Clarissa stopped what she was doing and regarded Nathaniel. He was shirtless, wearing only the slacks he’d dressed in that morning, and the sheer masculine energy he was putting off made her blood surge in her veins.
“Now,” he said again, in the low gruff voice of a man who was used to having his way. “Sing for me.” His eyes were locked on her, acutely focused as if she were the only one in the world. It was a heady thing being the center of a powerful dragon’s attention. It made her want to obey. Made her want to please him.
“You’re not the boss of me,” she said, flashing him a snarky smile.
He lowered his chin. “Please.”
How could she refuse such a gentle and pleading dragon? She opened her mouth and sang the song she’d written about him.
Your night, it crawls to meet
the darkness inside me.
Don’t you know that your energy
is the thing making me me?
I was once a dying thing.
You helped me find my wings.
Now I fly among the stars,
free from you, free from us.
But it’s cold without your fire.
It’s cold without your fire.
If I could take the blame
and lure back your flame,
I’d hold you once again
And it would never be the saaaaame.
He had her in his arms before she could finish the last note of the refrain. “Still magical,” he said into her mouth. His fingers flew down the front of her blouse, and he pushed it from her shoulders. Her pants were next, his movements fast and precise. He tasted of tobacco and desire. She tried to respond, reached for the buckle on his belt, but he came at her like the ocean, his hands and mouth everywhere at once, overwhelming her senses, and she found it was impossible not to simply move with it, like jumping into the wave and allowing it to carry her in the swell.
In a heartbeat, he had her on the bed, both of them naked. He rolled her on top of him and stared up at her like she was his own personal goddess. “Tell Tom you’re ready to sing at O2.”
She stopped. “Isn’t that risky? The concert is Saturday night. What if you can’t bind us before then? I won’t have my magic.”
“Then sing without your magic. Tell your audience you’ve recovering from… whatever you told Tom you’re having fixed. Your voice is incredible, Clarissa, just as it is. You are enough as you are. They will love you, not like I do, but enough for you to continue doing what you love while we figure this thing out.”
She rose up on her knees, vividly aware of their nakedness and the fact he was pressed between her legs in the most delicious way. She wanted to feel him inside her, wanted to ride him and be ravished by him until she was spent and sated. But her mind fought against her body. This was important. This conversation was long overdue.
“But what’s the point, Nathaniel? I told you I’m yours. I gave myself to you. What meaning would that have if I left again? My career takes me all over the world. I’m touring right now and for the next year. We’d be apart more than we’d be together.”
“Only if you don’t take me with you.”
A lump formed in her throat. “Your home is here. So is your business.”
“And they’ll still be here when I return. Albert is proving a worthy apprentice, and I can help him from afar. Tempest and Laurel will take care of this house while I’m gone. Warwick can run the order.”
She lowered her body flush with his. “You’re serious. You’d do that for me?”
He took her face in his hands. “I’m too old a dragon to waste time worrying about geography. Call me your lover, your husband, or say nothing at all. Make me your bodyguard or personal assistant. I don’t care. Just say we’ll be together, and I’ll follow you anywhere.”
The warm flood of emotion that cascaded through her was overwhelming. She knew what this was. She’d seen it before. Been close to it before. But never allowed it in before. This was love. Unconditional love. “Yes. Oh yes, Nate.”
Her lips crashed into his and her hips rose to position him under her. His mating trill vibrated against her lips as he slid inside. Oh, the feel of him. He stretched and filled her, lighting up every pleasure sensor in her body at once. The tips of her breasts brushed his chest, her hands braced against his ribs, and she started to move. He matched her thrust for thrust, their movements a dance of increasing need. Her skin tingled.
Nathaniel’s hand brushed hot against her throat and skimmed down between her breasts. He lifted from the bed and caught one of her nipples in his mouth, flicking the tip with his tongue. Heat trailed around her ribs up her spine. His fingers were hot velvet.
Moving above him like this, on top of him, she could almost pretend she could contain all that power between her thighs. But his magic was a formidable thing. She felt it build in the air around her. Tendrils of dragon enchantment enfolded her, sinking into her flesh. She had none of her own magic now, but she could feel his pulsing inside her. The air was thick with it. It zinged along her skin, plucked at her nipples, circled her clit. Sweat broke out along the base of her neck and she tossed her head back and allowed the orgasm to crest, her inner muscles working overtime on his cock.
He growled and fisted her hips, finding his own release and shuddering beneath her. His pleasure fed hers until she collapsed on top of him, tucking her face into his neck.
When she was able to form words again, she whispered, “Will it always be like this?”
“Always.”
“When will you go to Paragon to help Raven and your brothers?”
“Tomorrow.”
“Do you want me to come with you?”
“No. It’s too dangerous in your current state. But don’t worry about me. I know what I’m doing. You stay here and do what you need to do to get ready for the show. Trust me, I’ll be back in time to watch you take the stage.”
“Will you take me someday?” she whispered. “To Paragon. I’d love to see where you grew up.”
That seemed to sober him and she watched ice creep behind his eyes. “Maybe, if it’s safe.”
She kissed him on the cheek, climbed off him, and headed for the shower. She didn’t allow herself to slump until she was safely on the other side of the door. She did trust him. Nathaniel was perfectly capable of taking care of himself. But anxiety wormed through her torso. It had been three centuries since Nathaniel had been to his home world. She didn’t fully understand the politics, but she understood the danger, and once he left, she wouldn’t take a deep breath again until he was back home.