Denarrion came back to himself with his cock buried in Lissandra’s pussy and his teeth locked on her shoulder. Pleasure still zinged through him each time her core spasmed and his cock responded in kind. The scent of sex and satisfaction filled the shower stall along with the steam.
He’d never had sex like it. It blew all his other encounters out of the water.
Not to mention best fucking orgasm ever.
She sighed and laid her forehead against his shoulder, jerking him back to the present. He slowly released her shoulder, gently licking the bite marks with his tongue as he savored the flavor of her essence. She shivered, and chagrin slid through him. How could he have bitten her? He’d never done anything so vicious before.
“Thank you.”
“I’m sorry.” They sighed at the same time.
Lissandra stiffened and raised her head to look down at him, her eyes wary.
“Wasn’t it good for you? Did I do something wrong?” Alarm filled her expression.
“No. No, no, you didn’t do anything wrong.” He forced a smile. “And yes, it was amazing. I’ve never felt anything like it.” He ran his hands over her arms in an effort to comfort her. “No, I’m sorry for biting you. I have never done that before. I don’t know what came over me.”
She frowned. “Don’t you know what the Mating Mark is?”
“No, I’ve never heard of it. What is it?”
She raised her eyebrows. “Your parents didn’t teach you about it?”
Denarrion clenched his jaw as disgust swelled to the forefront of his mind. The only things his family had ever taught him was how to hide himself and to live in misery. He refused to let them sully this moment and merely shook his head.
“The Mating Mark usually only happens between True Bonded partners—”
“True Bonded partners?”
“Didn’t your parents teach you anything about being a dragon?”
Amazement filled her voice and he shifted with his mortification. What could he tell her? That he had lousy parents? Hellwinds, every kid has that story.
He had the odd feeling she was disappointed in him as she pulled her body off his lap and sat down on the bench beside him. He stood to turn off the water then returned to his seat.
A short silence filled the shower, interrupted only by the drops from the taps. Dread hit his gut with every little splash and he struggled not to shiver.
“Okay.” Her voice sounded hesitant as if she regretted screwing him for the last hour. He swallowed his worry and stared at his toes in the water. “True Bonded partners are pairs of dragons who are mated for life.”
“Isn’t that the same thing as marriage?”
“No. True Bonding is deeper than marriage. It’s more like the connection between souls rather than just an agreement to stay together for mating purposes.” She leaned on her hands and looked down at her own feet, sweeping the water toward the drain. “It’s like finding a part of yourself you didn’t even know was missing and recognizing it in the form of another.”
“Humans have something like that,” he said after a moment. “They call them ‘Soul Mates.’”
“That’s an accurate term.” Lissandra nodded. “When these True Bonded partners find each other and mate, the male has the urge to mark the female with the Mating Mark. Not only to warn other males away from his mate, but also to begin solidifying the bond between the partners.”
He’d certainly felt the urge to bite her, but concern slid through him. What would his father say? Shit! Why am I worried about what the bastard thinks? The anger couldn’t burn away all the fear. Had Lissandra’s husband marked her? Had he lost this game before he’d even started playing?
“I felt it and I marked you.”
He tried to keep his voice level, but his revelations worried him. What if she condemned him? He grimaced as he looked her in the eyes. All he found was solemn agreement.
“Yes, you did.”
Dear Goddess, does that mean she’s my True Bonded Mate? And what in hellwinds am I supposed to do with one?
Another sweep of her foot made him blink back into the present. Goose pimples pebbled her skin. Damn, she’s cold and I’m an idiot. He rose and headed for the towels, chagrin nipping at his heels. Some host he’d turned out to be. He wanted to wrap the fluffy towel around her, but her expression said she had her mind on other things.
He caught the scent of her uncertainty and his stomach clenched. According to her, he’d marked her with the Mating Mark, but he didn’t know if it was a good thing. The way she held herself away from him now suggested the opposite.
Lissandra dried herself off, her expression closed, and his soul quailed. He wished he could bring back the sweet intimacy they’d shared in the bedroom and shower, but it had drained away.
