Taming the Dragon (Loved by the Dragon, #3) Page 5

  “¡Dios mío!” A century? His comment reminded her of his age, which she’d quickly forgotten when distracted by his washboard abs. Thankfully, his cock had softened during the painting, no less impressive in its unaroused state than some of the hard dicks she saw while dating.

  “You may leave your easel within the closet if you wish no one to see it.” His warm hands descended to her shoulders, uninvited but completely welcome. “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome.” She swallowed and regained control of her emotions. “When I finish painting your pose, I’d like to do the rest in the aviary and have some of the birds perch on your knee. If you think you can get them down. Maybe one of the Spixes or Bailador.” She could already see the beautiful contrast of cobalt blue and scarlet red in her mind. Their bright color would be stunning against Teo’s bronzed skin.

  Teo dressed while she tucked her work in progress away in the spacious and empty closet, but it didn’t matter. The image of his naked body was etched into her memory.

  “I wish to see you again tomorrow.”

  “If we’re going to finish your portrait, of course you’ll see me again, Teo.” She chuckled and glanced down to see another impatient text from Chloe. She and Astrid were hungry, and thus leaving to get dinner with or without her. Of course, she was welcome to join them at the seaside grill.

  “No. I wish to see you for personal matters.”

  Her brows rose. “You mean like a date?”

  “Yes.”

  Play it cool. Don’t do cartwheels yet. “Okay,” she said aloud. Her brown eyes locked to his green, before she forced herself to walk calmly out the office. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  She returned to the suite as Astrid and Chloe were walking out the door.

  “Just in time to come with us. So how was it? Will I get to see this mysterious portrait masterpiece?” Chloe asked.

  “Oh, you’ll see it soon.”

  There’d be no hiding it during the auction, but until then, her painting sessions with Teo were her little secret.

  Chapter 5

  With Marcy alongside him on his arm, Teo led her into the tropical resort’s restricted area. The trees grew thick and lush on the opposite side, beginning at a considerable distance from the gates. They provided perfect shade from the unyielding summer sun. She touched a few silken petals in passing and sighed once they wandered under the living canopy.

  “I asked my servant to gather several specimens from the island as souvenirs of your time here. They will grow as beautifully in your home as they do in the wild.”

  “You never refer to him by name. Does he have one or is he only ‘my servant’?” Marcy teased. “Is this customary? Will I be ‘the human’ next? Should I refer to you only as ‘the dragon’ so I can fit in?”

  Red hot color swept over the apples of Teo’s high cheekbones. “He does have a name.”

  Is he blushing? I made him blush! “Which is...?”

  “Kekoa.”

  “See. Was that so hard?” she trailed her fingers over his huge bicep. His muscles seemed chiseled from stone.

  “Not at all,” he murmured. His low voice was a seductive caress to her ears. It melted her insides, and clenched her pussy with anticipation.

  Marcy couldn’t believe she’d put condoms in her bag, but it was better to be safe than sorry. They both wore swimsuits with the intention of walking the beach together after their lunch date. Chloe and Astrid were attending a series of mother-daughter art projects at one of the activity centers, freeing Marcy for most of the day. Prepared for anything, Marcy carried a souvenir tote bag on her shoulder with her camera, a couple lenses, a towel, and a change of clothing.

  “We are here.”

  Colorful, thick pillows covered the ground in an open cabana before them. Beside it, a bucket held a chilled bottle of Prosecco. Their date location was charming yet simple. Marcy’s brows rose. “Did you have one of your employees arrange this?”

  “No. I did it. Chloe told me you have a fondness for dragon fruit and other rare delicacies.” He gestured to a carved wooden bowl piled high with papaya, pink dragon fruits, and strawberries alongside others Marcy didn’t recognize.

  Marcy removed her shoes and lowered herself to the cushions. Each one cradled her body like heavenly clouds, molding to her curves, pliant, but firm enough to support her lazy sprawl. Her beach coverup shifted to her mid-thigh and she had the pleasure of watching Teo’s eyes rove over her legs.

