Page 11 of Lahaina Noon (Modern Legends of Dragons & Shadows #1)
Chapter 11
B ridget stirred on something soft and silky. She was either lying in a nest of angel feathers, or this was the world’s most comfortable mattress. She didn’t remember buying this, but good lord, she might never get out of it.
Suddenly, she remembered this was not her mattress and the last thing she saw was, “Wings!” She shouted and sat bolt upright in the bed. She looked around the very masculine space and realized she must be in Vaughn’s bedroom. She checked herself and was relieved to see she was still wearing her clothes, although her shoes were sitting neatly by a nearby dresser.
She noticed the cozy feeling of the rest of the house had been carried into the bedroom. There was another comfy looking chair in the corner by some bookshelves filled floor to ceiling. It looked very inviting and certainly more appropriate than lying in a strange man’s bed. She started to get up when Vaughn walked into the room.
His black wavy hair was slicked back, dripping wet, his upper body bare, and a towel hitched low around his hips. Reality was much better than her imagination .
Wow, she thought, I could just bite that hip bone and lick; she looked up at his face, mortified to be caught staring at him while thinking what she was thinking. Her face heated and the desire she’d felt earlier swamped her again.
His gaze was steady on hers, his face unreadable as he stood in the doorway.
She looked down and realized he was barefoot and trailing water behind him. “Uh, shower?” she asked feebly.
He glanced down at the puddle. “Pool. I went for a swim to uh, cool off while you uh, recovered and um.” He shifted his feet nervously.
She started at this version of Vaughn. He seemed unsure of himself for the first time, and she wasn’t sure what to make of it. He was unsure? She had just laughed at a dragon, and he didn’t eat her.
She gasped and scooted back across the bed in alarm. Trying to get off the other side to put space between them. “Dragon,” she whispered.
“Relax,” he tried to assure her, holding up his hands, “I’m not going to hurt you, remember? I promised you.”
Had he? Had he promised that, or did he just say it to confuse her? She continued to back away.
“Bridget,” he groaned, “Please, my sweet Bridget, if I was going to hurt you, I could have done it a dozen times before now.”
That’s true, she thought, maybe I was just imagining things, and he didn’t really change right in front of me. She gave him a small, tentative smile. “So,” she cleared her throat, “Is it. True?” She hated that her voice wavered. “Are you really a,” she paused .
“Dragon.” He nodded. “It’s okay, you can say it. And despite the legends, we don’t devour virgins or demand sacrifices anymore.” He winked at her.
She took a deep breath and tried to settle her pounding heart that hadn’t let up since he said the D word. “Okay. Dragon. Draaaagon. Dragonnnnn,” she said it a few times, drawing the word out, testing how it fell from her lips.
Vaughn was watching her face as she took it all in and seemed to be waiting patiently for her to become comfortable with it.
“Can I, um. Can you show me your… wings again?” she winced as if he was going to recoil from her crazy request.
He nodded slowly and shook his shoulders, unfurling his wings. He stood there, slowly waving them behind his back.
She sat up on her knees and stared. “It’s true,” she whispered. Her gaze flew to his. “You’re a dragon!” Her voice quaked in awe.
He blew smoke from his mouth in a small ring towards her and nodded. He seemed to be one giant ball of tension and fear.
She could see that her acceptance meant the world to him. Suddenly, her brain and heart caught up with each other, and she realized that regardless of it all, he was still a man, an amazingly gorgeous one, who was enamored of her and desperately wanted her approval. She thought about all she knew about him from their months of collaboration. “Vaughn,” she began slowly. “All that about being a dragon, about Shadow Claws, protecting me and whatnot, does that affect how you feel about me?”
He stood still and looked at her speculatively for a moment. “Not at all,” he finally replied. “Whatever else happens from here, wherever we may be, I still believe you are the most beautiful woman in this world or any other, and there is nothing I wouldn’t do to be by your side. From the moment we met, I knew I wanted you. It’s been so hard to hold back, and this morning, you looked so adorable, grumbling at your computer. I couldn’t wait anymore. It’s why I asked you out. I— I want you, Bridget, so much it hurts, so much more than you could know.”
He gazed at her with such obvious desire she had no choice but to believe him. She trusted him. She sat up on her knees and dropped the straps of her dress down her shoulders, letting it fall to show a little more cleavage. “Then I suggest, my dear dragon,” she said smoothly, “You ditch that towel and let’s be sure we don’t disappoint my friend.”
He hesitated for a second.
“Vaughn, I want you too.”
He smiled shyly, dropped the towel, and walked slowly, cautiously towards her.
Bridget had a moment to savor that the man was absolutely stunning, head to toe. Apparently, he liked swimming in the nude, as he wasn’t wearing anything under the towel.
He climbed onto the bed with her like a lion stalking prey.
