Sea Dragon (Dragon Knights Book 9) (15 page)

She’d wanted him to kiss her in that moment, crazy as the impulse was. She’d started something with Gowan not even a week ago. She shouldn’t be wanting another man’s kiss. Not even her childhood crush’s.

Right?

“It wasn’t that bad,” she insisted, joining the conversation.

“Good,”
Hrardorr pounced on her admission.
“Then you can go back up the same way and spend the night in your own much more comfortable bed. I will be fine, and I promise not to go swimming any more tonight.”

Livia had to chuckle at Hrardorr’s wry tone. “Let’s just see how it goes, shall we?” she suggested. “The storm out there still sounds rough.
If
it lightens, then we’ll see what we shall see.”

Seth looked at her for a moment, then nodded. “The lady has a point.”

CHAPTER TEN

Livia took a seat next to Seth. The camp chairs weren’t too uncomfortable. At least not for short stretches of time. But she had to admit Hrardorr had a point about spending the night down here. It would be uncomfortable for the human part of the group. She wasn’t sure how the dragon felt about it, but Hrardorr really had no other choice that to stay here for the night.

It would be much too dangerous to fly out in the storm again, or try to pass the night underwater, only surfacing to breathe now and again. For all his talent in the water, Hrardorr had always been a land-based dragon. He had attributes of his sea dragon heritage, but at heart, he was a land-dweller.

She looked around, now that there was more light, and tried to find ways to make them more comfortable, but there wasn’t much else in the boat house. She’d already scavenged all the sail cloth, so there would be nothing they could really use as bedding for themselves.

“It’s nice and warm in here,” she said, taking off her cloak and spreading it out on several pegs behind her on the wall. Maybe it would dry out enough to use for a small blanket. Then again, maybe she was only drying it out enough to make the trek back up the stairs to the house. Time would tell.

Seth took off his outer gear as well, placing it next to hers. “Heat is a benefit of being around dragons,” he said with a grin. “They carry their furnaces around with them.”

She chuckled at the small joke while Hrardorr let little tendrils of smoke rise toward the rafters from his nostrils. Dragonish amusement she had come to recognize during her association with him.

“True sea dragons can’t flame,”
Hrardorr stated in their minds, seeming to want to make conversation.
“At least, that’s what I’ve heard. No sea dragon has left the water since my ancestress. Family lore says she never flamed, though she was as fierce in the sky as she was in the water.”

They talked of legends and told stories as the storm raged outside. From time to time, Seth would go out and take a look at the nearby docks, just to make sure none of the other boats had broken loose. Long into the night, the three of them passed the time together, talking as friends.

Livia felt a warmth within her as the night progressed and the storm continued its furor. It was like a magical moment out of time where she caught a glimpse of what it must be like to live among dragons. She liked it. A lot.

Livia couldn’t imagine why so few women wanted to live in the Lair. Hrardorr was both caring and intelligent and had a way with a tale that could rival any bard.

Finally, the weather seemed to break, and the pounding of the rain on the roof lessened considerably. Livia immediately regretted it. She knew her time here, in the dimly lit boat house with her childhood crush and their friend, the most amazing dragon, was almost over. Never would she have a night like this again.

Sure enough, Seth checked outside again and came back to report a slight break in the clouds. “We can go up now, but I’m not sure if this is the end of the storm or just a lull between thunderheads,” he reported.

“You two had better get going while you can,”
Hrardorr said.

“I really don’t like leaving you all alone down here,” Livia said.

The dragon made a scoffing sound that wasn’t quite a growl.
“Nonsense. I will be fine here for a few hours more. And in the morning, Seth can help me get back to the Lair without alerting the whole place to my snit.”
Hrardorr’s head turned toward Seth, even though the dragon couldn’t really see him.
“Won’t you?”

“You know I will,” Seth replied. “I’d do just about anything to help you out, Hrardorr. You should know that by now.”

Hrardorr bowed his head.
“Thank you, Seth. You’re a good man.”
The dragon’s head rose, and smoke trailed from his nostrils.
“Now you two had best get out of here while you can, or I’ll worry.”

