Anticipation surged through Arabella’s veins as Xavier helped her into the back of a steam cab he hailed once they reached the street. It was an older vehicle with an exterior driver’s perch, its tin sides dented and stained with the soot found everywhere in London. Its window glass was foggy and cracked, its driver abrupt and surly. Arabella didn’t care when he closed the door behind her and Xavier took his spot at the steering yoke outside. Xavier took a seat opposite her, their knees touching.
The cab jerked into motion, its chassis vibrating beneath them. Some steam leaked into the windows through the cracks, filling the passenger compartment with a coppery odor.
Arabella ignored the smell, only focusing on the relative privacy she now shared with Xavier. He looks like he wants to devour me. The thought popped into her mind when she took in the feral look on his face, a stark contrast to his gentleman’s clothes. She reached up and took off his spectacles, folding back the arms. She tucked them away in her reticule. “So they won’t get in the way. Why do dragons need glasses, anyway?”
“This particular dragon happens to be myopic.”
“Can you still see without them?”
“For my purposes, yes.” Through the light afforded to them from the street lamps, she could see his eyes darken. He leaned forward, hands on her thighs, and let them drift upward over ribcage and breasts. Her nipples pebbled under the linen, and he toyed with the lace around the neckline.
He’d been ready to rip her bodice to pieces in the garden. She nearly regretted not letting him do that. Perhaps he would when they returned to her dirigible.
As if he could read her mind, he let go of the lace. “I know,” he murmured. “Not here.” He kissed her, slow and deep, his tongue demanding entrance to her mouth.
She was only too happy to give it. One of his hands left her torso to return to her legs, pushing up a fistful of fabric to touch her stockinged thigh. Her breath left her as she remembered how he did that in the garden, how he’d pressed his impressive manhood against her in a promise of things to come.
Xavier’s hand rose, disappearing under her skirt to tease the sensitive skin of her inner thigh. His gaze never left hers and he watched her expression as his hand toyed with the edges of her drawers. “May I?”
The simple question warred with the ragged note in his voice, the stark need on his face but she knew if she said no, he would stop. She didn’t want him to stop. “Yes,” she whispered.
He shifted further in his seat, closer to her, gently urging her knees apart with one of his own. His hand under her skirt drifted closer to her core, the light, gentle touch setting her senses on fire.
She already knew she wouldn’t last long. She couldn’t keep a small cry from escaping her when his fingers slid inside her, and he silenced her with a kiss. “I wish I could do more to you right now,” he murmured against her lips. “With my mouth…”
Just the notion of that sent a shudder of pleasure racing through Arabella.
“With my cock…”
The crude word was unexpected, but still did something to her. His fingers dove into her, thrusting into her in a motion that made her realize that her fantasies of this were weak and uninspired compared to the real Xavier before her. “What else?” she asked in a breathy whisper.
He nipped her lower lip between his teeth. “I want to rip this dress off you.”
She was amenable to that. “Then what?”
His thumb found the spot that waited for his attention the most. Her back involuntarily arched against the seat. Xavier took advantage of it, quickly dipping his free hand into her bodice and pinching a stiff nipple before smoothing the neckline’s lace again. “More of that,” he said. He pressed his forehead against hers, and his hand under her skirt increased its pressure and momentum. She couldn’t keep herself from moaning.
“I want to fuck you and make you forget that every other man exists,” he said hoarsely. “I want to keep you for myself and let the whole world know that you’re mine.”
His words had all the effect of kerosene being thrown on an already raging inferno. She climaxed against his hand, waves of pleasure slamming into her as her body stiffened. Xavier covered her mouth with his own to keep her cry from escaping, not releasing her until her orgasm was nothing more than aftershocks sparking through her body. She felt boneless and weak, and thought he might have to carry her out of the steam cab. That wasn’t an unpleasant notion.
Xavier slowly withdrew his hand and replaced her skirts below her knees. “I thought that might stave off my appetite for a while,” he said. “But I was wrong. Christ, that was something to see.”
