Fire, Blood, and Beauty: A Reverse Harem Romance Read online

  I scoot my chair closer to him, holding my breath, trying to convince myself not to ask him the question that’s on the tip of my tongue. But my tongue is drunk and my brain is too, and the argument is pretty much over before it’s even started.

  “Brandt, can I ask you something?” My tongue feels heavy and thick as I ask it and I almost want to take the words back, but it’s too late.

  “Of course.”

  “Earlier…in the library…” I don’t know how to phrase this. I feel silly and dumb and tongue-tied, but I can’t stop wondering how he feels about it. If he enjoyed the kiss as much as I did or if he wishes it had never happened.

  I stop and take a deep breath, shaking my head. The words are all jumbling together and I can’t seem to get them in the order of a sentence.

  “Did you… I mean… Do you like me?” The words rush out in one breath and instantly my face is hot and flushed and I want to bury it underground so I don’t have to face the look he’s giving me. I can’t even look up, I’m just imagining the strange mixture of pity and confusion. Why would I think he liked me? It’s crazy. I took the leap to kiss him and I probably shouldn’t have and now I feel like a fool.

  But his hand reaches out and takes mine, enveloping my fingers with his warmth.

  “Eva, look at me,” he says gently, lifting my chin with a finger from his free hand. Our eyes lock and I feel like I’m falling into a sea of neon green. “You know I cannot lie to you,” he says and my heart sinks, thinking he’s trying to break this to me gently.

  “It’s okay, you don’t have to—”

  “I do like you, very much. I have since the moment I first saw you, and at this point, I’m convinced I always will.”

  My eyes go wide, my jaw drops, and I’m stunned speechless for a long moment before I clink away the confusion and push back the fog of drunkenness.

  “Really?” I ask, my voice merely a whisper.

  He smiles that smile that makes my heart flutter and lifts my hand to his lips, placing a searing kiss on the back of my hand that sends lightning all the way to my core.

  “Absolutely.”

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Brandt

  Dinner is quickly forgotten in favor of another, more pressing appetite. I move in to show Eva just how much I mean what I’ve said, closing the distance between us to taste her sweet lips again. She moans softly into the kiss, her tongue sweet with wine, her soft hands reaching out for me despite the awkward position at the table.

  I meant the kiss to be gentle and reassuring, but I suppose those plans never got communicated to my body because it’s hot and intense, stoking the fires in my heart and making my cock surge toward her.

  “Eva,” I say, panting as I drag myself away from her intoxicating lips, “I know it’s soon, but I want—”

  “I want it too,” she says, breathless and flushed.

  My eyes go wide and I growl in response. I never dreamed that this would be happening so soon, but I’m not going to lose my chance.

  “I don’t really care about dinner anymore, you?” I say, standing and offering her my hand.

  Eva shakes her head. “Not even a little.” She stands and slips her hand into mine, but it’s only a second before I’ve hoisted her up and slung her over my shoulder. She squeals at the suddenness of the move, but then giggles when she realizes she’s safe.

  The giggles turn to whimpers and moans as I slide my hand up the inside of her thigh, going up over her tempting ass with a squeeze. I suddenly regret my chambers being so far away. Waiting to taste this woman is going to prove one of my greatest challenges to date.

  I tease her with touches, making her shiver and whimper the whole way to my room, but I’ve not yet given her any relief. I want to see her face when I do. I want to see her eyes light up and that look of pure ecstasy wash over her gorgeous face.

  And then we’re in my room. I shut the door behind us and set her down on the floor just before I lost all control and push her back against that door, my mouth searing to hers. Her hands travel up my torso, her nails raking against my muscles and driving my dragon insane. But I know I need to be gentle with her. She’s an innocent, and a human to boot. Not accustomed to the ferocity of a dragon’s lovemaking. I have to control myself because I will never hurt her.

  “Brandt…” she moans, my name sweeter than any wine coming from her lips like that.

