Aimee
“Thank you for a wonderful evening, even if the limousine did break down, forcing us to walk through the snow, ruining my new shoes.” He held his hand in hers as they exited the elevator and turned down the hallway.
She didn’t recall at what point they’d graduated to doing so full-time, but it didn’t matter now as he walked her up to her door. His fingers were linked through hers, and it felt natural.
Rhys stopped her several steps shy of the door itself, holding her hand while standing awkwardly in the hallway of her rundown apartment building. If this wasn’t romance, she didn’t know what was! Low lighting courtesy of cheap bulbs, paint peeling in spots all over, and the lovely scent of well-used carpet threatening to overpower both her perfume and his cologne.
He was wearing cologne, she’d discovered at one point. The smell had rushed into her nostrils and forced her to double dip, sniffing deep as she smiled happily at the pleasant aroma.
Rhys was looking around as well. “This isn’t quite what I wanted,” he admitted. “Does it smell to you?”
She grinned. “Yeah, it always does.” Leaning in, she inhaled through her nose. “But that helps keep it out.”
“But how long does it last?”
Aimee crinkled her nose. “Not as long as I want? Thankfully though I have unlimited refills.”
Swaying closer to him, she went to test his cologne again. Rhys was ready for her though, and even as her eyes naturally closed she felt his free hand slip under her jaw and tilt her head backward. She froze in shock at the smoothness of the move, which allowed him to kiss her.
Electricity burst through her core the instant his lips touched hers.
“Ow!” she yelped, pulling back. “That hurt!”
“I’m sorry,” he apologized, his upper lip twitching as well. “I didn’t mean for that to happen.”
She’d hoped for sparks between them whenever they kissed, but she hadn’t meant literally! The static buildup was terrible, and had just ruined an incredibly romantic moment.
“Did that hurt?” he asked, stepping closer.
She nodded. “It wasn’t pleasant.”
“This part of the evening is quickly going from delightful to disaster, isn’t it?”
Aimee couldn’t stop the smile from reappearing on her face. “Yeah, you’re bombing it, and bombing it bad, to be honest. But like, in a good way.”
He made a face. “How is ending the night on one sour note after another doing so in a good way?”
“Because none of it is really your fault? You didn’t break the car, and you did offer to carry me. I’m just too stubborn, and the dress would reveal far too much. Plus I chose to live here, and it’s winter—static shock happens.”
“Is there any way I can make it up to you?” he asked, looked strained as his masterfully orchestrated evening fell apart around him.
Aimee decided to take pity on him and give him another chance.
“You can kiss it all better?” she suggested, looking up at him through her eyelashes as she tapped her lower lip gently, letting it curl over into a little pout.
Rhys’s grin could have lit up the shadowy hallway it was so bright. For just that instant he was no longer the big, bad, scary dragon shifter with ultra composure and terrifying power. Instead he was just a guy who had been granted a second chance with a girl he was interested in.
Aimee didn’t know it then, but she would look back on that moment as the instant that she fell in love with him.
Right then and there though she was too busy trying to figure out a way to breathe as Rhys finally kissed her, and nothing went wrong. She arched as he moved into her, his strong hands on her back, fingers splayed wide across her exposed skin as he held her tight. Soft, full lips pressed into her, his stubbled beard rubbing gently across her chin as their mouths moved in time.
The only electricity she felt now was the constant tingle of excitement that was growing in her center, threatening to spill out to the rest of her body. Thudding sounded in her ears as her heart sped up, pumping blood through her body. She felt her cheeks burn slightly with a reddish flush as their kiss deepened in the middle of her hallway.
Behind them a bulb fizzled and blinked, but neither noticed, they were so thoroughly enraptured with each other.
Rhys’s hand slid lower and he suddenly pulled her close without warning, the last inches of space between them evaporating as they pressed together. She could feel the satin of his black suit as it rubbed against her exposed skin, goosebumps rising as her skin tightened at its softness.
After what seemed like an eternity later he pulled away. His blue eyes were still locked firmly upon her, even as he slipped one hand down her side to grab her hand, holding it out between them as the gap grew from nothing to nearly a foot.
“Thank you for the evening,” he said formally. “I had an excellent time. Perhaps we can do it again relatively soon?”
