“I know everything I need to know,” she said, peeling off his shirt and running her hands over his chest. “I want you, Ryan, I’ve wanted you since that night in the woods, and I don’t want to wait. Nothing is going to change the way I feel about you.”
CHAPTER 19
***RYAN***
It was getting harder and harder to think the lower Paula’s hands sank and when she started tugging on his belt, he knew that he wasn’t far from the point of no return. His body was throbbing with need, his dragon was demanding that he claim his mate in the most ancient of ways, and he knew he couldn’t fight the urges much longer. But the voice of caution in his head was still talking to him, and he didn’t want to screw up by going too fast. There were things Paula didn’t know.
When she slid his belt free and threw it to the floor, he took a step back. “Paula, we should really talk, I didn’t think…” he tried, but the look in her eyes was making it difficult to form words. “This bond thing isn’t something to mess with, and if we take this next step, there won’t be any going back.”
She stepped back from him, and a wave of disappointment washed over him, even though he knew it was for the best, but then she reached behind her and unzipped her dress. With a shrug of her shoulders, it fell to the floor, revealing a lacy bra and panties, and then a pair of long legs encased in silky black hose held up by a garter and shiny clips. His fingers itched to touchher, but he couldn’t move for several long seconds as the war continued inside him.
“We can talk all you want later,” she said, closing the distance between them again. “Right now, there are other things I want to do.”
Wrapping her arms around his neck, pressing her body to his, she pulled his head down and kissed him, invading his mouth with her tongue, then nipping at his lips until all of the warning bells in his head disappeared. With a growl that came from deep in his chest, he wrapped his arms around her, reveling in the feel of her soft skin against his, then scooped her up in his arms and carried her over to the bed.
He laid her down gently, then stepped back to feast on the sight of her body again before stripping off the last of his clothes. Paula gasped and reached for him when she saw his swollen manhood, but he stepped back out of the way, then slowly began to unfasten the clips on her garter. After slowly peeling the stockings off her legs, he hooked his fingers into the lacy panties and slid them down her legs. The bra quickly followed and he spent several agonizing moments letting his eyes roam over her naked body.
Paula was trembling with need when he finally joined her in the bed. Her hands seemed to be everywhere at once, making it difficult to take things slow. He finally captured them and held them over her head while he kissed her, then, holding them there, slowly worked his way down her body until he could suck one hard nipple into his mouth.
She gasped, and he let go of her wrists, then used one hand to massage the other breast, then trailed it down her stomach and gently pushed her legs open. When his finger slipped between her folds, Paula gasped again and grabbed his shoulders, her nails digging in when he began to stroke her swollen nib. Hecaptured her mouth again, kissing her as she moaned into his mouth, then began to whimper as he took her higher and higher.
When she finally tumbled over the edge, crying out his name, her entire body trembling with the force of her pleasure, his body went crazy, the dragon inside him became impossible to ignore, and he slipped between her legs. He paused, giving her time to recover, and she opened her pleasure-filled eyes to look up at him, then spread her legs wider, an invitation he couldn’t resist.
“I need you, Ryan,” she said, wiggling her hips. “Take me now, make me yours forever.”
The dragon inside him responded to her words, his magic rose to the surface, crackling in the air around them, and nothing could have stopped him from claiming her right then. With one powerful thrust of his hips, he filled her completely, connecting them fully for the first time, and the bond between them began to grow warm as it became stronger. Eyes locked on hers, he drove himself into Paula’s welcoming body over and over, feeling the tension growing as the passion between them grew to a raging inferno.
Overwhelmed by the sensations thundering through him, he gave himself up to the pleasure, completely aware of the miracle happening between them. When he finally emptied himself inside her, Paula followed him into oblivion, calling out his name, her muscles clenching around him, making his pleasure that much more intense.
He collapsed on top of her, unable to move for several minutes, then rolled over onto his back and pulled her up against him, still fighting to catch his breath. “That was incredible,” he said, when he could finally talk. “I never imagined it could be like that.”
“Me either,” Paula said, grinning up at him, a blush on her cheeks. “I’m sure glad we didn’t wait. When can we do it again?”
He laughed, “You might have to give me a few minutes,” he said, shaking his head. “We’ve got a whole lifetime for this.”
“I didn’t think…I mean…that soon…” she stammered, her cheeks even redder. “I was thinking later tonight or in the morning or something…”
“We can do it then, too,” he said, grinning at her. “The thing about shifters is they’re stronger than regular men. I probably should have warned you.”
“You mean…” Her words trailed off.
“As much as you want,” he said, then laughed at the look on her face. “I’m here to please, princess.”
“Well, then let’s put that to the test,” she said, sliding her hand down his stomach and wrapping her hand around his already swollen manhood. “I think you’re already passing.”
He laughed and rolled over on top of her. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you,” he said, then lowered his lips to hers and they didn’t speak for a long time.
***Paula***
It wasn’t until they were leaving the hotel two days later that Paula realized it was Christmas. She found herself blushing when she thought about how they’d spent the last couple of days. They’d talked for hours, lived on room service, and made love more times than she could count. She understood so much more about shifters and what being married to one would mean for her life. Looking over at Ryan, she realized that she wouldn’t have changed a thing, and someday they would have a wonderful story to tell their children.
“We should be just in time for breakfast,” Ryan said, opening her door for her. “I can’t wait for Hattie’s waffles. She onlymakes the special ones on Christmas morning, and she won’t share the recipe.”
“Oh, that sounds good, I’m starving,” she said. “I bet my mom will make her blueberry muffins. We always have them, and you’ve never tasted anything better, especially with a big slab of butter melting everywhere.”
He laughed, but the smile faded a few minutes later. “Paula, I know it’s Christmas and your parents came to spend it with you, but I think we should leave tonight,” he said. “The sooner we appear before the council, the better. We need their blessing before you get their full protection, and I don’t trust Alex. He’s still out there lurking somewhere.”
“Ryan, what’s going to happen when we go? I mean, they can’t make us get unmarried, can they?” she asked, suddenly nervous. “I’m not used to a bunch of men I don’t know having this much power over my life.”