Make that a dragon stalking its prey, she thought as she began to wonder if that’s what she was.
“Little one,” he growled, “You’re thinking too hard again. I need to give you something else to think about.” He stopped before her and rose up on his knees to match her pose. He gently laid his hands on her shoulders and began to caress her collarbones .
Bridget felt her breath catch in her throat at the softness of his touch and raised her own hands to his chest. She kept repeating in her head to not look down as she didn’t want to seem like a total wanton hussy, but it was hard not to take a peek. She couldn’t stop her eyes from sliding down the man like there was a magnet drawing her gaze to a specific point. She bit her lip at the size of that point. She snapped her eyes back up to his, and he laughed softly.
“Don’t worry, my sweet; I’ll make sure you’re ready for it.”
She sure hoped he meant that.
He leaned forward and began to trail kisses over her neck and up to her ears.
She could feel the warmth of his breath on her, and it sent a thrill coursing through her body. Everything was on fire. “I, uh, I haven’t done this in a while,” she admitted, “I may be a little rusty.” She laughed lightly. She was nervous. She hadn’t been with anyone since Brian. She knew she needed to move on, but it was terrifying to trust her body to another person this way.
Vaughn leaned back to take her face gently in his hands. “You will be amazing, Bridget. Relax, and let me take care of you.” He took the straps of her dress and slowly lowered them down over her breasts, and she thanked the gods on high that she let Jorrie talk her into the sexy underwear. He seemed to rumble in his chest, which she took as a sign of approval. “Let’s see what else is under there.” He let go of the dress and watched it pool around her knees. He picked her up, lifting her entire body so she could kick the dress off from around her feet. “Beautiful,” he rumbled again.
“Holy crap,” she said, amazed at his show of strength .
He chuckled as he set her back down. “I think you will find, my sweet Bridget, there are many benefits to having a dragon as a lover.” He put his hand on her hips and pulled her to his body. He wrapped his arms around her and began to kiss her in earnest.
Bridget was so lost in his kisses that she didn’t realize at first that he had removed her bra until she noticed the cool air brush against her nipples. Good grief, this man could make her lose her mind. It had never been like this with Brian. That’s not fair! Her mind protested; he wasn’t a freaking dragon! “Shut up, brain,” she whispered against his mouth.
His head fell back, and he laughed. “So, you can still think? I’ll have to do something about that.” He grabbed her by the hips, lifted her up and threw her down on the bed. Before she could even gasp, he was stretched out above her. He looked deep into her eyes as he slowly lowered his body to hers.
She watched the flex of muscles as he kept himself up just enough to avoid crushing her under his amazing frame. “Show off,” she said with an impish grin. Her earlier nervousness was fading with his playful attitude and obvious appreciation of her body.
He shut her up in the best way possible, melding his mouth with hers. He lifted one hand and began to knead her breast, making her arch her body into his. This of course had the side benefit of helping her feel his hard length pressing into her hip.
She moaned into his mouth, which made him deepen the kiss further.
He broke away from her lips, and while she panted, he made his way down her neck, kissing, licking, and biting lightly until he reached her breasts. He lightly circled his tongue around one nipple before sucking it into his mouth and putting pressure on it.
She cried out and buried her hands in his silky hair, arching her back again in a way that he knew meant she wanted more. He flicked his tongue back and forth over her nipple while gently sucking before letting a little of his fire warm his mouth and blowing the heat over her.
She bucked underneath him, gasping at the sensation. “What was that?” she asked breathlessly.
“Just a little perk.” He winked and switched to the other breast.
She laid back against the soft pillow and slid her hands from his hair to his broad shoulders. Reveling in the sensation, she let go and began to lose herself in the moment.
Vaughn shifted his weight and kissed her stomach as he lowered himself further, gripping her thighs with his hands and pulling them wider.
Bridget’s eyes flew open. Was he about to do what she thought he was about to do? Oh, my sweet baby Jesus and all ten toes! She began to tense. This was moving too fast!
He sensed her body move, and he growled low in his throat.
She stilled as his eyes came up to meet hers, and she could see the flames dancing behind them again. His desire was so obvious, she was able to relax again.
He draped an arm across her stomach, effectively pinning her down and lifted the other hand to her field of vision .
She watched as one finger developed a sharp, wicked-looking talon. She frantically looked back at him, and he smiled the most devilish smile she had seen yet.
“I hope you weren’t too attached to these.” he rumbled in a gravelly voice. With a quick flash, he ripped through her panties and flung them over his shoulder.
“Hey!” she tried to protest, but he chose that moment to blow his extra heated breath between her parted thighs, and all words clogged her throat. She let out a strangled groan, and he loosened his grip as he dipped his head to her legs and pressed a kiss on the inside of her thigh.
