by Donna Grant
And totally exciting.
CHAPTER TWELVE
The water swirling around V’s body did nothing to calm the desire that had been roused. It had simmered all day by being close to Claire.
Dinner had been a special kind of exquisite torture. To be so near her—and yet doing his best to keep his hands to himself.
V might have kept from touching her, but his thoughts had undressed her a million different times. Yet nothing had prepared him for seeing her shed each piece of clothing. The uncertainty in her gaze had disappeared quickly enough, replaced by anticipation and exhilaration.
When the last layer was gone, and he got to see her gorgeous body, he was awestruck. Claire was simply perfection in his eyes. From the full globes of her breasts to the depression of her waist—and the sexy flare of her hips.
To his utter shock and delight, her sex was bare of any hair. He never would have expected it of her. It showed that there was much more to Claire than anyone knew.
He held out his hand, waiting for her fingers to latch on to his. There was a hint of vulnerability in her gentle brown eyes. Despite the many times she had been hurt, she kept putting herself out there, waiting and hoping to find the man who matched her heart.
There was much he could learn from her. No wonder he had been drawn to her. For many weeks, he’d kept his distance. All that time wasted when he could have gotten to know her and enjoyed countless hours with her.
Hearing her laugh, watching her lips turn up in a smile, seeing her eyes look at things with wonder and intrigue. And joy.
When he had a hold of her, V slowly pulled her toward him. He wanted her body against his, but he stopped himself. Because once she touched him, he wouldn’t be able to hold back. It was taking all of his willpower as it was to be on his best gentlemanly behavior.
“You’re beautiful in the moonlight,” he told her.
Her gaze lifted to him. “What is it about you that makes me do things I normally wouldn’t?”
“Maybe it has been inside you the entire time, and you didna know it. Perhaps you needed someone to show you that you can.”
“Or maybe it’s just you.”
V’s eyes lowered to the water. The dark made it hard for mortals to see, but for a dragon, it didn’t hinder him any more than the light did. And when he saw the water lapping against Claire’s hard nipples, all the blood rushed to his already aching cock.
His gaze jerked back to her face when she stepped closer. Inches separated them now. He couldn’t stop himself from putting his hands on her waist.
“Why the water?” she asked.
He shrugged. “It’s a beautiful, warm night. Why no’ enjoy it?”
“Do you do this often with women?”
“I’ve never done this before.”
Her lips curved into a small smile.
His statement pleased her, and in turn, that made him happy. He saw her shiver. “Is it too cold?”
“It’s not the water that made me shudder.” Her gaze held his as she paused. “You did.”
Did she have any idea how deeply her simple confession touched him? The idea that being with him in the loch, drenched in moonlight made her shiver only made her more attractive.
When he pulled her toward him, she didn’t resist. Instead, she placed her hands on his chest. The heat of her palms on his skin was like a brand marking him.
V wasn’t sure if he was the cause or if it was Claire, but suddenly, their bodies were pressed against each other. Her face was lifted to him, and her lips slightly parted.
There was no use in him attempting to claim even a modicum of control. He’d lost it the moment Claire agreed to swim with him. He just hadn’t realized it. And it didn’t matter. He’d known exactly what he was doing by getting her naked and in the water.
He wanted her. In every way possible.
V lowered his head. When Claire’s eyes drifted shut the same time she tilted her face, there was no going back. He pressed his lips to hers and felt their softness.
A soft moan escaped Claire as she slid her arms up and around his neck. He moved his to her back the same time he grazed his tongue against the seam of her lips. They opened instantly.
Their tongues brushed against each other. The hotter the fire between them grew, the deeper they kissed. In moments, their breathing was ragged as they clutched desperately at each other, seeking to get closer, to become one.
V reached down and grasped Claire’s thigh, pulling her leg up so he could grind his arousal against her. She tore her lips from his and moaned loudly. He caught sight of her neck and began licking and kissing it as he continued to rock his hips.
She dug her nails into his shoulders and leaned her head back to give him better access. The more he saw of her passion, the more he wanted.
But this wasn’t an ordinary woman. This was Claire. V liked her. A lot. He also respected her.
She was in his arms, willing and ready for whatever he wanted. The taste of her kisses was delicious. Her touch … mind-blowing. Holding her was everything he’d thought it would be. And more.
So fucking much more.
It would take nothing to lift her higher and sink his cock inside her. He craved it so much that he shook with it. And yet, V released her leg. Before he changed his mind, he spun her around so that her back was pressed against his chest.
He briefly closed his eyes and drew in a deep breath of her hair that smelled like fresh summer rain. Then he cupped her breasts in his hands, massaging them.
“Yes,” she murmured.
Her husky tone made his balls tighten. V kissed along the top of her shoulder. Her head tilted to the side so he could continue his path up to her ear. He lightly scraped his tongue along the lobe of her ear and felt her shiver in response.
The sound of her breath sucking in through her lips when he squeezed her nipples made him clench his jaw as longing rushed through him.