Holy shit. Was he pulling back and not trying to force himself on her? It certainly seemed that way.
“I would like that,” she told him, trying to ignore the desires that had awakened at his kiss, thinking it would be too soon to give in to them. He was giving her an out, and she should take it!
“Good.” He lifted her hand to his mouth, pressing his lips to the back of it in a manner that made the hairs on her arm stand on end.
Aimee smiled and walked the last few steps to her door under his watchful eye, the two of them trading repeated glances as she opened it. She hesitated before closing the door, but eventually she let it click shut while she rested the back of her head against the wall.
It was getting harder for her to resist inviting him. Of course, maybe he was waiting for her to do so, since as far as she was aware, he was staying with her. It would be really awkward of her to just lock him out if that were the case.
She turned around and pulled the door open to ask him what he was intending, only to gasp as he was now in front of the door.
“You startled me,” she said, momentarily out of breath. “I didn’t hear you come closer.”
“We dragons are suuuuper stealthy,” he drawled.
Aimee rolled her eyes. “I’ve seen you in your other form, bigfoot, and trust me, you are nothing close to stealthy.”
“Pretty sure I sneaked up on you,” he shot back, sticking out his tongue.
Aimee didn’t respond with words, just glared at him as she stood in the doorway.
“Are you doing the whole ‘don’t move he might not see me’ routine again?” he teased.
Her face had to have lit up like a spotlight if the burning in her cheeks was any indication. “That was a cheap shot,” she said grumpily. “Now, are you staying somewhere else or on the couch?”
He grinned. “Umm, as awkward as it is, can I use your couch again?”
“You just keep unravelling this night,” she teased, finding her stride again as she stepped back to let him in.
“Maybe,” he agreed. “But I could feel your pulse when I was kissing you.”
She froze.
“And I can feel it again now,” he said, taking her wrist.
Aimee forced herself to swallow through the dryness, licking her lips nervously. She hadn’t expected things to heat up again. His hand was causing a jumpy flutter of her heartbeat, even as it raced along like a runaway freight train.
This was moving too fast.
That’s the thought she knew should be going through her mind, prompting her to slow things down so they could take their time. It was normal, natural even, to be turned on by someone, but she liked to wait a little longer before hopping into bed with them. So where had her restraint gone? It had clearly abandoned her when it came to Rhys, but she couldn’t figure out why.
He stepped closer, his twin azure circles staring down at her from above, unfazed by the fact she was wearing heels. The sharp jaw that was right off of a statue was so close, she could almost reach out and touch it.
Or I could just, you know, actually touch it, she thought to herself as her fingers started to caress him. Next thing you know I’m going to kiss him again.
Her fingers tightened and pulled his head down to hers so she could taste him once more.
I give up.
She inhaled sharply as he picked her up and twirled her around, the floor-length dress billowing out around her feet as they spun. Aimee felt weightless in his arms. Not only did she feel like she was flying, but Aimee, for the first time in a long time, was feeling like she was fragile and dainty. Like a woman.
Perhaps it was ultra-stereotypical of her, but screw it. Deep down she’d always wanted a fairytale romance where the big strapping hero stepped in and swept her off her feet, making her swoon.
And now she was getting it, she thought, her head beginning to spin as he dipped her and kissed her again. She was swooning… that was actually happening.
The next thing she knew they were falling into the bed, her dress collapsing into a puddle on the floor while his suit flicked up and over the door to hang in place. Aimee couldn’t believe what was about to happen.
She gasped as he turned around from removing everything but his boxers. “Oh. My. God.”
Aimee and her team were in good shape. They worked out daily, and adhered to a fairly rigid eating plan as well. It was necessary for the job, and provided them with the best chances of a successful rescue, something that was important to all. She’d seen the boys in the buff; it was just a fact of the job. They were muscular and fit. Possibly even once or twice she’d actually admired their physique, during a particularly dry spell.
But Rhys put them all to shame in as painful a way as you could imagine. She was quite positive that his muscles had muscles, which were really just composed of even more ripped muscles. His body quite literally rippled as he came to a halt.
His everything was taut and tight. Forearms, biceps, his shoulders bulged outward. His chest was shredded, and oh, those abs. She wanted to wash her clothes on them. While she was still dressed!
Delicious perfection was the phrase she chose to use to describe him as he stood clad in a pair of black boxers that he’d probably gotten at the same time as the suit.
