She slowed the pace of her thrusts, rocking gently against him as he collapsed against the bed. She released his hands and eased off of him, before removing the condom and tossing it into the garbage can next to the bed.
“Thanks,” he gasped out as she laid on her side next to him.
He pulled her up against him and she threw one leg over his, resting her head on his chest and listening to the rapid thump of his heart.
“You good?” she asked.
“So good,” he panted, his warm hand stroking her back.
The room was smoky and, a little embarrassed, she tried to wave the smoke away from his face.
“Hold on,” he said. He leaned over and grabbed a small black remote on the bedside table. He pressed a button and the ceiling fan above them whirred to life. The smoke started to dissipate and when goosebumps appeared on Bren’s chest, she quickly pulled the sheet and quilt up to cover them both.
“Sorry about the smoke,” she said.
“It’s not a problem.”
“Yeah, because it’s awesome to have a bedroom that smells like a campfire.”
He kissed her forehead. “I happen to love the smell of a campfire.”
“Thank you for being so understanding.”
“Thank you for not setting me on fire when you orgasmed.”
Her smile turned into a laugh. “You’re welcome.”
They laid in silence for a few minutes. She was wondering if she should be leaving when Bren said, “Can you stay the night with me, or do you need to return to your clan?”
Stay, her dragon growled to her.
“I can stay,” she said.
“Are you sure?” He traced her spine with his fingers. “I understand if you need to be back with your clan.”
She almost said, I need to be with you, before coming to her senses. “No, I want to stay.”
“Good.” He clicked off the light and yawned. “Because I’m dead tired, and I like the idea of falling asleep with you.”
“I like it too,” she said. “Do you have to work in the morning?”
“No, solved the case today because I am the world’s greatest detective.”
“That’s good,” she said with a soft laugh. She snuggled closer. It was nice to be in Bren’s bed, to feel his warm body against hers, and hear his even breathing.
“Bren?”
He didn’t reply and she was a little amused to realize he’d fallen asleep already. She kissed his chest and snuggled closer. “Good night, my mate.”
* * *
He liked waking up with Kaida in his bed.
They’d fallen asleep with the window open and the ceiling fan on and his room was cold. But even with the brisk fall air wafting through the window, he was toasty warm. He pressed a little closer to Kaida’s warm back. There were benefits to having a dragoness in one’s bed.
His morning wood pressed firmly against Kaida’s ass. He kept his eyes closed and traced the pads of his fingers along her shoulder, down her arm, across the curve of her hip, and over her smooth thigh. She sighed softly and moved closer, pushing her ass against his dick.
He opened his eyes. The light spilling into his room suggested it was just after dawn. He kissed between Kaida’s shoulder blades. Her hair was still piled on top of her head and he kissed the back of her neck before cupping her breast.
She made a sleepy sound of need and arched her back, pushing more of her perfect breast into his hand. Last night had been amazing and he didn’t care what Kaida thought, the fact that she blew fucking fire when she climaxed was amazing.
He plucked at her nipple and kissed along the top of her shoulder. He’d spend the rest of his life sleeping in a freezing cold bedroom if it meant waking up with Kaida in his bed.
Whoa, slow down there, buddy. You barely know this woman. Maybe don’t start planning the wedding quite yet, what do you say?
His inner voice was right, but it was hard not to picture a long-term commitment with Kaida. She was smart and funny, and they had crazy chemistry. Why couldn’t they at least date?
Maybe because she’s a damn dragon? A human and a dragon have no future together. Don’t be naïve, Bren. Kaida knows it won’t work, you need to get on the same page.
Did she though? She’d called him her mate on the Wednesday night and nearly lost her shit when the other dragoness touched him. She was possessive of him and he found that possessiveness extremely hot.
Still doesn’t mean you have a future with her.
He shut his inner voice out and concentrated on Kaida’s smooth skin. She was rocking her ass against his dick and the sleepy sounds had become low moans. When he slipped his hand between her legs and cupped her pussy, he found her hot and soaking wet.