He ran the claw from the inside of her knee, up her leg to the junction of her thighs and then higher to circle her belly button.
She squirmed, and he blew another heated breath across her. She understood the instruction and stilled.
He retracted the claw and gently pushed her thighs wider, watching the trembling of her body. “Don’t worry, my sweet, I just need to know how good you taste,” he whispered as he dipped his tongue into her core.
Her thighs clenched and then relaxed as he kneaded them with his warm hands. She rested her hands on his shoulders and melted into the bed, engulfed in the sensations he was giving her.
Vaughn licked his way slowly up her sweet center, clearly enjoying himself if the rumble in his chest was any indication. Pleasure flickered over his face, and he whispered he was going to take her higher. He took a finger and gently stroked her, then eased it just inside her body as he continued to worship her with his tongue. He noticed her legs shaking and grinned to himself, the rumbling getting louder .
She gasped and moaned as the rumble worked its way through her, and she gripped his shoulders tighter. No, that wasn’t enough. She lifted one hand to the back of his head and anchored her hand in his silky hair. She thrilled in the way it brushed her thighs as he moved his head around, then he gave one long lick and eased back to look at her. Her eyes fluttered, and she saw him grin.
He eased a second finger in, stretching her painfully but deliciously. She gripped his hair and his shoulder harder, not realizing she was digging her nails into his skin hard enough to leave marks. He didn’t seem to notice as he curled his fingers inside her and began to massage that sweet spot deep at her core.
She cried out as he began to flick his tongue even faster, her legs trembling with pleasure. She couldn’t help but whip her head side to side, unable to believe how amazing this was. Nothing on this earth should feel this good. She couldn’t take much more; she was going to explode.
“Vaughn, Vaughn,” she cried, “I can’t, I can’t!” She gasped as he growled and heated his tongue to an almost intolerable level. She saw her world draw to a pinpoint before it exploded, and her body arched off the bed as the orgasm racked her.
He growled again in triumph and continued to draw his tongue against her, lapping up his victory.
She let go of his hair and shoulder, dropping her arms at her side as the tremors rocked her body, and she continued to shake and quiver. The room slowly came back into focus as he lifted himself and sat up on his knees above her. She blinked and took in the sight of his body. Long, hard, and absolutely ready for her. She was more relaxed than ever in her life but still wasn’t sure how this was going to work. But oh baby, was she ready to try.
She reached for him, and he gladly leaned down to her as he kissed his way up her neck and to her jaw, nibbling at the corner of her mouth while he slowly slid inside her. He was stretching her in a way she didn’t think was possible. The burn was delicious, and she widened her legs, ready to give him more room.
He somehow managed to slide all the way home and moaned something unintelligible, but it sounded like a commentary on how wet and tight she was. It may have been magic, but it had worked! She gasped as the breath left her when he slowly pulled back and began to move inside her. He covered her mouth with his as she gasped, and their tongues mingled.
He started to thrust harder, and her hands found his broad back and gripped tight. She lifted her legs and wrapped them around his waist, allowing him to go further. She heard him moan and smiled as she remembered he wasn’t the only one who could give pleasure here. She arched her back to take him in even deeper than she thought possible, and he trembled.
Suddenly, she heard a rustle, and there was a sharp gust of wind as his wings unfurled behind him. She stilled beneath him and stared in awe at how beautiful they were. The light from the lamp was low but enough to cause the gold to spark and wink at her over his back. She reached up tentatively to stroke the top of one, which caused him to purr, and then there was air on her back. Her eyes grew wide as she realized he had lifted them up and was holding them in the air above the bed .
“Holy crap! Vaughn, what the..?”
He slammed her against the wall, halfway to the ceiling and grabbed her legs to steady them around his waist. “Now you’ve done it,” he growled at her. He started pumping his wings in time to each thrust, which forced him into her so hard she thought it would split her in two. It was amazing!
She could feel the pressure building and knew she was going to fall off the edge of the world again. She gasped his name, “Vaughn!”
He rumbled in response. “Let go, my sweet Bridget. Fly with me,” he commanded her as his breathing grew ragged and his thrusts became erratic. He was close, too.
Without warning she did fly apart and screamed as the orgasm blew through her like a late-spring tornado. It was glorious and wicked and everything she never knew she could feel. She had dug her nails into his back so hard she’d drawn blood. She noticed the warm trickle down his back as she pulled her hands up and stroked his wings where they sprouted from his back.
That was the final straw for Vaughn, as he roared his release and the sultry smell of smoke erupted from him. He fiercely claimed her mouth again as he shuddered then slowly lowered them back to the bed. He lay there over her, ending the kiss and then levering himself up to look at her while his wings folded against his back, but they didn’t disappear as they had before. “Bridget,” he moaned into her shoulder. “You were perfect.”