Dragon's Kiss Read online

“What did you promise him?”

  The snide question was spoken and Kei immediately realized it had been a mistake.

  Lorran’s spine straightened and she turned to face him. She glared at him. “Pardon me? What did I promise him?”

  Her anger seemed to fuel his own. She’d stayed behind and he’d had to walk away. He folded his arms over his chest.

  “A dragon’s appetites are well known.”

  “What? You think I agreed to have sex with him simply to get him to leave you alone?”

  “There are women who seek out dragons for that purpose.”

  “I study dragons to help them—not because I’m looking for…because I want…” She folded her arms in a mirror of his own arrogant stance. “It may surprise you, Your Majesty, that Effron has absolutely no interest in me. So, no, I didn’t promise him anything except that I would get you to leave. By the Goddesses, you’d think the world revolved around sex. It doesn’t. Not even a dragon’s world.”

  With that, she turned on her heel and spun away, stalking down the path toward the loud rush of the waterfall. Kei waited until she was a safe distance away before following. There was something decidedly dangerous about Lorran when she was irritated.

  She stood beside the pond at the base of the waterfall waiting as he entered the clearing. She dropped two towels on the rocks.

  “Here’s the waterfall. Go soak your head.”

  She started to walk way.

  “Lorran, wait. Please.” He was momentarily surprised by the penitent sound of his own voice. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d said “please” and actually meant it. But he thought Lorran would understand. She would know what it cost him. “I apologize for my comments. I truly do not think you would trade your virtue—” She raised her eyebrows and Kei quickly amended his words. “—your body to the dragon. I was startled that he let you go without harming either of us and I—” This was almost more difficult than the apology but he knew it would be as important. “I appreciate what you did. You placed yourself in front of the dragon so that I could escape.” He hated that word. It was a cowardly action. “It was very brave of you.”

  The starch slid from her shoulders. “Effron won’t hurt me. He never touches me. He has no interest in me whatsoever.”

  “But you’re a woman.” A lovely, delicious woman with a tasty sex and—Kei halted the barrage of images. He didn’t need any more fuel for the lust-filled thoughts that had haunted him since waking.

  “Yes.” She chuckled the word but he could hear the pain behind it. “Imagine being the one woman on the planet, it seems, whom the dragons don’t want. It does give me a unique opportunity to study them and that’s what I’ve done.” She said the words with no emotion but there was more. “I’ll leave you to your bath. The cabin is just down the hill.”

  “Wait. Won’t you join me?” The words sounded formal…and totally inappropriate for a King to a noblewoman. “I mean, not join me, of course, but perhaps you’d like to bathe while the opportunity presents itself. Effron is safely in his cave. I’ll stand watch. And I promise to look the other direction.”

  He felt very noble about saying the words. Particularly when what he wanted most was to watch her strip off her ugly gown and walk slowly into the pond, letting the water brush her softly curved thighs, the silky hair between her legs…Kei bit back a groan, the image too real.

  “Go. Get in the water. I’ll be over there waiting.”

  He walked to the edge of the rocks that formed the pond and turned, staring into the forest. After a moment, he heard it—the gentle splash as she entered the water. Kei clamped down on sensation, blocking out the sounds of her movements, ignoring the erection that throbbed between his legs. He was a warrior. He wasn’t a young boy who couldn’t control himself. He would master it.

  He listened to the sounds of the forest, hearing only the trees swaying in the winds. Nothing else moved. He held himself still, focusing on the natural world and ignoring the trickle of water as it poured off Lorran’s skin. He found he didn’t need to see her—his imagination was able to create the picture in his mind quite clearly.

  “Kei?” Lorran’s voice was soft and tentative. He’d frightened her already. The one person who could help him and he’d frightened her. “Don’t—“

  He turned and his throat closed. An odd gurgling sound broke from his throat. And suddenly it was very hard to breathe.