The hairs on the back of his neck prickled and he caught her staring at him with an unfocused look, as if she saw deeper than his surface disguise. Fear rose up and he tried to shrug it away, but her gaze unnerved him. A little frown creased her brow. It occurred to him he might have hurt her with his bite.
Goddess, I’m so stupid!
“Did it hurt?” he blurted.
“Did what hurt?” She blinked.
“That mark I gave you.”
“Oh, no, it didn’t.” She blushed. “In fact, it felt rather…erotic.”
Denarrion couldn’t stop his grin. “Erotic?”
“Erm, yes.”
Hot damn! But another thought wormed its way to the forefront of his mind. “I suppose your husband marked you before?”
“No.” She sounded more thoughtful than sad.
“He didn’t?” Surprise and elation surged through him and his smile broadened. “I’m the first to mark you that way?”
“Yes.” Again, the thoughtful response drained some of his elation.
“That’s very good news.” He wanted to puff out his chest and strut, but he settled for a smug smile. I’m a badass dragon, uh-huh! “Isn’t it?”
“It’s definitely a surprise.”
Okay, not the response he’d been hoping for, but better than disgust or disdain. He wondered if his parents had ever experienced the Mating Mark. I can’t imagine them ever being happy enough to do it. And imagining them having sex? Fo-git-about-it.
“I wanna know more about it, but right now I think we better get going.”
She raised her eyebrows. “Get going where?”
“Grocery shopping.” He shrugged. “I think your clothes should be dry by now.”
“Shopping?”
“Yeah. For dinner.” He wrapped the towel around his waist and chuckled. “You know, how the Ravenwings volunteered me to make dinner tonight? Besides, you said you needed to get a new cell phone.”
Lissandra blinked. “Oh, my glory. That’s right. I’d totally forgotten.”
“Yeah, well, that’s what I’m here for. To remember stuff.” He headed to the closet. “Here, wear this to the laundry room.” He tossed her a terrycloth robe. “Go ahead and grab your dry clothes. I’ll meet you downstairs after I’m dressed.”
Denarrion resisted the urge to watch her head out of the loft. Just get dressed, jackass, then you can watch her all you want.
He dressed as quickly as possible and headed down the stairs. He’d planned for Lissandra to stay in the extra bedroom while they courted, but now that he’d met her—and marked her—he had no intention of letting her sleep, much less sleep in a different bed.
Hellwinds, I don’t think I could survive her sleeping anywhere else.
Now that he’d had her, tasted her, and touched her, he couldn’t get enough of her. He thought he’d enjoyed sex before, but nothing compared to making love with Lissandra. He grinned. He’d do it as often as she’d let him from now on.
He found her sitting on his couch pulling her socks on as he came down the stairs. Damn, she was hot. Her grace and sexiness put all the other women he’d had to shame. He’d never experienced the sacred connection provided by the Mating Mark, but it intoxicated him.
Her emotions brushed his mind like a soft breeze, and he reveled in her satisfaction and pleasure. But nervousness intruded, shadowing the brighter, happier emotions, and his gut clenched. Keep your shirt on. They hadn’t been together longer than a couple of hours. She’ll relax the more we hang out. He hoped.
She had to be the sexiest woman he’d ever met and he looked forward to spending more time with her. The squeak of his couch as she sat back and extended her feet made him look up. She grinned as she watched him put on his own shoes.
“What?”
She shrugged. “I’m enjoying the show.”
“Aw.” He gave her a mock-frown. “I didn’t get to watch you. You call that fair?”
She offered a mischievous smile. “I’ll do a strip tease for you later. You didn’t let me undress myself earlier, remember?”
Her playful offer sent the blood rushing to his cock and he had to restrain himself from grabbing her. Dear Goddess, he wanted to throw his shoulder and take her to bed again. Maybe he’d even bite her a second time.
The thought of biting took the edge off his lust and his smile faded as he tied his sneakers. What was that about? He’d never bitten anyone before. He’d never had the urge. With Lissandra, it had been a primal demand he’d been helpless to resist. It scared the hellwinds out of him, but she seemed to accept it as normal.
