Owen’s lips were softer than they appeared. Raven could not stop marveling at this fact as he kissed her underneath the setting sun. She’d wanted him to kiss her for what felt like an eternity, and, although she wished the kiss had come about under a happier set of circumstances, her heart still leapt for joy at the realization that she was finally getting what she had secretly wished for.

Perhaps her wish had not been so secret, to tell the truth. She had endured a great deal of teasing from her colleagues about what was or was not going on between Owen and her. They were infamous for flirting, for stealing a touch or a handhold here and there. But they had never spoken plainly to each other or anyone else of their feelings. They had always denied that they cared for each other in any way except as fellow soldiers in the fight against evil.

She’d been so angry with him a few minutes ago, but the fight had gone out of her with each slap she’d given him across the face. She was a bit ashamed of losing her temper, but she’d had reasons to feel rage, after all. So had he, she supposed. They’d both been right, and they’d both been wrong. Now, together in each other’s arms, she had the sense that they’d both forgiven each other.

He was stubborn to a fault, just like her. She’d always loved that about him. And somehow, the fact that they had both denied their feelings for so long made this moment seem all the more real. They had fought hard for it. Perhaps they had waited too long, but at least they knew that this kiss, and the confession of love behind the kiss, was not something they had taken lightly.

Raven’s heart felt troubled. The possibilities haunted her of what might have happened to the group retreating from the redwoods, or to the wizards at Falcon Cross, or even to the shifter protectors in Texas. She had spent the day in anguish, alternating between being too angry to look at Owen and wanting to wake him up so she could cry in his arms. Now that she was in his arms, though, she no longer felt like crying. She felt strangely comforted.

Despite the great dragon strength that lay within him, he was gentle with her. His arms around her were strong but loving, and even the movement of his tongue as it slipped between her lips felt like a caress. She squeezed her eyes shut even tighter and willed herself to forget about everything except Owen. There would be time enough to worry, to search, and to grieve about whatever faced them ahead. But this moment, here with Owen, was a chance to lose herself in the simple happiness of having another human being who cared about her. His embrace reminded her that, despite how bleak the world might seem right now, all was not hopeless. All was not lost. Love could still find a way to shine in the darkest night.

And, ironically enough, it was night now. The last rays of the sun were sinking behind the horizon, and the sky was changing from an orange-pinkish glow to a somber, darkening gray. But Raven did not feel afraid or sad. She felt happy, and strangely at peace. Owen was here. She still had him.

He broke off their kiss for a moment and looked up at the sky, then pulled her gently as deep into their little rocky hideout as they could go. She had spread the sleeping bag she’d taken out across one half of the floor of the shelter, and Owen laid her gently on it now. Once she was comfortably on her back, he returned to kissing her. There was a deeper urgency in his kiss now, though, as if the hunger inside of him was growing with each passing second. He pressed his body against hers, and she felt his erection, stiff as steel against her legs. She envied him his nakedness. She wanted to be naked, too. She wanted her skin to feel his skin. She wanted there to be nothing between them, nothing holding them back.

But he was moving slowly, and taking his time. Raven told herself to relax and enjoy the moment. After all, she had waited for this moment for so long. He placed his palms on her cheeks gently, holding her face as his tongue danced with her tongue. His hands were so warm. She’d noticed that about him before, in the few times when they’d dared to hold each other’s hands. He was always so warm, as though the dragon that burned within him could not keep itself fully contained. And she loved that warmth. Even here, in the hot desert, she loved his warmth. She wanted more of it.

Raven felt like she was lost in an ocean, stranded with only Owen to keep her company. And he was enough. She let everything else fade away, and concentrated on the wonder of his kiss. He was a sweet relief, a reprieve from the seemingly never-ending hardships that faced her these days. She wanted this moment to be something they enjoyed together. Something that took them far away from heartache, war, and pain. And she wanted more of him. His kiss intoxicated her, but it wasn’t enough. She craved more.

As if he heard her thoughts, he moved his hands to the buttons on her shirt. She was wearing a simple button down hiking shirt that she’d taken from the store this morning. Even though she’d only had it on a few hours, she knew the shirt had become sweaty and dusty. She was a sweaty, dusty mess herself, but she didn’t care. She wasn’t embarrassed by her dirt-streaked face or messy, tangled hair. She and Owen were past the point of putting up appearances around each other. They’d spent too much time in the trenches together during this war to worry about a little dirt or sweat. They knew each other well, and they wanted each other. Had wanted each other for so long. And now, finally, they were giving in.

Owen’s fingers made quick work of unbuttoning the shirt, and even quicker work of unclasping Raven’s bra and sliding it off her shoulders. As soon as the top half of her body was naked, he lay next to her on the sleeping bag and pulled her on top of him. He moaned softly as her sticky, sweaty skin pressed against his. His hands went to her breasts, cupping their sides. Her hard nipples were pressed firmly against his chest.

“I’ve wanted to feel you like this for so long,” he whispered huskily.

Raven could not reply. All she could do was look at him, drinking in the deep green of his eyes. She had looked into those eyes so many times before, but this time was different. This time, he wasn’t hiding his feelings or holding back the passion that he felt. This time, he let her see into his soul, and she liked what she saw.

He burned with passion, a deep flaming passion. He burned for her. She reached up with wonder to trace one finger across the side of his cheek.

“My dragon,” she whispered.

He growled then, and pulled her face close, kissing her again. His lips covered hers with a deep urgency, and she let herself fully experience the moment. Everything else fell away. There was only him, and her, and their bodies pressed against each other. This was all she had ever wanted, but she hadn’t been able to admit that to herself until this moment.