His voice was still rough with desire. A quick glance at his trousers by the light of the passing street lamps showed Arabella that he was still in need of relief. She reached for his knee, intending to slide his hand up his leg the way he did to her, but he put a hand over hers. “Not yet,” he said. “I don’t want this to be over before it starts, especially in a cab.”
Bright lights flooded the passenger area, signaling their arrival at Vauxhall Airfield. The cab lurched to a stop, sending Arabella forward into Xavier’s arms. She peeled herself off him and they quickly rearranged their clothes before the driver opened the door for them.
They had arrived and had a promising evening ahead of them.
Xavier’s libido had all but vanished during his last years in Antarctica, blown away with its winds once he carved out a place for himself in a mountain. It had stirred when he found Arabella in her crashed dirigible and woke up when they spoke for the first time. Since then, it had turned into an ever-present companion, reminding him of his younger days when all he could think about was sex.
This was different.
When he thought about it now, all he could think of was sharing that experience with Arabella. His dragon reminded of it nearly constantly over the last few days, its insistence rising to a fever pitch until he couldn’t think of anything else. He had never experienced those feelings for anyone else, not even after he discovered he was a dragon.
The steam cab left them at the Vauxhall Airfield’s gate. Hand in hand, he and Arabella quickly walked through the sprawling rows of docks, heedless of the people milling about their docks. A light haze of steam and smoke hung in the air, the grinding and knocking sounds of dirigibles taking flight and anchoring omnipresent. They were the sounds of modernity and progress, and for once, Xavier didn’t mind or resent them.
He squeezed Arabella’s hand and stole a glance at her. Her red hair was more mussed than ever, her cheeks flushed. She looked like a woman who had just been debauched and was looking forward to more. Which is exactly what she is. The thought of the possibilities ahead made walking that much more difficult. He had never wanted anyone the way he did now, and he thought he never would again. Arabella had already ruined him for anyone else and they still hadn’t had sex yet. The memory of her orgasm on his fingers ran through his mind. He didn’t think he would ever forget a second of it. He didn’t think it was possible, but his cock grew harder.
Damn it, if this gets any worse I’m not going to make it to the dirigible.
Arabella’s dirigible waited for them, its flight box directly beneath a tall, glowing electric lamp post that reached into the sky. When she unlocked the gate to her dock, he saw her hands were shaking, the keys jangling.
He understood. He felt the same way.
Once she managed the lock, she took his hand and led him up the dock stairs to the dirigible. She switched on a hurricane lamp that hung from the ceiling in the lounge and turned to face him. She slowly started working her left glove off her arm, unfastening the row of tiny buttons that marched down it. Her eyes never left his face.
It was such a small thing, but intimate. Part of him longed to rip them from her arms, but he had already vowed to destroy her dress. It would be rude to ruin the gloves, too. He thought about a nude Arabella, save for her gloves. Perhaps another time. Would there be another time if he planned to leave England? It was best not to think about that right now.
She slipped off her glove, tossing it aside, and started on the other. Once she had unfastened the buttons of the right, Xavier took the liberty of sliding it down her arm, past her hand and fingers.
He traced his fingertips along her skin, noting her sharp intake of breath and how goosebumps rose under his touch. Now that they were alone, he was unsure what to do next. His instinct was to push her against the chaise lounge and rip away both of their clothes. Then he wanted to rut her like the beast he was but this was reality. As much as he longed to take her roughly and quickly, to mark her so everyone knew she was his, he held himself in check. Like the interlude in the steam cab, he wanted this to be good for her, too. Mark her? He quickly mulled over his thoughts. What the hell is that? Did it matter, anyway? He supposed it didn’t.
Sensing his hesitation, Arabella asked, “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” he replied. “I don’t want to hurt you.”
“Of course you wouldn’t hurt me,” she said. She closed the small distance between them and ran a finger along his jacket. “You promised me a lot of things in the cab. You seem to be a man of your word.” She looked up at him through her fans of dark lashes. “You’ll keep your word, won’t you?”
That was all the encouragement Xavier needed. “Do you want this to happen in the bed or the sofa?”
