Sofia had never been the impulsive type. She thought things through carefully, with brutally rational logic. Acting on emotions wasn’t a smart idea for a spy, and so Sofia had trained herself to stuff her emotions down and survive on reason alone.
Until now.
Perhaps she was overwhelmed with relief at the fact that she’d managed to escape death so narrowly at the hands of Vincent. Or perhaps she was angry at the High Council for not sending someone to rescue her right away. That was, after all, the obvious conclusion she had to draw from the fact that Leif had not been sent by the High Council. He’d shown up here alone, and no one else had come yet. Sofia shouldn’t have been surprised, since the High Council almost always took an obscenely long amount of time to make a decision. She shouldn’t take it personally, and yet she did. They’d wasted time deliberating over what to do, and that wasted time would have cost her her life if Leif hadn’t defied them to show up here.
So here Sofia was, high on the mere fact of being alive, filled with the need to rebel against the High Council, and undeniably attracted to the gorgeous dragon shifter who had ignored the High Council to rescue her. The cocktail of emotions was too much for Sofia, and she gave in.
She kissed Leif.
She should have known that giving in to her desire for him would only kindle that desire more. As soon as her lips touched his, fire shot through her body like a bolt of lightning. Leif had seemed surprised by the kiss for a split-second, but then, he had given in to it. One might even say he had taken control of the situation. He wrapped his arms around her and slipped his tongue past her lips. He pulled her down onto the ground with him, so that they lay with their limbs entwined and their tongues dancing. Sofia could not believe that they’d gone from presumably hating each other to making out furiously in the span of less than a day, but she didn’t want to think rationally about what they were doing right now, or whether it was a good idea. She just wanted to experience it, and soak in the wonder of the moment.
And how wonderful the moment was. As Sofia let go of all logic, all reason, she was overcome with a pure, primal desire like she had never known. She forgot to worry about Vincent and the Dark Warriors. She forgot her frustration with the High Council. She even forgot to wonder whether being so physical with a man she barely knew was a good idea. All she knew was that she had never felt so attracted to anyone in her life, and, for once, she was going to act on what her heart wanted, not her head.
She let her worries and hesitations slip away as Leif wrapped his arms tighter around her. He was already naked, since he’d just shifted back to human form after using his dragon to save her. Sofia knew shifters were never fazed by being naked in front of other people, so she’d tried not to act like anything was out of the ordinary the whole time they’d been talking. But she hadn’t been able to keep from glancing across his entire body. At first, it had been pure curiosity. But that curiosity had quickly turned to lust. How could it not, when she was looking at a body as magnificent as Leif’s? Not only was he tall, with a broad chest and shoulders, but every part of him was toned and muscular. His leg and arm muscles were thick and sculpted, and his abs formed a perfect six pack. And how could she ignore what was between his legs? It was larger than anything she’d ever seen, and she’d had to make a conscious effort not to stare at it longingly.
She wasn’t sure why the impulse to kiss him had overtaken her so suddenly, but she was glad that it had. If she’d stop to think about it too much, she would have pulled back, and then she would have missed out on the thrill she was experiencing right now. Leif held her tightly, as though he was afraid she would float away if he loosened his grip on her. The strength of his arms filled her with a sense of comfort. The last few months had been lonely. Sofia hadn’t been able to be herself around anyone, and she had felt like an island amidst a sea of people. Now, there was no more pretense. There was no more pretending. There was only her and Leif, drowning in desire for each other.
Sofia let the warmth of Leif’s body wash over her. His tongue felt like a firecracker in her mouth, setting off sparks that sent tingles across her whole body. His hands rubbed against her back, then her breasts, then her ass. It was as though he wanted to drink up the very feel of her. She felt a hot pressure building in her core, and she could feel herself growing wetter between her legs with every passing moment.
This is crazy, her mind screamed at her. You were enemies just a day ago. You don’t know him. You’re in the middle of a forest.