“Bren,” she moaned.
“Good morning, Kaida.” He nipped at the back of her shoulder. “How did you sleep?”
“Good,” she panted as he rubbed at her clit. “Really good.”
He pushed one finger into her, loving the way her smooth pussy gripped and squeezed. “You’re very wet already.”
“Fuck me,” she demanded.
Her chest was starting to glow, and his dick hardened even more. He kissed her neck and whispered in her ear. “Stay right there, honey.”
She moaned in disappointment when he slid his finger out of her pussy. He turned and fumbled another condom out of the bedside table, ripping open the foil and sliding it down his dick before rolling back to face her.
She was rubbing her clit and her chest was glowing bright red. He cupped her breast – the heat radiating from her was enormous – and pinched her nipple. She cried out and the tips of his fingers tingled from the heat when the red in her chest deepened.
He pushed her hand away from her clit and replaced it with his own. The heat intensified until his eyes were watering and the air around them grew stifling hot.
“Cool yourself down, honey,” he said, stilling his fingers against her clit.
“Bren, fuck me,” she moaned.
“I will, as soon as you cool down,” he said.
She rubbed her ass against his cock, and he muttered a curse. His dick didn’t care how hot she was, it wanted to be inside of her.
“Kaida,” he said.
She drew in a deep breath and he watched in fascination as fire exploded out of her mouth. Her aim was a little off and he could see the singe marks on the windowsill as she craned her head to stare at him. “You will fuck me now, human, or I’ll take what I want.”
He loved it when she turned demanding. She’d said she liked control in the bedroom and if it meant getting to bury himself deep inside of her tight pussy on a regular basis, he’d happily let her take the damn reins.
He raised her leg, running his hand down her smooth thigh before sliding down a little and lining his cock up with her entrance. She pushed back immediately, sheathing him almost fully, and they made identical groans of pleasure.
He squeezed her thigh and pushed in close, loving the way she gripped him so tightly right to the very base. “Fuck, you feel so good around my dick.”
She moaned and pushed back, meeting each of his shallow thrusts. “Bren, harder.”
He gripped her hip and pumped hard in and out of her. She cried out, panting loudly and reaching back to grab his ass as she stared up at the ceiling. He rubbed her clit before pinching it between his fingers.
She made another short cry, a small puff of flame escaping her mouth. “I’m sorry,” she gasped.
He fucked her harder in response, burying his aching dick in her hot wetness over and over as she moaned his name. He pinched her clit again and her pussy clamped down on his dick as she climaxed. Her chest glowed dimly, and smoke drifted from her open mouth and nostrils as she squeezed around him repeatedly.
The base of his spine tingled, and his balls drew up tight. Moaning her name, he pushed in deep, letting the pleasure wash over him as he pumped in and out of her tight pussy. His limbs shaking, he collapsed on top of her. She to
ok his weight well, one warm hand rubbing his thigh as he kissed between her shoulder blades.
When he’d gotten his breath back, he moved back, easing out of her and disposing of the condom before lying on his side. She rolled to face him, and he pulled her in close, their legs entwined as she stared sleepily at him. “What time is it?”
“Early. Do you want breakfast, or do you want to sleep some more?”
She pressed a kiss against his mouth, the soft scent of smoke surrounding them both. “Sleep.”
“Good,” he said. “Because I’m gonna need at least half an hour before I can walk.”
She laughed and snuggled in close. “Am I too warm?”
“Nope, you’re perfect.”
“You too,” she mumbled as her eyes drifted shut. He stared at her face for a few minutes, tracing small circles on her back before closing his eyes.
Chapter Twenty
When he woke a second time, the bed was empty next to him. He sat up, the weird bubble of panic in his chest deflating when he saw Kaida’s suitcase sitting open on the floor. He climbed out of the bed and headed to the master bathroom.
