“No.” He met her eyes. “It is a gift. One I did not expect.”
She reached for him in turn, curving her hands over his shoulders and down his arms. His scales caught the dim light, silver-white and smooth, warm beneath her palms. She traced the patterns on his chest, finding where the scales thinned, where the texture changed and shifted.
He shuddered at her touch. “Jaz?—”
“Fair’s fair.” She slid her hands higher, over the broad planes of his chest, the ridges of muscle beneath. “I want to touch you too.”
He made a sound that wasn’t quite human—a rumble from deep in his chest that she felt more than heard. His wings tightened around them, creating a pocket of heat and darkness, and when he kissed her again it was hungry and desperate, full of thousands of years of loneliness she could only imagine.
She pulled back long enough to shed her base layer, and his breath caught audibly.
“Every time I see you, you are more beautiful.”
“I’m really not that?—”
“Do not.” His hand pressed flat against her chest, over her heart. “Do not diminish. You are beautiful. You are perfect. You are mine.”
The possessiveness should have annoyed her, triggering all her carefully constructed defenses about independence and self-sufficiency and not needing anyone. Instead, it sparked a warmth that had nothing to do with his body heat.
“Show me,” she said. “Show me how dragons touch their mates.”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
“With reverence,” Adjar said softly. “We touch our mates with reverence.”
He proceeded to demonstrate. His hands mapped her body with excruciating patience, tracing every curve and hollow. His mouth followed, pressing kisses to the freckles on her shoulders, the swell of her breasts, and the soft skin of her stomach.
Human bodies were so exposed, so vulnerable without protective scales. He found himself fascinated by the softness of her, the way her skin felt under his fingers, the delicate structures of her collarbones and the graceful curve of her throat. He traced these with his tongue, tasting the salt of her skin and committing every detail to memory.
When his hands moved to her breasts, she arched against him, a soft moan escaping her lips. Her flesh there was softer still, yielding to his touch in a way that made his shaft throb urgently within his sheath.
“Is this good?” he asked, needing to be certain.
“So good,” she breathed, her hands sliding up to tangle in his hair.
He explored further, discovering that she made the most delicious sounds when he took one of her small brown nipples between his lips and suckled gently.
“Oh God, yes,” she gasped.
Encouraged, he continued his exploration, kissing his way down her body, learning what made her gasp and what made her pull his hair with just enough force to let him know he should never stop. He kissed his way down her stomach, noting the slight quiver of her muscles and the way her breathing quickened with anticipation. When he reached the juncture of her thighs, her scent enveloped him—a sweet muskiness that made his head spin.
He gently parted her legs, using his tail to keep them open, then lowered his head and ran his tongue along her folds, groaning at the taste of her. She cried out, her hips lifting instinctively toward his mouth. He explored her thoroughly, finding the small, sensitive bud that made her writhe and gasp when he circled it with his tongue.
“Don’t stop. Please don’t stop.”
He had no intention of stopping. He focused on that sensitive spot, alternating between firm strokes and gentle flicks of his tongue, drinking in her reactions. She clutched at his hair, guiding his movements, and the sounds she made were the most beautiful music he’d ever heard.
When her body began to tense, her thighs trembling against his shoulders, he increased his attentions, determined to bring her pleasure. She shattered with a cry, her back arching off the bunk,and he held her through it, prolonging her release until she collapsed, panting his name.
He crawled back up her body, resting his weight on his forearms to avoid crushing her. Her eyes were half-closed, a satisfied smile curving her lips.
“That was wonderful. Amazing.” She shook her head. “I don’t even have words.”
He preened at the praise, his chest swelling with masculine pride. But his own desire was still demanding attention, his shaft aching with the need to be inside her.
“I want you,” he said, his voice rough. “All of you.”
Her eyes opened fully, and he saw desire flare there again despite her recent release.
