5. Poppy
POPPY
Waking up under a giant, ruby-red wing would be pretty damn great if my own body didn't feel like a fucking furnace.
I blink against the dim crimson shadows, my hair a cloud of auburn frizz. I blow a breath out, trying to get it out of my nose without moving.
Under me, my alien sits perfectly rigid against the tree root. His jaw clenched so tight the muscles in his cheeks are twitching, and his golden eyes stare straight ahead into the dirt as if he's trying to wish himself out of existence.
I shift my legs, and my thigh brushes against the front of his heavy trousers.
Oh.
Even in the dark of night, the damp stain spreading on the crotch of his pants is unmistakable.
I’m not gonna lie—a wave of wicked delight hits me.
This alien warrior completely lost his grip last night just because I curled into his lap for warmth. Just touching me was enough to make him come in his pants.
I feel like I won an Olympic medal in early release jizznastics. Never in my life has a dude come just from snuggling me. Incredible.
He notices me staring. A purplish hue floods his cheeks, and his tail lashes the tree trunk behind him. He immediately tries to pull his wing tighter around us to shield the front of his pants from my eyes.
Oh, no, he’s embarrassed. How freakin’ cute.
"Hey," I murmur. I offer a soft smile in an attempt at cutting through his obvious mortification. "Don't worry about it."
He lets out a low, anxious rumble, his throat bobbing.
“I love it,” I tell him, and maybe it’s because my hormones are trying to get me riding that weird alien dick immediately, but it’s true.
I lean forward, my palms flat against his washboard abs. Scaled, sure, but deliciously perfect, too. I want to help him clean up. The heat revving up between my own legs means I want to do a whole lot more.
A soft buzz overhead brings me to a grinding halt.
A drone hovers right outside the curve of his wing. Watching us. Fucccck me.
And not in the fun way I’m currently fantasizing about.
I freeze. I am all for winning a reality show, but I am absolutely not making an intergalactic sex tape for the whole universe. That’s a bit much for me, thank you.
I close my eyes, forcing myself to pull up the application details I filled out back in Ellison's apartment. This is what I do. I am all about reading the fine print and remembering it.
The contract said while the wilderness would be heavily monitored, the drones are programmed to respect "natural blind spots" and should give us privacy due to differing cultural norms across the galaxy.
A frown pulls my lips down. I still don’t want it here.
I tap my alien’s chest. My alien. Heh. I like the sound of that.
Pointing to the drone, I make a slicing motion across my throat, then point deeper into the cave-like hollow deeper under the oversized tree root. The hollow goes back deep into the earth, partially obscured by a thicket of vines.
Perfect. I grin.
He tracks my finger, his eyes widening as he realizes exactly what I'm proposing.
Without a word, not that I would understand it, he scoops me into his arms and scoots backwards, ducking into me as he narrowly avoids snagging his wings on the overhanging brambles.
The sound of the drone fades into the distance. Finally.
Alone I’m too aware of him. Of how much I need him. Of how much of mess I might just be in—and how much I want to not think about that part at all.
The heat radiating off his skin is intense.
I don't waste time. I’ve never wasted time, not ever. When I want something, I go for it.
Why should this be any different?
I reach down and unfasten the heavy buckles of his waistband. He doesn't stop me, though his huge hands tremble as I slide the strange leather down his hips.
My breath stutters.
Holy shit. Up close, his dick is a work of art—a deep red-violet color, entirely smooth, pulsing with a bizarre motion that sends a wave of liquid heat straight to my core. I tilt my head, trying to make sense of what I’m seeing. It’s not pulsing, not really.
It reminds me of one of those massage chairs at those nail salons that have the roller balls that I always pretended felt good while they massacred my back muscles.
Though I don’t think I would have to pretend this would feel good inside me. Whew. I blow out another breath, trying to figure out the mechanics of this.
Since we can't actually communicate, I resort to pointing.
There’s a lot to point at there.
I look up into his golden eyes, point a finger at my mouth, and then point directly at his pulsing red dick.
That should get the point across. Hopefully.
He goes totally still, his eyes huge as he stares at me. It’s like he’s almost afraid to breathe. He points back to my mouth, his chest heaving.
A fresh bead of moisture spills over the tip before I even touch him. I lean forward, and his finger grazes my lip, sending a thrill of heat through me.
“Like this,” I say, pointing to his cock as I press his finger into my mouth. My eyes flutter closed, because even this is ecstasy in my amped-up state.
I pull away, and his finger, which is ridiculously huge, honestly, leaves my mouth with a satisfying pop.
He’s watching me with rapt attention, and I smile at devotion on his face. Well, maybe not devotion, not yet. But interest? Yeah. My alien is absolutely into what I’m offering.
I tilt my head again, give my lashes a little flutter—maybe she’s born with it, maybe I had them dyed last week—and point to his dick again, which is doing things I’ve never seen a dick do before, and then to my mouth.
“Like theees,” my alien says, pointing at his dick, and then at my lips.
My cheeks suck in as I bite them, doing my best not to laugh out loud at his very enthusiastic blow job consent. I lean down and take him into my mouth.
