Dragon Heat by Charlene Hartnady

Chapter 10

Damn, damn, damn!

Azure struggled to breathe. Her skin was far too tight for her body. She felt her pussy flood. Her heat hadn’t been this bad before. Not even close. Maybe it was because she felt safe now. Maybe because she wasn’t panicking or afraid of being forced into something she didn’t want.

Was that it?

Crap, crap, crap!

“Are you okay?” Ice asked.

Azure realized that she was panting. She looked over her shoulder at him. His glacial blue eyes locked with hers. Such a beautiful blue. She made this groaning noise. It was him, too. It was Ice. She was attracted to him. She hadn’t been attracted to Skarn. Her clit was throbbing. She felt something trickle down the inside of her thigh.

Shit, shit, shiiiit!

Her nipples were so tight she could use them to cut glass. Her breasts felt bigger. She could feel them jiggle while she walked. Azure looked down and, yep…definitely bigger. This was bad. This was worse than bad. She needed air. “Let’s just go outside,” Azure told him.

He made a noise of agreement that sounded strained.

Once they got out on the ledge, she noticed that he kept his distance, standing on the far end. Azure gulped air. It didn’t help.

Ice’s muscles were bulging. His tendons were roped. Particularly the ones on either side of his neck. His face was red. His eyes had this intense look. His erection— Don’t look! It just made more wetness dribble down her inner thigh. It made her lower belly clench tight with need. She put a hand to her stomach.

“You don’t look so good.” His eyes filled with concern, even though he kept the pinched look.

“You don’t look all that good yourself.”

“You smell amazing.” His Adam’s apple worked. “Not that I would…” He put his hand over his cock, but not before she saw seed leak out. Even that made her mouth turn dry and her clit zing.

“I know you wouldn’t… I know that you— Oh god.” She bent over at the waist, trying to get this raging need under control. She was on the verge of begging Ice to rut her. It was wrong on so many levels. She wasn’t going to do it. No damned way. “You should go,” she managed to push out, instead.

“I’m not leaving you.”

“I don’t think I can shift like…like this.” She felt sweat bead on her brow. “I’m… I’m…” She groaned.

“You’re in pain?”

She nodded. “It hurts,” she whispered, pushing her hand harder into her belly, trying to make it stop. Please make it stop!

“You’re at the peak of your heat. It’ll be bad for a day or so before slowly improving. I’m sorry, Azure. I…I’m so sorry.”

“Just go…please.” She looked up at him. Seeing him standing there hurt her even more. He was so masculine. So fucking hot. Her mouth filled with saliva and her womb cramped. Her channel felt achy. She was one fucking cliché after another, only the superhuman version of them all. She was in heat, standing in front of the male who made her feel alive. The male she had been trying to impress for months. The male who made her heart beat faster. It wasn’t just her heat talking. It was the way she felt. The way she had felt for a while now, only she hadn’t allowed herself to feel it. She’d shoved the emotions aside. Put them in a box and put a lid on it. She’d hidden from them. There was nowhere to hide anymore. Not with him standing right there. Not when he looked at her like that. “You need to leave. I’ll follow you…in a few minutes…I swear.” She choked over her words.

“Not happening, Azure.” His voice was gruff. His cock jutted from between his thighs. His pinched look had eased some, now that they were in the open air. “What if those things come back? Even worse, what if that fucker comes back and you’re here alone? I’m not leaving you. I’m looking after you. I’m seeing you home safely, and that’s that.”

“That’s going to be a problem, since—” She whimpered as more pain hit. She was so aroused she didn’t know what to do with herself. “Since I can’t shift. Not unless I— Just go!” She wasn’t beyond begging. Either beg him to leave or beg him to rut her. The latter was not going to happen, no matter how much she needed it. She liked Ice. Really liked him. If they rutted now, it would mess things up. Plus, she didn’t want a whelp. At least, she didn’t think she did. No, she didn’t! It was all so confusing, which was even more reason to stay away from him. “Please,” she added when he didn’t move. Not so much as a muscle.

“I can’t!”

“I need to ease myself. Are you going to stand there and watch?” Her voice was a touch shrill, but that was tough luck. It couldn’t be helped. Not right then.

