12. Naomi

I fell backon the sheets of his huge bed. My body felt loose and glorious.

Two orgasms.

That was so wild to me as I generally was happy to have one—even if I was on my own. Seemed stupid to keep going when I usually just used masturbation as a way to shut off my brain when I couldn't sleep. Just a nice little pop and then some blissful sleep.

But this was so much more.

My body felt like silly putty, and I was pretty sure I would have slid onto the floor in a heap if he hadn't picked me up. I stretched my arms up over my head and arched my back. And he hadn't even taken my clothes off.

This was the best idea ever.

I rolled over and found his pillow, pressing my face into it to get his scent. I tucked it under my cheek and resisted the urge to slide right into sleep. If this was the way people went to sleep, I could see why they'd pass out after sex all the time. With Trent, I'd usually been more annoyed and...well, itchy for a lack of better word.

As if I was missing something.

And evidently, I so was.

The low pulse of music surrounded the bed and hummed through the room. The shower was still running, so he must have put his music on. The smoky tones of Hozier didn't quite match the sunny day, but it was soothing.

His apartment was much smaller than ours. It was masculine and neat, which I appreciated. His bookcase was a natural way to close off this space. It felt almost like a nest. Distantly, I wondered how many women had been in this bed. Women who knew the score and wanted fun, maybe even women he'd dated.

My imagination took a turn beyond the post work pick-up, intrigued rather than annoyed. What must it be like to be secure enough in yourself enough to go back with someone from a bar? I could see the appeal of Colder. He was smart and kind around the eyes. I might not have been overly up on the dating scene, but I could tell a slick asshole from a flirt.

Like that other bartender.

Immediate ick factor—one that Colder didn't have.

He could, I imagined. And I filed that away for future perusing for creating a character. Novak, the main male character of my story, had a few fellow dragon shifters in his milieu. I loved reading series and had instinctively added other people that could possibly get their own story.

Maybe one could be like Colder, unencumbered and happy to be alone even though he needed to continue the species. He often thought to leave that job to his brothers and friends.

Just as I was about to slide off the bed and go to get my coat, which held my phone and notes app, Colder appeared at the edge of the living area. He had on another pair of shorts, but no shirt.

Water still dotted his chest and shoulders, and his blond hair was dark and wet.

Good grief, he was unnaturally hot. So many muscles I couldn't name, but all of them were deliciously firm. Even his feet were sexy. Where was the justice there?

"You're still here."

"Still here." I sat up, not sure where to put my hands and arms. I wasn't really the kind of girl who hung out in her underwear. I tugged his pillow in front of me and hugged it.

"None of that." He walked in and knelt on the bed, then he tugged the pillow away and tossed it at the top of the bed. "You're gorgeous and I want to see every inch of you."

"What's my next lesson?"

"Feminine power." His dimple popped as he crawled closer.

I scooted back until I hit the headboard.

He curled his arm around my back and slid me back down. "First thing you need to do is get comfortable with my body. I'm much bigger than you are, but I'd never hurt you. All you need to do is say stop and I'll be hands off. Not all guys are great at that, unfortunately, but you're safe with me."

"Just because you say?"

"Smart reply. Some guys definitely don't care. And if you want one of your lessons to be getting away from someone, I can do that too."

My eyebrows shot up. "You'd do that?"

"It sucks that women need to know how to do that, but I can show you. And I don't mind being your crash dummy there too."

I laughed. "Crash dummy." I lifted my knee against his inner thigh and felt the shift of his shaft and balls. "Like this."

He stilled. "One good thing to remember is that men are very sensitive there. You can definitely hurt us, but also when a man is wounded, he can lash out. Better to go for eyes first then a shot to the balls."

"Good to know." Gently, I brushed the area in question. "I would prefer not to hurt you there at the moment. Subject to change, of course."

He grinned as he lowered his mouth to mine. "Of course."

The kiss was as slow and easy as the sunshine streaming over us.

"Touch me anywhere, Naomi."

I started with his arms as my fingertips followed the hills and valleys of his muscles. The hair along his forearms that led to sinewy muscles and much larger, bulgier biceps and even those side ones. Triceps, maybe? I didn't know the name, but they flexed as he rose above me.

His eyes fluttered shut as I lightly scraped my nails over his shoulder.

