“Of course I do. You…” Would he believe he was my mate? “Holden do you understand what it means to be a dragon’s mate?”
He shook his head. “I can’t be… I mean that’s crazy…”
Tell him, my dragon insisted, but I knew I needed to go far slower than my dragon wanted me to if I was going to keep from scaring Holden away. Laszlo might think I didn’t understand how things worked in the modern world, but I knew enough to realize Holden wasn’t just going to accept that he was mine forever and move in right away. And yet the thought of letting him return to the city without me sent a shiver down my spine.
My dragon snarled and tried to force his way out. He was certain he knew how to deal with our reluctant mate, but I held him at bay. He could be an idiot sometimes, an arrogant, possessive idiot who would ruin everything. I had to stay in control. “You feel a connection between us, don’t you?
Holden frowned. “I want you, and I… I guess maybe there could be more to it, but I’m not… I just came here for sex.” There was pain in his eyes. Someone had hurt him. My dragon wanted to find that someone and use his teeth to shred him to pieces.
“That was what I wanted at first, and I still want more, lots more, but no matter how many times I fuck you, I’m not going to stop wanting you. Mates belong together. I feel that connection between us, and it’s why you can feel my dragon.”
Holden frowned. “He’s angry.”
My heart sped up. He really did sense that inner part of me. No human had ever been able to do that before.
“He’s stubborn, maybe even more stubborn than your human side.”
I smiled. “He is. He wants to keep you here, to force you to accept that you’re my mate.
Holden shook his head. “I… I can’t—”
I laid a finger against his lips. “Can you stay the night?”
He frowned. “I’ll need to text Roman to let him know I’m all right.”
“Then do that. I’ll have an entire night to show you how good you would have it as my mate.”
Holden wouldn’t meet my eyes. “I can’t just leave my life.”
“Don’t think about that now. I want you to concentrate on enjoying the time you spend with me, not worrying about the future.” Holden’s stomach growled. “And that’s a sign it’s time to shower and find food. I asked Claudia to leave us some things in the kitchen, but if none of it is to your liking, I’ll get you whatever you’d like.”
“You’d have to fly to do that with the roads covered in snow. Like Laszlo said, it’s risky. What if some humans see you?”
I brushed my thumb over his cheek, skimming over his adorable freckles. “For my mate, I’d take any risk.”
5
Holden
Could this really be happening? Could I be a dragon’s mate? I truly could feel his dragon and something else, like a tether holding me to him. The thought of leaving and letting it snap in two made me feel sick. Or… maybe I was just crazy from too much sex. Kymar’s fat cock might have literally fried my brain. Whatever the answer was, I was going to do exactly what Kymar suggested and enjoy the moment.
Everything Claudia had left for us looked delicious, so Kymar fed me an enormous dinner of baked spaghetti, salad, and garlic bread, followed by the best brownies I’d ever had. “Your housekeeper is amazing.”
“She’s quite special. She’s been with me for a long time.”
“I can see why.” I covered my mouth as a huge yawn snuck out of me. Kymar had truly exhausted me.
“Come on.” He held out his hand and stood. “Let’s go watch a movie while our dinner settles.”
I insisted on clearing our dishes and rinsing them first, even though he said Claudia always came in to clean the kitchen after dinner.
Once I was satisfied with how we were leaving the kitchen, Kymar took me to what he referred to as the lounge. There was a big leather couch and a few matching recliners as well as an enormous television and surround sound speakers. But there were also shelves filled with books, some of which looked to be hundreds of years old. “You have quite a collection in here.”
He smiled. “This is only a fraction of the printed treasures in my hoard. I like to have at least some of them near me. For most of my life this was the only entertainment I had, well the only entertainment that didn’t happen in bed.”
I smiled as I looked over my shoulder at him. “It’s so hard to believe you’re a thousand years old.”
“Sometimes I don’t believe it either. I rarely feel a day over five hundred.”
I couldn’t help but laugh. Kymar grabbed me and pulled me into his arms. “Thank you for staying.”
I frowned. It seemed like as a dragon he had everything: wealth, magic, strength, the ability to change into a giant flying beast. But was it possible he was lonely? I knew he was friends, at least to some extent, with Laszlo, but it had to be hard to have human friends. “Other than Laszlo, how many more dragons live near here?”
“There are five of us in a hundred-mile radius. Laszlo and two others I consider friends. None of us associate with the fifth. He’s… difficult.”
“And, like, in the whole country?”
Kymar tilted his head as though thinking. “There are perhaps twenty-five, maybe a few more. It is unusual for dragons to live as close together as my friends and I do. Dragons tend to be rather territorial, so most of the others are more spread out. Most of us also own several houses, some of which are in other countries. When you don’t age as humans do, you have to move around to not incur suspicion.”
“Oh right, I hadn’t thought about that. I suppose people do begin to question when decades pass and you still look the same.” I started thinking of celebrities who never seemed to age. Were any of them dragons?
“People do get suspicious, even more so now that the world has become far more complicated with all the methods of identification humans have developed. It was far easier to make a new life for yourself back when you simply told someone your name, and they accepted it.
