Curling her hand tightly around the paring knife, Lissandra tried to diffuse her anger over Denarrion’s harem of human females. It’s none of my business. She knew her condemnation was unfair. In terms of finding sexual gratification and experience, humans were plentiful and dragons scarce. Hellwinds, she’d had a few hookups since Mike died. Emphasis on few.
Deep breaths. He apologized and says he’s done.
Surreptitiously, she glanced over at him with her Sight as he washed dishes. Dark hazing still edged his aura, but it appeared to be fading in places. Where is the darkness coming from? Could she trust him to keep his word? Had the smudges on his soul caused his excessive need to screw humans? She hadn’t scented any deceit in him in the truck.
“There, done.” He wiped his hands on a dish towel and reached for the open bottle of wine to pour two glasses.
“I think you’re the first male I have ever seen who does the dishes of the meal he had just prepared.”
“Yeah, well, you can’t cook if you don’t have dishes or space, right? So I clean it up.” He shrugged good-naturedly and the muscles under his t-shirt rippled. She tried to ignore the shot of arousal swamping her system with the memory of his body between her legs.
“I wish I could get my daughters to feel that way.”
He laughed. “Not much for cleaning up?”
“No, especially their rooms. It’s like they meticulously ransack their personal spaces, but when it comes to cleaning up, there’s a lot of bellyaching and stuff gets thrown into whatever container is closest.” Lissandra shook her head. “It gives me fits.”
“Have you thought of making it a game?”
“A game? To clean up their rooms?”
“Yeah, you know, offer them bribery. If you clean up your room, I’ll take you to the park, or whatever.” He grinned and winked. “Works on me all the time.”
“You bribe yourself?” She laughed.
“Yep. If I finish my work, I can sit back and watch the games on TV.”
She paused, eyeing him in surprise. “You watch sports?”
“Hell yeah. Don’t you?”
“Not really. What sports do you like to watch?”
“Baseball and hockey, though baseball is more fun live than on the boob tube.” He hung the dishtowel up to dry and gestured toward the back of the house. “You want to see what I consider work?”
“Sure. You mean your dragon moving company?”
“Ha ha, very funny.” He grinned. “Let me show you around.”
“What? There’s more to see than this kitchen and your bedroom?”
“You’re just full of those little remarks, aren’t you?” He swatted her ass as he led her out the back door toward the separate garage. “Out, woman. Prepare to be amazed.”
It looked more like a barn than a garage, but the wide doors opened to allow large vehicles inside for easy loading. Denarrion opened a human-sized door and ushered her through.
Scents of wood and stain and paint thinner washed over her as sawdust cushioned her steps. A thin layer of saw dust covered the floor while wood working tools lined the walls. Peace and contentment settled around her. This is his sanctuary.
Furniture in various states of completion stood in a gaggle off to one side. Rocking chairs with elegant scrolling along the headboards and armrests lay between straight back chairs with gently undulating seats and claw foot tables with hidden drawers just beneath their tops. Some end tables had intricate wood inlays that created different colored designs and pictures on the top surface.
“Wow.” Lissandra trailed her fingers over the headboard of an unfinished chair. “These are gorgeous. Did you make them yourself?”
“Yeah. Do you like them?”
“Oh, yes, they’re beautiful.” She paused at an inlaid table. “You have a real gift with wood. What do you do with them?”
“I sell them at a shop in town, and at the local craft festivals.”
“Wow,” she said again, admiring a finely carved dining room table.
The top split down the middle so leaves could be added to enlarge it. He’d carved lion’s claw feet at the base and scrollwork on the trim underneath the tabletop.
“These are really amazing. Do you do all the mechanical work on the tables as well?”
“Yeah.”
“Just spectacular.”
Lissandra touched the items of furniture and sensed Denarrion’s joy and satisfaction in each piece. She felt the positive energy suffusing the whole workshop. She scanned the room with her Sight and caught him glowing brilliantly as if a high-powered spotlight shone inside him. Even the tarnish faded from his aura in this place.
“I can see why you like it here. It smells really good.”
“Yeah? You like the smells of wood and varnish?” He smirked.
“They kind of remind me of home. It smells like you work with a lot of pine.”
“It’s a fragrant, soft wood, that’s for sure.”
She crouched on the floor to inspect the wood inlay of a chest of drawers, but paused when she heard him step up behind her. Her back tingled and she suppressed an aroused shiver as he gently closed his hands around her arms. She stood up slowly and turned her head to look at him with raised eyebrows. He stared back at her with flames leaping in his ice blue eyes and her nipples hardened in response to his intense gaze.