  She stood before him wrapped in nothing more than a tiny strip of cloth that barely covered her from breast to pussy. Her wet hair hung down around bare shoulders, clinging to her like loving vines. Her long legs were softly curved and strong. He’d watched her ass the entire climb up the mountain so he knew she had strength. He swallowed and tried to clear the lump in his throat and remember that there was a really good reason why he didn’t throw her to the ground and fuck her at this moment.

  Unfortunately, though he truly believed there was a good reason, he couldn’t remember it. He dragged his gaze from the luscious sight of her legs.

  She grimaced when he met her eyes, no doubt seeing the obvious lust that had to be visible on his face.

  “I was going to say, don’t turn around, my dress got wet and I’m almost naked,” she said, her voice slightly mocking.

  “I’ll, uh, go take my bath now.” His voice was thin and raspy. Lowering his gaze, Kei forced himself to move by Lorran, the delicious scent of her wet hair almost stopping his steps. He waited by the pond.

  He’d woken up beside her—hard. He’d spent the afternoon splitting wood hoping to work off the drive to have her. Nothing seemed capable of killing the raging erection. Each moment that passed, he thought there was no way he could get any harder. And the next moment, he was proven wrong. The only thing keeping his cock from springing high against his stomach was the restriction of his leathers and he wasn’t sure the material was going to hold it in much longer.

  He had to do something. “It isn’t natural,” he muttered, as he tore at the ties. “It’s not fucking natural to be this fucking hard for this fucking long.” He jerked open the trousers and sighed as his cock swung free.

  “Your Majesty, are you talking to me?” Lorran’s voice came from behind him and a safe distance away. He placed his hands on his hips, disgusted with himself for being unable to control his body in this fashion.

  “No, I’m talking to myself.” Maybe the cold water would help. He dropped the leathers and stepped out of them and into the pond in one movement. He hit the water. “Dammit.” The water wasn’t cold. It was warm, almost hot. Perfect.

  It was supposed to be uncomfortable. Anything to get his mind off his cock. Lorran’s pussy. And her mouth, and her tits, and damn, he had to do something. He dove under the water and swam toward the waterfall. Maybe the pounding would knock him senseless and he could actually survive the next few hours without completely embarrassing himself.

  What spark of insanity had made him agree to let her study him as he made the transition? There had been this strange desire, almost a compulsion, to stay with her. And her interest in dragons was the perfect excuse. After he’d agreed, everything seemed normal. He’d never expected to spend the entire time with an erection that wouldn’t die.

  Kei came out on the back side of the waterfall. He stood waist deep in the pond and let the water pummel his head and shoulders. The sharp stinging bites felt good, just enough pain to keep his body distracted. He grabbed the soap stone and scrubbed his body, brightening his skin with the harsh rock. After his skin glowed and his hair was clean again, he sank into the water, rinsing quickly before rising.

  Kei opened his eyes and stared through the waterfall. The sun was almost set but he could see Lorran clearly. She clutched the towel to her chest with one hand and slowly bent to pick up her gown. The movement revealed the curve of her hip, a teasing line of her ass. Kei’s mouth began to water. She glanced in his direction as she straightened. She wouldn’t be able to see him through the pounding water. She stepped
closer to a rock that should have hidden her from his view. Kei moved along behind the falling water, keeping her in sight.

  She inched farther behind the rock. An evening wind fluttered the bottom of her towel. Kei caught the scent of her damp flesh as it flowed through the air.

  He slipped his hand below the water and touched his shaft. His cock jumped in his palm. He watched, silently begging her to release the towel. He needed to see her. Her full breasts and tight nipples. And her sex. The memory of her flavor floated across his tongue. He pumped his hand along his erection and watched her. Her pussy would be wet. He knew how wet she got from his mouth. He would fill her, drive into her until she would never leave him.

  She looked over the edge of the rock to where Kei had stood moments before. The sky was almost dark. She’d never be able to see him. But he could see her.

  She turned away. He saw the towel fall to the ground. Her ass was presented before him. She reached up and ran her fingers through the damp strands of her hair.