A fiery, burning passion rose within her own body. She grew hotter and hotter, even though the air around them was cooling as the night continued to take hold. The darkness grew, but Raven did not notice it. She was too busy noticing how her very core seemed to be on fire. She trembled, as a tingling electricity filled her everywhere that Owen’s skin touched hers. He had his arms wrapped around her now, and his hands on the small of her bare back. Those hands that she had gaze at so many times, wishing, hoping for a moment like this.

Her legs trembled, and the space between them grew wetter with each passing moment. Her whole body was responding to Owen, begging for more of him. She wanted him inside of her, but he was not rushing. He took his time, slowly caressing her back as he continued to kiss her deeply.

When he’d had his fill of kissing, he gently rolled them over so that she was on her back once again, and he was on top of her. He moved to unbutton her pants, and she trembled involuntarily as his fingers brushed against the bare skin of her stomach. He noticed, and smiled up at her. All of the anger and frustration was gone from his eyes now. She was finding it hard to even remember in that moment why they had fought. What did it matter? What did anything matter, as long as they had each other?

Owen unlaced Raven’s shoes and pulled them off, then tugged off her now unbuttoned pants, along with her panties. Raven felt the desert’s cool night air blowing over her naked body, and she closed her eyes to relish the sensation. After the hot, sweaty day she’d endured, this gentle breeze felt like heaven. And so did Owen’s body, which was once again pressing against hers. Only this time, there were no clothes between them. There was only skin against skin, and Raven shuddered with pleasure at the feeling.

She could feel his stiff erection pressing against the bottom of her stomach, leaving a small smudge of his moisture on her. She herself was so wet and slippery between her legs now that she could feel the juices of her desire beginning to drip down and onto the sleeping bag below them. She’d never felt so gloriously turned on before. Owen could have slid into her in that moment, and she would have welcomed him gladly. But he did not. Still, he waited. It was almost as though he never wanted this magical moment between them to end.

He moved his lips over her stiff nipples, flicking at them with his tongue. He alternated between nibbling, licking, sucking, and biting. Raven could not keep track of where his mouth and hands and body were. She was consumed by his dragon fire. Her own body was burning up at its very core, the fire and electricity rushing over her in hot waves. Her thighs trembled where his thighs pressed against her. She told herself that she should return the touch. She should kiss him, too. She should caress his back or nibble his ear. But she could not. She was too overcome now by him and his touch to move. She arched her back and moaned, letting herself fully experience the wonder of his body pleasuring hers.

The wonder had only just begun, though. When he’d had his fill of her breasts, Owen pushed himself up on his arms and moved back slightly so that his stiff, throbbing erection was directly above her slick, trembling entrance. He paused there, and Raven opened her eyes wide to look at him, questioning.

“You know, if we do this then there’s no going back,” he said, his voice a hoarse whisper. “We can never again pretend that there’s nothing between us, or that we don’t have deeper feelings for each other. Are you sure you want to do this now?”

Raven smiled up at him. His tanned skin was glistening with beads of sweat. His reddish-brown hair stuck out in every possible direction as he looked at her with smoke and fire in his eyes. His broad chest rose and fell with rapid, excited breathing just above her breasts, which were also rising and falling from the effort of her own breath. He had never looked so handsome.

“I think we’ve already passed the point of no return,” she said.

That was all he needed to hear. In the next moment, he was sliding into her, filling her so naturally it was as though he had always belonged there. Raven felt his stiff, thick shaft pushing against her inner walls, making room for itself as it went deeper and deeper into her. The movement sent shocks of tingling electricity through her. Her whole body felt like it was a tangled mess of heat, pressure, and tingling. Owen moved slowly, but even still, the sensations that filled Raven were almost too intense to bear. She squeezed her eyes shut and clenched her fists, arching her back so that her hips thrust forward to meet him. She felt that she could not take any more, but she wanted more nonetheless.

He moved in her, slowly, methodically, purposefully. There was no sound now other than their breathing, and the soft brush of skin against skin as he rocked his hips back and forth, in and out, in and out. With each thrust, the pressure built and the heat intensified. Raven had never felt anything so glorious. The electric tingling had become so intense that she felt like she was seeing stars. And then, the crescendo came.

Her whole body felt like it exploded into a million wonderful pieces. She gasped as her inner muscles spasmed, clenching around Owen’s erection over and over. Each spasm of her body sent another wave of tingling and electricity through her body. The pressure that had been building inside of her released into a heat unlike anything she’d ever felt. She could not move, could not even moan. All she could do was lie there, breathing in the most intense, wonderful moment of her life. She let her eyes flicker open to see Owen, his own eyes still closed, squeezed shut with concentration as he rocked his body against hers. She watched his face as he moved in her, pressing against the spasms that still rocked her body. And she thought in that moment that this, this, was what was meant by “making love.”

Owen’s release came then in a sweet, shuddering wave. He stiffened, squeezed his eyes shut tighter, and then moaned softly as he pulsed into her.

When their bodies had finally stopped trembling, he slid off of her and lay next to her. He wrapped his arms around her and they both lay there for a long time in silence. No words were necessary. They had things to discuss and plans to make and issues to resolve, but right now, all that mattered was being together. Raven snuggled closer against him, and closed her eyes, feeling at peace for the first time since they’d made their hurried escape from the redwoods.

Her breathing evened out, and she was finally able to fall asleep, finding in the arms of her dragon the rest she so desperately needed.