Page 41 of Flameborne: Fury
Wisdom.I needed wisdom.
And some fucking self-restraint. Which, with the dragons roaring again, would be nearly impossible.
Some minutes later, I could feel her drawing closer, driven to find me.
I sat in the shallows of the freezing water, elbows on my knees and head in my hands, fighting for control. I didn’t want to rush to her, didn’t want to frighten her. But my bodydemanded.And the surges from the dragons didn’t help.
I prayed her need was enough to soothe her fear, but not so great that we couldn’t speak. I could feel her nerves. I needed to set her mind at ease.
There was a moment when Kgosi roared and I let my head sink back, hands fisted, teeth clenched against the rush of arousal and need. But it wouldn’t fucking stop. And while she hadn’t moved further away, she wasn’there.
I was so hard it hurt.
Finally, unable to find any relief, I took myself in hand and began to stroke, imagining her last night when she’d been free—in my lap, bent back over my knees, her head back, chin high, calling my name as her breasts bounced and I curled forward to suck on one pink—
A sharp intake of breath reached me despite the whistling wind and my eyes flew open.
Bren stood on the edge of the pool in nothing but her shirt. It fell to halfway down her thighs, but was still damp and heavy, so it plastered against her breasts, revealing the darker skin of her nipples, the snatch of her waist. And though I couldn’t see it, the hint of that shadow at the apex of her thighs.
The moment my eyes opened our gazes locked.
She was stunning.
Cheeks pink, hair loose and tangled. Her lips puffy and her eyes… Her eyes alight with need, and glazed with lust.
She looked as unsteady as I felt.
“Bren—” I croaked, scrambling to my feet.
Her eyes widened and dropped to my erection. I went still, feeling the apprehension in her, the startled shock, afraid she’d back away. It took every ounce of my self-discipline, developed over twenty years as a Furyknight, not to move from that spot. To let her look and think. Towait.
Then her eyes snapped back to my face and she swallowed. “Last night… Do you regret it?” she said hoarsely.
I blinked. “What?No!Of course not. Bren—” I took a step towards her and she tensed, so I caught myself, cursing.
Thankfully she didn’t flee. Her throat bobbed again and she scanned my body. I felt the surge of need in her and groaned before I could swallow it back.
“Bren,” I croaked. “You’re my mate. Our dragons are mates. I regretnothing.”
Her eyes returned to mine. “But the honor code—”
“We weremadefor each other, Bren,” I said as firmly as I could without sounding angry. “This might fuck up our careers, but it’s unavoidable—”
Her head drew back and I broke off, cursing myself for the choice of words.
“It’s because of the dragons,” she breathed. “You don’t think—”
“No!Bren,please.”I rushed through the water, kicking it up in my haste. She stumbled back, away from the cold, but didn’t flee. And thank God, when I reached her, cupped her face and held her there, staring down at her, Ifelther relief at my touch.
Her fear, it’s ingrained. Not of me. She wants me. She needs me.
The dragons invaded again and it took me a few seconds to think straight, but once I did, I swallowed back the surge of fire and stared down at her.
“Bren, look at me.” I slid fingers into her hair and waited for her to meet my eyes, stroking her temples with my thumbs and searching her eyes. “Bren, I amhere.No regrets. You’re mine, and I’m yours. Please, tell me.”
She blinked. “Tell you what?” she whispered.
“Who did this to you?” I asked her darkly. “Who made you believe you couldn’t be wanted? Needed? Tell me. I swear, I will remove that bastard from this earth and make you safe if it’s the last thing I do.”
