Dax set out with the sunrise to explore the eastern ridge of the island, where Jane said the lava might be found, and where he hoped to find her. After an hour of hiking, his hunch was confirmed.
The sky above, a mix of clouds and smoke, blocked out most of the sharp rays of early morning light, but in places where the sun peeked through, bright shafts highlighted the ground, and there he saw her. That shiny suit she wore reflected the sunlight and made her sparkle like the diamond she was.
She shouted over to him, “I was hoping I’d see you today. How’d you find me?”
“I had a feeling wherever the lava would be, so would you.” Dax greeted her with a wave, and picked up the pace as he approached.
She smiled up at him, lighting her eyes with a warmth that went beyond joy. This was her passion. Her inner fire might not burn as his did, but it filled her with a drive to know and to understand the place she inhabited.
So like a dragon. If only she were.
“So what can you tell me about the mountain today?” she quizzed him.
Dax remembered the drake from the previous night. His laughter. His excitement. And the reason for it all. “That it will erupt very soon, and this island is at great risk.”
“It’s too early for the dramatic doom and gloom voice. Maybe try and save that for later.” Jane shrugged off his warning. “This volcano system has been erupting for the better part of the last twenty years.”
Her attitude surprised him more than her words. She was a scientist; she studied. The facts were there, and yet she remained flippant about the danger. “Really? Then why is she so mad?”
“She?”
“Mother Nature,” Dax responded.
“Right.”
He thought about it for a moment on her relative calm and tried to better understand. “You’ve had constant lava flow?”
“Pretty regular, yeah.” Jane had her little handheld device again; it stole her eyes while she tapped on the screen but continued to speak. “The volcano system is the tourist attraction of the Big Island.”
“That is strange, then. Both the fact that humans… people… flock to it, and that it would become so violent after so many years of constant release.”
“Exactly. Totally regular. Then a few weeks ago, the flow stopped.” Jane pocketed her device and knelt down to a bag at her feet.
“Pressure builds,” he mused quietly, trying to make sense of the puzzle. “Pressure needs a reason to build.”
She heard him and responded. “Yeah… Kaboom.”
“Is that a word?” Dax laughed.
“You’re so funny. Half the time you seem to understand, and then you say stuff like that. Where are you from?”
“If I told you, I’d have to kill you,” Dax joked.
“I thought you were done pretending to be a secret agent.” Jane pulled out another strange device from her bag.
Humans have a gadget for everything. Dax chuckled to himself before responding, “You said I was pretending.”
“Badly!” She playfully tapped him on the arm.
“Can’t be good at everything, I guess.”
The earth rumbled violently underfoot, and Jane lost balance. Dax caught her. That momentary connection sent his heart pounding. She was so soft, so small in his arms. The scent of her perfume caught his attention – sweet with hints of citrus, reminding him of the flowers back home on his island.
She looked up and giggled nervously. “Good catch.” Her eyes lingered on his, gorgeous green irises with flecks of gold like buried treasure. For a human, she was so dragon-like it was uncanny. Even her face had a dusting of speckled marks, like the ghost of dragon scales.
Instinct, intuition, desire… He couldn’t put a name to the reason he bent his head and captured her lips, but that moment seared his insides with a heat he had never felt before.
She pulled away from him, severing their connection suddenly. “Damn, you’re hot. Wait... That didn’t come out right.”
Dax took a breath and turned away as he blew out a wisp of smoke and tried to let his heart settle. Beneath his skin, his blood ran like fire through his veins.
“You okay?” Jane asked, concerned.
“I shouldn’t have done that. I’m so sorry.”
“No. It’s okay. Really.” She put a hand on his shoulder and immediately pulled away. “But you feel like you’ve got a fever. We need to get you checked out.”
Dax turned to face her. “I always run hot. I’m fine. Just a little embarrassed.”
“Don’t be. Can I tell you a secret?”
“Sure.”
“Tit for tat?” she asked.