“You really like my furniture?” He pulled her closer until her back pressed up against his chest. Then he laid a very soft kiss at the base of her neck.
“Yes.”
“Good.”
His kisses slid across her back and shoulders, lighting fires in her belly and beyond. She moaned deep in her throat and gave herself to the pleasure of his touches as she leaned into him.
“Let me show you more of my work.”
He pulled away from her and led her by hand to an unfinished table in a sunny corner of the barn. The golden wood glowed in the dusty sunlight and the scent of maple rose from its unvarnished surface.
“This is one of my favorites, you know?”
“Why?” She’d never heard her voice so breathy, but she couldn’t seem to catch her wind.
“’Cause it’s big and perfect for doing this.”
He tugged her t-shirt out of her capris and pulled it over her head before unhooking her bra to expose her breasts.
“Has anyone ever mentioned you have perfect breasts?” He slid his hands up her arms to her shoulders and turned her gently until she faced the warm tabletop.
“Is this why you’re turning them away from you?” Laughter bubbled up from her chest as he nipped the nape of her neck with a short growl.
“Nah, I just wanted to get a good understanding of their textures. I tend to see with my hands.” He dragged his palms down the slope of her chest to her nipples. She gasped with surprised pleasure as he massaged the peaks and areolas until they tightened.
“Ah, Holy Mother, I love the feeling of your breasts in my hands.” He moaned with delight. “I love how they fit in my palms and the way the nipples tease me.” He gently pinched them between his fingers and she echoed his moan. “Ah, so you like that, eh? Me too. Now, lie flat so I can take care of you.”
Denarrion pressed a hand to the center of her back until she draped over the tabletop. The scents of pine and sawdust filled her nose as he stretched each arm out until she gripped the opposite edges.
“How is this taking care of me?” Despite the hard surface pressing against her breasts and belly, her arousal surged when he flashed her a lustful smile.
“Don’t worry. Just don’t let go of the table, yeah?”
She nodded then shivered as he trailed his fingers along her bare arms to her shoulders, pausing there to massage them lightly. She lost sight of him, but she heard him shift behind her before he pushed the large bulge in the front of his shorts against her ass. He groaned in pleasure as she wriggled back at him with her hips.
“Oh, sweet Goddess, your ass is so damn sexy.”
“That’s not all that’s sexy.”
His laugh almost covered the rustle of clothing behind her, then he stroked her back with feather-light touches and kisses. She squirmed in delight and her juices coated her nether lips as excitement built. Oh, Goddess, he’s merciless. His work-roughened hands chafed her skin and shots of electric desire pulsed through her, followed by erotic swipes of his warm tongue and lips.
As she bucked upwards with pleasure, he unbuttoned the clasp to her capris and slid them off her hips until they pooled around her ankles. His hands roamed over her exposed flesh, trailing fiery hot touches that swamped her mind with pleasure.
“Oh, Goddess, Denarrion. Don’t stop.”
“I don’t plan to.”
The rumble of his voice combined with his ticklish caresses sent arousal flooding through her. He knelt in the sawdust, the warm wetness of his tongue teasing her tailbone. She shifted to look over her shoulder, but his hand shot up to her middle back and pushed her back down.
“Just wait, my dragon lady. You won’t be disappointed.” She whimpered as he pushed her feet apart on the floor, her aroused scent filling the air between them.
What is he going—Oh my glory!
His hot mouth hit the flesh on inside of her thigh and his tongue skimmed close to her throbbing core, obliterating all her thoughts.
Denarrion slid his tongue over the curve of her left cheek, kissing where he stopped then repeating the same motion on her right cheek. She shivered at the warm wet sensations while his hands coasted over her skin until they tangled themselves in the hair on her mound. She gave a gasp of surprise as he gently pulled on the strands, sending prickles of sensation straight to her brain, and her pussy flooded with cream.
“Ah, Lissandra, I can smell your sweet musk.” He pushed her legs wider apart. “Let me taste you again.” Then he licked her down the length of her slit.
She wailed in delight as her hands tightened on the edge of the table. He held her cheeks apart as he feasted on her sensitive tissues smothered in her own juices. He hummed as he held her firmly against his hot mouth, the vibrations electrifying her whole body. She writhed in his grip as his tongue slid in and out of her.
Pushing backwards, she ground her hips against his face until she felt his tongue flicking her clitoris and the tip of his nose pressed into her opening. Pleasure swirled up her spine and she shivered again, drowning in hot lust.
“Holy Mother, Denarrion, I can’t take much more of this.”
