Sea Dragon (Dragon Knights Book 9) Read online

  Now he looked uncomfortable. “It is hard to put delicately. Also difficult not to sound boastful.”

  “Really?” She thought she had an idea of what he might be referring to, and it made her want to find out for sure. She put her hand on his thigh.

  “It’s a matter of…size.” He caught his breath as she stroked his thigh, very close to the large bulge in his trousers.

  “You don’t say?” she whispered, growing bolder with her hand. “That is something I’d like to know more about.” Her words were calm, but as she spoke, she moved her fingers up his thigh to encounter the object of their roundabout discussion.

  Bright stars, he wasn’t kidding. His cock was hardening under her palm, and it was huge. Not that she’d been in a position to feel many, but Gowan was, by far, the most well-endowed man she’d ever been this close to. And she wanted to get even closer. So close she would no longer know where he ended and she began.

  “Unless you want to take this all the way to its conclusion, you should probably stop what you’re doing, much as it pains me to suggest it,” he said with a tight grin.

  “Maybe I like to live dangerously,” she teased, squeezing him through his pants.

  “You’re living on the edge right now, sweetheart. And you’re about to fall over it into my territory. Are you sure you want to go there right now?”

  She lifted up, moving closer to him again, until her lips were against his. “I want to go wherever you’re willing to take me. Take me right now, Gowan.”

  What followed was hot and fast.

  He loosened her bodice, but didn’t take the time to remove her dress completely. Next time. She was too eager to feel his large cock inside of her channel. She arched her back as he uncovered her breasts, his mouth latching onto her nipple for a quick, hot, wet tug with his lips.

  She squirmed in his arms, moaning as he took command of her body. It felt like they were in sync. She wanted the pleasure she sensed he could give her. Pleasure like she hadn’t had in a very long time—if ever. Compared to her few previous lovers, Gowan was a bit rougher around the edges and definitely more mature and gruffer.

  But his gruffness turned her on. She never would have believed it before meeting him, but while the decisive way he moved, the bulge of his muscles and the other purely physical attributes were all well and good, it was his commanding presence that really flipped her switch. He was all man. He was almost overpoweringly masculine—sure of himself and of his command of everything in his realm.

  She found that devastatingly sexy.

  “I can’t wait,” he whispered against her breast. “Are you sure?”

  She moaned in answer, unable to form words right away. She tried again.

  “Need you, Gowan,” she gasped. “Do it now.”

  He lay her back against the soft blanket and flipped up her dress, peeling down the undergarments with a skill she should have expected of a man of the world like Gowan. Yet, she wasn’t jealous. He was with her right now, and she could feel the way she affected him. Whatever had come before had readied them both for this moment in time, and she couldn’t begrudge the other women he’d been with. She thought he would probably say the same about the few men who’d been in her life well before him. What mattered was the two of them together now.

  His fingers tested her readiness before he slowly pushed inward with something a whole lot bigger. He wasn’t kidding about being well endowed. She could feel it for herself.

  So much so, she pushed against his shoulders.

  “Give me a minute,” she whispered, gasping as she tried to catch her breath. She was desperate for his possession, but her body was balking at accepting all of him so quickly.

  “You’re so tight,” Gowan said, stopping all motion. He waited, placing soft kisses all over her face. “It’s all right, Livia. Just let me know what you want. I’ll give you anything.”

  She breathed in little pants, concentrating on relaxing her inner muscles. His words and the caring way he held her helped too. He was a thoughtful man who cared for her comfort. He wasn’t going to force anything. He would give her the time she needed to become accustomed to him, and he’d hold her through it all. He’d be there for her.

  Her heart melted, and her insides made room for him. What had been a little overwhelming a moment ago suddenly became something she craved like her next breath.

  And she wanted more.

  “Keep going,” she urged him in a breathy voice.

  “Are you certain?” he asked, and she could hear the strain in his voice. It was costing him to hold back, but she knew in her heart that he would put her first, no matter what. He was just that kind of man. Her heart melted a little more.

