Sapphire Dragon (Awakened Dragons Book 2) (8 page)

A time when he wouldn’t have been worried about fleeing the bed of a woman he loved just because he feared what he’d do to her.

He let out a low breath. The village. The dying. Could he really just let it all go?

Not yet.

“But in the meantime, what do I do with Hallie?” he asked, more to Erin than Zach. “How do I make it right?”

She sighed. “I don’t really know. I mean, I guess you could go the Zach way and just stalk her until you get what you want. Girls like to be pursued, and after all, she wants to know you want her. Not just for a one-night stand.”

“One-night stand?” he asked, confused.

“Think about it, dipshit.”

“I did not only want her for one night,” Luc said.

“Then go tell her that,” Zach said, reaching out a hand to help Luc up. When they got to the door, Zach opened it, and as Luc walked through, he got a boot in the butt, shoving him out. “And don’t come back tonight. I’m gonna have sex with my woman.”

Before Luc could even screw up his face in disgust, Zach was gone.

That was the onyx dragon for you.

Luc brushed himself off, rose his his full height, and cracked his knuckles.

He had a mate to stalk in order to prove his love.

B
y the time
she got home from work, Hallie was just overall upset with how the day had gone.

She hadn’t been able to reach Bill to apologize, and she had no idea if he was going to sue the shelter, which would be a total disaster for everyone involved.

She also hated she’d gone off on Luc. True, he’d hurt her feelings, but he hadn’t meant to, and she could have addressed it better. She could have done everything better, but unfortunately, she, like anyone, had bad days, and there wasn’t anything she could do about it.

Other than figure out how to make it right.

There was still light outside when she arrived home, and when she parked, she got out of her car and just leaned against it for a moment, enjoying the evening glow on the large hedge of bushes in front of her house.

She caught movement out of the corner of her eye and saw a man getting out of a parked car and walking toward her. She relaxed some when she realized it was Bill. Maybe he’d gotten her messages and had come to talk to her.

He’d always seemed like a reasonable, even friendly, person, and she didn’t want today to jeopardize their working relationship.

She knew Luc would be offended, but long after he decided to do whatever he wanted, she would still be here, taking care of the shelter. After all, Luc had never made any forever promises. It would be stupid to after knowing each other such a short time.

She sighed and walked toward Bill. She frowned as she saw the look on his face. A bit red, mercurial, his eyes glaring. He backed her up in the direction of her house, and she was in front of her car again.

He folded his arms as he stared down at her, not appearing as he ever had before. “Do you want to explain what happened today? What your
boyfriend
did?”

“He’s not my boyfriend,” she muttered. “He’s an employee who just happens to really care about the animals, and I don’t know what upset him today. He’s never like that.” She gave him a polite smile. “But I’m really, really sorry, and on behalf of the shelter, I’d love to know if there is anything I could do to make it up to you.”

He frowned, and then a dark smile curled the corners of his lips. “What did you have in mind?”

Not whatever he seemed to be thinking. Ugh. Maybe he wasn’t so nice after all. “I was thinking maybe a plaque on the wall that commends your donations. Or naming a room after you? Something that acknowledges everything you’ve done?”

He stalked forward, backing her up to the car until her back hit it. He looked her up and down, making her skin crawl. Why oh why had she chased Luc away?

He was turning out to be right about too many things. Still, why had none of this happened before?

“Why don’t
you
acknowledge everything I’ve done?” Bill said creepily, curling his lip as he got even closer.

She put up a hand to push him away. “Look, I’m sure we can work something out.” She tried to side-step around him, but he trapped her further with his huge bulk. She looked around the street for any sign of help but didn’t see anything. “Not like this, though.”

She struggled again, pushing on him, as he began to pull her into his arms. “Eek! Stop!” She pulled back, fighting to avoid his lips. “Help!”

The bushes behind them rustled, and she looked up in shock to see Luc standing behind Bill, glaring down at him with ominous rage in his icy eyes.

“Oh, you’ve done it now,” he said, grabbing the other guy by the scruff of the neck.

“I didn’t mean it. I didn’t mean it,” the other guy screeched, groveling as he dangled in Luc’s grip.

