Chapter Nine
Esther
His lips were hot, hungry, drawing her in. She wanted him to consume her. Wanted to consume him right back. She thrust her hips forward, grinding against him. When he teased open her mouth, she thrust her tongue into his. Heat pooled in her core and even though there was a small voice in the back of her mind telling her to stop, she didn’t want to. Every inch of her body screamed out for his, to be completed together as one.
Then she remembered the way he had been so shamelessly flirting with Kayla and she ripped herself out of his arms. Her hand flew, smacking him hard, and then both covered her mouth. What the hell was wrong with her?
“I’m sorry!” she gasped.
“Hey.” He rubbed his cheek. “What was with that?”
“I’m sorry, I didn’t think…”
“I gave you time to pull back. And you kissed me back. So right now, I need an answer. A yes or a no. None of this kissing and then hitting me.” He narrowed his eyes. “I get you’re mad and upset but that doesn’t mean that you get to just beat up on me.”
“I’m sorry.” She shook her head as mortification started to set in the pit of her stomach. “I’m so sorry. I won’t do it again. I just… I’m sorry. No more hitting, you’re right, that’s inexcusable.” She turned away and hid her face in her hands. “We need to stop kissing. There isn’t a future here and so we can’t… there’s no point in it, you know? No point in getting all attached or whatever is going on here.”
“Okay.”
She turned, her stomach clenching. “You’re not going to argue?”
Bryant shook his head. “No. You’ve made it clear that you might want me physically but there are more important things to you than physical attraction. I’m not going to waste my time and yours trying to convince you to do something when there is no future for us.”
“But there could be!”
The dragon stared at her. “You just said no.”
Heat rushed to her face and Esther took off her glasses to pinch the bridge of her nose. She really should just tell him that they needed to leave it as it was. They needed to just get this crazy situation sorted out and part ways. That was all there was to it, right? There was nothing else…
“You’re giving off those mixed signals again.”
“Well, I’m sorry,” Esther snapped at him. “I’m sorry that I don’t know how to react in this situation. I’m sorry that I can’t just say no, I don’t want anything to do with you. It would be a lot easier for both of us. And it’s stupid, I’m stupid, but I didn’t wait all this time to find the right guy to love and marry and build a future with just to fall in love with the guy who kidnapped me!”
His jaw dropped. Esther suddenly became aware of what she said and her breath caught in her chest. What was she talking about? They hadn’t really spent any time together except that one night when they married. How could she possibly think she was in love with him? There was the animal attraction, yeah, and he was super-hot but that wasn’t enough to fall in love. But as she opened her mouth to deny it, to tell him that she misspoke, she couldn’t.
It wasn’t possible, though. She didn’t believe in love at first sight. Then why did the thought of never seeing him again, even now, feel like her heart was being ripped out? It made no sense whatsoever.
Bryant stepped forward. “Wait… did you just tell me that you love me?”
“No.” Esther shook her head, then nodded. “Okay. Maybe I did. But I can’t be falling in love with you. I mean, one night isn’t enough for love. We haven’t had the time to fall in love and all that jealousy crap is just proof of it. I’m just infatuated. That’s all it is.”
Bryant stepped in again. “I know it’s confusing. And this situation we’re in isn’t helping. But…”
She waited.
“But… but I have a confession to make. When we woke up together and I had your warmth in my arms, I realized I was missing something. It was like a piece of the puzzle that I had been missing for so long. I loved Shaya. She was my life. My sun and stars and moon and sky.”
Esther chewed her lip, not knowing what to say or do now.
“When she died… she was killed in a clash between my clan and another one. I wasn’t there to protect her and I lost her. I never thought I’d ever have a chance again. But with you…” He looked at the floor. “I don’t know how to explain it. Dragons often fall in love at first sight. We often just know who we are meant to be with. Every fiber of my being says that I already belong to you. I don’t understand, I already had a mate… but I think I’ve fallen in love with you, too.”
When she looked up again, Esther saw tears glimmering in his eyes. Her heart ached at his confession. It must have been very difficult for him to admit that. Her palm stung and her stomach cramped again. How could she have hit him? She was a terrible person!
This is about him, not me. Esther sucked in a deep breath. She wasn’t going to start making him comfort her because she had hit him. She pulled her mind away from her own sins and concentrated on him again.
