Chapter 13

"Happy birthday, Little Sky."

Blinking her eyes open, Ciel looked into her Daddy's crystal-clear, light blue eyes. "Hi, Daddy."

"Are you ready to get up and enjoy your day?"

"Or you could get in bed with me, and we could snuggle with Silly?" she suggested.

"That does sound appealing, but perhaps I could tempt you. The cook has made your favorite breakfast."

"Waffles with strawberries and whipped cream?"

"Waffles with fresh peaches and whipped cream, courtesy of a woman with a sore whipping arm. I know I hate it when that happens," he joked, delivering a slap on her bottom.

"Daddy!"

"Isn't there a human tradition where the birthday girl gets a spank for every year they've been alive?"

"Let's not worry about weird human traditions. I'm with you now. Everything is totally different. Besides, waffles with peaches are so close to those with strawberries in my list of favorites. It's a perfect silver dragon's mate tradition."

He scooped her out of bed and stood to twirl her around. Ciel could keep from laughing at his antics. "Stop, Daddy. You're going to make me dizzy," she pleaded as the world whirled around.

Instantly, he froze, holding her close. "I'll charge one kiss."

Ciel nodded and leaned forward to press her lips to his. Allowing her control of the kiss, Argenis responded to her every action. When she brushed her tongue across his lower lip, he opened his mouth to grant her access. She hummed with pleasure at his flavor.

When he lifted his head, she licked her lips very deliberately, drawing a groan from deep within him.

"You are a temptress, Little Sky." He squeezed her bottom as he held her before adding, "No delaying! Think of the whipped cream on top of the fruit."

"We can't let that go to waste. Maybe there would be some fluffy stuff left over. I might not have tried my favorite thing to eat," she suggested with a flirtatious tilt of her head as she trailed one finger down the center of his torso.

That earned her a full, two-second stare as he appeared to consider her suggestion. When her smile became a grin, he shook his head and tossed Ciel up on his shoulder.

"Potty!" she alerted him as her weight settled on her bladder.

Without asking a single question, he took long strides to hurry to the bathroom as he slid her back down into his arms. Argenis set her feet on the tile and let her run to the toilet. Collapsing on the seat, she relaxed her muscles.

It had seemed so weird to have him in the bathroom with her while she peed in the beginning. There were no boundaries with Argenis. She was his.

When she finished, Ciel joined him at the sink where he waited. She stood naked, facing the mirror as he brushed the tangles from her hair.

"Ponytail or braid?"

"Braid," she answered definitively.

"One or two?"

"Two into one?" she asked to challenge him.

He simply nodded and divided her hair into two sections at the top. Argenis didn't seem concerned about the difficulty level of that request. "Purple ribbon?"

"Yes, please. Daddy, what's your favorite hairstyle to do?"

"Mohawk. You know I'm great with a razor."

"A mohawk? I can't do that." She looked at him in shock, knowing her jaw had dropped at that mental image.

"Then I guess we do my almost number one."

"The two braids into one suggestion?" she asked, suspecting he was teasing her.

"Exactly."

He braided her hair quickly and smoothly. She loved that Argenis never tugged her scalp.

Standing there naked was awkward. Facing the mirror while he finished, she couldn't avoid looking at her body reflected in the mirror. The longer she looked at herself, the more anxious she became. She was not a raving beauty. What could he see in her?

She forced her gaze to focus on other things in his bathroom. Sure, that even a bathroom could tell you a lot about the person who decorated it, Ciel looked around. There was a professional flower arrangement in the niche on the far wall. A decorator must have chosen those.

"Tell me what you're thinking about, Little Sky," he asked softly.

"I don't think you selected that vase thing," Ciel rushed to say, pointing over her shoulder and getting turned around by the mirror's reflection. In the process, she flailed around a lot, demonstrating all her flaws like untoned arms and breasts that sure didn't look like the perky stacked ones famous, beautiful people had.

"I didn't choose that. That space was created in the last makeover. I told the designer I didn't want one, but she was sure I'd change my mind. I think Abby, my housekeeper, picked that up for a couple of bucks at a garage sale in Wyvern."

Argenis paused to wrap a scrunchie around the bottom of the braid before admitting. "I didn't notice it for a couple of weeks. The staff had a pot going on and took bets on how long it would take me to comment on it."

"Who won?"

"The head gardener. All right. I'm all done."

"Thank goodness. Remind me to put on some clothes before I stand here staring at all my…" She stopped talking as his expression changed from amusement to concern to displeasure.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to point out my flaws."

That didn't make his expression lighten. "Little Sky. You're body is strong and healthy. It is also beautiful and desirable. I entertained myself while fixing your hair by listing all the things I could bend you over to fuck you."

"What?" she whispered—sure he must be making that up.

"Twenty-seven places on the first floor. Want to know about the second?"

She shook her head in disbelief. "Come on, Argenis. Your other mates were drop-dead gorgeous."

"And you are not?" he asked with a dark glower.

"Of course not. I'm average. The only thing remarkable about me is my hair. It's nice."

"Whoa, Little one. You are looking at yourself through a whole different filter than I am. I think you need a lesson before waffles."

