Tristan lowered a finger between them, finding her small nub, and glided his index finger up against her.
And Kelsie came.
Immediately, Tristan wrapped both arms around her, holding Kelsie so she didn’t lose her balance while she orgasmed.
“Tristan…”
His name was on her lips over and over, said in staccato syllables that rang off the walls, sounding like several Kelsies saying the same word at once.
But one Kelsie was all he needed.
Overwhelming pleasure coursed through her expression, heavy drops of water dripping off the curls of her hair as he held her. And as the last pulses wrenched through her, she slowly opened her eyes to look up at him, seeming so lost for a moment before gradually getting her bearings.
“I guess I should have known you were different from the start,” Kelsie whispered, barely audible over the shower.
“How so?”
“After our first time in bed. Maybe even after that first kiss. There was always something magical about it.”
Yes, there had been.
But she didn’t know about mates yet. Didn’t know dragons often only had one person, their only person.
When fate and love aligned, that pretty much was magic in a nutshell as Tristan saw it.
For now, though, the whole “mate” thing would have to wait.
He didn’t know if it was possible for him.
“I agree,” he said. For a moment, he eyed the removable showerhead to his right, tempted to make her come again, right there.
But between the fire in Kelsie’s eyes, his throbbing cock that wanted to fill her and make her scream his name, and the fact that he didn’t want his little human overheating, Tristan opted to move things back to the bedroom.
That and all he could hear from Kelsie’s thoughts right now was along the lines of wanting more of what they’d done last night.
Absolutely.
He reached over and pressed a button, and all the water turned off. Steam still swirled around them in thick waves, though, and Tristan helped Kelsie out of the shower, wrapping a towel around her and picking her up before striding out of the now-warm bathroom and into his room.
“My thoughts exactly,” Kelsie exclaimed, a mischievous grin on her face.
“I know,” he growled, and the way Kelsie blushed at him seared his soul.
After having not listened to humans’ thoughts for so interminably long, he suddenly couldn’t get enough of wanting to know everything that was on Kelsie’s mind at all times.
But especially right now.
He plopped her on the bed, making her giggle as he pulled away the towel around her, baring Kelsie to him completely. Her face and hair were still glistening with dampness, cheeks reddened from the warmth.
Unable to resist wanting every bit of her pleasure, Tristan reached down, exploring her folds with his fingers. Her clit begged for his touch, and he stroked over it, watching her writhe in pleasure for a moment before sliding a finger inside her, his entire body buzzing with anticipation.
He instinctively licked his lips as if he could taste her with his fingertips right now.
Fuck, she was hot.
Tristan slowly removed his hand, then positioned himself at her entrance. For a second, he teased her with the tip of his dick, feeling her heat radiate against him while he drew out the moment.
Then, with all the control he could muster, he thrust into Kelsie slowly, their bodies enmeshing as her pussy clenched around his shaft.
Once he was all the way in, Kelsie let out a long sigh, opening her eyes again and running her hands over his chest.
“Damn, you are nice to look at,” she exclaimed, irises sparkling as they soaked in the rays of evening sunlight pouring through the windows, coloring everything in orange and red and yellow.
“I feel the same about you,” he said. Then he leaned down to kiss her, slipping his tongue inside.
He pulled his hips back, withdrawing from her warm entrance, and she gasped, then moaned against his lips when he thrust back in.
Damn, it took everything he had to not want to mate her right now.
He supposed having his dragon so near only intensified that feeling.
“Faster,” Kelsie said, pulling back from his kiss for a moment to speak audibly.
This time when Tristan slid out, he didn’t come all the way, meeting her again hip to hip in faster succession, moving into a rhythm that pressed their bodies together with slick thrusts.
Kelsie’s lips parted, perhaps to exclaim something, but her eyes rolled back in pleasure as his shoulders arched forward, body more taut with each motion. The room was silent except for harsh intakes of air and the sound of wet skin on wet skin.