“What does that mean?”
“Means I tell you something and you tell me something in return.”
“Tricky little human.” Dax laughed before realizing he’d said the h word again.
“I think you’re kind of cute. In that awkward, not sure if you’re foreign or just screwing with me kind of way.” Jane bit her lip, and though it appeared she was nervous, it made her look all that much more adorable.
“You’re an enigma that makes me want to spend every waking moment figuring you out,” Dax responded.
She paused for a moment, and then her cheeks reddened as if fire had ignited just below the surface of her skin.
“I mean it. I’ve never met anyone like you. Our time together is precious,” Dax said.
It was her turn to look away.
“Have I said something wrong?”
“You flatter me,” Jane said. “You have to understand – most of the time I’m wearing my proximity suit, sweating bullets, or tied to my computer. I don’t get out much, so I can’t even remember the last time a guy complimented me so poetically.”
“Not even Trevor?” Dax asked, and the moment he did he regretted bringing up the other man.
“He’s a guy.” She shrugged. “He’s nice when he wants something.”
“But you’re female.” Dax was rendered momentarily speechless. By the sheer fact of her gender, she should have been treated with respect. Males earned the love of a woman; that was a prize beyond all others, something worked at through actions and displays of devotion. Complimenting ranked somewhere down with a morning greeting. Jane deserved so much better than that.
“You wouldn’t know I was female by the way I dress most days,” Jane laughed nervously.
“Trust me – it’s quite clear. And Trevor should treat you better than that.”
“Trevor doesn’t have me.” She shrugged. “We just hang out every now and again.”
“Even to have the honor of hanging out, as you put it. He should recognize how special that time is and ensure you feel it, too.”
Her face reddened once more, and he worried she might tear a hole into her lower lip if she bit down on it any harder.
The earth rumbling below their feet provided the perfect distraction from the awkwardness of their conversation.
Jane dropped to her feet and reached for her backpack again. “I’m seeing strange patterns to the quakes and the lava flowing through these veins.” She pulled out a hand-drawn map. “We’ve been studying the regular runoff to the sea for the last year. These tubes were active all the way up to last month. Now I’m seeing breakthrough from points here and here, but the tubes are dry at the sea wall.”
Back to business. She seemed more in her element when talking about the volcano, and Dax welcomed the change in topic. Being so close to her had stirred strange feelings within him, uncomfortable and raw. The longer he let his eyes linger on her, the more intense they became – a flame that if given a name would have to be lust. But even that cheapened the warmth that rose straight up to his chest as he looked at her. He’d never felt this way before. He’d never wanted to commit to a mate back on his island. He’d enjoyed the bachelor life. But Jane awoke primal desires that he shouldn’t feel, especially for a human.
“Something has blocked the tubes?” Dax asked.
“But what? They were free flowing. What could have stopped them so suddenly?”
“A cave in, perhaps,” Dax offered.
“We should see a sinkhole then. But there’s still a crust of earth over the tube.”
“Whatever happened, it’s showing up in other tubes as well. As if someone had gone through and put a stopper in all the lava flow, causing a backup.”
Dax remembered seeing the drake the night before. His people practiced techniques like that when they built their temples inside active volcanoes. But rather than block flow, they worked to divert naturally and create more than adequate drainage channels away from the places they wished to remain long-lasting.
“One thing is clear,” Dax said. “The volcano will erupt soon with a force that you haven’t seen before. And people need to be warned to stay away or leave the island.”
“I think you’re right about the eruption. But we’re used to volcanoes around here. We know how to deal with them.”
“I don’t think you’re listening…”
“Have a look at that.” Jane cut him off turning toward the horizon. A new plume of smoke burst upward. “Looks like new vents are popping up. That crater has been dormant for years.”
“Mother nature always finds a way,” Dax warned.
“That she does,” Jane said in awe, as she watched the cloud rise higher into the air.