"Maybe I should skip the waffles," she said with a laugh, poking a finger at her slightly rounded stomach.

"Close your eyes, Ciel. Let's go check out that door between our minds."

"Have I been thinking too much at you?" she asked, afraid that she'd bothered him.

"No, Little Sky. The touch of your mind is always the favorite part of my day. Second to hugging you in person. Now, close your eyes. Look for the silver flash. Can you see it?"

She'd followed his directions haphazardly. It would at least look like she was following his directions. That was always a much better idea than getting in trouble. Ciel searched but couldn't find the silver. "Sorry," she answered after a short time and opened her eyes.

His immense hand covered the top half of her face, forcing her to shut her lids completely. "Look now."

Shrugging inwardly, she wondered how he always knew everything. A zing of silver jolted through her line of vision. Quickly, she chased it. "There!"

"Good girl. Follow it. Don't get distracted. There's a difference between silver and white."

"I know that. This one is silver."

"I'm going to link my mind with yours," he warned and a split second later, she felt the arousing touch of Argenis's mind. He always felt so amazingly right it turned her on instantly. "Silver, Little Sky. Don't let me distract you."

"Oops."

She searched around for the silver light. "There." Concentrating with everything she had, Ciel followed its trail to that impressive door she'd visited before.

"Open the third lock."

From his voice alone, she could tell this was important. Hesitantly, she reached out to turn the last one. With a pop, the door burst open. Struck by a million sensations, Ciel stiffened against Argenis. This was overwhelming.

"Take a deep breath, Little one. You're fine. Think about something silly to ground you. How does my little finger feel?"

She gathered everything together and forced her way through to find his body, then his arm, hand, wrist, fingers, pinky. Ciel laughed.

"It's always wanted to stick out in the proper English fashion at a tea party," she reported.

"Let's try something a bit harder. Don't open your eyes, but focus on mine."

She retraced her steps and headed to his handsome face. Tripping over the muscles bunched here and there, Ciel couldn't believe how strong he felt. There was more than just power. Overlaid in every sinew of muscle was the dragon. She forced herself to his eyes and froze.

Argenis did not have his eyes closed. He looked straight into the mirror at her nude form. She felt a gush of arousal flood her pussy. She'd never imagined she could look so good—delicious. Her best qualities combined to create a sensuous creature, she found extremely desirable.

As she watched, he lifted a hand from the vanity and stroked over her ribcage. She inhaled sharply as his thumb brushed over her skin. It felt like warm velvet under his touch. He skimmed past the side swell of her breasts. Her mouth watered from his memories of how her breasts felt when nuzzled and sucked on them. And she'd thought it was phenomenal from her perspective.

She could eavesdrop on his mind as Argenis considered all the way he could explore her body and what he wanted to do to her. Her dragon shifter had a very creative mind. Some of his thoughts shocked her. All of them turned her on.

He refocused on her face and scanned down her body, showing her he couldn't see any of the flaws she imagined. She couldn't believe how lovely she looked. She'd never felt so beautiful and desirable.

His hand moved again, cherishing the gentle curve of her stomach that was so erotic to feel against the chiseled six-pack he sported. Sliding through the slick arousal that coated her intimate spaces, his feeling of arousal multiplied the sensations she felt as he skillfully caressed her.

Argenis supported her as he moved her legs apart with nudges. Her weight was so miniscule, he didn't even consider it. All those times, he'd carried her ricocheted into her mind and she felt his reaction—caring, nurturing, tender. Totally Daddy.

"My precious, cherished mate. Do you wish to close the door and go have waffles or…" he paused for just a second as his fingers played between her thighs. "Or should we make love first and have lunch later?"

Ciel astounded herself as she leaned forward to place her forearms on the vanity and wiggle her bottom at him. "I'm totally hungry for something not waffle related."

The pleasure on his face at her daring words quickly disappeared as he stepped forward to glide his cock through the slick juices of her pussy as his hands caressed her hips. Feeling his sensations as well as hers was incredible. Her pink folds felt like warm, wet velvet across his cock. The ache in his shaft and balls revealed his desire and urgent need to fill her.

"In me, please," she begged, meeting his eyes in the mirror and loving the silver flash that signaled how close his dragon was to the surface.

He wrapped his fingers around the base of his cock and placed himself at her entrance. The anticipation in each of them made the second delay seem like a lifetime. When he thrust forward, filling her with a single motion, Ciel almost blacked out from the avalanche of emotions and feelings. Argenis supported her as he loomed over her body, holding her gaze with his.

If two minds could meld together, that's what Ciel would swear happened. Tender and demanding, Argenis demanded all that she could give and took everything. She could only feel and react. Each touch and sensation etched itself into her brain as he made love to her.

When their heartbeats settled a long time later, Ciel could barely keep her eyes open. She struggled to close that door again, even with his coaching. It was not feasible to keep it open. The pleasure would be too addictive. When it was resealed, she could focus on other things besides how much she loved Argenis.

Ciel clung to his shoulders as he carried her back to the bed. Following her under the covers, he made her first birthday wish come true as they lazed together with Silly.

"Best birthday ever," she whispered before falling back to sleep against his chest.