If Liam thought he was lost before, the sight of the high, mounded globes of Aisha’s breasts undid him. He couldn’t have held himself back any more than he could have held back the tides, and he latched onto a coppery nipple with his mouth. By Pan and all the lusty gods, the witch in his arms was made for sex. For loving.

For me, a voice growled deep within. She was made for me.

Aye, she’s mine. Dragon possessiveness blasted to the forefront of his mind.

Aisha grappled with his ancient denim, fleece-lined jacket while arching into his hungry kisses as he moved from one breast to the other. Reaching back, he tugged on a sleeve until the coat slithered aside. She started unbuttoning his shirt, but after the first button got caught in an errant thread, she gripped the cotton and ripped it open.

Liam let go of her breasts long enough to tip his head back and laugh. “Go for it, wench. You can destroy as many of my clothes as you want.”

She was breathing hard, and lively rose splotches covered her chest and face. “Naked,” she panted and reached for the buttons to his jeans. “We need to be naked. Now.”

“Aye, naked would make this so much easier.” He undid his belt. By then, she had his jeans open and was working her fingers inside. “Hang on, sweetheart.” He hated to turn away from those wonderful breasts, but he had to lever his boots off. The bootjack was in the other room, so he worked the toe of one boot against the heel of the other until it gave way. He dragged the other boot off with both hands.

“Oh yeah. Boots,” she mumbled and went to work on hers. “What the fuck did cowboys do?”

“Women wore skirts in those days.” Boots out of the way, he pushed his jeans down his legs and grinned rakishly. Damn, she made him hot, but in a way that felt like he’d come home.

She snickered. “Skirts as in just huck ’em up and go for it?”

“That was precisely how it worked, a great improvement from the Middle Ages I might add.” He unfastened her Levi’s and got hold of them, peeling the skin-tight denim down her legs.

“And you’d know those things how?” She arched a brow and wriggled beneath his touch before making a grab for the tented-out front of his shorts.

“How else, lass? I was there. We live a long time, as do you.” He tossed her pants aside. All that stood between him and seeing all of her was a lacy, black thong. He tapped the elastic that rode low on her hips. “Pretty fancy. Were you planning on a gentleman caller?”

“Can’t a girl have nice things just for herself?” she countered and wrapped a hand around his unruly appendage. “Wow. Just wow. Why’d you leave the shorts on? I want to see all of you.”

Before Liam could divest himself of his jockeys, she’d done it for him, dragging the bit of white cotton down his legs. He slithered the rest of the way out of them, intensely aware of her gaze glued to him. He met the heat of her hazel eyes, glittering orbs that shone violet in the light bleeding from his magic. “Do I pass inspection?”

Instead of answering, she launched herself at him, twining her arms around his neck as her mouth crashed over his. The skin-to-skin contact made his head spin. Deep inside, his dragon bugled an unmistakable mating call. Aisha might not be a dragon shifter, but his dragon wanted her for their mate.

It should have scared the bejesus out of him, sent him running for the hills, but he kissed her harder. Biting, sucking, licking over the sting from the bites with more kisses. Where they pressed into his chest, her nipples were hard as polished agates. He ached to suckle them again.

Hell, he wanted to do everything all at once. Lick her. Suck her. Kiss her. Fuck her. Just gazing at her perfectly proportioned body would have been enough—for a while, anyway. Her slender waist flared to generous hips, and she had an ass a man could die for. Muscles bunched the length of her legs from all her time on horseback.

She could ride me.

The thought of dipping and swooping through the air with her thighs spread across his scaled back thrilled him and upped the ante on his lust.

She was making little moaning noises as she drove her hips into him where she’d straddled one thigh. The heat from her core seared him, and her scent—new-mown, sweet hay mingled with musky undertones—rose around them. He inhaled hungrily, wanting to absorb every molecule.

He explored her mouth with his tongue, delighted when she sparred with him and plumbed his mouth. She tasted sweet, like the whiskey punch from earlier in the evening. He ran his fingertips down her back, learning her body as he went. His plan was to cup her generous ass and roll her over, but before he could do that, she broke their kiss and slithered down his body, mouth trailing heat as she went. When she detoured to his nipples, pinching them, it took everything he had not to come.

