Page 98

ACE

M y dragon was raging, howling, roaring at me.

Harley was beneath me, spread out on the sheets like a vision from a wet Her soft skin was dewy with sweat, her round cheeks flushed that gorgeous shade of pink I loved so much.

Her pupils were blown wide, and her shoulders, breasts, and thighs were riddled with pink marks in the shape of my mouth.

I hadn’t trusted myself to kiss her neck.

My dragon was so desperate, I didn’t think I’d be able to control myself.

I’d already made her come three times with my mouth and my hands. Every time she cried out my name, my dragon roared. My fucking teeth hurt with the desire to claim her.

“Need you,” she begged again. “Steph, please, no more teasing.”

“Not teasing,” I growled. My voice was half my dragon’s. My fangs had dropped, and I could feel the gold burning in my eyes.

Any other woman would’ve been terrified, but Harley looked up at me with nothing but wild-eyed desire, as if she were a dragon herself.

My powerful, beautiful mate.

My dragon roared again. Claim her!

I ignored him and covered her body with my own, forearms braced on either side of her face, and gazed down at her as I slowly pressed my cock inside.

She cried out and wrapped her arms around my shoulders and her legs around my waist, digging her heels into my back like she needed to be even closer to me.

I growled as her perfect velvety heat encased me.

It was a perfect fit. I slid all the way inside her, and my teeth throbbed with pain.

I needed to claim her, but I couldn’t. I growled in desperation.

Instead of surging down for a kiss, I pressed my face into the pillow right next to her face and ripped the fabric open with my teeth.

Once I had my fangs buried in something , even if it wasn’t Harley’s perfect neck, I was able to start moving.

She cried out again, gasping with each rock of my hips. I lost myself in the sensation. Heat. Pleasure. The scent of her skin, her sweat, the sounds that spilled from her mouth. As good as it felt, I couldn’t completely lose myself—I couldn’t lose control.

I held her close, savoring the press of her fingertips into my shoulders as I thrust into her over and over. She gasped my name, her voice pitching higher as she got closer to yet another orgasm, and this time, I approached my release, too.

She threw her head back and came, pulling me impossibly closer, her perfect body squeezing me so tight. I tumbled over the edge, coming so hard my vision went blurry. It was so intense it was almost painful.

There was no relief in it. It felt good, but half-ruined. My teeth burned with pain, and I knew the only thing that would soothe the ache was claiming her. After my orgasm, the need to claim her was only more intense.

“Steph.” Harley slid her hands up my back, then one fell to my nape, and she pulled gently to kiss me.

I groaned, then resisted her touch. It took all my effort, but I pulled away. I climbed off the bed on shaky legs and raked both hands through my hair.

“Steph?” There was more concern in her voice. “Is everything okay?”

I took a deep, steadying breath, then turned around.

I knelt next to the bed, knees on the hardwood, so I was at eye level with her.

She was so beautiful like this, flushed, propped up on one elbow with her chestnut hair falling in waves over her sloping shoulders.

“I’m sorry,” I said. My fangs were still dropped. “I can’t—my dragon wants it too much.”

“What can I do?” she asked. “Let me help, Steph, please.”

My dragon growled again, still burning with desire. Our mate was so perfect, so thoughtful. She wanted to help, even when we were half-mad with our fangs out.

“You can’t,” I said with a small smile. “But it’s not your fault.”

“And it’s not forever.” She brushed the tips of her fingers over my forehead, down the bridge of my nose, and over my lips. “Your dragon will get what he wants soon.”

A growl rumbled out of me, and I kissed the pads of her fingers.

My lips parted, and she gently ran one finger over my fangs.

The contact was electric and throbbed through my whole body like desire, but different.

Deeper. Stranger. At the same time, it soothed the desperation.

It still hurt, but my dragon was no longer desperate to claim her.

“That helps?” she asked gently as she withdrew her hand.

My fangs retracted slowly, like my dragon was reluctant to back off. “I need to end this thing with Sean. I need this to be over.”

“I feel the same way,” she said. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologize. None of this is your fault. I should be apologizing to you, Harley.”

She hummed. It was a pretty, musical sound. “I don’t like seeing you hurting, but I don’t mind seeing your dragon up close like that.”

“I need to let him out. Gotta shift and release some of this…” I waved a hand over myself.

“Go.” She pulled me closer for a kiss, and this time, I was able to return it without fearing that I’d lose control and claim her. “Just come back soon, okay?”