She panted as he licked and played with her pussy while his fingers gently massaged the skin of her inner thighs. Each touch built her arousal higher until she had to have more, harder, deeper. She let out an involuntary squeal-moan and jerked against his grip.
“Easy, dragon lady, easy.” Denarrion pulled away from her pussy with one last swipe of his tongue and stood. “Your taste is like sipping electric brandy with a smoky finish. You’re sweetness and fire all rolled into one. I’ve never enjoyed this as much as I am with you.”
Then he thrust his hardened cock into her slick opening and she shrieked in delighted surprise, rising on her hands.
She’d never felt so full. The ecstasy swirling through her body topped all the other times she’d made love. Denarrion fit her so well, better than anyone before him.
“Fuck, you are so hot and tight.”
His dirty words set her arousal ablaze and she flexed her inner muscles around him He groaned through clenched teeth, holding himself still as her pussy caressed his hard shaft.
“Goddess, I want you hard.”
“Oh, you want to play rough, do ya?” He growled and excitement rose in her as he pressed against her until his lips caressed her ear while his hands held her hips still. “I can do that.” He pulled his hips back and slammed into her again.
“Ahhhh!” She writhed in his grip and threw her head back. “More. Oh glory. Please, more.”
“Harder?” Amusement colored his voice. “Or slower and deeper?” He pulled back again, but returned with exaggerated slowness.
Lissandra’s senses exploded and a tortured moan broke through her lips. Sweet fire licked over her skin. Even the soles of her feet prickled with sensual needles. She rose up onto her toes, trying to work herself backward to make him thrust faster. But he chuckled and held her still as he continued to thrust with agonizing slowness.
“Please, Denarrion, harder. Harder,” she begged, writhing around his cock.
“How much harder, Lissandra?” He seated himself balls-deep in her tight cleft.
The sensations of pleasure ripped through her, tearing away any coherent thought other than more, harder, now!
“Yes, harder, Denarrion. Harder, harder now!” She thrust backwards while tightening the muscles of her pussy around his shaft.
He roared and slammed into her in a pounding rhythm that stole her breath. He held her hips tightly as he plowed inside, increasing his rhythm until the unfinished table beneath her rocked on its sturdy braces.
Her arousal surged closer and closer to orgasm and she clutched the table, her knuckles flashing white. He grunted and snarled as he pounded her pussy until they shrieked out their release with wild abandon.
Dust motes swirled in the warm air like paisley fractals and Lissandra flew with them on a flood of bliss. When he sank his teeth into her shoulder again, she tripped into another orgasm as her spine arched and her claws gouged the undersides of the tabletop.
Stars cascaded behind her eyelids and she fell with them, joy and contentment warring for superiority. Denarrion’s teeth remained clamped to her shoulder and the long canines stabbed into the muscle sent tingles through her. She shivered and the pleasure shot from her shoulder down to her pussy, making it clench. He moaned and his cock flexed within her, sending ricochets of bliss back through her body.
“You are amazing, Denarrion.”
He growled at her shoulder and slid his hands up to caress her breasts. She hissed and wriggled her hips, reveling in the pull of his teeth in her shoulder. She loved him holding her there and the vibration of his growls through her body. She wanted more, more touches, caresses, and bites.
When he finally released her, he licked the bite marks tenderly, sending puffs of air over her punctured skin. She shivered again.
“I didn’t hurt you, did I?” He pulled out and eased her off the edge of the table, cradling her body against his. She laid her head against his chest and listened to his heartbeat.
“No, I enjoyed everything you did. Particularly this.” She pointed to the bite mark on her shoulder and offered him a dreamy smile.
He actually blushed. “I couldn’t resist biting you. I just lose my head and want to latch on. It has never happened to me before, with anyone.”
She smiled and patted his chest lovingly. “Thank you. That means a lot.”
“It does?” His eyebrows rose.
“Yes.”
He pulled her into his arms and kissed her neck above the bite mark while his hands slid down her back to cup her ass.
“I guess you’re teaching me a few things about being dragon while I teach you a few things about loving in human form.”
Foreboding stabbed into her chest with his words, but she shoved it deep. He was her True Mate, and the Goddess would never set her up to take a fall. It’s going to be fine. I’ve never had a True Mate before. I’m probably just nervous from being single so long. But the disquiet settled into her gut. She hid it behind a smile as she grabbed her bra and capris, and shook out the wood shavings.
“I had no idea there were so many ways to make love in this form.”
“Oh, yeah, humans are nothing if not pleasure-seekers. You should see some of the toys they use.”
“Toys?”