Touched by Hrardorr’s words, Livia wanted to hug him the way Seth had, but she didn’t dare approach that closely. She’d never touched the dragon, though they had spent a great deal of time together on the water, only yards separating them—she in her boat, he floating on the surface of the waves.

“All right,” Seth said, reaching for Livia’s now-dry cloak. “We’ll go, but I’ll let you know when we reach the house.”

“Good,”
Hrardorr replied.
“Now get going before the wind starts up again. Or the sun rises,”
he added with a dragonish chuckle.

“It’s not quite that late in the night,” Livia replied, chuckling along with the dragon as Seth helped her into her cloak. “Have a good night, Hrardorr. Be well and don’t hesitate to let me know if you need anything.”

“Yes, mother,”
Hrardorr joked.
“Go on now.”

She didn’t want to leave him, but she knew she must. With a last lingering look, she allowed Seth to escort her out of the boat house and into the light rain outside. It was a far cry from what they’d faced on the way down. Going up the stairs was much easier as a result.

Livia figured Seth was talking to Hrardorr silently as they made their way up. He was quiet, keeping his hands ready to catch her should she slip, but his attention seemed to be split.

When they reached the top, she was glad to see the lantern at the back door had been left lit by her housekeeper. The woman was crusty on the outside but deft at her job.

“Have you told him we’re up yet?” Livia asked Seth when it seemed his attention was finally back fully.

He nodded, smiling a bit. “He kept asking where we were and if you were out of harm's way yet. He cares greatly for your safety, mistress.” That smile warmed her to her bones. Seth was so handsome in a golden god sort of way. He’d always made her knees weak when she saw him. Talking to him these past few hours was like a dream because he’d proved himself as nice as he was handsome.

She opened the back door, taking the lantern with her as they entered the small mudroom. There, she shed her wet cloak, glad to be able to hang it up finally and know that she wouldn’t have to put it on again until it was completely dry, barring some emergency. She wasn’t sure, but it sounded like maybe the storm was beginning to pick up again. If that was the case, she would have an excuse to make sure Seth passed the night under her roof.

And if the sea gods were smiling, she might even have the chance to fulfill one of her deepest, darkest desires. Somewhere during the night, reality had begun to merge with fantasy until she wasn’t really sure what was real and what was just a dream. She wasn’t really sure she wanted to know. For now, having Seth in her home was a fantasy come to life. Tiny the alarm bells rang occasionally in the back of her mind, but it wasn’t enough anymore. She had almost completely forgotten her liaison with Sir Gowan and what she had thought it might mean for her future.

That was also supposition anyway on her part. Seth was real. He was here. In her house. In the flesh. It couldn’t be wrong when her heart was singing and her imagination running wild. She had loved him from afar for so very long… Was it so wrong to want one stolen night with him? The man of her many girlhood dreams.

She didn’t want to think about right and wrong. All that mattered was what would happen in the next minutes, or hours, if she could convince him to stay.

She tried the direct approach first.

“You should stay here tonight. It’s too wet and cold to be traipsing up to the Lair, only to sneak back down again in a few hours to help Hrardorr get back. We have plenty of room.”

“All right,” he readily agreed, taking just a little of the wind out of her sails. She’d honestly thought he would argue more.

Why had she thought that? Was she preconditioned to expect disappointment where he was concerned? Was that the legacy of her unrequited love all these years? If so, maybe she had it all wrong. Maybe the problem wasn’t him, but her expectations.

Well, there was no use regretting the past now. What mattered most was what happened from here on out. She knew him now. She’d spent time working alongside him and talking with him. They had a mutual friend in Hrardorr, and she had discovered he was every bit as nice inside as he looked on the outside. That couldn’t be said of most people—that she’d learned from hard experience.

She shed her boots and left them in the mudroom to deal with tomorrow. She had other boots she could wear if she needed to go out again.