  “Tell me what you want beautiful. Anything,” I groan, kissing her neck because I like the way it makes her eyes flutter and her whole body shudder.

  “I want this — I want it so bad — but won’t your brother be upset? I don’t want to come between you…” She’s biting her lip in this way that makes my cock swell, getting impossibly harder and larger.

  I need her so badly it almost hurts, but I’m not going to take what isn’t being freely offered. I shake my head, smiling at her, trying to find the best way to explain why it’s not a problem.

  “Dragons are not like humans in that way, my dear sweet Eva. We are a dying race and because of that, we’ve had to adapt our expectations. There are very few women left on Desergan and the majority of them are unable to breed. We’ve grown accustomed to sharing and monogamy may as well be a foreign concept.”

  Her mouth drops, her eyes going wide as saucers. “You mean…he won’t be jealous?”

  “Only that I got to you first,” I say with a sly grin. That’s all the reassurance she needs to lunge forward and kiss me again.

  In no time I’m stripping her bare, exposing inch after tantalizing inch of creamy smooth skin, flushed beautifully with desire. I’m not sure a more perfect creature exists, and the fact that she’s in my room, nearly naked is almost impossible to accept.

  I walk her back to the huge bed and slide my hand down over her breasts, rolling a nipple between my fingers before leaning forward to take the hard nub between my lips. Eva’s back arches and she cries out at just that simple contact. She’s so eager and so ready, I don’t know how I’m going to be able to control myself, but I have to.

  My fingers don’t stop while I’m sucking on her nipple, making her pant and squirm. They slide down her belly to the lace top of her underwear, and then without hesitation, I slide my fingers under that thin scrap of fabric and find her slick wetness greeting me.

  “Gods you’re wet,” I groan, circling the tip of my finger around her clit, her breath hitching with each pass.

  “Please,” she whines, sounding like she’s not even sure what she’s asking for, but she’s so desperate for it she has to ask.

  My lips are back on her neck, sucking the tender spot over her thrumming pulse as I slide my finger lower to her entrance. She practically sucks my finger in, her interior muscles clenching so tight around me.

  “Oh god,” she moans as I curl my finger forward, softly stroking her front walls, making her legs shake under her. She’s clinging to me, using me for support because her knees have gone weak and she’s trying to get higher on her toes to get more of my finger in her, to get closer to me.

  “I could listen to you moaning forever and never tire of it,” I say, adding a second finger to her clenching channel as my thumb travels back to her clit.

  “Brandt…” she pants, each syllable its own breath. “I’m… I—”

  “It’s all right, sweetheart. Let it go.”

  She trembles and her pussy grips my fingers like a vise as her eyes roll back in her head. I kiss her just in time to capture her scream, her sweet cream gushing over my fingers as tremors of pleasure wrack her body.

  Slowly, she’s able to catch her breath and her eyes flutter open, shiny and bright with fresh release. “Holy shit,” she mutters as I withdraw my fingers and bring them to my lips, sucking her juices from them.

  “You taste like honey,” I groan, needing more of her. So much more. I’ve only had the barest sample and I need a damn buffet.

  “Brandt, that was…incredible.”

  “Eva, you don’t think I’m th
rough with you yet, do you?” I push her gently back onto the bed and move in to peel her panties down her legs until they’re off and I toss them across the room. Then, starting at her ankle, I kiss up her legs, alternating between them, sucking and nibbling at the insides of her thighs just to hear the glorious sounds she makes at each new experience.

  My tongue lights on her clit and her hips practically jump off the bed with a sharp cry.

  “God that’s so good,” she cries, her hands moving to the back of my head, holding me fast to her sex.

  Not that I mind. She tastes like heaven and sounds like a dream. I’m still having trouble believing this gorgeous creature is in my bed, but I’m not going to waste a minute of it.

  I add a finger back into her needy hole, still worried that I’ll hurt her if I don’t prepare her properly. But that’s not the only reason I need to make her come again. I need to see her shatter. I want to watch it on repeat for the rest of my days.

