The Scars of Her Dragon (Dragon Guard Series Book 14) (7 page)

Madder than a wet hen, or dove, as the case may be, Olive flew at her dragon with thoughts of smacking him in the back of the head flashing like a neon sign in her mind. But instead of hitting her mate, the little dove stood as close as she could without touching him, got up on her tippy toes, and shouted, “I. Will. Not. Go. Home,” punctuating every word with a poke in the side of his chest.

It was a little disconcerting that every time she touched him, even though it was through the fabric of his T-shirt, little sparks of their connection shot up her arm and landed deep in her womb. She ignored the delicious sensations in favor of making her obstinate mate understand that he could not and would not be allowed to shut her out.

“Are you listening to me, Kellan Aherne? I’m not going anywhere. You don’t get to blow hot and cold. Show up with flowers then ignore me. Smile at me then shut me out. That is
so
not gonna work with this girl.”

Stopping to take a breath, Olive thought about kicking him in the shin as he stood there like a statue, showing no recognition that she even existed, much less was standing inches from his face and cussing him out. Never one to back down from a fight, she decided to go ahead and get it all off her chest.

“What the hell is wrong with you? Why are you doing this? I can tell you can hear me. I know you care for me. We’re linked, bonded. Remember that, you big dope? Even if you put up your walls and try to lock me out, I still know you’re there. You can’t change what’s happening between us no matter how hard you try. So what is your problem?”

Shaking with anger, Olive turned away from her dragon and paced the width of the deck, making faces at him every time she passed. Her mind was spinning. She was right and truly pissed and all the man she knew she was falling in love with could do was stand there like a lump on a log and stare into space.

Quickly approaching her boiling point, Olive made one more pass behind her mate just as his cell phone rang. Shamelessly listening to the conversation between Max and Kellan, the little dove lost her mind as the scarred dragon said, “Okay. I’ll be right there.”

Turning to leave without so much as a goodbye, Kellan made it exactly half a step before Olive jumped in front of him, put the palms of her hands flat on his chest, and screamed, “You are not going anywhere!”

Kellan’s eyes opened wide. His mouth dropped open and pure unadulterated shock flowed through their mating bond. Taking advantage of his undivided attention Olive tried to soften her tone, but she was too far gone. Still up on her toes, she leaned closer still and looking him right in the eye, reiterated, “You are not leaving. I heard what Max said and they don’t need you right now.
I
need you. We
have
to get a few things straight and we’re doing it
right now
.”

Closely watching him process what she’d just said, Olive knew the exact moment when her dragon decided he was going to try to get past her. Using a move she’d seen the forward of Ettie’s favorite soccer team use, the little dove moved her head to the left but her hips and legs to the right in a kind of fake-out, just as Kellan tried to slide around her.

Her plan would’ve been more effective had she taken their size difference into account, but as it turned out, she did stop him—just not without a catastrophe. For as Kellan moved to the right thinking she went left, the top of his thighs collided with her hips, which led to their feet tangling around one another in their bid to stay upright.

The world tilted under her feet as she and Kellan tumbled to the ground in a mass of flailing arms and legs. Bracing for the pain she knew was to come when her back smacked down on the hard wooden deck, Olive closed her eyes as tight as she could and held her breath.

Kellan’s arm wound around her waist just as, for the second time in as many heartbeats, her world took a turn. A bone-rattling thud, immediately followed by a loud ‘oomph’, made Olive’s eyes fly open and she found herself laying safely on top of her dragon.

He smiled a smile that made her whole body tingle as he softly chuckled, “I’m thinkin’ this isn’t what you had planned.”

Remembering she was supposed to be mad at him, the little dove took a deep breath to start yelling at her dragon again when his hand was suddenly on the back of her head and his lips were pressed against hers. All thoughts of anything but the wonderful man who was expertly turning her into a quivering mass of wanton desire flew from her brain.

Her fingers slid into his silky locks, holding him close. She opened for him as naturally as the sun rises every day when he demanded access. They devoured one another with lips, tongues, and teeth until Olive had no idea where she ended and Kellan began.

