He wanted her to stay. Lyssa tightened her arms around his neck as his kiss deepened. She’d been prepared to leave, was ready to walk away from him and go on with the rest of her life. It was the last thing she wanted, but she’d been unsure if he felt the same attraction for her that she felt for him. Now she had her answer. He felt there was something between them and he wanted to explore it.

She eased back on her toes and looked up at him. His silver eyes seemed so dark as his pupil devoured most of his iris. She could see his desire there, and she swallowed hard. Was she ready for this? Was she ready to take things further than a few kisses? She’d only just gotten rid of Kevin, was she ready to jump into another relationship?

There was no comparison between Andor and Kevin. If she let her failure in her previous relationship keep her from him, then Kevin won.

“Since I’m staying here, I don’t want to stay in this room anymore. If we are going to explore what’s between us I suggest we start in your bed.” The words were out before she gave much thought to them. She was being a lot bolder with him than she’d ever been with anyone else. She wanted him, and if anything, the past few weeks had shown her that life was too short to not reach out and grab what she wanted.

“As you wish.” A shiver went down her spine at the gravelly depths of his voice. Was it even deeper now that his desire was so evident?

Lyssa let out a startled gasp as he scooped her up in his arms and strode out of the room. She’d always thought she was too heavy for these sort of gestures, but Andor held her securely in the strong bands of his arms, and walk to his room without breaking a step.

Once he was beside his bed, he let go of her legs and her feet came down to rest on the floor. God, she was so wet for him already and all he’d done was talk in that deep sexy voice of his and carry her into another room. That he’d done it all in a tuxedo only made him that much hotter.

“You are overdressed.” He turned her around, and undid the zipper in the back of her dress. The dress fell away with a slither of silk fabric, and she turned to face him.

“The same could be said for you.” She reached up and loosened his tie. Her hand shook as she worked on it. His hands stroke over her lace covered bottom, and he gave it a squeeze when the tie finally came free. She set to work on the fastenings of his shirt, when he took his hands off her body and pulled her hands off his shirt. He took each edge of the shirt where it was fastened, ripped it open and tossed it aside.

“Oh my.” Lyssa’s voice came out in a whispered sigh when the shirt parted, and the magnificence of his chest was revealed to her. His shoulders were wide and roped with muscle, and tapered down to his trim waist. She drew a finger down the hard muscles of his chest, and followed the ridges sculpted in his abdomen. The smooth silk of his skin drew her forward, and she darted her tongue out to taste the muscle of his chest.

He gave a low growl, and moved her back. His eyes darted down to her lace covered breasts, and she quickly reached behind her and undid the bra. From the look in his eyes, she was sure it would be the next article of clothing he would be ripping. While the notion of it was hot, this was her favorite bra.

“Oh my.” He growled as his mouth pulled up at the corner. She gave a little laugh as his teasingly mocking her earlier words. His large hands came up and cupped her breasts. She shivered as his thumb skated around her nipple and the surrounding skin tightened until it begged for more of his touch.

He put his hands on her waist and walked her back until the edges of his bed hit the back of her knees. She sank down on the bed and swallowed hard when his tanned, square hands reached for the fastening of his trousers. He undid them with economical movements, while keeping his eyes on her face. He pushed the dress pants down and she could see that Andor considered underwear optional as there was nothing between his skin and his trousers.

He stood there for a moment, and she drank in the sight of him. He had the body of a magnificent animal in its prime. He was composed of hard muscle, which flexed and moved as he came over to join her on the bed. He lay beside her, and put his large hand on her belly, and moved it in slow circles as he leaned down to kiss her. Her eyes drifted shut as his lips moved softly on hers. For a moment she could hardly believe that this was real, that it was happening to her. He was so beautiful, he could have any woman he wanted and he’d chosen her.

He pulled back and looked down at her, smoothing a hand down her cheek. “You are so beautiful. Thank you for giving yourself to me.”