I nodded. God, I loved her. She understood. Even though she wasn’t a dragon, she knew what I needed right now and didn’t judge me.

I stepped out of the bedroom and into the empty house, still bare as the day I was born, then made my way out onto the back deck.

The moonlight shone down on the still lake, and the air was crisp and clear around me.

I took a deep, steadying breath, rolled my shoulders, then let my dragon surge to the surface.

Shifting was always a relief, like taking off a pair of tight dress shoes at the end of a long day.

I spread my wings, stretched my neck, then gracefully took to the air.

The breeze rippled over my scales as the scent of the mountain air, the rich soil, the animal life in the woods, and the crisp cold water assaulted my senses.

Everything came to life around me as I soared high into the air.

The next time I flew like this, it’d be with Harley on my back and our bond tying us together. I wanted her to feel the same sensations I felt, the joy, the freedom, and the pure animal release of flying.

Soon, I promised myself. Soon.

I was more determined than ever to end this conflict with Sean.

After a few loops around the lake, I turned back toward the house. I soared down toward the A-frame, and my sharp dragon’s eyes saw a familiar motorcycle parked outside the house. I shifted as I approached the deck. My human feet landed softly on the wood, then stepped back into the house.

“Jesus, man, put some pants on!” Hawk said from the kitchen.

I rolled my eyes. “You’re in my house.” But I went into the laundry room and pulled a pair of sweatpants out of the hamper. “What is it?” I asked as I walked back out. “It’s the middle of the night. You couldn’t just call me?”

“Levi called me,” Hawk said. He crossed his arms over his chest.

“Levi?” I frowned. “He said he wouldn’t be in contact with us anymore.”

“That’s what I said. Levi said it was important. He asked for a meeting. Tonight.”

“Tonight? Seriously?” I ran my hand through my hair. “God, I’m ready to have a normal sleep schedule again.”

Hawk snorted. “Yeah, that’s definitely the biggest problem we have right now. Go rinse off and put on some real clothes. You smell like a horny teenager.”

“Again, you’re in my house,” I said as I climbed the stairs.

I tapped my knuckles on the bedroom door before I pushed it open. Harley groaned, then rolled onto her back and blinked into wakefulness. “Time is it?” she murmured. She was so cute when she was sleepy.

“Still late,” I whispered. “Hawk’s here. I need to go. Rome will be downstairs if you need anything.”

Her brows pulled together. “Everything okay?”

“Yes,” I said.

Harley raised her eyebrows at me. “You know, I don’t have to have dragon senses to know you’re lying.”

I sighed and stepped closer. “I think everything’s okay. I’m not really sure what it’s about yet. It’s a meeting with someone who was supposed to be gone for good.”

“Not Forrest, right?”

“No, one of Sean’s guys.” I sat down on the edge of the bed, and Harley smoothed her hand over my lower back. “I’ll try to be back before Dylan comes back from Hawk’s. I know I haven’t been around enough.”

“He knows you’re busy keeping us safe. Remember? You’re his badass dad.”

I huffed a laugh, but the reminder did make a warm sense of pride glow in my chest. “When this is all over, I’m taking both of you on a vacation. Somewhere with a beach.”

“Can you swim in your dragon form?”

“Of course, I can. Look at that big lake.”

We both laughed. I leaned over her and kissed her. She still smelled of sweat and sex, and my dragon rumbled with a renewed desire to claim. Our gazes met, and I knew mine was burning gold again.

“But until all this is over…” she whispered. “If you can’t claim me, I think maybe we should hold off. It seemed like it was hard for you to not do it, tonight.” She flipped the pillow over and poked at the rip in the fabric.

I cleared my throat. As much as I hated to admit it, she was right.

“I don’t want you to suffer,” she said. “I want our sex to be good.”

“It is good,” I insisted, “It’s just?—”

“It’s your dragon,” she said, smiling. “I know. And I just… I don’t want you to have to fight it.”

“I’m sorry. I know… I know it probably wasn’t fun to see me like that.”

“Hey.” She sat up and sat on the edge of the bed next to me, suddenly wide awake. She took my hand, then squeezed. I met her eyes and saw nothing but warmth there. “You didn’t scare me, if that’s what you’re thinking.”

It was as if she could read my mind.

“I want you, Steph. All of you. And that includes your dragon. But I know if you did claim me before you meant to, you wouldn’t forgive yourself. I think dealing with Sean is going to be hard enough as it is. You don’t need to worry about me and the bond on top of that.”

“I’m already worrying about you,” I said.

“You know what I mean.”