Dax caught sight of something else flying in the sky. At first he thought it was the drake he’d seen the night before, but on second glance it was a machine. “Should that airforce-one be flying so close?” he asked.
“Air force what?” Jane giggled. “You mean the plane?”
“Is that what it’s called?” Dax’s cheeks reddened.
“One of these days, you’ll have to tell me where you’re from.”
“One day.” Dax winked. “But then I would have to kill you, right?”
“You stick to that secret agent story.”
“I will. But I’m concerned for that… plane. Is it not too close?”
Jane pulled out her device and tapped again on the screen. “I’m sending a message to our contact at the airport. ATC will need to divert to the other side of the island to be safe. See. We can deal with volcanoes. No problem.”
“I do wish you’d listen.”
“One sec.” She turned around to finish her message.
Dax watched the smoke and the craters, wondering what was going on deep in Mother Nature’s belly. If his suspicion was right, Jane could not possibly be prepared for the true eruption.
Jane turned back to face Dax. “Trevor needs me back at the lab. Can I meet up with you again later? Maybe we can do dinner?”
He hadn’t thought of food up to that point, but now that she’d mentioned it, he would really enjoy eating something. Perhaps not human food, but time apart would give him a chance to hunt up a little meat in the meantime. “Sure. How about I meet you at your lab at sunset?”
“Perfect.” She reached out and gave his bicep a little squeeze. “Looking forward to it, secret agent man.”
“Do me a favor. Stay in the lab today.” Dax gave her a parting warning as she walked away.
Jane waved rather than respond.
***
He caught sight of wings in cloud of smoke rising above the crater. Dax might have backed away the night before, but now, understanding the destruction that would be caused, he had to go and speak reason.
Looking around to ensure he was alone and out of sight, Dax pulled his clothing off and called his true form to the surface.
Rising like a well-fueled flame, his wings erupted outward. He stretched them wide as his body reshaped and armored scales hardened over the soft flesh of his human form. The transition brought out a groan of relief as he fell forward on his front claws. He shook away the remaining quakes in his joints and took to the sky, heading for the recently erupting crater.
Sulfur’s stench emanated from the thick cloud. Dax let it fill his nostrils, a reminder of home during the active season. Home seemed so far away at that moment. He’d only been gone a couple of days, but in that time he’d seen so much, it felt as if he had entered into an entirely different dimension.
Beating of large wings near him reminded Dax of his course. He angled himself and fell into a circular coasting pattern just inside the massive plume.
“I didn’t expect to see another dragonkin here,” Dax offered in as friendly a voice as he could muster.
“No dragons are my kin,” a deep voice responded.
Definitely familiar. He’d heard that arrogant tone elsewhere, but he couldn’t place it. Dax searched his memories for a clue to the voice’s owner.
“All dragons are kin in some fashion.” Dax chuckled to himself. “Though some don’t want to admit it.” He tried to bring back the image he’d seen the previous night. Not a wyvern; too large. Not a hydra; he’d have no business in a volcano. He was like Dax. But as far as he knew, there were no other drake settlements left in the world. The Elders spoke of the time of blood and fire, when savage men drove them away. Might of numbers versus greatness of strength. Numbers always won in the end; that was the first lesson he’d learned as a hatchling, and the main reason his people were not permitted to see the human realms until they’d come of age. Too dangerous.
“This is my island. You are trespassing,” the rogue drake called back to him.
“I’m here for a visit only. I don’t intend to stay.”
“Then take your leave now.”
“I would, but I see you’re nesting in a very populated area. Lots of humans around.” Dax attempted diplomacy as he coasted around the inner edge of cloud.
“They won’t be for long,” the drake answered back.
“You don’t like them, do you?” Dax asked. He beat his wings again and rose higher up into the cloud, hoping to catch sight of the other drake.
“I don’t have to. They’re vermin.” The voice came from deeper within the cloud ring.
Dax would have to dive into the center if he hoped to catch sight of him. “I wouldn’t say that.”