  “I want you, Gowan. All of you. Now. It’ll be all right.”

  “I’ll go slow,” he promised, putting actions to words and pressing inward by small increments.

  He kept going until he was seated fully inside her, and then, he stopped. His gaze held hers.

  “Are you good?”

  “Any better and I’d be in heaven. Take us there, Gowan,” she urged.

  Then he began to move. Slow at first, his strokes became more urgent quickly. He held her by the shoulders, surrounding her as he lay over her on the blanket. She loved the way he sheltered her with his body, even as he took possession of hers.

  She whimpered with need, and he answered by speeding his strokes even more. He pushed hard, fast, deep and thick, and she began to moan. She cried out as her climax hit, stunning her so much with its intensity she thought she felt the earth move.

  Maybe it had. Or maybe it was just her world that had shaken off its foundations for a few moments. Gowan held her throughout, and when she was done with the first climax, he coaxed another out of her straining body before he joined her in a shattering orgasm the likes of which she had never experienced before.

  She felt like she could touch the sun, she flew so high in his arms.

  And then, it was over. But it wasn’t really. He stayed with her, within her, for long moments, just…savoring. Or at least, that’s what it felt like.

  When he finally rolled away, he didn’t go far. He tucked her into his arms as they lay, looking up at the stars. Night had fallen while they’d been wrapped up in each other. The perfect end to a perfect day.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  “I hear a certain lady dragon has been seeking you,” Seth said one night, while he was tending Hrardorr’s eyes. “Genlitha is her name, and I’ve had the pleasure of making her acquaintance. A very sweet-tempered lady, she is.”

  “Is she well?” Hrardorr asked, as if worried she might be hurt. Seth could make the connection. He was the healer’s apprentice. He didn’t usually meet dragons unless they were hurt.

  “Merely a strained muscle,” Seth admitted, bending the truth a little.

  The muscle strain had been quite a while ago. In the time since, Seth had been waiting to see if Genlitha would finally corner Hrardorr somewhere. He’d been avoiding her, and Seth had been hoping he wouldn’t succeed in evading her this long.

  In the meantime, Seth had been studying with Gowan, and Gowan had been learning about how to care for his dragon in return. They’d struck up a friendship, and Seth enjoyed spending time with both Gowan and his dragon partner. So much so that Seth had grown impatient with Hrardorr’s hiding and decided to broach the subject of Genlitha.

  “She flies beautifully,” Seth added when Hrardorr made no reply.

  “She always had good wings,” Hrardorr said softly.

  “She’s been teaching the youngsters,” Seth said conversationally. “They say she has a real gift for it.”

  “I am not surprised. She was ever a patient and kind dragon, even in her youth,” Hrardorr admitted.

  “So why won’t you see her?” Seth came out and asked bluntly. “She wants to talk with you. She wants to help you.”

  Seth knew immediately that he’d said the wrong thing as Hrardorr rose up to his full height and stalke
d toward the ledge.

  “I do not need her help!”

  It was dark out, well past the time that Hrardorr usually settled down for the evening, but he looked like he was going out again. Damn it. Seth’s unwise words had driven him into this. Seth ran after the dragon, reaching out for him with his hands, so Hrardorr would know Seth was there.

  “I’m sorry, Hrardorr. Truly, I am. I said this all wrong. She wants to be your friend, as you were of old. Please come back. It’s late and very dark out. A storm is rising. You shouldn’t be out in it.”

  “Do you think I am so infirm that I cannot smell a storm?” Hrardorr’s great head turned in Seth’s direction.

  “I didn’t say that,” Seth replied. “I’m just concerned for your wellbeing. If my words have driven you away from comfort, then I am shamed for saying them. I did not mean to drive you out. Please, come back. I’ll leave and keep my mouth shut in future. If you’d rather have someone else do your treatments, I’ll find someone else. I’m sorry, and I humbly apologize.”