His jaw tightened. “I’ll look away. I understand. It’s not the end of the—”

“You’ll look away?” She snorted. “No! Just leave me. I need three little minutes…that’s all. I’ll ease myself enough so that I can shift. It’s that, or you can carry me.” She groaned. “We need to hurry. I need…I need…”

“I know what you need, Azure, and easing yourself won’t help.” His voice was gentle.

“It will! It has to,” she threw back at him.

Ice was pacing. “It won’t. If I left, you’d feel slightly better, but I can’t leave you. I could carry you, but your pain is just going to get worse and worse with each passing minute. It wouldn’t be… Fuck it!” He leveled his stare at her. “I’ll ease you. I’ll do it, if you’ll let me.”

Yes, yes, yes!

“No!” She shook her head, pushing out a choked noise.

“Unless you can’t tolerate the thought of it, after what happened with that prick. I promise I won’t try anything.” He held up both hands. “I’ll still respect you. I do respect you! It wouldn’t change anything.” He ran a hand through his hair, looking flustered. “I’d use my mouth,” he whispered, so softly she could hardly hear him. “I’ll make you come a few times. I’ll use my mouth and my hands until it’s more manageable, and then we’ll go.” His voice was a rough rasp that caused her skin to break out in gooseflesh.

“I thought you didn’t need to use your hands,” she blurted.

Ice choked out a laugh. She loved making him laugh. He rubbed the back of his head. “I don’t, but since I can’t use my cock, we’ll go with my hand. Unless it would make you uncomfortable.”

He was so sweet. “What about you? It wouldn’t…” She groaned as she cramped again. This was insane.

“Forget about me, Azure. I’m fine. You’re in agony.”

“You’re not fine. You’ll get worse when—”

“Let me do this already. It’ll stay between us. No one needs to know. You’re in too much pain to make it home.”

“Okay.” Her skin seemed to tighten as she said it.

Ice pushed out a sigh. “Good…okay then, I need you to sit on that rock.” He pointed. “And open your legs.”

“Just like that?” She wasn’t sure why she said that to him. No, that wasn’t true. She knew exactly why. He was being too clinical. What had she expected? A kiss? A hug? Sweet endearments? This wasn’t about any of that. This was about getting her off enough to get her home. Done!

His eyes softened as soon as her words were out.

“This feels weird,” she quickly added before he could say anything. “It feels…wrong.” She was sweating and panting. In a world of pain. “Are you sure I can’t do this myself?”

“I’m sure.” He sounded gruff.

“I think I’ll come in all of five seconds. I just need privacy.”

He walked to the far ledge and turned his back on her. “Have at it.” Now he sounded angry.

Even his back was beautiful. His ass meaty. “You’re angry,” she whispered.

“I’m not angry. I know what I’m talking about, that’s all. I used to hang out with…a female who—”

She rolled her eyes. “With Crystal? You can say her name.”

He sighed, turning. “Yes, with Crystal. It wasn’t anything. We just—”

“You rutted for a while. I don’t care!” she lied. “You can say it.” He was seeing Crystal around the time she joined the team. They broke up soon after. Crystal moved onto the next hopeful schmuck. Or maybe Ice broke it off with her… Nah, not likely! It didn’t matter…right then, nothing mattered. Oh, by all that was winged and scaled, she hurt so badly.

His eyes narrowed, and he folded his arms across his impressive chest. “Now you look angry.”

“I’m not angry. I’m so aroused that my stomach is cramping. I’m in pain, you asshole!” She wasn’t being fair. “I’m sorry! I’m being a bitch.” She gritted her teeth and groaned, squeezing her eyes shut.

“Easing yourself won’t work.” From his voice, she could tell that Ice was close to her…right in front of her.

Azure opened her eyes. He was right there. She didn’t think her nipples could get any tighter, but they did. Her breath hitched. His scent was all male.

Oh hell!

Ice cupped her jaw. “Stop being so damned irritating and let me ease you.” His voice was a soft rumble. “Let me do this one thing for you. People sometimes do things for other people without expecting anything in return.”

“Do they…now?” she ground out.

“Always such a hardass.” He gave her a grin. It was pinched. His eyes were stormy.

It had her insides doing weird things. Azure nodded, walking the few steps to the wide, flat rock he had pointed at. She sat on the edge, trying hard not to pant too hard.

