Slaying the Dragon (Deception Duet #2) (29 page)

She frowned.

“When I saw you at my mother’s house and saw this…” I stepped toward her and placed my hand on her stomach. “Well, I had never been so stunned before, so speechless that any woman could capture my heart with her beauty and radiance. I’m just worried if we move too fast, we won’t make it.”

“Tyler…” She wrapped her arms around my neck and stood on her toes, placing a soft kiss on my lips. “I want us to make it, too, but did you ever think that maybe I
need
this. I need to feel you, feel the connection I’ve missed. I need to know you again…”

“You
do
know me.”

“We’ve agreed to get to know each other again, but I’m not just interested in your favorite color and your most memorable childhood vacation, Tyler. I want to know you intimately. I want nothing more than to open up my heart to you again, but I can’t do that unless I know you…all of you.”

Tracing circles on my neck, she ran her hand down my chest, a renewed hunger washing over me. Passion flooding my veins, I drew her body close and covered her mouth with mine, my kiss ravenous and unyielding as I pushed her down the hall toward her bedroom. It had been ages since I had walked these steps, but it was so familiar, so natural, as if I had walked this path every day of my life.

Approaching her bed, I tore my lips from hers, desperately trying to catch my breath.

“What do you want?” she whispered, eyeing me with part confusion, part lust.

“You,” I replied in a low groan. “Always you.” I thrust my hand in her hair, gripping it hard and forcing her head back so she had no choice but to stare into my eyes. Her chest rose and fell, and it took everything in me to not throw her onto the bed at that instant. I hadn’t been with her in months and I wanted to make up for lost time. For all the lost kisses, lost embraces, lost I love you’s, lost moans… I wanted to remember each and every shiver, every taste of her skin, every waft of her sweet cinnamon aroma. This was the start of our new beginning, and I wanted to give her everything. I wanted to give her all of me.

“Take me.” She swallowed hard. “Feel me, Tyler.”

Hooking my arm around her waist, I pulled her into me, our two bodies molding together. I ran my hands through her hair, brushing a tendril behind her ear as I gently caressed her face.

Sighing, she covered my hand with hers. “There you are,” she said softly.

“What do you mean?”

“My Tyler. My loving, powerful mystery man. The man who is fierce, in control, and full of fervor one minute, then is sweet, caring, and loving the next. I like how it’s never boring with you, how it’s always…”

“Unexpected?” I said, finishing her thought.

“Yes. You were unexpected, but the most wonderful unexpected thing that ever happened to me. And I wouldn’t change one minute of it. Not the lies or the heartache because it led us to where we are.”

She reached toward the nape of her neck and pulled at the strings of her halter dress. Stepping back, she allowed it to pool at her feet and stood in front of me wearing a red strapless bra and matching panties.

The room was dark, the only light coming from the moon as it filtered through her windows. It was serene, tranquil, still, in complete contradiction to the frenzied beating of my heart that I was certain was reverberating against the walls.

Slowly, she unclasped her bra and it fell to the ground before sensually lowering her panties down her legs. Her eyes met mine as she stood in front of me…exposed, bare, vulnerable.

Taking several determined steps toward her, I kissed her again, our exchange soft, momentarily lacking the ravenous characteristic most of our previous kisses had. She tugged at my hair, pulling me into her as a small moan escaped her mouth. Clutching onto her hips, I deepened the kiss.

I lifted her up and walked across the room, pushing her back against the wall. It was a mixture of hands and legs as we fused into each other, feeling each other,
experiencing
each other. I needed her. I needed to feel her. To taste her. To consume her.

With one arm, I held her, using the other to brush all the bottles off her vanity, and lowered her to the mahogany surface. Before she could utter anything, I kneeled before her. Spreading her legs, I placed them over my shoulders and traced my tongue against her calf.

“Tyler,” she moaned, reaching for me as I remained just slightly out of reach of her touch.