"Do you like a back scratch, Colder?" His muscles bunched under my touch and a grumble rumbled from his chest as he lowered himself over me. Our legs tangled and then he settled between my thighs. The weight of him was delicious and different.

He was nearly a foot taller than me and probably the biggest guy I'd ever been with.

"Back is my weakness."

I brought my other hand up to trail my nails over all those muscles. He shifted against me, and his cock lengthened, butting against my thigh.

He inched down my body, his bearded chin drifting over the skin above my bralette as he grinned at me. "Keep going. I want to feel those nails dig into me as I get lower. Tell me how it feels with your grip."

"Okay. I can do that."

His big hand slid down my hip to grip my thigh as he opened me wider with his broad chest. His chin slid between my breasts for a second before he reached under me. "No catch."

"Nope."

"I'll have to go from the bottom then." He swiped his tongue along where my nipple hardened, then he pulled the tip between his teeth before releasing me and moving down farther. His tongue swiped over the skin under my breasts as he slowly nosed up the material. His mouth explored every last inch of my breast before he finally pushed up the bralette and released my flesh with a groan.

My nails dug into those firm muscles as he covered one tip and sucked strongly.

"Holy God."

"So soft." He brought his hand up to cup one and tug at the tip. "And fits perfectly in my hand."

I arched up as he went from one to the other until I was out of my mind. The music had a bass to it that only added to the frustration and hum taking hold of me. I needed more.

"Tell me what you need."

"I don't know. More."

He sucked harder and let the nipple pop out of his lips. I hissed in frustration. His other hand slid down to grip my hip as he went lower. "You need my mouth on you?"

"Yes. Don't stop."

He scraped his teeth down my ribs to my belly. "Want me lower, Naomi? Tell me." He inched down the big bed and widened my legs. He sucked on my inner thigh and dragged his nose along the fragile skin. "Want me here?"

I stared down at him, my hands on his shoulders. "I don't usually like it."

His bright blue eyes seemed even more silvery in the sunshine as he stared up at me from between my thighs. "Usually being the operative word." He stroked his hands down over my thighs and gripped them to splay them wide. Slowly, he worked his way up over the material covering me. His hot breath stalled there and he lightly tongued over the satin. "These gotta go."

I nodded. "Agree. So agree."

He curled his hands around my ass to drag the panties down, then he nipped my sensitive skin. He leaned back and looked down at me, his gaze trapped at the apex of my thighs.

I resisted the urge to slam my legs shut. I wasn't used to having someone look at me so thoroughly. Or at least be so obvious about it.

He lowered his chest to the bed and nudged me wider with his shoulders. "I've wondered if you taste of raspberries here too. Or if it was just your shampoo that was so sweet." He lapped over the skin just beside my pussy.

"Um, I don't think I do."

He grinned up at me and his hands slid up to my waist to hold me down then he ducked his head and stroked his tongue over the entirety of my center.

"Oh, God." I tried to lift my hips, but he wasn't having that.

"You good, Naomi?" He glanced up at me. "You taste good, but are you okay?"

I slid my fingers into his wet hair. "I'm good."

And then I so wasn't, but in the best way possible. His tongue was ridiculously adept in ways I didn't even know was possible. Slow and soft, then hard and firm, I couldn't catch my breath as he found every spot inside of me. Inside and out.

I tried to push up on my elbows, but I couldn't quite manage it. All I could do was take it. His big hand covered my belly and he held me still as he sucked my clit until I thought the whole world would go dark. Then he released it and slipped two fingers inside of me as I shattered.

There couldn't possibly be enough pieces of me left to put back together, but he showed me there was.

Then he rolled me over and slipped deeper as he steadily thrust his fingers deep into me. The friction of my body weight then his mouth on me was beyond intimate.

He lifted me onto my knees and rolled under me until my knees hugged his face. His wicked smile was slick with me, and I wanted to die a little, even as it excited me. Knowing he was enjoying it let me relax a little more.

I slipped my fingers into his hair as I hovered over him. "Is this my power?" I wasn't even sure what I was saying at this point.

"Tell me what you want. What you need." He gripped my ass until I tipped forward and he could taste me again.

"Your mouth on me. When you suck my clit. Hard."

