In her mind, she saw Dusk’s sapphire eyes flare like diamonds beneath the morning sun. A tremendous rumble passed through their Bind and Layla shuddered, her breath stolen by the force of Dusk’s earthquake. But even as she felt Dusk’s energy smash through her, something exploded their connection – like a crystal shattering into a thousand pieces. Layla jolted from the force of it, but Dusk’s sapphire eyes were gone now as she stared out the balcony doors at the blue winter sky. Layla’s heart thundered; she didn’t know if it was from Dusk’s sudden quake or lovemaking with Adrian. But it left her massaging her chest as Adrian lifted up to one elbow beside her, gazing intently out the balcony doors also.
“Did you feel that, just now?” Layla spoke, glancing at him.
“Dusk.” Adrian nodded. The Bind Layla’s magic created between her and her men wasn’t just one-way. These past months, Layla had found the Bind affected everyone in a kind of synergy – allowing each of her Royal Dragons to feel another’s magics at a distance, though the effect was strongest with Layla.
“Do you think he’s alright?” Layla asked.
“That quake was the most powerful we’ve felt from him yet, since his stasis,” Adrian spoke soberly as he settled back, one hand reaching out to trace patterns on Layla’s hip with his fingertips. “I think it’s a good sign.”
“Do you think he might wake soon?” Layla spoke with an eager thrill. “Come out of his crystal cocoon?”
“Maybe.” Adrian spoke quietly, his attention returning to Layla, though he was sober. “I hope so. But we can’t know for sure until it happens.”
Layla was about to say more when she suddenly felt Dusk’s energy shift again through their Bind. Like a sub-sonic quake now, it was deep and raw and wild as she felt his Crystal Dragon power shudder through her in a darkly erotic way. It was like a mini-orgasm and a good stretch all at once, and the sensation made Layla’s eyelashes flutter as she shuddered. Adrian responded with a hot growl also. As he sat up fully, she did too, pushing up to her hands on the soft white rug. But the sensation was too much as it rolled on and on, and Layla raked her fingers through her mussed curls, breathing hard with Dusk’s sexual passion as her gaze locked to Adrian’s.
“Holy hell, Batman.” Layla gasped, trying to control the enormous sensation from Dusk and failing.
“Sleeping Beauty needs to keep his sexy earthquakes to himself while he’s dreaming.” Adrian gave Layla a wry smile, though he rubbed his neck and let out a slow breath through pursed lips as if Dusk’s power had rolled him also. “I don’t care how much he can feel us fucking while we’re on holiday.”
“Adrian!” Layla laughed, embarrassed. It hadn’t occurred to her that perhaps Dusk could feel it in his stasis when she and Adrian had sex. If so, he had felt quite a lot. It had been a whole week of hedonism since she and Adrian had arrived at the chalet. Their first lovemaking had been here on this same rug, a fast explosion the moment the helicopter had departed from behind the house. Fast or slow, deep or teasing, they’d had sex in just about every way possible this week, and still found room for more each day.
Adrian had relaxed now that he was no longer a fugitive from the Red Letter Hotel Owner’s Board. Their past two months at Riad Rhakvir in Morocco had been busy with clan politics, Layla’s new buy-in to Hotel Ownership, and Adrian restructuring the entire Hotel.
But now that they were alone, Layla was learning so much about Adrian that she’d longed to know.
Firstly, Adrian loved being on holiday, and they’d devoured their time with gusto. Fucking was followed by cooking, laughter, and coffee, then more fucking and afternoon naps. Cross-country skiing had been followed by hot tubbing on the deck with champagne. Relaxing by the fireplace was followed by sex, sleep, then more sex in the deep of the night as the coals dwindled. Layla had fixed them drinks from the amply-stocked bar all week, and had discovered both she and Adrian were vicious pool-sharks when drunk. Adrian was also a voracious reader, the chalet packed to the rafters with built-in bookcases.Most often when Layla woke from a post-coital nap, she found him sitting in his overstuffed chair by the chalet’s big windows, shirtless in his silk sleep-pants with his bare feet tucked up on the seat like a cat, devouring a book.