If biting during sex was normal for dragons, why hadn’t his parents said anything about it? Given their intent to have him mated, it seemed a rather pertinent piece of information. Maybe Mom will tell me. To ask his father something about dragons was to invite his scorn and fury. Denarrion had sworn off that kind of suffering decades ago.
He rose and headed for the kitchen to grab his keys, phone, and a baseball cap. Lissandra had turned to watch him, her gaze openly admiring. When he raised an eyebrow, she winked.
“Like I said. Enjoying the view.”
Pride swelled in his chest, but he pretended take her compliment in stride. He reveled in her undivided attention. He’d never felt so virile, sexy, or handsome as he did with Lissandra’s gaze fixed upon him.
Damn, the woman is like crack.
“You’re quite handsome, you know that?” She followed him toward the front door.
“So I’ve been told.” He offered her his best smile while pleasure flooded through his system.
“Great, so I’m just one in a long line of admirers?”
Her sarcasm hurt his pride a little and he held the door open to hide his expression. “I’ve been told it before, but it means a hell of a lot more coming from you.”
“Oh yeah? Why?”
“Because you’re a dragon.”
She laughed. “I am definitely a dragon. Maybe after dinner we can go for a sunset flight. They’re pretty romantic.”
Fear and panic shot through him, and his gut cramped. He grabbed his canvas bags and locked the door as he fought to keep his voice steady. I can’t reveal my true nature to humans. His father’s admonition had been drilled into him since he’d reached his first millennium.
“Uh, yeah, probably not.”
She raised her eyebrows. “Why not?”
“Too many people. I don’t know what it’s like in Colorado, but around here, the humans would definitely notice dragon silhouettes in the sky.” That sounded plausible, right?
She frowned. “Then how do you spend time in your natural form?”
We don’t. Ever.
“We have to drive out of town. It’s a trick, though. Lot of people live out here.”
“Oh.”
Her voice held reservation and disappointment, and his gut clenched again. Way to go, jackass. He wasn’t winning points with her. Scrambling to recover, he changed the subject.
“So, you got any ideas of what I should make for dinner tonight?”
She coughed a laugh. “You don’t know what you’re planning on making tonight?”
“Nope. I’m hoping the grocery will give me some inspiration.”
“I’ve done that kind of shopping.” Lissandra followed him as he trotted down the stairs to his truck. “Sometimes it works out great, sometimes is just makes me buy crap.”
“That’s why I’m taking you with me. We’ll tag-team it and see if we can hold each other back from buying crap.”
She laughed and the sweet, amused sound sent his blood shooting to his groin. His memory served up the image of her in the throes of passion, and he dropped his keys.
“Having trouble?” Amusement filled both her face and voice.
“Yeah, apparently the keys wanted to escape. Can’t you hear them screaming ‘run away, run away!’?” He grinned as she laughed again and they climbed in the truck. “Now if I can just find the ignition.”
“It’s right there on the steering column. You know, if you need the reminder.” She winked.
Jeez, you’d think I could be suave for this woman. He consoled himself that she hadn’t been dating, so she couldn’t compare him to someone else. Except her dead husband. Fuck.
“Thanks for the pointers.”
“You’re welcome.” She said it in a sing-songy voice from a recent kids’ movie. “This is a nice truck. Does it get good gas mileage?” She ran her hands over the butter-soft navy-blue leather seat.
“Ah, you know, it’s not the best, but it’s great for hauling furniture to the store downtown.”
Denarrion smiled as his baby started up with a muted roar. He loved his truck and it always seemed to be a hit with the human females. It also made him feel normal, as if he was as human as the rest of the community.
“Are you some sort of dragon moving company?”
“What?” He shot her a startled glance. “Oh, no, I carve furniture for a living. I haul the finished products to one of the stores downtown.” He laughed. “Dragon moving company. That’s great. I’d have to have some sort of slogan like ‘I treat your hoard as if it was my own.’”
Lissandra grinned. “That’s pretty good. You should get a website and a mobile app.”