  I can tell she’s getting close by the way her hips move and the sounds that pull from her chest.

  “Brandt, please… I need more,” she says.

  I know what she’s talking about. I know she wants to feel me inside of her, filling her, stretching her like she’s never been stretched. “Come for me,” I growl, letting the words vibrate through her sensitive sex, never letting up my attention on her clit.

  The command seems to do something for her, her breath catches and her muscles clench around my fingers, her back arching up off the bed as she cries out her pleasure for the whole palace to hear. I don’t mind. Let them hear. Let everyone else be jealous that I’m the one with this goddess.

  “I didn’t know it could feel like that,” she says, her voice dreamy and far-off, a smile curling her lips.

  “I’m glad you enjoyed it,” I say, a swell of satisfaction expanding my chest. There’s nothing quite as rewarding as making a beautiful woman come apart with nothing but your tongue and fingers.

  “But…you’re not done, right?” she asks, almost sounding worried.

  I don’t know what that is for, so I stroke her hair, concern in my voice when I ask, “Do you want me to be?”

  “No!” she practically shouts, then her face goes bright red. “I mean… No, I was hoping we’d…”

  “I’m more than happy to oblige, I just didn’t want to overwhelm you.”

  She shakes her head, then lifts herself up to kiss me. For a brief moment, I think she’s conflicted about tasting herself, but then she deepens the kiss and I growl. My Eva is dirtier than I’d expected.

  Surprising me again, I feel her hand below my waist, seeking out my cock with fumbling, inexperienced fingers.

  “Please, I want to touch you,” she groans.

  Not one to disappoint, I’m stripped naked before her in a matter of seconds. The way her eyes rove over me, slowly taking in every inch of my body, tells me that she approves. But then Eva reaches out for me and there’s not a single doubt left. Her small hand strokes my cock with feather-light touches before she wraps those delicate fingers around my length, so thick now that she can’t join them.

  “You’re not going to hurt me,” I tell her.

  She seems nervous, like she doesn’t know what she’s doing. And I realize she doesn’t. She’s never been with a man in this way.

  Her grip tightens and she strokes my cock from base to tip, making me groan and hiss to keep my control in check. Her thumb drags over the tip, gathering the drops of precum and using it for lubrication.

  “Does that feel good?” she asks, her eyes wide. She licks her lips and I can tell she’s thinking about sucking my cock — and while I’d love nothing more than that, I desperately need to be inside of her now.

  “It feels incredible, but I’m not going to last much longer if you keep doing that.” It’s the innocent way she touches me, the uncertainty that drives me absolutely wild. I’m the first man to experience the wonders of Eva and it’s an honor I don’t take lightly.

  Her mouth opens on a silent ‘o,’ surprised by my admission, I guess, but her eyes flash with hunger and I know she’s ready. She leans up to kiss me again and, with her hand still on my cock, guides me between her legs. I hesitate a moment longer, wanting to be sure she’s well and truly ready.

  Then she whispers, “Please,” and all my patience is gone.

  Slowly, I push my hips forward, sliding into her velvety warmth. She’s so tight that I know I have to go slow, but so wet I don’t think I’m going to hurt her.

  “Oh god,” she moans as the tip of my cock pushes through. I reach her barrier and circle my thumb around her clit, kissing her fiercely to distract from the sharp bite of pain. She sucks in a breath as I push through, and I stop, but then she’s rolling her hips up to meet me, trying to force me deeper inside of her.

  I still move slowly, but soon, I’m hilted to the base in her tight sheathe and staring in awe at this panting, flushed miracle woman whose pussy is so tight it’s making me a little dizzy.

  “You feel so good,” she sighs, wrapping her legs around my waist and holding me deep inside of her.

