spot he had his hand to the side of her belly.

  “Did she just kick?”

  The wonder in his voice brought a smile to her face. “Yes.”

  “What does that mean?” he asked, panic rising with each word. “Is she okay?”

  She giggled at the worry in his tone. “She’s fine. She just wants you to know she’s awake.”

  She met his gaze and saw so much love in his eyes, it made her heart flip. He’d be a good dad. She knew it. What that meant for them? That was another story.

  “You look exhausted,” he said. “Let me make you something to eat. Why don’t you get comfortable? I have some things I need to tell you.”

  She nodded and stood, leaving him to make himself at home in her kitchen. She’d been eating like the world was ending, so food was always good.

  Her cat rubbed under her skin, happy to have her mate back. She told Lily she’d known he’d come for her, but Lily ignored her.

  After she took the longest shower known to man, she sat on her bed and tried to think of what to do. It was a long while of internal debating. He’d probably think she fell asleep if she didn’t go out there soon.

  She wanted Thane, but he’d been specific with her at his cabin. He wanted no relationship. Could he have changed his mind now? After all this time, or was this just because of her pregnancy?

  She needed time to see where things went. She didn’t care that her tigress was ready to bite him and move into his cabin. The human side of Lily needed love and reassurance that this was something he wanted for himself, not out of duty.

  She put on the lightest robe she had over her naked body and waddled to the living room. She had only a few more weeks to go before her baby was born. A shifter pregnancy took a toll on a woman. Everything most humans experienced in nine months she did in three. It was like being pregnant on fast forward.

  He’d turned on the TV and the scent of soup made her mouth water.

  “Thane?”

  He came out of the kitchen with a glass of iced tea in his hand. “Come on, I put a movie on for you. Why don’t you lie down on the sofa so you can rest your feet? I bet they’re tired.”

  They were tired, but she hadn’t expected him to be so accommodating. It was freaking her out a little.

  She followed him to the sofa, where she sat and put her feet up on the ottoman in front of her. He covered her with a throw and put her glass of iced tea on the table next to her.

  “I’ll be right back. I was going to make something, but it would take time. I figured you might be hungry now.”

  She laughed. “You figured right.”

  “Good. I know a great restaurant nearby that has amazing soup. I am just heating it up because it’s really cold out and on the drive here it cooled off.”

  She nodded and picked up the television control to raise the movie volume. This was really fucking weird, but she’d go with it. She’d had a long day hammering out that contract for their new facility and now all she wanted was to relax.

  She was dozing in her chair when he called her name softly.

  He placed a tray on her lap. There was a bowl of soup and warm rolls.

  “This smells delicious.” She picked up the spoon and sipped. “Oh, it is so good.”

  “I’m glad you like it. With this weather, I figured something warm would go over well.”

  She grinned. “Most of the time I don’t realize how cold it is with this very crazy body temperature of mine.”

  He frowned and sat next to her. “What do you mean?”

  “I’ve forgotten my coat at home twice with temperatures at freezing levels.” She laughed at the way he widened his eyes in horror. “Don’t worry. I wasn’t in any danger. I went in and out of my car quickly and didn’t notice until I was ready to leave work and couldn’t find my coat. The thing about being pregnant with not just a shifter baby, but a dragon is that my body temperature is through the roof. I’m so hot most of the time, I’d happily walk around naked in the snow.”

  “I don’t think that’s healthy for you, is it?”

  She giggled harder at his words. “I’m sure it’s not healthy to walk around naked in below freezing temperatures, but I’m not really going to do that.”

  She finished her soup and rolls and he took the tray from her lap to the kitchen. Then he came back to the sofa and proceeded to pull her legs over his so he could massage her feet. She wasn’t saying shit about that. Any man willing to rub her very aching and swollen feet without being paid was welcome to do it.

  She leaned back into the cushion and sighed as he rubbed her feet. “What do you want to tell me?” She’d closed her eyes but when he didn’t reply, she opened them and met his gaze. “Thane?”

  “I didn’t leave because of us. My little brother hates me.”

  She frowned. “Everyone has family problems.”

  “Not like these. He sent someone to destroy one of my properties right before you came to my cabin. The morning you left, he’d once again sent his people to burn down another I tend to spend time at.”

  She gasped. “Oh my god. You weren’t there.”

  He shook his head. “No. I spent more time at my mountain cabin this year than usual so I wasn’t there to stop them or fight them off.”

  She grabbed his hand and brought it to her lap. “Why does he want you dead?”

  “I’m the oldest. My father left me a lot of land and I took some of his businesses and made them prosperous again. Even though he’s the youngest, he wants to be in charge.”

  She frowned and shook her head. “I don’t understand. How can he be in charge?”

  “Dragons have a thousand years to mate and procreate. If I don’t have a child by my thousandth birthday, I’m going to die.”

  She rubbed her belly and stared at him in horror. “But you’re having a baby. We’re having a baby.”

  “He doesn’t know that. So he believes if I die in the next three months, without a child being born, he can take everything of mine.”

  “Why in the next three months?”

