Stealing the Dragon’s Heart by Kiersten Fay
24
Phase 6
Aidan hadn’t had another moment alone with the little witch, and they were well into the next phase. She seemed to be on her best behavior. No more teasing him. No more flirting, but she hadn’t even come onto the bridge when they’d fended off an attack. He’d expected her to at least rush in to see if everything was all right.
A part of him wondered if she and Caryn were up to something nefarious while the rest of them were busy.
He’d checked the surveillance over and over, and it didn’t appear as if either left their room much at all, but for meals. He knew this not because the rooms had cameras—they didn’t—but the rest of the ship did, and currently the girls were nowhere else to be found. So he started to wonder instead if Onnika was finally confronting the trauma of her ordeal. She might act tough, but fighting for her life like that must have taken a toll. Not to mention the number she did on him afterward.
Blistering, punishing need still agitated his veins, even now.
“Which way?” Aidan snapped. He’d been short with his crew all evening—longer, if he was being honest with himself. As of yet, no one had mentioned it. Rather, they seemed to be making concessions for him. Like when he yelled at Zeek for bringing up the wrong section of the map. Normally Zeek would give it right back to him. Today he simply corrected his mistake.
Not even Lear wanted to tango with Aidan’s temper right now, and that bastard lived to push his buttons.
Deep in the back of his mind, he knew he was angling for a fight, an argument, anything to take his mind off how badly he wanted Onnika. But no one would give him the satisfaction.
“Uh, let me check the coordinates,” Zeek coolly replied.
“Sometime soon.”
The map popped up, and Zeek swiftly highlighted their course. They were headed toward a strange object marked on the map. No one could guess what it was. It wasn’t their next stop; that was still a long way off. This stint through space would prove to be their longest yet. There would be multiple shift changes, and Aidan was even considering engaging the autopilot, since none of them had managed to get a lot of sleep lately. If another ship came close, they’d be alerted well beforehand.
The racers seemed to be more spread out now, with fewer encounters reported. This was the point where obstacles and pitfalls started providing the entertainment rather than the fighting.
Aidan had been surprised to learn they were now in seventh place, a long way from last. All those vouchers they’d procured had helped immensely…not that he’d admit that to Onnika. All in all, she’d acquired three. Two from that insanity and one from a VR race. He’d make her take it easy next time. No more quotas hanging over her. She was too reckless.
As if his thoughts had summoned her, she came strolling onto the bridge and plopped down on the seat next to him. She was still wearing the dress with the knot at the neck that he couldn’t help but imagine slowly undoing.
When no one acknowledged her entrance, she said, “Ooh, everyone is so serious.”
Indeed, everyone suddenly began concentrating intently on their consoles, pretending to look busy. They knew something was going on between the two of them and seemed to have collectively decided to mind their business. Still, they couldn’t know he was contemplating leaving Asher in charge so he could take her back to his room and finish what she’d started.
“How’s the race coming? Are we in first place yet?”
Aidan huffed. “Hardly.”
She rubbed her hands together. “Give it time. We’ll get even more vouchers next time.”
“You’ll do nothing of the sort!”
Dead silence descended on the room.
“Pardon?” Onnika replied.
Fresh anger over her reckless stunt flooded him. “From now on, you’ll come to me and ask permission before you enter any tournaments.”
She laughed as though he were joking. “Yeah, right. I don’t think so.”
“You’ll do as I say, or I’ll lock you in your cabin for the duration.”
She appeared thunderstruck for a moment, then found her voice. “Screw you!”
Zeek tried to mediate. “She’ll be good. Right, Onnika? You won’t compete in any of the dangerous competitions.”
Aidan could tell Zeek was trying to convey a message to Onnika with his gaze, but she didn’t seem to get it. Or didn’t care.
“I’ll do whatever it takes to get vouchers. I gave my word. And, besides, I want you all to win.”
“What do you care?” Aidan groused.
She blinked, taken aback once more by his tone. Then her eyes narrowed. “Oh, I get it.” To the others, she explained, “I took a kiss a little too far, and now he’s grumpy and frustrated.”
“Goddammit, Onnika!”
“What? It’s this truth thing you got me hooked on. It’s addictive. I blame you.”
The sounds of muffled snickering filled the room. The others found her amusing, but he was livid.
“Ash, take over,” Aidan growled, then dragged Onnika by the arm out to the passageway.
Breezily, she called back to the others, “Be back in a bit.”
When they were alone, he shoved a finger in her amused face. “Your games stop now.”