His mind was foggy from lust, his body on fire with desire so pervasive it took over, trumping everything. She’d continued her lazy traverse of his body with her teeth and tongue. When she took the head of his cock in her mouth, he cried out. A hot, primitive, feral shriek that shocked him. Even when he’d mated as a dragon, he’d never sounded like that.

She gripped his shaft with both hands and ran her mouth up and down him. Everywhere she touched ignited and blazed hot. He jackknifed his body until her female bits were in reach of his tongue. Reaching around, he grabbed the ass he’d been lusting after and fastened his mouth over her distended nub.

Her mouth tightened around him, and she sucked harder, alternating sucking with nipping around the sensitive head. He groaned and pushed into her mouth. Sex developed a life of its own. He wanted to be inside her, but that could wait for their next round.

Her clit shivered beneath his tongue, and he moved one hand to push two fingers inside her. Damn but she was hot and ready. He worked her between his mouth and his hand, thrilled when her vault dissolved around him into the rhythmic contractions of an orgasm. Liam lost himself in her ecstasy, and his own control slipped away.

Maybe she was using magic, but she knew how close he was and rubbed him harder, faster. When she dipped a finger into his ass, he came. Great shuddering spasms ripped from his belly, twisted him around, and wrung him out. She kept right on stimulating him until the last jolts faded. Even then, she didn’t let go.

Very reluctantly, he extricated himself from of her mouth, flipped back around, and covered her mouth with his. She tasted of him, and his cock, which hadn’t subsided much, was instantly erect again. Drawing back, he grinned at her. Damn, he hadn’t ever felt this randy. He could fuck this woman forever and still want more. He broke their kiss, wanting to tell her she was almost his, but words eluded him.

“I know that look.” She eyed him coquettishly.

“You do, eh?”

“Aye.” She aped his brogue.

“Excellent. Then you understand we’re far from done with one another. I’m going to impale you, fuck you until you shatter. How do you want us to be?”

She grinned back. “Love the imagery. It’s raw—and erotic.”

“How do you want us to be?” he repeated, driven by urgency to thrust deep into her and never leave.

“Giving the lady a choice, huh?”

“Only if you decide in the next five seconds.” He wrapped a hand around his hard-on and rubbed it against her belly.

“How about this?” She slithered out from under him and turned over, rising onto her hands and knees. Her amazing, stellar ass parted displaying her sex with its frame of golden curls to perfection.

For long moments, he just gazed at her, unbelieving. She was flawless, a goddess. He could stare at that vista forever and—

She twisted her head until she could see him. “Well? You don’t like it this way?”

“I adore it. I was admiring the view. You have the finest ass in all the world, lassie.” With a determined growl, he surged forward planting himself at the opening to her body.

After gifting him with a smile worthy of Aphrodite, she hip-butted him, the invitation obvious. He sank into her slowly, giving her time to stretch around his girth. She wanted him to move, to fuck her hard and fast. The erratic motions from her spelled that out loud and clear, but he’d come once, which meant he could stretch this out, make it last until both of them cried for mercy. For release.

He twined his magic with hers once he was fully encased in the heat of her body, and began a long, slow dance where he withdrew and pushed back inside. Sometimes he moved a wee bit faster, until she hovered on the edge of release, but then he backed off.

She panted, ground her hips, cried out, and cursed him, but he retained control. He was panting too, caught up in his own game. She kept trying to frig herself. After the dozenth time he’d batted her hands away from her swollen nub, he pulled out of her and turned her onto her back.

“Goddammit!” She wound her legs around his waist, pulling until he sank back inside her.

Liam captured her wrists, holding her arms above her head with one hand as he settled into the rhythm she wanted. Top to bottom as fast as he could move. It was time. For both of them. They were so primed from his teasing, bringing them to the brink and then stopping, she didn’t last a dozen strokes before her body quivered around his exquisitely sensitive hard-on.

Liam released the brakes. The climax that had been simmering just below a boiling point blasted out of him. Somewhere between spasms, he bent his head and bit her shoulder.