  “The closer I get to my thousandth birthday without a mate or a child, my dragon will weaken and I’ll be left powerless to fight him. He’ll be able to kill me easily.”

  She gasped. “You have one seriously fucked up family!”

  16

  Thane wished he could take back what he said about Ramoth, but it was the truth. He needed Lily to know why he hadn’t been there for her.

  “After what he did to my homes, I had to search for him.”

  “Did you find him?” she asked, her brows raised.

  He hated having to kill her hope. “No. He’s been one step ahead, wanting for me to chase him. Probably trying to let time go by before he shows his face.”

  “But you won’t be weaker in three months,” she said and gave him a bright smile. “You’ll still be able to kick his ass.”

  He chuckled at her blood thirst. “A bit aggressive, are we?”

  She laughed. “Meh. I barely get any sleep and I’m ready to pop. Aggressive is my middle name.”

  “If you had a choice to live here in the city or up in the mountain where I am, where would you choose?”

  She pursed her lips and furrowed her brows. “If money was no object, the mountains. It calls to my animal and I think the baby would love the area. Being a dragon, she’s going to need the open space to shift and grow.”

  He nodded. “I’m glad we’re on the same page.”

  “Now don’t go moving my stuff into your house. I said I’d see where
we go. I’m not going to pick up and move just because you find it convenient,” she said.

  “I would never make that kind of assumption, love. It’s your decision where you want to live.” He grinned. “It’s my job to make sure I make myself irresistible to you. That way you will never want to be away from me.”

  She gave a loud giggle. “You’re too much.”

  “Just give me a chance, Lily. A chance to show you we can work. That this is the right thing for us.”

  She sighed. “I can give you a chance.”

  He rubbed her small but swollen feet and watched the light of her animal glow in her eyes. The scent of her arousal made him hungry for her.

  He slid out from under her feet and picked her up in his arms.

  “Where are we going?”

  He kissed her lips. “Bed. You need rest.”

  She closed her eyes and leaned her head on his shoulder. She was clearly tired, but he wanted to bury his face between her legs and make her come. At her bed, he lay her in the middle and her robe slipped open. He didn’t bother lying to her about his intentions.

  “I want you. I want to taste your cream on my tongue. Now.”

  She licked her lips and shoved a pillow under her head.

  He pulled at the tie on her robe and opened it fully. Fuck. She was beautiful. Her skin glowed with health and her breasts had gotten larger than before. The soft mound of her belly didn’t take away from her beautiful curves, no. It added to them.

  She was full with his baby and he found that sexy as fuck. The knowledge made him hard as a rock.

  “Thane, are you sure?”

  He saw the insecurity in her eyes. “You’re fucking gorgeous, Lily.”

  His words seemed to appease her because she didn’t stop him when he pushed her thighs open to expose her sex. She was wet and pink and he couldn’t stop from dipping a finger into her.

  She moaned and rocked her hips, lifting her ass off the bed looking for deeper penetration.

  “Do you want me?”

  Her bright golden eyes pinned him to the spot. “Yes. I want you inside me.”

  She cupped her own breasts and pulled at her nipples. Soft moans came from her every time she did.

  “Tell me what you want, beautiful,” he growled.

  “Your tongue. My clit. Right now,” she said without hesitation.

  He lowered his head and inhaled hard. Her scent was his undoing. She was hot and sweet and he could live with his face buried in her pussy.

  He licked the inside of her thigh and she trembled. He curled his arms around her legs and pushed them open farther. The view was prettier than any other he’d ever seen. “You’re so fucking pink and soft.”

  He flattened his tongue on her center and slid it up to her clit.

  “Oh, god!”

  Honey seeped from her channel. He drank her in, her taste, her scent. Thrusting his tongue into her sex, he drove in and out of her, pressing his nose to her clit and flicking his tongue faster and faster.

  Her moans and soft cries made his cock hurt from how badly he wanted in her. His control on his animal almost snapped. He lengthened his tongue and fucked her deeper and harder.

  “Good god, Thane! What the fuck are you doing?” Then she moaned and gasped. “Don’t you dare fucking stop or I’ll kill you myself.”

  He chuckled, or tried to as he continued to thicken his tongue and thrust deeper and harder into her sex. He pressed harder at her clit with his nose, still driving into her with his tongue. The more she cried and moaned, the slicker she got, until she was screaming his name as her pussy contracted around his tongue.

  He pulled back, happy that he’d gotten her to come and licking at the honey gliding from her.

  When he got up, she smiled at him, her eyes blazing gold, and tugged him to her. “My turn to taste.”

  He shook his head. “Sweetheart, this was for you.”

  She giggled and licked her lips. “This is for me, too. Now get over here.”

  17

  Lily watched Thane stand next to her side of the bed. Men as good looking as Thane didn’t usually pay attention to a big girl like her, but there was no doubt that he wanted her. Even pregnant. His erection stood proud, pointing up. His skin felt hot and smooth, velvety. Curling her hand around his cock, she brought her lips to the head of his shaft and took him into her mouth.

