With all the commotion yesterday, I hadn’t gotten the chance to explore much of the house yet. When Marco opened the door into the vast greenhouse I’d only seen from outside, my breath caught.

“Wow.” I stepped onto the stone path that wove into the thick tropical underbrush. Overhead, trees jutted limbs in an arching canopy. Artificial cliffs had been carved out of rock here and there along the walls, offering climbing ledges at various levels. The air was warm and humid but not stifling. A floral perfume drifted around me.

“It’s like your jungle gym back at the New York house, only ten times bigger,” I said.

“That’s the idea.” Marco took my hand, and we headed together down the path. “The climate might be warmer here in Florida, but the winters are still cooler than many of us prefer. And this gives us space to exercise our feline natures without any worries about being observed. A wolf or a bear can get away with running around in the woods without too much caution. A jaguar or a lion? That’d draw some attention if any humans spotted us.”

No kidding. “I don’t suppose there’s a really big one of these out at the dragon shifter estate?” I said. “Because if a big cat is noticeable...”

Marco chuckled. “Your home base is in an isolated enough spot that you can fly near there without any problems. The dragon shifters have accumulated a lot of property in the surrounding area to keep humans at a distance.”

The temperature hadn’t felt too warm when we’d first stepped in, but a sheen of sweat was forming on my skin now. I rubbed my arms. “Too bad you can’t turn the temperature down if you need to.”

“There are other ways to cool off,” Marco said slyly. “Shedding clothes is always my favorite.”

I shot him a mock glower. He grinned back, looking more like his usual self. At least that part of my plan was working.

“Actually,” he said with a tug of my hand, “I think I have just the thing to convince you...”

We ducked through a passage formed by an arching bush and came out on the edge of a manufactured pond. Water burbled into it from a spout at one end. The walls and base were painted brown to look like soil and the vegetation grew right up to the edges, but the water was crystal clear. And it looked delightfully inviting.

“Hmm,” I said. “You make a compelling case.”

“I’m going in even if you’re not,” Marco replied, still grinning. He stripped off his shirt in a single movement and undid his pants. Damn. The casual air with which shifter guys got naked was starting to seem normal to me, but it was still fucking hot. In the best possible way.

And I was still hot, in a not-so-great way, standing here in my clothes. It wasn’t as if Marco hadn’t seen me naked a dozen times already.

I yanked off the cotton dress I’d managed to find among the fancier offerings in my wardrobes. Marco made an approving sound and leapt into the pool. A little of the spray dappled my skin as I wriggled out of my panties. The droplets felt so beautifully cool that I didn’t stop to test the water. I just plunged right in after him.

The pond was deep enough that my head went under before my feet touched the bottom. I pushed myself back to the surface, reveling in the rush of the water against my skin. I’d never actually gone skinny-dipping before. Now I was thinking I’d need to make a habit of it.

I flipped my wet hair back from my face. Marco beamed at me, his own hair shining like black ink.

“There are ledges along the banks,” he said. “If you get tired of treading water.”

“I think my legs can handle a little treading.”

“Hmm. Just be careful of the eels.”

“What?” I jerked up, peering into the water below me.

Marco cracked up. “I’m teasing, Princess. I solemnly swear the entire estate is eel free.”

“You...” I couldn’t find the words to express what I thought of that joke, but that was fine. I had a whole pool of water to work with. I aimed a splash right at his face.

Marco’s eyes gleamed. “Are you sure you want to go there? Don’t start a battle you’re not prepared to lose.”

“Big talk from a wet cat,” I retorted, and splashed him again for good measure.

He wiped his face with a playful growl. “You asked for it.”

Instead of splashing me back, he sprang at me. I squealed and dove out of the way. I managed to get in one more splash before he caught me by the waist. With his other arm, he scooped up a heap of water and dropped it right over me.

I shook my head, sputtering a laugh, and squirmed out of his grasp. The kick of my legs sent a good spray back at him. Then Marco snatched my ankle. “Hey!” I protested as he reeled me in.

“Look what I caught,” he teased. “A rare dragon fish.”

In a stunning show of maturity, I stuck my tongue out at him and kicked up another wave with my other leg. Marco tugged my ankle past him, surging forward at the same moment to grab my wrists. He pinned them gently against the side of the pool. “That’s enough of that.”

My feet came to rest on one of those ledges he’d mentioned. “You’re no fun,” I told him.

