Well, she was a tiny bit afraid of its ferocity and hunger beating a pulse within her. And the way she could feel the same emanating from him. The combination of dangerous, deadly, and sexy, those hints of his compassion…intoxicating.
“You should be.” He slid his hands up her shoulders to her neck. “I could break you with a twist of my hands.”
“Impressive.” She mirrored his earlier use of a word for a change. She placed her foot on top of his, bracing her hands on his hips for balance. “And I could crush those tiny, delicate bones on the top of your foot.”
“That could be painful.”
“Work boots. Thick heels.”
It was hard to sound threatening with the tremble moving through her at the feel of his thighs touching hers. His body heat enveloped her, shooting fire through her veins and making her Dragon tingle.
“Dangerous,” he murmured, his thumb stroking her neck.
“Yes, I am, and I was even before I could turn into a beast. I could crush your balls.” She drew her knee up the inside of his thigh but stopped short of contact.
The corner of his mouth twitched. “I’ve heard you can hit the bull’s-eye on a target nine times out of ten, too.”
“I can. But I’m not shaking like this while I’m aiming.” God, she was shaking, too, trembling with need to feel his skin, to taste him. She grabbed the sides of his shirt and yanked him close, trailing her mouth along his collarbone, dipping her tongue into the hollow at his throat. When his fingers slid into her hair, she pulled out the ponytail holder and started loosening the braid. He finished the process and buried his face in her hair, inhaling softly.
He whispered her name, both agony and raw desire in that word, and claimed her mouth. She ground her body against his, wanting to sink into his flesh…wanting him to sink into hers.
“Cyn…” Yes, he was sin. She tunneled her fingers through his silky hair and then drew them down his back. His Dragon stirred, too, shifting against his skin.
She felt his hunger for life, for the fire he’d been missing for so long. Felt it in the way he ravaged her mouth, the way he held her tight against him. Felt it as his hands slid beneath her top and hungrily roamed over her bra. He walked them several steps back until they came up against the wall and ripped off her shirt altogether. She tore away her bra, desperate to feel his touch. He squeezed, kneaded, and then his mouth moved down her neck and covered one nipple. His tongue felt exquisitely gentle and overwhelmingly intense all at once. Her Dragon thrashed in pleasure, filling her with heat. She dug her nails into Cyn’s shoulders, feeling herself spiral away.
More, more, more.
She twisted so that his back was against the wall, pushing his shirt over his shoulders until it fell to the floor. Her body pressed close to his, and she followed the faint trail of hairs that led down to his waistband. She took her time working her way back up again, closing her lips over his nipple. Gawd, she’d never been so famished for a man before. Never been wanton like this.
He braced her hips, thumbs rubbing beneath the waistband of her cargo pants. Pants that were too tight now, too restrictive. He ran his hand over the front and slid down between her legs. Even with fabric between his hand and her flesh, hot pleasure washed over her. And eager need. Too much between them. She unbuttoned her pants and pushed them and her underwear to the floor before stepping out of them. As though sensing her need, he nestled his fingers in her hair before sliding between her folds. She was so worked up that just that touch made her quiver.
He lifted her as though she weighed nothing and carried her to her bedroom. He nipped at her neck and tossed her on the bed, taking her in with wild eyes that looked part human, part Dragon. When he came down on top of her, his mouth found hers again. He slid his arm beneath her, holding her body against his. Like he couldn’t get close enough to her. She knew exactly how he felt. His thigh braced against hers, and his heat enveloped her. The energy of his Dragon thrummed through her, infusing her with a sexuality she’d never felt before.
Maybe it was just Cyn.
Definitely it was Cyn.
She put her hand on his face, feeling the slight bristle of stubble. He met her eyes, his glassy. He was as lost as she, finally surrendering to his desire for her. Something inside her shifted, deepening from lust to more. “Is this all Dragon, Cyn?”
He shook his head without even thinking about it. “It’s us, Ruby. All us.”
She smiled, his admission filling her with the courage to speak the emotions that were revealing themselves. “I want to make your life interesting again. Let me give you my passion and awaken you like you did me. I want to make you care again.”
He curled his fingers over her hand. “You already have.”
Then why did he look so serious when she couldn’t stop smiling? Maybe this was a monumental admission for him. Then she would go one step further. “You’re the first man I’ve ever wanted to give my heart to. And the thought of that”—she shook her head, laughing nervously—“is scarier than it was when I was facing my Awakening. But I managed that. I think this will change me, and I can manage that, too.”
“Ruby, I can’t—”
She pressed her finger to his mouth. “Don’t say you can’t do this. Being my protector doesn’t exclude you from loving me. I’m not a child. It’s not our Dragons, as you just admitted. There’s no reason we can’t act on our feelings.”
He sat up, tension in his expression. “There is a reason we can’t act on this.”
She snapped her fingers as a thought occurred to her. “Condoms. To be honest, I’m not used to having to think about protection. So we don’t go all the way. Because I think you know this is more than sex.”
He got to his feet and paced by the bed. “That’s the bigger problem.” He paused at the sight of a framed picture on the dresser of her with her parents, then turned those dark eyes on her. “I can’t keep my distance from you, an intolerable weakness on my part.”
She sat back on the bed, her hands braced on her thighs. “You said surrendering was strength. And that’s what you just did, surrendered to me. And I surrendered to you. It was a beautiful thing.”
His expression spoke not of beauty but pain. “I promised I wouldn’t touch you, no matter what my body—and my Dragon—wanted. That was hard enough. But now…”
“Now what?”
He rubbed his forehead. “I can’t let this happen until you know the truth about me.”
So this was about him. She came to stand in front of him and touched his arm. “I know you’ve killed people, that you’re a…bad dude. That doesn’t matter to me.”
Her touch seemed to hurt him. He glanced at her hand and then squeezed his eyes shut. “It was me, Ruby.” He met her gaze. “I was the one ordered to assassinate your parents.”
The words settled in like spikes, making her drop her hand and clutch her chest. “You…”
“I was the Vega they tapped because they knew I was ruthless. They didn’t tell me there was a little girl, only that all the people onboard were to be terminated. I knew nothing about the targets—”
“‘Targets.’ Targets? They were my parents!”
“They were targets to me. When you take these kinds of assignments, you can’t make it personal.”
She felt as though she’d been dunked in ice, the air leaving her lungs in a painful whoosh. She stalked into the living room and got dressed. The buttons on her shirt were missing so she held it together with one hand. He’d followed her out, but she spoke before he could say anything.
“But it was personal. They were people. Son, daughter, parents to a girl who needed them.” Heartache crushed her chest. She faced him, trying not to see the man whose face she’d just tenderly touched. Making herself see a cold killer. “Tell me. Tell me all of it.”