Or rather, his dragon did.

She was so far sunk in lust, the bite pushed her into another orgasm that seeded itself from the aftershocks of the one she’d just had. He kept on coming too, pumping semen into her until he had no idea what would happen next.

Would they come forever, locked in one another’s arms?

It was an enthralling idea, but their bodies finally quieted after grinding and straining against each other. He rolled them onto their sides, loving the feel of her skin and her curves. He had to tell her what he’d done but didn’t know how.

Those conversations—the ones about mating bites and what they meant—were supposed to happen before the event, not after.

She smoothed long strands of sweaty hair back from his face. “This wasn’t just the Heart’s Desire spell, was it?”

The question was as good an entry point as he was likely to get. He cradled the side of her face in his hand. “Nay, sweetheart. Your love charm coupled with Heart’s Desire may have added a wee bit of extra spice, but what just happened was you and me.”

Her mouth, soft and gentle in the aftermath of lovemaking, turned up at one corner. “This has been amazing. So incredible I don’t have words for how fantastic you were, but I have to get home. The horses will be in a terrible snit. It might take bags of carrots and apples before they deign to forgive me.”

“But…” he sputtered. He had to tell her, and he’d been off to a decent start.

“But what?” She arched both brows into twin question marks.

“There are things we must talk about. For that, we need time.”

She frowned, forming a small vertical furrow in her forehead. “I suppose you could come home with me, but Grannie may show up, and she’ll figure out soon enough what happened. She won’t be pleased.”

“Aye, I know that all too well. Victoria paid me a visit.”

Aisha drew back. “She did?” At his nod, her beauty developed harsh edges. “Why that meddling old bat.”

“She cares about you. ’Tisn’t necessarily a bad thing.” Liam was sidestepping the major issue, which was they were now mated through this life and every one that would come after, but he had no idea how Aisha would react. Never mind the becoming a dragon shifter so she could return to Xara with him part. She had a temper, which meant she might blow up, and he couldn’t stand the possibility of her being angry with him. Even if he deserved it.

Man up, for god’s sake.

The edges of her magic probed his mind. He slammed the door on her explorations fast.

She drew away from him and sat up. “What is it? You’re hiding something from me. Do you have wives stashed in every port?”

Her guess was so far off the mark, he laughed.

“Don’t dismiss me,” she bridled and began dragging on her discarded clothing.

He knelt in front of her and placed his hands on her shoulders. “Nay. No wives. That’s not it. I owe you a long talk, but now’s not the time. May I follow you home?”

She closed her teeth over her lower lip. At least she quit tossing on clothes. “The horses. They might not like you, and they’ll be pissed off enough at me for deserting them.”

“You never leave them alone?”

“Not for more than a couple of hours.” She shrugged, looking uncomfortable and defensive. “My magic is woven in with the land that ranch sits on. It includes the horses, so they’re bound to me. They’re not like normal horses. If I’m not there, they sense something is missing, and they’re smart enough to know it’s me.” She paused to take a measured breath. “Their little horsey worlds don’t feel right if a Colewright witch isn’t front and center.”

“What happens when enough time passes, you have to leave so the townspeople don’t catch on there’s something odd about you. They’re getting older, and you’re not.”

“Why do you think I cast that love charm?” she shot back. “I have to get rolling producing my replacement. It’s not going to happen all by itself.” Aisha rubbed at the place he’d bitten her in the junction between neck and collarbone. She was savvy enough, she might figure things out quick enough even absent explanations from him. He couldn’t allow that to happen.

“I really would like to follow you. If my presence bothers the horses, I’ll leave. Promise.”

“As soon as I say, with no arguments?” She nailed him with her direct gaze.

“Aye.” He made an X across his chest. “Cross my heart.”

She laughed. “Haven’t heard that one since I was a girl. All right, Liam Fiontan. It’s a deal.” She extended a hand, and he shook it.

Liam gathered his underwear and jeans, getting back into them. By the time he was working his feet into socks and boots, Aisha was dressed and ready to leave.

“My truck’s not far from here,” she said. “Do you know where my ranch is?”