“Oh,” he said, his voice dipping lower as he eased closer, “you have no idea how much fun I can be.”

I snapped into sudden awareness of the rest of his body, just inches from mine in the water. His very naked body. My very naked body ached with the longing for him to cross those last few inches. I held his gaze, warmed by the heat in his indigo eyes.

“I don’t know,” I said, my own voice dropping. “I think I’ve gotten a pretty good idea. But you’re always welcome to give me another demonstration.”

“A very tempting invitation,” he murmured.

He bent his head, and I tipped mine to meet his kiss. His mouth was slick and hot, demanding enough to send a tremor of desire through me. I wanted to touch him, to run my hands over that sleekly muscled body and pull it against mine, but he held himself away from me and kept my wrists locked in place. All I could focus on was the kiss.

His tongue slid into my mouth, and mine rose to tangle with it. A needy whimper crept up my throat as the kiss deepened. I was drowning in it, in the faintly spicy taste of him, in the craving for more.

Marco released my mouth to trail his lips down my neck. My eyelids fluttered open. My gaze caught on a stark red mark that ran from behind his ear down the base of his scalp. I winced, my heart stuttering with an emotion that had nothing to do with arousal.

Marco pulled back. “What’s the matter?” he asked, his eyes concerned. His grip on my wrists loosened.

I drew back one of my hands to touch the side of his neck. My thumb traced over the fresh scar. “I didn’t realize Julius got you here.” So close to his throat.

“It doesn’t really matter, does it?” Marco said lightly. “I’m the one who got him in the end.”

“I know.” But the fear I’d felt during their fight echoed through me. “I hated watching the two of you,” I said in a small voice. “Every time he hurt you, I felt it too. You have no idea how much I wanted to leap in there and go dragon ballistic on his ass.”

I finished that sentence with a growl. Marco smiled. “That would have been a sight to see. Maybe you’ll still get a chance, the way things are going.”

I didn’t want to think about that—about the rogues and the threat still looming over us. That huge problem would be right there waiting for us when we left the greenhouse. For now…

Lowering my head, I pressed my lips against the scar. Marco’s breath hitched. His heart thumped under my hand where it rested against his chest. I kissed every inch of the ruddy line that had been just a hair’s breadth from a fatal wound.

A light that was almost wild shimmered in Marco’s eyes when I drew back. He leaned in, close enough that his nose brushed mine. His voice came out slow and almost choked.

“I meant what I said before. About wanting you more than I want to be alpha. When I was facing him, that was all I thought about. Beating him so I could stay your mate. Being able to kiss you again. Being able to laugh with you again.” He paused, pulling back again so he could meet my gaze. “My Princess of Flames. My Serenity. My dragon shifter. No matter what else happens, there’s never going to be anyone else for me. I love you, Ren.”

My throat had gone tight. Emotion swelled in my chest, bright and heady. “I love you too,” I said without even needing to think about it. It was almost a relief to say it. God, why hadn’t I already, to all of the guys? I needed to, more. All of the time. Until they couldn’t possibly forget it. Because it was true. In the midst of all the chaos, I’d fallen for them with every bit of my heart.

The same rush of feeling flowed back to me from everywhere Marco and I touched. He grinned at me, so brilliantly I almost lost my breath. He moved as if to kiss me again, but at the same moment voices carried from the other end of the greenhouse.

“What do you think, trees or ground?”

“Why not both? I could use a good run.”

Shit. Of course, all the feline kin had free run of this place. I grimaced, and Marco shook his head, his smile turning wry. I was getting used to all the shifters seeing me unclothed, but I wasn’t exactly keen to make this private moment with my mate suddenly public.

“When they see us together, they’ll probably leave,” Marco murmured.

A crazy idea lit in my head. One that would at least skip the seeing us part. And maybe would restore a little more of Marco’s reputation with his kin. A mischievous smile crossed my lips. Marco raised his eyebrows, and I pressed a finger to his mouth to tell him to keep quiet. Then I raised my voice.

“Oh, Marco! Yes, just like that. Mmm, don’t stop!”

The corners of Marco’s eyes crinkled as he suppressed his amusement. The intruders’ conversation fell silent. I threw in a loud moan for good measure. “Oh, yes. Give it to me hard! You’re so good!”

There was a brief rustling, and then the thud of the door closing. Marco tipped his head next to mine, his shoulders quaking with muted laughter. A snicker slipped out of my mouth. We both burst into giggles.