“Put your legs over my shoulders,” he said as he knelt in front of her, his eyes on hers.

When she didn’t do as he said, Ice lowered his gaze and sighed before looking back up at her. “What happens on this rock stays on this rock. No judgment. It’s you and me.”

She did as he asked and slid her legs over his shoulders.

His eyes got this glint. “Make all the noise you need to. Go to fucking town. Don’t hold back…okay?”

She nodded. “If I beg you to rut me, you need to ignore me. We can’t!”

His lip twitched. “It might end up being me doing all the begging. Fuck, Azure, you have one pretty pussy.” Then he eased forward, his eyes between her legs. Ice leaned in and latched his mouth on her clit. No hesitation. No testing the water. He went in straight for the jugular. Or, in this case, straight for her throbbing bundle of nerves.

Azure gripped at the rock beneath her with both her hands and yelled as a bolt of pleasure rushed through her. On the next suckle, she was coming apart with a deep groan.

Her eyes were wide. Her mouth too. Azure had never come so quickly in her whole life.

“Fucking delicious,” he whispered against her, before thrusting his tongue deep inside her. This gave new meaning to the term ‘eating out’. After tonguing her for a few beats, he moved back to her clit, thrusting two fingers inside her as his hot mouth closed over her sensitive bundle of nerves.

“Oh, by the gods,” she groaned. “Ice…oh…Ice.” He worked her pussy like a pro. His fingers thrusting in time with his mouth.

She was so wet. She could hear all the noises her body was making. Sucking, wet noises. She could smell herself. The musky, slightly fruity scent of her heat.

Ice groaned. It sounded like he was in agony, which he more than likely was, since it looked like he was more aroused than he’d ever been in his life.

When she looked down, he had his eyes on her…watching. His eyelids were hooded with desire…with desperation. His mouth sucked on her, his tongue laved her. She could see his arm moving back and forth with each quick thrust inside her. His eyes, his fingers…his mouth…all of it. She came apart again, with a cry that sounded far too much like his name for her liking.

Ice was doing her a favor. She shouldn’t be screaming his name. She couldn’t help it. That coiling sensation was already back at the pit of her stomach. She threaded her fingers through his hair, trying hard not to grip him too tightly. Her hips were rocking against his face. “More…oh…yes…oh…more…I need…I…” She clamped her mouth shut. She couldn’t have what she needed most. This would have to do. Right then, the pain was gone. It was working.

Ice kept going…relentless. He groaned…this time in pleasure.

What?

Both of his arms were working. Both? He moaned again…sending a bolt of pleasure right through her. She was rocking against him. Her breasts bouncing lightly. “Oh…yes…right there…” She groaned as his fingers found that spot inside her.

That other arm was working harder and faster. Azure sat up a little, peering down between them. Sure enough, Ice was palming his cock. His hand working his shaft from base to tip in quick jerks.

It was one of the most erotic things she had ever seen. Azure cried out as a third powerful orgasm moved through her, causing her back to bow.

Just as she was coming down, Ice groaned, low and deep. He pulled away. Thick white spurts of seed erupted from his tip. His hand moved quickly over his cock. He was crunched over his middle…looking down. There was another smaller spurt. Ice grunted. Even that sounded sexy. A few seconds later and he stilled. He was panting harder than she was at this point. “I’m sorry,” he growled, looking up at her. “I shouldn’t have. I’m such a prick I—”

“Don’t be silly. You have to shift as well. You were also pretty wound up. What happens on the rock stays on the rock, right?” She lifted her brows.

He nodded, finally looking up. Aside from a frown, he looked unsure.

“I mean it. You’re a strong male but there’s only so much a person can take.”

“You’re right. We’d better get going. This slight reprieve is not going to last.” Ice stood, holding his hand out to her. Shit! She was still sitting there with her legs wide open. Not that it mattered. Not after what had just happened.

“Let’s get out of here,” he said.

“Thank you.”

“Anytime.” He cocked his head and chuckled. “Okay, maybe not any time. Let me just go with ‘no problem’!” He nodded a few times. “That works better.”

That was his way of drawing a line in the sand. Of telling her that this was a one-time thing. She knew that. He didn’t have to spell it out for her.

Before she could say anything else, Ice shifted. She followed suit. Then they were headed back to their lair as fast as their wings would take them.