Page 28 of King of Fire and Scales

Thalia had been regaling him with the lore of her village life when she caught him studying her like an oil painting.

“I’m sorry, I’m rambling,” she said, bringing her hand to her mouth humorously. “I think it's this wine you’ve been plying me with.”

Drake chuckled, beside himself with admiration for her frank nature. They had finished their meals and were offered a white cake with infused floral notes of lavender and complemented by the sweetness of honey.

He fingered the stem of the glass clumsily, which made Thalia burst into her own fit of hysterical laughter.

“I don’t see the effect,” he said, smiling.

Benedict brought them more wine and took their empty plates. On their third glass, Thalia lifted her chair and sat next to him, folding her legs so one of her bare feet could drape over his thigh. She had kicked off her arched footwear.

The king sobered when she guided his hand to it, naked of the tights she generally wore beneath her attire. His dragon paced inside him, full of undirected energy.

“You know the thing about women’s shoes…all garments, actually…”

He began to massage the ball of her foot. Her skin was soft as lamb’s fur, and she let out a provocative moan, cutting off her sentence bluntly.

Drake’s cock twitched in his trousers. He couldn’t stand touching only a single part of her. He greedily wanted it all.

“Does that feel good?” he whispered into her ear, resting next to his elbow.

He could see the way her breath had started to heave and snuck in a wily glimpse of her perfect breasts. He imagined their silkiness, the way the soft moonlight would caress the peachy buds of her nipples…

“I do,” she said breathlessly. “I really, really do.”

Drake dragged his head toward the restaurant to assure himself that Benedict had signed off for the night. The café owner knew beforehand that there was a romance blossoming between them, and the man was smart enough to know when he was being intrusive. The blinds were closed, and the torchlight had been extinguished.

The king took his chance, inspired slightly by the flow of fine wine, but more so, encouraged by the aching necessity to take her as his own.

He started to slide his hand up from the ball of her foot, dipping beneath the skirt of her dress and trailing along the velvety wilderness of her calf, then her knee. He watched her for any signs of invalidation, but all she did was bite her lower lip and gaze up at him.

“Thalia,” he said in a gravelly voice. “I am not sure how much longer I can take this. I know you don’t understand the fated mate sense, but you need to know how much I want you.”

After pausing on her bare knee, Drake traveled up the delicious terrain of Thalia’s thigh. Her chin rested on his arm when she lifted her head, boldly and charismatically egging him on with the arousing dampening of her lips.

“Go on then,” she said, the whole world going still with her unblinking, sultry murmur. “Tell me how much you want me.”

The king growled, and for a moment, Thalia’s eyes widened like cup saucers. But she wasn’t afraid, she was galvanized. Drake could feel her heart raging through her breastbone.

“I want to drink all of you like a fresh beverage on a scalding day,” he snarled, riding his fingers up along the daring curve of her rear. “I want to consume you like you are my last meal. I am burning for you, Thalia. Like the stars above.”

Her breath hitched in her throat, her lips parting with a voluptuous lilt. His hand hovered over her underwear, tortuously light.

Thalia knew the game he was playing. And he was wickedly excited by how her legs had begun to part throughout their flirtation. She’d also had enough, and it was nothing short of extraordinary.

She took him by the collar with one hand and tugged at his wandering appendage with the other.

“I want you, just like that,” she grunted eager and wild. “I want you to take me, Drake. My King."

Her smile was exceedingly naughty, and it made Drake’s legs feel rubbery. He kissed her, and before she began to unravel for him, he darted upward, dipping his hand into hers.

“What my mate wants, my mate will get,” he proclaimed.

They ran rapturously into the dark, leaving the table lonely. Drake told Thalia to stand back in the rolling lands behind the town while he shifted. He had never done so with such vigor in his entire life.

“My Gods,” she muttered blissfully.

This is faster. I can’t stand not having you.

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