  The strange fog that had haunted his wakening returned. He had to have her.

  Silently, almost unconsciously, he moved closer until he stood at the edge of the pond.

  Instincts not wholly his own drove him forward. He pushed himself up out of the water. Lorran spun around.

  “Wha—” She stepped back but Kei was on her. He silenced her question with his mouth and the sweet flavor of her lips exploded in his senses. Suddenly everything was as it should be. The energy that had flooded his body all day eased and the distant voice in his head faded. He felt her shock but she didn’t struggle.

  He blocked out all sounds but the whisper of her heart. He molded his lips to hers, and after a moment’s hesitation, her softness conceded to his power. She opened for him and he slipped his tongue inside, gently, tempting her to welcome him. As if she knew his desire, she touched the end of his tongue with hers—a light flick that sent too many images through his head of what he wanted that tongue to do. She repeated the caress and he knew she would go where he led.

  He sank into the kiss, learning her mouth, her taste, reveling in the tiny whimpers she fed him. He lingered, savoring her flavor, until he was desperate for air. But there was no way he could leave her. He placed light, teasing kissing along her jaw line, moving slowly and enjoying every inch of her skin. She tilted her head as he placed his mouth against the sleek column of her neck and her breasts pushed against his chest. He could feel her tight nipples poking him.

  He cupped her breasts in his hands and massaged gently, loving the soft moans that fell from her lips. He bent down, latched his mouth to the pert nipple before him and began to suck. The startled gasps of Lorran’s pleasure made him shudder in quiet ecstasy. He wanted to give her more—take more—until he consumed her thoughts and desires. Kei swirled his tongue around her nipple and felt it lengthen into his mouth. She arched into him, silently begging for more. He groaned. The dark fog swelled inside his head.

  He placed one hand on her ass, keeping her hips connected to his. The tight curls that protected her pussy teased his cock as he eased his length between her thighs. Moisture flowing from her cunt coated his shaft.

  Kei bent her back over his other arm, positioning her breasts for his attention. He straightened and looked down. She was stretched out. Displayed before him—her back arched and those delicious mounds thrust upward. His chest rose and fell in shallow pants. He had to have her. He leaned over and placed one gentle, teasing kiss on the curve of her rounded flesh. The desire to overwhelm her in every way clouded his mind. He opened his mouth and laved the hard peak of her breast, relaxing into the luxury of having her before him. He suckled and licked, lingering long until Lorran’s cries became desperate. Then he switched his focus to the other breast and gave it the same loving treatment. He smiled against her skin as she twisted and moaned in his arms. She belonged to him. The forest around them disappeared. Only her flavor and desperate sounds were important.

  He wanted more. Wanted her begging and screaming his name.

  He slid down her body until he knelt before her. Cupping her soft hips in his hands, he lifted one leg over his shoulder until she was open to him. The smell of her arousal swamped him. He moved quickly, hungry for her cunt. In one swift movement, he spread her legs and pushed his face into her hot pussy. She was wet—slippery with her cunt juices. Kei wanted to howl with joy, but wouldn’t release the prize of her sex. He sank his tongue inside her and teased the walls of her passage. She shuddered in his arms. The sharp prick of her fingernails on his scalp encouraged him.

  He lost track of time—the long hours of daylight faded as he continued to feast on the pussy before him. She squirmed within his hands, silently warning of her climax. He could feel her body start to vibrate. She was coming. He drove his tongue deep inside and rubbed along the top edge of her clit, pushing her, needing her to break the barrier.

  “Kei!”

  Her cry was new yet still familiar and he drove her onward. She would come. He curled the end of his tongue and felt her body tense.

  “By the twelve Goddesses,” she gasped.

  Kei barely heard the words. The flavor of her skin and the sweet juice she produced at her orgasm was too tempting. He drank from her, knowing from the erratic pulsing of her hips that she was capable of more. It was as if his whole world had centered between her legs.