As usual, Luc looked intimidatingly large and angry, but she saw him take a huge breath in an effort to stay calm. Then he glanced over at her, his eyes noting every detail, trying to see what the other man had done.

He turned back to Bill with fury in his stare, letting his hands tighten as the other man struggled. “You touch her again, you’re fucking dead. You get it? Dead. Not able to think about torturing puppies, not able to creep on shelter workers. Because you’ll be
dead
.”

The man nodded, going slightly red. Luc gave him a look of disgust and dropped him.

As Bill got to his feet and started running away, it looked like it was taking every bit of Luc’s self-control not to go after him.

He was tense for a few seconds and then exhaled, letting all the air out of his chest. “Are you okay?”

She stayed against the car for a moment, trying to take everything in. She was glad he was here, but where the hell had he come from? She looked around her. Sure enough, down the street where she wouldn’t have seen it before, was his black Volvo.

She put a hand to her face. “Yes, I’m fine.”

He walked forward, hands in his pockets. “Sorry I didn’t move sooner. I didn’t know what you wanted me to do until you yelled for help.” He bit his lip. “And I already got in trouble once today for overstepping my bounds.”

“You didn’t overstep,” she said, letting out a shaky breath. “You were just in time.” She looked in Bill’s direction, where his car was pulling away. “It just… surprised me. I didn’t think he’d do that.”

Her heart was racing painfully fast. She looked up at Luc, grateful but confused.

“I know,” he said. “Let’s get you inside.” He walked her in, and she sat in her regular chair, still in shock.

What just happened?

She was still thinking about it when Luc brought her a glass of lemonade from the kitchen. “Thanks,” she said, bringing it to her lips for a slow sip. As she calmed, she thought over the situation, and something ridiculous struck her.

“You were hiding. In my bushes,” she said.

He nodded seriously. “I was stalking you.”

She let out a laugh and then covered her mouth. “Oh my gosh, why on earth were you doing that?”

“I wanted you to know I wanted you. That you weren’t a one-night stand,” he said.

She looked him over and noted the little bits of shrubbery stuck to his shirt and pants. “How long were you there?”

“A few hours,” he said with a shrug. “The right amount I guess.” He cracked his knuckles together. “I had no idea that was going to happen, or I’d be staying in your bushes day and night.”

“Or you could stay inside with me,” she suggested.

He gave her a small smile. “I’d like that.” He walked over and pulled a chair next to her, looking pleased with himself. “I didn’t beat the crap out of him; did you notice that?”

“I did,” she said. “I was pretty impressed.”

“I know,” he said. “But seriously, are you okay? Because I also wanted to talk to you about last night, if that’s okay with you.”

“Sure,” she said, her heart pounding nervously.

He went back to his couch and leaned forward, facing her. As usual, his hair was mussed, and he still looked like the most handsome thing she’d ever seen. “I sent the wrong message last night,” he said. “I wasn’t trying to say I didn’t want to commit. It’s just, for what I am, mating is a very big deal. And I’ve never met a woman I wanted to mate, so I didn’t know how it worked. You’re tempting, and I didn’t want to screw something up.”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” she said. “What do you mean screw things up?”

“Trap you,” he said. “Mating is permanent.”

She rubbed her temples with both hands. “I don’t know what that means, mating. Are you some kind of animal?”

“Not exactly,” he said.

“Are you ever going to tell me what you are?” she asked.

“I think so,” he said. “When the time is right.” He sat up with a long sigh. “Okay, so from the top… When I came here, I was given a mission. One I didn’t think I could complete.” He touched his necklace. “I was supposed to prove I could care about the human world. I didn’t want to ever do that again. I cared once, and it broke me. It broke a lot of people.” Guilt clouded his blue eyes, and he looked away for a moment before turning back. “So I was planning to just sit here and do nothing and wait for my punishment.”

“What was the punishment?” she asked.

“Oblivion,” he said flatly.

Her heart sank, and her stomach twisted at the thought. “So you changed your mind?”

“I think so.” He nodded. “I mean, it’s scary to care again, but I really do. I care about you… and Bastien. And even some others.” He twisted his fingers together. “I just… I’m bad at it still. When I left last night, I thought I was doing the best thing. I didn’t know what it meant to leave.” He gave her a hopeful look. “But if you’ll let me, I’ll stay tonight.”

