When Time Stops: Dragon Shifter Surprise Pregnancy Romance (4 page)

I
sobel tasted
like mulled wine and divinity. It was, in a word, intoxicating.

His hands slipped behind her delicate neck, cradling her head and digging his fingers into those loose tendrils of hairs that she’d been trying to contain. It had been a futile effort, much to Aeon’s liking. He’d caught himself staring at her tresses one too many times to hope it was simply by accident that he’d glanced at them.

He slipped his tongue over her lower lip and she almost purred. He smiled slightly, deepening the kiss and sliding his tongue into her mouth. She responded. It was gentle and careful at first, tasting him instead of taking what he already knew to be hers. But patience was a virtue that Aeon was in great possession of.

One hand gliding down the delectable curve of her back, it came to rest on the small of her back. Without him having to pull her closer, she moved to him on her own volition and when her soft curves touched against the hard planes of his body, Aeon became immediately and irrevocably aware of how much he wanted this woman.

Scratch that.

How much he
needed
this woman.

Had he taken a moment to ponder it over, he would have most likely taken a step or two back and asked himself if he’d lost what little sense he was still in possession of. His year of absence from the family mansion was to be spent on work and yet here he was, chasing tail the second night he was out.

Though, if he were being honest with himself, then he would have also noted that this was not the simple indulgence of an urge of some lower sort that he was allowing himself. This was a desire that he could not grasp even if he wanted to. His dragon had turned entirely against him and his insides seemed to absolutely burst and flare with need.

She’s everything.

The thought that should have been sobering only fueled him on.

His other hand left her sweet locks and he grabbed her ass with both hands, picking her up. Isobel yelped, her eyes fluttering open, but she didn’t let go of their kiss. No, if anything, she fell more into it, taking everything Aeon had left with her.

Backing them into the nearest wall, Aeon pinned her between it and him. Her thighs were hooked around his waist and her dress rode up to give him a glimpse of black lace. A growl rumbled up from his chest as he tossed the jacket off his shoulders, leaving it to crumple in a heap.

Isobel’s fingers were nimbly undoing the buttons of his black dress shirt. He yearned to feel her touch on his naked skin but when her hands faltered for a second, the touch he had wanted did not follow. Gasping for breath, Isobel pulled her head back, resting it against the wall.

The blush of embarrassment that had lit her cheeks before was now a flush of desire. He didn’t need to guess to know that as fact. A small frown creased her delicate features as her hand traced the lines of something on his chest, her gaze locked upon it. He looked down, finding her fingertips running over the thick gold locket that took prominence among the four gold chains that were around his neck, tucked under the shirt.

The one she was admiring was the one with the family crest. Dual dragons seemingly consuming one another, grasping at each other’s tails, as they circled in the star-dotted sky. It was intricate gold work, though the dragons were obsidian and their eyes hollow to show the gold beneath the placement.

“I didn’t figure you for a gold kind of guy,” she said, while Aeon’s hands coarsely glided along her delicious, thick thighs, wrapped around him as they were.

“You don’t know the half of it,” he said almost absently, leaning forward to lay a kiss on her neck.

And then another. And another. Until he reached the nape of her neck and she stifled a sweet moan. He could hear it dissipate in her throat. Most of all, he wanted to hear it again.

“We shouldn’t be doing this,” she said, her voice dreamy as he carried on kissing a path down her chest.

She arched her back, her hands coiling in his hair. When she tugged a little, Aeon had to contain himself from tossing her on the ground and fucking her raw immediately.

If Aeon Prevoir was anything, then he was a gentleman and a dragon. At the moment, he had to struggle to be anything more than a savage and he wasn’t sure if his resolve would hold.

“Would you like me to stop?” he queried, certain she would not ask him to, but fearing it nonetheless.

Gently, he gathered both of her wrists with one hand and pinned them above her head. She yelped a little as he kissed the dip between her ample bosom, slicking his tongue out and wetting the valley with a quick flick of it. She bucked into him with her hips and he just about pressed both of them through the wall.

“Don’t you fucking dare.”