“You’re not from here. Nor are you welcome. Go home to your colony while you still can.”
The threat in the rogue’s voice was very real, but Dax had no fear and continued with his line of questioning. “Where is your colony?”
A blast of dragon fire shot across the cloud.
Dax swerved, maneuvering just in time to avoid a direct hit. “That’s no way to treat one of your own.”
“You’ve been warned. Leave my island.”
“You’re nesting in the middle of a human settlement. You’re going to be seen, and then what?”
“Anyone close enough to see me will burn.”
“You can’t kill them all.” Dax twisted his head around, searching for the mad dragon.
“Watch me.”
“Have you lost your mind?” Dax shouted, still unable to locate the rogue. “Where is your respect for life?”
“Where is the humans’ respect for nature? They have this paradise, and they do what with it?”
“We’re not the guardians of humanity. What they do with their land is none of our business,” Dax responded.
“Except that humans drove us from all of our lands. Or have you forgotten?” the drake answered back.
“I have not. Nor have I forgotten the lesson we learned from it. That’s why we leave the humans alone.” Dax dove deeper into the cloud, finding a clear eye in the center, but no sign of the rogue.
“So they can pollute our world? So they can rape and destroy what Mother Nature has given them?” He had a point, though his reasoning led toward a path of mutual destruction.
“Not all humans are bad.”
“The bad far outnumber the good.”
“And you think burning them all is the answer?”
“I would burn them all if I could.”
Another stream of fire narrowly missed Dax. He cut sharply and dove down toward the crater floor. “Then you would condemn us all to burn.”
“We can withstand fire.”
“But not steel.” Dax landed with a loud rumble of earth below. “If they learn of us, they’ll hunt us.”
“Then they’ll all die.”
“You’re a fool if you think that.”
“Let me guess.” The drake landed in front of him, a massive towering red dragon. Horns like daggers jutted out all around his massive jaw. Crimson scales shimmered like wildfire, glowing the brightest just below his long neck, revealing the core of his inner flame. “Your Elders warned you of the dangerous little humans rising up against us?”
“It’s our history. And from what I’ve seen, they’re more deadly now than they ever were back in the days they drove our kind away.”
“Fear and propaganda. I could reduce this island to ash myself if I desired, and the humans couldn’t do a thing about it.”
“And yet you hide here in the volcano?” Dax taunted, rising to his full height. He had always been big, but this drake before him had him by at least a head. He was easily the largest of his kind Dax had ever seen.
“I’m making my home.”
“And letting the volcano do the work for you? For someone so willing to rise up and destroy the pesky humans, you’re going about it like a coward.”
His enemy reared back. His throat turned molten, scales glowing with inner fire, before he released a spray of flames at Dax.
Dax took to the sky, avoiding the heat of dragon flame. “It’s no wonder you’re here alone. No colony would want you. You’re insane.”
“I don’t need a colony. I have my island.”
“This isn’t your island. It belongs to the humans.” Dax angled himself, letting the current in the air guide him as he circled above his enemy.
“And who will defend it for them? You?”
“If I must.” Dax summoned the heat of his own fire, sucked in a deep breath, and ignited it. He reared back, and as he flung his head forward, blew a mighty spray of flames sure to scorch anything below him.
He didn’t wait to see if his opponent had dodged the fire. Dax swooped forward, claws out, ready to strike at any target he could latch onto.
He struck hard, but rather than finding flesh, his claws scraped against rock. The other drake was fast.
Beating wings above gave Dax an idea of where to look, but amid the cloud of volcanic steam, visibility was only a few feet in front of him.
“I hope that wasn’t your best try.” A roar, more amused than threatening, echoed all around him. “You’re no match for me. Go home. Consider this your final warning.”
Flames engulfed him. Dax wrapped his wings around his head, cloaking himself against the sting.
When he looked up, he found only smoke and scorched rocks. The drake had gone.