“Yes,
mi cariño
? Something I can help you with?”

“I need you.” She threw her head back, overwhelmed with the sensuous torture of my tongue’s slow journey up her leg.

“And you will have me. Don’t rush to the finish,” I murmured, growing closer to the spot I was sure she wanted me to touch…to taste. “Enjoy the moment. Don’t you want to live in the present instead of looking forward?” I squeezed her thighs, my thumb brushing over her center. She took a quick inhale of air, her body growing taut around me. “Don’t you, Serafina?”

“Yes, Tyler. I do.” She ran her hands through my hair, gripping it as she tried to force my head between her legs, but I resisted momentarily.

“Serafina…”

“Yes…?” She squirmed against me, telling me with her body what she needed.

“Eyes on me,” I said, just as I had during our first time. “I need to know you’re with me.”

She flung her eyes open, meeting mine. There was an intensity, an awareness of something bigger than either one of us could have imagined growing at that moment. I thought I loved her before, and maybe I did. But this love, this strange emotion flowing through me right now, was bigger and more vibrant than anything I’d felt before.

“I’m with you, Tyler,” she whimpered through the lump forming in her throat. “I’ve always been with you.”

I brought my tongue to her, wanting to savor each lick, each swirl. Her tense body relaxed, our eyes remaining locked, the connection between us deep and unwavering. “God, I love the way you taste,” I growled, increasing my speed, tightening my grasp on her thighs. “Does this feel good?”

She simply nodded, her mouth slightly agape as she tried to subdue the orgasm that was on the verge of washing over her.

“Say it, Mackenzie. Tell me you’ve been craving my touch, that no one else can ever satisfy you like I do.”

“It’s only you, Tyler,” she moaned, tugging at my hair, pushing my head further into her. “I’m an addict and you’re the only one who can satisfy me.”

Her breathing increased, her body clenched and I knew she was on the brink. I quickly pulled back, leaving her breathless.

“Tyler!” she exclaimed, frustrated.

“What?” I asked coyly.

“Why did you stop? I…”

“You…?”

“I need you,” she said softly.

I raised myself to my feet and hovered over her, placing a gentle kiss on her lips. “I know,” I murmured.

“Then why did you stop?” she asked once more.

“I want you to ask me.” I tilted her chin back and stared into her eyes. She was unable to escape me.

“Please, Tyler,” she whispered, dragging her finger up my chest, pulling at my tie and tugging me closer. “Please make me come.”

In one swift motion, I picked her up and strode across the room toward her bed. I hurriedly removed all my clothes and slithered up her legs. She moaned loudly when I swirled my tongue around the spot she wanted me to touch, her body beginning to tremble beneath me. Instantly, she screamed out my name, yanking on my hair as she rode the waves of what I hoped to be one of the most intense orgasms of her life. By the way she was responding to me, I had a feeling it was.

Her tremors subsiding, I crawled up her body and placed my hand protectively over her stomach, kissing her softly. “How was that?”

“Better than I remember.” She crushed her lips back to mine, plunging her tongue in my mouth before pulling back, nibbling on my lip in such a way that made me want to feel her even more. She raked her fingernails up and down my back, digging into my skin a little harder each time. I kissed her once more as I gently thrust against her, being careful to put all my weight on my arms.

Tearing from her lips, I stared deep into her hazel eyes, a look of peace and contentment in her gaze. I delicately ran my fingers through her hair, drinking in her face. I studied each dip and valley, each dimple, each freckle. I never thought I’d be here and I wanted to cherish this moment, a beautiful memory that would stay with me if the lonely ever found me again.

Grabbing the back of my neck, she found my lips once more. “Tyler, make love to me,” she murmured in a sultry voice.

Without saying a word, I nodded, keeping my eyes glued to hers. I carefully held onto her hips and rolled onto my back, bringing her to settle on top of me. Her gaze widened, showing her surprise.

