Chapter Fifteen

Kendrick paced and then sat before pacing some more. Esha had been withdrawn all evening. He wished he’d found some words to ease her concern, but that was more Merrill’s department. His friend always had a pep talk at the ready and somehow always knew what to say. Kendrick didn’t have that gift, and this was the first time he wished he did.

Seeing Esha so troubled bothered him. Mainly because he liked her. A lot. He appreciated her cleverness, her wit, and her loyalty—not to mention her dedication to her people. She knew her strengths and how to use them, but she also knew her weaknesses and had learned how to work around them. To top it off, she was, hands down, the most exquisite being he had ever seen.

He remembered the moment of fear in her eyes when he shifted, but it hadn’t lasted long. Since then, she had been open and friendly. He had looked close for any deception in her words or actions, but he had found none. Her demeanor and voice had held empathy when he told her about his history. And while he might have only briefly seen her fight, she had been magnificent. If a King couldn’t be there to aid him, he couldn’t imagine anyone else by his side.

It was no wonder he liked her.

As for the pull he felt toward her…he didn’t deny it, nor had he stopped thinking about what her lips might taste like. But he wouldn’t act on it—even after seeing desire sparking in her eyes that morning. The Rangers might not be celibate, but he wasn’t a one-night-stand kind of lover. He liked to take his time and get to know his partners. And that could take weeks or months. And with Esha, he knew he would want it all.

If there were even a chance of that, he wouldn’t hesitate to woo her. To turn on all his charm and seduce her, little by little. He knew they would be good together. She clearly felt their attraction. Her look that morning had said as much.

Perhaps he was being too hasty in disregarding it. Why not take a single night? Their attraction was strong—very strong. Kendrick couldn’t remember feeling something quite so acutely before. The more he was around her, the more he heard her voice, saw her smile, and looked into her golden-amber eyes, the more his yearning to know her—body and soul—grew.

Just thinking about Esha made heat flood his body now. His fingers ached to have her in his hold. His hands tingled as he remembered holding her lithe form earlier underground. He recalled how she had fit perfectly against him, how she had gripped him as if he were the only thing keeping her standing. It was the most vulnerable he’d seen her—a proud warrior elf who had battled her darkest fears. He wanted to make sure she never felt that way again. He sought to be the one to protect her. An elf who didn’t need his—or anyone’s—protection.

But, still, he wanted to be the one she turned to.

“Fuck,” he murmured.

He walked to the table and used his magic to conjure a bowl of cold water. He wet his face, but what he really needed was an icy shower.

Kendrick stilled as he heard something outside. His enhanced senses instantly went on alert. He walked to the flap and lifted it to find Esha. In his present mood, this was the last place she should be.

“Can I come in?” she asked.

As if he would deny her. As if he could . He moved aside to allow her entry, his gaze following her. He noted her bare feet and her gorgeous, tawny locks that fell around her shoulders. His eyes lingered on her backside before she slowly turned to face him. There was something different in her gaze tonight. Something he couldn’t quite name. “Is everything all right?”

“Everything’s fine.”

Something had changed about Esha, and he couldn’t put his finger on what. He continued studying her as she walked to him. His breath hitched when she stopped mere inches before him. He couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think as he stared into her beautiful eyes. She gently placed her hands on his chest. Her lids lowered, and her lips parted slightly. He fisted his hands as she leaned forward and pressed her mouth to his. Shock went through him, followed by a poignant rush of desire. It engulfed him. He didn’t move for fear she would change her mind and leave.

The kiss was brief. He bit back a groan as she leaned away. He opened his eyes and met her gaze. She smiled and licked her lips. That small movement was nearly his undoing. His body shook with the need to touch her, to pull her close and feel all her softness.

She leaned in for another kiss. Kendrick was prepared this time, but it didn’t dull the sweet taste of her or the yearning that consumed him. He hesitantly put his hands on her hips as their mouths brushed. When he parted his lips and swept his tongue against hers, she sighed and wound her arms around his neck. Kendrick splayed a palm across her back to hold her as he tangled his other hand in her silken hair.