***
With his wings badly burned, Dax struggled to fly back to where he’d left his satchel. When he finally made it, it took all his remaining strength to force his body to shift, internalizing all the damage under the thin skin of his other form.
He hiked the distance back toward Jane’s lab, and reached it just as the sun began to set.
“You look like shit.” Jane rushed him inside. “What the hell were you doing out there?”
“The volcano,” he panted, out of breath and exhausted.
“And you told me not to go. Did you walk all the way here? You great big idiot.” She directed him toward a communal kitchen and began to dig through cabinets.
“It’s going to erupt.”
“Thank you, Captain Obvious. Now hold still.” She applied a wet rag to his face and began to wipe away the grime.
Returning to his human form had hidden most of his injuries, but the pain remained. Dragon fire burned with its own special magic, taking longer to heal from than other wounds.
“How about we order in for dinner, and you can tell me all about your adventure in the mountains?” she asked.
How could he? Where would he begin? “I had to investigate. When she blows all her tops, it will destroy the island.”
“And this is based on what scientific data?” She speared him with a knowing look.
“You’ve seen the data. You know the mountain’s vent systems are being systematically blocked. Once all the tunnels are stoppered, pressure in just the right points will cause a massive eruption.”
“True. But that’s what I told you this morning.”
“Has it changed?”
“No.”
“And it’s getting worse. Isn’t it?”
The look on her face was answer enough. Though she didn’t seem eager to admit his feeling was correct, her data had to back it up.
In all his years, Dax had seen his people employ these methods to guide the lava where they wanted rather than onto their temples. Dragons might be made to withstand the heat, but rocks would melt and buildings crumble. Centuries of perfecting this very method while establishing colonies had shaped his island home. And that drake, alone or not, knew what he was doing.
“If what you’re saying is true, and I don’t know how it could be, that would mean someone is orchestrating this. And that’s impossible. No one could go down there and stop the flow.”
“I can’t say what’s causing it. I’m just telling you what I saw. Those random new vents popping up are Mother Nature’s way of releasing the additional pressure. And it isn’t enough.”
She let the cold rag fall to the floor. “I need to send out warnings.”
“Do what you must. Your news people should be warned.”
“Not that they’ll listen,” Jane sighed.
“The smart ones will,” Dax offered.
“You stay here and clean yourself up. I need to get on the phone and send out some alerts.” Jane rushed from the room.
***
“I’ve done all I can do from my end. So long as the volcano doesn’t decide to erupt tonight, I’m calling it a day.”
“You should be thinking about leaving the island,” Dax warned her.
“I’ll make those plans tomorrow. My team and I are the ones who feed the information to the powers that be.”
“Speaking of team, where is Trevor?”
“He went off earlier to inspect the shoreline. To see if anything was trickling out.”
“And did he report back in?”
“Hours ago. He’s probably sleeping now.”
“I would think he’d be just as interested in the data as you are,” Dax commented suspiciously.
“He’s more the action guy. Kind of like you. He enjoys being up close and personal with the volcano. I prefer to data mine the info.”
“You make an interesting team,” Dax said.
“Do I detect a note of jealousy in your voice?” Jane laughed, the sound like music to his ears.
“What should I be jealous of?”
“If I didn’t know any better I’d say you have some kind of alpha male thing going on with him.” She leaned in close. “But if you must know, I like you better.”
Her words coupled with the gentle breeze of her voice against his ear sent a shiver through his body.
Dax stood silent for a moment, not quite knowing how to react to the strange sensation, cold and hot all at the same time. Even though it was unfamiliar, he wanted her to do it again so he could extend that experience.
“Are you blushing?” Jane giggled. “I didn’t think great big guys like you did that.”
She pulled him by the arm and they headed out to her car. “C’mon. Let’s grab some takeout. I’m starving.”
The ride in the helicopter had been unnerving, but not nearly as much as riding in her car. She drove dangerously fast over the narrow roads and slammed her feet on the pedals as if she were kicking the beast into submission. When they finally made it to their destination, it was all Dax could do not to jump out and run screaming.
