They’d soaked in the whirlpool for what felt like hours. Naomi had picked a bubble bath at random, choosing an old-fashioned glass bottle simply because it was a pretty, sparkling purple. The resulting, luxurious foam had quickly washed the scent of fire from their skin, filling the room with the soothing scent of lavender.

The bathroom was beautiful. It wasn’t the bathroom attached to Gregory’s large suite, but an older room on the ground floor. It went back to right when the mansion had been built, or so Gregory had explained. Now that Naomi could luxuriate in Gregory’s strong arms, safe in the hot water, she had time to admire the mosaics that adorned the walls of the room.

On one wall, there were dragons soaring in the air, carried by the wind. Another showed dragons curling in caverns on a hoard of gold and sparkling gems—gems that looked suspiciously real in the candle light. Further mosaics showed dragons resting in meadows of colorful flowers, and dragons diving in the sea, surrounded by dolphins.

But the mosaic Naomi liked the most showed two young dragons standing on the back of a taller dragon, stretching their tiny wings, their faces showing both excitement and a hint of fear.

Is that what it’s like when a young dragon learns to fly?

Naomi thought again of that incredible sense of freedom when she’d soared through the sky on Gregory’s back, one with the elements, as wild and free as the wind that had tugged on her hair. What would it be like to have children born with that freedom?

She nuzzled silently at Gregory’s shoulder, feeling her heart beat in time with his.

It would be an adventure. And it would be an adventure she couldn’t wait for.

“So,” she murmured, running her hand gently up his side. “You were telling me about the bonding...?”

“It’s already in place, the mate bond,” Gregory rumbled, one of his strong arms coming up to wrap around her waist. “I’m already yours—there’s nothing that could tear me from your side now. But traditionally, when it happens is when a mated pair comes together, declaring themselves to the other with their body and soul—”

“Sex,” Naomi said, feeling a little giddy at the way his wet skin pressed against hers. “I’m understanding that right?”

Gregory laughed softly. “You’re understanding exactly right,” he said with a playful little growl. “My mate, do you have any objections to being carried off into my bedroom to be thoroughly ravished right now?”

“Ooh,” Naomi purred, wrapping her arms around his neck. She could feel him against her thigh, breathtakingly hot and hard. “Can’t say I’ve ever been properly ravished by a dragon. How could I say no to that offer?”

Water splashed everywhere as Gregory promptly rose from the gilded bathtub, lifting her as though she weighed nothing, even though he still bore the scratches and bruises of the fight against the fire dragon.

She ran her hands all over his gleaming chest as she found herself unceremoniously carried from the bathroom in his arms. His muscles were hard as stone, and most of the wounds had already faded to red welts.

Through the bond between them, she could feel his desire—relentless wave after wave of heat, the steady throb of arousal that was enough to drive anyone insane.

She couldn’t even say anymore whether it was her arousal she felt or his. All she knew was that her body was throbbing with it, that she was aware of every single inch of his perfect, chiseled body—and that she wanted to be as thoroughly claimed by her dragon as was possible.

The silk sheets on the bed were deliciously cool against her skin when Gregory finally set her down. The windows of their bedroom were open, and a breeze carried in the scent of flowers. There were flowers on the bedstand as well—flowers they’d picked together this morning, when they’d had breakfast out in the gardens.

But Naomi had no eyes for the flowers or the beauty of her surroundings. If she’d found herself suddenly transported back into her tiny old apartment, she’d still have wanted Gregory just as much.

Gregory transformed every room he inhabited. No matter where, he exuded an aura of calm confidence. It had stirred her body from the first moment she’d seen him, until she found herself kissed breathless in a closet.

And it stirred her even now, when the sexy dragon shifter had already vowed that he would never leave her.

She was wet, her body ready and aching for him. Her nipples were tight. When he leaned over her, still gloriously naked, his damp, tanned skin gleaming in the sunlight, she gasped and arched eagerly against him.

Gregory took his time, covering her breasts with kisses while she squirmed beneath him. Her clit was throbbing in time with the rapid beating of her heart.

She wanted him. She needed him. She needed him right there inside her...

As if he’d heard her thoughts, Gregory moved over her. His own eyes were dark with desire, and his erection brushed her thigh, hard as steel.

“Please,” she gasped as his hands drew up her sides.

Everywhere he touched, fire seemed to spring up. She ran her own hands down those broad shoulders, clutching at him any way she could—and then, at last, he pushed against her.

His shaft was hot as it filled her, throbbing inside her as she clenched around him. His size made her moan—he filled her so perfectly that she didn’t want it to ever end.

Every thrust made the fire inside her burn more brightly as she gasped for breath.

His thumb was still teasing one of her nipples, and in answer, she lightly raked her nails down his back. With a groan, he sucked her nipple into his mouth, his hot tongue rasping against the sensitive nub while she trembled.

She wanted him. She needed him. She needed him so badly.

“Mine,” he groaned hoarsely.

His hand came up, his thumb tenderly brushing against her bottom lip. With another moan of need, she caught it lightly between her lips and he groaned again, his shaft pulsing inside her.

His eyes were wide and dark, his hair tousled, curling damp against his nape.

There was a strange light in his eyes again—a silver gleam, ever changing, like the distant echo of a lightning storm.

“Yours,” she gasped, clinging to his powerful shoulders as he claimed her with thrust after thrust.

Then, suddenly, it was as if she was falling into his eyes—or as if the storm had come to meet her.

The bedroom fell away. She couldn’t see anything but his eyes, couldn’t feel anything but the building ecstasy inside her. The air tasted sharp, like ozone. Desperate, she clung to him, her thighs around his strong hips as his thrusts made her shake with mounting need.

It was like riding the storm, like flying wild and free among the clouds once more. She was one with the elements, an ancient, unbridled power possessing her—and then the storm broke. The wind roared, and Naomi felt as though lightning had struck, right at the center of her.

Wave after wave of pleasure rolled through her, her clit throbbing as she clenched around Gregory. It was the most powerful orgasm she had ever experienced, her entire body trembling as she moaned and arched against him. With her face pressed to his sweaty shoulder, she felt his powerful muscles contract—and then he came as well, groaning her name as the heat of his climax filled her.

Afterwards, for long minutes, they rested in a sweaty tangle on the silken sheets, gasping for breath.

Finally, when Naomi had recovered enough to tiredly allow Gregory to roll them around and cuddle back against his chest, she sighed against his skin.

“That was some good and proper ravishing,” she murmured, pressing a kiss to his chest, right where Gregory’s heart was beating with reassuring steadiness. “But, just to make sure that we really got it right, we should probably try it again tonight. You don’t want any mistakes in your ravishing.”

Gregory chuckled tiredly against her hair. His arms came around her, holding her close, so that she made a sound of exhausted happiness.

“Anything you want, my mate,” he murmured proudly, nuzzling at her ear. “I promise. We’ll practice every day, if we have to.”

Forever, she thought a little smugly, understanding his dragon’s possessiveness at last.

She might not care all that much about gold or jewels, or even the beautiful mansion—but this was something she wouldn’t give up, not for anything in the world.

Her mate. Her dragon. And soon... Her family.