He moved one hand down the side of her body to learn every hill and valley. At her hips, he slowed his advance and shifted toward the juncture of her thighs. Smooth skin met his fingers. Her legs parted, granting him access.
V moved his hand lower and felt her. “You’re so damn wet,” he murmured.
“You do it to me.”
If she kept talking like that, his willpower would crumble. But he didn’t stop touching her. His finger found her clit and circled it, slowly at first and then gradually faster.
“V,” Claire cried out as her head rolled back against his chest.
He kept kissing her ear and neck while teasing her nipple and stroking her clit. Her body undulated against him, and every time her ass came in contact with his cock, he had to bite back a groan.
She reached back an arm and sank her fingers into his hair. Then she turned her head toward him. Without hesitation, he took her lips, drinking in her cries as he worked her body faster and faster.
Claire climaxed moments later. The sight of her mouth open on a silent scream as her body convulsed with rapture was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. V pushed her to the point where pleasure became pain. Right as he reached it, he spread his hands over her body and simply held her.
It was long minutes later before her breathing returned to normal, but neither of them moved. V didn’t want to shatter whatever peace they had found together. But he knew it couldn’t last forever.
The longer they remained, the more he realized that he had discovered something he’d been searching for his entire life.
And he’d found it in the arms of a mortal.
Without a word, Claire turned in his hold. He looked down into her face and caressed her cheek. There was no turning back now. He’d crossed a line, one that he’d never thought he would find.
“Why did you stop?” she asked.
He frowned. But before he could think of a reply, she wrapped her fingers around his arousal.
She gave him a slight squeeze. “Why did you stop when you aren’t finished?”
> “I wanted to give you pleasure.”
“Then let me give it in return.”
V was helpless to refuse as she kept a hold of him and drew him into shallow water. He could only watch, enthralled, as she dropped to her knees. She hadn’t taken her hand from his cock the entire time. Now, both her hands grasped his length as she looked up at him.
She kept his gaze as she leaned forward and wrapped her lips around the head of his rod. It was the sexiest thing he had ever seen. He watched as her hands moved up and down while her tongue swirled around his tip. Then she cupped his ball sack, and he was lost.
V’s head dropped back, and he looked up at the stars while being given such delicious pleasure. Claire’s mouth and hands had him on the edge faster than he’d ever been before.
She worked him effortlessly until he was flung toward an orgasm that he couldn’t control. He pulled out of her mouth right before he came. V fisted his hand as his seed shot from him and landed on Claire’s bare breasts.
“Bloody hell,” he murmured when he could finally speak again.
There was a smile on her face as she sat back on her heels. “I wanted to return the favor.”
“You did. Nicely, I might add.”
She licked her lips and looked down at the mess he’d made on her. “No one has ever brought me to orgasm as quickly or easily as you.”
He could, in fact, say the same to her. But he chose to keep that to himself. He was already treading dangerous ground as it was. If he wavered too much, he might.… Hell, he didn’t know what might happen, but he wanted to find out.
Then he thought about his promise to Darius and the issues with his sword. He’d decided to take to his mountain because he didn’t feel as if he fit in. Now, he wasn’t so sure. He was confused.
It was best if he kept things as they were between him and Claire. Right? It wasn’t what his body wanted, though. There, he’d royally fucked things up already. But he hadn’t been able to help himself. Claire was too … well, she was too everything. Too pretty, too kind, too sexy, too desirable.
Too perfect.
How could he stand against that?
He kneeled down beside her and cupped his hands in the water before bringing them up to her breasts to wash away his seed. She said nothing, just watched him.
When he finished, he said, “I know the others wouldna have wanted me to bring you here. I probably shouldna have.”
“I’m glad you did,” she interrupted him.
“I wanted to show you that no’ every man is like the ones you’ve dated.”
She nodded slowly. “I know.”
“You’re verra beautiful.”
“Then why do I feel as if you’re trying to tell me good-bye?”
He paused, frowning. Was that what he was doing? What could he offer Claire when he didn’t know his own path? “I suppose I am.”
“I have to say that this night has been the best of my life.”
V had never been anyone’s best of anything. He could only watch as she stood and wrung out the ends of her hair that had gotten wet. Then she turned and walked back to her clothes. She said nothing while getting dressed. And he had no choice but to follow her lead.
Once they were back inside the car, he realized that the night was coming to an end, and that saddened him greatly. The day had been amazing. And once it was over—it was over. He wouldn’t let himself get near Claire again.
Because if he did, he might never leave her.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
The moment Claire opened her eyes the next morning, the sun seemed brighter, the sky bluer. She wasn’t sure if it was the lack of sleep the previous night or the powerful climax she’d received at V’s hand, but she’d slept like the dead.
Though, if she had to guess, she would say her deep slumber had everything to do with V. The man was so damn yummy.
But Claire knew better than to let herself fall for him. Not only was he a Dragon King, and she happened to know his secret, but he was also leaving soon.