It quickly stopped being just a kiss and soon became the dove and the dragon professing their love for one another, acknowledging their bond and marking each other so there could be no mistake to whom they belonged. Kellan’s hands moved to her waist. Sparks of their connection flooded her system as his fingers slid under her blouse and gently caressed her ribs, inching their way up her body.

Just as the tips of his fingers reached the underside of her breasts, Kellan tore his mouth from hers, gulped for air, and gasped, “No. Not here.”

Olive’s groan of protest was cut short when his hands were instantly at her waistband and, in a move she thought only Superman could pull off, Kellan had them both on their feet and was lifting her into his arms. Instinctually wrapping her legs around his waist, her dragon kissed her hard and fast before pulling away and walking them toward the house.

The sound of the sliding glass door crashing closed barely registered as Olive looked deep into the eyes of the man she knew without a doubt she was to spend the rest of her life with. Within seconds, they were upstairs and Kellan was once again kissing her as if she was the very air he breathed.

Carefully laying her back on his bed, Kellan stood and stared. She felt his eyes memorizing every inch of her curvy body and was immediately self-conscious. Not sure what to do, Olive bit her bottom lip. The look in her mate’s eyes drove all her insecurities away. It was obvious he liked what he saw.

As if on cue, Kellan’s low, gravelly baritone floated through her mind,
“You look good enough to eat
, mo ghra’.
And I’m one hungry dragon.”

K
ellan could not believe how beautiful Olive was. Oh sure, he knew she was gorgeous. Had looked at her a thousand times; most of them when she was unaware of his gaze. He’d noted all the things that made her perfect, but nothing compared to the sight before him. She was laid out like a goddess, her lips swollen from his kisses, her hair mussed from his fingers running through her silken curls, and love filling her heavily-lidded eyes. Her scent was heavenly. A perfect mix of roses and sunshine heated from her arousal that made both man and dragon frenzied with the need to be one with their mate.

Standing mesmerized, one mantra circled his lust-soaked mind,
Be careful. Go slow.
His best intentions were put to the test when Olive lifted her hands towards him and cooed, “Come to me, my dragon mate.”

Leaning forward, Kellan carefully wrapped his fingers around her delicate wrists and placed them over her head. Kissing her forehead as he pulled back, he whispered, “Leave those there,
mo ghra’
, while I unwrap my present.”

The blush that colored her porcelain skin was breathtaking while her tiny little nod of approval drove his dragon to push for them to take their mate hard and fast, but Kellan refused to give in. He’d hurt her once and under no circumstances was he going to let that happen again. He would go slow. He would love his mate with all that he was. He would show her pleasure unlike anything she’d ever known and if he died while doing it, then he’d go to the Heavens blissfully fulfilled.

Reaching between them, Kellan opened first one and then another and another of the tiny white buttons on Olive’s blouse, revealing her beautiful breasts overflowing the white silk and lace of her bra. He ran just the tip of his finger from the base of her neck down her chest and across the abundant swells of her chest his mouth watered to taste. The scarred dragon didn’t even try to hold back the satisfied grin Olive’s barely contained moans brought to his face.

Continuing to draw lazy figure eights on her flushed skin, Kellan released her remaining buttons and shoved the material of her blouse off her shoulders. His erection pushed against the confines of his jeans and his hands shook as the sight of Olive’s bared midriff made him second guess his decision to go slow.

Needing to taste his mate more than he needed his next breath, Kellan leaned forward and followed the lazy trail his finger was making down her midriff with his lips and tongue. Inhaling deeply and bathing in the scent of his mate, his heart threatened to pound out of his chest, his pulse raced, sweat ran down his spine and his dragon roared with need.

Lost in a haze of arousal, the sound of ripping denim and Olive’s cries brought the dragon to a screeching halt. Standing up and stepping back in one fluid motion, Kellan turned tail and headed for the door, only to run headlong into his underwear-clad mate with her hands upon his chest.

I keep forgetting how fast she can move...

“Hold it right there, buster,” Olive commanded, the hazy look of arousal he’d just witnessed replaced with one of determination and if he wasn’t mistaken more than a little frustration.