It had been an excellent holiday, of exactly the kind Layla loved.
“And on that note, I think it’s breakfast time.” With a renegade twinkle in his hot aqua eyes now as if he knew she was thinking about him, Adrian pulled on his silk pants and rose from the rug, stepping to the modern open kitchen. With sunshine streaming in over his sculpted frame and fit shoulders from the high windows, he moved through the kitchen with ease, pulling down a copper-bottom pan from the overhead racks, hauling the chrome fridge open, and cracking eggs into a glass bowl on the cobalt-tiled counters.
Donning her robe, Layla went to the balcony to reclaim her coffee, shutting the doors behind her. Adrian was all sexy glances and teasing heat as he whisked fresh herbes de Provence into an omelette then poured it into the pan, chopping chanterelles and gruyere on a cutting board. Adrian was a terrific chef, Layla had discovered. And though he had a taste for all the best things, he maintained his lean, sexy fitness with a rigorous exercise routine – which Layla had discovered included running ten miles each morning on a treadmill.
As she poured fresh coffee from the Italian bialetti on the tiled countertop, Adrian snagged her around the waist, wrapping himself around her as he continued to cook. Now a captive audience, Layla could smell the sweet sweat of a morning workout on his skin, in addition to the heady musk of sex as he cooked. As she sipped her coffee, he kissed her neck and reached around, sliding cheese and mushrooms off the cutting board into his omelettes. Adrian moved like lightning over desert sands when he prepared a meal – fast, liquid motions that were almost viciously precise.
“I love the way you cook,” Layla spoke, watching his hands.
“I’ve had a lot of practice.” Adrian smiled as he worked. “My mother used to go into depressions when I was young, so Dusk and I learned how to do the cooking. When Mimi wasn’t around, that is. Your mother was a terrific cook, Layla, and taught me almost everything I know.”
Curling Layla into one hand, Adrian moved her out of the way, then lifted the pan and slid the omelettes out upon two plates. As he poured himself a cup of coffee, they each took a plate and moved to the leather bar stools on the other side of the cooking area. With a sexy smile and a kiss, Adrian released her as they slid up to the breakfast bar. Layla tucked in, her stomach growling, their olympian sexcapades making both Dragons intensely hungry. Their food was soon devoured, and Adrian reached for the bialetti, pouring them both more coffee with an enormous amount of cream.
“Thatwas a fantastic Valentine’s breakfast. Cheers.” Layla lifted her mug and they clinked.
“You’re welcome.” Adrian grinned at her as he sipped his coffee – a decadently sexual grin that said he was talking about more than the food. “I do enjoy helping my woman devour her favorite things on Valentine’s.”
“My hero. Does Dusk cook as well as you do?” Layla asked with a grin, wiping her finger over her plate to get the last of the melted gruyere.
“Not by halves.” Adrian chuckled. “But he does make excellent desserts. He’ll never admit it, but whenever he has spare moments, he loves to sneak episodes of the Great British Baking Show. Ask him about making you his apple tarragon tartlets sometime. They’ll rock your socks off.”
But then Adrian sobered and Layla understood why. They both had talked about Dusk this way in the past months, as if he was still with them even though he lingered in his crystal-cocooned coma back at Riad Rhakvir, guarded by the Desert Dragon clan.
As Adrian sipped his coffee with a quieter demeanor, Layla decided it was time to broach the subject of Dusk, which they both had been studiously avoiding. Other than a few rumbles now and then, Dusk wasn’t necessarily improving within his crystal sarcophagus back at Riad Rhakvir. They had consulted all the best Crystal Dragon physicians for the past two months, and no one could tell them if he was healing or not, the cocoon Dusk had built for himself fiercely keeping out all outside vibrations. And now that Adrian and Layla’s vacation was ending in two days, it was time to broach subjects that had been shoved away while they were reveling.
Particularly, what they were going to do about their beloved Crystal Dragon.
Especially if he never woke up.
“Adrian, we need to talk about Dusk.” Layla began, swiveling on her barstool to face him. “I’ve been having a wonderful time with you this week, but—”
