Dragon Heat 2 - Red Hot Dragon (13 page)

his mouth to hers. She surrendered to his insistent,

passionate kisses and wound her arms around his neck.

When he finally let her breathe again, she dragged air into

her lungs and smiled up at him. “I missed you.”

“Not as much as I missed you,” he replied, his eyes

dark with yearning. “I couldn’t stay away a moment

longer.” He pressed his lips to her neck. “Wrap your legs

around my waist.”

She happily did as instructed and let him carry her into

their bedroom. His eyes widened with surprise as he took

in the small changes she’d made while he’d been away.

“You repainted and changed the bedcovers?”

Toying with the front of his shirt, she said, “I could tell

how much you hated the dark walls and silky sheets.”

“I felt like I was going to slide out of bed every time I

moved.”

“I know.” She pecked his cheek. “It was time for a

change in here, anyway. I thought you’d prefer this paler

gray-blue on the walls and the all-white cotton sheets.”

He caressed her cheek. “You didn’t have to do this.”

“I wanted to, Griffin. This is
our
home now. It should

be a reflection of both of us.”

“I don’t think you’ll care for my decorating sense.

You’ve seen my place.”

She wrinkled her nose at the memory of the messy

apartment above his gym. It was a mishmash of styles and

the stereotypical man cave. “Well…”

Chuckling with amusement, he tossed her onto the bed

and crawled over her. He made quick work of dragging

the robe from her body and leaving her naked beneath him.

He gazed down at her with much hunger in his eyes. “I

think this is the way you should greet me every time I

come home.”

She couldn’t disagree with that idea. Grasping the hem

of his shirt, she silently urged him to remove it. Sitting

back on his heels, he peeled it off and revealed every inch

of that ridiculously sexy and sculpted chest she loved so

much.

But something was different. Her gaze flicked to the

freshly applied tattoo now covering the left side of his

chest. Just above his heart, he’d added a new piece. The

intricate design complemented the heavier, darker

markings common among his tribe. There was no

mistaking the meaning behind the serpent coiled around a

dragon’s wing.

Teary-eyed, she asked, “For me?”

Griffin clasped her hand and brought it to the space just

below the place he’d tattooed. “I belong to you. I want

everyone to know it.”

He claimed her mouth in a sensual kiss before she

became a crying, sobbing mess. Pinned beneath her mate,

Avani submitted totally to his masterful hands. She

clutched his shoulders and relished his heat and weight

atop her. His lips skimmed her neck and then danced along

the swell of each breast. When he traced her nipple with

his tongue and gently suckled the tight peak, she gasped.

He ran his fingertip over the wet, puckered flesh and

moved his mouth to the other nipple. She shivered as the

wild sensations he evoked raced through her.

Her pussy ached for his cock. Throbbing almost

painfully, her clit begged for attention. She tried to

squeeze her thighs together to lessen the pulsing, but

Griffin’s leg prevented it. Never one to disappoint her, he

shifted his weight and playfully walked his fingers down

her belly to her mound. Their gazes clashed as he teasingly

moved closer and closer to her sex.

“Griffin.” She moaned his name and lifted her hips.

“Please!”

Smiling devilishly, he nipped at her breast. “Patience,

Vonny.”

“I’ve been patiently waiting for you for six days. I need

you now.”

After a wickedly naughty kiss, he stopped tormenting

her. His thick fingers explored her tender folds. He moved

down a little in the bed before penetrating her with one

finger and then another. His thumb brushed across her clit,

causing her hips to lift off the bed. She cried out and

reached for him, refusing to let him go as he worked her

into a frenzied state.

Those skillful fingers manipulated her pussy in the way

she loved most. He pumped her slick channel and swirled

his thumb over her clitoris until she thought she would die

from sheer pleasure. He swallowed her delighted cries as

she climaxed in his arms. Her hips rocked and she clawed

at his shoulders as the bright bursts exploded in her core.

Limp and shaking, she sagged against the mattress as

Griffin quickly shed his clothing. When he climbed back

onto the bed, he rolled onto his back and grabbed her. As

if she weighed nothing, he dragged her onto his lap and

into a sitting position. His nose moved along the line of

her neck. “Vonny, you smell so fucking good. I can’t wait

to get my dick inside you.”

Her pussy clenched at his rough language. Soaking wet

and just as desperate for him, she maneuvered into place,

squirming a little to the right and then to the left until their

bodies perfectly aligned. Grasping his big cock, she

guided him into place and sank down, taking every last

inch of his massive shaft into her. “Oh!’

Stretched to the hilt, she rocked back and forth, finding

the perfect rhythm. Griffin’s hands roamed her body. He

massaged her sensitive breasts and cupped her backside

before clasping both of her hands to provide the support

she needed to go wild atop him. Like a belly dancer, she

swayed and rolled her hips until they were both gasping

and groaning.

But it wasn’t enough, and Griffin knew it.

In one swift movement, he flipped their positions, taking

her down and trapping her between his hot, hard body and

the sumptuous softness of their bed. He planted his hands

on either side of her face and plundered her mouth,

stabbing his tongue between her lips in the same way his

cock thrust into her. Her heels bounced off the rippling

muscles of his thighs as he drove into her with feral

intensity.

“Griffin! Griffin!
Ah!
” She shattered into a million

pieces. Ecstasy punched the air right out of her lungs.

Clinging to him, she rode the seemingly endless waves of

pleasure while he pounded away at her in search of his

own climax. With a guttural groan, he slammed deep and

jerked as his blazing seed spilled inside her.

