Treasure Lane Dragons: Complete Series (BBW Paranormal Dragon Shapeshifter Romance) (34 page)

„That was the plan, yes. Until prettyboy here showed up and decided to do his thing,“ Cable said, scoffing.

„Watch it,“ Cillian growled under his breath, the room almost reverbing with the strength of his words and the dragon that backed them up.

Cillian Greenmeadow was certainly not the right dragon to piss off at that moment.

„What? You want another round? I have no issues kicking your ass to the curb. You seem to think I am like those pups you mopped earlier. You’re no match for a
real
wolf,“ Cable hissed, standing up and matching against Cillian, their faces close together, anger contorting their expressions.

„That’s not what happened last time, mutt,“ Cillian bit back, all spite and irritation.

Ruby jumped up and wedged herself between the two men, pushing them apart. Her cheeks were flushed with anger. One step forward, two steps back.

Men,
she thought with frustration, putting herself as a barrier between the two.

„Both of you, shut up. Way I see it, things are simple,“ she said, unsure of where her mind was going with that line of thought but willing to follow it for lack of a better option.

She just hoped that whatever her subconscious was up to, it wouldn’t get her in an even bigger mess than she was in already.

„I want Cillian, and he wants me. We’ve shown that you can’t just make me marry you, no matter how lucrative it would be for you. But I think I’m also the first to admit that keeping Chicago in the hands of those who’ve had it before, and have shown that they are capable of keeping the balance, is in everyone’s best interest. So how about this? We tell the Riders that you’ve magnanimously decided to hand me over to the dragon. Wait, I’m not finished,“ Ruby yelped, seeing Cable’s brows curl together threateningly.

„In exchange, you will become an ally to the Accardos. We’ll give you all of our major protection runs. You’ll become the city’s biggest player again, and help boost up the Accardo name along with it. And, you will have shown that you won’t just give in without a fight. That you could have destroyed Cillian but chose not to, for the good of the pack.“

Ruby stilled, watching Cable. She wasn’t sure if what she was saying made any sense, but she could certainly appreciate the fact that Cable hadn’t laughed her out of the room yet. He looked pensive, but something in his eyes shifted, the wolf driving the tiredness away from them. Cable glanced at Cillian, who was still surrounded by a thin plume of smoke and rearing to go if need be.

Ruby could see he was doing his damndest to hold onto his lucidity. The dragon wasn’t far under the surface, but the exhaustion and wounds were taking their toll.

„What’s keeping me from just marrying you and getting the same thing?“

„Without my co-operation, my father would never agree to it. Antonio Accardo is not a sentimental man, but he would destroy you if I asked him to,“ Ruby said matter-of-factly.

If it sounded too much like a threat, she knew Cable would not take it well. The last thing she needed was another battle on her hands.

Cable considered it, his gaze squarely on Cillian, whose eyes flickered between green and gold, threatening and tired at the same time. Still, if poked or prodded, Ruby was sure he’d easily bring the whole complex down in ashes around him.

„So be it,“ Cable finally agreed, a smirk cracking his lips. Ruby had to gather all her strength to keep from leaping with joy. „But you better hold up your end of the bargain or I’ll bring a world of hurt down on Chicago,“ Cable promised, the wolf controlling his words now.

Ruby nodded. Living by mob rule all her life had taught her that a promise was a promise, and those who didn’t keep them would not be around for long.

„I promise,“ she said solemnly.

However, her mind didn’t rest on the sudden victory but sped on. She saw Cillian’s eyes flicker again, and his face went rigid, a mask halfway between man and dragon. Relief could come later. Now, how the fuck was she going to get Cillian home? 
 

CHAPTER TWENTY

Cillian

When Cillian opened his eyes, it took him a moment to readjust. He wasn’t sure what he had been expecting, but it certainly hadn’t been waking up in his bedroom at the Emerald Ridge keep with Ruby Accardo sitting at his bedside. She seemed to be lost in thought, her lovely hazel eyes staring wistfully out of the large bedroom window. It seemed to be getting dark already, the late afternoon sun falling lower and lower in the sky.

Experimentally, Cillian reached out his hand and took Ruby’s small fingers in his grip, squeezing them slightly to bring her out of her revelry.  Worry took him, one that overshadowed even the aches and pains in his limb
s and joints.

„What time is it?“ he asked, his heart filling with warmth at the sight of Ruby smiling at him. That had to be a good sign, if being back in Colorado wasn’t hint enough.

„Just the right time,“ Ruby said with a small smirk, leaning down to peck him on the lips.

Cillian didn’t need to be told twice. With one smooth motion, his hands encircled Ruby’s generous body, and he pulled her down onto the bed next to him, angling himself so he was hovering above her. Already, he was half-hard at having her so close to him. His muscles protested, sore and tired from his mad cleaving through the Crimson Riders, but they’d just have to make do.

He’d been without Ruby for far too long, and if the ordeal had taught him anything, it was that there was no time to waste. A private moment with his beloved had to be taken full advantage of.

He smothered her with kisses, lavishing them on her lips and neck and chest. She was dressed in a green blouse and a formfitting black skirt, the emerald tone of the blouse giving her skin a warm glow. He appreciated the gesture. Without a second thought, he peeled the shirt off of her, and then just as quickly, he had removed her lacy bra, one finger hooking around the clasp and undoing it with seasoned ease.

She let out a small moan underneath him, her back arching to bring her closer to him as he cupped her breast in his big palm, kneading it so that her nipple was caught between his fingers and pinching it just enough to make her gasp with surprise.

