Chapter 20

Mateo smiled at her from across the garden, stealing Sloane’s breath. It was one of the rare ones she’d come to discover he reserved just for her. She wanted to cross the yard and close the distance between them, but Mateo needed this. He’d been strung as tight as a bow since they’d left Connecticut. Alexandra had gotten away, and although men were already on her trail, they hadn’t been able to pinpoint her location. Rather than return to the city, when Mateo had asked her to come to Glen Farley, she’d agreed. Eventually, she’d need to go back, get her things, and give up her apartment, but for now, she was happy staying where she was.

As for Wendy, she had called the day before, bitching that Rory had taken her to some hick town in the middle of nowhere and wasn’t letting her go back to New York. She grinned as she remembered the conversation.

“He says I’m not a prisoner, but how am I supposed to leave if I have no money? I don’t even know where I am,” she’d whined.

“You’re in Edgewood,” Sloane had heard Rory say in the background. “And I gave you money. And the keys to my truck.”

Wendy had huffed and muttered something about him being a stubborn ass before promising to call later in the week, then hanging up.

Mateo tipped his beer back, taking a long swallow, his gaze drifting back to Brycen. Whatever story the man was telling had Jace, the clan leader, howling with laughter and Mateo shaking his head with a grin.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen Mateo smile,” Stella, Brycen’s mate, said as she sat in the chair next to her.

“That big teddy bear? He smiles all the time,” Maddie, Luke’s mate, argued. “I can’t see it, but I can hear it in his voice. Especially when he’s talking to Sloane.”

Of course, Maddie thought all the Dragon Blood men were big softies. She didn’t see how big and imposing they were, all she knew was the softness in their voices as they spoke to their mates and the kindness they showed to the rest of the clan. The fact that they turned into ferocious dragons at will didn’t faze the human woman at all.

Sloane lifted her wine glass to her lips as she brought her attention back to her new friends. “I agree, he smiles all the time. You’re just too busy ogling Brycen to notice,” she teased Stella.

“Like you weren’t just undressing Mateo in your mind a second ago?” the woman countered.

“Speaking of which, Luke should be back soon,” Maddie said as she stood and flicked her wrist, shaking her walking stick into place. “He went to bring some fresh meat to the Woolridge house. I’m going to wait for him upstairs. Naked. We’ll be down again in time for him to man the grill. Maybe. If not, start without us.”

Stella giggled, and Sloane nearly choked on her wine. Those two spent more time alone in their suite than anyone. Okay, maybe not. She and Mateo hadn’t emerged from his section of the house for two days once they’d arrived, and even then, it had been for short periods. She suspected the other mated couples were much the same, but she hadn’t been paying enough attention to know for sure.

Mateo looked at her again, the heat in his gaze making her toes curl. Maybe she should see about getting some alone time with him before dinner, too.

As though reading her thoughts, he started toward her. Next to him, Brycen eyed Stella.

“Mind if I steal Sloane away for a while?” he asked Stella when he was at her side, but he needn’t have bothered. Stella already had her hand in Brycen’s and was standing to join him.

“Yeah, sure. I wanted to go in and change before supper, anyway,” Stella said, not looking at Mateo at all.

***

Mateo led his mate through the estate, ignoring Mason’s rumbling about having to deal with dinner again and something about them being dragons, not bunnies—whatever that meant. He forced his feet to slow, allowing for her shorter stride when all he wanted to do was hoist her into his arms and run all the way to their room.

“In a bit of a rush, are we?” she asked, her smile making her beautiful face even more stunning.

“A bit? It’s been hours since we’ve been alone,” he grumbled.

She tossed her head back and laughed. “An hour and a half, at most.”

“Felt like longer.”

“True,” she agreed, picking up her pace.

Seconds after he’d closed the door to their suite, locking it behind him, she was on him. Her slender fingers dug into his hair, holding him in place as she covered his mouth with hers, stealing a kiss he was more than willing to give. Her legs wrapped around his waist as he held her to him. Carrying her through to the bedroom, he didn’t stop until he reached the edge of the mattress. Even then, he didn’t release her.

“I need you,” she whispered, her voice husky, making his cock twitch, as she kissed along his jaw. Releasing his hair, she brought her hands down the front of his T-shirt and tugged, growling when it stayed wedged between their bodies.

Grasping it at the back, he eased away from her only long enough to pull it up and over his head. He didn’t care where it landed as long as it was gone and Sloane had what she wanted. Before pressing his weight into her again, he took the edges of her blouse within his grip.

“Don’t you dare,” she giggled and squirmed, trying to get away. “I love this one.”

He resisted tearing it from her—barely. “Take it off. Fast.” He leaned closer and reached for the snap of her jeans, tugging them apart and lowering the zipper as he watched her fingers flying over the tiny buttons. Moments later, her creamy flesh came into view, making him moan and his mouth water. So beautiful, his dragon rumbled into his mind.

“Bra, too,” he ordered, unable to string more words together to make a sentence.

She grinned up at him from her position on the bed and licked her lips. “Your jeans have to come off,” she said, reaching for him rather than the scrap of lace hiding her breasts from his view.

Her fingers grazed his lower belly, then dipped beneath the denim. She yanked him closer, then popped the snap out of its hole before sliding her hand down the front, cupping his dick, rubbing it through the coarse fabric.

“Sloane,” he moaned, his voice rough—a warning.

