Marina looked up at Mercury with a startled expression as the knock sounded again.

“Marina, are you there? It’s Lead.”

Mercury gritted his teeth together, clearly furious. “Fucking captain of the guard, can’t stop being chief murderer of fun for even one second.” He swung himself off Marina and grabbed his clothes, then walked to the closet and slammed it behind him.

Was he just going to leave or just biding his time to continue what he’d started? The treacherous, horny female dragon inside her hoped for the latter.

And Cobalt, though he’d been awkward about it, had admitted there were no rules about sexuality until a union partner had been accepted, though he did say most of the dragon guard would be too honorable to make a move.

“One second!” she called out, cursing the huskiness in her voice from Mercury’s ministrations. She wrapped her robe around her and scurried to the door, opening it with a forced smile. “Hello.”

Lead was standing there pacing and turned to her when she opened the door, a slightly panicked look on his face. He regained his composure and reached for her hand.

When he caught it, he raised it to his lips gently, pressing a kiss there in a move that was totally honorable. Then he lowered her hand but kept it in his.

A muffled crash sounded in the closet, and Marina grimaced and stepped forward, closing the door behind her.

“I must not have hung my dress up right,” she said apologetically.

Lead glanced in the direction of the sound for a minute but seemed too caught up in what he wanted to say to her to worry much about it. “I just wanted you to know I’ll be dedicating my victory tomorrow to your honor,” he said firmly, letting go of her hand.

Then, with a slight bow, he was gone, striding down the hallway with a too-rigid set to his back, running a hand through his hair as if he were flustered.

It was a little bit cute how caught off guard he seemed around her sometimes.

When she walked back in her room and shut the door, Mercury was waiting for her, looking furious.

His arms were folded, his lips pressed firmly together, his chin raised imperiously as he stood at his full height. He looked rather as he had when he’d insisted on being part of the mate challenge, but angrier.

“You don’t mind that he kissed you?” he asked, his voice deceptively low and calm.

A thrill of danger went through her, and she cursed herself for liking it. “He kissed my hand. And what I do is my business.”

Mercury stalked forward, letting his hands fall to his sides in clenched fists, all tall, masculine strength aimed at her like a homing missile.

No one had ever made her feel so intensely focused on as Mercury did.

He kept walking until he backed her into the door, and she made a little thump as she came against it. Then his hand came down with the thump at her side as he came in really close. “Just your business, hm, Marina?” His hand stroked her face, caught a strand of her hair, winding it slowly around his finger and then letting it go. “None of my business, then?”

She looked away from him, but his hand caught her chin and forced her to look back. His body was caging her, his hand on one side blocking her exit, his other hand trapping her face so he was all she could see.

“Mercury,” she said, unbearably turned on but conflicted about what to do about it. “Did you do all those things they said you did?”

His expression shadowed, his lashes fluttering as the quicksilver in his eyes darkened. “Why do you ask me that now?”

“Because I never asked before.”

He sighed, leaning in a little closer, releasing her chin so his hand could trail over her cheek, down the line of her neck, into the dip of her collarbone, over her shoulder. “I never pretended I deserve you, Marina.” His hand wrapped over her shoulder, holding her possessively. “But then again…” He leaned in to kiss her neck, sucking gently. “I’ve been known to take what I want, regardless of deserving it.”

He kissed up to her ear so gently she could have been kissed by the wind. But when his mouth moved over hers, he was firm, harsh, his lips clashing with hers to force her mouth open as his tongue slid inside, claiming deeply.

By the time he pulled back, she was breathless.

“And I want you, Marina. Badly.”

She blinked up at him. “I want you, too.”

“Then that’s all that matters,” he said. “After all, who knows what will happen after tonight?”

“I thought you said you planned to win.”

“Well, I plan to do my best,” he said, a teasing note in his voice. “But you know Lead and the others are so hell bent on proving things. So hilariously sincere.”

She ran her hands tentatively over his shoulders, sighing at the feel of his silky, firm skin. “A little sincerity could be good sometimes.”

He gave her a stern glare, and then his lips curved up in a sneer. “Lead’s so sincere it’s embarrassing.”

“Yes, but it can be kind of endearing,” she said, watching his eyes fire up at even the vaguest of compliments to another man. Why did she like setting him off like this?