He could take that order.

He was hard as hell and when she ground against him in low, sensual rolls of her hips, he thought he would burst. Roughly, he let go of her hands and spun the both of them around again, carrying her back to the couch. He put her down and straightened up, practically ripping his shirt off of himself, not caring if he tore the fabric.

Isobel looked up at him with those big, expressive eyes of hers and when he revealed his hard, muscular upper body, the eyefucking she gave him was as rewarding as he’d wanted it to be. Only a precursor to what he
actually
wanted from her at this point, of course.

“Take your dress off,” he commanded, his voice strained.

She didn’t hesitate for a second. Whatever it was that had made her so skittish before, it seemed to disappear with every passing second, and he couldn’t enjoy it more. She slipped out of her dress, wiggling it down her hips as she sat on the couch, and Aeon was so damn distracted that he forgot his hands on his belt in mid-motion. Isobel grinned, motioning him closer.

“Need help with that?” she asked, giving him a look of such utter mischief that the groan that tumbled over his lips was practically involuntary.

“Sure,” he said, more a hoarse whisper than anything else.

She undid his buckle and ran the palm of her hand down the front of his slacks. Every muscle in his body went rigid and his cock throbbed against her touch, hard and ready. He pushed his pants and boxers down, letting them pool around his ankles, and without missing a beat, Isobel’s hand wrapped around his cock.

Aeon pushed his head back, the eternal fire within him threatening to burst out of him. Small swirls of white smoke rose from his nostrils and mouth and he exhaled deeply, trying to disperse them before she noticed. But Isobel was far too entranced with what she was doing to pay any attention to Aeon’s predicament and soon enough, Aeon was too.

Her hand rand up and down the length of his cock, her plush lips slightly parted. When he looked down, she met his gaze, her eyes slightly hazy.

“Wow. You French guys don’t mess around, huh?” she muttered.

Aeon snorted with barely contained amusement, which in all actuality was little more than a front to keep from pushing his cock to her lips. They were so damn close.

“I think this is sort of the opposite of not messing around, my sweet.”

“Well, I meant your… Um. You’re big, is what I’m getting at,” Isobel said, fumbling over her words a little.

Her grip tightened around the base of his cock and Aeon didn’t give her any answer other than a deep, guttural growl. She smiled to herself and then as if reading his desperate mind, popped her tongue out and licked across the head. The shudder that coursed through him very nearly made him weak at the knees.

“By the spirits,” he muttered, his hands balling into fists.

She swirled her tongue over the head again and again, lapping up the bead of precum that formed at the tip. Aeon couldn’t watch her, fearing that she’d see the gold begin to seep into his eyes. Instead, he closed them and dipped his head back again, letting her slowly work from licking to sucking on him, her mouth fitting over him oh so snugly and perfectly.

So good…

Maybe his brothers had had a point about this whole year on the loose thing…

Isobel’s mouth was warm and wet and better than anything he could have imagined. When she took him deeper in her mouth, the head brushing against the back of her throat, Aeon was certain he would just rip at the seams at any moment and the dragon he’d been keeping at bay would tear through him, taking time and space with it.

She took him in time and time again, not getting anywhere near to fitting him all, but slicking his cock with her saliva and making him groan and buck into her mouth regardless. He could feel the tension and need building within him and at one point, he couldn’t let her go on anymore for both their sakes.

Smoothly, when she was bobbing up, he pulled out of her mouth and pushed her back on the couch. He got on his knees on the big leather behemoth and pulled her to him for a crushing kiss, devouring her lips greedily. She tasted of him and her and he wanted it all.

Her skin was so smooth under his touch and against his best judgment, he found himself quickly losing control. Her bra came off with a casual flick of the thumb and her thong snapped off her hips a moment after, leaving her naked to his greedy gaze. She was on her knees on the bed, looking at him with eyes that betrayed as much surprise as to how much they both wanted it as Aeon felt.

“You’re gorgeous,” he growled, and she smiled. “Turn around,” he said, and she did.