“But back then you couldn’t curl up with a man you’d just thoroughly worn out and watch any movie you chose.”
“That’s true.” He smiled and brushed my hair off my forehead. “It’s far easier now to pass the time until a lover has recuperated enough for round two.”
My body heated at the mere suggestion. So much for being too worn out to go again tonight. “I have a feeling you won’t have to wait very long.”
“Good. I’m already growing impatient. Come sit with me.”
We settled on the couch, and Kymar pulled me onto his lap and wrapped a blanket around us. I was more content than I’d been in a long time. Other than Roman, there hadn’t been anyone I could really relax with since I’d been a kid. I’d only just met Kymar, but somehow, I knew I was safe with him. I could lay my head on his shoulder and close my eyes, and he would take care of me.
I’m not sure how long Kymar let me sleep, but eventually he woke me and carried me to bed. We did indulge in round two. It was gentler than the first time, but no less amazing.
I woke up the next morning and was unsure of my surroundings at first. There was a heavy arm over my waist, pinning me down. I had a flutter of panic as I tried to remember who I’d gone home with. When I realized it was Kymar instead of a random stranger, I allowed myself to fall back asleep instead of slipping out of bed and fleeing like I usually did.
I laid my hand over his and snuggled back against him. I couldn’t stay much longer, no matter what Kymar wanted or how much he insisted we were meant to be together. While I loved the idea of being his mate, I couldn’t believe it was really true. Part of me wondered if he just wanted it to be because Laszlo had found Roman. Kymar seemed like he was searching for what they had. I knew better than to long for something like that. Nothing good in my life ever lasted.
I’d been happy as a little kid, doted on by my parents. Sure I’d had frustrations, but they were about minor things like toys I wanted that my parents couldn’t afford
or not being allowed to stay up as late as I wanted to. All my happiness was torn away from me without warning. One day my parents were there, hugging me and kissing me good night as they left me with a babysitter. Then a reckless driver took them from me. In between that horrible night and me reaching adulthood, there had been a few good foster homes, but they didn’t last either. Just when I thought maybe I’d adjusted to something, I was forced to move on.
When I was eighteen, I found an alpha I thought I could love, but after nearly a year together, I discovered he’d never felt like I did. He’d simply found me convenient. Since then, I hadn’t tried to find anything permanent. I hadn’t even looked for something that lasted more than one night. There was no guarantee that one happy day would lead to another one, so when Kymar told me to enjoy the moment, that had worked for me. I’d enjoyed our time, but I couldn’t let myself believe these moments would last. That seductive voice inside me said maybe everything would be different with a dragon, but thinking like that would only lead to my heart getting broken. My poor heart had been put back together so many times, I wasn’t sure it would survive if I let it get shattered again.
So I let myself enjoy this perfect moment in bed with someone I actually liked, someone I could dream about being with if I still believed in happily ever afters. But once Kymar woke, I would have to leave. I would steel myself against his seductive words about being his mate and insist that he take me home.
I must’ve fallen back asleep, because the next time I became aware, the light had changed. It was brighter now, and Kymar was stirring behind me. I felt the insistence of his morning erection pressing into my crack. I wanted to rub myself along it and invite him to take me again or slither deeper into the covers and pull his cock into my mouth. I hadn’t had a chance to find out if I could actually swallow all of him. Talk about a challenge! But if I did either of those things, it would only be that much harder to leave. I pushed the covers off myself and wriggled free of Kymar’s grasp.
“Where are you going?”
“I’m going to shower and dress, and then I need to go home. I promised you a night, but—”
“You can’t leave.”
My pulse sped up. He wouldn’t really force me to stay here, would he? “Kymar, I have to leave.”
He shook his head. “No, I mean you truly can’t. A storm started in the night. It’s nearly white-out conditions out there. It’s even bad down in town. There are road closures everywhere, and right now the snow is too intense even for dragon transport.”
I pulled free of him, needing to see for myself. When I drew back the curtain on one of the bedroom windows, I saw that he was right. Snow was whirling in all directions. I couldn’t even see the cottage where Claudia and her husband lived. I thought of the narrow, winding roads that led up the mountain. There was no way a car could get through in this weather, and if it was like this in town, things would be shut down for days.
I turned back to look at my dragon. “I guess I really am stuck here.” With snow this intense, the clinic would surely be closed for the day, but I would need to call in later to let them know I was stuck up here.
“I promise to make it an enjoyable time for you.”
I realized I was staring at him with my mouth hanging open. The sheet had fallen to just barely cover his cock. I took in the amazing sculpted muscles of his shoulders and arms, his pecs, and the dark hair sprinkled across his chest forming a trail that disappeared beneath the sheet. As I watched, he reached a hand down and began to stroke himself. “I can already think of several ways for us to pass the time.”
My cock swelled as I followed the movement of his hand, and the voice inside that had never wanted me to leave said, yes, this is what you want. Kymar is what you want. It wasn’t like I had a choice. There was no way for me to get home, and I wasn’t dumb enough to think I could stay with Kymar and not sleep with him again. What would I do? Shut myself up in a guestroom with a stack of his antique books? His scent would lure me out even if he left me alone. That was an odd thought. Why did he smell so good? And why could I smell him all the way across the room?