She was so close to the edge now. They were both so close to the edge. Tristan’s entire body felt surrounded in dragon fire.
As he pushed in again and again, Kelsie’s breasts bobbed. Her legs, which had wrapped around the small of his back, tightened more. Her teeth, biting down on her lower lips, pressed harder into the skin there, so close it could break the skin.
Immediately, Tristan lowered his head, taking her mouth in his, wanting to keep her from hurting herself accidentally even as the sensation was so great he didn’t know how much longer either of them could last. She clenched around him, and he could sense her being on the edge of everything they’d been building up to.
With one final thrust and Tristan going deeper than ever before, Kelsie fell over into an orgasm so strong that he kicked right over the edge with her.
Kelsie screamed out in pleasure, a primal, sensual sound without words as her hands dug into the sheets at her sides. In the same moment, Tristan’s entire throat tightened, and he was barely able to utter her name as his muscles clenched and his cock jerked inside her.
And just as his release seemed to stoke Kelsie’s even longer and further than he’d expected, her coming around and beneath him only made Tristan lose himself deeper within the experience.
It felt like forever before the shocks of pleasure going up his spine abated. Kelsie came a little longer before finally relaxing against the bed.
“That was…” Tristan’s head was foggy from so much pleasure. From seeing Kelsie pleasured so fully.
“Everything,” she exclaimed, and her palm was on his cheek now, grounding him in the moment.
“Yes. That.” His chest was still tight, but everything was calming down now. He slowly slipped out of Kelsie, then pulled the covers around them just as the sun began to fall in the sky.
She didn’t protest as he pulled her into him, curling around her possessively like a dragon defending its hoard. She sighed and pressed her body even closer to him, and the red beast inside him growled again.
“Mine.” His own voice was so quiet on his ears that Tristan wasn’t sure Kelsie even heard what he’d said.
But he couldn’t take it back. He didn’t want to. She was his. And he’d make sure that whatever happened at the end of this, Kelsie would be safe from everything for as long as she lived.
Against all odds, Tristan had found his mate.
Chapter 17
The next morning, Kelsie actually woke up before Tristan and decided she should make him breakfast for once instead.
She showered quickly, put on jeans and a loose red tee, and went out to the kitchen to try and find something to make for him.
When she reached the kitchen, she was surprised to see Xander there, looking like he’d just gotten in.
He shrugged out of his leather jacket, tossing it on the nearby table, and she heard rustling as he opened a box of cereal and poured out a bowl, spilling some on the counter.
When he sat down on a barstool, he let out a weary sigh, staring at the cereal as if he’d forgotten something.
He stood with a groan, walked to the fridge, and pulled it open, scowling as he stared inside.
Not wanting to interrupt him, but not knowing how to gracefully walk back to the room, Kelsi
e cleared her throat, drawing his attention.
He blinked as he looked up at her, and his bright-blue eyes were bloodshot with lines beneath them in rows. It didn’t make him any less handsome. His face was similar to Tristan’s, but the lines were in different places due to his expressions.
His longer hair was a bit limp, pushed messily off his forehead with a black bandana.
He glared at her for a moment. Then his lips drew into a tired smile, and he folded his arms over the white band tee shirt he was wearing. “Well, if it isn’t the little tiger who’s stealing my brother.”
She flushed. “Not stealing him, I just—”
“I’m teasing you,” he said, rummaging in the fridge again. He raised his head. “Speaking of which, where’s Tristan? Shouldn’t he be barging in angrily right now?”
She laughed. “He’s resting.”
Xander’s eyes sparkled. “You must have tired him out.” He waved a hand. “I’m not trying to be gross. I just mean that he’s usually bored as hell. We both are. There aren’t enough ways to expend energy in this place. Though, we do have a gym and a basketball court.”
She cocked her head. “I don’t think we do anything that exerting.”
