44. Aurora #2
“Like this,” he murmured. “First you look into her eyes.”
He was already looking into mine and I found I couldn’t look away. My heart was racing and my face was flushing and my body was on full alert—almost like it had been the night before when the dragon lust was pouring through me.
My nipples felt tight and achy—the linen of the nightshirt too scratchy against their sensitive tips. And between my thighs, I felt as hot as the Burn Pits. Why was my body reacting this way when there were no dragons mating and he hadn’t even kissed me yet?
“What…what comes next?” I heard myself say. “I mean, what…what should I say to a girl when I’m about to kiss her?”
“Tell her how beautiful she is,” Ryse murmured. “Let her know how important she is to you—that you never want to let her go.”
My whole body was aching by this time—longing to feel him kiss me. But it seemed that Ryse was taking his time with our “lesson.”
“What else?” I asked.
“Then you kiss her—gently at first.”
Finally, he pressed his mouth to mine.
I closed my eyes and savored the feeling—this kiss was different from the desperate, passionate kiss of the night before. Then it had felt like both of us were starving—trying to devour each other. Now it seemed that Ryse wanted to take his time tasting me.
He kissed me gently but thoroughly, making my heart bang against my ribs and then I felt the tip of his tongue pressing at the seam of my lips.
With a moan, I opened for his wordless request and his tongue slid into my mouth.
He tasted like the cinnamon and honey dessert we’d had at dinner—hot and spicy but sweet as well. I found myself moaning as he kissed me more deeply, his tongue darting in and out…teasing me.
Daringly, I sucked on the tip of it and then it was his turn to groan as he sucked my tongue in turn. We broke apart for a moment, panting, and he looked into my eyes.
“Gods, your lips are so soft.” His deep voice was hoarse, and his eyes were burning with need.
“Teach me more,” I begged, not wanting to stop. “Teach me everything.”
“Fuck,” he swore softly. “You don’t know what you’re asking,”
“Yes, I do,” I said recklessly.
His eyes went dark.
“I want to kiss more than your mouth. I want to kiss you here.”
And tangling a hand in my hair, he bent my head to one side and began kissing the sensitive side of my neck.
I moaned helplessly, feeling like my whole body was on fire with need.
This was different from the dragon lust, I thought dimly—the dragon lust forced me to want him.
But this…these gentle kisses…his deep voice growling in my ear…
the feeling of his hot mouth on the side of my throat—they built desire in me that was every bit as hot as the lust from last night, but it felt like my own.
There was no outside force that was making me want him—there was just Ryse, taking his time with me and making me crazy with desire.
“Goddess, you taste so sweet,” he murmured against my throat. “I’ve wanted to do this for so long.”
One of his hands slid down my shoulder and cupped my waist, pulling me closer.
I came willingly, flowing towards him. He lifted me into his lap and a moment later, we were in the same position we’d been in the night before. Ryse’s hands were on my hips, pulling me closer as he sucked and licked the side of my neck, sending chills of pure pleasure down my spine.
I was moaning—I couldn’t help myself—and pressing against him. No one had ever made me feel like this before and I didn’t want to stop, even though a little voice in my head was screaming that I had to end this, that things were going to go too far…
“I want to taste you too,” I heard myself saying, as I dug my short fingernails into his broad shoulders.
He pulled back, panting, his eyes glowing in the dim room.
“Do it, then.”
Ducking my head, I pressed my mouth to the side of his throat.
His skin was warm and smelled so good—that dark, masculine musk I associated with him.
I could feel the scratch of his whiskers against my cheek as I began to kiss him and then…
as I grew bolder…to lick. I loved the salty flavor of his skin.
“God and Goddess, little one!” Ryse groaned. “Your mouth is so hot!”
Encouraged, I sucked the side of his neck and then bit down—not too hard, but enough to leave a mark. He had said he felt possessive of me—well, I felt the same way. I wanted to make him mine.
Ryse’s fingers tightened on my hips, and I could feel the hardness between his legs pressing against my core. Did he notice that I didn’t have an answering bulge to press against his own? If he did, he didn’t say anything—he just pulled me closer as I bit and kissed and licked him.
Suddenly, I wanted him so badly I didn’t care anymore if he knew who I really was. I wanted him to kiss more than my throat—I wanted to feel his hot mouth on the sensitive tips of my breasts, wanted his hand between my thighs. I felt like things were going too fast and yet not fast enough.
I stopped biting him and looked into his eyes.
“Ryse,” I moaned. “I’m not who you think I am.”
“You’re not?” His eyes were still half-lidded with lust. “Who are you then, little one?”
“I’m—”
And that was when the dragons started calling.