„Cillian, it’s almost time,“ she managed between groans – sweet, sultry sounds he never wanted to hear the end of.

„Time for what?“ he queried, only half-interested.

Cillian had every reason to believe that he might have slept through the gold moon, if he had been in a weak state after what happened in Chicago. But at that very minute, he couldn’t care less about it. There would be another gold moon. There would never be another moment just like this, with her pinned under him on satin sheets, writhing and mumbling little sounds of ecstasy that he could drink in until they filled him completely.

„For the ceremony,“ she said softly. That got his attention.

Cillian looked up from his path down her body, stopping at the edge of her skirt that he was already shamelessly unzipping.

„We didn’t miss it?“ he asked, relief in his voice.

She nodded, and he grinned a wolfish smile, ripping the skirt open without further carefulness.

„No, but almost everyone’s here,“ Ruby protested weakly as he slid the skirt off of her right along with her panties.

His nostrils filled with her sweet scent, her sex calling to him like the best treat in the world.

„Let them come. But we shall come first,“ Cillian said absently, pushing her back on the bed so she’d stop her flustered complaints and give herself to the moment.

To his delight, she seemed to want to fight him just as little as he wished her to.

He liked the sharp intake of breath she made when his tongue lapped over her hot core for the first time, tasting her sweet juices. She was like an aphrodisiac and the most potent painkiller all rolled into one. The pain his body was feeling seemed to waft away, lost somewhere in the background of his mind. For now, there was only Ruby.

„Cillian,“ she moaned as he brought his fingers to trace the wet folds, parting them and giving him better access.

„Yes,“ he urged mildly, secretly grinning to himself.

His tongue flicked over her clit once, twice in rapid succession before he sucked on it, bringing a strangled groan from her that made him hard as a rock, ready to plunge into her and claim her as his own.

„I want you so bad,“ she pleaded with him, music to his ears.

She was wearing the dragon stone again, now glowing brighter than ever. It was not a piece from his hoard, but knowing that the gold moon was still ahead of them, he did not worry. There would be time enough to douse her in gold and jewels, cover her in his riches and make her part of his bounty.

He swirled his tongue teasingly around her entrance before moving back up again, sucking and taunting her until she was a mewling, gasping mess underneath him. Cillian held one of her thighs in his iron grip as she shuddered beneath him, his other hand letting his fingers plunge into her depths, filling her tight, wet heat. She writhed around them, her pussy contracting and releasing with maddening force, his cock pulsing with need at the thought of having her around him.

„Oh my god, Cillian,“ Ruby gasped, her nails digging into his hair, coiling around the brownish-red locks and tugging at him as if that would ease the tension within her.

„Go on, sugar. Cum for me,“ Cillian growled, his dragon bubbling close to the edge.

He had to restrain himself from plowing into her, every fiber of his being contorted with waning self-control. As he spoke the words and scissored his fingers inside of her, she trembled and gave in to the release he had been promising her. Her moans echoed through the high-ceilinged room, and Cillian caught himself enjoying the thought that others might hear their hungry lovemaking.

He knew there had to be other dragons on the premises, most likely the Goldplains twins, which would explain why he was able to move at all so soon after the fight. Frankly, he didn’t care who heard them. He was a dragon, and he did what he fucking wanted, after all.

Ruby’s nails raked down his shoulders as she wailed and twisted around his fingers. When she calmed, he slowly pulled his fingers out of her sopping wet pussy, licking them clean. She tasted like honey and sex, and he wanted more of it. Ruby lay on the bed, breathless and with her eyed foggy with lust. Cillian positioned himself between her legs, but she stopped him with a hand on his chest.

Fluidly, she rose up and pushed him down on the bed in one smooth move, a smile dancing on her lips.

„No, it’s my turn now,“ she promised, and Cillian growled his approval.

She pushed down his boxers – the only item of clothing he was wearing – and wrapped her fingers around the base of his hard, throbbing erection.

Immediately, he gave in to her. Keeping his eyes on her, he watched as she stroked him a few times, her other hand cupping his balls and fondling them. He could already imagine her mouth on them, licking and sucking. Adrenaline rushed through his veins, even more so than during the fight. This gorgeous, voluptuous woman did things to him that he couldn’t put into words. It was all worth it, all for her.

Though he knew it would sting to think of his brother and his betrayal in the coming days, he was safe in the knowledge that his choices had been right. Cillian hadn’t given up when control of the family seemed to be slipping through his fingers. With his determination and Ruby’s resourcefulness, it seemed that even their most harrowing troubles were falling behind them now. He’d have to get the full story from her soon, but now was not the time.

His eyes rolled back as her talented lips touched the head of his cock, her pink tongue peeking out and tasting his precum. His muscles tightened, and faintly, he could feel the strain and ache in them, but it was lost under the wave of pleasure her hands and mouth were bringing. She sucked him into her mouth, and he hissed in a breath. He grabbed her by the hair, one hand piling her long red locks into a ponytail and holding tight as he pushed her down harder on his cock.

„Oh, fuck, Ruby,“ he growled as she opened willingly to him, letting him sink into her mouth and throat.

She gagged a little, and he eased up, but she wouldn’t budge and just took him harder – his kind of woman. Her lips were tight around him as she moved up and down his length, Cillian struggling to keep a grip on his sanity as she pushed him mercilessly towards the edge of his release.

„That’s so good,“ he confessed in a low rumble, his voice straining between the deep timber of the dragon and the man.