“My bed. I’ve missed it.”
Without missing a beat, Xavier picked her up, voluminous skirts draped over his hands. He carried her to the bedroom where he let her go. Tearing her dress off her would be easier if she was still standing. “I noticed you don’t have any nightclothes in here,” he remarked. He switched on a gas lamp.
“Did you go digging through my drawers? I don’t have much.”
“I noticed that, particularly the lack of nightclothes.”
“I usually sleep naked.”
Xavier suspected as much. “I did in the cave, too, and speaking of naked, I can’t help but notice that neither of us are there yet.” His lips crushed hers in a fierce kiss, pulling her body against his. “How much do you like this dress?”
“Not enough to discourage you from doing what you promised to in the cab.”
Xavier didn’t need any more encouragement. With shaking fingers, he reached for the navy-blue lace at her gown’s neckline and tugged. The sound of tearing fabric filled the room, the lace and linen easily splitting under his strength, revealing her corset beneath. It was like unwrapping a Christmas gift. He pulled again, exposing her matching drawers and stockings, a better sight than he had ever dreamed of. But it still wasn’t enough. He pushed down the dress’s sleeves until it pooled on the floor. She stepped out of it, then slipped off her heeled shoes. She took a small step toward him, lips turned up in a coy smile.
“That’s only one thing you’ve promised to do.”
“It is. Get on the bed.”
Her eyes widened at the command, but she obeyed, sitting primly.
“Move further back,” he ordered.
She did so, draping her legs over the edge.
“Lay down.”
Arabella did.
She looked indescribable, a delicacy to be savored and he intended to enjoy every taste of her. He hooked his thumbs in the waistband of her drawers. Before he could ask if he could remove them, Arabella was already pushing them down her hips, revealing her sex. He slid the garment down her legs and tossed it away, not caring where it landed, and took hold on her knee. Kneeling before the bed, he put her leg over his shoulder and ran his hands over her thighs to the tops of stockings. He’d already decided she would leave them on.
“Xavier,” said Arabella, her voice a breathy whisper. She shivered with excitement, and one hand stroked his hair. “You promised.”
That was all the encouragement he needed. He pressed his mouth against her, drawing a cry of pleasure from her. Her fingers tightened their grip on his hair, urging him on, and he was only too happy to comply. His tongue found the bundle of nerves that she guided his head to, and her body already started to shake and quiver beneath him. She was close to coming undone again, and he didn’t think he would ever tire of seeing and feeling it.
Inside him, his dragon snarled to take her, spirit her away. He shushed it.
He pressed two fingers inside her and the motion was enough to send her over the edge again. He loved that she didn’t try to be quiet, was so open with him, that she pulled at his hair. He loved how his name sounded when she came, how her thighs shook on either side of his head. Once her cries had subsided, he gently nipped at the exposed skin above her stocking and rose to his feet. His cock was so hard it hurt, and he wasn’t sure how long he could last. It had been so long, and he had never wanted anyone the way he did Arabella.
She levered herself up on her elbows to take him in, at his still-dressed state. With shaking fingers, he started work on his shirt buttons, then his trousers.
“Take off your corset,” he commanded.
Arabella sat up, then deftly unhooked her corset. Slowly, she peeled the sides apart to reveal it was silk lined, that she wore nothing underneath, and set it aside.
Xavier’s mouth went dry as he pushed his trousers and underclothes off his body, then shucked his shirt. Arabella watched him through heavy-lidded eyes, as he leaned over her and kissed her. It was sweet, almost gentle, a sharp contrast to the inferno of desire currently burning in him that told him to take her immediately. He threaded his fingers through hers and held her hands on either side of her head. His lips traced a line down her jaw, to her throat, her collarbones. He kissed the swell of her breast and sucked one pebbled nipple into his mouth.
Her hips bucked against his, and he let go of one of her hands to grasp her other breast, kneading and squeezing until she let out those breathy little moans again. “Xavier,” she moaned. Her hand gripped his. “Please.”