If I was stuck here, I might as well make the best of it and keep thinking of each day as another perfect moment in time. I wouldn’t think about how much harder it was going to be to walk away from Kymar when the storm ended, and I finally had to go home.
I climbed back on the bed and pushed at Kymar’s shoulders until he rolled onto his back. “You got to taste me last night, now it’s my turn.”
“Be my guest.” His eyes darkened and began to shimmer like his scales as I yanked the sheet away and settled between his legs.
“I’m afraid I’ll simply have to use my human tongue on you since I don’t have the capability to transform into anything else.”
He groaned as I licked his shaft from base to tip. “I like human tongues. Yours especially.”
I held his gaze as I teased the slit and then took him into my mouth, wrapping a hand around his base as I let my mouth adjust to his size. I could only take a little of him at first, but I was determined. Eventually I was going to take him all the way down. I loved the feeling of a cock filling my throat, that edgy sensation when an alpha cut off my air and I had to figure out how to handle it without panicking. I’d never had anyone as big as Kymar, but I was sure he could make it even more delicious.
I teased his balls with my free hand while I continued to slide my lips along as much of him as I could take, sucking and using my tongue against his underside. When I worked my tongue right below his cockhead, he gasped and fisted his hands in the sheets, pulling them so hard I thought they would rip.
Seeing him so turned on made me even more determined. I teased him with a light scrape of teeth over his head. He glared at me, and I smiled around his shaft as I took him down until I gagged and had to pull back.
He slid a hand into my hair and tilted my head up to look at him. “Go easy, angel. It’s a lot to take.”
“I told you I like a challenge.” My voice was rough and scratchy from my efforts.
He stroked my cheek. “It’s okay to work up to a challenge and just enjoy the journey.”
“Oh, I am enjoying it. I love having you in my mouth.”
He gripped the sides of my head and guided me where he wanted me. Then he took himself in hand and brushed the tip of his cock across my lips. I licked them, tasting the precum he’d smeared there.
“Suck me, angel, but don’t push yourself too far. We have all day.”
But I wanted all of him right then. I didn’t want to wait. I didn’t want to plan for the future. I wanted to swallow him whole and give him all the pleasure I could. I went back to sucking him. I grew used to his girth, but I still hadn’t succeeded in taking him all when he warned me he couldn’t hold back. He started to pull away, but I pressed his hands to my head and took him as deep as I could. He must have gotten the message that I wanted to swallow his load, because his breath hitched, and one tug on his balls sent him over.
He unloaded into me, and I swallowed again and again, but there was so much that some of his cum spilled from the corners of my mouth. When he was finally finished, I pulled off, giving him one final lick before swiping my tongue around my mouth, cleaning myself up as best I could.
“Come here,” he growled.
I was more than happy to obey. He kissed me fiercely, clearly enjoying the taste of himself on me. When he let me pull back for air, I smiled at him. “Apparently human tongues are good enough.”
He flipped us, and before I figured out his intent, he’d taken my cock down his throat. I was so close to the edge from sucking him off that it seemed to take only seconds before my climax roared through me. Kymar moaned around me as he swallowed it all. We were both panting when he pulled off.
He grinned at me. “That should sustain us long enough to shower and dress.”
“Nothing like a little protein for breakfast.”
Kymar took my hand as I tried to climb out of bed
to go clean up. When I turned to look at him, his expression was more serious than I’d expected. “You’re absolutely delicious, Holden. I’d like to have you for breakfast every day.”
His statement should have been funny. It would have been coming from anyone else, but I had a feeling he was very serious. And the problem was, I wanted that too. The thought of waking up with his arms around me, of being able to touch and taste him, knowing I was with someone who actually cared was so seductive. And that made him dangerous.
“I imagine you’d need a little more substance than that.” I gave a flirtatious wink, pulled my hand away, and then walked toward the bathroom, deliberately flexing my ass muscles, hoping to distract him.
“Holden?”
I froze but didn’t turn around. “Kymar, I can’t.”
“I know that’s what you believe right now, but I hope you’ll change your mind, because what I feel between us is real. You’re my mate, and it won’t be easy for us to be apart.”
I did face him then. “What do you mean it won’t be easy?”
“Fated mates truly can’t stay away from each other for long. Sometimes they become physically ill from the separation.”
No, I wouldn’t let myself believe this. I knew better than to believe someone like Kymar would want to stay with me forever. “I don’t think that’s going to happen to me.”
“Holden—”
“Can we please do what you said yesterday and just enjoy the moment? We’ve been given more time, and I want to spend that with you, but I can’t enjoy it if you keep talking about the future.”
He looked stricken by my words, and I hated that I’d done that to him. I wanted to fall to my knees and beg his forgiveness. Instead I held out my hand. “Join me in the shower?”
He smiled, seeming to banish the disappointment I’d seen before. He took my hand but stayed seated in bed. “Do you need to call into work and let them know you’re stranded?”
“Yes, I better go ahead and do that. I’m sure we’ll be closed, but they’ll still need a few people to go in and look after the animals that are boarding.”
The Snow Dragon's Mate Page 4