She’d ordered them something called burgers. Beef and lots of it, that was all Dax cared about, and he scarfed down four of them as if they were his last meal.
Jane sat and watched in horror as bite after bite, he tore into the meaty patties like a ravenous dog.
“Hungry much?” she asked, when he finished the last one.
“Sorry. Yes. Hiking all day.” He hunted for a drink of water to wash down the food.
“I don’t normally do this – inviting guys back to my place – but since it’s so close to the lab, I thought it’d be good.”
“You’re going to leave in the morning?” Dax confirmed.
“I’ll make plans.”
“I don’t want to see you hurt.”
“Why are you so concerned? You only just met me.”
“Should I have no concern when life is at stake?” he countered.
She opened her mouth but no words came out.
“I’m concerned for all in the fire’s path, but yes, you most of all. You have a good heart. I have seen it in this short time I’ve known you. So yes, I do want to make sure you, most of all, are out of harm’s way.”
“That’s the sweetest thing anyone has ever said to me.” A tear glistened in the corner of her eye.
“That is a tragedy.”
“What?”
“That a single compliment could bring you to tears. You must not hear them often enough,” Dax answered.
“Well, you know.” She shrugged. “Work. Always busy. I don’t have time for dating and stuff.”
“I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable,” he said.
“I’m not. I’m fine.”
All evidence to the contrary. He’d flustered her with his words, and though he hadn’t meant to, seeing her response made him that much more upset that she wasn’t fully appreciated by her own kind.
“Are you going to eat that?” he asked to change the subject, and snatched a box of fried potato sticks from between them.
“Gotta keep up your strength.” She giggled.
Her laughter made him smile. He couldn’t imagine why she was alone; why no one was lavishing affection on her. Had she been a dragon, there would be many males lining up to gain her favor.
That brought his mind back to home, and he remembered that he’d soon be returning there. Back to his people. Never again to see this land… or Jane.
How had he come to feel for her in such a short time that the thought of parting made him ache?
He shouldn’t have these feelings for anyone, least of all a human.
But he couldn’t deny it, as he glanced across the table. She had awoken something within him.
“I should be going. Let you get back to work.” Dax stood to make his exit.
She walked with him to the door, and before he could open it, threw her arms around him, a hug that screamed, Don’t go.
***
How did we end up here? Dax thought to himself, while at the same time enjoying the sensation of smoothing his hand down her back. As buttery as the finest silk and flawless in its perfection, her skin was a point of pure fascination with which he could indulge his tactile obsession for hours without exhausting his infatuation. Jane was so unlike his own kind.
His people were made of tougher materials: strength outside defending the tenderness within. Humans wore no such armor. And Jane was such a beautiful paradox of fragility masking itself as strength that Dax couldn’t help himself appreciating both her smoothness and the heat that radiated from within.
“You are so unbelievably soft,” he whispered in her ear, as he held her tighter. He’d only meant it to be a hug, but neither of them had moved to part, and the more they lingered in this position, the more he wanted that moment to last forever.
She giggled at his comment. With their bodies so close, he absorbed the vibrations of her joy, experiencing echoes of her happiness becoming his own. Jane lifted her face and met his eyes. Jewels sparkled to reflect the light catching their facets, but hers were emeralds mined from the very depths of a pure soul that glowed with the light of true beauty. He’d never thought it possible that a human could stir such desire. But there she was, within his grasp. How had he gotten so lucky?
She stared for a moment, as if confused. “What are you?”
Caught off guard, Dax couldn’t summon his voice to answer.
“I’ve never met a man like you.” She planted a kiss on his mouth before he could respond.
Actions spoke with a far louder voice than either of them possessed, and he understood clearly the direction of her desire. Her lips struck like a match, igniting flames of passion and need that burned so brightly they threatened to consume them both.
