Page 4 of Song of the Heart Scale (The Dragon’s Ballad #3)

Cat turned to face me and pressed her back against the door, suddenly looking far more sober than she had in the garden. Her eyes searched mine, dark and hungry with desire. “You're not leaving,” she whispered, more statement than question.

“Not yet,” I replied, my voice rough with restraint.

“Oh…”

“You're staring,” I whispered, unable to move away from her magnetic pull.

“So are you,” she replied huskily as she stepped forward, closing what little distance remained between us.

When she reached up to touch my face, I caught her wrist, my thumb brushing over her racing pulse. “Tell me to leave,” I whispered hoarsely, giving her one last chance to send me away.

“Stay,” she breathed.

It was all the permission I needed.

I captured her mouth with mine and caged her against the door. She responded instantly. Her arms wound around my neck and she threaded her fingers through my hair, pulling me closer with a hunger that matched my own. The kiss deepened, transforming from cautious to desperate within seconds.

“I've missed you,” she breathed between kisses, her fingers tangling in my hair, tugging just hard enough to make my pulse race faster. “Too damn long.”

“I've thought about this every night,” I growled against her lips, my hands roaming her sides, tracing the curve of her waist, the flare of her hips. “Being away from you has been torture.”

“Damien,” she moaned as my lips traveled down her neck, finding the sensitive spot just below her ear that made her shiver.

Her pulse fluttered like a trapped bird beneath my lips as I traced the delicate line of her collarbone with my tongue, tasting the salt of her skin. Her fingers tightened in my hair, pulling me closer as a soft gasp escaped her parted lips.

“We shouldn't do this,” I murmured against her throat, even as my hands betrayed my words, sliding down to cup her hips and pull her tighter against me.

“When have either of us ever done what we should?” Cat challenged, her voice a breathless whisper as she arched against me. The friction between our bodies sent sparks of heat racing through my veins.

I lifted my head to look at her—cheeks flushed, eyes heavy-lidded with desire, hair tousled from my fingers. The sight of her undid something within me, snapping the last thread of my restraint.

“Tonight, I don't care about should ,” I growled, lifting her against the door in one fluid motion. Her legs instinctively wrapped around my waist, her dress bunching around her thighs. “I only care about what I need.”

“And what do you need?” she whispered, her breath hot against my ear.

“You,” I answered simply, carrying her to the bed. “Only you.”

I laid her down gently and marveled at how the moonlight cast her in ethereal silver. Her hair spilled across the pillows like liquid darkness, her eyes gleaming with desire and defiance. She was a vision—a dangerous, beautiful vision.

“If Thorne knew…” she murmured, reaching up to trace my jawline with her fingertips.

“Let him know,” I hissed, though we both understood the peril. “Let the whole kingdom know you belong with me.”

Her eyes softened at my declaration. She trailed her fingers from my jaw to my neck, leaving trails of fire across my skin. “Then show me,” she whispered.

I lowered myself over her, capturing her lips in a kiss that started gentle but quickly deepened.

I found the laces of her dress and worked them loose with practiced fingers while she fumbled with the clasps of my shirt.

Our breathing synchronized, quickening as layers of fabric gave way to warm skin.

“You're beautiful,” I murmured, trailing kisses down her throat as I slid the dress from her shoulders. Moonlight bathed her skin, highlighting every curve and hollow. I traced the contours of her collarbone with my lips and smiled when I felt her shiver beneath me.

Cat tugged my shirt away and explored the planes of my chest, fingers tracing old scars with tender curiosity. “What's this one from?” she whispered, her fingertips lingering on a jagged mark that curved along my ribs.

I caught her hand and pressed a kiss to her palm. “Collecting my dragon bones,” I murmured against her skin. “My first transformation. Not everyone's body accepts the change gracefully.”

Her eyes widened with understanding. “It hurt you.”

“Worth every moment of pain,” I assured her, guiding her hand to another scar, this one a thin silver line across my shoulder. “This one came from my fall from the eastern cliffs. I was trying to fly before my wings were fully formed.”

She leaned up and pressed her lips to the mark. “Always rushing,” she whispered against my skin, her breath sending shivers down my spine.

“Only toward the things that matter.” I lowered my head to capture her mouth again.

We explored each other with reverent hands, mapping each other's bodies with the familiarity of lovers who knew exactly where to touch.

I found the sensitive spot at the curve of her hip that always made her gasp, while she traced the line of muscle that disappeared beneath the waistband of my pants.

Her touch was both tender and demanding, igniting fire wherever her fingers grazed.

“I remember exactly how you like to be touched,” I murmured, trailing my fingers down her stomach, feeling her muscles tense in anticipation. When my hand slipped between her thighs, she gasped and arched into my touch.

