Page 26 of Lahaina Noon (Modern Legends of Dragons & Shadows #1)

Chapter 26

A fter a while, Vaughn sprang from the bed and picked her up over his shoulder again, walking into the bathroom. She gave a feeble protest, but her legs were still too weak to get there under her own power. She heard him turn on the shower, and he walked into the steamy stall and plopped her down under the spray.

“Hey!” she shouted as the water hit her full in the face, waking her from her stupor.

“Sorry,” he grinned, not looking the least bit apologetic. “But you were such a dirty girl, I knew I needed to get you clean.”

She looked up at him, black hair slick and wet, water coursing down his chest. How many fantasies had she had about him looking like this in the office? She’d lost count, but the reality was so much better than her imagination.

“Glasses!” she suddenly said.

He looked at her in confusion.

“Where are your glasses? You were wearing glasses at Chesapeake and when you came to my office, but I haven’t seen you wear them since. ”

Vaughn looked down at his toes, he seemed a little embarrassed.

Her big, strong dragon, bashful about glasses? She smiled.

“They weren’t real,” he admitted, “I only wore them to try to look more professional. I’ve learned that people don’t take you as seriously as they should when they think you’re just a male cover model. Having a little issue like needing glasses made me seem more approachable.”

She’d had fantasies about those glasses on him. Those and nothing else.

He grinned, picking up on what she was thinking. “Bridget,” he chided as he picked up a shower poof and squirted her creamy summer-scented body wash on it. “Having some naughty librarian fantasies, were we? I think one night we are just going to have to list all of your dirty thoughts about me so we can act them out.”

Bridget’s mouth went dry despite being surrounded by water.

Vaughn stepped closer and began to run the soap over her body in light circles.

She relaxed into the warm steam and almost hypnotic motion of the puff as he turned her around and began scrubbing her back. She was ready to purr herself.

He wrapped his arms around her, placing her slippery skin against his own slick chest.

She leaned into him and enjoyed the warmth of his body, his lips trailing kisses down her neck. She was going to offer to wash him when she felt him hard and ready against her backside. She looked up at him, over her shoulder. “Already?” she asked.

“Quick healing,” he reminded her .

Oh crap , she thought, makes so much more sense . She arched her back into him as he slid a finger between her legs and stroked her.

“Still wet for me, my love?” he purred in her ear.

She nodded breathlessly and wiggled against him, begging for more.

He obliged by bending her over the bench at the back of the shower and worked the tip of his shaft into her warmth. With one hand on her back and the other on her bottom, he pulled back slightly and, just when she started to squirm for him, slammed himself to the hilt.

She screamed in pleasure, and he pulled back again. “Please, please,” she cried out, wanting him to fill her again.

He wanted to give her whatever she wanted, so he began to slide in and out, angling up a little to hit that sensitive spot inside.

She could feel everything begin to spiral, the warm steam lying heavy on her skin, the pressure, it was too much, and she finally fell apart around him.

He continued to pump into her, and she continued to shatter. When her arms wobbled, and she couldn’t hold herself up any longer, he pulled back and spun her to face him. He picked her up and put her against the wall, “Hold on to me,” he told her.

She gratefully draped her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist, sinking down onto him with a delicious slide.

“My love,” he whispered over the pounding water, his head next to hers.

She lifted her lips and sought his out. They devoured each other while he began to move again. Bridget thought she couldn’t possibly imagine feeling anything wilder and more wonderful than this right here. The pleasure spiked again, and when he began to lose his rhythm, she knew he was close. She leaned forward and bit down as hard she could on his shoulder, causing him to roar so loudly she swore the walls shook.

He emptied himself into her, moaning with pleasure until finally he stilled. Vaughn put his forehead against the shower wall. Bridget hung limply in his arms. His breathing finally steadied, and he looked at her. “What you do to me, my love, my little dirty girl.”

She looked at him and, with a straight face, said “Sex God.”

After they dried off, Bridget went to grab a nightgown. She didn’t mind sleeping nude with Vaughn, but she needed something between their skin, or she was afraid she wasn’t going to get any sleep tonight.

“Hang on.” He grabbed her hand. “Get dressed, and dress warm,” he told her. She gave him a puzzled look and he brushed her hair from her face, tucking it behind her ears. “Just, please, Bridget, trust me. This is important.”

His face was serious, so she nodded and did as he asked. When she was ready, she wandered out to the living room, finding him staring at his digital windows. He was studying the night sky and the few stars visible above the light pollution of the city. She quietly took his hand, standing there until he was ready.

He squeezed her hand in appreciation and told her, “I want to show you more of my world.”

She smiled, “Whoa there Alladin, I’ve already seen all of your world.” She looked him up and down.

He chuckled, “Smartass.” He kissed her on the nose and grabbed a blanket from the back of the couch. He pulled her to the front door and the elevator .

“Where are we going?”