Totally relaxed now, she rubbed his back until he

stopped shuddering. When he fell off her and opened his

arms, she happily moved into his embrace. She rested her

cheek to his chest, careful to keep her hair away from the

healing tattoo, and listened to his heartbeat. After nearly

losing him to the overdose of tranquilizers, she would

never tire of the reassuring thudding sound.

“Did you change your soap?”

She frowned. “No. Why?”

He sifted his fingers through her hair. “You smell

different.”

“Like bad different?”

He laughed. “No. You smell…spicier, but a little

sweeter.”

“Maybe you just remember me differently because

we’ve been apart,” she reasoned.

“Maybe,” he replied, unconvinced. “Did you decide

whether you wanted to spend a weekend with Stig and

Cora?”

“I hadn’t even really thought about it,” she admitted. “I

suppose we should. That’s what couples do, right? They

spend time with other couples.”

He snorted with amusement. “So I hear. I think you’ll

like Cora. She’s a damn good cook. Not as good as you,”

he added quickly.

“Nice save,” she said and patted his chest. Uncertain

whether he wanted to talk about his cousin, she carefully

asked, “How’s Mad?”

Griffin’s fingertips trailed along her jaw. He traced her

lower lip with his thumb. “He’s weak but he’ll recover.

Ivy is in worse shape. They were starving her to force

visions upon her. If Mad hadn’t gotten to her when he did,

she would have died.”

Avani shivered. “That’s terrible. What will happen to

them now?

“I don’t know,” he admitted. “Mad seems to be very

protective of her, but Niko has claimed her as his kin.

It’s…tense.” He inhaled a slow breath. “Ignatius was

headed to Niko’s estate this morning. He’ll want to

interrogate her to learn everything about the Knights

holding her and what she might have inadvertently

revealed to them during her mind link with Mad.”

“He won’t be harsh with her, will he?” She worried

about the young woman’s state of mind after the ordeal

she’d survived.

“Ignatius had better watch his step. Mad won’t hesitate

to knock him flat on his ancient ass if he upsets her.”

Avani was suddenly very glad Griffin had decided to

return to her. She didn’t want him embroiled in whatever

mess was certain to erupt at Niko’s home.

“I worry those two have other plans for Ivy that they

haven’t told Mad about yet.”

Avani grimaced. “Well,
that’s
not going to go over

well if Mad is feeling protective of her.”

“I wanted to stay, just in case, but Mad told me to go.

He said he had it under control.” Griffin kissed her hand.

“I have to trust that he knows what he’s doing. I got the

feeling he didn’t want to involve me in whatever is

happening, because it might be dangerous.”

“Has the possibility of danger ever stopped him from

dragging you into trouble?”

He smiled. “No, but I didn’t have you back then. Now I

do—and Mad understands what that means.”

“You’re not upset that he’s closing you out to protect

us?”

“No.” Griffin kissed her tenderly. “He’s doing the same

thing I would do for him if he had a mate that he loved.”

He held her gaze. “I do love you, Avani. I love you more

than I ever imagined possible.”

His sweet words warmed her heart. “I wish I could

show you how much you’ve changed my life for the better.

Before you, I was so lonely and so…cold. Now I know

what it means to be truly loved by someone and to love

them right back without fear or hesitation.”

With a teasing grin, Griffin gave her bottom a little

smack. “I can think of one way you could show me.”

She rolled her eyes but couldn’t help the laugh that

escaped her throat. “You’re really terrible, you know

that?”

“You know you love it.”

“I do.”

Griffin picked up her left hand and interlaced their

fingers. “Actually, I was thinking that it’s time for me to

get you something to show you how much you mean to me

and how excited I am to spend the rest of my life with

you.”

Her belly trembled. “Are you talking about an

engagement ring?”

“I’m talking about asking you to marry me and making

our mate bond official.” Griffin lovingly claimed her

mouth. “If you’ll have me, of course.”

“I’ll have you,” she whispered and blinked back tears.

“I’ll marry you.”

“Excellent.” He embraced her tightly as they sealed

their engagement with soft words and even softer kisses.

“Now,” he said quietly, “I’m going to shower and change.

Then I’m going to cook us a celebratory breakfast while

you sketch a design for the ring.”

She grinned. “I like that plan.”

He reluctantly slipped away from her and out of bed.

He shot her a teasing look. “Let’s try to cap the diamond

size at five carats, okay?”

Laughing, she fell back against the pillows. Instead of

telling him about all the loose jewels she’d inherited from

family, she decided to let him squirm at the idea of

plunking down that kind of cash on a gaudy diamond. Even

though Griffin lived like a pauper in that cramped gym

apartment decorated in thrift store finds, Avani knew he’d

done very well for himself over his many years of life.

Her own successful business provided enough of a

cushion that they would enjoy an easy life together.

She hadn’t heard the shower come on, and she sat up to

ask him if something was wrong. A moment later, he

appeared in the open doorway of the bathroom with the

strangest look on his face. “What is it, Griffin?”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Tell you what?”

“That we’re going to have a shotgun wedding,” he said

while wearing the goofiest grin.

“We…what?” Her mouth went dry as his meaning took

hold. Her hands fell to her naked belly. “I’m pregnant?”

He frowned at her. “There’s a test in the bathroom. I

thought—”

“I hadn’t looked at it. I took it before my shower, but I

was too afraid to read the result. Then you came home and

I forgot all about it.” She gulped nervously. “You’re

sure?”

He ducked into the bathroom and returned with the

digital test. “It’s clear as day. I should have recognized

that your changing scent was a sign.”

She took the test from him with shaking hands. The

word
PREGNANT
stared back at her. It seemed too good

to be true.

Griffin knelt next to the bed and dragged her to the edge.

He cupped her face and gazed intently into her eyes. “Are

we having second thoughts?”