  He surprised her with a small cooler of cocktail shrimp and sauce, then surpassed her expectations again when he sliced the various fruits and offered her tidbits with his fingers. The time passed in pleasant talk about their surroundings and quiet observations. Marcy lifted her camera and snapped a few shots of the occasional monkey wandering near to investigate them. One had a baby clinging to its back, prompting Marcy to coo at its cuteness.

  “It is a shame you are barren. I have seen you with Astrid and you seem quite capable with her.”

  “Barren?” Marcy queried, voice rising in pitch. “Why do you assume I’m barren?”

  “Is it not a human woman’s place to be in the home with her offspring? I assumed your failure to acquire a mate indicated you were barren.”

  So I have to be sterile to decide against having a husband and kid? What the fuck? “Screw you and your sexist bullshit,” Marcy hissed at him between her teeth. She crawled to her feet in an impetuous decision to stalk away. Teo rose to pursue her.

  “Wait—” Teo reached out and grabbed her wrist. His fingers were like iron bars molding around her limb, anchoring her in place and also cutting off the circulation to her hand.

  “Ow!” Her other hand came up and smacked his cheek, stinging her palm.

  “I barely touched you!” he growled back at her.

  “You are a dragon! Did it ever occur to you I’m not as sturdy because I’m not a supernatural creature? You can’t grab humans on a whim, even Saul knows better.” And why does something about his incredible ignorance to his own strength turn me on? “Is that the first time you’ve touched a human woman like this?”

  Teo’s silence was an answer in its own right. She peered up at him through the difference in height, barely reaching his chest. “Yes,” he gritted out after a delay. “And you have my apologies for any pain I have caused you.”

  “Only you could make an apology sound like you’re being asked to drink snake venom.”

  Teo glowered down at her. He opened and shut his mouth a few times, comically searching for a retort, only to glare at her in silence instead. The muscle in his cheek jumped. “You are infuriating.”

  “And you’re—”

  His lips crashed against her mouth. With no warning given, Teo’s ferocity caught Marcy off guard and her fingers flew to his shoulders to push him away. They curled into his shirt instead then she smoothed the garment back from his body and down his arms.

  Marcy snatched at the velcro closure of his board shorts and tore it open. His shorts fell to his ankles a moment later, revealing Teo in all of his nude glory to her again. She broke the kiss to stare down at his erection, and when she dared to skim upward over his perfect torso to find his face, she found him watching her intently with a hint of a rise to the corner of his mouth.

  “You did not answer when I asked before. Am I to your expectations?”

  “Who says I expected anything,” Marcy fired back, but her slowly exhaled breath betrayed her. She ran her fingers slowly over his abs, tracing the dips of his muscles and the hard planes making his six-pack. She didn’t dare to touch his cock, no matter how it swayed in front of her, enticing and larger than any she’d seen in all of her sexually active life.

  Teo peeled the clothes from her curvy body and dragged her swimsuit down her thighs. On his way back up, he kissed the top of her slit and lingered. She tangled her fingers in his immaculate mane of black hair and cried out when his tongue split her folds. A spark of electricity combusted and spread through her nerves
like fire. Teo coaxed her down to the pillows with ease then his dark hair fanned over her thighs as his tongue performed an intimate dance, darting between her lips.

  Holy shit, he knows what he’s doing.

  Teo circled her clit with his tongue, then sucked the swollen nerve bundle between his lips. Her hips jerked up and she cried out an impassioned plea for more. His hand smoothed up and down her thigh, squeezing and palming her flesh. By the time his mouth made its ascending path to her breast, both nipples had tightly budded, hard as pebbles beneath his exploring fingers.

  “Are you ready for me?”

  “Fuck yes,” she breathed out. “Just... wait a second.”

  Marcy dragged her tote bag closer and fumbled inside. She removed a condom and ripped open the foil before raising her eyes to find Teo staring at her, his inquisitive features filled with lust.

  “What is that?”