Once he was done, he brushed his teeth, pulled on a pair of sweats and a t-shirt, and checked his phone for texts before opening the bedroom door.
“Shit!” He grabbed at his chest and glared at the large black crow standing in front of his bedroom door and staring at him. “Dammit, Lilianna.”
The crow cawed loudly before turning and strutting down the hallway toward the kitchen.
“You know you have wings, right?” Bren said as he followed the bird. “You could just fly.”
He walked into the kitchen. Elora and Kaida were sitting at the table together, half-eaten muffins and cups of coffee in front of them.
“Tell me your grandmother didn’t make those muffins.” Bren grabbed a mug from the cupboard, poured himself a cup of coffee and joined them at table, sinking into the chair next to Kaida.
“Ha, ha,” Elora said. “Helen didn’t make them, I did.”
“Perfect.” He grabbed one from the container and bit into it. He was starving and he shoved another bite into his mouth before sipping at the coffee.
“Anyway,” Elora turned back to Kaida, “before Mr. Worst Bedhead Ever interrupted us, I was saying that I couldn’t imagine having to hide my true nature all the time.”
“Honestly? It’s weirder now, realizing that I don’t have to hide who I am,” Kaida said.
“I suppose,” Elora said as Lilianna flew up to her lap and landed on her thigh. She handed the crow a piece of muffin and stared thoughtfully at Kaida. “How often do you change into your dragon form?”
“Once or twice a week,” Kaida said. “We have designated times during the night when we can shift and fly for a bit.”
“How awesome is it to fly during daylight?” Elora asked.
“We haven’t yet. The council believes it’s best to continue to keep a low profile for now and with the number of reporters and humans milling about our home…” Kaida smiled at Bren. “Thank you for sending the police to keep the crowds back. It made a huge difference.”
“You’re welcome. Is Bishop’s firm taking over on Monday?”
“Yes.”
Bren took another sip of coffee. Elora was staring at him and he almost spit out the coffee when she said, “So, you two are dating now, huh?”
There was a moment of perfect silence.
“Yes,” Bren said.
“No,” Kaida said.
“We’re not?” Bren could hear the hurt in his voice and grimaced inwardly. He thought they’d had a great time last night and he was anxious to get to know her better. But if Kaida didn’t want to date him, he wasn’t going to beg.
Probably for the best anyway. Once your father finds out you’re dating her, the shit will hit the fan.
Like I care what my father thinks.
“Well, this is awkward,” Elora said.
Kaida glanced at Bren. “I like the human, very much, but we can’t date. I can’t leave the clan without being followed by reporters and if Bren’s father saw him with me...”
“I don’t care about that,” Bren said.
“I do,” Kaida replied. “Dating the son of a man who holds great power and hates shifters isn’t keeping a low profile. What do you think he’d do if he discovered we were dating, Bren?”
He didn’t want to admit it.
“He’d lose his mind,” he said.
“Exactly,” Kaida said. “To be honest, my clan would not be happy about it either. They don’t trust humans and probably never will.”
“Dating Bren could show them that humans can be trusted,” Elora said. “He’s the most loyal, trustworthy person I know. Once they get to know him, they’ll see it too.”
He appreciated that Elora had his back, but he didn’t think it was going to make a difference.
“You’re a good man, Bren Matthews, and I wish things were different,” Kaida reached out and took his hand, “but the timing is terrible. Yes, humans and shifters know about dragons, but that makes it worse. Perhaps when we are no longer a novelty and the human’s fascination with us has worn off, we could try dating?”
The hopeful look she gave him made his chest tight. He squeezed her hand. “I’d like that.”
Kaida smiled with happiness. Bren wanted to be happy too, but he had a feeling it would be months before he and Kaida could be together. The thought sent depression swirling through his guts.
“That could take forever,” Elora echoed the thought in his head. “Your problem is finding a way for Kaida to sneak out so she can see you, right?”
