Highland Dragon (The Treasure of Paragon #6) - Genevieve Jack Page 0,72

ye knew this would be the last time ye saw me, how would ye like to say goodbye?”

The fire flickered. Somewhere a tree branch slapped the wall, scraping like claws against the stone. “Don’t talk like that. You promised me you’d come to Mistwood to meet with Nathaniel and the others.”

His arms tightened marginally. “I’ll do ma best.”

His best. He had no idea if he’d be successful. Lachlan was terrifying. Who knew what tricks he’d have up his sleeve tomorrow, and the entire village—people Xavier had known and loved—would be turned against him.

“Then, in answer to your question, I’d like to say goodbye in a way that will motivate you to succeed tomorrow. A way that shows you I fully expect you to keep your promise.”

“Oh?”

She rose up on her toes and brushed her lips, featherlight, against his. His arms tightened around her, and his mouth became one with hers. He was so big she felt like he’d wrapped completely around her. She reveled in his embrace. The warm cocoon of his body felt like a shelter from the storm. The kiss grew in intensity, his mouth claiming hers. His fingers explored the contours of her face in a way that belied the size and strength of his hands.

“This will only make things harder for both of us.” A storm was brewing in her, one far more tumultuous than the one beating the roof outside.

“I know.”

She reached for his belt and started unlatching it. It rattled to the floor and his kilt dropped, leaving him in nothing but his long white shirt. She, on the other hand, was already stripped down to her shift. He traced her nipples with his thumbs through the thin fabric, and they swelled beneath his touch.

“Avery.”

Her name on his lips filled her with pleasure. She ran her hands along his neck and over the outside of his arms.

“Take this off,” she demanded, tugging on his shirt.

He did as she asked, and the effect was glorious. His arms, corded with thick muscle, bunched and stretched as he grabbed the back of the collar and pulled it over his head. Her gaze raked down his sculpted body, every part of him hard and toned, powerful.

“Do I please you?” Laser focused on her reaction, his knowing smile deepened.

She forced her eyes back into her head and gave him a nonchalant shrug. “It’ll do.”

Under her palms, his chest rumbled with laughter. He reached for her shift.

“What are you doing?” She backed up a step.

“Evening the score.”

“Ah, but you took your own shirt off. To be fair, I should do the unveiling.” Slowly, she allowed her fingers to drift toward her hem and lifted it in quarter-inch increments. It was half a minute before he could see her upper thigh.

Xavier growled and murmured, “I’m immortal, but the room may fall down around us.”

At last, she put him out of his misery and pulled it over her head, casting it aside.

He swallowed hard and his trill grew louder. He cleared thickness from his throat before saying, “By the Mountain, ye’re a bonny lass. Come here and prove ye’re real and not a fairy trick.”

Legs trembling with nerves, she moved to meet him. It had been a long time since she’d made love. Years. Could a woman ever prepare herself for sex with a dragon?

As their mouths met again in a passionate kiss, his hands skimmed along her spine and then her waist, her breasts. He mounded one in his palm and leaned down to draw her nipple between his teeth. There was an edge to this pleasure, the sharp nip livening the gentle pressure of suction and tongue. Avery moaned and dug her fingers into his auburn hair.

“The sounds you make,” he rumbled. “Let’s see if I can play a tune.”

He swept her off her feet and whirled her around until she felt weightless and disoriented, then settled her gently on the furs and blankets that had served as his bed in front of the fire.

“What sound will ye make if I kiss ye here?” He pressed his lips to the inside of her elbow, his tongue tracing the vein there.

She moaned at the heavenly feeling and basked in the glow of his self-satisfied smile. Dragging her nails down his chest and the hard planes of his stomach, she wrapped her hand around his shaft. “Let’s make it a duet.”

He didn’t disappoint. His trill rumbled and his wings unfurled above her, filling the small room. She stared at the webbed wonders,