She didn’t look the least bit chastised. “Why? You like my games, and my games got you out here, didn’t they?”
“Thisis what you wanted? Me out here yelling at you?”
“Not exactly, no. Truth is, I was so turned on by your kiss earlier, I can’t sleep. All I can feel is you wanting me, and it has me so keyed up I can’t close my eyes without envisioning my legs wrapped around you.”
“Uh…” His throat went dry, and he suddenly couldn’t think of a thing to say.
She walked her fingers up his chest. “And maybe I’m a little grumpy and frustrated.”
He tried for sarcasm, but his voice came out too husky. “Is that right?”
She nodded, gazing up at him through her lashes. “Is there somewhere we can go that’s a little more private?”
Grabbing her by the hand, he led her down the passageway. “This had better not be another way for you to torment me, because Onnika, I swear to all that is holy, I can’t take it anymore.”
She only giggled like she was having great fun and scurried to keep up with him. By the gods, she drove him mad.
His room was the nicest of all, which didn’t say a lot. There wasn’t much to it: some shelves, a large porthole that spanned the length of one wall, a desk filled with random paperwork, mostly to do with race finances and inventory, and his bed. Normally he didn’t care what it looked like. Now he worried what she’d think of his private space.
After a cursory survey, she turned to face him, and the room fell away. That sexy, teasing glint in her eyes told him he was in trouble.
He was the dragon, but for the first time in his life he understood how it felt to meet a carnivore’s hungry gaze and realize he was about to be devoured.
She reached behind her and tugged on the tie at her neck. Her dress fluttered to the ground. She wore nothing underneath. Blood drained from his brain.
Slowly she turned in a sultry circle for him, and the flame of lust burned hotter. Facing the porthole, she glanced at him from over her shoulder, biting her pinky nail as though she was suddenly shy. Lies! She hadn’t been shy a day in her life.
She’d been right about one thing: He liked her games. Dammit.
He took his time drinking her in, this exquisite creature before him, and tried to etch every inch of her into his memory.
“Do you need help picking your jaw up off the floor?” she teased.
He closed his mouth, having not even realized it’d been open. “That’s not what I’m going to be needing from you.” His voice had changed, turning resonant and deep.
She laughed, gazing out over space, and then added the most delicious wiggle to her hips. “You have quite a view here.”
His tone rough, he retorted, “Best view in the universe.”
She gifted him another smile for that, then turned to face him fully. “So, I have a problem.”
His stomach twisted. “What’s that?”
“Well, I’m aaaall the way over here, and you’re aaaall the way over there.”
He beat back a grin. “That is a problem.”
“Do you have a solution?”
“I’m rather looking forward to seeing what you do next.” The anticipation was both exquisite and excruciating.
“Perhaps I’ll get started without you.” She leaned enticingly against the porthole and cupped her breasts.
Aidan let out an audible groan. He’d suspected she might torment him, and that was exactly what she was doing, but this the sweetest torture. She wanted him to go to her. She always seemed to get what she wanted, so instead he crossed to take a seat on the edge of his bed. “I think you should come here.”
He expected her to balk or taunt him some more, force him to heel—honestly it wouldn’t take much, he was already shaking with the need to touch her—so he was surprised when she crossed the room to insert herself on his lap, the same as she’d done in the rec room.
“Hi,” she said, and he noticed a slight blush on her cheeks. That was when he knew this wasn’t a game. Somehow he’d come to know her face so well. He knew every expression—though admittedly not their full meanings—every dimple, every secret smile and fiery look. Never once had she blushed.
He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “Do you know how stunning you are?”
The color in her cheeks deepened, and her gaze turned down. He was convinced that this was her real shy side, exposed and vulnerable. He found it hard to believe, but had to wonder if she wasn’t accustomed to receiving praise.
It didn’t last long. When she lifted her eyes, fire had returned to her gaze. Then she claimed his lips as though they belonged to her.
Right now, they did.
She kissed him like she was starving and he was a succulent meal to be devoured. Her body began to move over his in tantalizing waves. He was still clothed while she was bared to him fully. Nothing had felt so erotic before.
His hands eagerly explored her body, traveling down the elegant line of her spine to test out the rounded curve of her backside. When he squeezed her flesh, they both groaned into the kiss. The tightness in his lower half grew uncomfortable, but it was another kind of sweet torture. He wanted this to last. He wanted to relish this moment. Every bit of her was bliss. He’d never felt anything so soft as her body…so perfect and delicate and unpredictable.