Aeon bit down on his lower lip at the sight of her full, firm ass. He kissed the top of her back and then down along her spine, pushing her to lean over the armrest slightly as one hand snaked around her belly and up to knead one of her breasts. It filled his palm just right, resting heavy on it.

“You’re not too bad yourself,” she said as he reached the small of her back with his kisses and stopped there for a moment.

The smell of her arousal was intoxicating, better than any alcohol he’d tasted. Sharply, he pulled her up again, her back against his chest, as he angled his cock between her legs. She stiffened for a moment as the rigid length pressed against her slit, but relaxed a second later as Aeon kissed her neck again. Each peck came with a growl, deepening as she rubbed herself against him, spreading her slick wetness over his cock.

Finally, he paused at her entrance, every nerve on edge. He looked up and could see the lovely picture they painted in the reflection of the full-length windows. The quarters had a view out to the town, picturesque even at night, but he didn’t have any attention for it. Not with Isobel in his arms. Not with how she made him feel.

“Please,” she begged, and Aeon gave in without resistance.

He thrust into her and she spasmed against him. He ground into her as she whined in his hands, his eyes devouring the sight of her pleasure as she twisted in his grasp with his cock opening her up wider with every stroke. Her legs were spread and he reached around her with his other hand, slipping it between her legs.

When his fingertips grazed over her clit, she let out a wail that was music to his ears. So he did it again and she began bucking against him, meeting him thrust for thrust.

The world fell away as he buried himself within her, completely lost in her softness, the sweetness of her scent, the way she was just so… right. Her moans mixed with his growls and when he caught sight of the reflection of the two of them again, on their knees, with her hands gripping the leather so tightly that her knuckles were white, his eyes were pure gold and obsidian instead of grey.

Mine.

The word struck him just as she unraveled around him, screaming out his name. It was music to his ears and he sucked down on her neck, barely avoiding biting into her, marking her. Like some ancient animal that hadn’t been taught the manners of the modern world.

She made him want to be savage. She made him want to be that beast that he’d fought with his whole life not to be.

He rubbed her clit faster, though his touch was gentle, wet with her juices, even as she rode her orgasm. Her pussy contracted around him, begging him for his release and he didn’t fight it anymore. With a roar, he cummed, watching every agonizingly delicious moment of their joint orgasm.

He loved how she slumped against him. He adored how she whimpered and jerked as he thrust into her once more. And he wanted more of it, all over again.

“Oh my god,” she whispered, slumping over on her elbows as his grip loosened on her slightly.

He didn’t want to pull out of her yet. He didn’t want to let go of her yet.

“Okay, fine! I’ll stay for the night,” she laughed, looking over her shoulder in time to catch his eyes settle on grey once more.

Maybe he didn’t want to let go of her ever.

“Good,” he said, the corner of his mouth curling in a smirk before he brushed her sweaty, tangled hair out of her face and then pulled her halfhearted bun loose completely.

What have I gotten myself into?

I
sobel’s mind
was reeling as she set down the towel on the fancy beach chair set up next to the pool at the private villa she and Allie commandeered. When she’d gotten back to it that morning, Allie had been nowhere to be found and neither was the mystery man that Isobel had supposedly been kicked out for. There was, however a note on the kitchen counter.

Don’t hate me, my ass,
Isobel thought with a slight snort as she lowered herself gingerly on the chair.

Her whole body ached a little. Apparently that was what happened when you spent the whole night tangled up in a messy bundle with a completely and incomparably hot French-American businessman. She’d maybe gotten a few hours of sleep tops that night. Aeon had only conked out when dawn hit the large windows of the apartment above the club – tinted, as he had assured her, so no one could peek in – and his arm had tightened around her waist as he pulled her close.

There in his arms she’d finally fallen asleep for a few hours. It had felt divine and though she’d not had nearly enough of it, she’d woken up more relaxed than she had in years.

Good sex might do that to a woman,
she thought with a wry smile, flicking her sunglasses on her face and trying her best to relax now.

When she got home, the first thought had been to go and crash in her bed. It took about five minutes to come to the realization that she was far too hopped up about what had happened last night and it still had her body buzzing with excitement. It felt damn good. So she’d decided to work on her tan instead.