“It’ll be my backup career.” He loved her laugh. It turned him on so much he had to divert his thoughts elsewhere to keep his shorts fitting comfortably.
The market was only a couple miles from his house in a shopping center with smaller shops around it. He remembered the cell phone provider had a place next to the market.
“How about we head to the cell phone shop to get you a new phone before we go into the market?”
“Sounds good. I feel naked without it.”
He almost closed his eyes to remember how she had looked naked in his bed, but reined in the impulse before they hit oncoming traffic.
Focus, dammit! You don’t need an accident to impress her.
They made it to the shopping center without killing anyone, but the parking lot sat fuller than usual with all the holiday tourists. He parked the truck toward the end of the lot and they got out. He remembered to grab the canvas bags out of the back before they headed for the stores, and he reached out to take Lissandra’s hand.
She raised her eyebrows as he wrapped her hand in his, but the action seemed natural. He liked the way her hand fit and the softness of her palm. The memory of her hands on his body diverted some of the blood from his brain again.
“Can I hold your hand? I want to.”
She tilted her head with a warm smile. “Yeah, I’d like that.”
As sense of pride and pleasure puffed up his chest as they strolled into the cell phone store. He’d never experienced joy in showing off the woman with him, but Lissandra made him feel like a stud. He released her while she perused the phones, and soon they had a replacement. Lissandra took his hand again as they headed to the market, warming his heart.
“Wow, they really went all out in décor, didn’t they?” She pointed at the forest murals, complete with wolves, moose, elk, cougar, and deer, painted on the walls.
“Yeah, it’s like stepping into an alpine market. That’s their tagline.”
She snorted. “It works better when there are real mountains around.”
“You don’t think we have real mountains?”
She shook her head. “The Appalachians were high, but they’ve been worn down over time. I don’t think you have anything over seven thousand feet in elevation.”
“Yeah, no. That’s really high.” He widened his eyes in theatrical amazement.
“My house sits at ten thousand six hundred feet in Colorado.” She gave him a bright smile.
“Damn. You must get a lot of snow.” He could imagine her standing in nothing more than a thick fleece robe in fluffy drifts among the aspens, her lavender eyes sparkling in the sunlight. His cock seconded that idea with a standing ovation.
“We do. But the sunsets are to die for.”
“Sounds great up there. I’d like to see it some time, but preferably in the summer first.” He winked and she laughed.
As they picked a shopping cart, several people waved and called out to him.
“I take it you’re a regular.” She inclined her head at another woman waving.
“Yeah, I come here a lot.” He responded with a smile and a wave, but kept his attention on Lissandra. He wasn’t interested in the human women anymore.
“I can see that.” She raised an eyebrow at yet another woman waving and winking suggestively behind the deli counter. “So, what are you thinking of making for the Ravenwings?”
“I’ve got this great chicken recipe.” His mouth watered with the idea of feeding it to her, but he reminded his libido they’d have company. “It makes enough to feed an army.”
“Oh good. Maybe I’ll learn it so I can feed the kids when they go through another growth spurt.” She shook her head ruefully. “There was a while there we had a helluva time keeping them fed with the deer around our house.”
“Your kids eat the deer?” Surprise hit his system. It had been a long time since he’d had venison.
“Oh yes, true carnivores, both of them.” Her shoulders straightened with pride. The love she had for her children flowed over him like a physical wave. Whoa, that’s weird. “Luce often fishes in the river near our home for trout and she’s great at it. Kress doesn’t like to impale worms on the hook, but she can snare rabbits in her homemade traps. It’s impressive to watch her hunt. She reminds me of a cougar, all silent and intense.”
“You let them hunt and fish on their own? Wow.” He thought they were pretty young.
“Yeah, I’d show you pictures of them, but they’re on the cloud and I can’t get to them yet on my new phone.” She shrugged with a grimace.
“They’re a little young to do it on their own, aren’t they?”
“No, I don’t think so.” She shook her head, the feeling of love dissipating. “I was hunting at Kress’s age, although I think she’s better at it than I was. She has more patience. Didn’t you go hunting by your first century?”
