5. Adrian

FIVE

Adrian's head spun.

He was lost in a cyclone of sensations he'd never thought possible.

Every moan, sigh, and gasp from Chloe's lips sent a thrilling shock up his spine, awakening him to the possibility of what it truly meant to find your mate. He had resisted the very notion his entire life, not wanting to deal with outliving his mate, a tragedy he was nearly guaranteed to experience as a dragon shifter.

But perhaps he had blinded himself to at least some of the benefits.

She hadn't gone near his cock, not yet, but every moment of contact between his fingers and her flesh sent shockwaves of ecstasy through his body, nonetheless. It was like searing heat burning him and urging him on.

This was like nothing Adrian had ever experienced in his long, long life. Just when he thought he'd tasted everything sweet life had to offer him, he tasted Chloe's kiss. That first one would be seared into his memory forever. He just knew it. Adrian had his fair share of kisses over the decades, but this?

This was new.

He wanted to touch more of her, feel every inch of her bare skin. His inner dragon begged to be closer to Chloe. It wanted to be inside her … to feel her legs wrapped around his waist.

But more than anything, at that moment, Adrian wanted to make Chloe erupt with pleasure. He wanted to take her soaring through the skies and never bring her down.

Adrian drove his fingers into her faster and harder.

His thumb swirled around her clit with steady pressure.

He watched in awe as Chloe's face flushed, cheeks bright pink. Her eyes scrunched hard as she threw her head back and cried out. She slapped a hand over her mouth to dampen her ecstasy, her tidy hair now falling uneasily out of its bun with every quiver.

Adrian continued servicing her until her cries died down, her breathing ragged and shallow. The fireplace roared around them, breathing its flames onto her glistening body.

Slowly, he pulled his hands from her thighs and lifted them to his face. Her scent was stronger on his fingertips.

Adrian inhaled deeply, eyes shut tight, taking in the rush of euphoria it gave him. Then he slowly slipped his tongue between his lips and licked that sweet ambrosia clean off.

If asked to describe the taste, Adrian couldn't give a straight answer. She tasted like dragon's fire, like the stars in the night sky. She tasted like the feeling of a hot shower at the end of a long day.

Chloe tasted like home.

"I need to taste more of you," he said as he fell to his knees in front of Chloe.

He gently pushed her knees apart, finding no resistance, and lifted her skirt. Greeting him were the cotton panties he'd already become well acquainted with.

He reached out and pulled them to the side so he could gaze at the most beautiful sight his ancient eyes had ever seen. Silky folds, glistening wet, begged him to come and worship.

"Beautiful," he sighed.

Adrian looked up at Chloe, completely in awe of this simple human woman.

How could she be so utterly perfect? How could he be so lucky to have her as his mate?

She ran her fingers through his hair, making his scalp tingle in delight.

He took that as an encouragement to move forward and dove under her skirt with hungry abandon.

He darted his tongue out, licking and sucking and tasting that sweet nectar over and over.

He ran the tip across her slit, teasing at the opening before returning to work on her swollen nub at the top.

Chloe's gasps and sighs came to him like a muffled symphony between her silky thighs. Adrian slid his fingers back inside her pussy, joining his tongue in pleasuring his mate thoroughly. He pushed in and out, finding a rhythm that satisfied them both.

Her hips lifted from the cushion in an attempt to force more friction. Adrian gladly abided.

Nothing else mattered, not even the sounds of glass crashing in the main hall or the library door creaking open. Nothing would distract him from the object of his affection.

Chloe moved her hand from gentle fingers to open palm pushing, her thighs clamping harder against his ears. He was completely deaf to the world, with nothing but his sweet lover's scent to guide him.

She pushed harder, almost like she wanted him to pull away.

If she wanted him to stop, she had a funny way of showing it. Her thighs kept him right there with no room for adjustment.

Perhaps the intruders left, or she had decided to put on a show for them.

Regardless, Chloe came again.

She writhed against Adrian's face, hard and desperate, as the orgasm shook her body.

Even with her thighs trembling tightly against his ears, he could hear her screaming. He helped her ride it out once more and, when the convulsions stopped, pulled back to admire his mate in post-orgasmic bliss.