Xander grabbed a bottle of something from a nearby shelf and brought it over with him to the counter. “Living is exerting. Finally allowing himself to love someone other than me, that takes energy.” He shrugged. “I mean, I’m just guessing. It’s only been Tristan and me for so long.”
“Do you resent me?” She was almost afraid to hear the answer.
Xander studied her for a while, then shook his head. “Of course not. You make him happy. I do worry, though. About the future.”
She pressed her lips together. “Because he’s a dragon.”
Xander almost dropped the bottle he was holding. It was full of a dark honey-colored liquid. “What? How on earth did you know that?”
“He didn’t tell you?” She frowned. She’d thought Tristan would tell his brother, but then again, they’d been so busy doing things in the bedroom, talking through the night, watching movies… it hadn’t really come up.
It felt like they were living like teenagers sometimes, caught up in their first relationship.
“That’s what I’m worried about,” Xander said. “If you know we’re dragons, then you already know we can read minds. Anyway, Tristan is so innocent sometimes. I worry he’s not thinking this out.”
He uncapped the bottle and poured it over his cereal, leaving her waiting for more information. As the cereal hissed and sputtered, the acrid scent of alcohol filled the air.
Kelsie wrinkled her nose, staring at the wet, crunchy abomination. “Oh God, why—”
“Put bourbon on my cereal?” Xander asked, looking smug at her discomfort. “We’re out of milk.”
“Right, ‘cause that’s healthy.”
Xander raised an eyebrow. “Dragons don’t get drunk. Not easily. Besides, it’s wet, and I like the taste.” He scooped up a spoonful and crunched it smugly. “Mmm. Delicious and burny.”
She laughed. “You’re incorrigible.”
“Yup,” he said, grinning. “Anyway, what I was saying. I tease Tristan for being a worrywart, but there’s a reason we stay in the shadows. And if you’re going to be in our lives, you should know about it. Because you might end up moving a lot.”
“Yeah,” she said, taking a seat at the counter. “Tristan told me people were looking for him. That they force you to move.”
Xander nodded. “Well, we force ourselves to move due to fear of discovery. As long as we’re nothing more than a rumor, we’re safe.”
“But how could anyone not want you guys around? You’re awesome.”
Xander stared at her, and if she wasn’t mistaken, his cheeks were slightly flushed. Then again, maybe that was the bourbon. “I can see why Tristan likes you. Why you’re the first person to pull him out of his shell. But I have to say it’s a bit dangerous.”
“Why?”
Xander sighed. “What did he tell you so far?”
“I mean, not a lot. I was busier trying to make sure he knew I accepted him than trying to ask more questions.”
Xander cocked his head, sending a blond lock free from his headband to fall rakishly over his forehead. “But not just because he’s rich and handsome?”
She laughed. “No. Definitely not. I like that he wears fake beards. I like that he loves art. I love that he threw groceries at a guy to save innocent people. I like that he hasn’t given up, even after so many years of hiding in the dark.”
Xander was silent a long time, his spoon hovering over his cereal as he stared solemnly ahead. Then he set down his spoon. “Then you really do love him?”
She nodded.
He sighed. “You might as well know the truth. About what we are I mean.” He took a deep breath. “Where do I even start?”
“At the beginning. Though, I know you and Xander were left by your parents.”
Xander blew out a breath, pain flashing across his expression. “Yes. But did he tell you why?”
“Because you were twins?”
“No.” Xander pushed away his cereal. “Dragons like us are born in groups of six. Purple, gold, blue, black, silver, and red. When we’re of age, we meet and choose partnerships. Dragon blood is rare and in demand, so we watch each other’s backs and share mates.”
“Share?”
Xander’s smirk widened. “Both men wholly love one woman. It wouldn’t work for everyone, but it’s worked for our kinds of dragons for hundreds of years.”
“So what happens with twins, then?”
“Our parents said we were an abomination. They didn’t want anyone to know. So when we got old enough to start showing our powers, they decided to run away and leave us. No two red dragons should ever be born together at one time.”