Words failed him. Even if he could have spoken at that moment, nothing needed to be said. Mutual attraction had them both in thrall, burning away reason and inhibition.
Dax took hold of her tiny waist and lifted her. In sync with him, she wrapped her legs around his body and took hold of his neck, never breaking from the kiss that had set them in motion.
Their lips moved but no words were uttered as they shared secrets of their sensual cravings with each flick of a tongue or nip of teeth. The language of lust was universal, and they both spoke it fluently.
Jane captured his bottom lip and playfully tugged, a little show of dominance that added to the excitement of their connection. Everything she did reverberated through his body, each wave of sensation manifested in an aching to be even closer to her. If he could meld into her completely, it might still not be close enough.
The weight of his lust settled heavily in the center of his body. And just as he had two forms—both man and beast—so did his need. The armor of his swollen flesh filled with the anger of his burning desire. Together, they threatened to destroy the moment.
Dax hunted for a spot where they might both be comfortable, and as he broke from their kiss, Jane breathed the words, “Couch. Please.”
He carried her the few feet across the room, enduring the excruciating pleasure of her heat grinding against his own, and set her down gently on the cushions, falling to his knees before her, in utter reverence to the altar of her body. Suddenly humble in the face of her glory, Dax gazed up at his goddess. In that moment she embodied all that he wished to worship and adore. Rosy lips, plump and glistening, begged for him to return. Such forbidden fruit was dangerous, and he’d already damned himself with the first taste. They were the instrument of his undoing, unlocking his most wanton desires, burning away reason and leaving only the promise of pleasure.
Tempting as her lips were, it was the serenity of Jane’s smile that was truly diabolical, offering absolution for what they were about to do. The love of a female ranked up with the most glittering of treasures. He dared not hope for such a prize, knowing the differences between them were too great. But this evening, with her permission, they would burn in the flames of lust.
“You look lost. Aren’t secret agents supposed to be the ultimate ladies’ men?”
Her joke came on the end of a laugh, but the truth of it struck a resounding chord. Having never experienced a physical connection with a human before, he found himself wondering exactly how he could please her. “If I’m lost, it’s only because your beauty has beguiled me in such a way I can’t imagine where to begin my appreciation of it.”
How she did not tear a hole in her lip was a mystery, but the way it made her look when she nibbled nervously on her bottom lip sent an ache down below that rivaled the explosive force of the volcano just outside of their window.
“Maybe if you could see more if it, you’d know better where to begin.” She reached for the hem of her shirt.
He understood her direction loud and clear, and helped her to lift away her shirt, his every movement vibrating with nervous excitement.
The sight of all that gloriously soft skin stole his breath. The more Dax saw of her, the more he wanted to see and explore. She presented an uncharted territory full of wonder. His heart raced as he watched her hands travel south and unsnap the button of her pants.
Still more glories to behold. He took hold of her pants and helped her shimmy free before resuming his place kneeling in reverent worship of what she had offered him.
With its gentle curves and creamy skin, her body was a piece of masterfully crafted art, a true mystery waiting to be discovered. He wanted to caress every inch of her and learn the secrets that would make her melt.
“Are you okay?” Jane asked.
“I’m so overwhelmed by your perfection I can’t decide where to begin,” he responded.
“Oh, damn.” She sighed and fanned herself. “You really know how to make a girl hot.”
“I’ll try my best not to burn you.” Dax winked back at her.
“Well, I’m sure if you look hard enough…” – the double meaning in her simple words made her breath catch for a moment – “you’ll find the perfect place to start.” She worked her bra open and pulled the shoulder straps down her arms, her hands moving like thick lava and igniting inside him a similar heat. A moment later, the cups released their hold on her breasts, and she slid the garment to the floor. Before Dax could make any move, she took his head in her hands and guided him straight to her breasts.
Her body was a breathtaking cocktail of scents, intoxicating him with its heady mix of flowers from her perfume and the sweet musk of desire. He nuzzled her breast, tracing the sensuous contours, the soft and the hard, before pulling one peak into his mouth.