“That’s one of the problems,” Bren said.
Elora nodded impatiently. “Yes, yes, your idiot father and the obsessed humans and the clan who will never trust you… but, look, you guys don’t even know if you want anything serious yet, yeah? I mean, you literally just got together last night, right?”
Bren glanced at Kaida, a little amused to see the blush that graced her cheeks. “Right.”
“Okay, well let’s forget about what your father might do if he found out you were dating, or how obsessed the rest of the world would be with your sex life if they knew a dragon and a human were boning. Until you guys know you want to get married and have tiny little dragon human hybrid babies together -”
“Our hatchlings would be dragon or human,” Kaida said. “There is no such thing as a hybrid.”
Bren stared at her. Did she want to have his babies?
Kaida cleared her throat and ignored the look he was giving her. “Go on, little witch.”
“Until you know it’s serious between you, there’s no point in worrying about the other two problems,” Elora said. “We need to concentrate on the problem of Kaida leaving her clan without being followed by the reporters. We could wait until they finally decided to leave on their own, but I have a feeling that’ll be at least a month. Dragons existing is the juiciest story to hit the world in years. So, we come up with a way for Kaida to leave the clan without being seen.”
“How?” Bren said. “The reporters are all over the woods surrounding her home.”
Elora grinned at him before holding out her hand and muttering a few incantations under her breath. A blue ball of light formed at her fingertips and then rose in the air, hovering above her fingers for a few seconds before it burst into a shower of glittery light.
“With magic.”
* * *
Lilliana cawed softly from her perch on Elora’s thigh. Her beady black eyes studied the glowing bits of light as they slowly faded.
“Magic,” Kaida said.
“Yes.” Elora stared excitedly at her. “I’ll make you an invisibility potion.”
“You can do that?” Kaida asked. Her admiration of the little witch was rising by the minute.
“Sure can,” Elora said. “It’s actually ridiculously easy. I’ll make it binding to only you so that if someone else stumbles onto the potion and drinks
it, it won’t do anything. But that means I’ll need a bit of your hair and a scale from your dragon.”
“Why’s that?” Kaida asked.
“I need something from your human form and something from your dragon form in order to make the invisibility potion work for both.” Elora clapped her hands together, making Lillianna caw in annoyance before flying off her thigh and out of the kitchen. “Oh, this is going to be so much fun. I haven’t made an invisibility potion in ages. Bren, where are your scissors?”
“Are you forgetting something?” Bren said.
“What?” Elora smiled innocently at him.
“The use of invisibility potions is strictly regulated by the WWC. You have to first submit your request in writing to the council with your reasons for creating the potion. I’m pretty sure they won’t believe ‘so Kaida and I can date’ is a valid reason to create the potion. It’ll be denied, Elora.”
“God, sometimes I hate that you’re a cop and know all the rules,” Elora said.
The hope that was growing in Kaida’s belly disappeared. She’d woken this morning to find her dragon more content than it had been in years. Just seeing Bren in the bed next to her made her dragon purr and – she had to admit – it made her happy too. She wasn’t even feeling the pull for her clan yet and she was certain she could spend another night with him before needing to return to her clan.
“It’s my job,” Bren said. “I appreciate you wanting to help, Elora, but you could be labeled a dark witch if they caught you.”
“Oh please,” Elora said. “They’re not going to label me a dark witch for this. At most, I’d be reprimanded and have to pay a fine. Besides, do you have any idea how many witches and warlocks break the rules every day when it comes to potion and spells, Bren? The WWC barely cares when someone like me breaks one tiny little rule. Just last week, my friend Janelle created a barrier spell that stopped her neighbour’s dog from pooping in her yard. Her neighbour reported her to the WWC, and they didn’t even send anyone to speak to her. They just sent her a form letter that referenced the rules about barrier spells.”
The Dragon's Mate (Shifters Series Book 7) Page 24