Which, too, was sort of ridiculous, but at least she could go back to her messed up life after this European getaway looking a little less pasty, right?

After losing her fiancé and her dignity in one fell swoop, she might as well get something for it.

Shaking her head, she rolled back her shoulders, looking at the reflection off of the clear blue water in the pool. The villa was nice, and nonrefundable. Though she hadn’t discussed it with Joshua, it was pretty clear that they weren’t going to use it together. His parents had told her to go on the trip regardless and when Allie overheard the phone conversation, there was no going back.

They’d changed the reservations to include Isobel’s friend and here they were now. Well, one of them, anyway.

“Where the hell is she?” she wondered out loud, finding it nigh impossible to get comfortable on the chair, even with the gorgeous surroundings and the cloudless skies above her.

She needed to talk to someone. Fix that, she needed to
tell
someone! About the smoking hot guy and the maddening night and the way he made her feel like a billion dollars and then some. A sly smile quirked across her lips at the thought of that. Though she’d always thought that she wasn’t the kind of woman who needed any man to feel good about herself, she would have been lying had she said that getting run out on at the altar hadn’t affected the way she saw herself, at least a little.

Getting a confirmation that she was desirable and attractive despite that was sort of… nice.

Okay. Relaxing,
she reminded herself, biting down on her lower lip lightly and closing her eyes.

It felt like her whole body was thrumming with adrenaline and no matter what she did, she couldn’t really stay still. So she kept wiggling around on the chair, tossing and turning, never finding a comfortable position while she fought a long, losing battle to get Aeon out of her head. That didn’t really work either.

When she caught herself staring at the surface of the water again for the umpteenth time, remembering how their bodies had looked in the reflection of the glass last night, Isobel threw up her hands and sat up.

This is ridiculous.

But as she was about to stand up, something caught her eye. It was like a large shadow had fallen over the pool and poolside. There was a dark shape expanding rapidly in the water and it took a moment for Isobel to realize that what she was staring at was only the reflection on the water. When she looked up, she let out a bloodcurdling scream.

Her whole thing about life being ridiculous lately was about to get a whole lot more true.

The shape she’d seen coming down from the sky towards her expanded and grew and a second later, before she could scramble up and off the chair, massive talons had grappled around her and lifted her up.

“Let go of me!” she screamed, waiting for the moment when this obvious nightmare would cease.

There was no way in the world that she was getting scooped up from a sun chair in a French villa by a dragon. A real, honest to god, scary-ass dragon. There just wasn’t any way.

Her palms were flat against the perfectly smooth obsidian of the talons and when she looked up, she could see the lighter underbelly of the large beast. He was covered completely in scales, thick and raspy to the touch, which shimmered in a million colors in the sunlight. The dragon was a dark, burgundy red, with a grey underside and the thinner leather on his wings, which sometimes almost shone through in the sunlight, was grey as well.

Shh, Isobel. Don’t fight this. You are where you are supposed to be.

A gruff, masculine voice spoke in her head. For a moment, that shut her up, making her swallow hard. She squeezed her eyes shut and then pinched the top of her hand, hoping that the pain would make her wake up from this damn nightmare.

It didn’t.

When she opened her eyes, she was still being carried off over the picturesque French countryside with its rolling fields, sloping valleys and green patches of trees by a mythical beast that defied all logic and reason. Her legs still dangled freely who knows how high in the sky and the wind whipped her hair and pimpled her skin with goosebumps. She was still being abducted by a dragon.

“Who are you? Why are you doing this?” Isobel demanded, choking down tears.

In a way, it didn’t even surprise her.
Of course
this is something that would happen to her.
Of course
she’d get carried away to lord knows where for who knows what reason by something that should only be possible in dreams.

All will be revealed in due time. Now quiet.

He didn’t sound particularly friendly. Or in any way interested in telling Isobel what was actually going on here. She took a deep, calming breath and found that it really didn’t do anything to calm her down. That, too, was not particularly surprising.