Before she could reply, he kissed her a again, a little more firm, a little less gentle than before. His hand moved up her stomach until he reached her breast. He molded her plump flesh as his tongue slid inside her mouth. Lyssa’s nipple tightened as she ran her hands up the smooth muscles of his chest and up around his neck. He eased his mouth off hers and moved his body so he was on his knees between her stocking clad legs. He dipped his head down and took a nipple in his mouth. He sucked on it as his hand drifted down her stomach, his touch soft and slow as his hand traversed her skin down to the waistband of her panties. He sucked a little harder on her as his fingers dipped under the elastic. Lyssa squeezed her eyes shut tight as she pressed her breast further into his mouth, and widened her legs.

His hand rested on top of her mound, and he didn’t seem to be in a hurry to move it further. Her body ached for his touch, and her clit tingled in anticipation with his fingers only a breath away. She rocked her hips, hoping he would get the message and touch her where she longed to feel his caress. He pulled his mouth from her breast and looked into her eyes.

“What do you want Lyssa?” His voice was a deep rumble in his chest as he looked down at her. She licked her tongue over her lips. “Tell me.”

“I want you to touch me.” She gave her hips a wiggle and his middle finger moved a little closer, but not where she wanted it. She let out a frustrated breath. “Andor, please touch me.”

He dipped his finger lower, moistened the tip with her juices and stroked it have her swollen clit. She let out a long, low moan as he caressed her. Pleasure raced through her body, and she rocked her hips against his hand.

His hand eased away from her, and she opened her eyes and tilted her head to look at him. Why was he stopping? Did he want her to beg to keep touching her? Surely he wasn’t stopping?

A glance down at his swollen cock told her that he had no intention of bringing this to a halt. He took her panties in his hands, and pulled them down her legs and off her body. Her shoes and stockings followed, and she lay before him on the bed, as naked as he. He moved back a little, opened her legs wider as he reared back and looked down at her. He moved his head closer to her center and she shivered when his breath skated along the inside of her thighs. She gave a whimper of anticipation as his lips came within a fraction of an inch of her bared and exposed flesh.

The wait was killing her as her body clamored to feel the pleasure she knew he would deliver to her. Then his mouth was upon her, her wait was over and the magic he performed on her with his tongue had her hands clawing at the bedding beneath her.

“Oh God, Andor.” Pleasure built inside her, and it was more intense and stronger than she’d ever felt. Her breath sobbed in and out of her body as he tortured her flesh with his tongue, bringing her closer to the precipice of pleasure, only to pause for a few moments. Just when she was about to scream in frustration, he sucked her clit into his mouth. She dug her heels into the mattress and the pleasure built. Higher and higher she climbed as he loved her with his mouth.

She reached the height of her ecstasy and he didn’t stop. Her orgasm burst through her, and she cried his name as waves of the most intense pleasure went through her. She came harder than she’d ever come in her life, her body spasmed as it was slammed over and over with the gratification that he gifted her with.

The spasms grew softer, gentler and she trembled as she looked up at him. He knelt between her thighs like a god of pleasure, and she wanted him inside her. She wanted to feel him filling her as they became one.

She reached for him, and used her eyes to tell him what she wanted. He didn’t appear to need the words. He took his cock in his hand and positioned it at her entrance. He pushed into her, sliding in slick and smooth. He filled her and her body stretched to accommodate his girth.

He slowly lowered his body, so they were pressed together, skin to skin. She looped her arms around his neck, and her legs around his waist.

He dipped his head and kissed her, slow and soft, as if he had the rest of his life to make love to her. Tears prickled at the corner of her eyes as a wave of tenderness swept through her. She eased her lips away and looked up at him.

“Love me, please.” She looked up at him, and noticed that the skin on his face was pulled taught, and she realized that he was holding himself back for her sake. She didn’t want him to. She wanted him to take her with all the passion he had inside him. She rocked her hips against him, and he held himself back no longer.

He pulled and pushed back inside her, creating the most delicious friction. He was so big, his muscles so strong that she felt tiny in comparison. There was a power to him that would have frightened her if he hadn’t shown her that he was worthy of the trust she placed in him.

