Darkworld - Hot Water Part 8

Rubberneckers.

Another twenty minutes went by and Eden became sleepy lying in the sun in her dragon form. She loved the freedom of her fangs, claws, scales, and wings, but she preferred being in human form. She figured the whole opposable thumbs thing made the choice easy for most s.h.i.+fters. In a technology-based world, giving up manual dexterity for sheer brute force seemed like sheer lunacy.

The garage door squealed. Eden's big black head turned toward the sound. She couldn't see the garage from where she lay on the patio, her tail trailing down toward the beach, but her acute hearing told her it was Colin's garage door, and Colin's car racing up the drive. She lifted her head, her lips curling in a smile that looked like a snarl to someone unfamiliar with dragons.

The car door slammed and the garage door squeaked as it closed. Eden watched the side of the house, waiting eagerly for Colin. He came running from the front of the house as if in a panic. He skidded to a stop when he saw her.

Unable to speak in this form, Eden finally let him in her head.

I'm sorry. Do I scare you?

Colin walked up to her, his expression enigmatic. I was scared s.h.i.+tless when I couldn't find you, Eden.

Vampirelike, he kept to the shadows cast by the house, his face turned up to her. Your dragon form does not scare me. It's pretty cool actually. But it's not every day my neighbor calls to tell me I have a dragon in my yard.

Eden sighed and another big cloud of smoke emerged from her nostrils. Yeah, well, my planning apparently sucks. I forgot that I didn't have a key.

Which left you out here either in dragon form or naked, right?

She bobbed her head. Colin grinned.

You realize that all the neighbors are either scared or excited. Jon next door wants to have a barbeque to welcome you to the neighborhood. He wanted to know if you gave dragon rides.

Eden stood up, her black scales glittering with a faint gold sheen in the setting sun. I'm too old for dragon rides, but there is something really dragonish I want to do.

Colin's mouth quirked into that wry amused smile he'd turned on her the night she'd met him at Carpe Noctem.

"Does it involve s.e.x and fire?" he asked out loud.

I can't surprise you at all, can I? Do you think mating is vanilla? Cause I'm all about the vanilla s.e.x now.

I think mating is the most exotic and erotic thing any couple could ever do s.e.xually.

Well, in that case... can you unlock the door so I can make a mad naked dash for it?

Colin unlocked the door and Eden concentrated on the s.h.i.+ft. She knew that he could see her dragon form s.h.i.+mmering like golden confetti in the air. The instant her human form completed the s.h.i.+ft, she darted past Colin into the kitchen. She heard his amused thoughts as he focused with lewd interest on how her naked a.s.s filled his field of vision.

Ignoring the s.e.xual innuendo of his thoughts, she headed straight for her suitcase. She had things to do before they mated tonight.

"You're not going to get dressed, are you?" he complained, as she dug in her suitcase.

"I gotta get my car," she muttered as the top of the suitcase came down on her head. "Ow!"

"No worries, love. I saw the car on my way here. I had my a.s.sistant Corey call a tow truck. They'll pick it up and drop it on the drive."

Eden turned to find a naked Colin, his c.o.c.k fully erect. She blinked at him. "You do that really fast, you know."

"What? Get hard?" he laughed. "All I gotta do is look at you. It only takes a few seconds. You turn me on more than any woman ever has."

"You hit my brother."

Her abrupt change of subject had him shaking his head dazedly at her. "Uh, yeah." Eden walked over to him and took his c.o.c.k in her hand. "You did it for me."

He nodded, his face turning into a mask of l.u.s.t as she stroked him. "I told him that if he ever lies about you again, I'd break every bone in his body."

She grinned. No man had ever stood up to Sean for her. "I punched him in the eye. I told him you were my family now, not him."

Colin's eyes went wide with shock. "You didn't."

She nodded, still grinning. "I did. And I meant it. The words more than the punch." She slid her arms around his waist, pressing her naked body to his. "I want to mate you in the pool tonight. I want to make the water boil when I tie myself to you forever."

"Cooked vampire?" Colin said, c.o.c.king up one eyebrow.

She shook her head. "The heat will never bother you again once you've been bathed in my dragonfire. And my clan mark..." She slipped her hand between their bodies to touch it. "It will become two entwined dragons instead of one.

You will bear the same mark in the same place on your body."

He nodded. "Like my sister does for Declan. It's a physical sign that I am mated to a dragon."

"Yes." She leaned forward and kissed him. "We need to eat. Mating is serious business and I want you in the pool the instant the sun goes down."

He smiled slyly. "Not gonna let me get away are you?"

"No, never. You will be a part of me. If I get in hot water, you will too."

"Promise?" he murmured, his head lowering to hers.

She rubbed the clan mark, her hand pressing against his skin as he licked at her lips. "Dragon swear."