“But couldn’t you still pair up?”
“Dragons of our type have very specific powers that complement each other. Not to mention, the red dragon is almost always the least valuable. Picked last. They’re always strong and tend to pair with the intellectual silver dragons.”
“Tristan is an intellectual,” she said.
Xander shot her a side glance. “You haven’t seen him in the gym.”
She smiled. “That makes sense. But I still don’t understand what’s so wrong with you.”
“We’ve never been part of the dragon world. Never been in an official pair. Never been allowed to police a territory and protect humans and other shifters. We’ve been found a couple times. They’ve threatened to turn us in to some crazy lady called the oracle, who apparently tells all the dragons what to do. But given that our parents were so scared of her they abandoned us, we’re pretty sure she’s not someone we want to meet.”
“What would she do?”
Xander shook his head. “I don’t know. But Tristan and I knew it was safest alone. Any double dragon that has met us has been weirded out by us. They’ve accused us of being experiments, of not really being dragons, of invading their territory to steal dragon hearts… Let’s just say it’s never gone well.”
“It makes sense,” she said, feeling a deep ache in her heart as she thought about how lost they must have felt. How hurt Tristan must have been to be abandoned by those who should love him for something that wasn’t his fault.
And then for the world to keep reinforcing that, threatening him and making him run away.
“Everyone deserves a place in the world,” she murmured. “That’s what I’ve been trying to tell Tristan.”
“But is that possible?” Xander asked. “I mean, as far as I’m concerned, we’re going to get discovered at some point. I’m tired of sitting in the dark.”
“What about mating?” She fidgeted with her thumbnail.
“What about it?”
“Are dragons like you and Tristan allowed to mate?”
Xander took in a deep breath. “Well, technically, we’d normally be in a pair with another dragon a
nd find a dragon-hearted mate together.”
“Dragon heart?”
“An extra brave human. Dragons want to mate with them because they get one of the six powers when they mate.”
“But what about when it’s just one dragon?”
Xander raised a broad shoulder. “I don’t know.” He looked guiltily down at the cereal. “I’ve always felt like I held Tristan back. If I hadn’t been born…”
“Don’t say that,” she said, setting a hand on his arm in a way that was only friendly. “Tristan loves you. He wouldn’t change things or wish he’d been born a different dragon.”
“He might now that he’s met you.”
She snorted. “Tristan would not want to share, even if he had a normal partner and met me. Have you seen him?”
Xander laughed. “That’s true. Sharing isn’t his forte.”
“Maybe you two are special. Maybe you’re a different kind of dragon.”
“No, our powers line up with theirs.”
She frowned, wrinkling her forehead. “No, I mean maybe the rules are changing. I don’t know anything about this, but Tristan and me meeting, both the first and second time, it was like fate.” She straightened. “I just feel like we’re meant to be together, dragon rules or not.”
“Then get ready to move around a lot,” Xander said, a warm grin on his handsome face. “And welcome to the family. We have to hide and lie a lot, but we do have a home gym, so that’s something.” He held up the bottle of bourbon and took a swig of it, then handed it over to her.
She grimaced and pushed it away playfully but then shook his hand as he held it out.
“Well, this looks cozy.” A deep voice interrupted.
Both of them looked up to see Tristan entering the room, dressed only in a white undershirt, pajama pants, and bathrobe, hands in his pockets, glare narrowed on Xander.
Xander’s eyes roamed up and down Tristan and took on a teasing glint. “Oh, going for a sexy look today, brother? Thinking about an incestuous triad after all?”
Tristan’s eyes grew hot and furious, and Kelsie pushed herself off her stool just in time to get in front of him, stopping him by wrapping her arms around his waist. “It’s okay. Xander was just explaining things to me. About the double dragons.”
Dragon Next Door: Forgotten Dragons Book 1 Page 11
