Jazz sat on a small ledge, her bare feet dangling in the cool, crisp water. Damien’s mouth pooled with saliva over the extreme sexiness of the scene. For the longest time, he’d thought he’d gotten over her. That the passing years apart had cured him of his insane obsession of this girl, but he’d been wrong. If anything, he wanted her now more than ever. 

In all the time they’d dated, they’d never had sex. Jazz had claimed she wanted to be pure on her wedding night, of course that’s when she dreamed of the two of them being together forever. 

Damien had similar fantasies, but they’d all died the night she’d been violently ripped from his arms. He remembered the events so clearly it was almost as if it had happened yesterday.

After his father’s guards seized Jazz and dragged her away from Damien, he’d turned on his father with murder on his mind. He’d gotten a few good blows in on the old man before the guards subdued him, but his father’s bloody lip and bruised jaw managed to calm him some. 

He’d then gone in search of Jazz, only to learn she’d quickly been whisked away. He’d seen the corpses of her parents and he’d hurt for her. His father had made it abundantly clear that the Prince Heir would never see the betrayers’ daughter again. And the ruthless Dragon had been true to his word. 

Which was why Damien couldn’t grasp the reality of seeing her in person again. 

“You wanted to talk,” Jazz quipped. “So talk.”

Damien’s heart lurched once at the naughty thought that blossomed. He wanted much more than to merely talk. He wanted her. He craved her. And now that he was Crown Prince, he would damn well have her. 

He abandoned all pretenses and stalked toward her with a dangerous glint in his eyes. She had only seconds to register his intent but failed to head him off. He pounced her on the ledge, her beautiful legs still dangling over the edge of the moss-covered rock. 

Grabbing her by her healthy thighs, he spun her around and began tearing at her shorts. He called upon his inner dragon and used the elongated talons to rip the cotton material to shreds. Momentarily caught off-guard by the slip of pink lace shielding her womanly curls, he bent forward and liberated her of them by the nip of fangs. 

Once she lay bared from the waist down, he buried his face in her brunette bush and used his tongue to find her bud. He took the flesh between his teeth and quickly flicked his tongue across it, teasing a squeal from her. She buried her hands in his thick, black hair and immediately pushed at his head. 

But he refused to relent. Using his tongue, he laved at the juices flowing from her sweet spot and moaned deep in his throat. She tasted like the finest honey, fresh from the hive. 

“Damien!” she insisted, still pushing at him. 

He pulled away from her wet mound and licked his lips free of her juices. 

“You want me to stop?” he teased. 

She wiggled her plump ass in response and pulled at his head. 

“No, I want you inside me,” she snapped. “Now, Damien!” 

“Whatever the lady wants,” Damien yielded. “I’m all for giving you exactly what you need.” He released her hips and moved sinuously up her body, making sure to brush as tightly against her as humanly possible. 

Reaching down, he unclasped his shorts and made quick work of taking them off and tossing them to God knew where. His long, healthy shaft was ramrod straight, pulsing with a want and need untended in many, many years. He didn’t want her to know he was still a virgin; that he’d saved himself for his wedding night as well. He never wanted another woman the way he’d wanted her. Now, he would have her. 

With one quick thrust of his hips, his cock pushed past the dewy softness of her womanly lips, dragging a moan of ecstasy from both of them. She felt like heaven, hell and everything in between. Erotic, hot, moist and absolutely to die for. Her inner muscles clenched, working him from the inside. He pulled out and thrust back in with more force and in response she wrapped her legs around his waist and pulled at his ass with her heels. 

“More,” she panted. “Give me more.” More than eager to please her, he grabbed her plump ass and shoved himself as far into her as he could. Her murmurs of approval told him he was on the right track, so he kept pumping into her as quickly as he could. 

Leaning down, he nipped at her neck with his blunt teeth. His tongue snaked out to lavish the rake marks. When it wasn’t enough, he scored her tender flesh with his blunt, human teeth and moaned as her blood rushed into his mouth. He refused to pause long enough and consider the ramifications of what he’d done. 