“You can leave your things here. Rosie will see to them in the morning, if they need brushing or cleaning. Mostly I think everything just has to dry out, and they can do that here as well as anywhere. Better, since we won’t be tracking water all through the house.” She smiled at him as he agreed without comment.

He stripped down to his bare feet, electing to keep his tunic and trews on, even though both sported wet hems. Maybe she could talk him out of his shirt, at least, once she showed him the guest room. She wanted to see his bare chest more than just about anything at that moment, her insides heating from the mere thought.

Having sex with Gowan the other day must have loosened something within her. Suddenly, it seemed, she could think of nothing else. But not with just anyone. Until Seth had shown up at her door, Gowan had been the only star in her more lascivious fantasies.

Then Seth had arrived, rekindling all those girlhood daydreams that had never quite died. While she still couldn’t figure out whether it was completely wrong to want two men at the same time, she was also powerless to stop the attraction. It raged, uncontrollably. Like wildfire through her system.

When he was ready, she led him through the kitchen and into the hall. From there, they went up the stairs to the second floor where the family bedrooms were located. Her father had the master suite, when he was home, of course. That massive door lay at one end of the upstairs hall. Livia’s suite was smaller and located on the opposite end.

Her plan was to put Seth in the room next to hers. It was a guest room they occasionally used for visitors, or extended family members who sometimes came to stay. The advantage of the room was that it had a very large bed, designed to fit a tall man. The bed had been her father’s at one time, but he’d brought something new home from his travels, and this one had ended up in the guest room. It would fit Seth, she thought. He was a tall man. Muscular too.

Trying to banish the lurid thoughts that idea conjured, she led him to the door and opened it. She led the way inside, knowing that she’d have to make up the fire. Seth had to be soaked and chilled from their journeys through the rain. A fire was in order, even with the soft down comforter on the bed.

“Give me just a minute, and I’ll have the fire blazing,” she said as she walked toward the fireplace. The logs were already laid, the room kept prepared for just such emergencies. All it would take was the striking of a match and a little patience.

“I can do that,” Seth said quickly, following close behind her.

“Oh, it’s no problem.” She bent down, lit the tinder, then stood again. Spinning on her heel, she found herself closer than she’d expected to Seth. Much closer.

Time stood still, and he seemed to notice their closeness too.

“Seth?” she whispered as his head drifted lower, his lips approaching hers.

His only answer was to cover her mouth with his. And, oh, what an excellent answer it was.

There was no thinking, just feeling as he began dancing them slowly closer to the bed, his mouth never leaving hers. His kiss was heaven, his touch divine. Her body was starved for the feel of his, it seemed, and she tossed all caution to the wind.

She had wanted him to notice her since they were children. She had wanted to know the feel of his kiss, his touch, his possession, for years. And now was her chance.

She didn’t think about right and wrong. Her mind turned briefly to Gowan, but somehow, it didn’t seem that big of a deal that she was with both of them in such a short time, which probably should have raised alarm bells in her mind. But she was beyond such thoughts as Seth laid her down on the soft bed, coming over her, kissing her with such sweet tenderness and passion that she couldn’t even remember her own name, much less that she was supposed to be involved with Gowan.

Seth’s gentle touch seduced her every thought, her every sense. He was the center of her world for those moments, and when he began to undress her, she was his willing accomplice in the deed. She pushed at his clothing, too, wanting no barriers between them. She wanted to touch his skin and have him touch hers. She wanted, finally, to know what it felt like to be with Seth. Seth, the golden god of her youth. Seth, the unattainable. Seth…the sweetest man she had ever known in word, deed, and heart.

She ran her fingers through his golden hair, loving the silky feel of it against her hands. Contrasted with the slight stubble of his cheeks, she was in sensory heaven, and they weren’t even naked yet.

But that was soon to be remedied. Seth worked steadily at the bows and buttons that held her dress and undergarments together, while she did the same for him. His ties were a little hard, since some were made of leather and were somewhat damp from their long night outside in the rain. She persevered though, wanting more than anything to run her hands over his chest…and lower.