Her breath stuttered from her chest, stopping him for a moment with the worry he might have hurt her. She stilled with his mouth clasped around her flesh. The racing of her heart thrummed against his cheek like a drum roll, and Dax couldn’t decide if he should continue or move away.
As if she understood his internal war between weakness and strength, Jane took control and guided his head to her other side and held him to her. As he took her stiffened flesh into his mouth, she massaged her nimble fingers into his hair as a reward.
Dax felt the rhythm of her heart as though it were beating inside his own chest. The gentle moans he coaxed from her were more music than voice, and he memorized every place that brought her pleasure.
For all his desire to take things slowly and appreciate every last inch of her body, he weakened in bliss when she nudged her hips toward him.
He let his fingers wander south, tracing her silky thighs, gripping the lusciousness of her hips, and finally came to rest between her legs, the heat of her evoking memories of his home.
This was the place her passion emanated from. Her desire was so clear and so strong, it was as if she were one of his kind. Like home, she exuded a lush heat, the fire tempered and balanced by the spicy tang of the ocean. As he explored her softness, he knew beyond doubt he’d finally found something more valuable than treasure.
She breathed in a stuttering breath, and her body suddenly stiffened.
Dax looked up again, always ensuring she was okay. Jane was in charge. She was offering the privilege of her body. As excited as it made him, he would only go as far as she would allow.
Jane panted as their eyes met. Heavy-lidded and glassy, she appeared to be half in a dream, with the other half anxiously awaiting what would come.
He held her gaze as he gradually drove forward, finding new wonders and even greater heat. The way her mouth gaped open and a slow moan rolled from inside her awoke an even deeper desire within him. Dax held the moment for as long as he could, memorizing the look of ecstasy on her face and the language of her body, as she begged wordlessly for him to continue.
More than anything, he wanted to bring her pleasure. And now he knew exactly how he could do it.
“Jane, look at me,” Dax whispered. “See me.”
With every tiny movement of his hand, her body responded as if by instinct, her hips nudging forward to meet his gentle thrusts.
She breathed heavily as she found his eyes.
A fire burned within him and was echoed back in the gold flecks of her emerald eyes.
He lifted and captured her lips once more. One finger became two as he worked her into a frenzy of desire.
She moaned into his mouth and he swallowed her pleasure whole, enjoying how her body warmed to his every touch.
“I want you, Dax,” she said between kisses. “In every way.” She reached down to find the buttons of his pants.
The words brought back the thoughts he’d envisioned of their bodies joining so closely they could be one. He’d been so caught up in the desire to bring her pleasure he had suppressed his own needs, but now as her hands worked to free him from his cloth prison, the aching of that desire roared back to life with a monstrous appetite.
She gripped him tightly, surrounding him with warmth as she ran her hands up and down him. He growled, more beast than man, as she moved to replace his exploring hands with his swollen hardness.
“Now. I need this. I need you.” She moaned and nudged her hips again.
Flames burned within him so intensely that he nearly lost control of his form. He fought to remain human as her words stoked his need into an inferno.
With one glide he merged with her, as close as two people could be without actually becoming one. His desire found voice, and it was closer to his dragon’s roar than any human sound. He’d never experienced a sensation such as this. Their bodies fit together as if made simply to give each other pleasure.
She might not have been like him, but she had an inner fire that spoke to him in his own kind’s language. Her need seared him, licking at his skin like an open flame. She took his every move and countered in kind until the last embers of pleasure cooled, and they collapsed, utterly spent.
“You are the enigma,” Jane said dreamily.
“I’m no more than you are.”
“You are something more. But what that is remains to be seen.”
“What do you mean?” Dax asked.
“Your secret is yours to share when you’re ready, but whatever you are… it’s something pretty special. And I’m okay to leave it there for tonight. I’m simply too exhausted to do anything else.”