Her hands went to the laces on her tunic. Without haste, she tugged them free and whooshed the garment over her head. Beneath, she wore her lingerie, the two pieces she’d been wearing when Leo found her. Cream and black with lace of both colors. She dropped her trews next, the removal easy since they were too big for her.
She peeked at Leo and saw he’d frozen in position, his eyes wide as his gaze measured her curves in a visual caress.
While he’d stripped off her clothes and helped her to dress when she was too weak to do it herself, he hadn’t seen her when she’d donned her underwear. Now, she wanted to flirt and tease. She smiled—no, beamed—inside, but she didn’t let him see her humor.
Gwenyth reached behind her to unfasten her bra. Already, her nipples had become taut, her body achy and wanting him. Had she felt this way before? The thought shoved past her joy. A frown wrinkled her forehead—she felt the tension trying to swipe away everything right in her life.No!She refused to spoil this moment.
Without letting another notion surface, she let her bra fall away and down her arms.
“Gwenyth,” Leo murmured, and he sounded entranced and strained too.
Impishly, she winked at him before stripping her panties down her legs. “Last one in is a rotten egg.”
She turned from her stunned husband and sprinted across the sand to the water. She kept running, not even hesitating at the splash of cool waves against her calves.
Gwenyth swore Leo’s gaze singed her backside, and she desperately needed the chill to douse the ardor heating her skin. Gwenyth ceased walking once the water reached her breasts. Only then did she turn to see what Leo was doing.
A tremendous splash filled her eyes and mouth with water. She spluttered, and an instant later, Leo’s arms wrapped around her, drawing her against his hard chest.
“You’re a tease,” he murmured seconds before he crushed his mouth against hers.
The kiss held desperation, their teeth and noses clashing until they managed the perfect fit. His breath was hot, his flesh under her cold hands just as searing. Tongues stroked, licked, tasted.
Desire roared through Gwenyth. She moaned in enjoyment, his skin beneath her fingertips hot. Leo’s hands caressed the skin of her arse. He was burning her alive, yet there was no visible flame.
She pulled away a fraction, desperate to take one full breath.
“My lodestone,” he murmured. “You are so beautiful. I can’t believe you agreed to marry me. I am blessed—such a lucky dragon.”
Gwenyth ran her fingertips over his cheeks, his bold nose, then his sensuous lips. The edges of his mouth tipped up in a smile, growing bigger and wider until she glimpsed his white teeth. Unable to resist, she fitted her lips to his. This time, their kiss was slow and tender.
It set her alive with urgent need.
“Leo,” she whispered.
“Yes,” he said and lifted her into his arms. He carried her from the sea and headed farther up the beach to a cottage she hadn’t noticed earlier because it blended with the trees. It was part of the trees, she realized once Leo opened the door.
“Dry yourself off, my lodestone,” he said, handing her a towel. “I’ll grab our meal supplies and place them in the cool room. I will run,” he added when she opened her mouth to protest.
By the time she’d toweled herself dry and explored, Leo was back with their basket of supplies and their clothes. He set the garments over the back of a chair and strode into a smaller room that she discovered was the kitchen. When he reappeared, his eyes glowed a warm amber. He stalked toward her, his face full of determination and a hint of lust. No, the emotion wasn’t as harsh as lust but more urgency and desire.
His arms gripped her waist, and he swept her up. His long strides took them to a bedroom, and her pulse raced. She wanted him so much. The longing had crept up on her, taking her by surprise. With each passing hour, she’d grown to like him more and more. It was why she’d agreed to the marriage. Now that gentle attraction was taking on a life of its own. Leo placed her on the soft mattress and smiled down at her. Gwenyth licked her lips, shy and a little nervous, but wanting him, wanting this with every fathom of her being.
“I’m not sure where I want to touch first,” he whispered, his gaze heated as it roamed her breasts. His chest was broad and muscled, no doubt from his constant flying, training, and his hard physical work to build his farming business. His biceps bunched as he leaned over to steal a kiss. Her gaze wandered farther down his body to his lean waist, his narrow hips, and the muscles of his abdomen. So sexy. She imagined licking his skin, her tongue running over the distinct ridges on his middle region. Lower still, his cock was erect, a clear portrayal of his desire for her.
During her perusal of his body, she’d ignored his dragon tattoo. His dragon stood, his legs asunder and hands planted on his hips. The instant the dragon tattoo noticed her watching him, he waved and blew a kiss. The way he did it with the knowing gleam had color racing to her face and sinking down her neck. His dragon ran his hand down his scales to rest on his groin and winked at her.
Gwenyth gasped.
“What’s wrong?” Leo asked.
“Your dragon is crude.” She said the words, although they didn’t match the humor that was bubbling up inside her. She grinned at Leo, gaining confidence again.“Like any superb story, you start at the beginning. Touch me everywhere.”
“An excellent plan,” he said, and he dropped to the bed beside her. He combed his fingers through her damp hair. He kissed her, this time with purpose and skill. “You give me hope for the future.”
When she tried to reply, to ask why, he stopped her with another kiss, this one passionate and all-consuming. She clung, craving more of his touch. Hungry for the physical act.
For the first time, Leo’s big, competent hands wandered her body. He skimmed her breasts before cupping them and learning their shape.
