Only For Her Dragon (Dragon Guard Series Book 6) (6 page)

CHAPTER SIX

Charlie had tossed and turned all night, dreams of Aaron fighting a black hooded figure chased her every sleeping moment. There were times it looked like his opponent might take him down, but then she would glimpse his cocky grin and watch the man that was becoming so important to her cut down
everything
in his path. His raw power was awesome and fueled by the dragon she could feel within him. He not only possessed brute strength, but also an iron will and a pure determination that would not be defeated.

Reluctantly, Charlie opened her eyes, squinting at the glare. Shards of light shone through the gaps in her light blue blackout curtains, nearly blinding her as she cursed under her breath. Those curtains had been the best investment she’d made during her first year as an intern. Working all kinds of crazy hours, never sure when she’d be able to get back to her bed, she’d learned quickly that even in the bright light of day an hour or two of sleep was a blessing, and her curtains tricked her brain into believing it was always nighttime.

Not when you don’t shut them all the way, doofus.

Throwing the blankets over her head, she groaned while rolling away from the offending light. She tossed and turned until her legs were encased in the sheets and she felt like a mummy. Laughing at her own silliness, Charlie threw off the covers, careful not to look towards the window, and stared at the far wall, once again thinking about the man that would not leave her alone, whether awake or sleeping.

He’s an addiction they don’t have a twelve-step program for.

After several long minutes, she sat up and threw her legs over the edge of the bed, talking to the room around her. “Might as well get this day started. Wonder how much trouble I can get into?”

Making her way to the bathroom, she brushed her teeth, took a shower, and threw on a pair of shorts and a T-shirt. She followed the smell of freshly brewed coffee to the kitchen, thanking the Lord above for coffeemakers with timers. Steaming mug in hand, she padded to the deck and plopped into the redwood Adirondack chair, propping her feet on the large terra cotta pot in front of her.

The daisies, looming big and beautiful, reached for the sun and made her smile. She knew it was silly, but knowing Aaron had planted them for her made them all the more special. Glancing to the side, she gazed at the huge red flowers of the rose bush and made a mental note to ask him where he’d gotten such a beautiful plant, and why it always seemed to be in bloom. The backyard needed some sprucing up.

That would be a great ‘thank you’ present to Sam for letting me use the cottage. I’ll get right on it…as soon as I find the gumption.

Letting her head fall back, her eyes slid closed and she soaked in the warmth of the sun, letting her mind wander. Thoughts of how much her world had changed and how happy she was that she and Sam were back on speaking terms floated around her brain. That made her think of her parents, which made her remember that it had been days since she’d spoken to them.

Her mom usually called at
least
every other day, especially now that her dad had retired from the police force. It was funny to hear them bicker. Marian Gallagher was a smart, sassy, retired nurse that always took care of everyone with a firm hand and a whole lot of love. Charles, aka, Chuck Gallagher, was a hard-nosed retired city detective with a heart of gold, and was Charlie’s very own version of a superhero. After all, she was named after him.

The day Chuck Gallagher had responded to the 911 call about an abandoned newborn on the church steps was the best day of Charlie’s, then, very short life. She’d heard the story so many times she could recite it while almost perfectly imitating her dad.

You were the prettiest little thing I’d ever seen. Snow white hair and bright blue eyes, rosy cheeks and sweet, rosebud lips that spread into a smile just like sunshine. I’d never seen anything as beautiful as you, except your mom. You were all wrapped in a fluffy pink blanket, cooing like you didn’t have a care in the world. The reverend said he found you safe and secure in an old-fashioned wicker basket. You know the kind, with high sides and handles.

It was filled with bottles, blankets, little pink outfits of every description, and the tiniest diapers I’d ever seen. There were even two white teddy bears and a package of pacifiers. We never did figure out the meaning of the pretty copper pendant on the brown leather cord attached to the basket handle. Just knew that it exactly matched the birthmark on your hip. Your mom saved it until you were old enough to wear it and I don’t think I’ve ever seen you without it.

I took you straight to the hospital. Never left your side. The doctors and nurses knew me from your mother and all the times I’d brought victims in. When I said I wasn’t leaving you, they just backed away and did their jobs. At first, the doc was worried about the markings on your back, but they soon said they were only a birthmark.

I was getting really impatient. Kept asking when they’d finally be done. Of course, you just smiled and even giggled a time or two. The nurses said they’d never seen a baby so young be so responsive and happy. Always so happy. I was just about to lose my mind when your mom showed up. She’d been covering a shift in surgery and recovery. Thankfully, she was just in time to hear the doctor say you were perfectly healthy.

The folks from Child Protective Services came. Marian said there was no way in hell you would spend one minute in one of those scary group homes or a crowded foster home. It took a few calls and some big time favors, but a few hours later we were taking you home and you’ve been ours ever since.

A flood of memories washed over Charlie; pictures of birthdays, holidays, family vacations, even simple days at the park; all the things that made her childhood so perfect. She felt like someone with a big announcer’s voice should be declaring, “Charlene Gallagher…This is Your Life.”

Chuckling aloud, she lifted her head just in time to see twinkling blue eyes and a handsome face blocking the rays of the sun. Lips she recognized as Aaron’s slammed onto hers. A scent that was all man, specifically
him,
flooded her system, making her feel tipsy. Opening for him like it was something she was born to do, Charlie reveled in the feelings this one man brought out in her. They groaned in unison at the sheer pleasure of being together as his tongue tangled with hers.

Warm, strong hands slid around her waist, cupping her ass and sending electric tingles throughout her entire body, making her instantly wet and needy. In the next instant she was lifted into his arms, helpless to do anything but what he commanded. The feel of his body against hers, his arms around her, his mouth on hers, nearly short-circuited her brain. Her entire world narrowed to that moment, that man, and what they were together.

