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Serena gasped at his words. He couldn’t be serious. What kind of world did he live in where this was normal?
“I have a job. I have people who will come looking for me,” she said firmly.
“They will look as far as the map will take them,” he scoffed. “Then what? You’re on your own after that. You shouldn’t have come. Was it worth the sprained ankle to come chase me down?”
“I had a job to do and I did it! And now I have a story to tell! The rumors are real!” She crossed her arms over her chest and realized just how wet she’d gotten in breaking her fever. She shivered as the cool air hit her and tried to pull the blankets up over herself.
His gaze narrowed. “Why are you still shivering?”
“My shirt is wet,” she said too tired to continue their argument. And why did he care so much about why she was cold?
He muttered about nosy reporters who had nothing better to do, and rummaged around in some luggage that sat behind him. For a small cave, he’d used the space to efficiently furnish it. If she could call it that. He seemed to keep just the barest of supplies and necessities around him. Save a pile of books in the corner and some notebooks by the other side of the bed, she didn’t see much in terms of entertainment.
“I’m not nosy. I just do my job,” she said stiffly. “And maybe if people see what a curmudgeon you are, no one will bother you again. It’s to your benefit if I write this story, really.”
He came back to the bed with a large t-shirt and flannel pants. “Wear this.”
“I’m not wearing that,” she said stubbornly.
“You’re cold,” he pointed out. “And anyway, you’re going to feel worse if you don’t. I can wash your clothes quickly and they’ll be dry by morning if we put them by the fire.”
She was oddly touched that he would consider her comfort, but she refused to let him see that. He just threatened to keep her against her will for an undetermined amount of time to silence her, and now he was continuing with business as usual.
“Maybe you make a habit of forcing women to stay with you, but I’m not going to be one of them!” she exclaimed. She felt rather dramatic saying the words but she felt she made herself clear. She tried to push aside the rush of excitement that came when he declared that she would remain with him. She should be repulsed, and instead she felt oddly thrilled with the prospect.
“You’re putting this on,” he said striding towards her. “You are free to do it yourself, but if you think I’m a brute that will force you to do something against your will, then allow me to demonstrate my many wonderful talents.”
She felt a familiar thrill that made her heart beat faster. She wanted him to undress her that much was clear. At the same time, she didn’t want to test his patience. He was a dragon. A dragon. Snatching the clothes he held out to her, she glowered at him. “Where am I supposed to change? In front of you?”
“If that’s what you decide,” he smirked. “But I was going to offer the space over there behind the fireplace. I don’t really have to look for privacy up here when I’m alone, you understand. So it wasn’t something I considered when I rented out this condo.”
Serena wanted to slap the look off his face, but she definitely didn’t have the upper hand here. She had to follow his lead until she could get away. She attempted to stand up and dropped back to the bed. Searing pain shot through her ankle and up her leg. With all the distractions from tonight, her ankle was the least of her worries. But it made itself a priority now.
“I can’t,” she said, as he knelt down to help her adjust herself on the bed.
“I’m sorry, I forgot.” Jacob sounded repentant, and she didn’t say anything. He was still touching her leg and examining the ankle. The ice pack that was taped to it had since warmed, and she finally saw her foot in the light.
“It’s huge!” She felt tears sting her eyes at her current situation. She had never felt so helpless in her life. She was at the mercy of this...this...dragon.
Not saying anything, he began to draw up her damp shirt and she felt embarrassed by the faintly sour smell that it had taken on from her fevered body. He quietly slipped his shirt over her head and then asked her to slip the jeans off so he could help with the pajama bottoms. She almost declined, but she didn’t want to draw out the moment more than necessary. He dressed her like one might dress a child, methodically, and matter-of-fact.
The shirt was triple her size and the pants had to be rolled several times before they sat on her waist. The neckline for the shirt was so big, one shoulder kept popping out. Clearly, these were his. They smelled heavenly. She took a deep whiff and closed her eyes.
“Better?” Jacob asked, breaking her out of her reverie.
“Yes,” she said quietly, suddenly feeling self-conscious. This was a ridiculous time to be vain. But she wanted to feel attractive in front of him. And this baggy outfit definitely wasn’t helping.
“Oh.” He cleared his throat and rubbed his neck. “Good, okay then. Let’s uh, let’s get to bed. First, just roll to that side for a minute.” Serena did as he asked.
He turned and fussed with the covers, snapping the sheets, smoothing the blankets. “Come on,” he patted the bed where she’d been sleeping minutes earlier.
She rolled back, wondering why her body was betraying her. Her mind was rebelling, but she felt caught between the two. She would let the body win for now, she was too tired to argue and where else could she go at this hour, with this ankle, in this cold, in these clothes? There was no choice but to get to bed. With that, she silenced her mind for the time being.
Lying down, she faced his side, and watched him take the clothes she was just wearing and disappear in a shadowy corner of the cave. She heard a bit of splashing and then snapping of wet clothes. He reemerged with the now wet ensemble, draping them over a line strung out against the wall of the cave that she hadn’t seen before. Circling back, he came to lie down on the bed. The mattress dipped with his weight and he laid his head on the pillow, closing his eyes briefly. She admired the hard lines of his face, his strong jaw, the thick beard that covered it, giving him an air of mystery. He had firm lips that she knew would feel amazing covering her own.