His lips closed over hers again, harsh, angry. But then he gentled, sweeping his tongue inside, exploring her sensitive spots and going over them again, his arm curling around her waist to hold her up just as she felt her legs were weakening.

When he pulled back, he jerked her in against him, pressing her against his rock-solid body and pulling her chin up to force her gaze to his. “Don’t speak of other men when you’re with me. Think only of me.”

She nodded silently as he lifted her against him with one arm and walked toward the bed. When he was there, he tossed her on it roughly, and she landed in the center, barely able to get her bearings before he was on her again, pressing her back into the mattress with kisses all over her shoulders.

“Because I can only think of you, Marina, and it’s all your fault.” His tone was slightly lost, somewhat angry, but there was something else there that gave her hope. His movements were quite rough, but there was just the gentlest edge to them as he yanked her robe off and tossed it aside, but made sure not to catch her hair in it.

Or when he pulled off her tank top but made sure it went carefully over her arms. Or when he hooked his thumbs into the waist of her pants and pulled them down, careful not to let his nails scrape her.

When she was revealed only in a bra that pushed her breasts up nicely and silky little panties, he stopped, kneeling between her legs and just staring at her like a man looks at water when he’s dying of thirst.

“It’s your fault, Marina. You filled my thoughts with you. Do you have any idea how you were driving me crazy?”

Then he was on her again, kissing her voraciously over her shoulders and neck as his hands found her waist, her breasts, her ample hips. She arched, moaning, as every touch felt amazing.

“What did you expect me to do, having to sit there behind those bars, day after day, watching you watch me, watching you care… like no one else ever has?”

She jerked as his hand covered her breast, stroking one nipple with his thumb.

He rose slightly, his eyes boring into hers. “Why, Marina? Why do you care for me?”

“Because you needed me to,” she said, reaching up to wrap her arms around his neck.

He froze for a second, then grabbed both her arms and pinned them together above her head, holding both her hands in one of his. She wriggled, testing his strength, and grinned up at him, but his expression was dead serious.

“I don’t need anyone, Marina,” he said carefully. “Don’t get the wrong idea. I want you badly, but no one, no one, will ever have me on a leash again.”

“Why would I want to leash you?”

He dove forward, biting her neck gently as his hands released hers and came down to stroke her nipples, pushing the cups of her bra aside. “Isn’t that what you want, Marina? A loyal dog? A stray so grateful you saved it that it follows you for life?”

She shook her head, desperately trying to think clearly despite the pleasurable sensations he was delivering. “No. I don’t want that.”

He stopped, sitting up once again. And despite all those muscles, all the strength she knew could easily overpower her despite her being a very strong dragon, he looked… vulnerable.

He ran a hand through his beautiful, silvery-gray hair. “Then what do you want from me?”

She let her hands relax in his grip and looked right into his silvery eyes. “Right now? I just want this. Just this, Mercury. Nothing else.”

He let out a breath, relaxing visibly. Perhaps he was grateful that Marina was the type who could just live in the moment. Or perhaps he was finally letting go of his baggage, for just a second at least.

But whatever it was, she saw something in him unleash. He grabbed her knees instead, spreading her legs with one smooth motion.

“Then ‘this’ is what you will get, dragon princess,” he said, a lightly mocking glint in his eyes as he lifted her legs in front of him, bringing him close enough to her sex that she could feel his breath.

“Wait, Mercury,” she said, struggling as he used a dragon claw to cut the side of her panties. By the time they fell away, leaving her bare, she was already wet and writhing. “Wait.”

He stopped completely, lowering her legs, which were over his arms, and cocking his head slightly. “Wait?”

She was on fire, couldn’t wait to feel his tongue on her. But was this all wrong? Was it too fast? Was she letting her sex drive get the better of her?

“Fine. But don’t call me princess,” she said, flushing deeply, aware of how vulnerable she was and how little leverage she had to make demands.

“Oh?” he said. “I kind of feel that if I’m going to do this…” His arms raised her and his tongue raked her sex with one smooth, slick glide. “Then I can call you anything I want.”

Her hands curled into the sheets as he set her legs over his shoulders, making her totally helpless to his touch. His mouth devoured her, his hands sliding over her thighs and then clutching them tightly, possessively, as his tongue played deeper, harder, nearly going inside her and then exploring up to her clit and gently swirling around it until she couldn’t take any more.