She felt hope welling up in her, filling her like a hot air balloon, making her feel floaty. “You want to?”

“Of course I want to,” he said, folding his arms. “I wanted to last night. But as you’ve seen, I don’t always have the best judgment, even when I’m trying to do the right thing.”

“I know,” she said. “I didn’t react the best either.”

They both smiled and then sat in awkward silence together. She took a deep breath. “Well, you were right. He was a creep.”

“Yeah,” he said. “But I could have been better about telling you about it.”

She came over and sat next to him on the couch, and as he put his arm around her, she enjoyed the warm, soothing feeling that washed over her. That always did when he was around.

“What do you want to do tonight?” he asked. “I’m all yours, until you want to kick me out.”

She laughed. “I wouldn’t. Maybe just take it easy tonight? Watch a movie?”

He nodded. “Try that snuggling thing you were talking about.” He wrapped both arms around her, encircling her with strong muscles. “I think that’s what I missed most about leaving last night. I didn’t get to hold you.”

“I didn’t know you wanted to.”

“Of course I did,” he said. “I always want to.”

She smiled and gently pushed out of his arms. “Well, in that case, you better help me make dinner so we can eat and get that out of the way. We’ve got some snuggling to do.”

His blue eyes sparkled in a way she’d never seen before. Truly, it was like watching a black-and-white painting come into color the way he was changing every day.

“Sounds good to me.”

A
fter dinner
—where Luc had showed himself to be more than willing to help in the kitchen, if not woefully inexperienced with things as basic as boiling water—both of them returned to the living room to watch a movie as promised.

For the movie, Hallie chose something on the tame side, a romantic comedy with a little action sprinkled throughout. But as the movie began, Luc just sat next to her on the couch, sitting upright, his gaze darting from her to the movie, as if unsure of how to proceed.

Had Luc never done this before?

First, she nestled into him, leaning back on his muscular frame, testing his reaction and seeing what he’d do next.

He maintained his upright position but looked down at her with a curious glance.

“You can relax, you know,” she teased, poking him in the side, trying to get him to loosen up.

“I just want to make sure I’m doing it right,” he said cautiously. It was kind of cute to think of this huge, overprotective guy taking
cuddling
too seriously.

“The key is to just find the right position for you and your partner so you can experience maximum comfort and enjoy the experience,” she explained.

Luc made a
hm
sound, as if thinking for a moment. He then shifted his position, leaning into the back corner of the couch and then helping her move closer to him so she could rest back onto his chest, with the popcorn bowl in his lap before her.

Heaven.

“Ah, so
this
is cuddling,” he said discerningly as he wrapped an arm around her side.

“Yes. And now we watch,” she said, turning his attention back to the TV, more for her own sake than his. Every second those deep, multifaceted blue eyes watched her, every second his hands touched her anywhere, she could feel her skin warming, could feel her body’s reaction to him.

As they watched, Hallie’s mind wandered between paying attention to the TV, trying to ignore the rising sensations in her, and thinking about how radically different things were with Luc in her life. How even with the ups and downs, she didn’t think there was anything she would change about it all.

“What are you thinking about?” Luc asked as he ran his fingers through her hair, his touch light despite the size of his hands.

“Just about how different things have been ever since you came. Now that things are so changed, I’m not sure I could go back to my life the way it was before.”

“So you can see a future with me in it?” he asked thoughtfully.

“I mean, it hasn’t been long, but if the present is any indicator of the future, then yes, I can only hope so,” she said, turning back to see him looking down at her, his gaze tender and attentive.

“Me, too,” he replied as she nestled back, moving the popcorn bowl to the floor so she could rest on his big, surprisingly comfortable lap.

“You’re pretty good at this cuddling thing, by the way,” she exclaimed, relishing the feel of his thighs beneath her and his arm resting on her side.

“Perhaps we should make it a regular thing, then?”

“Definitely.”

As the movie finally wrapped up and the credits rolled, Hallie sat back up and stretched, yawning. Between their fight in the morning, the scene he made at her workplace, and the rescue right in front of her house, it had been a pretty long day.