His silvery blue eyes lit with a fire that made me think of my dragons. Not simply blue, but crystalline. Hard and intense. The kindness wasn't here now. There was something else there. Something I didn't understand. But I wanted to. I ached to.

He dragged me tight to his mouth and then I couldn't think. My brain was blissfully empty in ways it had never been.

I grabbed onto his head and held him tight to me. My other hand went to my breast as I plucked and twisted, searching out more of that spearing heat that had never been mine before.

"Colder!"

My voice was hoarse as he stole everything from me and returned it with even more heat and bliss.

He rolled me and dragged me down the bed as he knelt between my thighs and took himself in hand. His big hand fisted around his cock ruthlessly and I was too shocked to touch. I wanted to, but he was so rough with himself that I felt helpless to touch him. He groaned as he came, the warmth of his cum slashing across my belly as he braced himself with his other hand on the bed.

"Fuck." He threw his head back. The cords in his neck were stark with sweat as he heaved in a breath. "I'm sorry, Naomi. I didn't mean to do that."

I didn't move as he backed off the bed and disappeared into another room.

I felt off balance and strangely euphoric as I touched my stomach.

He came back with a washcloth. "I had it under control until you rode my face." He stroked the soft cloth over me slowly. "You're so fucking beautiful, but when you come..." He groaned as he tossed the washcloth at the end of his bed. "I lost it that last time."

I propped myself on my elbows. "You didn't want to have sex with me?"

"I wanted it. But I wouldn't have lasted—as you saw."

I touched my still wet stomach. I could still feel the heat of him on my skin. "What did it feel like?"

That dangerous light glinted in his eyes again before it flickered away and morphed into the friendly Colder I was used to. "It felt like I couldn't breathe. That..."

I scrambled forward. "What? Your first thought."

"That I wanted to come on you. Wanted to see you painted in me."

"Why?"

He laughed. "You really want to know?"

"I do."

"It's elemental. And primal. It's like your lizard brain takes over and all you can think is mine." He speared his fingers into my hair. "It's not always like that. Sometimes it's just fun and a release. But sometimes..." He lowered his mouth to mine. "Sometimes it's like nothing will do other than marking your skin with something of mine." He bit my lower lip. "My teeth, my cum, a mark from sucking on your skin."

I dragged in a breath.

Then he pulled back. "The animal side, I guess you could say. But we don't talk about it. Most women would slap us, to be honest. But I said I'd answer any questions, even ones maybe you shouldn't ask."

"I appreciate it."

He laughed. "That's not what I was expecting."

"I know it's weird to ask for the unvarnished truth. But it'll help me."

"In your writing. Yeah, of course."

Yeah, my writing. That was what this was supposed to be about. "Um, can I have a shirt?"

"Oh, yeah." He went over to the small wardrobe against the wall and came back with a long-sleeved Henley.

"I didn't exactly think about after the...raincoat action." I slipped it over my head. The sleeves were huge on me, but I liked how soft and warm it was. And it smelled of him. That cedar scent must be part of his laundry soap.

He picked up the washcloth. "Do you need to use the bathroom or anything?"

"ShouldI go?"

"No. I'm not kickingyou out. I just know..." He shoved his other hand into his hair. "It was intense."

I slid to the edge of the bed and stood. It was insane to be a little wobbly, but I was. "Yeah, if that's okay."

He nodded. I padded out of the living space and to the door of his bathroom, which was right beyond his kitchen.

"Naomi?"

I stopped at the door. "Yeah?"

He seemed to pause, and I had a feelinghe wantedto say something. I wanted to urge him back into the truth, but part of me wasn't sure Iwas ready for all of it just yet.

He shook his head."Nothing."

I gasped as I caught a look at myselfin the medicine cabinet mirror beside the toilet. When he said his bathroom was a closet, he wasn't kidding. The toilet and the shower and a small sink took up much of the room. However, it was my flushed face, wild hair, and the beard burn on my neck that shocked me.

Was this what throughly fucked looked like?

I hadn't even had the sex portion of our lessons.

But I'd damn well had the orgasms. More than three, I was pretty sure. It seemed like maybe they layered on top of each other there when things got really crazy.

Me, Naomi Taylor, had been crazy in lust.

That, above all, was a lesson to be thankful for right now.