She screamed, coming apart in his arms, opening her eyes between bursts of pleasure to see determined, focused quicksilver eyes burning and watching as if there were nothing else in this world.

Before she could relax and slump back, he started again, licking her everywhere, exploring every part of her avidly in a way she’d never been explored. As if he had to know all of her, like he’d die if he didn’t claim every inch of her sex with his tongue.

As though he had to have everything.

His hands were so tight on her thighs, keeping her pinned, and she could feel his strength all around her, felt totally safe in his hold.

Safe to feel utter pleasure, safe enough to forget she was on another planet, safe enough to throw her head back and scream as orgasm after orgasm overtook her, as Mercury was as merciless in his lovemaking as he was in every other rumored aspect of his life.

When he was done—she suspected it was only because she couldn’t breathe anymore from having too many orgasms spaced too close together—he lowered her legs slightly from his shoulders to his elbows but seemed loathe to release her from his arms.

Then he came forward, his arms still hooked under her legs, pressing them in against her as he came forward to taste her lips, kissing her deeply.

Now she could feel his hard length pressed up against her, her legs trapped up against his chest now as he braced himself on his arms.

No matter what they were doing, he was determined to have control, and she found herself liking it.

“Mercury,” she murmured. “More.”

And then he pushed inside her, the firm, hard length stroking every nerve as she stretched to accommodate him. She felt wonderfully full, wonderfully aroused, and ready to take him. Ready for so much more.

“As you know, we don’t need protection,” he said, looking into her eyes.

“But you won’t be able to finish,” she said.

“Not inside you, no,” he said. “But even being inside you like this is more than I ever dreamed.”

It was so honest, so unguarded, that Marina had to guard her own heart to keep it from leaping at even the smallest confession. She put her hands up around his shoulders, and he didn’t seem to mind this time.

Instead, he looked focused as he began to move, making little streaks of lightning go through her with every slight change in pressure. He was so huge, so thick that she felt she could barely stand the sensations when he was inside her. Yet when he pulled even part of the way out, she ached for him to press in again.

She began to move with him, pressing her hips forward, rocking her legs slightly, and it increased the tempo. In and out. Harder and faster. She couldn’t get enough. Couldn’t stand it, yet couldn’t stop it. Couldn’t believe anything could make her feel so damn good.

And then, like an out-of-control wave breaking over an ocean guard, she felt her release overtake her, making her body clench around him, which only made each coursing sensation more intense.

She screamed, throwing her head back, digging her nails into his shoulders in a way that was sure to leave marks, and then biting her lip, trying to muffle her screams so no one would hear them.

But Mercury was faster, covering her lips with his so she could scream all she wanted and his mouth would protect her.

His whole body seemed bent on protecting her as he stayed totally still as she finished her climax, her breaths heaving and her body spent.

He pulled slowly out of her and took a moment to look down. She knew how she looked. Utterly ravished. Overtaken by pleasure. Completely undone by what he’d done to her.

The satisfaction in his eyes confirmed it as he stood, keeping his gaze on her as he grabbed his clothing and began to pull it on.

She pushed herself up, trying to ignore her shaking legs.

“Wait,” she said. “What about…? I mean, there are still some things we can—”

He shook his head and didn’t seem at all bothered by the fact that he’d given her countless orgasms, but wasn’t going to take one for himself.

“You’ve given me more than I could ever imagine, princess,” he said, voice oddly serious. His eyes glittered as they locked with hers. “So I’ll give you something in return. You said you liked sincerity. I’ll give you some of that tomorrow, when I fight. I will sincerely beat the hell out of my opponent.” He folded his arms, turning away slightly. “It can be… in your honor. If you want to think of it like that.”

She smiled slightly, sitting up with aching muscles and gathering the sheets around her. It was so like him to do all of that, to be a storm and then just roll out like it was nothing. But she didn’t expect anything else of him.

“All right,” she said. “I’ll do that.”

Then with a little roll of his shoulders, he was gone, shutting the door behind him and striding down the hall with purposeful but quiet footsteps.

Alone in her room, with the euphoria of sex slowly fading, she could finally think about what had just happened.

She’d had sex. With Mercury.

She brought her sheet up and covered her burning face with it, wondering what the heck tomorrow would bring.