Page 42 of Dragon Unleashed
Because, impossibilities aside, Paige ismine.
Chapter12
Paige
Heat at my back draws me from sleep. I freeze.Who the hell is in my bed with me??—and then it comes flooding back.
A man-shaped shadow looming outside my shower.
Me falling—and hitting the side of the tub hard.
Aries coming to the rescue.
Aries. The future freaking king of Astronia.
He’s solid behind me in bed. His massive arm is draped over my waist. I start to move, to try to get out from underneath him before my lust causes me to spontaneously combust, but he tightens his hold, pulling me back and pressing my ass directly against hismassivearousal.
Holy shit. As if my initial perusal of his naked body hadn’t convinced me…this does the trick. Paranormal romance novels got it right. Dragons are bigger—everywhere.
I stiffen, heat pooling between my legs until it threatens to consume me. The throbbing is next, and I clamp my legs together in an attempt to ease the ache.
I’m hyper-aware of Aries’ hand resting against my hip. One brush over me and I’ll be a goner. Which is why I stop moving. Because if he manages to give me an orgasm from just sleeping behind me, I’m not sure I’ll want to return him.
Maybe I’ll keep him chained to my bed. Just offer him a constant buffet of food and sex. Men like that, right?
He’ll survive, and his brother can rule in his stead. Win-win? Even as I think it, guilt crushes me over my selfishness.Get it together, Paige.
Aries groans and grinds his erection into me.
“Aries?” I whisper.
Nothing.
His grip tightens.
“Aries?” I say, a little louder this time. Because as much as I would love to have him screw me into next week, it’s just not a good idea. Not when our futures are absolutely headed in opposite directions. Opposite worlds, even.
But when he presses into me again, and my nipples harden, the fabric of my shirt scraping deliciously against them—“Aries!”
I all but scream his name now.
He freezes. Then rolls away me and out of the bed faster than I’ve ever seen a man move.
By the time I’ve rolled over to look at him, he’s standing with his back to my wall, a tent in his low-slung sweatpants. I cannot help but let my gaze drop to it. I mean, I’ve already seen it, so imagining it now is relatively easy.
“If you keep looking at me like that, I don’t know that I have the restraint to keep my hands off you.” His voice is strained with tight control. I look up at him. His eyes are on fire. Brightly lit, much in the way they were that first night. “My dragon is quite—enamored—by you,” he says slowly.
Every nerve ending in my body feels his words like a stroking to my senses. He wants me. As much as I want him. And while I’m thrilled by the knowledge, I am also very aware that wanting is as far as this can go.
Especially after what he told me last night. He can’t rule his kingdom without his mate. And that, I am not.
I won’t derail his future as king just for an orgasm. Not even a mind-bending, best-sex-of-your-life, come-and-combust orgasm. Ugh.
So, instead of letting my pleasure show at his words, I aim for casual.
“The feeling is mutual,” I say as I scoot to the edge of the bed. He doesn’t answer, and I purposely don’t look over to see his expression. After swinging my legs over the edge, I yawn and stretch, wincing at the soreness in my hip and arm, then get to my feet and head into the bathroom. My limbs are stiff, and the bruise on my hip pulses with my movements. Today is going to suck.
As the bathroom looms closer, fear slams into me then, and I forget about Aries’ impressive morning wood in favor of recalling the threat that made me ask him to be here in the first place.