The instant the sun dipped below the horizon, Eden dragged him out to the pool. They swam naked, pus.h.i.+ng and pulling at each other, s.n.a.t.c.hing kisses and stroking flesh made silky by the water. Colin was beyond eager to be inside her. The day had been a rollercoaster of emotion and he knew in his gut that he needed to belong to her.

When Eden dragged him to the side of the pool and wrapped her legs around his hips, Colin rocked against her, letting his c.o.c.k glide along her swollen female flesh. The Alpha in him screamed to take her, but he wanted this time to be special. He licked her neck and when she s.h.i.+vered, he let his fangs tease her sensitive skin. The hot spicy Sangria scent of her made him mindless with l.u.s.t, but he hung on to his sanity by his fangs, letting his mouth and his hands tease her.

He held her in the water, her long dark hair floating free as he kissed and licked his way along her throat. Her golden skin p.r.i.c.kled with gooseb.u.mps, but he knew she wasn't cold. He heard the rus.h.i.+ng of her blood in her veins and as his bloodmate, he knew every beat of her heart even if she wasn't nearby.

When Eden rubbed her p.u.s.s.y against his c.o.c.k again, he bent to her throat, his fangs dragging along her wet skin to the vein that throbbed near her collarbone. With a swiftness known only to vampires, he bit her, his fangs sinking deep.

As he pulled, her warm blood splashed on his tongue, tasting of Sangria and heady spices. He grew lightheaded and pulled away, licking the wounds so that they healed instantly, fading from sight in a matter of seconds.

Eden moaned, her fingers digging into his flesh. He pressed her toward the shallow end of the pool, onto the low steps. She kissed him, but he broke the kiss right away so that he could turn her and position her on her knees. Colin kissed his way up her spine and her body undulated like a serpent's, reminding him briefly of the ancient link between dragons and serpents. Rubbing his c.o.c.k along the crease between her firm b.u.t.tocks, she pushed back against it, lowering her head and raising her a.s.s in the air, begging him to take it.

Colin could have f.u.c.ked her in the a.s.s, except that he wanted something else from her this night. He wanted to belong to her, and that meant sinking himself b.a.l.l.s deep into her p.u.s.s.y and f.u.c.king her until she turned her dragonfire loose. He pressed his c.o.c.k down, the thick head rubbing her swollen l.a.b.i.a. She panted loudly, her body rocking back against his. His hips flexed, sending his c.o.c.k deep into her.

She cried out, tossing her head. "Oh, G.o.ds, Colin! More, more!"

He f.u.c.ked her hard, the water around them churning and slapping the sides of the pool. Focused solely on making her come again and again, his long fingers teased her c.l.i.t. Nibbling at her shoulders, he pounded into her from behind.

She shook and writhed beneath him in a way that told him her o.r.g.a.s.m was close. He tweaked her stiff nipples, pinching and pulling them. She moaned and thrust back against him.

And then it happened. She jerked and Colin trailed his fingers over her clan mark. Oddly, the tribal mark had the texture of hot metal despite being in water. She screamed his name over and over and Colin just f.u.c.ked her harder and harder, feeling his b.a.l.l.s tighten to the point of pain. He rubbed her clan mark again, twisting her head to one side so he could lock his mouth onto hers as he came, his hot seed bathing her tight pa.s.sage. As her tongue twined around his, his body began to heat until he thought he would burst into flame. His eyes popped open to find the water of the infinity pool boiling, steam rising in a huge cloud and little flames dancing along the rocks. His skin was stretched so tight with pleasure and heat, he imagined himself splitting open like melon, literally exploding.

The next conscious moment Colin had, his eyes opened and he found himself lying half on Eden, half on the steps of the pool, sucking in great gulps of air, while steam and the smell of sulfur tickled his nose. The skin of his lower abdomen itched and he rolled off Eden, his c.o.c.k sliding free of her p.u.s.s.y. He looked down and found the beginnings of a mate mark on the skin of his lower belly just inside his hipbone.

Eden slid over to him and curled into his arms, nuzzling him. "I love you, Colin. I want to spend the rest of my life with you."

Colin looked at the still simmering water of the pool. "In hot water, you mean?" he teased, lifting her chin with his fingers so he could kiss her swollen lips. "I love you too, Eden. You're my whole world."

She grinned at him. "Good, because I have a few a.s.signments coming that I can't get out of. You'll see more of the world than you ever wanted to see."

He hugged her tightly. "It doesn't matter to me if I do or I don't see the world. All I care to see is right here in my arms. My Queen of Kink."

"My Sugar Cookie man," she purred, her amber eyes glowing with happiness.

Colin smiled at her. "I have a couple of ground rules to ensure we stay this happy."

"Oh, yeah?" She raised her dark brows at him.

He nodded. "Rule number one, no listening to older brothers."

"Oh, that's a given!" she agreed snarkily.

"Number two, when in doubt, remember rule number one."