“Andor.” His name came out as a sigh upon her lips as his rhythm picked up its pace. His body moved in and out of her, his thrusts picking up speed and strength until she couldn’t speak at all.

Her voice came out in breathy moans as the pleasure the friction he created spiraled higher and higher. Her muscles grew tighter until one hard thrust sent her over the edge.

She sobbed his name as her orgasm broke and bathed every fibre of her body with ecstasy. Wave after wave went through her as he picked up his pace, getting closer and closer to finding his own fulfillment. She held him tightly as he found his pleasure in her body. He gave a shudder as a groan was ripped from him.

He settled more heavily against her as he pulsed inside her. She tightened her arms and legs around him, the weight of his huge body wonderful against her as she cradled him. She held him close as he lay against her, vulnerable in his pleasure. His face rested in the crook of her neck as she put her hand on the back of his head and stroked the damp silk of his hair. She never wanted this to end, but knew it would soon enough.

* * *

With a flutter of leathery wings, Andor alighted on the ground and turned back into a man. This wooded area was his favorite spot on his estate. Its quiet isolation reminded him the most of his time in Europe centuries ago. He had not been awake long enough to have become accustomed to how fast life moved in this time.

There was one area of his life that felt like it was going by at a snail’s pace, and that was his relationship with Lyssa. He knew he needed to let her dictate how fast things developed between them, but curbing his impatience was difficult. The deadline to make her his was looming, and with every moment that passed it got closer to the time when he would have to tell her the truth about himself.

He turned and walked back toward the house. Now that he had been intimate with her he was certain that she was destined to be his mate. There were no longer any doubt. Making love with her last night had felt like a homecoming, and he had fitted with her so naturally that it was if she was made for him.

He hated leaving her alone in his bed this morning, but he needed to take his dragon form and expend some of the primitive energy that was bouncing inside him. Taking his other form was as natural as breathing to him, and he always felt calmer after he had an opportunity to fly.

He bound up the steps to his house, eager to see Lyssa again. With any luck, she would still be sleeping and he could slip back in bed with her and make love to her again. Being intimate last night had not dampened his hunger for her, if anything it made his cravings for her body that much stronger.

He walked into the foyer and strode toward the staircase. He wanted to get back into Lyssa’s arms with an eagerness that he’d never felt before.

“Andor, there you are.” Lyssa’s voice called to him from behind him, and a brief flash of disappointment went through him. She was not in bed waiting for him to gently wake her after all.

He turned and it seemed that every time he saw her, she grew more beautiful to his eyes. The soft light purple sweater she wore, while not his color, made his hands itch to touch her. It no longer mattered that she was not in bed waiting for him, they would be making their way back there soon enough. The intensity of his longing for her was stronger than it had been before now. Yesterday he had not known the pleasure he would find in her arms, but now he knew and he hungered to sate them both again.

He strode over to her and cupped her face with his hands, caressing her skin as he gazed deeply in her eyes.

“I missed you this morning,” she said as she brought her hands up to rest them on his waist. “That big bed was empty without you in it.”

There was a curiosity in her eyes, as if she wanted to know where he had been. He could not tell her that he was soaring about the clouds in his dragon form, it was much too soon for that. He was not yet certain if she was ready to hear the secret he carried.

“I had a few things to take care of this morning, nothing important. I would have given you a proper morning greeting if I had been by your side when you woke.” His thumb stroked over her bottom lip, and her pupils grew large.

“And what is a proper morning greeting?” Her voice had dropped to a husky whisper, and he knew she felt the same pull toward him that he felt toward her. He could not keep himself from her any longer.

“This.” He lowered his head slowly and covered her mouth with his. He could taste coffee and fruit on her lips and he pulled her closer to him. His hunger for her deepened and he swept her up in his arms. She gasped in surprise as she pulled back.

“Andor, what are you doing?”

“I am taking you back to bed.” He strode toward the stairs and took them two at a time as he went up to his bedroom. Once inside, he kicked the door closed and set her down on her feet.