“Yeah, you know, vibrators, cock rings, fuzzy handcuffs. Stuff like that.”
Lissandra grinned. “Your cock needs a ring? Is that some sort of weird marriage symbol?”
He laughed. “No, well, I guess it could be.” He winked. “But it’s meant to keep a guy harder longer.”
“Oh, Goddess, I don’t know if I could handle you harder longer.” She gave him her best coquettish smile. “I might turn into a flaming pile of dragon goo.”
“I’m sure on you it would be sexy.”
They finished dressing and headed back to the house. She paused on the threshold of the workshop and looked it over. She understood why he found happiness there. It would always hold a warm place in her memories. Actually, more of a hot, wet, sexy place, but whatever.
“What are you thinking?”
“I like your workshop. I like it a lot.” She winked and he grinned.
“Oh, good. Me, too. Now more than ever.”
They returned to the house just as the buzzer on the oven sounded off. Denarrion grabbed some oven mitts and pulled out the potatoes before they got too crispy.
“Good timing.”
“I’m good like that.” He smirked as he set the pan on the stove to cool.
“Oh, you’re more than good.” She let her satisfaction show in her smile. The memories of his hard cock buried inside her sent shivers up her spine. “I think I need a nap.”
“A nap? Did I wear you out?” His eyes widened.
“You better believe it.” She snorted. “I haven’t had this much sex in…well, decades. I don’t have that kind of stamina yet.”
“We’ll have to work on that, then.” He leaned over and brushed his lips against the mark on her shoulder.
“Breaks your heart, doesn’t it?”
“Absolutely. It’s a dirty job, but I’m willing to take it on.”
“I’m sure you are.”
He led her up the stairs and into the master bath again. He adjusted the shower and he undressed her with rapt attention. His touches remained tender and attentive, though hot arousal burned in his eyes. Her body tightened in reaction, but she didn’t have the energy to keep it up for long.
“In you go. Take your time, okay?”
“Thanks.”
She stepped in, letting the water soak the remnants of sex and wood shavings away from her skin. Jeez, I’ve been taking a lot of showers lately. The idea made her giggle. If this was how Denarrion rolled, she could probably get used to it. She washed herself down carefully, treating her over stimulated flesh with extra care.
When she’d finished, he held up a large fluffy towel for her. She stepped out with a grin and he wrapped it around her, drying her skin with long gentle strokes. He peppered the few patches of exposed skin with light kisses before he led her into the bedroom and lifted the covers without a word.
“Get some rest. I’ll be back in a few minutes.” He kissed her lips and threw the sheets over her.
Oh, yeah, I could definitely get used to this. Her eyes slid closed and sleep enclosed her in a soft cocoon.
****
Denarrion stood beneath the spray and thought about the beautiful woman asleep in his bed. Lissandra had to be the best thing he’d ever experienced. But some unnamed fear kept creeping in when he thought of what she’d said about true mating. It felt right, yet his mind kept issuing a warning.
Fuck it. He wanted her and he’d make the best of this courtship, scary new dragon issues or not. He’d never been as satisfied after sex as he was with her, and even now his cock rose with the memories of being inside her.
Down, boy. She’s resting. He settled onto the bench in his shower and let the water pound against his body. One woman who’d visited him had loved to shave while sitting there. She had also enjoyed his more personal attentions between her legs. He wondered if Lissandra would like that kind of attention. I know I would.
He finished his shower and threw a robe over his shoulders. She lay in his bed, completely out, and she’d never looked so beautiful to him. While he would’ve liked to snuggle with her, he headed downstairs to check on the meal. No point in burning dinner when trying to make an impression.
The other thing worrying him was the biting. She said it was the mark of true mates. But she hasn’t bitten me. Maybe it was only a male reaction. Or maybe she doesn’t feel the same.
The insidious voice dampened some of his contentment. She hadn’t mentioned her own feelings, but she certainly hadn’t turned him down for sex. The times he’d bitten her blazed in his memories with more emotion than he’d ever experienced.
He checked on the food then poured himself a glass of water. If the courtship worked like he hoped, they’d have plenty of time to learn about each other in private.
Except she has kids. His gut sank a little. What did he know about being a father? Hellwinds, he didn’t even have a role model to use as a template. Granted, she hadn’t spent all her time with him talking about them, but he suspected she was a package-deal. Surely, they weren’t her whole world and he wouldn’t lose her entirely to them once they mated.
Nah, it’ll be fine. Family was important, although he’d never seen it in his own, but Lissandra seemed fully committed to the courtship. But the disquiet remained and the little voice warned he’d lose her in the end.