None of it mattered. For once, all that Sofia cared about was how she felt. And in his arms, she felt like more of a woman than she ever had before. She didn’t even consider stopping him when he reached for the buttons on her shirt and started unfastening them. Instead, she closed her eyes and relished the feel of his fingers brushing against her skin as he tenderly pushed the shirt back. He kept going, reaching for the clasp of her bra, then the button of her pants and the edge of her simple black panties. He never broke their kiss as he undressed her. He was hungry yet tender. Confident yet gentle. A perfect mix of strong and sweet.
Sofia could feel the ground beneath her naked skin now, but it didn’t feel cold as it had before. It felt warm and soft under the heat of their passion. In fact, even though she should have been shivering in the November air, she felt as warm as if it were a midsummer day. Her passion for Leif was burning her up from the inside.
Leif rolled her onto her back, and she felt strangely secure with the strength of the earth beneath her. She couldn’t have said how, but she had a sense in that moment that the very fabric of the world had woven itself together in a specific way to bring her and Leif together, here and now. He hovered over her, his eyes on fire as he gazed back at her. Sofia felt her breath coming faster, and the hot wetness of desire seeping more quickly from between her legs. Leif was the man who had saved her life. He was her destiny. The rational side of Sofia had long since given up trying to convince her that this was a bad idea. What woman in her right mind would want to resist the strong dragon who had rescued her?
Leif looked at her for what felt like an eternity, even though it was probably only about fifteen seconds in reality. His emerald eyes burned and seemed to swirl, and Sofia lost herself in them. She wanted to cry out to him, to beg him to take her. But no words would come. No words were needed, though. With their eyes locked, the rest of the world seemed to fade away. The past and the future had no bearing on this moment. Here, in this moment, they were together, united in their irrational and yet all-consuming desire for each other. All they had to do was give in to the fire, and they would both be changed forever. Sofia couldn’t have explained how she knew that, but her heart told her that this was no ordinary moment of passion. It was fate.
Leif seemed to agree. He threw back his head and roared, a deep growl that came from the very depths of his soul. And then, he gave in to his hunger. He slammed into her with authority, and Sofia’s mouth flew open in disbelief as he filled her. His stiff, thick shaft pushed against her inner walls and the pressure in her core instantly rose to an almost unbearable level. She felt his fire spreading across her body even hotter than before. Tingling flames traveled from between her legs to her head, her arms, and all the way down to her feet. He was consuming her, burning her up from the inside, and she had never felt so alive.
He moved in her, sliding back and forth as he thrust his hips against her hips, and the motion pushed against the tingling pressure that Sofia was barely containing within her. She squeezed her eyes shut, drinking in every second of the bliss. She fought against the release that wanted to claim her. She was determined to drag out this perfect moment as long as she possibly could.
But when Leif bent his head to take her nipples in his mouth, it was more ecstasy than she could take. She arched her back instinctively, pushing her hips up against his as she screamed and gave in. Her release crashed over her in violent, unrelenting waves. She thrashed beneath him as her body pulsed and spasmed, clenching hungrily around him and drinking in his fire. He roared again, and then joined her in riding the waves of sweet release. He stiffened and thrust one last time, even deeper than he had before. Then he pulsed and came into her.
They were joined in that moment. Sofia felt like her very skin was glowing, and she continued to tremble as the waves of pleasure slowly subsided. He held himself there inside her for a long time, and she kept her eyes closed, concentrating on the feel of his thick shaft pressed against her inner walls, wishing they never had to separate.
When finally he did pull out, he lay next to her on the ground and wrapped his arms around her. They were both too spent for words. And what was there to say right now, anyway? They had said everything there was to say with their bodies. The moment had been wildly impulsive, and Sofia had a dull sense that she would be horrified by her own reckless actions once reality set back in. But for this brief, sweet instant, reality could wait.
All she wanted was to lie here forever, feeling happier and more complete than she ever had before.