“What if Rickman comes looking for you?” There was a nervous excitement on her face, and he knew it would not take much to allay her fears.

“Rickman knows better than to come knocking on this door after the last time he did so." He kissed her again and not another word was said about Rickman.

He eased her down to the bed and kissed her as if he had forever to do it properly. If only the need to take his dragon’s form had not been upon him so strongly in the morning, he could have spent the time he was flying in the sky making love to her. He would make up for that now.

With soft whispers of adoration, he removed the clothes from her body. Her plump, pale flesh glowed like a pearl in the morning light flooding through the window. He studied her for a long moment as he stripped the clothes from his body. She lay before him on the bed, open to him without guile or artifice. It hit him like a hammer that she was meant for him, and his hand trembled as he reached out to stroke the soft skin of her full breast.

His body filled with elation, not because with her his curse would be lifted, but because he would spend the rest of his life giving thanks for her. He would protect her with his life, and worship her with his body. A feeling swelled inside him, one he had not experienced before, one he thought would elude him. She had to love him for the curse to be broken, but there was nothing in it that said he had to love her. But that was what was happening. He was falling in love with her, and he embraced the feeling as he lay beside her and pulled her to him.

He stroked his hand over her hair as he looked into the deep green of her eyes. He longed to bare his soul to her, and tell her his deepest secret. He wanted nothing between them when he joined his flesh with hers.

“Andor? Is something wrong?” A tiny frown pulled her brows together as she put her small, pale hand on his cheek. The rasp of his whiskers against palm was the only sound in the room as he debated with himself whether now was the time to reveal all to her. He saw the attraction and desire for him in her eyes, but how could he be sure that she loved him enough to accept him for what he was? If he miscalculated now he would not get another chance to do it right.

He took her hand with a faint smile and pressed a kiss against her palm. “There is nothing wrong.”

Her face cleared as she pressed her body closer to him and he closed his eyes for a moment, savoring the feel of her against his heated flesh. The dragon inside him roared to claim her, but he was not ruled by the beast inside him. He would take his time making love to her, while the secret he harbored remained inside him. There was still time before the Hunter’s Moon forced his hand.

He took her lips in a kiss that communicated all that was roiling inside him. His desire, his passion and his growing love for her was in that kiss, and she responded by opening herself to him completely. There was no part of her that he did not have access too, and his lips and hands drifted down the satin of her skin, worshiping her. Whether she knew it or not, she was his mate and a possessiveness went through him that was so strong that he could no longer hold himself back from her. When he found the silken flesh between her thighs was ready for him, he possessed her completely. He stole the breath from her body with his invasion, and he could see the pleasure of his flesh filling her written on her face.

“Andor.”

His name was a sigh upon her lips, and he swooped down to take her lips with his as he moved inside her. She fit him perfectly, her soft warm flesh cradling him, squeezing him as he used his body to wring every ounce of pleasure from both of them. The floral scent of her skin, the soft silk of her flesh and the cries of her pleasure was like a siren's call that he willing rushed to.

His movements strengthened, and she responded to his demands and met them with demands of her own. His love for her was on the tips of his tongue, begging for release. He held it back. Neither of them was ready for the secret his love for her would reveal, and soon all thought were driven from his head under the beat of the pleasure he found in her flesh.

She tightened around him as she gave a cry that signaled her release. He was there to meet her, and he held her close as he poured all his love and satisfaction inside her. He wanted this moment, this perfect point in time, to last forever. It was a time when he was free to love her without the beast inside him intruding and potentially destroying what was building between them.

Her arms and legs went around him, cradling him to her as his body collapsed on top of her, drained of even the energy to move or think. All he could do was feel, and what he felt was love for her. She was his mate, and he would love and cherish her for the rest of their lives if she let him. Only one obstacle prevented him from making that wish a reality, and as he rolled to his side and held her, he shoved that worry aside. He still had time, and when the moment was right, when he was sure of her love for him, he would reveal the deepest part of himself to her and hope that she accepted him.