“Are you going to watch me all night? I don’t just turn into a dragon any old time, you know,” he murmured. His voice sounded huskier.
“I know. I mean, I think I knew that. Your bed wouldn’t hold you as a dragon.” She spoke quickly, nervously. She wanted to kick herself. She was wide awake now, and she was chatting with him like they were discussing the weather. This was a real tough interview she was doing on the guy. And clearly, he was tired. She had to remind herself that this was not a slumber party. She was not entirely convinced he would holding her hostage, despite his threats.
In the small span of a few hours he’d shown her more kindness and consideration than any man had in her whole life. And most of that time, she hadn’t even been awake. But he was also a brute. And a dragon. One of which he admitted to, and another that showed in the way he declared that she would remain with him.
“No, it wouldn’t,” he said at last. She thought he’d fallen asleep. She didn’t say anything. She stared at the fire towards her feet. The flames were licking at the logs, throwing large, looming shadows over them. She would have felt afraid any other time, but tonight she didn’t. He made her feel oddly safe. Sinking lower into the covers, she buried herself up to her nose in the blankets and wrapped her arms around herself. Despite all the blankets, she still felt chilled to the bone.
“Are you still cold?” he asked incredulously.
“Kind of,” she admitted. “I usually am, though. And I’ve never even camped before, so this is a different experience for me.”
“Come closer,” he urged. “I don’t have any more blankets to offer you, but I do have plenty of body heat to go around.”
His words sent her mind spinning with possibilities. The least of her worries was him turning into a dragon now. She inched closer and stopped. There, that was a respectable space between them. She did feel a little warmer now.
“No,” he growled. “Like this.” His hand snaked out and he wrapped a burly arm around her waist and yanked flush with his own body. The hard planes of his body radiated more than their share of heat. She took a deep breath to calm her racing pulse, and felt her breasts thrust against his solid chest. Oh boy. Lower still, the hard ridge of his arousal met her thigh and she felt a warmth pool between her legs.
Before she could stop it, a low moan came from her throat and she clamped her lips shut. This was not good. What the hell was she thinking? He didn’t say anything, and they both lay there, as if frozen. Good, maybe he would ignore that. After all, she was doing her best to ignore the evidence of his desire that was pressing against her urgently.
“I need you,” Jacob whispered. Need, not want. Need. That was exactly what she was feeling. She needed him. Against her better judgement, against all odds, she needed him. What happened next was a blur.
All Serena did was look up to him and she saw the reflection of the fire in his eyes. His chest hummed against her own and her breasts responded to the attention. Suddenly, his mouth was on her, and they moaned together. She parted her lips and his mouth plundered hers. When he pulled back briefly to adjust their positions, she took the opportunity to snag his lower lip and began to alternate between biting and sucking it. He rubbed himself on her in response and his hand slipped up the large shirt and found her breasts. He fondled them and broke free of her kiss to pull the shirt down, exposing her to him. She sucked in her breath at the first contact. He sucked and nipped at the pert mound, kneading the other side before switching.
He’d lit a fire inside of her that was burning too quickly. She needed him now. Serena ran her hands down his flat stomach and dipped her hand into his waistband. She felt the growl coming from him before she heard it. “Serena.” Jacob gritted out. His eyes were clenched and his hands were still on her breasts, squeezing each one simultaneously. The pad of his thumb played with her nipples that were now extra sensitive after his ministrations a moment earlier.
Drawing out his member, she stroked the long length of it and shivered with anticipation. A drop of wetness formed at the tip and she used it to coat the rest of him.
“I need you too,” she managed to say. The wetness between her legs grew and she wanted nothing more than for him to fill her completely. Consequences be damned.
Just as efficiently he had dressed her, he was undressing her. But this time, he most definitely wasn’t treating her like a child. She felt every inch a woman in bed with a powerful man now.
“Put it in,” he said hoarsely.
She was naked, still stroking him. She stared into his eyes, the fire was to his back now, but she could make out a glint that gave away the fact that his urgency matched her own.
Serena guided the tip to her core and rubbed it along her slick folds before pausing at her entrance. He said nothing but she could hear a rumble forming in his chest as he waited for permission to continue. She felt a vibration coming from his chest again and she knew he was waiting for her assent.
“Please,” she whispered. “Please.” She wanted to feel his power. It was as if he wasn’t entirely man and he wasn’t entirely the beast that he had full authority over. He was a magnificent mix of the two in this moment.
He understood, thrusting all the way in until she felt the underside of him hit her bottom. Instinctively, her legs wrapped around him to draw him in closer. Unable to hold that position for long, Jacob began to thrust slowly, then he built up a steady rhythm and Serena joined him. She raised her hips to meet his demands, and what they couldn’t speak earlier, they were speaking now. He wanted her, and every thrust told her she belonged to him.
She thrust back defiantly, telling him she made her own decisions, she didn’t answer to him. He thrust harder, and she responded in kind. Then he withdrew, leaving her empty and longing. Her hips rose to meet his of their own avail. She couldn’t stop. She reached out to bring him back in and he caught her hands in his and drew them up over her head, staring into her eyes. She felt like he saw into her soul in that moment and she raised her hips again. This time he pushed in and she felt complete.