  He filled her mouth, making it hard for her to do anything but suck and pull back. He groaned. The sound made her slick and ready for him. Not that she wasn’t already. She gripped his ass cheeks and sucked on his cock. His fingers slid into her hair and he gripped the long strands, pushing and pulling her head with his thrusts into her mouth.

  “Ah, fuck!”

  She smiled internally. The growl at that moment gave away he was losing control and she loved it. Her tigress wanted more. To make him lose it completely. Hollowing her cheeks, she sucked harder. Every glide back and forth brought out more groans and grunts from him.

  His hold on her hair tightened. His thrusts into her mouth turned harder and faster. Saliva dribbled down her chin. His slick cock continued to plunge into her mouth, gliding down her throat and then back out.

  “Christ, Lily! I can’t. Your lips are so tight and wet. I’m gonna come, baby.”

  She wanted him to. Wanted to see his body lose that last semblance of control. She dug her nails harder into his ass, her fingers clawing and leaving scratches on his cheeks.

  “Ah, fuck. Don’t take me deeper.” He tensed, his cock hard and pulsing in her mouth. He reared back and she glanced up, still sucking at the head of his cock. His eyes were pure fire. He jerked himself and semen splashed into her mouth. On a pull back, he squirted his cum over her face on her breasts. “Is this what you wanted?”

  She licked the cum on her lips. “What?”

  “For me to come all over you?” He growled and lifted her off the bed, taking her in his arms and pressing their lips together. “I fucking love smelling myself on you.”

  “Do you?”

  “Fuck, yes!” He stroked his hands over her breasts, massaging his semen into her skin. “Not for one second have you been out of my mind. My scent in your body. On your skin. My cock inside you.”

  He turned her around, her back to his chest, and sat on the edge of the bed, his legs wide open. He lowered her slowly. With her legs inside his, she sat on his dick. He entered her in a single slide down.

  “Oh, my,” she moaned.

  He curled an arm around her torso, cupping one of her full breasts and immediately tweaking at her nipple. A loud moan rode up her throat. He slid his other hand between her legs, pressing at her clit.

  Soft kisses rained over the back of her neck. He licked and nibbled her shoulder. She rocked back and forth on his cock, every movement sending her over-sensitized body into hyper drive.

  It only took a few moments for her muscles to tense and her blood to thicken in her veins. The sound of her moans and his groans filled the room along with the squeaking of the bed. He pulled and pinched on her nipple.

  The tight little bud ached from the sensitivity. Her breasts hurt from how swollen they were. Every time he squeezed one, her pussy fluttered around his cock.

  “Lily, love. I want your sweet cream on my dick.”

  She bit her lips and pressed her head on his chest. Her back arched and her rocking increased in speed. She wiggled and pushed down to get him in as deeply as possible. Then she’d do it again. And again. Until she was panting from how close she was to coming.

  His finger on her clit thrummed harder. He sucked and bit on the back of her shoulder. The bite alone sent her over the edge. She screamed his name, pushing her pussy down to take him deeper.

  “Fuck, baby. Yes! Your pussy’s so hot. So wet. Sucking my dick.” He bit down harder on her shoulder as the heat of his seed filled her channel and once again drove her through another climax. She was the one to lose control then. Her tigress rose to the surface. She clawed at his legs, leav
ing long bloodied scratches on him.

  “Thane,” she gasped, trying to catch her breath.

  “Hmm,” he grunted.

  She grinned. “If we’re going to do this again, and knowing you, we will, I need food.”

  He chuckled and helped her onto the bed. He kissed her lips, sucked her breast into his mouth, and for a second, made her forget all about food. Then he placed a lingering kiss on her belly and stood. “I’ll get my girls food. Don’t want you starving.”

  18

  Lily watched his gorgeous naked body leave the room. Lord have mercy. What had she gotten into? This man was beyond all her life dreams when it came to sex. Every time he looked at her with his gorgeous blue eyes, that beard that made her want to shove his face in her crotch and his mussed up hair falling over his brow, she wanted to beg him to fuck her again.

  How could she possibly think clearly about their future when she’d happily spend the rest of her life with him fucking her senseless?

  Her baby kicked at that moment. She had to give it a chance though. At least give him a chance to prove to her he could do what was needed as a father. The fact he’d asked her to give him a chance to show her he cared about her was more than she expected from him.

  There was no more time to think about things. Once he returned from the kitchen with another plate of soup and rolls, she was too busy eating to worry about anything else.

  Thane woke to something bumping his hand. He opened his eyes and glanced down. He was spooning Lily and his hand was on her belly, where his daughter was playing soccer. He was surprised the hard thumps hadn’t woken his mate.

  He rubbed Lily’s belly and bonded with his daughter as he moved his hand and her little kicks followed. His heart filled with love for her and Lily. He realized now how perfect she was for him. His dragon had tried to tell him, but he’d ignored him. Idiot.

  He needed to do something to show her how special she was to him. An idea formed in his mind. He pushed the long curls away from her face and buried his face in her hair. The sweet scent of apples filled his lungs. He’d been dreaming of apples since their time at his cabin.