They moved. She felt the air at her back, recognized the sound of the sliding glass door opening and slamming shut, then the smell of her heather and dewdrop candles. The sounds of his boots on her tile floor changed as they hit the carpeting in her living room and then the hardwood floors of the hall. Upward motion told her they were on the stairs, but she really couldn’t care; all that mattered was that he kept kissing her…kept touching her.

A kick to a door sounded far away, and then Aaron abruptly stopped, turned, and sat. Charlie found herself straddling his lap, the muscles in his thighs warming the inside of hers as she fought to get as close to him as possible. Sliding forward, their lips never leaving one another, his erection made contact with her engorged clit. She gasped as flashes of light burst behind her closed lids. Aaron took advantage, nipping and tasting her jawline, raising goose bumps all over her body. He worried her earlobe with his teeth and tongue. His breath on her ear and the words he whispered sent shivers up and down her spine. “Good God woman, you make me crazy. I can think of nothing else but loving you until the end of time.”

She grabbed his head with both hands on the side of his head and pulled his face until she could see his eyes. Her voice was low and breathless when she spoke, “Ditto, dragon man, ditto,” was all she got out before his mouth was on hers again. The fire they had started erupted into an inferno, burning her from the inside out.

Aaron’s hands slipped under her shirt. Sparks flew between them at every touch of his hands on her bare skin. He moved upward, taking the flimsy fabric with him. Faster than she could track he pulled the top over her head. Next to go were her shorts, leaving her sitting in only a bra and panties, holding her breath to see what he would say.

Good thing I wore the good stuff today.

He stood and spun in one fluid motion. The cool softness of her favorite comforter touched the markings on her back as they tingled where he’d carefully laid her down. Her legs hung over the side of the bed on either side of Aaron’s incredibly muscular legs.

Charlie watched his face as his eyes surveyed every inch of her curvy form. She knew she should’ve been nervous or embarrassed at his intense scrutiny, but her old feelings of insecurity never rose. Instead, she watched his pupils dilate and his nostrils flare. Aaron obviously liked what he saw. Her heart soared when he spoke.

“You are absolutely stunning,
Dr. Gallagher
…absolutely stunning.”

“You’re not so bad yourself, Mr. O’Brien, but I think you’re a little overdressed.”

Aaron ripped his T-shirt over his head while kicking off his boots and stripping out of his jeans. Charlie watched in amazement as muscles she knew had to be from good genetics and hard work rippled and rolled, while a mass of gorgeous tanned skin became visible. She’d seen many naked bodies in a clinical setting, and a few in not-so clinical ones, but none of them compared to the near perfection that stood before her.

Holding her hostage with his eyes, Aaron slowly leaned down, capturing her between his palms as they touched down on either side of her head. The coarse hair on his legs brushed against hers as he moved to the side. The bed shifted and one of his hands lifted as he lay down beside her.

The back of his fingers skimmed her cheek and then her chin. His index finger outlined her slightly separated lips, moving across her chin and down her neck, leaving chills in its wake. He stroked across her collarbone with just his fingertips, making his way to the tops of her breasts. His fingers slipped inside the lace cup of her bra, teasing first one nipple and then the other to a painful point. She let out the breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding in a loud rush.

Aaron chuckled and she saw the passion burning in his eyes. Before another thought crossed her mind, he was lifting her shoulders from the bed and unfastening her bra. The dark burgundy material flew over her head, closely followed by her matching panties.

“How the hell?” she gasped.

“Oh, Darlin’, you have only begun to know the wonders of lovin a dragon.”

He rolled to the side, taking her with him, moving until she sat atop him. Charlie was forced to let her legs fall on either side of his hips.
She bent forward, kissing and tasting first his shoulder, then his neck, and finally, his jaw. The fire burning at her center made it impossible for her not to move. The roll of her hips against his rock hard abs created a delicious friction, sending shivers through her excited core. She felt the moisture coat the insides of her thighs. She was sure he felt the heat on his stomach.

Aaron gently grabbed her hips, lifting her while scooting just a fraction of an inch backward. She jumped as his erection rubbed across her excited clit. He lifted his hips, slowly entering her as he lowered her inch by inch onto his cock. Her heart soared. He was a gentle and considerate lover, frequently pausing so that she might adjust to his enormous girth.

Unable to stand one more moment of separation from the man that was quickly capturing her heart, her body, and her soul, Charlie placed her hands over his, pushing her hips down until they touched his. The speed of her action forced the tip of his cock to bump the opening of her cervix. Her muscles tightened around him, making it hard for her to feel where she ended and he began. Belonging unlike anything she’d ever imagined pushed all rational thought from her mind. Charlie could only feel.

The look in Aaron’s eyes told her he liked the effect he had on her, liked tearing away all her inhibitions. Winking, he slowly started to rock, barely moving in and out of her, but sending shockwaves through her body, nonetheless. It was obvious he was in no hurry. His only focus was driving their excitement higher with every stroke.

They were slow dancing to the music of their heartbeats, their bodies moving in unison. She’d never thought it possible to be simultaneously excited, and so at peace. The walls of her pussy contracted harder around him the longer he continued their erotic tango. She was completely captured in the web of desire they wove together.

On the edge of what she knew would be the best orgasm of her life, Charlie threw back her head, closed her eyes, and enjoyed the ride. Words tumbled from her mouth. “Mmm, oh, oh…this is feels…you are…it’s…
amazing
.”

Aaron swiveled his hips, moving in and out, touching all her sensitive spots and some she didn’t know she had. Her clit was on fire, while the sensitive bundle of nerves at the top of her channel pulsed faster with every touch of his cock. She writhed in pleasure. Moaning so loud it was almost a scream.

“Oh, oh, oh…Aaron…”