He cupped her face in his hands. “I don’t know why. But I don’t want an annulment. I don’t want a divorce. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. You’re so brave and beautiful and strong. When I look at you… I see a resilience. A determination. I don’t want… I don’t want to lose you.”
Esther slowly wrapped her arms around his waist. She knew how he felt. She didn’t want to lose him, either. But there was more than just the two of them, wasn’t there? “That girl you were with when I ambushed you in the elevator…”
“My sister-in-law. Shaya’s sister. She’s like a little sister to me, too. I wanted to talk to her about Shaya… because of…”
“Because of me,” Esther whispered.
“Exactly.”
And she had once again jumped to conclusions and was terrible towards him. He deserved better than being treated like that. Like this, like she deserved everything and he deserved nothing. Esther opened her mouth to tell him that, that he deserved better than her, but she stopped. She could be better. She could be supportive and loving and give him everything he deserved. Couldn’t she?”
His mouth brushed against hers. “Tell me yes or no. If you say no, then I am going to let you and the others go right now and I’ll turn myself over to face punishment for what I did. If you say yes, I am going to carry you to a bed and make love to you. My wife. My… my mate.”
Oh, how was she supposed to answer?
“And if you say yes, I’ll release Shane and Kayla, of course. I’ll still turn myself over,” Bryant added. “And you can change your mind. If you say yes and then decide that you don’t want—”
“I want it,” Esther whispered. “I want you. I want to be your wife.”
His mouth closed over hers. The kiss was hungry, deep, but also sweet. Bryant picked her up, her legs circling his hips, and his arms banded around her. He carried her from the kitchen, down the hall, and into a small room. There, he placed her on the bed and draped himself over her, still kissing gently. Heat pooled in her core as his hands coasted over her body, soft, gentle, eliciting a response in her that she had only dreamed of before.
“Undress me,” she whispered.
Bryant grinned as he pushed his hands under her shirt. He lifted it over her head, then unfastened her bra and pulled it off. Cupping her breasts in his hands, he kissed one before sucking the nipple of the other. The tension inside her pulled even tighter and she felt moisture pool between her legs. Her dragon didn’t spend as much time there as she would have liked, moving down to unfasten her jeans and pull them and her underwear off together.
His head lowered between her legs and her back arched, a cry bursting from her throat. He mimicked what he had been doing with her mouth between her legs, his tongue flicking and thrusting. Her core twisted tight, heat flooding up through her body. She gripped the headboard, fighting to keep herself still as his big hands gripped her thighs and pushed them further apart. He burrowed deeper and Esther cried out.
“Bryant!” He started to move back and she grabbed his head, twisting her fingers into his hair. “Don’t stop. Please.”
Her dragon chuckled and bent over her again. Esther squeezed her eyes shut as he kept at his work, focused so intently that she felt like she might fall apart at any moment. A finger slipped inside of her as he continued his ministrations, and after another few moments, he inserted a second finger. She felt stretched out, full, and had the sudden fear that when he entered, she wouldn’t be able to take him in. That she was too small and tight…
Then the tightness exploded and she forgot all about her worries. Her back arched again, his name flying from her lips as she fell apart. Bryant continued a soft pressure, guiding her through the shockwaves that made her writhe under his touch, before easing off entirely. Esther lay still, panting, as a smile spread across her face.
“Wow. That’s much better than anything I’ve been able to do myself.”
Bryant chuckled as he moved up to wrap his arms around her waist. “Trust me, it can get better than that, even.”
Esther groaned with desire, flinging her leg over his hip. “Show me.”
“I will.” He kissed her neck. “Once I’m sure you’re ready.”
He ended up using his hand and mouth to bring her to climax three times before he decided that she was prepared enough. He entered her so slowly that she thought she might go wild with need, but as she stretched to accommodate him she was grateful for his patience. Once he was fully in he began to move softly and gently, his gaze never breaking from hers.
Something deep inside of her rose to meet him. Her legs clenched tight around his waist. Her fingers dug into his shoulders. His name repeated again and again on her lips like a prayer. For the first time ever, she understood what it meant to be one… they were joined not only in flesh but in spirit, so connected that she was surprised that she couldn’t hear his thoughts as they moved together…
And she never wanted this to end. Never.