“Is there a problem?”
“Yes,” she said, nodding absently as her gaze traveled down his body.
“Really?”
“Yeah. A half-naked man in black socks is an awkward sight to behold.”
The words hadn’t finished leaving her mouth before they flew across the room, landing somewhere out of sight.
“How about now?”
“Well, there’s still the…”
His boxers joined them.
“Wow.”
Her eyes were unabashedly fixed on his cock. A particularly depraved part of her mind had been interested in seeing this view since early on. Now that she had it, Aimee knew her imagination had been lacking. It was better than she could have hoped.
“Is it my turn now?” he asked, one side of his mouth curling up.
“My dress is over there,” she started to say while looking down. “Oh fuck me! What the hell. This is so embarrassing,” she muttered while ripping the pasties off her nipples. “Ow! Dammit, stupid tape.”
She was so caught up in her cursing she almost missed Rhys murmur the words, “I intend to.”
Almost.
“Do you now?” she asked, trying to regain her sexy voice and pose now that she was clad in only a black, see-through lace thong and heels.
“Unless you say otherwise, yes.” His voice deepened as he spoke, his desire finally starting to leak through.
“I suppose you’d better come over here and take these off then.” She pulled out the band to her underwear, intending to snap it against her skin.
It broke in her hand and fell to the ground.
“Are you kidding me! Those were expensive.” Looking up at him, now completely naked, she sighed, crossing her arms in front of her. “I am not any good at this sexy thing. I’m sorry. It’s just not me.”
He frowned, then waved his hand up and down in front of her face as if trying to get her attention. Then he pointed down. Her eyes traveled across his gorgeously defined torso until they saw what he was indicating.
“I think you are absolutely stunning,” he rumbled, stepping forward, his hardness causing his shaft to sway from side to side.
“You’re just saying that because I’m naked,” she pouted, only half-faking it. Her ego had taken a real bruise the past few minutes as she tried over and over again to be seductive, only to have it fail.
“I mean, it certainly helps,” he agreed jokingly. “But look at it this way.”
She reluctantly let her arms drop as he pulled them away from her small chest. “What way?”
“It’s about time you bombed spectacularly.”
Despite herself she giggled. Rhys saw his moment and he took it, sweeping her off her feet once more and laying her back onto the bed as he climbed on top.
“You won’t need these,” he said, sliding a hand down her leg and slipping off one shoe before repeating it with the other leg.
They kissed some more, and as he lowered himself over the top of her, Aimee’s body reacted positively to the pressure of him against her opening as he rested there carefully.
“You don’t need to put so much pressure on yourself to be ‘sexy,’” he said, emphasizing the word so she could visualize the quotes around it.
“But I want to be,” she said, her head rocking back as he kissed her neck and the top of her chest. “Mmm, that’s nice.”
“You can be sexy, but without having to try so hard.”
“How?” she hissed as his finger slid between her legs and teased at her.
“What do you want right now?”
“To have sex.”
He dipped his finger a little lower, using some of her own wetness to slide easier across her skin. “And what does sex involve?”
“You inside me?” she asked with a frown.
“Exactly. So tell me what you want, but say it differently this time,” he growled, his finger lifting away from her.
She whimpered as he stopped.
“Say it.”
“I want you inside of me,” she said, knowing now what he was getting at.
His finger returned, quickly increasing in speed and even a bit in pressure.
“What is this going to do?” he said, biting down gently on her earlobe.
“I’m going to come,” she moaned, leaning forward to bite down on his shoulder as he arched over her to kiss the other side of her neck. “Don’t stop.”
He didn’t. A few minutes later she gasped and her body convulsed as her core tightened, the pressure between her legs building to an incredible level in the span of a second before exploding out through her body. Her fingers dug deep into his back as she arched, her cries filling the room and probably seeping through the paper-thin walls into her neighbors’ apartment.
That was the least of her worries however, as before she was even finished with her orgasm Rhys began to push inside of her.
“Oh fuck yesss,” she hissed as he entered her. She felt herself spread to accommodate his girth, knowing it would only continue until he was entirely inside of her. “Take me,” she moaned, not caring if her neighbors heard. If they hadn’t yet, they were going to in a minute.
“Take me now.”