  Hrardorr released a gusty sign of cinnamon-flavored, warm air that ruffled Seth’s golden hair. “It is not your fault that I am this way, Seth. Do not feel bad. I am restless tonight with the storm coming, and I want to be out in it. I did not want to come back here at all tonight, but I also did not want the entire Lair out searching for me.” He took a few steps away, and Seth knew he was leaving, no matter what Seth said. “I am going down to the sea. I am more at home there now than I am here. I have made a friend on the water that I never expected, though she belongs here. If I do not return… Her name is Livia, and she is the daughter of a sea captain.”

  Seth felt the knowledge run through him like a lightning bolt. He knew Livia. Everyone in town knew Livia. She was the most beautiful, kind, intelligent woman for miles around, not to mention the richest. Seth had been smitten the first time he’d seen her as a youngster, but even then, he’d known she was too good for the likes of him.

  He’d watched her from afar for a very long time, but he’d never suspected she could bespeak dragons. Seth felt his heart sink. If she could hear dragons, she was doubly not for him. She would be wooed by every single knight in the Lair until she succumbed to a pair of charming knights and went on to start a family with them.

  She would be forever out of Seth’s reach, though she would be living in the same Lair. Seth would have to leave. He wouldn’t be able to watch that.

  “I know her,” was all he said in reply to the dragon.

  Hrardorr’s ears perked at Seth’s tone, but Seth didn’t care. His world of dreams had just caved in. The unattainable woman he’d loved from afar for so long was now, forever, firmly out of his reach. It was almost as if she had died. He felt that kind of sorrow.

  “I will not return this night. Do not wait for me.” With those parting words, Hrardorr leapt from the ledge into the unknown.

  Seth prayed this would not be the last time he ever saw Hrardorr.

  It was no good. Seth tried not to worry, but he was sick at heart about Hrardorr being out there in the storm. It had whipped up into a gale just after Hrardorr left, and Seth kept one eye on the outside, listening to reports from knights and dragons who came in just as the storm started to rage.

  All patrols were called back. The Lair was shut up tight, with no dragons in the air…that they knew about. Only Seth knew that Hrardorr had left. Apparently, nobody else had spotted him leaving, dark as he was against the dark night sky. He’d been nearly invisible to the human lookouts, and since he didn’t talk to any of his dragon brethren, they didn’t know he’d left either.

  Seth couldn’t stand it. He bundled up in his oilskin coat and snuck out of the Lair by the back stairs that led down to Dragonscove. It wasn’t an easy trip with wind and rain lashing at him, but it had to be done. He couldn’t sit still, safe and cozy in the Lair, while Hrardorr was out there somewhere, in the tempest.

  Seth called repeatedly for Hrardorr silently, using the skills he’d had since birth to communicate with dragons, but Hrardorr was either out of range or just ignoring him. Seth suspected the latter, considering the way the dragon had left. Seth tried cajoling, wheedling, commanding, and outright pleading, but to no avail. Hrardorr didn’t want to speak to him, and Seth felt about two inches tall for driving the dragon out into the storm.

  Making his way through the rain and wind, Seth met no one on the streets of the town, which was highly unusual. Normally, there was at least some foot or wagon traffic along the streets at all times of day. Apparently, the residents were smart enough to stay indoors when a gale was blowing. Not so, Seth.

  He went down to the waterfront, looking for any sign of Hrardorr, but he saw nothing. He fought against the wind and driving rain, straining to see even the tiniest ripple of the dragon’s passing, but it was no use.

  Not knowing where else to look, Seth made his way to the house he knew, but had never visited before. Livia O’Dare’s home. The one she shared with her father, the notorious sea captain and the richest man for miles around.

  Seth had never dared knock on that particular door before, though when he’d been younger and mooning in private over the lovely Livia, as many called her, he’d dreamed of finding the courage to court her. Now that he was older, he knew it would never happen. Not in a million years. Not with his chosen path in life and lack of prospects.

  Still, tonight, worry about Hrardorr drew Seth to her door. He hoped she would have some knowledge of where Hrardorr might go. Seth would not rest until he knew the dragon was safe.