  “You too,” I breathe, taking her lips in a kiss as I pull back and drive home again. I’m rewarded with another delicious cry and my dragon preens at our success. But I can’t hold back anymore. I’ve reached the very ends of my frayed resolve and now I need to fuck Eva the way I’ve been dreaming about since I first met her.

  Over and over again, I pull back until I’m nearly out of her, only to slam back in, her cries echoing from the rafters. Nothing — and I mean nothing — could be better than this.

  But I know I’m not going to last long. How could I with her writhing and panting beneath me, coming undone with my every move? My one saving grace is that Eva’s close too. I can feel her interior muscles rippling with wave after wave of pleasure, and she’s stopped talking, only making these strangled cries that barely have sound.

  “Brandt… I’m— I’m…”

  “I know, baby, me too. Come with me.”

  Almost like she’d been waiting for permission, Eva goes off like a rocket, her face falling into a mask of sheer and utter bliss. That’s enough to send me over the edge too, and spurt after spurt of my hot seed splashes inside of her, marking her as mine. And though I’ll have to share her eventually, I don’t have to do any such thing right now. Right now, Eva is mine and mine alone.

  It takes a little while for us to catch our breath, but then I pull out of her and draw her up into my arms, holding her close. Her silky hair fans across my chest, tousled and messy from our activities, and I can’t resist running my fingers through the strands, petting her softly as her breathing slows and she eventually drifts off to sleep with her head right over my heart. It doesn’t take long before I’m drifting off with her, completely content for the first time in ages.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Trylor

  As much as I’d rather be absolutely anywhere else in the universe, I’m not. I’m here, stuck in yet another meeting with my fretful advisers, trying once more to assert myself as the sovereign ruler who doesn’t need approval from anyone.

  “We’ve already been over this. The vampires are trustworthy,” I say sharply, leveling a glare at Vaunt.

  He huffs and puffs out his chest. “Regardless of that, who says we even need them?”

  “Prophecies have been wrong before,” says Alexi, another hold over from my father’s era.

  “We’re allowing them to remain here on the assumption that the prophecy is the only available solution,” Vaunt sneers.

  “Because it is. That was made very clear when it was first given. When all other means have failed, when the greatest warriors have fallen, the last weapon of hope will come from Eva. That is what we know,” I say, wishing this matter could drop already. If they weren’t so obsessed with the vampires, I could possibly be spending time with Eva right now, instead of stuck in this stuffy conference room so frustrated I want to scream.

  “That
is what we’ve been told,” Vaunt counters.

  I sigh, pinching the bridge of my nose. “You’re arguing semantics. The harm in ignoring the prophecy is potentially much greater if it’s correct than the harm caused by believing it if it’s false. The vampires stay.”

  “They should all go. The vampires and the girl. She doesn’t belong here. She knows nothing of our people or the prophecy, you’ve said so yourself!” I had, and I’m sorely regretting sharing that information now.

  “We will fight the evil ourselves. We can rally the troops, and be on the front lines before the week is out. We have all the weapons we need. Maybe you’d know that if you’d done the traditional military service instead of running off to find some human from a charlatan’s story.”

  “Enough,” I growl, slamming my fist down on the table, making the men around the room start, looking apprehensive. I try very hard to keep my temper in check, but I am the King, and I’m tired of being challenged at every turn. The fate of our entire people is at stake and Vaunt wants to take a dig at my lack of military service? It’s despicable. He can’t see past his disdain for me to think about the greater good for our kind.

  “My word is final. You may not agree with it, but it is my burden and mine alone to choose the path for Desergans. If it is the wrong choice, I will accept the consequences when they arrive.”

  All I can think about is concluding this meeting and getting out of here to find Eva. To spend some time with her. It’s been too long. I’ve been dreaming about her, thinking about her nearly every moment of every day, and yet I’ve hardly managed to have a conversation with her I’ve been so busy. All because of these fools and their traditions. I don’t give a damn about traditions when we’re facing a threat the likes of which we’ve never faced before. These are different times and they call for different approaches.