  His cock bounced against his stomach. He needed her. Needed to come inside the tight pussy he’d tasted. Frenzy liked he’d never felt before burned through his veins. He pushed himself to standing. He curled her bent leg around his waist and settled his rock hard shaft against her wet opening. So close. He needed to be inside her.

  Mine.

  Kei tensed as the foreign voice invaded his thoughts. It came from inside his head, but it didn’t belong to him. He recognized it. Scattered dreams from the trance slammed into him—fire and pain and then a gentle cooling. And that voice—always there.

  His mind cleared and he felt an invisible band tighten around his chest.

  The dragon was alive in his head.

  “Kei?” Her lips were swollen from his kisses but her eyes darkened with concern.

  He stepped back, knowing he had to distance himself from her. The drive to take her was too strong. If he took her now, he’d be giving control to the beast inside him.

  No. Mine.

  Need clawed at him from the inside. “I need to fuck you.” The words came out a growl. The sound was almost unrecognizable as a human voice.

  She stared at him with the dark frightened eyes of prey.

  Kei bit his teeth together. The fog was edging out his control. “Kei?” She bent quickly and picked up her dress, holding it in front of her. “What’s wrong?” He heard a trace of fear in her voice but, his only thought was that she was hiding herself from him, hiding what belonged to him.

  The thought pushed his passion into rage. His lips peeled back in a snarl. Lorran froze at the noise. She stared at him, watching his eyes. Then she began to inch away. He recognized the movement. She was backing away from him as she’d done from Effron.

  The image shocked him back into clarity. He stared down at his own body, bent low, preparing to attack.

  He forced himself to turn and face the waterfall. What was wrong with him? He’d frightened her. And with good cause.

  No!

  The voice screamed in his head, urging him on. He could have her. He had to have her. No leave!

  “Go,” he ordered though his throat was tight. He glanced over his shoulder but didn’t turn. His cock was so hard and the compulsion to be inside her cunt was still so desperate, he couldn’t look at her. “Leave. Now,” he said when she hadn’t moved.

  “Let me help you.” Confusion and sympathy surrounded her offer.

  She had to leave. He had no chance of controlling the dragon while she was there.

  “Just go,” he commanded again.

  After another moment, while Kei silently begged the Gods to take her
away, she started to walk backwards. He kept her at the edge of his sight. She waited until she was part way down the path before she turned and hurried away.

  When she was safely gone, he stared down the empty trail. The lingering taste of her flesh combined with the bitter taste of disappointment. And anger. She was gone.

  He sank to the ground and dropped his head into his hands. Blood burned through his heart. He needed to fuck.

  No, he corrected, he needed to fuck her, needed to come inside her.

  He concentrated on calming his breath and returning his focus to this world. He would get through this. The smell of the cool forest soil momentarily filled his head. Her scent was everywhere inside that little house. There was no way he could go back in there, not in this condition.

  With a sigh, he reached down and wrapped his hand around his solid cock. He couldn’t have her but he would find his release. He ran his hand from the tip to the base, a quick brush. Her hands would be gentle, delicate fingers teasing his cock. He kept his own touch light, imagining, anticipating her soft skin on his, the warmth of her palm wrapped around his erect cock. He banished the image. He would just do it—get it over with. He had real problems to deal with. He couldn’t spend his days battling a massive hard-on.

  He tightened his grip and pumped his shaft. He was so hard it wouldn’t take much to blow. Pleasure built with each pass of his hand. It shouldn’t have taken more than a few strokes but he just grew harder. His climax seemed to move farther out of reach. He squeezed, forming a tight ring with his fingers, moving his hand faster. It only succeeded in increasing the tension. His cock was screaming for release. His whole body vibrated with the need to come.

  And he couldn’t. He continued. There was no other option. He needed to come.

  Inside her.

  “No, dammit,” he growled to the influence in his mind. He would do this his way.

  A spark of awareness stopped his frantic movement. He paused and listened. It was as if something waited just beyond the clearing. He didn’t look up. He didn’t have to. He knew.