  He knocked on the door, the wind blowing rain across his face that stung like pellets of ice. This was no fit night for man nor beast.

  A tiny door in the center of the main door opened, and a plump woman’s face looked out at him suspiciously. It was the housekeeper. A grumpy older woman most in town avoided, but Seth had no choice.

  “What business do you have here at this time of night and in such a storm?” She nearly shouted to be heard above the wind.

  “I am Seth Nilsson from the Lair. I must speak with your mistress. It is a matter of urgency. Please fetch her.” He tried to be both polite and firm. He’d learned you didn’t get far with people like this housekeeper by being timid or overly polite.

  Sure enough, the woman grunted, shutting the little door in his face with a clatter. A few minutes later—and none too soon—the door opened, and Livia stood before Seth, motioning him to come inside. She looked both concerned and intrigued, and there was a little spark in her eye that he’d noticed the few times they had interacted in her father’s business office. He had been there a few times to inquire about rare herbs her father had brought back from his voyages for Bronwyn. But each time, Captain O’Dare had been there, giving Seth the evil eye for even looking at his daughter, and Seth had gone away with only a fond memory of actually talking to Livia.

  “Master Nilsson, what can I do for you?” she asked as soon as the door was shut. She was leaning against it, Seth in the great hall that was lit with a chandelier high above their heads. Opulent. Rich. Completely out of his league.

  “Mistress O’Dare, I am sorry to disturb you, but do you have any idea where Sir Hrardorr might go if he was…uh…in a bit of a snit?” There was no polite way to describe Hrardorr’s little tantrum.

  Livia’s brows drew together into a frown. “Do you mean to say he’s out there, in this?” She gestured behind her at the closed door through which they could still hear the wind howling.

  Seth nodded grimly. “I’m afraid so. We had…a misunderstanding earlier, as I was seeing to his treatment up at the Lair, and he left in a temper. I tried looking for him down by the water, but I couldn’t see much with all the rain. He told me that you two had become friends, and without anywhere else to turn, I thought perhaps you might have an idea of how to find him.” Seth laid it on the line, allowing some of his emotion to show. “I cannot rest until I know he is safe. The mood he was in when he left… Well…I worry that he might do something ra
sh. And if he did, it would all be my fault for pushing him too hard.”

  Seth looked just miserable, and Livia’s heart went out to him. He was still every bit as handsome as he had been when they were both youngsters, and the attraction she’d always felt toward him seemed to have increased over time, not dissipated.

  He had finally come calling. If it had been under any other circumstances, it would have been a dream come true, but her life was…complicated now. She’d begun something with Gowan and didn’t regret it one bit. She was as attracted to the knight as she’d always been to the Lair’s handsomest son.

  “Come into the parlor,” she said, pushing away from the locked door. “I have a fire going in there, and you can dry off a bit. You look soaked clear through.”

  “But Hrardorr…”

  Seth tried to object, but she dared greatly, pushing him by the shoulders through the open door into the parlor. She kept pushing until he stood in front of the roaring fire she’d built up when the storm started raging. There was something comforting about the dancing flames when the night was cold and dark.

  “You won’t do him any good if you catch your death of cold,” she said firmly, unwrapping Seth’s cloak and hood without so much as a by your leave. She took off his outer layers, spreading the bits before the fire to dry.

  Rosie, the housekeeper, showed up at the door with a stack of towels, which Livia took from her with a nod of thanks. Rosie might be gruff, but she was a good housekeeper, attentive to her employers’ needs. Livia went back to Seth, placing one unfolded towel over his wet hair without ceremony.

  “Rub that over your hair,” she instructed. “Do you need help with your boots?”

  He grunted agreement, toeing off his boots without a word as he towel-dried his golden hair.

  “I’ll just put these on the hearth,” she said, dipping to retrieve Seth’s boots.

  They were wet, but not in as bad condition as she’d feared. They were of good quality, and the leather had been treated with something to make it water repellant. The seams though…that was where the water had gotten through. As a result, Seth’s socks were wet, Livia could see, as were the bottom half of his trousers.