“Here, let me get you upstairs,” Luc said, sweeping Hallie off her feet and holding her in his arms, walking up the stairs toward her bedroom. “We can do some more cuddling in bed before we go to sleep,” he said with a smile.

But as he took each step, there was definitely more than just cuddling on Hallie’s mind. And it certainly didn’t hurt that Luc had been the perfect gentleman the entire night, helping with dinner and holding her sweetly as if she meant the world to him.

Maybe she was just being stupid, lining herself up for more hurt. But she’d learned the hard way that no matter how careful you were in life, you could still get hurt regardless of what you did. So it was best to just live in the present and hope things turn out okay in the end.

“Um, Luc?” she said tentatively as he reached the top step and opened the door to her room.

“Yes?”

“If you’re staying tonight, do you think we could do more than just cuddling?” she asked, feeling embarrassed by her delivery, but not sure how to bridge the subject smoothly.

“You mean go all the way this time?” he said bluntly, a smile quirking the corner of his lips.

She didn’t reply, just nodded, her mind wild with thoughts of what that would entail.

Luc didn’t reply immediately, but laid her on the bed, coming over her and straddling her with his powerful legs. He then leaned down, cupping the back of her neck with one hand and her cheek with the other as his lips touched hers in a powerful, soul-rocking kiss.

“How’s that for my answer?” he asked, sitting up and looking down at her, his gaze now heated, the blueness of his eyes swirling like a fathomless whirlpool.

She could lose herself in those eyes, and she wouldn’t even mind.

* * *

L
uc thrummed
with desire at this point. Both with the desire to be with her, and the powerful need to pleasure her, to own her and make her his.

Everything had gone perfectly. He hoped this was what their future would be like. Easy evenings full of fun conversation and new experiences. And nights bursting with heat and passion.

The kind of life Luc had never dreamed of being able to have, if not for Hallie.

He didn’t waste time going slow tonight, though. He knew what Hallie wanted. And he wanted to give it to her. Wanted to give her everything, every part of himself he could offer. Everything they’d denied themselves the night before.

He pulled off Hallie’s T-shirt and bra, followed by her soft sweatpants and underwear, leaving her bare to him so no clothes could stand between him and her pleasure. The sight of her naked was still astounding, still breathtaking.

This time, though, Hallie tugged restlessly at Luc’s shirt, and he obliged by taking off his own clothes, satisfied with the way her eyes widened more with each article he removed, until there was nothing left to take off.

Immediately, he came back on the bed, his hands finding her soft breasts, his mouth covering hers in a ravenous, claiming kiss.

She moaned beneath him, her hands holding on to his thighs as he continued to kiss, touch, whatever he could do to fill her with as much pleasure as she could handle.

Already, he felt he’d known Hallie his whole life. Yet he could spend every night, every day, every second with her and still not have enough time; they were so perfect together.

He came lower and kissed her nipple, laving each of them with his tongue and then letting the cool air cause a firm tip to form before he kissed and sucked them again.

And maybe it had just been all the physical contact between them during the movie. Maybe it was just that they knew each other’s bodies better now, knew each other better. But whatever it was, he could feel Hallie’s first release quickly building, could tell she was already teetering near the edge.

He reached a finger between her legs and started to stroke slowly over her clit, continuing to use his mouth to full effect on her delicious breasts as she writhed beneath him, her long moans punctuating the air as she got closer.

Then with one last stroke, she came beneath him, her fingers digging into his legs as she called his name and tried her best to ride out the incredible experience of her orgasm.

Mate
.

There was that voice again. His dragon saying plainly what he clearly wanted.

Mate, mate, mate.

He tried to ignore the sound, but the sight of Hallie, the woman he was clearly meant to be with, stretching out on the sheets, her dark hair splayed all around her, beautiful and naked and always ready to receive more pleasure from him, was too strong to ignore.

For a moment, he twisted the sapphire ring on his finger, his heirloom, his gift for his one and only mate.

“I don’t think I can handle all the lead-up,” Hallie said with a happy sigh. “How about we skip to the main event?” she asked, her hands feeling along his chest, his abs.