The earlier flush of her cheeks had spread down to her throat and the top of her chest. He imagined how it must look on her breasts, bright pink and warm. Would it be all over or in small patches?

There was only one way to find out.

Adrian pulled back and sat next to Chloe on the couch and started to lift her top, but Chloe grabbed his hands and stopped him.

"No," she said between pants. "No, no more. Not if people are going to keep walking in on us like that."

Adrian cocked a grin.

"Oh? You didn't catch a thrill from that?"

Chloe's eyes widened, the pink flush on her cheeks turning a deep red.

"I mean … yes, I did. At the moment. But now it's so embarrassing, I don't think I can handle it happening again."

"Embarrassed?" Adrian asked in genuine shock. "About what?"

He placed a finger under her chin, lifting her downcast eyes to meet his.

"You're gorgeous. Anyone who saw you naked would surely find themselves overcome with lust."

"I'm not so sure."

She moved away slightly, adjusting her skirt and panties to cover herself back up.

"You know, it"s strange. Before you came in, nobody else had come into this room. Then I'm sitting here completely exposed, and suddenly, people are stumbling in. That's a weird coincidence."

Chloe's hands began fidgeting as if expecting Adrian to inform her it was nothing of the sort. Instead, he moved to reassure her.

"You're right. It is strange, actually. The library isn't usually the right scene for this sort of party."

The fire's roar had diminished somewhat, a strange mirror of the change in mood.

"Especially with how protective Callum is of his collection," Adrian continued. "But if the right group is feeling a particular shade of kinky, they might bring their performance in here to set the mood."

Chloe blinked, her mouth set in a thin line.

"But don't worry," Adrian purred, moving close to her once again.

He couldn't help himself. Her scent was still radiating and calling to him.

"Our presence is likely dissuading anyone from making a little mating pile on the books here. Callum ought to be thanking us."

Chloe took in a shaky breath, her hands gripping tightly to the hem of her skirt.

"You know, my friends joked about this being some wild sex party. The kind you see in movies with masks and orgies."

Her eyes darted around the room, seemingly looking for something in particular. Adrian wondered what it could be.

"When I agreed to come, I really didn't think it was anything like that."

He let out a sharp, short laugh.

"Oh, I assure you, my dear, it is very much that sort of party."

At the reassurance that they were both on the same page, Adrian felt emboldened.

He reached out again and rubbed his palm across Chloe's breast over her top. He could feel her nipple stiffen against the contact, even under her bra. Her scent was filled with lust, telling him she was ready for more.

But Chloe didn't acquiesce this time. She pulled away, scooting farther on the couch from him, and turned to face the fireplace.

"So this party is about sex? Just hooking up all over the place?"

Adrian raised an eyebrow, unsure where the breakdown in communication came from.

"Well, yes, that is the purpose of this get-together. We do it every full moon. Didn't your shifter friends tell you anything?"

"So then what was all that?" she cried out.

Chloe turned back, her brow pulled down in anger, eyes hard set. "You just pretended to be interested in me? Acted like you cared until I was relaxed enough to spread my legs?"

Her scent changed.

The lust-tinged aroma now reeked of warning. Adrian couldn't help but smile at her little display.

Was she really so in the dark about what was happening here? Chloe needed better friends, that much was obvious. He could understand her confusion as a human, but he couldn't accept her friends throwing her to the wolves … perhaps a bit literally, depending on the shifter she came across … like this. No explanation or warnings?

That was a problem for another time. Right now, what really mattered was that Chloe was his mate. Not some beautiful, curvy piece of meat on legs ready and willing for pleasure.

No. She was his.

All his.

"Why are you smiling at me like that?" she continued. "Are you really so awful that you"d seduce a girl and then mock her for it?"

Again, he found her outrage equally baffling and adorable. The idea that he would only want his mate for sex was bewildering. It was like asking if the ground should trade places with the sky.

Of course not. What a silly question to ask.

But when Adrian laughed at the absurdity of it all, Chloe's anger only seemed to grow.