Singed Read online

  I kissed Trey next. As I pulled away from him, his lips curved into a small, forced smile. He was pissed he couldn’t come—I knew that, but hey, the guys had drawn straws. This was only fair.

  Ethan stood last in the line, taller than any of the others. A calm, composed expression lay across his features—very Ethan-like, of course—but I guess I had expected him to be a little more upset. He enjoyed getting his way. He clearly hadn’t pulled the right straw. So what the hell?

  He clapped Jackson heartily on the shoulder. “Safe travels. Are you sure the two of you don’t want to take my private jet? Really. Please reconsider it,” he said. “It doesn’t make sense for you to fly commercial.”

  Oh, goddess. Private jet. I still couldn’t wrap my mind around Ethan’s wealth.

  Jackson grinned at him. “No. It’s totally fine. I’m a simple guy, and I like doing simple things. Your fancy plane sounds great, but that’s just not me.” He laughed, adjusting his backpack. “But thanks for the offer. I appreciate it.”

  I resisted the urge to make a face, but I respected Jackson’s decision to take a regular flight. I personally had never flown in a private jet before, and had no qualms about fancy.

  Ethan pulled me close and pressed his lips to my forehead. “See you soon,” he murmured into my hair.

  See you soon?

  But I didn’t have much time to think this comment through, because Lukas honked his horn three times in a row, sitting on the last one so it sounded like a dying elephant.

  Jackson dragged me out of Ethan’s arms and pulled me outside, where we tossed our luggage into the SUV.

  Then we were on our way.

  * * *

  The flight from Prague to New York seemed to go by in the blink of an eye—I’d slept almost the entire way. Once in the JFK airport, we quickly found our gate and settled down in seats to wait for the last leg of our trip.

  Even though it would have been nice to fly in Ethan’s private jet, there was something comforting about doing things the regular way. Jackson liked simple, and I was okay with that. Since Sedona’s airport didn’t have any commercial flights, we planned on taking a plane to Phoenix, less than two hours away, and then renting a car.

  I glanced up at the departure screen for Gate A21. Phoenix, Arizona. On time.

  I leaned my head on Jackson’s shoulder, enjoying the sea and salt and fresh air smell of him. My hand brushed absently across the ring that hung from a chain around my neck—the ring he’d given me.

  He reached over to take my hand into his, and I immediately felt his Healer dragon magick working on me, calming every nerve in my body. I debated telling him about Amelie’s dragon’s breath nightmare, but then I decided against it when he reached up to massage my shoulders.

  Nuh-uh. Not now, anyway. Not when I was in the process of getting the most delicious massage, at least the yummiest PG-rated one possible.

  There’d be plenty of time to talk about it later.

  Closing my eyes, the heat from his hands melted into my skin, loosening all the tense muscles. The warmth unfurled in tendrils, and for a moment a sense of weightlessness filled my body, almost like floating in the ocean.

  I exhaled, not able to remember the last time I’d been on a beach vacation. I needed it. Bad.

  The sound of kids’ laughter had me opening my eyes again. A family of four sat down the row from us, young parents with a little girl and boy, both no older than age six. The mom held the little girl in her lap, reading a book out loud, while the dad and boy played with toy trucks on the seat. I grinned at the kids. They were totally cute.

  A familiar tug pulled on my heart, a tug I’d felt before. I wanted this. A family and kids of my own.

  I glanced at Jackson, and noticed him watching the family, too. His cerulean blue gaze met mine and told me what I wanted to know—he wanted this, also. He’d told me before how he was ready to be a dad.

  Warmth flooded my heart, only to be replaced immediately with a heavy feeling. Neither I nor Jackson had taken the energy of the stone this year—unless I mated with someone who had, I wouldn’t be able to get pregnant.

  And if we weren’t able to heal the stone…

  I tried to swallow the big lump that had formed in my throat. Jackson and I might never have the chance to have a kid together.

  Jackson searched my face for a moment. “Drake’s taken the energy of the stone this year,” he said quietly. “He’s the only one of us that has.” He squeezed my hand, and heat once again skittered through my veins.

