I stared at him, and as I did, a feeling of love so great that it was dizzying came over me. Love and longing. I wanted him so badly that it made my chest ache. I didn't want to ruin our time together, no matter how much of it we had, but I was only a man. I couldn't overcome my doubts in an instant. So, it was with great love and great fear that I slid onto the floor of the carriage.
Vashana, sprawled across the bench opposite us, made a soft sound.
“It's all right, girl,” I murmured over my shoulder, then cast off my cloak.
Rian didn't ask what I was doing. It was hard to misunderstand. Especially when I pushed his thighs apart and wedged myself between them. His stare softened, the pale green brightening, and his hands went to my face.
I covered them with mine. “There is a grave misunderstanding between us, Your Majesty.”
“Is there?” Rian murmured, his chest starting to rise and fall faster.
“I will never reject you.” I pressed on his hands to emphasize my words. “It's impossible. If I turn away from you, it's because I feel I must. It's because I'm hurt or angry or scared. But it's never because I don't want or love you. You've slipped into my heart like a blade. Sudden. So suddenly that I barely felt your presence. Then you settled in and took over. There's no turning back from that. So stop saying that I reject you. It hurts every time you do.”
I had intended on giving him some pleasure. Both as a thank you and to make this memory extra special. But with the last of my words, Rian made a broken cry and slid forward, pushing me back so that he knelt on the floor of the carriage with me, his knees to either side of mine.
The Dragon King's mouth covered mine as his hands slid back into my hair, then down to my shoulders. My scarf fell away, and I instantly stretched my wings. But they couldn't relax. Under such emotional and physical onslaught, they trembled, fluttering so fast that they shimmered in the corner of my eye. Then Rian's hands found them, sliding carefully over the delicate membranes, and they went still.
My head fell back, and I ended our kiss with a gasp, pleasure streaming through my wings to slide down my back.
“Great Gods,” Rian whispered, his hands drawn forward and over my chest. “You are glorious. How you shine. Too beautiful to touch. And yet, you seem to crave it.”
I lowered my head to look at him. “From you.”
“Galin.” Rian's stare went from my wings to my face, then back again. His hands worshiped my wings, sliding over theveins to the bones, then down to my back to tangle in my hair. “Sometimes just looking upon you hurts.”
“I understand,” I whispered.
Our stares locked.
The carriage slowed.
Reluctantly, Rian pulled his gaze from mine and leaned over to pull aside the curtains and peer out the window. “Damn. One moment, my love.” He pushed the lever and lowered the glass. “Drive around the city for now.”
“Yes, Your Majesty,” someone called back.
Rian put the window up and yanked the curtains back. Then he was with me, his hand going to my jacket. I retracted my wings to make it easier to remove, and he paused, frowning.
“Just until I'm naked,” I assured him.
Rian growled at the word naked and shoved the jacket off my shoulders. My shirt quickly followed and as soon as it was gone, my wings burst free. He stared at them like a cat would a butterfly, tracking their movements. Then I stood up, bowing under the restriction of the roof, my hair forming a tent around us. Rian stared up at me in wonder, his hands wandering over my chest, fingers absently playing with my nipples as he bent forward to kiss my belly.
I bent over Rian, holding him to me, pouring my love into him as I prayed to Fulgark that this would last. This time it would be real. This time I'd find forever.
Rian kissed and nuzzled me, arms hugging, then hands clenching. He kneaded my ass, groaned, then leaned back toremove my belt. As he tossed it aside, I unbuttoned my pants. He was right there in a second, helping me remove them. And then he was back to nuzzling, this time through my undershorts. My cock tented the material, and he made good use of it, rubbing his face along the length and kissing the tip before pulling back to examine the wet spot in the material that my eagerness left.
Then, with a firm yank, Rian finished undressing me. I stood before him bare, only my hair to cover me, while he was still fully dressed. It felt like a type of submission, even with him kneeling. But it was a soft submission. One that made me feel powerful, especially with the way Rian looked at me.
A low, rumbling sound rolled up Rian's throat, and he pulled me down, astride his lap. I grabbed his shoulders, the thick muscles like handles, and leaned back so he could look at me. He did more than look, bringing his hands in and up to caress my slight chest, then swept down, along the V of my waist that led him to my center. His hand found me and took me in a strong grip.
I cried out, wings shivering, and my head rolled on my neck. “Rian.”
“Tell me again,” Rian growled. “Tell me you will never reject me. That I live here now.” He pressed his hand to my chest.
I lifted my head to meet his burning stare. “You have sunk your claws into my heart, Dragon.”
“And I will never let go.” He lifted his face and met my lips.
The kiss was wild and a bit desperate because we both knew—even he, beneath his bravado—that this could betemporary. That even our vows wouldn't keep us together if his Gods decided he was better off with someone else. But instead of poisoning the moment, it heightened it. Every touch burned into my memories, every stroke of his tongue and clench of his hands. Every sound he made. It was all etched into my mind. The magnificence of it. The strength.