He let go of her nipple. “Please what?”
“Please keep your promise.”
He raised his head and feathered a kiss at her pulse beating a rapid tattoo in her neck. She shivered. “Which part?”
“The part where you said you were going to fuck me until I forgot any other man existed.”
The mention of other men, even though she quoted him, had his dragon on edge again. The question reminded him of something else that he should have brought up already. “Have you done this before?”
She took another sharp breath, but he could tell this wasn’t desire.
He hoped he hadn’t just fucked up everything. “I don’t want to hurt you,” he quickly added. “If this is your first time, I want this to be good for you.”
“It isn’t,” she replied. “I know what I’m doing. Will that be a problem?”
“Of course not.” As long as there weren’t any others.
“I’m certain you’ll make this good for both of us,” she said. She wriggled her hand out from his grip and laced her fingers around his neck, pulling him to her for a kiss.
He urged her knees apart and settled against her hips, taking himself in hand to push inside her. Both of them moaned, her body wriggling beneath him as she adjusted, his already quivering at her warmth. Slowly, he began to thrust, each one drawing a gasp from her. Her legs wrapped around him, pulling him deeper into her as his pace increased until he slammed into her body.
Her hips met his with each movement, his name on her lips.
He captured them with his own as her body began to shake in another climax and felt his building. It wouldn’t be long. His gums itched for a moment, and he broke the kiss. Just as quickly, the sensation was gone, but the inside of his mouth felt strange. That feeling was fleeting, too. Instead, all he could focus on was Arabella’s face as she looked in the throes of orgasm, an expression that hastened his own. He lowered his head again to her neck as his climax ripped through him, where her neck where it met her shoulder. The motion muffled his yell as his body shuddered inside her. As he pressed a kiss to the spot he’d bitten, soothing the hurt, he realized he’d made a mistake.
She had ruined him.
He would never be able to let her go.
Arabella snuggled against Xavier’s chest, unable to bring herself to move just yet. His arms tightened around her and he dropped a kiss to the top of her head, a comparatively chaste gesture compared to what they had just shared. Just the thought of what they had done brought heat to her face. She would treasure those memories for the rest of her life. “What happens next?” she murmured against his skin.
“You could give me back my spectacles. They’re still in your reticule.”
“So you’ll be able to see me as I am?” she teased.
“I already have,” Xavier said. He tilted her chin up to better look her in the eye. “You’ll note I deliberately left the light on and I can see you just fine with myopia.” He traced the back of his hand against her face, sending electric sparks dancing across her skin.
She sighed and leaned into him, not wanting to break the contact.
His hand dipped lower, down her neck to where it met her shoulder. He frowned as he reached the spot where he bit her.
“What is it?” Arabella touched it, finding a slightly raised spot. “You left quite the mark on me.”
“Yes, I didn’t intend to do that.” A furrow of worry appeared between his brows.
“It’s all right. No one’s bitten me before. I can’t say I didn’t like it.”
“Arabella…”
“No one’s ever ripped off my clothes, either. I’d like to do that again.”
His pupils dilated in the soft light, but his expression didn’t change. “I think you should look at it,” he said hoarsely. “In the looking glass.”
There was an urgency to his tone and set off klaxons in her mind. She reluctantly got out of bed and padded on her stockinged feet to the small looking glass bolted to the wall. She pushed her hair aside to look at the bite. The mark was raised, two spots where his incisors sank into her skin. It already looked like it was healing. The wound didn’t hurt when she gingerly touched her fingertips to it. “What did you do to me?” she said aloud. “Not that I’m complaining.”
“I’m not either but I’ve never done that before.”
“Well, it’s been a few years, hasn’t it?” She returned to the bed and nestled against his naked chest. “Perhaps you’re simply out of practice and if that was you out of practice—” She lightly nipped his skin under his ear. “I’d really like to see how you do things under normal circumstances.”
His arms tightened around her again. “I would be only too happy to show you,” he said, his breath ruffling her hair.
Xavier’s voice held a note of promise, and like the others he had made, Arabella would hold him to it.