He let his hands wander, taking her breasts in his grip. She gasped and pressed her body closer to his, as though delighted with him.
As he continued to caress her flesh, exploring her softness, he engraved each little noise she made into his mind, each little sigh of pleasure. Already he’d discovered she groaned huskily whenever he squeezed her supple ass just right, she whimpered when he fondled her breasts, and she wiggled desperately on his crotch whenever he stopped. Whenever he ran the pads of his fingers along her spine, she shivered. And when he finally bent to pull one pert nipple between his lips, she threw her head back and moaned. It was all he could do not to take her then and there, like the maddened beast he felt stirring within him.
The rhythm of her hips increased, as did her mewling. She tossed her hair and moaned again. He realized she had found a friction that stole her senses. For a moment he just watched as she took her pleasure, her eyes at half-mast, her mouth slightly ajar. He’d never seen anything like this wondrous creature before him. Gorgeous, confident, fearless.
Mine.
The thought came and went like a breeze, and he quickly let it go. She was his for tonight. Tomorrow was anyone’s guess. One thing was certain: He wasn’t about to allow her to come all on her own—she seemed almost ready. “Ah, ah. Not yet,” he said, hooking his hands under her thighs. He then lifted her body, spun them both, and then deposited her on the bed. There was no surprise in her eyes, only excitement and hunger.
He crawled over her and kissed her hard, pressing her into the mattress with his considerable weight. She didn’t complain, only held him tight, as though to keep him in place. Tugging her arms away from him, he used his hands to manacle her wrists on either side of her head. Then he broke their kiss and trailed his lips down her quivering body, over her breasts. Before moving on, he nipped one taut nipple, and she yelped out a strained giggle. Over her belly, he planted feather-light kisses that led to the apex of her resplendent thighs. Her whole body trembled.
Hovering over her most sensitive point, he gazed up at her and ran his tongue over it, watching her reaction. Her back arched with her moan, the pads of her fingers digging into the sheet as if to keep from blasting off. Her taste invaded his senses, making him feel buzzed. It made it difficult to resist his own carnal desires and concentrate on her pleasure, but somehow he managed. He found the spot that drove her wild and stayed there, punishing, demanding, unrelenting, until she cried out from unbridled pleasure.
He kept her there at the edge as long as he could, only satisfied with his work when her limbs turned limp and her eyes became euphorically dazed.
Pushing to stand, he unbuckled his belt in jerky movements. She watched him, panting, cheeks flush, desire returning to her expression, and licked her lips as though hungering for him in return. His knees nearly buckled. To have her mouth around him, loving him like that? The sight of it would be too much to bear. She’d have him spilling his seed with a single flick of that little pink tongue.
“I want you to ride me,” he said gruffly, shedding the rest of his clothes.
She happily complied, getting on her knees and shimmying toward him, her head in line with his chest. She began to run her hands over his torso, his arms and shoulders, his midsection, then leaned forward to lay sweet little kisses along his heated flesh. His heart clenched. When she brushed his sensitive nipples with her tongue, he hissed in a breath.
After a moment, she tugged him to sit as he had before and straddled him again. This time there were no barriers between them, only her softness against his rough-hewn skin.
For some reason, his throat tightened when their eyes locked. Slowly, sinfully, she lowered herself on his engorged flesh. She was slick and swollen and ready for him. They both groaned at the searing invasion. Lust-drunk, she leaned forward and pressed her lips to his, gifting him a tender soft kiss that shifted something inside him, similar to how he felt the day of his first transformation into a full-fledged dragon, a demarcation of before and after.
Suddenly he got the sense that nothing would ever be the same again.
A mixture of emotions crashed through him: elation, terror, reverence, unease. His world was shifting, and this enigmatic woman was molding herself to the center of it.
He began to worry this might be a mistake—was about to voice this—when she began to move…
Electric pleasure shot up his spine, and an erotic flash blasted away his thoughts. He placed his hands on her hips, helping her to create the perfect rhythm. This time when she kissed him it was borne of reckless passion, their lips connecting in hectic tumult as they both panted and groaned, their bodies dancing to the tune of arrant ecstasy.
She ran her nails along his scalp, the sensation making him shudder. He fervently squeezed her buttocks. When she threw her head back and cried out to the ceiling, he knew she was about to come again. He was close behind. He slammed her down on him one final time and bellowed into the crook of her neck as his seed released. Their final moans were a perfect symphony.
They sat for a quiet moment, holding each other, catching their breath, and once again he got the sense that nothing would ever be the same, only this time, he surrendered.