The word “century” set off warning bells in the back of Denarrion’s mind and he gave her cautionary look. His father insisted that dragons must fit in with the general population, and talking in terms of centuries or millennia would give them away.
“What?” Surprise flickered across her face, followed quickly by a deeper frown. The warmth of her energy withdrew a little and uncertainty took its place.
“Well, you know I don’t have kids, so I have no idea when you start teaching them to do stuff.” He shrugged and smiled, trying to diffuse the tension. “I guess I’ll have a chance to learn with your kids.”
She eyed him, but her shoulders relaxed a little. “If the courtship works, yes.”
“I think it’s going okay so far, don’t you?” He squeezed her hand again.
“Yeah, sure.” She nodded, but her brows remained down as another store employee sauntered past, her hips swaying. He waved to her and smiled.
Lissandra cleared her throat. “So, dinner. What’s it to be?”
Her sharp question made him wonder what he’d done. Had he pissed her off somehow? He made his mind focus on food.
“Chicken Yakitori is one of my favorites, with Fennel and Orange Salad, and Smoked Salmon Potato Bites.”
“Doesn’t that seem a bit fancy for just a family dinner?”
He shrugged. “It makes a lot of food and there will be four adults.” He grinned. “It’ll be fun to show off my gourmet abilities to you.” Then he winked. “Besides, it’s actually really easy.”
She laughed and some of her tension fled. “Sure it is.”
“You’ll see.” He picked up a large package of chicken breasts and tried not to think of how much he preferred to be fondling hers.
“So, what do we need for these recipes?” She scanned the meats displayed in front of them.
“Let’s start in the produce section and grab some fresh herbs.”
“Sounds good…” Her eyes narrowed and her lips tightened as she glanced over his shoulder.
He glanced behind him and caught another female shopper walking by. The woman smiled, eyed him from head to foot and back with a hungry smile, then winked and murmured, “Hi, Denny.”
“Hey.” Denarrion grabbed a package of smoked salmon and smiled at Lissandra, but she shook her head and retreated, her shoulders stiff once more.
Shit, now what? Are all female dragons this prickly?
Shrugging it off, he followed her and tried to decide how he could help her relax. Perhaps she needed a little wine and chocolate. Women loved those sorts of treats, and they had all night. Thank the Goddess she didn’t bring the kids with her.
Usually, he did his shopping alone before the female arrived so he could impress her with being prepared. Each date had been calculated and engineered, but he preferred to just wing it with Lissandra. He liked her easy energy. Yeah, when she’s not prickly. He didn’t know her very well, but hopefully it wouldn’t take him long to figure her out. He covertly watched her as she selected some oranges.
“How many do we need?” She raised her gaze to his and smiled flirtatiously.
His body reacted to her smile and he had to swallow a couple times before he could focus on her words. “Uh, three. Oh, and ten pounds of potatoes.”
“Red or white?”
“Red.”
“’Kay.” She turned away and Denarrion let his gaze slide over her backside, enjoying the way the denim hugged her ass. He remembered the feeling of those muscles in his hands, and his cock hardened again.
“Hi, Denny. How are you?”
Denarrion blinked as Carrie from the bakery walked into his line of sight and paused, offering him a coy smile and a wave.
“Good, Carrie, thanks.” He gave her a quick smile, but shifted away, unaccountably annoyed with the use of his common name.
“I haven’t seen you in a while. You doin’ good?”
“Yeah, yeah. Things are going great. Thanks for asking.” He turned away before she could ask another question. He’d had her just a few days before Lissandra arrived, but she’d scratched his itch and he’d moved on.
Lissandra’s shoulders tensed as he approached and she gave him a tight smile. “So, what else?”
“Uh, soy sauce, and sour cream, I think.” What’s going on? What happened to the happy woman I fucked earlier?
“What about bread? Is this a good bakery?”
He caught her curt tone and raised an eyebrow. “It’s not bad. They make some good bagels here. Are you okay?”
“I’m fine, just hungry. I take it you have sampled most of the breads here?”