She grinned up at him again, then brought her hands up to cup her breasts, teasing her nipples through the lace while he watched.

He tugged her jeans down past her hips, taking her pink panties with them, then pulled both all the way off. Only once he’d stripped every bit of her clothing from her body—other than the infuriating bra—did he position himself between her thighs. His cock, thick and heavy, throbbed with the need pounding through him.

He lowered himself over her, wrapped his arms around her shoulders, then took her mouth in a kiss that would leave a lesser woman reeling, but not Sloane. She gave as much as she took. Her tongue met his in a furious dance as they devoured each other. Her sharp, little teeth nipped at his bottom lip, then when he moaned, she smiled and thrust her hips forward, brushing against his cock.

Pulling her up with him, he sat on his heels and positioned her so she straddled him. His jeans were barely down past his ass, but that didn’t stop her. She met his gaze, then in a long, downward sweep, she took his cock deep into her, her eyes fluttering closed as he bottomed out.

“You feel so good inside me,” she said, her voice nothing more than a breathy whisper as she circled her hips, rubbing her clit against him.

“What do you want, mate? Fast and furious or slow and sexy?” He’d be thrilled with either one, but he’d be lying if he said he didn’t want to be pounding into her.

She circled against him again, her lips parting as she took her pleasure. When she opened her eyes, her answer was there, waiting for him. “Fast. Hard. Right now,” she demanded.

With a growl, he pulled out of her body, barely containing his grin when she pouted at the loss. Before she could protest, he leaned in, capturing one nipple with his mouth, sucking it through the fabric. Sloane tipped her head, her long, glorious hair cascading down her back as she reached between her thighs, stroking herself.

The little minx knew what that did to him. If he weren’t so desperate to be inside her again, he’d lay her back, watch those fingers slide between her pretty pussy lips, and let her come that way, but not this time. His cock jerked at the thought. Next time, he promised himself. He released her, then with nothing more than a sharp tug, her breasts were free.

She gasped, then moaned when he took the other tight bud and sucked it hard.

“On your hands and knees,” he ordered when he finally let her nipple go.

Her breath hitched in her throat, and the fire already lit in her eyes blazed to life. She wanted fast and hard, and she was going to get it.

Sloane scrambled to her knees, shoving her ass high up in the air. “Please, Mateo,” she begged as she pushed against him. The round globes rubbed against him, and his cock slid between her thighs, not entering her, but stroking her flesh, gathering her moisture onto him.

“Ready for me, babe?” he asked, knowing the answer but wanting to hear her say it.

“So ready. Fuck me already,” Sloane said with a needy sigh.

He angled his hips, then in one hard thrust, he drove his cock all the way in, not stopping until the head bumped at her base and his hips were flush against her ass. A perfect fit.

Sloane sighed, then moved forward as he pulled back, then both moaned as they came together again, skin slapping against skin, flesh sliding against flesh.

“Yes, like that,” she said, matching him move for move.

He wasn’t going to fucking last. Everything about her drove him—and his dragon—wild. The tightness of her pussy, the heat surrounding him, her very scent when she was aroused and needing him propelled him to the edge of his control.

Reaching around her hip, he circled her clit with his fingers, pressing on the tight bundle of nerves, relishing the choking grip of her pussy around him with every swipe.

Her sweet moans and sighs filled the room as he gave her what she needed. He stroked her faster, harder, sliding around, then over, pushing her body up the precipice to where he already teetered.

“Yes,” she yelled when he drove into her again. Her pussy tightened around him, and he couldn’t hold back. He fucked her, pulling her onto him as he impaled her with his cock. Each strangling caress had his balls tightening and another stream of his come shooting inside her.

He gentled his fingers, easing her down from her orgasm even as she quivered around him. Her body was heaven, and he never wanted to leave. Without separating them, he turned them both onto their sides and rested her head on his bicep.

Sloane sighed and pressed herself into him, snugging her ass up against his pelvis, keeping him where he was.

“We have to go back down there, don’t we?” she asked, just as her stomach growled.

He tried not to laugh, but there was no stopping it. “No, we don’t. We never have to do anything you don’t want to do, but I’m afraid I may end up being dinner if we don’t.”

She sighed and snuggled closer. “That has some merit. There are parts of you that are pretty tasty.”

His cock twitched. It didn’t matter how often they made love, a word or touch from her and he was ready to go again, but they’d barely managed lunch. He needed to get his mate fed. “As much as I want to watch my cock disappear between those beautiful lips of yours, we did promise to make an appearance for the meal tonight.

“And,” he continued when she opened her mouth, ready to protest, “you need more than our loving to keep you going. What kind of mate would I be if I didn’t take care of all your needs? We’ll eat, then we can come back for the night as soon as you’re ready. How does that sound?”

She turned in his arms, separating their bodies. An odd look crossed her features, and she smiled. “It sounds an awful lot like I love you,” she said, her voice soft.

He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her nose. “I love you, too, Sloane. Very much.”

“I love you, too.” She pressed her lips to his. This time, there was no urgency, no need to claim or take. Only the desire to connect and be one.

When she finally released him, she grinned and swatted his ass cheek. “Let’s get food. Then you’re all mine.”

Mateo watched as she dashed into the bathroom, then heard the water flowing in the shower. He even gave her a minute head start. They’d make dinner if it killed him, but that didn’t mean they couldn’t be a little late.

She was right about one thing—everything that he was, or ever would be, belonged to her, and he wouldn’t have it any other way.