Page 19

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A odh watched Kai as she sat in the center of the bed, her gaze meeting his, holding.

He could see the rapid beating of her heart on the side of her neck and hear the fast flow of each breath she took.

From the distance that separated them, he didn’t have to shift his gaze to see the hard tips of her nipples as they pressed against the material of the robe covering her.

From her sleep, the lapels of the robe had parted wide, leaving the cleft between her breasts visible with just a hint of the inside swells.

She had been buried deep in the blanket as Aodh watched her.

He was unable to tell what she had slept in.

He’d hoped to discover that under the layers of covering, she slept like his people slept, nude.

It didn’t shock him to find out that she was wearing something. Kai was human, and long ago, he stopped being stunned by their actions.

She sat there, staring at him, pretending she didn’t hear his command and wasn’t warring with herself about whether or not to follow his orders. However, the twisting of her hands in the blankets bunched in her lap revealed her mental struggles.

Kai may fool herself into believing a battle was within her, but he knew how deeply her desire ran.

More evident than the signs of heartbeats, taut nipples, or panting breaths was the pure, delectable, slightly sweet muskiness of her lust that honeyed the air—it called to him.

Some of her needs came from her body’s response to the powder, but most of it was her.

Even if Tana had not told him about the situation with the bath, Kai’s scent greeted him the moment he opened the door.

The powder’s effects would only make it unbearable for her body, but Kai incited it.

He inhaled deeply, taking in more of her scent. If It were possible for his cock to become stiffer, it did at the thought of Kai’s slick sex. Aodh would bet one of his dragon’s scales that her pussy was soaked, too.

His beast shifted inside of him; he was not a fan of having his scales bartered. Especially for a human he hadn’t approved of yet. However, his dragon was a lusty beast, and Aodh knew he was looking forward to the evening ahead with Kai, even from the sidelines.

“As Mckenna to my people, I am not accustomed to anyone ignoring my requests.”

“Oh, was it a request?” She smirked. “It sounded like a command.”

“It was. I was trying to be kind. I won’t repeat it.” He leaned forward, pressing his elbows against his knees, and dropped his voice. “If I have to come and get you, I’ll fuck you first and eat your pussy later.”

There was a catch in her throat, but Kai tossed off the blanket a blink later and slid from the bed.

The flash of deep, medium-brown, long legs and thick thighs as the ends of the robe parted when she got up from the bed caused his heartbeat to drop into his groin and pulse heavy and strong up his stiff shaft.

The robe billowed around her body as she stood and pooled at her feet on the floor. He knew it was his, one he rarely used.

Aodh watched her strut across the short distance that separated them.

Her steps were tentative, but they didn’t diminish the sway of her full hips.

The sensual movement was hypnotic. He didn’t think she was doing it purposely like female Drahks, whose every action when they weren’t fighting seemed aimed at luring a male into their bed or having sex wherever they could find a semi-private spot.

But with Kai, even her most innocent move or gesture drew his eyes and hardened his cock.

When she was within arm’s reach, he took her by the hips and dragged her to him.

“Ah. Gracious.” She tumbled into his lap with a gasp as she scrambled to clutch his shoulders to steady herself.

“You’re okay.” He shifted her body, draping her legs over one of his, fixing her awkward landing to a more comfortable position. Well, for her, at least.

His hands flexed on the ample curves of her hips. Now that her body was against him, her round, firm ass pressed to his granite-hard length, he had to tell himself to go slow.

Kai wasn’t one of his kind. The potency of their lust would shock her. He didn’t want her scared; he wanted her screaming and screaming as she came over and over again.

He looked into her eyes as he lifted a hand and slowly dragged it from her throat to that area between her breasts that had teased him from across the room. “I want you, little flame.”

Her gaze darkened, and she trembled beneath his touch.

“My people are not used to temperance.” He slipped his hand inside her robe and then glided a finger along the warm, supple underside of her breast. Aodh wanted to tear down the covering and bare her luscious breasts to his hungry gaze, but if he did that, there would be no holding back for him.

“I want to move at a slower pace. At least at the start.”

She nodded, but her hips rolled against his cock.

