Denying the Alpha Read online

  Okay, maybe not all women. We all had different tastes, for sure, but I certainly felt like swooning. And I’d never swooned in my life.

  He inched closer until there were mere millimeters between my nose and his snout, and I lost myself in the expression in his eyes. I saw Gideon in the dragon, much like I’d seen the dragon in the man earlier and the sheer wonder I was witnessing hit me anew.

  “Can I touch you?” I whispered that question and Gideon’s tongue flicked out and licked that spot under my ear that made me go to mush every time. It tickled and aroused in equal measures, and I tentatively lifted my hands and placed them either side of his huge head. Much to my surprise, his scales felt soft and warm, much like a snake’s would. I’d held one once when the local primary school had taken over the library in an effort to make it more appealing to the youngsters. Storytime had involved a man with real-life snakes and lizards and had been a huge success. I really must arrange another session soon, if the budget allowed for it.

  A deep-throated rumble rose from my very own dragon’s chest, and emboldened by his reaction, I let my hands wander. Over the ridges on the back of his head down along his long neck to his shoulders, where more wicked-looking spikes set between his wings. The perfect handholds were I to climb on his back. Now, where had that thought come from? And even if he’d let me, I was hardly dressed for the occasion. Why hadn’t I stopped at home and changed into shorts again? Oh, yeah, my tooth. That ache seemed to have been light-years ago, and I closed my eyes and rested my cheek against Gideon’s side. Reassuring warmth enveloped me as he brought his wings up and folded them around me. He curled his tail too, keeping me in a dragon embrace I never wanted to end. When I eventually opened my eyes, I looked straight into his, as he’d swung his head around too and nudged me closer to his back. It was almost as though he wanted me to climb on his back.

  “I’d love to, but I can’t. Not in this outfit.”

  Dragon Gideon grinned and before I knew what was happening, my skirt and blouse disappeared and I was in one of my itty bitty, strappy summer dresses that I only wore around the house. He’d also Magicked away my bra and, holy moly, my knickers?

  I thumped his side, rather ineffectually, it had to be said, ’cause feeling the breeze go up my naked legs to my bare pussy was rather a nice feeling. Still, there was no way I was climbing on his back sans knickers.

  “Gideon Jackson the third, you give me back my underwear right now.”

  A stream of hot air puffed across my face as dragon Gideon huffed, but sure enough, I felt something covering my essentials. Not the comfortable pair I’d put on that morning, though, but one of my secret stash of Victoria’s Secret lace which I’d indulged in, just in case I ever found a man in Rabbenstall I wanted to do the horizontal shimmy with.

  I narrowed my eyes at Gideon and shook my head. “Not what I meant, and how do you do that anyway?”

  He shook his massive shoulders and gave me his best dragon grin again. Damn the man. We would have to have a serious discussion about what was and wasn’t acceptable when using his powers around me. For now, the temptation to climb on his back and ride him was too great to resist. No sooner had I managed to clamber up and grasped hold of the spikes he took off. I screeched not in fear, but utter exhilaration as the air whooshed past me. He stayed low at first, as though he was worried about my reaction.

  Sure enough, he glanced back at me and when I couldn’t help but grin at him, he really let loose. As he soared higher and higher, the small, still sane part of my brain did wonder why I wasn’t afraid. It was a long way down, after all, but it never once occurred to me that I could fall, or he’d drop me. Where that innate certainty came from, I couldn’t have told you. This just felt right and it was the most exhilarating thrill ride I’d ever been on, and trust me, I’d tried them all. I’d always loved the adrenaline rush that came with conquering the scariest ride a theme park had to offer. None of them compared to this though. The feel of a warm body between my legs, Gideon’s powerful muscles as they clenched, and released, the sound of his wings flapping, the fresh air in my face which whipped my hair around my head… Words couldn’t describe this feeling, and for as long as I lived I would never forget this magical half hour or so, as we climbed and fell as close as two beings could be without actual intercourse. That thought got me all hot and bothered again, and by the time we finally set back down, my mind was most definitely firmly in the gutter. Catching another glimpse of Gideon’s naked self so didn’t help, neither did the heated intensity in which he studied me when he turned around. Dressed in faded jeans and a white t-shirt, which barely stretched over his muscular, tanned biceps, and with his feet bare, he looked good enough to eat. I was all too aware I must have looked like the proverbial scarecrow and I tried in vain to tame my hair.