“And I remember how you shudder when I do this,” she whispered, her hand sliding down my chest, past my navel, and wrapping around me with just the right amount of pressure. My breath caught and a low groan escaped my throat.

Her touch sent a jolt through my entire body and my hips instinctively pushed forward into her palm.

The moonlight painted silver patterns across her skin as I lowered my head to her breast, taking the sensitive peak into my mouth.

Cat's back arched off the bed and she gave a breathy moan as her fingers tightened in my hair.

“Damien,” she whispered, her voice thick with need. “Please...”

I trailed kisses down her stomach, dipping my tongue into her navel as my hands pushed her thighs further apart. Her scent was intoxicating, drawing me in like a spell. I looked up at her from between her legs, watching her chest rise and fall with rapid breaths.

“Tell me what you want,” I murmured against her inner thigh, letting my breath warm her most sensitive place.

“Your mouth,” she gasped, moving to grip the sheets in anticipation.

I smiled against her skin before giving her exactly what she craved, my tongue finding her center with practiced precision.

She tasted like sweetness and salt, familiar yet intoxicating.

Her hips bucked against my mouth as I worked, alternating between gentle strokes and firmer pressure, reading her body's responses like a well-loved book.

“God,” she moaned. One hand released the sheets to tangle in my hair, guiding me. “Right there... don't stop.”

I had no intention of stopping. Her pleasure was my singular focus, her gasps and whimpers a symphony that drove me wild.

I slipped one finger inside her, then another, curling them upward while my tongue continued its relentless rhythm.

Her thighs trembled against my shoulders and her back arched higher.

“Damien!” she cried out, her voice breaking as her body suddenly tensed beneath me.

I felt her shudder, her inner walls pulsating around my fingers as waves of pleasure crashed through her.

I continued my ministrations, gentler now, guiding her through every tremor until she collapsed back against the pillows, her chest heaving.

I moved up her body, trailing kisses along her flushed skin, savoring the taste of her. When I reached her mouth, she kissed me hungrily, tasting herself on my lips with a moan that vibrated through me.

“I need you,” she whispered against my mouth, her hands sliding down to push at my remaining clothing. “ Now .”

I helped her, shedding the last barriers between us.

When I settled between her thighs, skin against skin, the heat of her nearly undid me.

I paused, bracing myself above her, and took a moment to gaze down at her—eyes dark with desire, lips swollen from my kisses, hair wild across the pillows. She had never looked more beautiful.

“I love you,” I whispered, the words escaping before I could stop them.

Her eyes slightly widened, but before she could respond, I captured her mouth again and slid into her with one smooth thrust. We both gasped at the sensation, perfect and overwhelming. She wrapped her legs around my waist, drawing me deeper as her fingernails lightly scraped down my back.

I began to move, setting a rhythm that had her moaning beneath me. Each thrust drove me deeper as our bodies found that perfect synchronicity we'd always shared. Her hips rose to meet mine, demanding more, faster, harder.

“Yes!” she gasped against my ear, her breath hot and urgent. “Like that... don't stop.”

I slipped my hand between our bodies and found the perfect spot that would send her spiraling again. She gasped at my touch and her inner walls clenched around me as I circled my thumb in practiced motions, matching the rhythm of my thrusts.

“Damien!” she cried out, her voice breaking. Her body tensed beneath me and her back sharply arched off the bed as pleasure overtook her. I felt the pulsing waves of her release around me, her nails digging into my shoulders as she shattered.

The sight of her coming undone pushed me to the edge. I increased my pace, my restraint unraveling with each thrust. Cat's eyes locked with mine, dark and intimate, as she whispered, “Come with me.”

With one final thrust, I surrendered to my own release, our bodies trembling together as waves of pleasure consumed me. For a moment, time stood still and nothing existed beyond our joined bodies and shared breath.

I collapsed beside her and pulled her against my chest as we struggled to catch our breath. Her skin was slick with sweat, her heart hammering against my own. I pressed my lips to her forehead, tasting salt and sweetness.

“That was...” she murmured, her voice trailing off as words failed her.

“I know,” I whispered back, brushing damp strands of hair from her face.

“You said you love me,” Cat finally whispered, her fingers tracing idle patterns on my chest.

I tensed, remembering the words that had escaped in the heat of passion. “I did.”

She propped up onto one elbow, her dark eyes searching mine. “Did you mean it?”

I reached up to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear, my thumb lingering on her cheek. “I don’t say things I don’t mean.”

Cat nibbled on her bottom lip but didn’t respond. She lay back down and quietly snuggled into my arms.

We lay in silence for several moments, our breathing gradually slowing, bodies cooling in the night air.

The reality of our situation began to seep back in, unwelcome but unavoidable.

In a handful of days, she would be expected to marry my older brother.

The thought made my arms tighten around her possessively.

What we’d just done… could get us both killed.