  “It’s called a condom. I put it on your—”

  Teo snorted. “I know what it is and where it goes. Why must we use one?”

  “Uh... because if we don’t, we’ll end up like Saul and Chloe. Because as far as I know, I am not barren.”

  “Is the thought so displeasing?”

  A kiss to his firm pectoral muscle provided an excuse to remain quiet. Marcy took the lead and slid the latex ring over his cock. He pumped in her hand, a groan leaving him as his fingers slipped between her own bare thighs.

  “I need to be inside you,” he said, voice thickened with lust. “I want to feel you.” Two digits stroked her outer folds then curled to test her wet channel. Marcy shuddered and yanked him back down to the cushions with her.

  With her legs around his waist and her dark hair spread over the cushions, Teo lowered his manly bulk to her body. His dick bumped against her inner thigh until Marcy reached between them and guided him within her slick entrance. He surged forward, burying himself until their pelvises met. They moaned together in blissful harmony at the completion of his next stroke.

  “You are to my expectations,” Teo whispered huskily against her ear. “Perfect.”

  She shivered and pressed one heel to his ass, urging him deeper. Her snatch was so wet for him that he slipped in and out without difficulty, clapping their bodies close on each thrust.

  Her dragon lover took his time, unhurried and unrushed. The sweet penetration stretched her to the limit until her eyes rolled back in her head and a guttural groan parted her lips. The base of his dick rubbed her clit, bringing her close to orgasm. He took her to the brink and held her over the edge.

  “I’m so close, Teo. So close.” The tightening sensation in her core lingered and blossomed, an unbearable tease she endured.

  He drove into her harder. With his weight propped upon one elbow, Teo gazed down at her luscious body. Her squeezed one weighty breast in his other hand then curved his spine until his lips reached the tip. Her pussy tightened around his dick, eliciting a growl from his throat.

  “You feel amazing,” Teo hissed between his teeth. “Better than... than...” God, she wanted him to finish his sentence, but he never did. He drove into her harder, jostling Marcy until her breasts shook and trembled.

  His pounding thrusts hurled her into an intense orgasm that curled her toes and tightened every muscle in her body. As she cried out in ecstasy Teo didn’t slow until his own grunts announced his release. For a moment, Marcy loathed the condom between them, denying her the hot rush she craved.

  Teo lay heavily over her, his face buried against her sweaty throat and his chest heaving. Marcy wasn’t any better. Her exhausted body protested any idea of moving from beneath him, limbs too weak to even nudge the dragon off of her.

  After their heaving breaths quieted, Teo rolled to the side onto his back. Marcy slid the condom off of his softening length and tucked it neatly into the torn package. Without a trash can at hand, she placed it into her bag, only to be drawn into her dragon’s arms and held close.

  They chose silence over awkward pillow talk and after-sex conversation, caressing each other, kissing, and nipping playfully until a second condom was needed. She didn’t think it was possible for sex to be any better than their first time, but Teo’s relentless pace proved otherwise. At the end, Marcy couldn’t do anything but succumb to the blissful peace of sleep.

  She awoke to the slanting rays of the late afternoon sun shining on her face. Teo wasn’t beside her but she spotted him at the nearby spring. He had dressed, so she slipped into her own before wandering out to join him.

  “Was your rest pleasant?”

  “It was. Did you sleep?”

  “For a short while. Your phone has been ringing. Chloe, I believe.”

  Marcy swore under her breath. “Crap, yeah. We had plans for dinner and drinks with someone from Saul’s studio.”

  “Then we should return.”

  “Okay...” Marcy had expected something different. A request to stay maybe, or his usual careless directive. Instead, Teo offered his arm and led the way back toward the resort grounds. As before, he pointed out several animals as they passed through the natural landscape.

  “I could have sworn I saw a jaguar moving past those trees,” Marcy whispered.

  “You did,” Teo replied, unconcerned. “I have several on the island.”

  She turned her face up and stared at him. “Is it safe?”

  “It is why areas are restricted, Marcy. They cannot reach the resort and they offer no danger to me.” He paused, seeming to consider something, then looked down at her. “Please promise you will not wander alone in search of me.”