  “Here, let me.” Gideon stepped closer and my eyes widened when I saw what he was now holding in his hand.

  “Is that my hairbrush?”

  Gideon smirked and stepped behind me.

  “Dragons have Magick. It comes in handy for small things like this. I couldn’t transport something big, but clothing and knickknacks I can move. Now hold still, little goose, and let me do this for you.”

  “There is no need to—”

  “Hush, woman, this is clearly bothering you, and it’ll take me mere moments. I’m told I’m quite good at brushing hair.”

  Somehow that comment irked me, and my reply came out far snarkier than I’d intended it to. “Had plenty of practice with your floozies, had you?”

  The soothing brush strokes stopped, and I felt his sigh all the way down to my toes.

  “Believe it or not, I haven’t been with a woman for a very long time indeed.”

  “Hah, as if. Ow.”

  The swat to my ass really stung, and outraged, I spun around to give him what for but the expression on his face stopped me. He looked so sad all of a sudden. So, I settled for glaring up at him and rubbing the burning spot on my left ass cheek with my hand.

  “You do that again, and you’ll be singing soprano, mister.”

  A wry grin kicked up a corner of his sensual mouth before he twirled his finger in an unspoken request for me to turn around again. I did so reluctantly, and only because my hair still needed sorting.

  “I mean it, Gideon,” I said.

  This time he laughed and resumed brushing my hair with firm, soothing strokes, which really shouldn’t turn me on more, but he’d stepped closer to me, so his delicious scent surrounded me.

  “Duly noted, little goose. However”—he lifted my hair off my shoulder and leaned in to whisper the next words into my ear—“we both know that there will be a next time, because you, woman, are too bratty for your own good. What’s more…” He pulled back and tugged my head back by my hair so I had no choice but to follow or risk losing a clump of it. “You like it, or you’d have already tried to kick me in the balls.”

  I opened my mouth to refute that ridiculous notion, but the knowing glint in his eyes and the way his nostrils flared stopped me. No doubt he could smell my arousal, which should have been mortifying, but right now simply served to make me hotter. Before I could make a complete fool of myself, my stomach rumbled loudly and broke the sexual tension between us.

  Gideon laughed and stepped away from me. “There, that’ll do. We best get you inside and feed you.”

  With that, he walked off, leaving me to stare after him. My choice was clear. Accept what he offered or get back into my car and leave.

  Chapter Five

  Gideon

  My dragon snarled under my skin, furious at my walking away from our mate, but I was firmly in charge of my beast after my shift. Regardless of what my animal half thought, this had to be her choice, made when she was not under the influence of the shitload of pheromones my dragon threw her way every opportunity he got.

  It had never set well with me, this ability to attract human women whenever I chose to. Not since my teenage years, anyway. I was no sa
int, and as a horny-as-fuck teen, I’d made plenty of use of it, but I’d like to think I’d grown up a bit since then. Fucking for the sake of it was all well and good, but it left you empty inside after a while, and having grown up with the example of my mother and father devoted to each other… Yeah, that was what I wanted and never thought I’d find.

  I hadn’t even realized how much I wanted that until little Annie Taylor appeared in my life. I banged the front door shut behind me and forced myself to carry on walking to the kitchen. Cooking was one of the things I’d always enjoyed and as I perused the contents of my fridge, my chest tightened when I heard that door open and shut again. Flames licked around my hand curled around the fridge door, as my dragon, too, breathed a sigh of relief. Annie’s sweet scent announced her arrival in this part of the house as clearly as her loud gasp.

  “Jesus, are you trying to burn the place down?”