Eden started to laugh, but he kissed her hard. "Rule number three..." His fingers slipped between her thighs.

"Everything else that's questionable can be easily answered by me putting my c.o.c.k in your pretty pink p.u.s.s.y."

Her fingers wrapped around his thickening p.e.n.i.s. "Remember you once said I could handcuff you?"

Suddenly wary, he nodded. She grinned. "Let's go upstairs. I'll cuff you to the bed, then I'll put your c.o.c.k in my pretty pink p.u.s.s.y."

Colin eyed her thoughtfully. "Okay. I can live with those rules."

Eden laughed out loud, kissing him soundly on the mouth, her expression filled with love and l.u.s.t. "I never thought I'd be able to follow the rules and fit in, but with you, it's easy."

"Shut up and cuff me," Colin growled.

And she did.

Epilogue.

The party was a huge success. The entire Antaeus and Granville families attended, including Eden's sister Diandra and her husband. Other guests included their neighbors, who still angled for dragon rides, and Alfred Stone who looked really pleased with himself for some reason.

Everyone oohed and ahhhed over the house and over Eden's engagement ring. During the buffet dinner, Eden slipped away, needing to catch her breath and not play hostess for a few minutes. The last six weeks had been a lot of work, with the result worth every drop of sweat. Everything she and Colin had envisioned that first week had come to fruition, for themselves and their home. She started up the stairs, but a heavy hand fell on her arm. She looked up into the serious eyes of her brother Sean.

"Can we talk?" he asked.

She almost told him that there was nothing to say, but an indefinable emotion lurked in the back of his eyes and she couldn't ignore it... a pain that she could only just make out. She shrugged. "Sure."

They climbed the stairs and she opened the door to the master bedroom. Sean stepped in behind her, looking around the room at the deep blue walls, the pale champagne trim, the huge bed in blues and golds and darkest reds.

Eden sat down in the alcove on a champagne colored chaise. Sean sat down on a matching chair.

"You've done a great job here, Eden. It's a beautiful house," he said coolly.

She gave him a half smile. "Thanks, but I know that's not why you asked to speak with me, Sean. Decorating is so not your thing."

"I know enough to know that you did a better than excellent job here. Must be those creative forces in you," he grunted.

Eden stared at him, wondering just what the h.e.l.l he'd worked himself up to say.

"I'm so sorry."

Her mouth fell open in shock. She sat there in stunned silence. No way had her brother just apologized. Sean Antaeus? The ruthless head of Antaeus International? Fiendish businessman and cold hearted sibling? Apologizing? The concept seemed too much to grasp.

"I must need to clean out my ears," she muttered, shaking her head.

Sean s.h.i.+fted uncomfortably in his chair. "Ede, I said I'm sorry," he repeated. "Did I not say it loud enough for you?

Or should I grovel at your feet to make you understand?"

She blinked. "I heard you the first time, Sean. Groveling doesn't help my hearing," she said. "I just don't understand why you're apologizing." He sighed faintly, fiddling with his s.h.i.+rt cuffs. "Marius and I set you and Colin up. We played matchmaker. Marius sent Colin to New York City and told him he should check out the vamp club." Sean shrugged slightly. "I played you with the whole Queen of Kink thing and saying Carpe Noctem was too tame for you..."

Eden's mouth fell open again. "How did you know we would even run into each other? It's a big club, a big city..."

"I... we... uhh..." Sean stumbled, seemingly unable to find the right words. His expression turned dark and a little exasperated. "We just figured you would... we had a feeling... you know."

Eden shook her head in astonishment at her big bad brother stuttering, mumbling, and unable to express himself.

Besides his need to apologize, something else bothered him, but knowing Sean, she'd only get it out of him when he was ready to tell. "Are you telling me that you and Marius had a 'feeling' that Colin was my mate?"

"Well, yeah... sorta," Sean nodded, clearing his throat uncomfortably. "Losing you was difficult for me, Eden. I struggled with your need for independence. I don't bend easily. I try and sometimes I don't make it," he said, his voice bitter. "But because I'm the head of this family, and everyone looks to me to lead them and guide them, when I don't bend enough, that mistake is much more glaring and much harder for me to rectify."

It dawned on Eden that Sean had never asked to be the head of the family. Diandra was the eldest, but she had thrown off the mantle of matriarch and moved to Scotland. Her leaving had probably caused the overwhelming responsibility Sean felt for his family.

"Sean. You don't have to be the head of the family anymore," she told him with a soft smile. "We all have mates.

Your matchmaking job is done."

Sean stood up and pulled her up into his arms, hugging her hard. "I'm sorry for my harshness with you, Eden. All these years, I've been so wrong in my treatment of you. You're so much like me that I guess I just thought you should be me. When you didn't want to, it hurt and angered me. I shouldn't have treated you as I did, and I'm sorry. Making sure that you and Colin got together helped me make amends."