And that’s enough to keep me from laughing, because my alien is more than a mouthful. That, and the taste of his cum has my body going into overdrive. The flavor of it explodes across my tongue, and the earthy, salty taste actually is… enjoyable.
I don’t know if that’s a result of whatever the hell is coursing through my blood or because it actually tastes good, but I’ll take it, damn it.
My skin feels too tight, sweat dampening my slip as I work my lips up and down his thick, hot length. My own lower half throbbing so hard it aches, but the groans vibrating out of my alien’s chest make it so, so worth it.
His fingers flex gently in my hair, his talons pricking my scalp with unbelievable, careful tenderness.
I have him completely at my mercy.
The thought makes me smile around his cock, licking at the tip as I wrap both hands around his shaft. There’s no way I’m going to be able to fit all of him in my mouth, but I’ve always been a big fan of using what you’ve got to get a job done.
He groans, his thighs locking around my hips, and then he jerks violently. His hot release fills my mouth. I swallow it down, breathing heavily as he slumps back against the earth, his wings flaring wide in a dazed, completely shattered stupor.
Olympic jizznastics gold medalist, indeed.
I crawl up his chest, grinning, my own unsated heat making my pelvis throb. I need him like, right the fuck now.
Him. Shit. SHIT.
I never even got his name. Well, what time is better than now to correct that.
I tap his chest, pointing to myself. He blinks, his heavy white lashes fluttering in the dark, and my smile gets bigger because I did that. Ha.
"Poppy," I whisper, tapping myself again. "Pop-py."
"Pah-pee," he rumbles against my ribs.
I wrinkle my nose, shrugging one shoulder. "Close enough." I tap his chest, looking at him
He points a hand at his own chest. "Vael-Torin."
"Vaaail Tore in," I repeat, doing my level best to match his sharp intonation.
A genuine smile stretches across his face, his fangs catching the faint light. “Vael-Torin."
“Vael-Torin."I try again, and this time, it’s close enough that he smiles wider.
He pulls me into his chest, wrapping his wings over us like a heated blanket. Vael’s touch is reverent, but as he settles me into his body, I realize he is keeping his lower half deliberately locked away from mine.
His hands stay firmly at my waist.
He's intentionally withholding full sex.
It might be the sweetest thing any man has ever done.
I know enough from my deep rabbit hole diving about the Draegon to know that if we have sex, we’re bonded for life, and that’s something they take seriously.
I didn’t know being in heat would hurt like this, that’s for damn sure, but he knows the mating heat is driving me crazy, and he refuses to lock us into a permanent bond.
He wants me to choose him when my head is clear. At least, that’s what I’m assuming. Call me a mermaid, because all I have to go on here is body language.
It is the most romantic, frustrating thing a giant red dragon could possibly do.
"Vael.” His name is a soft whine on my lips. I wanted forever, or I wouldn’t have signed up for this show. My pussy is literally aching, slick fluid dripping down my inner thighs, enough to distract me from a sudden pang of guilt. "I can't sleep like this."
He rumbles in response. It’s a low, questioning sound, his chest vibrating against my cheek.
I don't try to force his hands down, because I’d be a dick if I didn’t respect his body language. He doesn’t know me!
Well, he knows I can suck a dick and wear the shit out of some marabou heels, but I don’t blame him for not wanting forever to start on our first night.
But I can’t sleep like this, and I turn into a massive bitch when I don’t get enough sleep. Sighing, I turn the problem over in my head. He’s not going to help me out because he clearly doesn’t want to pressure me.
I’ve never had a problem helping myself out, though, and the thought of a hot alien audience makes me even more excited.
I look him in the eye, reach beneath the pink silk of my slip, and slide two fingers through my sex. A moan rips out of me immediately.
Vael-Torin stiffens behind me, and I watch him over my shoulder where he holds me. His golden pupils dilate until his eyes are entirely black, his breath hitching as he watches my hand disappear between my thighs.
I find my clit and nearly yell at the intense swell of pressure, the insane overstimulation making my legs shake.
It’s not gonna take me long, thank whatever gods are in charge of alien orgasms. I begin to rub myself in a fast, desperate rhythm right in front of him.
A breathless moan escapes my lips, my hips arching off the ground as I chase the release my body is screaming for.
Vael-Torin doesn't move a muscle to stop me, but he’s watching. Oh, is he ever watching. He leans over me, his face inches from mine, his nostrils flaring as he drinks in the sight. His gaze tracks the sloppy sounds of my fingers, studying the exact rhythm and pressure I like.
Which is hot as hell.
His cock starts moving frantically against his trousers again, hard just from watching me.
"Vael..." I whimper his name, the climax building, washing away every coherent thought. "Vael-Torin..."
The orgasm tears through me as I shudder against him, my body shaking with the aftermath.
Vael-Torin lets out a satisfied growl, leaning down to press a kiss directly to my temple. He wipes my cheek with the blunt side of a talon, then pulls me tight against the hard muscle of his chest.
Tucked securely in the dark against my giant red dragon, I realize I don't give a single flying fuck about the cameras.
Signing us up for this is the best decision I’ve ever made.