  I nodded, and a slight weight lifted from my chest. Right. This was true. And I loved Drake—having a baby with him seemed natural, and it would work. But how would Jackson feel about that? Or Ethan, or Trey?

  We still hadn’t even figured out the problem of where we would all live, for goddess’s sake.

  I sent Jackson a questioning glance, unsure of how to phrase this question.

  “I don’t mind at all,” he answered, a grin on his face. “I just want a family with you. It doesn’t matter to me if the kids aren’t biologically mine.”

  “Really?”

  “Yeah.” Jackson gave my hand another squeeze. “Lots of dragon families live this way. My mom and her mates raised me and my siblings, but which one is my actual dad? I have no clue. I honestly never thought to ask. We’re all still super close—they live on the other side of the island from us.”

  I did my best to wrap my mind around this. I knew this was the way of many dragon families, but it was just—weird for me. Not knowing the identity of my father had been hard as a kid. My mom had bounced around from dragon to dragon. Would it have been different if I’d had an actual family?

  “Okay.” I shot Jackson a smile, but doubt still crept in my mind. Jackson said he was cool with this, but what about the other guys—what would they think?

  Almost on autopilot, I dipped my hand into my purse to check if I had brought my birth control pack—yup, still there. I had been on the pill for years.

  But if the orestaia couldn’t be healed, Drake would be my only option. The energy of the stone was good for one year…

  Which wasn’t really a whole lot of time.

  I glanced over at the ridiculously cute family, who were currently doing even more ridiculously cute things. I knew I wanted this. Would I have another opportunity?

  Drake had fathered tons of kids through contracts. He’d told me he made time to see each of them throughout the year, even the ones who were older now. He liked being a dad.

  Loved it, actually.

  Hmm. Drake…and a baby?

  We’d never talked about it before, but surely he’d be happy? I was certain of one thing—my hormones screamed yes. Hell yes.

  A sudden mix of excitement and jitters flitted through me. Drake…and a baby!

  Pinks and blues danced before my eyes. Would we have a boy or a girl? Or…maybe we’d have twins!

  On second thought, who said I needed to do pink and blue? I could always go the yellow and green route. Or even purple! Red! Why not? It would be my dragon baby and I could do whatever the hell I pleased.

  Visions of multicolored onesies and adorable little baby socks and hats flickered through my mind. We would all have to figure out how we’d decorate the baby room—safari theme? No doubt everyone would have a different opinion there, and Ethan would most likely butt heads with everyone.

  Now that I thought about it, I really wanted a jungle theme. Stuffed jaguars and elephants and hippopotami. Some nice wallpaper. Goddess, I had a feeling I’d fight tooth and claw for this.

  Oh! And the maternity clothes! I’d definitely need Shay’s help, because she was much more fashionable than me. I still wanted to be stylish when pregnant…

  “Hey.” Jackson laughed and pulled me in for a side hug, breaking me out of my baby trance. “You’ve got the kookiest smile on your face. Come on, it’s time to board. We don’t want to miss this flight.”

  We entered the line just as the last person
disappeared onto the jet bridge. I beamed at the gate attendant while he scanned my pass, my gaze suddenly traveling to the trashcan by his feet. I waited for Jackson as the attendant scanned his, and then we continued to the gate.

  I paused for a moment. “Hang on a sec.”

  Then I darted back, plucked my birth control pack from my purse, and chucked it right into the garbage. I hurried to catch up with Jackson. I slipped my hand into his and grinned up into his face as we walked down the gangway.

  Baby brain felt so damn good.

  5

  Jackson

  Lyssa cranked up the radio and belted out the words to Aerosmith’s Sweet Emotion. I laughed, singing along with her, loving the way the wind made her curls whip around her face.

  We’d taken the soft top off our Jeep Wrangler rental as soon as we picked it up from the airport, and I was glad that we did. Fresh air, the wind in our faces, and the awesome, towering red rocks of Sedona all around us. Not to mention the sexiest mate in the whole world, sitting next to me in the passenger seat.