“Yeah…” Anger and disgust filled the air around her and he tried to gauge the cause. Did she hate bread? “Most of them. Their Italian bread is good with meals.”
“Maybe we should pick some up, then.” She dropped soy sauce into the basket. “Sour cream, you said?”
“Yeah…”
She strode off and he followed her, wary for a landmine. Why was she so angry? Had he done something to piss her off? He nodded to some of the local women who passed him in the aisle, but didn’t respond to their appreciative smiles. His mind replayed the last few minutes in an attempt to decipher what had gone wrong.
Before he had cleared the aisle, Lissandra tossed the sour cream into the basket and whirled away again, her head up. Dear Goddess, what did I do? Denarrion ran through the conversation of the last few minutes, but nothing came to mind to explain her demeanor.
By the time he strode to the bakery, Lissandra wore a curiously bland expression as she examined the breads while Carrie watched her with open hostility. Carrie offered him a brilliant smile and shifted so her ample chest plumped up as she rested her arms on the counter.
“Hey, Denny. What can I do you for?” Her voice had sweetened and she tilted her head coyly.
“Uh…” He glanced at Lissandra, but Carrie pointedly ignored her. “Just getting some bread.” Lissandra straightened and met his gaze with icy lavender eyes.
“This one looks good enough.” She dropped a loaf of Italian bread into the basket. Then she turned to Carrie. “Thanks so much for your help.”
“Anytime,” Carrie replied with a malicious smile.
Whoa, was Carrie trying to stake her claim to him? Denarrion thought of all the women in the store, those he’d slept with and those who hoped he would. Had all of them reacted the same way with Lissandra? Oh shit. If every female had acted like she owned a piece of him, not only would there be very little of him left, but he suspected Lissandra would feel like she’d inherited the dregs.
She strode away with her back stiff and her face impassive.
“Have a great day,” Carrie called after her then smiled at him. “Sure I can’t get you anything, Denny?”
“Uh, no. I think I’m good. Thanks.”
“Oh, I know you’re good.” She winked and his gut sank.
Hellwinds. Irritation combined with distress slithered through his gut. He was more than a good lay, dammit. Except, he hadn’t been looking for more than that with them. Now, he’d have to do damage control when he got home or the courtship would be over. He nodded to Carrie and strode after Lissandra, dread filling his chest.
They reached the checkout stand and his heart dropped into his stomach. Carrie’s best friend stood behind the check stand with her elegantly made up face pinched with disdain. She hung up the store phone next to the register and glared daggers at Lissandra as she approached.
Oh, hellwinds.
“Hey, Denny, this all for you today?” the cashier asked in her best bedroom voice. Jeez, were they all going to hit on him? Lissandra arched a brow at him, but maintained her icy silence.
“Yep, that’s it.” His guts clenched with chagrin and anger swelled. What the fuck was wrong with these humans? He put the canvas bags up on the counter.
“How is your summer going? Carrie mentioned you haven’t called her in a while.” The woman eyed Lissandra, her lip curling as if to suggest he’d been fooling around on Carrie.
“Yeah, well, I’ve been pretty busy with my work. How much do I owe you?”
“Twenty-eight, forty-four.” Her bedroom voice grated on him. It always had, each time he’d taken her home, but it seemed worse now.
He handed her thirty dollars and glanced at Lissandra. The dragon widow still had a smooth expression on her face, but her lilac eyes flashed fire. Bloody fucking hellwinds. He nodded to Carrie’s BFF when she gave him his change and took a deep breath as he watched Lissandra head for the door. I’m so screwed. Thank the Goddess dragons didn’t eat their partners when angry, although Lissandra might. He didn’t know her well enough.
“Thanks,” he muttered.
Lissandra strode ahead as if she’d already washed her hands of him and his stomach sank. Shit, fuck, dammit all. Her anger seethed beneath her calm façade, but when he unlocked the truck’s doors, the mask cracked and her fury bled through. He swallowed hard as he set the bags in the extended cab and settled into the driver’s seat.
His dalliances with the women in town had never been a problem before. But it didn’t take a genius to realize he’d messed up. Bad. He just hoped he’d make it home alive.