“Whatever you want,” he said, painfully aware of how hard he was for her, the reaction of his own body just as strong as hers was to his.

First, he slipped a finger inside her, then two, testing to make sure she could accommodate his sheer size. She moaned a little, but it was clear only one thing would fully satisfy her.

Once Luc was content she was ready, her slick warmth erotic and inviting, he came close, ready to enter her. The air crackled with excitement as she watched him.

Then with one slow, long motion, he thrust into her.

The sensation was magical, tight and hot and everything he could have imagined. She gripped him from all angles, making the delineation between them seem nonexistent, making him feel he was wholly a part of her soul.

He slowly withdrew and then joined them again, enjoying the friction, and she gasped from the pleasure of it, the sensation.

Somehow, it was just perfect. Her soft, inviting warmth an unflawed contrast to the hard, unyielding side of him. Every time they moved together, it sent shocks of ecstasy through him, all the way to the tips of his toes and fingers.

It was so intimate. So wonderful.

There was no going back from this. He could never give her up.

And as he continued to thrust, Hallie wrapped her legs around him, as desperate to keep him as he was to keep her.

Over and over, he came into her, holding for a second before moving out and then back in. And the more he did, the stronger and more vocal Hallie’s responses became. Her hands wrapped into the sheets, pulled on her hair, looking for something to hold on to. So Luc held them for her, gripping her tightly as he continued to move, carrying them both toward the release their bodies begged for yet resisted at the same time.

And then Hallie began to move faster, thrusting her hips into his, and Luc found it very hard to maintain control. He started to go quicker, increasing his momentum as they came together over and over.

Luc could feel her getting nearer. Could feel the twitch of her muscles as she came so close he could almost taste it. With one final push, he went all the way into her, their bodies closer than ever before, as if one being.

And then she came, her hands gripping his as she arched back in ecstasy. A split second later, he was pulled into his own release, feeling his entire body awash in powerful pleasure that coursed through him in seemingly limitless amounts.

Even as their pleasure was replaced by sensual satisfaction, Luc didn’t want to come out of her, didn’t want the experience to end. If he could bottle it up and save it for eternity, he would.

But that’s what life was all about, he guessed. Treasuring the good experiences and trying to make new memories, even better ones, with each new day.

Hallie relaxed back onto the bed and let out a long, contented sigh. The sight of her bare breasts and the glow of her pale skin and her happy, exhausted smile would be etched into his memory forever.

He leaned down to kiss her once more, then got up and cleaned off quickly in the bathroom, returning to the bed and covering them both with her sheets before curling around her.

“So
now
will you tell me what you really are?” she asked, yawning. It had been a long day. She’d had a lot to deal with.

“Not tonight,” he said. “I just want to hold you.”

“Okay,” she said. “But soon?”

“Soon,” he said. “Maybe tomorrow.”

She murmured something and snuggled into him, muttering something about how he knew how to exhaust a woman. He curled around her tighter, as if with his body he could protect her from the whole world. Maybe he could.

“Hallie?” he asked quietly.

“Yes?”

“I love you,” he said, surprised the words came so easily to him. But he knew what he felt. Knew what this was between them with certainty.

She turned toward him, more awake now, and gave him a sleepy smile. “I love you, too.”

He brushed her hair back and gave her a kiss on the forehead. Pulling off his ring, he lifted one of her hands. “Will you be with me?” he asked.

“Like, officially?”

He nodded. “Yes. That’s what I want. Wear my ring. Be mine.” He knew he should be telling her more, but he could do that later. Right now, he knew this was right.

Her eyes sparkled as she looked at the ring, and then she put her hand out for him to slide it on. Everything in his heart was content as he watched it find a home at the base of her ring finger. Somehow, maybe through magic, it was a perfect fit.

She looked at it, turning her hand so it twinkled in the light. A shock went through him. She was his
mate
.

She lay back down and then reached up and pulled him over her, planting a kiss on his cheek. “And now I have to go to bed. It’s been a long day. So snuggle me to sleep.”

He laughed and lay down with her again, making sure the covers were perfect. She clapped, and the lights turned off. Very handy.