  Fuck yes. Life was good.

  How did I get to be this lucky?

  The wind whipped my own hair into my face and I vowed I would get a haircut soon, even though it had been the last thing on my mind the past week or so.

  “We need to get you a manly headband or something,” said Lyssa, laughing over the chorus. “Do they have those?”

  I grinned. “I don’t know. Hell, I’ll wear it. We need to get you something, too.”

  “My hair’s a lost cause.” She shrugged. Her dark hair billowed around her head like a giant tornado. Definitely hot, in my opinion.

  She reached over to flick a few errant locks out of my face, but it made no difference. Then she dropped her hand to rest on my thigh and my dick immediately stiffened.

  Oh gods. The things this woman did to me.

  “Ooh. Looks like someone’s got a stiffy,” she said, a mischievous gleam in her eyes. She slowly trailed her fingers across the bulge in my jeans.

  Holy fuck. I felt like I was going to burst right then and there.

  She laughed, no doubt enjoying the fact she was driving me absolutely nuts. I needed to be careful, otherwise, I would take us right off the road.

  I slowed down to traverse yet another roundabout—shit, Sedona, could you have any more of these stupid things? “Um…can you check the directions again?” I managed to croak out, even though my cock was now straining against my jeans like a raging beast.

  “Sure,” she said, swiping her phone to look at the map. “Okay, it’s actually coming up soon…not this street, but the one after. Take a right.”

  Following her directions, I took the Jeep up a steep, paved road. Massive red cliffs loomed all around us. Sprawling luxury homes peppered the sides of the hills, some of them looking like they were about to topple over into the valley below. “Where are we staying again?” I asked, gawking at the mansions, momentarily forgetting about my erection.

  “I’m not sure. Ethan arranged it for us. Some kind of rental home, I guess. I didn’t ask.”

  Damn. Okay. I totally would have been happy with something a little less ostentatious, especially since it was just for the two of us.

  “It’s that one, the last on the left.” Lyssa pointed to a giant mansion with floor-to-ceiling windows, nestled amidst two giant rock formations.

  Whoa.

  I pulled into the driveway, parking the Jeep directly in front of the main entrance. Lyssa and I both hopped out of the car to gaze at the monstrosity of the house and the rocks surrounding it. The view around us was fucking breathtaking.

  “Come on,” said Lyssa, walking up to the front. A lockbox hung on the door, and she checked her phone once more to punch in the security code. A key popped out, and we soon entered the house to find ourselves surrounded in luxury.

  I did a three-sixty, taking in the open floorplan, huge windows, and earth-toned, upscale furniture. A sleek, modern kitchen sprawled to our left. Several steps led down into a giant great room, and through the windows I could see a patio and an infinity pool.

  Nice. I definitely planned on hanging out by the pool if we had any free time. I missed the water—a pang of homesickness washed over me as I thought of my house in Bali, where I swam and surfed every day. Pools were great, but nothing compared to the ocean.

  Would I ever make it back to Bali? Lyssa was my mate—my true mate—and I’d do anything for her. Go anywhere with her. Share her with three other dudes, even.

  And if all of this meant I’d never live near the beach again, I could accept that. But the ocean called to me—I couldn’t help it. The water lapping at my feet. The sand squishing between my toes. The pure exhilaration of riding a crazy wave.

  Could I learn to live without all of it?

  I pushed the thought away as my gaze landed on Lyssa’s luscious ass. She made her way down the steps to a sofa, covered with some sort of fuzzy fur throw. She ran her hands along it.

  “Ooh. Faux fur for sure. That’s good,” she said, winking. She leaned back into the cushions and gave me a sexy smile. “Why don’t you come over here? You’ve been ready for ages.”

  Oh, gods. I groaned, stroking my hand along my turgid, rampant cock.

  Yeah. Fucking her right now sounded like an awesome plan.

  I followed her to the sofa and leaned over to place my arms on either side of her on the cushions. I breathed in her sexy scent and brushed my lips over hers. She opened her mouth, letting my tongue slip inside. I kissed her deeply while she trailed her fingers across the fabric of my jeans, lightly cupping my junk.