She bucked her hips, pulling his thoughts back to the more carnal event, her body meeting him thrust for thrust until both of them had reached that celestial peak. Their orgasms came at the same time and each screamed the others name, their voices mingling and echoing throughout the tropical atmosphere.  

Damien loosened his grip on her ass cheeks and collapsed on top of her, covering her sweat-sheened skin with his own. They both still wore their shirts, but it didn’t matter. He’d finally taken the woman his love. Although he’d drank from her, he hadn’t officially mated her, but they had nothing but time. He buried his face in the crook of her neck and sighed in contentment. He finally had his mate in his arms and he’d never again let her go. Not while he drew breath. He meant to make her his Princess and nobody would dare stop him. 

Jazz kept her arms wrapped snugly around Damien’s neck. She breathed slowly, willing her racing heart to slow down. For years she’d fantasized about being with him and now that it had finally happened, she didn’t know whether she felt satisfied or scared. Questions - so many ugly questions - filled her mind. Why had he come? Who was he taking as a mate? Why make love to her when he was on the cusp of marriage?

Had he come to finally tell her ‘goodbye?’

Suddenly a strange sensation in the pit of her stomach interrupted the whirling thoughts. In her mind’s eye she saw the tiny bud of light illuminate. Fitted safely within her womb, she saw the conception of her and Damien’s child like a new bud, loosening in its long journey to completeness. The revelation hit her like a freight train at full speed. She was pregnant. With one beautiful - yet careless - act, she’d potentially endangered all of their futures. The Prince’s new mate wouldn’t stand for another Dragoness carrying the Prince’s child. 

She shoved him off her and scrambled to her feet. Searching for her underwear and shorts, she gasped when she saw what he’d done to the latter. They were destroyed. She’d have to slink home in nothing but her shirt and panties. Hopefully Sera wouldn’t be around or she’d never hear the end of it. 

Mimicking her actions, Damien located his own clothing and hurriedly redressed. He wore a confused expression, but Jazz didn’t pause to explain. She couldn’t tell him. Not when he was on the verge of starting a new life. He’d feel obligated to marry her and she wouldn’t be a bride of circumstance; no matter how much she loved him and yearned for him. She refused to trap him. 

“Jazz?” he called softly as she headed toward the elephant ears. “What’s wrong?”

She stopped but didn’t turn to face him. She knew that one glance into his moss green eyes and she’d spill her soul at his feet. He’d filled out very nicely in the time they’d been apart. Whereas he’d once been a tall, gangly teen-aged boy, he now wore muscles like most men wore their clothes. 

His broad shoulders flowed down to firm, rock-solid pecs and God, don’t get her started on the eight-pack abs that led to narrow hips. His long legs had filled out as well and she marveled at the mere strength he’d shown while he’d taken her so forcefully. 

Forcefully and completely. 

God, she felt the warmth of his seed as it slipped from her body and ran down her legs. No matter how badly she wanted to hate him, her body still reacted at being so close to him. Every ounce of her body told her to turn around and mount him like the stallion he was, but her hand automatically went to her stomach and she sobbed lightly. 

“I can’t,” she whispered. “Damien, I can’t talk to you right now,” she informed him a bit louder. 

“Alright,” he conceded and she heard the disappointment in his voice. “I’ll come by Sera’s later this evening.” She heard his footfalls as he moved closer to her. He closed the distance until they stood back to chest. He leaned down and she shivered when his warm breath brushed across her exposed neck and ear. 

“You will talk to me then,” he ordered. “I won’t take ‘no’ for an answer.”

She felt a brush of wind and knew he was gone. Chancing a quick peek over her shoulder, she sighed in relief when she saw that she was indeed alone. She immediately felt his absence like a hole in her heart. Wrapping her arms around her middle, she collapsed to the ground and wept with all the sorrow she’d bottled deeply inside her.