It was a reasonable question, but he hedged, substituting flattery for truth as he said, “I’m a dragon. I can find anything. Particularly treasure like you.” He stopped shy of telling her that now they were mated, he’d be able to find her no matter where she was. On this world or any other.

His dragon bugled annoyance. “Coward!” It threw the word in his face, and he cringed.

Worry creased the corners of her eyes into pinwheels. “Is something wrong? Is Grannie nattering away in the wings?”

Her concern smote him. He wanted her to care about him, but he had to tell her the truth. He’d take care of that as soon as they were at her ranch. If he cloaked his power, the horses wouldn’t react badly. “Everything’s fine. I’ll see you in a little bit.”

He wrapped his arms around her and gave her a quick, intense kiss before she walked through his office and out into the night. Her scent was thick in his nostrils, and it was a struggle not to follow her.

Retreating to straighten his office, he got his other boot on and then headed for his pickup. It wasn’t much past midnight, and the thrum of the Heart’s Desire spell still permeated the air. It wouldn’t fade for a few hours yet. He rolled his shoulders back. Who the hell had thought it was a good idea to cast such a potent version of that particular spell? Larger cities had at least a skeleton supernatural-law-enforcement presence, but Stillwater was far too rural.

Still, he hoped the miscreant spell-caster would be held to answer for what they’d done. While he was familiar with the casting, he’d never felt quite this powerful a version of it.

He reached his truck and got in, firing the engine.

“When are you going to tell her?” The dragon was back, or more likely it had never left.

“Soon.”

“Before she discovers she can’t get us out of her mind and thinks she’s gone mad?” the dragon countered smugly. “She bears my mating bite. There’s no way out of that. She’s ours. Forever.”

“You think I don’t know all that? It would have been bad enough just making love, but she’d still have had an out. Before you bit her.”

“Aye, clever of me.”

“I can think of other words, like sneaky and underhanded.” Steam puffed from Liam’s mouth. He opened the window fast before the inevitable flames followed. “I suppose next you’ll demand to fly.”

“Nay. Next, we must tell the lass she’s bound to us forever. And then, we shall petition the dragons’ council on Xara to allow us to return early. Since we’re mated, I’m certain they’ll—”

“Hold up, bondmate.” Liam stressed the last word. “You bit her because you want to go home.”

He waited. The dragon didn’t deny it, so he forged ahead. “I’ve lived among humans long enough, I understand their customs. I care about Aisha, and we are not playing by Xara’s rulebook.”

“Caring about her makes the mating sweeter, but she’s still ours.”

Liam dragged breath to the bottom of his lungs. When he blew it out, it was laced with smoke. Not only did he have to hash things out with his new mate, but his dragon needed a crash course in modernity.

“Not ours in the sense you believe her to be,” he told the dragon. “This isn’t Xara, nor is it the 1600s.”

“I’m not going to like what you say next,” the dragon warned. “Think very carefully before you anger me.”

Liam pounded the steering wheel with a fist and pulled to the side of the dark, empty road. “The mating bite was your doing. A unilateral decision, I might add. Since you dove in with both wings and all your talons extended without discussing it with me, you may be stuck hearing something you don’t like.

“My first priority is squaring things with Aisha. Once we get past the fallout from that, and perhaps a visit from her kinswoman, who will be furious, we may get to items like where the two of us will live.”

“Define ‘may’.” More smoke blasted from Liam’s mouth.

“Aisha might be so put out at being deceived, she could tell me to get lost and never darken her door again.”

“She can’t do that. She’s ours.”

“Aye, ’tis how you see it, but she is under no obligation to share your views.” He thought back to what she’d said about the horses. “Her magic is bound up in her land and horses. I’m not sure exactly how it works, but she may not be able to leave—unless she can find a replacement to tend the power laced into the ranch.”

“But she won’t have a choice. We’re returning to Xara.”

Liam didn’t answer, but the hard truth was he was smitten. The mate bond cut both ways, and he’d do damn near anything to ensure Aisha’s happiness.

Even if it meant he never saw Xara or any of his dragon kin again.