They exchanged no words as they deepened the kiss. Desire intensified, expanding as the flames of it licked recklessly between them. Their hunger grew until it pulsed in time with their hearts. His breaths were ragged, and his skin burned with need. The feel of her in his arms was almost too much, yet not nearly enough.

With one look, one kiss, he was hers. Completely.

He fumbled for the fastenings on her corset, yanking too hard in his bid to undo them. Their lips didn’t break apart as she helped him unlatch the last of the buckles. The corset fell with a soft thump to the ground. He put his hands on her hips, searching the waist of her pants for fastenings. He found the buttons and quickly released them. Then, he pushed the material over her hips and shoved them down her legs.

Esha kicked her legs free. As soon as she did, Kendrick lifted her. She wrapped her legs around his waist. Her fingers sank into his hair, and she held his head as she kissed him deeply, passionately.

Her taste was as perfect and wonderful as he’d known it would be. He couldn’t get enough of her kisses. If he did nothing else but kiss her for the rest of eternity, it would be enough. But she offered so much more, and he wasn’t about to pass it up.

Kendrick walked to the bed. She unhooked her legs so he could lower her to the mattress. Esha shifted to her knees and yanked at his shirt. He broke the kiss long enough to tug it over his head. Then, their lips tangled again. Her skin was soft and smooth, and the cool locks of her hair slid over the backs of his hands, teasing him.

When her hands covered his arousal through his pants, he groaned. He couldn’t wait to be inside her, to feel her wet heat surrounding him as he pumped. Kendrick yanked at the button of his pants so hard that it flew off. Esha ended the kiss and watched as he removed his trousers.

Her gaze lowered to his hard cock that jutted between them. She licked her lips, making his balls tighten. It had been so very long since anyone had made him burn . Her beautiful eyes lifted to his face. She grabbed the hem of her shirt and pulled it over her head. His eyes fastened on her breasts. She slid from the bed and tugged the undergarment down her hips.

When she straightened, she stood naked before him. Her brown skin shimmered golden and stretched over her toned body. Kendrick was utterly awed by her beauty, staggered by the longing reflected in her eyes.

Shaken by the depths of his hunger.

He eyed her small, pert breasts that rose and fell quickly with her breaths. He took in the hard, dark nipples that begged for his lips. His hands itched to learn the curve of her waist and the flare of her hips. To travel over her taut stomach. A small patch of tawny curls sat at the junction of her thighs. And her legs… He couldn’t wait to feel them wrapped around him again as he sank into her.

* * * *

Never in her life had Esha thought she would find herself standing on the precipice of such a monumental act. She had known what she wanted—and what would happen—the moment she walked to Kendrick’s tent. She also knew the outcome.

And she didn’t care.

How could she when she knew this moment of her standing naked with a Dragon King was meant to be? The realization had come to her quickly and with as much certainty as when she realized she would be a Ranger.

Kendrick’s kisses were intoxicating, his touch thrilling. Right now, in this moment, she didn’t care what happened. She wanted to hold on to these amazing feelings inside her and share the night with this Dragon King.

Her skin warmed as his gaze roamed over her. He wasn’t the only one staring, however. She couldn’t look away from his hard body. She had seen his chest that morning, and she couldn’t get enough of it. His light skin held no scars, but she knew he had some deep within him that no one saw. She felt them, though. Just as she had felt his strength when she leaned against him underground .

Esha’s breath hitched when her gaze traveled down the V-shape of his chest to his hips and took in the sight of his impressive arousal once again. Her sex clenched in need as she imagined him sliding inside her. His thick legs were corded with more muscles and dusted with dark hair.

They reached for each other at the same time. Esha put her hands on his stomach and let her palms caress upward, running over the muscles of his chest to his neck. His hands gripped her hips, holding her tightly against him, his cock between them.

Then they were kissing again. Esha let herself become lost in the desire. She gave herself over to the intense and heady passion that governed her. Kendrick leaned her slowly backward until she lay on the bed and then settled on top of her. She sighed at the feel of his weight. Her legs parted and wrapped around him.