  I pulled her scent deep into my lungs to satisfy my dragon and the blue flames receded. Having picked up the stuff I needed for my go-to quick meal of Spaghetti Bolognese, I turned to face her with a grin.

  “I’d only do that if the flames were red or orange. Blue doesn’t scorch a fly.”

  She bit her lip and regarded me warily, so I stepped closer to further illustrate my point. Annie’s eyes grew round when I held out my hand and let the blue flames dance between my fingertips.

  “Touch it and see for yourself,” I said.

  I was half expecting her to come out with a snarky reply, but she surprised me by reaching out and lifting her index finger and then tentatively raised it to mine. My dragon grumbled his approval and I closed my eyes as my dick jerked painfully against its denim prison. It was sweet fucking torture indeed, to have her touch me in any capacity, let alone to mingle with my dragon’s fiery core.

  “Wow, that’s… Wow.” She interlaced her fingers with mine and when I opened my eyes, it was to see her staring down at our digits in utter awe. The flames danced between us, traveled halfway up her arm and mine, and the sweet musk of aroused woman hit me in the gut with the full force of a sledgehammer. I had to clear my throat to get my voice box to work, and when I did, I knew I didn’t sound entirely human.

  “Yeah, one word for it.”

  I had to pull away lest I pounce on her and take her right here in my kitchen. It would be a matter of moments to flip up the tiny skirt of her dress, push the scrap of lace out of my way, and bury my aching cock deep inside her ripe little pussy. She wouldn’t resist me, but I wanted more than a quick fuck, dammit. I wanted it all. Her submission freely given because she chose to be with me, not because my damn dragon made her horny.

  Annie’s breathing grew labored, her heart beat a drum inside her chest as she seemed to wait for me to pounce, and when I didn’t, she frowned and pulled a shuddery breath into her lungs.

  “So, you said something about feeding me?”

  I nodded and gestured toward the vegetables and mince that I’d pulled out of my fridge. “Yeah, spag bol okay with you?” I asked.

  “One of my favorites.” I heard the smile in her voice and sure enough, when I looked over, she was regarding me almost whimsically, head cocked to one side.

  “What?”

  “Nothing, it’s just when you said you were going to feed me I was expecting frozen pizza or something, not you cooking from scratch.”

  I raised an eyebrow and set to chopping the onion in front of me. “I happen to like cooking, sue me.”

  A lighthearted laugh was my answer this time and I swallowed a groan when she stepped up next to me and playfully bumped her hip into mine.

  “Let me help, and I would sue you, that is. Not sure what you’re worth though. I mean you live in this grand old place and all, but that doesn’t mean anything. I should know. Rabbenstall is full of history, which is crumbling around our ears because we can’t afford the upkeep.”

  I passed her the mushrooms to cut and threw the onions into a pan to brown.

  “True enough, and you know, Barbara was right. You need something to pull in the crowds. The Dragoons could put up a bit of a show if you like. We do so regularly in Carlisle.”

  The nimble fingers slicing the mushrooms stopped and I felt her surprise.

  “You would do that? I mean after everything I said and…”

  I put my hand over hers and needing to get my point across, pulled her in closer.

  “In a heartbeat, Annie. All you have to do is ask me.”

  I threw the mushrooms into the pan and finished slicing the rest of the veggies before I tossed it all together with the mince and put the pasta in the boiling water.

  I was all too aware of her watching me the entire time, her brows drawn together in a frown.

  “It can’t be that easy?”

  I turned the heat down and faced her with a grin. “Why not?”

  “Because, well, this just doesn’t happen, okay?”

  “What doesn’t?” I countered. When she didn’t reply, I turned the heat down more and tugged her along with me.

  “Come on, let me show you something, little goose.”

  She dragged her heels a bit, but she did follow me into the living room and the huge fireplace which held the memories of my childhood. I picked up my favorite picture of my parents and held it up for her to see.

  “My parents were fated mates and they were together for seventy-five blissful years before…” I cleared my throat, emotion clogging it anew, and my mate put her slender hands over mine.