  Fuck. I groaned again.

  Lyssa moaned as I dipped my hands under her tank top to caress her breasts, turning me on even more. I loved all the little sounds that she made. I wanted to hear her scream out my name.

  More so, I wanted to taste her. To enjoy the sweet honey I knew I’d find in between her thighs.

  I knelt on the white fluffy rug beneath the sofa—thank the gods it was there, because hard floors sucked—and popped the button to her jeans. She gazed at me, her lips slightly open in anticipation, as I slowly eased the zipper down.

  “Mmm, Jackson,” she said, running a hand through my hair. “I want you.”

  I grinned, loving the slow burn of it all.

  She toed off her sandals and then we both worked together at getting her jeans off—me tugging while she sort of shimmied all her luscious curves. Damn, those jeans were tight. When we’d managed to get them to her knees, I pulled them off the rest of the way, tossing them onto the floor.

  She spread her legs wide, and I could see the wetness seeping through the fabric of her red lace thong. I traced my finger over her slit, pausing over the swollen little nub and pressing down on it. She moaned again.

  “You’re so wet,” I said. The smell of her arousal gripped me by the balls, almost pushing me to the edge of my self-control. I pushed her panties aside to slide a finger across the juices that flowed from her and then brought the finger to my lips.

  I sucked it clean. Gods—I loved the taste of her.

  Lyssa whimpered, her eyes begging me for more. “Ohh. Yes…”

  “Yes, what?” I asked, teasing her. I dipped lower to place a kiss upon the lace of her panties. “What do you want me to do to you?”

  “Mmm,” she said, smiling at me, her gaze filled with fire. “That thing you do so well. You know, with your tongue.”

  I pulled her panties off and flung them over my shoulder. Her tank top went next, and then I kissed her stomach, working my way even lower to her mound.

  A quick flick to her clit had her arching beneath me.

  “Ugh!” she cried out, grabbing my head to pull me closer. “Yeah. Just like that.”

  With my thumbs, I gently pulled apart her outer lips to reveal her beautiful, glistening pink pussy. I slid my tongue from her sopping entrance to her clit, and she bucked her hips, her delicious sweet cream melting in my mouth.

  I licked and
sucked her, alternating between the two while she clutched at my hair. She writhed. She moaned even louder. And a few moments later, when she gripped my shoulders, her juices all over my face, I felt her shatter against my tongue.

  “Whoa,” she said. She blinked a few times and panted, trying to catch her breath.

  Yeah. Fucking hot.

  I held her gaze as I licked her, one last time, across her luscious, dripping folds. She bucked again, and then was suddenly fumbling with the button to my jeans, yanking them down. I stood, stripping completely, tossing my clothes to the side.

  I didn’t have to worry about underwear, because I never wore any. Going commando made things so much easier.

  My cock bobbed out straight in front of me, and Lyssa grasped it in her hand. “Yum,” she murmured, stroking me slowly. I groaned and leaned down to kiss her, hoping she could taste herself on my lips.

  Before I knew it, Lyssa had pushed me down on the sofa. Oh gods, the fuzzy fur throw really did feel nice. She straddled me, taking a second to fling off her bra, leaving me a view of her delectable, voluptuous breasts. I cupped them in my hands and rolled the already taut nipples.

  “We never got to finish this the other day,” she said while she eased herself upon my cock.

  Holy. Fuck.

  I grabbed her hips, the warmth and wetness of her pussy surrounding me. So tight. And so slippery.

  “Mmmph,” I mumbled incoherently while she began to ride me.

  She bounced on me, her hands on my shoulders, her tits flouncing in my face. I suckled her nipple into my mouth, letting my tongue circle the hardened peak.

  My balls tightened as her inner muscles clenched around me. Shit. I was so close, and I wanted to shoot my hot come so deep inside her.

  Lyssa moaned and arched her head back…

  Just as the front door opened.

  And Ethan walked in.

  * * *

  Lyssa

  Oooh…Ethan! proclaimed my inner dragoness, super excited to see him.