He kissed across her jaw and down her neck. He paused and licked the divot where her collarbones met before moving lower, leaving a trail of hot kisses across her skin. Her breaths came faster as he neared her breast. Then his lips wrapped around a peak and gave a slight pull before he moved his tongue around it.

Esha arched her back, losing herself to the delicious feel. Pleasure ran from her nipples straight to her sex. She ground her hips into him, wanting more. And he gave it to her. He continued suckling, making her mindless with growing need. When she didn’t think she could take any more, he moved to her other breast. Her fingers dug into his back as the yearning for an orgasm consumed her. She teetered on the edge, ready at any moment.

A cry of pleasure ripped from her when he slipped a finger inside her. He moved it in time with his tongue on her nipple.

“Yes,” she cried out hoarsely.

This was what she needed. She gripped his hand, trying to get him to move it faster, but he ignored her. Didn’t he realize how close she was? Didn’t he understand how much she needed the release? A sob locked in her throat as he kept to the same tempo.

“Please,” she begged.

In response, his thumb circled her clit. Esha jerked at the sensation and waited for more. Instead, Kendrick settled between her thighs. His green eyes briefly met hers before he lowered his mouth to her sex.

Her breath locked in her lungs when his tongue swept over her. If she’d thought his fingers had felt good, it was nothing compared to his tongue. It became impossible for her to move. She was caught within a compelling web of potent pleasure. Her flushed body buzzed with need, every nerve ending firing with ecstasy.

It was the most wonderful thing she had ever experienced.

His tongue quickened as he ruthlessly teased her swollen clit. Desire tightened low in her belly, bringing her closer and closer to climax. She sought it, reached for it. When the orgasm hit, for just an instant, she felt as if she were suspended in time. In the next heartbeat, waves of bliss rolled through her, one on top of the other until she couldn’t catch her breath.

* * * *

She was magnificent, unreservedly spectacular. Kendrick watched Esha as she climaxed, tasting her on his tongue. He knew then that he had made a fatal error. Once would never be enough for him. He had known with their first kiss, but he hadn’t admitted it until that moment. Esha was his mate.

He put that out of his mind for the moment because he didn’t want to think of the issues that presented. Instead, he focused on her. He continued licking her, prolonging her orgasm for as long as he could. When her body began to relax, he rose and guided his cock to her entrance. He looked at her to find her eyes open and locked on him. Kendrick gently rubbed the head of his cock against her folds.

She moaned and jerked in response. Then she opened her legs wider and tugged him toward her. He found her entrance and pushed inside her tight, slick walls. He pulled out slightly and thrust deep.

Her groan matched his. He stayed still for a moment, taking it all in. As he gazed into her eyes, her lips curved into a smile before she locked her legs around his waist and moved slightly so he slid deeper. Kendrick closed his eyes. He hadn’t even begun to thrust yet, and already, he was about to spill his seed.

When he did start pumping his hips, she met him thrust for thrust. Each time, he found himself sinking deeper and deeper into the pleasure until he couldn’t tell where he ended and she began. Their sweat-slicked bodies glided against each other, the delicious friction propelling him faster toward climax.

Her nails sank into his skin as she jerked beneath him. He saw the ecstasy fill her face as her body clamped around his cock. Kendrick pumped his hips harder, faster. With a shout, he buried himself deep within her as he orgasmed.

For long moments, neither of them moved. Esha pulled him down atop her and held him in her arms. He buried his face against her neck and wished he could stop time so the night would never end. But he didn’t have that power. He rose on his hands and gave her a quick kiss before pulling out of her and rolling onto his back. Kendrick extended his arm and waited. Esha turned to her side and curled against him.

“We’re going to do that again tonight,” she said.

He laughed. “I was just thinking the same thing.”

“I’ve never felt anything so…”

“Me, either.”

She shifted her head to look at him. Her lips parted, but no words came out. Then she looked away. Kendrick tightened his arm around her. Clearly, neither wanted to talk about what would happen in the morning. For now, they would stay in the moment.