I might have made a mistake. Maybe.

I’d felt Willow’s disquiet as a buzz in the pit of my stomach. It had grown within my abdomen until it felt like a storm raged there. The idea to fly her into a soothed state had been a split-second decision, one made in the panic of the moment. Now, with her in my arms, her body soft against mine, I knew she was much calmer, but she still wasn’t entirely certain about me.

I let her down when she stirred, her brain now on full alert. We shared a mental bond, but she didn’t realize that yet. She’d blocked my communications and didn’t even know. She was strong, very strong, but the fact that she was a dragon hunter mated to a dragon was about to break her. Perhaps I should have stayed outside and not insisted she play for me. Maybe she wasn’t ready for this yet. Then she looked up at me, her eyes sparkled in the moonlight, and I forgot about mistakes.

Nothing about anything I did with Willow could be wrong, ever. She looked vulnerable in the cold light of the moon, as if her whole world depended on whatever I chose to do next. As a man, there was only one thing I could do when a woman like Willow looked at me like that.

I pulled her tight to my chest and found her lips with mine. Desire flared through me, and a groan of need vibrated from my throat. She tasted so fucking good! Damn, how could one woman taste like everything I’d ever wanted? Her lips were soft, pliant, and when my tongue flicked out they parted for me. I was hard by then, but I grew even harder when my tongue found the hot depths of her mouth. I’d never felt so much pleasure from a kiss, I’ve never felt so much need explode into life.

I picked her up and carried her onto the porch of the one-story home and found exactly what I needed when I reached the door. Our lips never broke apart as I pressed her into the hard wood, but it grew deeper when her legs wrapped around my waist and her hands tangled in my hair. I felt her fingers tense on the black strands as a bolt of pleasure, not pain at all.

Her fingers pulled at my head, and I let my head fall back. We were both out of breath, and I saw the way her light brown eyes turned just a shade darker. I panted until I’d caught enough breath to form words. “You know your playing soothes my dragon? The way I soothed your soul with flight, that’s what your playing does for me.”

“And my kisses, what do they do for you, dragon?” This was a different Willow. One that was in control, coquettish, and flirty. I liked her, a lot!

“Your kisses are a drug I may not be able to live without. Can I get a lifetime prescription for them?”

“We’ll see.” Her legs tensed around my waist and she pressed her core into my hard length. We both hissed as the pressure increased the ache inside of us but all I could see was that smile. Willow’s brain had begun to open to me, and I think she heard my inner thoughts.

“You want me on my knees, do you?” She gave me a smirk, not surprised at all at the picture that had formed in my head when she’d pressed into me with that rather dirty smile.

“I want you every way I can have you, Willow. On your knees, on your back, over me, under me, however you want it. So long as I get to have you.” I wasn’t used to giving in but with Willow, I had to take what I could get, and I knew it. There was no single alpha here, there was only us.

“I don’t want to think about it, Henry. Just...” Her words trailed off, and her eyes fixated on mine again as her index finger traced down my jaw to the square point of my chin. “Just make me not think. Make me feel.”

“I can do that, princess.” The endearment slipped out, and it seemed right. She was my princess, whether we’d mated yet or not. She would always be the only woman for me, from now on.

The moment seemed to slow down as I held her there, pinned against the door by my hips. She was perfect, beautiful, and so alluring with those eyes. There was innocence in them, but I also saw want, and a knowledge of exactly what it was she wanted. Was she a virgin? We’d never discussed anything of a personal nature, she’d never allowed it. I searched her mind and found only me there, only thoughts about what she wanted to do and with me.

One image in particular made me gasp and push my lips back to hers. The image of my head between her thighs, as she leaned against the door, one leg over my shoulder as she... but I had to put that image away for now or I’d lose it before I even had my hands against her skin. The thought of hearing the sounds she made as my tongue slicked over her opening was just too hot to let it go on.

It was definitely something I wanted to do at some point.

“You know what’s going to happen if you let me inside the house, don’t you, Willow?” I had to know, I had to have her consent. I didn’t want her to give in just because she couldn’t stand it anymore, I wanted her to want me.

“Yes, Henry. I know. You’re going to fuck me.”

“I’m not just going to fuck you, Willow, I’m going to make every inch of you mine. And give you every inch of me.” Our eyes burned into each other, and I saw the sparkle of gold in her eyes. Her dragon hunter might be subdued for now, but it was still there, with all of the magic that brought to her. She didn’t know what kind of magic yet, but she would, eventually.

I ran a finger down her cheek and felt the softness of a healthy woman there. When I’d first seen her, she’d been nearer to death than life. Her body had been frail and thin because the rich food her mother fed her wasn’t the nourishment she’d needed. Only I could give her that. Now her frame was filling out once more and the weight added a softness to her that hadn’t been there before.

“I want you to be really sure, Willow. I don’t want you to go into this because your body tells you that you have to.”

