Breathing Fire (Heretic Daughters #1)(86)
He nipped my finger playfully, smiling into my eyes as he wiped my tear away. “Perhaps you shouldn’t work quite so hard at running away from it, then.”
The hand on my face traced down my body swiftly. He parted my thighs wide apart with sure hands. “Don’t move,” he ordered, as he parted his robe. He was gloriously naked underneath, and I drank in the sight of the body I had missed so desperately. He didn’t bother removing it completely, just opened it enough to bare his tanned, muscular torso, and his heavy arousal. Just the sight of it made my insides clench.
“Please, Dom, I want you naked. I want to see you.”
He just grinned at me. His wicked grin. “Maybe next time.” He thrust to the hilt in one perfect motion of his hips, his masterful hands holding my legs wide apart. “Keep your hands on your br**sts,” he ordered, and started up a hard rhythm. He had my legs pinned so that I couldn’t even wiggle against him, holding me in perfect stillness for his penetration. The sensations were nearly too intense, and I screamed again as I came. “Don’t look away,” he told me roughly. “Maybe I should f**k you ’til you can’t walk away tonight.”
He finally leaned his chest against mine as he grew closer to his own release, and I plunged my fingers into his hair with relish, pulling his face to mine in a fierce kiss.
I lay with my ear over his pounding heart when we finished, stroking his hair. I knew this was far from a reconciliation, but I still felt a raw part of my heart heal. “I haven’t been with another man since long before I met you.” I felt him freeze at my confession, his heartbeat jackhammering. “I know you think that doesn’t matter now, since we’re over,” I continued hurriedly, not letting him speak. “But it’s significant because it pertains to what I have to show you. You see, the thing I need you to guard belongs to us both.”
He sat up, dragging me upright by my arms to look him in the eye. “Tell me what it is,” he demanded, his voice hoarse.
I brought the satchel to him, unwrapping it carefully. I cradled the large bronze egg to my chest as he stared at me in shock and confusion. “He says he’s not ready to be born for a while yet,” I whispered as I stroked the egg of our unborn baby. “He told me there are some things I need to do in the time before he’s born. He’s our son, Dom.”
“He?” His voice broke on the word. His eyes were softer than I’d ever seen them as he stared at the egg. His hand was trembling as he touched it ever so softly, with just the tips of his fingers, tracing the intricate patterns etched along it’s surface.
“Yes, he speaks to me already. He’s an incredible telepath. I’ve never known one who could communicate so clearly. And he’s very strong, even for a dragon. He told me he can speak to you, too. So….be prepared for that. We conceived him about twelve years ago…i think. I had no idea what was happening. I’d been told draak could only conceive with draak. And, of course, the gestation period was a bit of a shock to me. I was the youngest of my kind when we left our village, so I was never made familiar with the breeding process.”
I handed him the heavy egg, helping him settle it into his arms. He cradled it like the precious burden that it was, wonder in his eyes. He sank to the ground, folding his body gracefully and effortlessly. I couldn’t help myself, I joined him.
He shifted the bronze egg and made room for me in his arms. I didn’t hesitate, curling against him and around our son. I was loathe to waste a moment of the bliss of having the two of them surrounding me, but exhaustion from long days of flying with no sleep, and the toll of shifting were a heavy weight on my body, and I quickly drifted off.
CHAPTER FORTY-ONE
Reflections
I awoke to an intense feeling of safety and warmth that was both familiar and foreign. But I knew whose arms held my naked body cradled. Who else?
I opened my eyes and was surprised to be looking at..myself? It took me a few confused moments to make sense of it. I was looking at a mirror that lined the entire wall in front of us. Tall, lit sconces lined the large room around us. The candlelight played across my skin teasingly. Dom was wearing a black robe with such a high neck that it almost looked like a soft, floor-length coat. He cradled me naked against his chest. The contrast of his darkness with my golden, glowing body was startling.
My hair had grown much longer than I had realized while I was away, falling against our bodies in soft, golden waves. His own blue-black hair fell against his face as he looked down at me, his eyes glowing intensely at me from our joined reflection. His expression was closing off quickly, but I thought I’d seen something there for just an instant, something that made my chest hurt with a yearning I hadn’t allowed myself to feel since I’d ended it between us in such a destructive manner.
“How long have I been asleep?” I finally asked. My voice was whisper soft. I hadn’t wanted to break the spell we seemed to be under. We had both been staring at our melded figures in the mirror, as though entranced. I loved the sight of us. I loved the thought of him watching me like this, with a tender look on his face, while I slept naked in his arms, loathe to even set me down.
“A few hours. Not nearly long enough for you to already have that look back on your face.”
I saw my face set into familiar neutral lines as I schooled my expression. “What look?”
His face was sad but rueful. “Your running look. As though you’ve rested too long and you’re about to get up and start running again. That look makes me want to tie you to my bed. I would, if I thought it would keep you there. For someone who can fly, you sure love to run. Do you suppose you’ll ever stop?