“But...”

“But nothing, Kellan,” she said, gently pushing against him until the backs of his knees touched the side of his bed. Giving into her little shove, he plopped down on the bed and tried to make her see reason.

“Olive...” was as far as he got before she slammed her mouth to his.

The electrifying sensation of the meeting of their lips sent a charge racing through his body. Kellan forgot all his reservations of just seconds before and gave in to the craving to know every inch of his mate. Their tongues met. Her nails dug into his shoulders. He could feel her passion rising as quickly as his. They were on a collision course that neither wanted to be rescued from. Two mates bound for ecstasy.

Her hands slid from his shoulders, down his back, and under his T-shirt. The skin to skin contact was thrilling. Lost in a web of arousal and love, Kellan was helpless to do anything but what Olive demanded.

Gasping, she tore her lips from his, ripped his shirt over his head, and with a satisfied grin on her face, threw it over her shoulder. Instantly, her lips were on his neck, leaving a trail of fire in their wake as she nibbled and tasted. His hands grabbed her waist, pulling her closer to him. 

Massaging and caressing her generous curves, his hands slipped under the waistband of her panties. Olive’s scent filled the room and Kellan’s dragon purred. Was there anything better than having their mate excited and wanting in his arms. Their kiss went on and on. Their actions became frantic, each trying to undress the other, their need to be one driving their every move.

Lost to their passion, the need to be in control overtook the scarred dragon. Pulling Olive onto his lap so that she sat facing him with her knees beside his thighs, Kellan chuckled at her surprised squeak as he laid back and rolled over.

Captured by the yearning that was burning in the depths of her hazel eyes, Kellen dared not look away as his hand slipped under her back, unfastened her bra, and tossed the offending material aside. His fingertips tingled as they moved down her spine. Goose bumps raised on her silken skin as he memorized every detail of his wonderful mate.

Slipping his fingers under the waistband of her panties, a rumble rose from deep in his chest as Olive arched her back and moaned with delight. He grazed the curls at the top of her mound, making his little dove roll her hips and grind against his erection as it pushed against his zipper. 

“Look at me, Olive,” Kellan commanded, his voice rough with desire.

Her eyes snapped to his. The low smolder they had been building burst into flames. There was no denying the hold this woman had on him; no going back, no going slow. They were meant to be one, now and always. The time had come and nothing or no one, not even the demons of his past, would come between them.

Laying cradled between her thighs with her legs wound around his waist, their hips met stroke for stroke. Kellan growled with the necessity to be buried deep inside his mate and cursed the clothing that kept them apart. Reaching between them, he ripped the silk of her panties from her body at the same time her fingers unzipped his pants and her hands slipped inside his underwear.

Nails bit into the cheeks of his bum. Olive pulled him closer and closer, grinding her hips ever more persistently against his aching erection. His mouth tore from hers as both man and beast roared. The couple’s pace increased as the fraying thread holding the last of Kellan’s well-fought for restraint broke. Rising to his knees, he smirked as Olive groaned at the loss and reached for him.

Her eyes still burned with passion, her kiss swollen lips begged for more attention, but it was her hardened nipples that made his mouth water. Still captured by her gaze, he lowered his lips to her breast. Olive’s sharp intake of breath filled the room as he sucked as much as he could of her voluptuous breast into his mouth. With tongue and teeth, he licked and sucked first one breast then the other, until she was writhing beneath him. The entire room smelled of roses and sunshine and...
his little dove.

Reluctant to leave the haven of his mate’s ample bosom, he kissed and nipped down his mate’s body, reveling in her receptiveness to his touch. They were one in mind, one in body, one in soul. It was so much more than he’d ever dreamed of. Olive was his hope for the future, his salvation...
his everything
.

Taking a deep breath, Kellan pushed his overwhelming needs, as well as those of his dragon, to the back of his mind and proceeded to taste every inch he could reach of her curvaceous stomach. Moving farther down her body, he kissed from one hip to the other before lavishing the tender flesh just above her platinum curls, drenched with desire.