I knew I’d pushed my luck with that. I’d felt how intensely she’d hated me when I first arrived, but that had changed the moment I dropped the snobbish facade. I gave her the real me and hopefully, she’d give me what we both needed in return. We both healed when we were close to each other, it kept us alive and we survived, but not being properly mated to her, in every sense of the word, was killing me in its own way. It was killing her too, she was just too torn to notice.

“I... I don’t know, Henry.” She looked away then, and I let her body slide away from mine. Her uncertainty was enough to make me step back. She had to be sure, I meant it.

“Why not?” I wanted to talk her through it all, not nag her, and my question was more a lead than anything.

“I’m just... confused.” She leaned back against the door and thumped her fist against it. “One minute I’m human but ill, and oh I have this crazy aunt who believes in dragons. Then my cousin comes back with the same sickness as me, and then these dragons show up, and it’s all just so insane!”

“I can see how that would be frustrating.” I wanted to take her hand to reassure her, but I didn’t want to push her again.

“I don’t think you can. You don’t have this innate hatred of the man you want more than anything you’ve ever wanted before tearing you apart like I do. You can’t know how that feels.” She looked down at her own feet and put her hand over her mouth. I don’t know if it was to stop the flow of words or something else. I thought I saw the sparkle of tears in her eyes before she stopped.

“Do you want to just stay out here, Willow? Will that make it better?” I’d be just as happy to be between her thighs on the ground than in a bed, but I wouldn’t admit it. I’d just try to keep myself calm. The heartbreak in her voice, the raw pain, would stop me from trying to take advantage of the situation. She was right, I couldn’t understand where she came from, but I could respect it. I expect, more than anything, the one gift I could give Willow that she’d appreciate the most was my respect for her.

“No. I don’t want that. I want you to come in my house, and I want you to...” She stopped, and her bravado slipped a little. She’d tilted her face back up to mine and had stared into my eyes. Her lips moved but she didn’t say words. “I need you, Henry. I can’t deny that. Not having you is more painful than the hate I feel. I just can’t decide which one is right. I do know the pain of not having you hurts a lot more than my hate does, though. Please, come inside with me.”

I couldn’t turn those brown eyes down, now could I? If she wanted me, I’d give me to her. Simple as that. I gave her a shy smile that quickly turned cheeky. “If that’s what you want, Willow.”

I wasn’t a weak man, nor was I the swaggering braggart I’d shown her early on. I’d thought that was what she’d want, being a human and all. Now, I knew differently, and Mary’s words came back to me. What did Willow want? She didn’t live in an expensive house, I took that to mean she’d want more. Now, I looked at it all with new eyes as she led me into the living room.

It was comfortable, warm, and inviting. It wasn’t ostentatious and cold, a scream of wealth and a demand for respect. Willow and her mother valued family and people, not money or things. From the plaques on the wall that spoke of how love of family came above all, to the crocheted afghans spread over every chair and both couches in the living room, the room was a testament to all that these women valued.

I thought about the small room in the back of the house clad in pine, the room with hardwood floors and Willow’s piano. It was empty except for the few pieces of furniture. It was a room meant for practice, a room without distraction or unnecessary items to dull the roll of the music she played. She composed her own too, I knew from Mary.

“Will you play for me again, Willow?” I asked, just in case she wanted to take a moment to compose herself. I liked the music she played, hearing more of it wouldn’t be a bad thing.

“If you’d like. I’d rather take you to my bedroom.” Her eyes were steady now. They didn’t shy away or leave me to wonder about what she meant.

“Then lead on.” I held my hand out in broad sweep and smiled at her with warmth.

My desire was tamped, for now, but only a glance or single word could bring it back to life.

To my surprise, she took my hand and pulled me down a short hallway to a dark part of the house. There were three closed doors, one to her mother’s room on the left, a bathroom at the back, and her room on the right. It was all a bit rustic in Willow’s home; unvarnished wood slats fitted together to form the thin walls, but the floor had been sanded and polished over time to shine. Willow’s door opened, and I almost expected a room of whites and pinks, filled with light.

Instead, her room was dark, made even darker by blackout curtains and darkly varnished oak. The antique dresser, wardrobe, and her bed were all handmade from the same oak tree from the looks of it, as were the end-tables on both sides of her bed. Two black throw rugs protected sensitive feet from the cold floor. I went to the other side of the antique but beautiful bed and looked across a dark brown and hunter green handmade quilt at her.

“Are you quite sure, Willow? I don’t want to rush you.” I wanted to give her one last opportunity to say no. I doubted either of us would be able to say no once we’d started.

She looked at me, and before I could even gasp, she was over the high mattress and knelt in front of me, her face tilted up to me.

“I’ve never been more sure of anything, Henry. Take this need from me. Make this violent itch that won’t be satisfied go away. Please.”

Who was I to turn down such a beautiful plea for mercy? I ran my finger over her lips and stared down at her for a moment to savor that expression. I wanted it etched into my memory forever, the way she knelt there in front of me, her lips slightly parted, her eyes on fire for me and only me. I wanted to make sure I’d never forget how beautiful she was when she begged me to make her feel better. Just in case she did change her mind.