Page 20 of Lahaina Noon

That was the final straw for Vaughn, as he roared his release and the sultry smell of smoke erupted from him. He fiercely claimed her mouth again as he shuddered then slowly lowered them back to the bed. He lay there over her, ending the kiss and then levering himself up to look at her while his wings folded against his back, but they didn’t disappear as they had before. “Bridget,” he moaned into her shoulder. “You were perfect.”

Chapter 12

“Holy shit,” Bridget saidbreathlessly. “That was, that was. I don’t know what that was but holy shit.”

Vaughn chuckled and brushed her hair off her face. “Well, I guess that was a compliment?” he asked, then rolled his shoulders.

Bridget’s face fell, “Oh crap, Vaughn, I’m so sorry! I hurt you, didn’t I?”

He smiled and kissed her hand. “No, my sweet, you didn’t hurt me. I’m made of tougher stuff.” He winked at her and continued, “I actually like it a little rough.” His face slowly turned serious, “But did I hurt you when I...?” He paused and looked up at the wall where he’d pinned her.

Now it was Bridget’s turn to laugh. “No! Absolutely not!” she said with more force than she expected. “I loved that, it was so primal, so just, wow!” She stretched like a cat after a long nap in the sun, enjoying the feeling of her relaxed muscles. She hadn’t realized how tense she was until he had worked it out of her.

He grinned and told her, “Well you certainly look like you’ve been well used.” He kissed the tip of her nose.

She froze suddenly, “Oh god, I’m not. I mean, we didn’t use any protection.” she stopped, berating herself internally for forgetting such a basic thing. The strong pull of his desire for her had swamped her senses. She’d been overwhelmed by her want for him in return.

He smiled gently at her, “It’s okay, Bridget, dragons don’t get human diseases that way. And you don’t have to worry about other, um, complications; it can only happen with a bonded mate. It’s a magic thing.”

She studied his face, trying to determine whether to believe him or not. She decided once again to trust him. She couldn’t explain it, but everything about him felt safe.Which is ridiculous because he’s a dragon.

“Bridget, I promise, if there were any concerns in that regard, I swear I would have used protection. I would never do anything that would harm you.”

She laughed in relief and then put her hands to her hair. “Ugh, I’m sure my hair looks a fright now, and I’m covered in sweat. Do you mind if I take a shower?”

He said, “Oh, I’ve got a better idea.” He picked her up to his chest and walked out of the bedroom.

At first, she was surprised and embarrassed by this display of masculinity, but then decided to revel in it instead. “Where are we going?” she asked, lazily stroking her hands over his broad chest and toying with the ends of his hair. Jorrie wasnotgoing to believe her. In fact, she wasn’t sure she wasn’t dreaming. She picked up the faint sound of lapping water as they walked into another room before Vaughnsuddenly leapt, and they were falling. She had a second to think about screaming, and then she was underwater.

Bridget came spluttering to the surface and shoved her hair out of her eyes. “What the hell, Vaughn!” she shouted when she caught her breath. She looked around and didn’t see him anywhere. She was in a giant pool, but like none she’d ever seen. The water seemed to be the perfect temperature and was surrounded by rocks. No real shape, the edges meandered in a free form. Natural looking ledges were set into the sides, where a person or several could lay. She made her way to the nearest one and looked up.

She was so startled that she almost forgot to keep swimming until water flooded her nose. She pulled herself onto the ledge and stared above her. There was no ceiling! Just the open sky! How was this possible?

“Digital again.” She heard the rumble echo across the cave-like area. Of course, it was a cluster of digital screens like the windows in the living room. But where was Vaughn? She’d heard him so she knew he was still in here somewhere.

She pulled her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around them, giving in to a little shiver. He’d better show himself soon. She had a thing or two to say. “Vaughn?” she called out, hearing her voice echo off the far rocks. “Where are you?” a little more quietly.

Suddenly, a dark shape shot through the water like a bullet near her, and he burst through the surface to land on the ledge. He stood there in all his naked glory, not the least bit shy about it, lightly shaking water from his wings.

Bridget stood and stomped in front of him then poked him in the shoulder. “Vaughn, whatever your middle name is, Drake!” she scolded, “You donotthrow a woman into a pool without warning her. What if I couldn’t swim? What if I had inhaled some of the water and drowned? You jerk!” She slapped his shoulder and crossed her arms under her generous breasts. This caused them to rise a little, which naturally got his attention.

He gave an appreciative stare, then met her eyes. “Cormac.”

“Huh?” she replied intelligently.

“My middle name,” he replied, “It’s Cormac. So, when you want to use that sexy mom voice to scold me, dear Bridget Ridgeway, you can call me Vaughn Cormac Drake. And you wouldn’t have drowned. I would have made sure of that. I told you, I would never hurt you,” he spoke quietly, then caressed her face. “Please forgive me; I didn’t mean to scare you; it’s just you wanted to get cleaned up, and I was afraid if we showered together, I’d just ravish you against the shower wall, and we’d never finish our conversation from earlier.”

Her mouth went as dry as a desert at his admission. She noticed his body was standing at attention. The thought wasn’t far enough from his mind. She allowed him to wrap her in his arms and pull her close. She laid her head against his chest and heard him rumble in pleasure. “I like it when you do that,” she told him. “It reminds me of a cat’s purr.”

He snorted, “I am not a cat.” Mock fierceness colored his voice.

She looked up and grinned. “Oh, of course you are. Just a big, soft, rumbly kitty who likes to be… stroked.” She put motion to her words, stroking her hand up his hard shaft and running her fingers around the tip.

His eyes flashed with flames and suddenly they were flying across the cave to a smaller pool that had steam rising lazily from the surface. He lowered them into the pool, which she now realized was a hot tub, and sighed gratefully as the warm water covered her.

Vaughn grabbed her arms and pulled them over her head with one hand. The other he reached down between her legs and began to stroke her again. “Well, you, Bridget, are just a naughty little minx who needs to be taught a lesson.”

She was too wound up in what he was doing to protest. Not that she wanted to anyway. She arched into his hand and whimpered for more.

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