“You’re in charge.”

Before I could say anything else, she leaned back and took me inside of her, her motions slow as she acclimated herself to me once more.

“Fuck,” I hissed through a clenched jaw, a tidal wave of carnal thirst surging through me. After our first time together, I craved her more than I thought possible, the way my body responded to her filling a void in my life. Each and every time we were intimate after that was more thrilling, more electrifying than the time before. But now, as Mackenzie moved sensually and slowly on top of me, her lips almost touching mine, her breath dancing on my skin, it was different. Lies no longer hung heavy between us. We could finally be us, the us I hoped we would eventually be, and my heart filled with more love and hunger for her.

My fingers clawing into her skin, I pushed into her with greater intensity, guiding her on top of me, wanting to feel every inch of her. No matter how fast and deep I went, it still wasn’t enough. I could make love to her for days on end, explore every crevice and dip in her body, and still need more. I was greedy with desire, the months apart making my appetite more voracious. Her skin flush with mine, our two bodies connected, was ecstasy and I could no longer control myself.

Uttering a low moan, I closed my eyes, grunting her name as I released inside her, my orgasm gratifying and intense.

Slowing our movements, we stared at each other and basked in the moment. “I love you, Serafina,” I whispered, my voice barely audible as I cupped her face in my hands.

“And I love you, Tyler, lies and all.” She climbed off of me and snuggled up beside me. I pulled the duvet over our sweaty bodies and placed a soft kiss on her head.
 

“I’m glad you finally found it in your heart to forgive me.”

She sighed, her body relaxing as she toyed with the little tendrils of hair on my chest. “I needed to forgive you,” she replied, her voice light. “Do you have any idea how horny being pregnant makes you?”

“Really?” I stared down at her and she met my eyes.

“Yup. So you better rest up. If you thought my sex drive was something before, you haven’t seen anything.”

“As I’ve said in the past, Miss Delano…” I adjusted my position and hovered over her, rubbing myself against her. “I’m always up for a challenge.”

Mackenzie

A
LOW
HUM
FILLED
the comfort of my bedroom, a vibration on my neck sending a shiver through my body. My eyelids fluttered open, the autumn sun streaming into the room on this last Friday in September. The weeks had passed quicker than I expected as I settled into my new normal. Tyler and I saw each other practically every spare moment we had. He worked long days as he investigated what was going on with my father and everything else, in addition to running his club once more. I had asked why he was back there when it was just supposed to be a front. He told me it took his mind off everything and gave him a bit of clarity. I could certainly understand that.

With Tyler back on the island and in my life, I fell into a new routine with surprising ease. He spent every night at my condo…except for Fridays. That was reserved for girls’ night, and I appreciated his understanding that I still needed time with my two best friends, even though he was practically living with me.

Tyler had taken on the role of soon-to-be dad with an excitement I wasn’t expecting. He accompanied me to all my doctor’s appointments, which had become slightly more frequent now that I was in my third trimester. The look of awe on his face the first time he saw our little boy on the ultrasound, hearing his fast little heartbeat, made me fall in love with him a little bit more.

As September came to an end, the humidity that had become almost unbearable finally began to subside. The summer vacationers started to leave the island, and things were beginning to slow down, finally giving me time to prepare for the arrival of Baby Boy Burnham…or Triple B, as we had been calling him…in less than three months.

A hand splayed on my stomach, caressing me, loving me, supporting me as a low moan escaped Tyler’s mouth. I sighed, losing myself in his warmth. He pulled me closer, his lips feathering kisses across my shoulder blades.

“Morning, Mr. Burnham,” I whispered, not wanting to break our moment. Each day I woke in his arms, I fell for my duplicitous mystery man even more. I fell in love with every inch of him all over again. With his eyes. With his mouth. With his arms. With his heart. It was all mine to possess, and he gave me his love freely with no restraints. Our love was pure, perfect, and finally honest.