I swiped the tears of amusement from my eyes. “How long do you think it’ll be before they dare set foot in here again?”

“They’ll probably wait until I’m halfway across the country,” Marco said. “You’re lucky they didn’t happen to be eager voyeurs.”

“Oh, I’m sure I could have come up with something else in that case.”

His eyebrows shot back up. “Now I’m sorry I missed the opportunity to see that.”

“Too bad for you.” Or maybe not. His arm had come to rest just below my breasts. Our legs had intertwined on the ledge. My heart skipped, with nothing but desire now. “What do you think? Can you make me sound like that for real?”

Marco’s gaze started to smolder. “I think I’m up to that challenge. Is that what you want, Princess?”

It was. In that moment, when he looked at me like that, there was nothing I wanted more.

“I want you,” I said, low but clear. “All of you. Marco, will you take me as your mate?”

A guttural sound escaped him, and then he was kissing me again, with so much passion it set my body on fire. I gripped his shoulder with one hand, the other trailing down over the muscles I’d so longed to explore earlier. The water lapped around us as we claimed each other’s mouths completely.

Marco brought his palms to my breasts, circling the heels of his hands against my nipples. The water teased them even harder between each of his caresses. I moaned against his mouth, arcing into his touch. He took the opportunity to tangle his tongue around mine. We dueled and devoured each other as his hands dipped. When he pinched my nipples between his thumb and forefinger, a spark of stark pleasure shot straight down to my core.

I gasped, my hips bucking against him. The hard length of his erection brushed my core, making me twice as hungry in an instant. He left my breasts to grip my thighs and pull me to him. His cock settled against my clit. I shuddered with pleasure as he rocked his hips, inflaming me more with every stroke.

“The answer is yes,” he muttered. “In case there was any doubt about that.” Then his mouth caught mine again. I floated on the bliss racing all through my body, but my sex throbbed with a deeper need.

I reached between us to curl my fingers around his cock. Marco hummed happily as I slid them up and down. I lifted my hips, offering myself to him, and his chest hitched again.

He pulled back from our kiss to meet my eyes. A question shone in his. As if I hadn’t already made myself clear enough.

“Please,” I said, drawing him forward.

He pressed me harder against the wall as he eased his cock into me inch by glorious inch. I clutched at him, resisting the urge to buck against him like a wild woman, no matter how much I wanted him all the way in, now. The thrilling burn radiated from my core through every nerve. He kissed the corner of my jaw as he plunged all the way to the hilt. His breath spilled hot down my neck.

“Oh, God, Princess,” he groaned. “So fucking beautiful.”

I panted, lost in my need for him. “Less talking, more fucking.”

He chuckled roughly and started moving. With each thrust, my body trembled more, clamoring for release. Our bond flared between us with a rush of bliss that left me breathless. I pumped my hips in time with his rhythm, whimpering as he pushed even deeper.

“I don’t have you screaming my name yet,” he murmured. “That’s what you asked for, isn’t it?”

“This is good,” I said raggedly. “This is—oh!”

He adjusted the angle of my hips with his next thrust. His cock pressed against that sensitive spot inside me with one long stroke. I quaked with the sensation, ecstasy blurring my vision.

Marco picked up his pace, hitting that spot with a heady caress every time. I moaned, my head falling back. “God. Right there. Don’t stop.”

His chuckle was lost in another groan. He plunged into me once, twice more, and that was enough to send me spinning over my peak. I cried out, loud enough that the whole room probably could have heard it if I hadn’t already scared everyone else away.

Marco’s lips collided with mine. I kissed him through the bursts of sparks going off behind my eyes. Then with a shudder he followed me over, spilling himself inside me.

He rocked to a stop, letting me ride out the aftershock. I hugged him, shivering with bliss. “Now that’s my princess,” he said softly. His arms came around me, returning my embrace.

I tucked my head against his shoulder, overwhelmed by more feeling than I could blame on the sex. “And this is my mate,” I whispered back.

He kissed my cheek, running his fingers over my hair. I nestled closer to him. How much longer could we stay here? It had become such a beautiful escape.

Marco tipped back my head to claim my lips again. The kiss started out gentle, but as I returned it, fresh desire stirred inside me. He made an approving sound as I kissed him more deeply.

I was just thinking we might go for a second round—to make up for lost time and all—when a clatter carried through the greenhouse walls.

We both froze, ears perking. For a second, there was nothing. Then the air split with the boom of a gunshot.