If she continued that, he wouldn’t be able to stop himself from tossing her to the bed and driving into her. “Kai, you have to stop wiggling your ass on my cock, or you’re going to find yourself fucked any second.”

With an abashed look, she stilled her movements and lowered her hands to her lap.

Missing her touch, he removed his hand from her breast, then he curled a finger under her chin and forced her to look at him. “Don’t be embarrassed. I liked what you were doing. I want to give you time to become comfortable.”

“Okay.”

“What do you want, little flame?”

“I don’t know—”

He arched a brow at her. He didn’t need her eyes to flash a yellow flame to know she was curious about him. Aodh had seen her appraisal of him while she hid in the bed. Besides, he wanted her to become accustomed to speaking her needs and desires. To a Drahk, lusty words were an aphrodisiac.

“I want to touch you.” Her gaze ran over his face, shoulders, and abs.

“What else?”

She bit one inside corner of her lips, causing her mouth to twist to one side as she shook her head.

“Kai,” he demanded.

Forcing a heavy breath, she blurted, “I want to trace your markings.”

“Go ahead—”

“With my tongue.” She slapped her hands over her mouth.

Reaching up, he took hold of her wrists and pulled her arms down.

“No more of that.” He leaned back in the chair and inhaled as the warmth of the blue flames moved along his marking and the thought of what she wanted.

Like an arrow shot from an archer’s bow, the sharp blade of lust hit its mark and set his gut ablaze. “I’m your canvas.”

Her hands came first. Kai placed them on the back of his hands and caressed his skin up towards his wrists. She attempted to circle them with her fingers, but they didn’t quite close around him.

Aodh marveled at not only the smallness of her hands; even though she was tall for a human woman, she was still small compared to him.

When her hands continued up, her soft fingers playing along his markings, he groaned and shifted in the seat.

He wasn’t used to being touched in such a way.

His kind could give rabbits a run when it came to how often they had sex, but what they didn’t do was take the time to touch and study each other’s bodies, maybe because they were similar in form except for the sexual parts.

Also, sex wasn’t about flirtation and foreplay, but each person getting their needs met as quickly as possible and as many times until one or both collapsed. Hell, even the human women he’d been with when he worked among them knew the score—a night of good hard fucking, and off they went.

But with Kai, his mate, he wanted to let her take her time. Go slow. If the Great Spirit gave him strength.

As she danced her fingers up his arms and to his shoulders, he saw her fascination at seeing the ribbons of blues zip through his markings. She even let out a small giggle.

Then, all humor left her when she leaned forward and set her nose at the curve of his neck. She inhaled long and loud. “Why do you smell like that?”

His fingers constricted on her hips at the puffs of air as her words fluttered over his skin. “Like what?”

She sniffed again. “Roasted cinnamon, but sweet. Real sweet. It makes me want to eat you.”

Fuck . Aodh understood how a scent could make someone desire to eat someone because he felt the same way about Kai’s scent.

On the other matter she brought up, no one had ever talked about his scent.

He knew it was because no one else could smell it.

Once again, it was proof she was his mate.

Like feeling a person when they were near, the scenting was another aspect of the mating lure.

If his damn dragon didn’t get its stubborn ass on board, there would be hell to pay.

“Don’t let me stop you. Follow your desire.” He lifted a hand and cupped the back of her neck. Not to force her but more to brace himself for what was to come.

He felt the heat of her breath a second before the wet, delicate glide of her tongue followed along a pattern from his neck toward the center of his chest.

“Fuck!” The rumble of need was almost painful as it started in his stomach and tumbled up through his chest, over his vocal cords, and out his mouth. His hand went from her neck to fisting the thick, wild curls at the nape of her neck.

She hissed but didn’t stop her assault. Her body shifted and ground against his hardness as she licked all over his chest. Kai chased the looped designs from the center over his heart to his pecs, swiping each disk-like nipple as she passed them.

When licking didn’t seem enough, she began flicking the tip of her tongue repeatedly in places to watch the ribbons go from azure to cobalt.

When she started moving south, he cupped her face between his palms and brought her up. If he hadn’t stopped her, then he would have ripped his pants open and had her face buried in his crotch as he showed her how to deep-throat him. He wanted to fill that lush mouth of hers in so many ways.