“Out.”

She watched in curiosity as he pushed the button for the top floor instead of the parking garage. He smiled and winked, so she decided to play along. As they reached the top and exited, he took her to a door that was only accessible by a card reader. Somehow, she knew his card would work before he even proved her right. “You own this building, don’t you?” she asked quietly.

He nodded. They went through the door and up two flights of stairs to another door. He slid his card again and paused with his hand on the door. “I forgot to ask,” he turned to look at her, “Are you afraid of heights?”

She slowly shook her head— no.

He nodded and opened the door out onto a rooftop terrace.

Holy shit! This man has a freaking patio, on top of a skyscraper, in downtown Dallas. She walked around amazed, taking in the sights. The air seemed so much cleaner here. The views stunning. She kept cautiously back from the edge but then noticed, “There’s not a lot of wind up here like I expected.” She turned to face Vaughn and found he had removed his shirt and had his wings outstretched.

He rolled his shoulders, eyes closed, and turned his face to the sky.

“And what about other buildings. Can’t people see you?”

He shook his head, “Wards.” He was enjoying the night air on his wings.

She walked over to him and stroked one wing. He smiled and opened his eyes. “Is this what you wanted to show me?” she asked softly. “It’s amazing. I’m sure there’s not a lot of places in a major city where you can just be yourself.”

He pulled her close to him, appreciating that she understood exactly. After a few minutes of just enjoying each other’s closeness, he stepped back and motioned to a large, empty space behind him. “Stay here, Bridget. I need to show you something else, and I don’t want you to be frightened. Okay?” He turned back, searching her eyes.

He looked vulnerable again, and Bridget understood. He was going to fully transform for her. Show his dragon to her as he had never done for anyone else. This was a moment of full and complete trust; it meant everything to him. She nodded and put her hands in her pockets. “I’m here, Vaughn, I’m not going anywhere.” They both knew she meant more than just this spot and moment.

His shoulders relaxed, and he turned, walking to the empty area. He took off the rest of his clothes, setting them aside. He stood for a moment, face tilted up, eyes closed again and fluttered his wings. Then he looked at her, and his eyes were pitch black. There was a dark, wavy shimmer around him, like a heat mirage on a long highway in the middle of summer. He went out of focus, and the shimmer expanded.

Before her was a massive, black dragon with golden claws and giant metallic wings. He was so tall she had to tilt her head up to see his enormous head. Deadly looking spikes lined his long neck and wide back, his huge feet sporting wicked talons. A lengthy whip-like tail shifted restlessly behind him, making a slithering sound on the concrete, the deadly barb on the end sounding like a rattlesnake. In this form, his wings were so large they rivaled the billboards on the sides of the highway.

Bridget stood there staring, a scant moment of terror, before gathering herself. She’d been attacked by a shadow monster. She’d experienced death, pain, and heartache. She’d used magic to fight for her life. She was not going to let this beast before her separate her from the man she loved because this was the man she loved. She took a step forward, unsure if he could hear her or communicate this way. Probably something she should have asked before he changed. She remembered their budding psychic connection. It was supposed to be stronger in his dragon form.

Can you hear me? She thought at him, hoping this was how it worked. He rumbled in his chest, and she took that as a good sign. You’re beautiful! She thought in awe, hoping to convey to him how moved she was.

He lowered his massive head and looked at her with eyes the size of car tires. He snorted a smoke ring at her, making her laugh.

“Cut that out.” She gently smacked his neck, and he snorted again.

He purred softly, which shook the rooftop.

“How do you not collapse the building under your weight?” she asked him.

He rolled his eyes.

“Oh yeah, magic.”

Are you trying to say I’m fat, little one? She heard in her head. It was his dragon voice, deep and raspy.

No way, not me! Not me saying a thing about your size, she smiled at him.

Good, he rumbled, Dragons are very proud, and we do not take kindly to insults about our best form .

She looked him over and stepped closer, running her hands over his scales. They were smooth and shiny, not soft but not sharp either. She looked at his nearest eye, watching her movements and walked to his snout. She leaned over and saw his sharp fangs poking out from his lips.

I am not a horse to be evaluated, he grumped at her.

She stifled a laugh so as not to offend him. “Why, Mr. Dragon, what large teeth you have.”

He rolled his flame-colored eyes, All the better to eat you up if you keep sassing me .

They both laughed.

What do I call you? she asked curiously.

Stormageddon, Dark Lord of All, he replied haughtily.

She blinked, then laughed. Nice try, smartass. I know that reference.

He shrugged, which in his dragon form was more of a ripple of muscle. I’m still Vaughn, but if it helps you to separate us in your mind, you can call me Drake in this form. We all have a human name and a dragon name. There’s no separation otherwise, he explained.

She nodded. “So now what, Mr. Dragon? Drake,” she said, looking down the length of him, marveling at his sheer size and power.

Now, my love, we fly.