Her irritation eased and she lowered the box. “Of course, Tristan. Despite your moments, I love you.”
She’d said those words to him once before, when he’d first woken up from his injury, and he’d yearned every day to hear them again. When she hadn’t said them, he’d wondered if she’d only said them to him because of his nearly dying.
But now neither of them was dying, and she’d said it so matter-of-factly that he knew it in his heart to be true. He felt the same, but had been waiting for the right time to tell her. He wanted her to know his feelings and not think it was simply out of gratitude for her saving his life.
Now was the time, and he couldn’t hold back his feeling any longer. He said, “Good, because I love you too and a dragon-shifter in love is a force to be reckoned with.”
Her breath caught. “Say it again.”
He took the box from her hands and tossed it on the ground. “I love you, woman.” He took her arm and snaked on the band. Then he traced his name on her arm before looking her in the eye. “Should I tell you the reasons why?”
She nodded and his dragon hummed. Yes. Finally. She would know how they felt. It would make her feel good. Their mate should always feel good.
Ignoring his smug dragon, Tristan traced her brow with a finger. “I admire your cleverness and wit.” He moved his hand down and traced her breast through her thin shirt, loving the fact she wasn’t wearing a bra. Her nipple hardened under his touch. “I love every
curve and valley of your body.” He then moved his hand to her back and traced up and down her spine. “And I will always cherish your backbone and stubbornness, no matter how many gray hairs it might give me.”
She slapped him lightly on the chest and he captured her hand with his own. He squeezed her fingers and said, “I love everything about you, Melanie Hall, and I will do everything within my power to make you happy.” She raised an eyebrow at that and he grinned. “Okay, almost everything. I’m a stubborn bastard at times and it’ll show through. But I don’t think you want it any other way.”
She smiled and moved her free hand up behind his neck. “No, I love you just the way you are. Now shut up and kiss me.”
Tristan growled. He didn’t need any more prodding and he took Melanie’s lips in a rough kiss.
~~~
Because of her pregnancy hormones, Tristan’s words had nearly made her cry. Rather than suffer the embarrassment, she’d taken the easy out and told him to kiss her.
As his lips nibbled hers before sweeping inside of her mouth, she was glad for choosing the silky tank top and skirt. His heat easily seeped into her skin, and she instantly went wet.
Tristan growled and she broke the kiss to whisper, “Do you want to know a secret?”
“What? Hurry up as my dragon is thinking of nothing but ripping your clothes off and fucking you. Hard.”
More wetness rushed between her legs and her pussy started to throb.
Tristan growled again. “I can scent you. You have five seconds to tell me your secret before I rip off your clothes.”
She gave a wicked smile. “That’s the thing—I’m not wearing any underwear.”
His nostrils flared and his eyes flashed to slits and back. He moved a hand to the edge of her short skirt and fingered between her swollen folds. Melanie moaned as he thrust a finger into her pussy.
“Fuck, you aren’t,” he said.
He swirled his finger around and she cried out. “Tristan, please. I’ve been waiting all week for you to fuck me again. I’ve missed you.”
“With pleasure, my little mate.”
He kissed her again as he removed his fingers and lifted her, cradling her ass with his large, warm hands. She tried rubbing against him, but he dumped her on the edge of the back of the couch and shimmied her skirt up above her belly. He then pushed her legs wide and rubbed his hands up and down her inner thighs.
He kneeled before her, confusing her. “What?”
He rubbed his hands on her thighs and looked up, his eyes heated and full of desire. “I said I’d fuck you, but I didn’t say with my cock.”
Before she could reply, his tongue was thrusting in and out of her pussy and she threaded her fingers through his hair to keep her balance. Moving her hips in time to his tongue, she decided that she could live with more of this. Lots more.
Then his tongue was gone and she dug her nails into his scalp in displeasure. She felt his chuckle against her thigh and his breath dancing across her pussy lips as he said, “I think we’re both impatient to have my cock inside you. So I’m going to speed things up. You deserve pleasure first.”
“Tristan.”