  “Er... sure thing.” She had no desire to wind up as cat chow.

  Teo punched in a code at a locked gate, waving Marcy through first. The change between sides was subtle. The path widened and transitioned from loose dirt to hard-packed gravel, the plants arranged with an eye for aesthetics rather than growing where they would, and voices drifted on the breeze rather than the chitter of insects and monkeys.

  “Um, so... we’ll meet in your office to finish the painting? I promised to help Astrid with the sandcastle contest in the morning but I’m free the rest of the day.”

  “Yes, of course.” He leaned in and brushed a light kiss against the corner of her mouth. The simple, affectionate gesture ignited sparks down the length of her spine. “Enjoy your time with Chloe.”

  When they parted at the hotel, Marcy pinched herself repeatedly. The dream didn’t end, a sign her sensual evening with Teo truly took place. Then again, the sore and aching feeling between her thighs was the only proof she needed.

  Chapter 6

  Marcy arrived to an empty office the following afternoon. A note left on the desk informed her their portrait session would have to wait. Teo had gone off the island for business matters and wouldn’t be back until tomorrow.

  Disappointment washed over her, leaving a sour taste in her mouth. Rather than return to the beach, she sat behind the desk and booted up the computer. She figured she may as well work on the financials while she had the time.

  Once she studied the suspicious account activity and totaled the numbers, Marcy shook her head. Without speaking to Teo, she couldn’t verify fraudulent from approved purchases.

  Marcy tapped the speed dial button on the intercom phone. A small tag beside it read ‘Kekoa’.

  “This is the residence of Teotihuacan Arcillanegro. How may I serve?”

  “Kekoa, right?”

  “Sí, señorita. How may I help you?”

  “I have a list of unknown account numbers I’d like to run by you. I need more information, and Teo mentioned you manage most of his finances.”

  “I will log onto the computer from our home network to assist you.”

  What a sweet guy, she thought. Conversation between them painted a favorable portrait of Teo’s mysterious house servant. Like Saul, Teo also had a shapeshifter in his service, but he’d never elaborated by telling her more about Kekoa’s nature.

  Once he logged on to the chat program
linking the office and home computers, she sent him a list of account numbers and waited for his feedback.

  Kekoa: I am familiar with all of these, save for three.

  Marcy: I take it that it’s unusual for money to disappear to random accounts?

  Kekoa: Yes. The first five accounts are private donations to local animal shelters. We give money to them. This next account is to help needy families. Teo dislikes the idea of starving children, so he gives secretly to a few organizations.

  Kekoa rambled in text about the good deeds of his master. A smile crept onto Marcy’s face. He loves him. Together, they eliminated most of the transactions Marcy flagged and Kekoa promised to look into the rest.

  “Ugh, I can’t believe he went through all this trouble to build a resort business and didn’t hire an actual full-time accountant,” she muttered to herself after Kekoa logged off. She opened a calculator program and totaled up the missing funds.

  Her hunch was right; Teo had lost hundreds of thousands of dollars, spread out over a gross amount of time. Without full access to his accounts, there was nothing to do but catalog a list of the offending transfers.

  Marcy took the time to package her findings, lingering in the office with the hope Teo might return at any moment. He didn’t, so she left his office before she risked missing her surf lesson on the beach.

  ***

  A young, dark-haired man approached Marcy on the beach the next morning where she lay on a blanket to recover from the previous day’s strenuous activities. Under his open, white shirt, he carried the build of a Pacific Islander, thickly muscled and sturdy in frame. Unlike Teo, he wore his hair short.

  “Greetings, señorita. I am Kekoa. Master Teo would like to see you in his office if you are free.”

  “Nice to finally meet you, Kekoa. Sure thing. Could you help me gather my things?”

  “Of course.”

  With Kekoa’s help, Marcy packed her belongings away and folded her beach blanket. He carried everything, including the personal tote bag filled with her snacks, laptop, books, and change of clothes.