  “What happened? I mean, something did, right, something awful? You don’t have to tell me, it’s just…” She stopped talking and traced my parents’ faces with her index finger. “They look so young and happy here.”

  I forced out a short laugh. “They were. That was taken on their thirty-fifth wedding anniversary.”

  Annie’s eyes widened, and she shook her head. “No way, they don’t look older than early thirties, at the most. You’re pulling my leg.”

  “Plenty of things I’d like to do to your leg, little goose, but pulling is not one of them.” I couldn’t help it. My voice dropped an octave, imagining those luscious thighs of hers wrapped around my head as I ate her out. As though she followed my train of thought, her breathing sped up. The most delightful blush appeared on her cheeks and she squirmed on the spot.

  “You can’t talk to me like that.” That breathy response only served to make me harder, and I tugged the photo out of her hands.

  “I can talk to you any way I want. You’re mine, sweet little Annie, but I’m really fed up of talking right now. Let me show you how good we can be instead.”

  I dropped to my knees and nuzzled into her soft belly, earning myself a groan of need from the woman in front of me.

  “What are you, I mean … the food.”

  I huffed a laugh and flicked my hand to turn off the stove. “Can wait, I’d much rather eat you right now.”

  I sensed her acceptance seconds before I heard her breathy whisper. “God, yes, please.”

  My dragon roared his approval and I moved us onto the comfortable couch in front of the fireplace before she’d even stopped giving me her consent. A mere thought removed her lacy panties, and I blew a stream of blue flames across the quivering, pink flesh in front of me. Hearing her moan in response and seeing the way her pussy clenched and released more of her sweet musk meant any restraint I might have been capable of flew out of the proverbial window. My claws ran out and dug into the soft flesh of her hips as I held her still and tasted her. Her essence exploded on my taste buds, made me hungry for more, and allowing my tongue to fork, I set to work. I swirled it around her clit, coaxing that little nub out of its hiding place while lapping up her arousal and probing her inner walls at the same time. Annie clamped down on me, and her fingers pulled at my hair as she ground her cunt against my face. The sounds she made as she climbed those rungs of arousal were such a fucking turn-on it was a minor miracle I didn’t come in my pants there and then. This wasn’t about my releas
e, however, but hers. When I pulled away slightly and released more of my fire, she screamed and flew headlong into an orgasm which was a delight to witness.

  My sweet little human mate gave it her all, writhing under my tongue when I lapped at her gushing pussy and pushed her into multiple releases with my fingers and tongue.

  “Oh, God, oh, God, I can’t … no more… Yes, yes, yes.”

  Her screams of pleasure echoed around the building, and my dragon drank his fill, imprinting himself on her body, her very soul, as I drank every last drop of her cream while growling my approval into the quivering pink flesh. Only when her hands fell away and she lay there shuddering in aftershocks did I let up, but not before I’d speared my tongue into the little hole I needed to claim to make our mating complete. That tight ring of muscle clenched around me, while I pushed two fingers into her pussy, found her sweet spot, and wrung one last climax from my girl. She clamped her thighs around my head and screamed as she flew again.

  ****

  Annie

  Oh, my God, oh, my God, oh, my God. Those three words bounced around in my lust-hazed brain on repeat as I struggled to draw breath into my restricted lungs. Pleasure consumed me, intense, overpowering flames of ecstasy the likes of which I’d never experienced before. What Gideon could do with his tongue … and as for his fire. My pussy clenched anew as something cool touched it, and over the roaring in my ears as I slowly floated back down to earth, I heard the deep rumble of my dragon’s voice.

  “There, all cleaned up now. I’ve got you, little goose. Just rest for a while. There’s plenty more to come.”

  Somehow, I managed to laugh. A somewhat hysterical bark of a laugh for sure, but if he thought I could do that again, he had another think coming. Everything felt tender down there, oversensitive, and the rush of cool air against my heated pussy lips as he flipped the skirt of my dress back down made me groan.