It saddened her that he was going away. While she got on well with the other Kings, V was different. She was comfortable around him. The only other person who could get her to open up so easily was Sophie, yet around V, Claire was an open book. More like she word-vomited everything, but she couldn’t seem to help it.
Was it because he was a Dragon King?
Claire threw off the covers and rose from the bed. If it were because he was a King, then Darius and the others should have the same effect on her. And they didn’t. So, that wasn’t it.
She stopped in front of the bathroom mirror and propped her foot against the other ankle. The entire episode in the loch replayed in her head, causing her to smile. V had the best hands. And mouth. And he’d only touched her.
Desire pooled in her belly at the thought of him thrusting inside her. She’d held his arousal. She knew just how impressive he was. Oh, to have him inside her.
Claire cleared her throat and inwardly shook herself. If she went down that road, she’d find herself pulling out her chest of sex toys. And while that might give her brief satisfaction, it wasn’t what she wanted.
She wanted V.
“Vlad.”
For years, she’d been content to know the kernel of truth about those at Dreagan. Now, she wanted to know everything. Every last detail and secret.
No way would that happen, however. At least, that’s what she assumed. She could go to V and tell him that she knew what he was. There was a chance he would fill in the massive blanks about the Kings.
Or, he could take her to Dreagan and wipe her memories and make her forget all about them.
That, she simply couldn’t chance. While it killed her to guess who the Kings were and why they were hiding their magic, she liked the knowledge she carried. Then there was the previous night with V. She didn’t want those memories taken from her for anything.
When she was an old woman and dying, she would be able to think of a loch and remember how special she’d felt in Vlad’s arms.
She glared at herself in the mirror. “Curiosity be damned, Claire. You’ll never know anything more than you already do about them.” She wouldn’t even say Dragon Kings aloud for fear someone might be listening. “Deal with it.”
With her declaration delivered, she began getting ready for the day. When she sat down at her vanity and looked at all the makeup, she decided that she didn’t want to wear much that day. She opted for an illuminating primer that brought out the highlights in her skin.
Despite the multitude of eye creams she’d bought, not a single one helped diminish the dark circles under her eyes that still lingered, so she had no choice but to put on a little concealer. Then she added light brown eyeliner to the top of her lid, extending it just a tad.
She looked at herself in the mirror and decided that the bottom of her eyes didn’t need any liner. Then she pulled out her mascara and got to work on her lashes. A quick comb through of her eyebrows, and her favorite pale pink lip gloss, and she was ready.
Claire went to take her hair down but paused. It boggled her mind how she could throw up her hair just to put on her makeup, and it turned out fabulously. But when she tried to recreate it for a night out, it never worked. Since it looked so good, she opted to leave it up.
She popped on her large, pink faux diamond stud earrings, her smartwatch, and thumb ring. Just as she was about to leave, she spotted a necklace and put it on. It was a small gold compass, but she always felt good when she wore it.
Then she went to the door. She nearly tripped over the bottle of Dreagan sitting in her path. Claire smiled as she grabbed it to bring inside. V had said he’d bring her a bottle, and he hadn’t lied.
There was a spring in her step as she headed to her car. It wasn’t until she was backing out that she realized she hadn’t drunk her usual cup of coffee while getting ready.
Claire drove toward the clinic, smiling at how a great night could change everything. The day before, she’d se
riously contemplated everything that was wrong with her because, obviously, it was her fault that none of the men she dated seemed to work out. As she told others, she was the common denominator. Who else’s fault could it be?
Now, she could not care less about her failed dates and relationships. V had helped her get her head on straight. Well, he’d given her a mind-blowing orgasm, but that’d helped her prioritize things.
Claire chuckled at herself. Yet the memory of the pleasure swimming through her made her squeeze her legs together, her sex pulsing. Her breathing grew labored, and her palms started sweating.
She was so wrapped up in thinking about her reaction that she passed the café. But she didn’t turn around. She was still too freaked to attempt to navigate anything other than a straight line for the moment.
With only two turns to traverse, she managed to pull up next to the clinic. Claire turned off the engine and put her forehead on the steering wheel.
“It was just a night of sex. Not even sex,” she corrected herself. “We pleasured each other. It can’t be considered sex if he wasn’t inside me. Right?”
She rolled her eyes at herself because there was no one there to answer. But she knew one thing, no matter how many times she’d had sex with other men, none of them had made her have such a drastic reaction the next day.
“Shit. Shit, shit, shitshitshitshitshit,” Claire mumbled and squeezed her eyes closed.
This was bad. Really bad. She wasn’t supposed to do anything but have a good time with V.
“Oh, I had that, all right.”
Claire straightened and opened her eyes. Maybe it was all in her head. There was a chance that it had just been such a good date that it eclipsed everyone else. Yes. That’s all it was.
Because to think it might be something more was playing with fire. And she didn’t want to get burned. If she dared to play with such a flame, she knew she wouldn’t survive it. She wouldn’t just get singed. She would come away so scorched that the scars would never fade.
“Hey!” Sophie said as she knocked on the window.
