Page 96 of The Dragon King's Captain

“Oh, I will drop you,” he said as he got between my thighs. Then, with a move that made me gasp, he lifted me upright and poised me over his shaft. “I'll drop you right on my dick.”

I floundered to get my knees on the bed as I laughed. “Whoa, that was a little fast. I was hoping to go slower tonight. Just take our time.”

“I have failed my mate!” Aras wailed and tossed me onto my back again. “How could I not sense your desires?”

I laughed until he grabbed the back of my thighs and shoved them up, angling my pelvis off the bed. That cut my laughter short, and when Aras set his mouth to me, I gasped again, the sound quickly shifting into a moan. His textured tongue teased me before rolling into a spear and entering. I cried out and grabbed my legs to pull them further back.

Aras moaned against me, his hands sliding down the back of my thighs to come together at my center. One leathery palm worked my cock as the other massaged my sacs, sending me to a level of pleasure I hadn't realized was attainable. It wasn't just his skill, but also the joy in my soul. The relief of a clear conscious. The departure of fear. I felt lighter and in that lightness, I could feel more. More pleasure, more desire, and more love. Everything was sharper, clearer, and brighter.

“Oh, fuck!” I cried out and came like a teenage boy all over myself.

My mate chuckled as he lifted his head. Watching me spasm, he continued to pump my shaft until he had milked every drop from me. Then, as soon as my shudders began to subside, he reached between us and guided himself into me.

We both cried out with the bliss of it. The mind-spinning pleasure of becoming one. And it was so much more than mere sex. Our souls slammed together, the mating bond merging us so completely that, for a few wild moments, I couldn't determinewhere I ended and Aras began. We were truly one. Minds, hearts, and souls combined.

And then Aras began to thrust.

With the first slick slides of his flesh, my body reminded me that we may be bound in magic, but we were still two separate men. And the coming together of our bodies was another type of magic. I let go of my legs, propping them on Aras's arms so I could grab his broad, furred shoulders.

“Aras, my mate, you are magnificent,” I said.

“Only when I'm with you,” he said.

“Then you'd better not wander far.” I lifted my hips to meet him.

“I won't. I've hired a captain for the Tiger's Claw.”

“Already?”

“My first mate. He's the perfect choice. I settled things with him before I sent the ship to Latur.”

I cupped Aras's face and pulled him down into a kiss. As our tongues twined and bodies pumped, I poured my love into my mate. Aras was giving up the sea for me—the only home he had known. But I would make him a new home on land, where he could have stability, love, and the family he'd always wanted. I would make sure Aras never regretted his sacrifice.

Easing back, I said, “You won't have to give it up completely. I have several ships. We can take one out for the day whenever you want.” Then I gasped as he went deeper. “But let's discuss it later. Right now, I need you to fuck me faster, Mate.”

Aras grinned, showcasing his fangs, and quickened his thrusts until he was slamming into me, his fur softening the sound of our joining. My body shook. My whole world trembled. And I knew it would always be so. My mate had turned my life upside down from the very beginning. I was a new man because of him. A happy man. I needed to make him happy too.

Summoning my claws, I dug them into Aras's shoulders and growled, “Harder, Mate! Fuck me harder!”

Aras howled in ecstasy and slammed into me hard enough to bash my head into the bed frame. I grinned even as I put a hand against the wood to brace myself and protect my skull. This was what I needed. This was what would keep us enthralled with each other forever. This unpredictable ride that went from tender to savage in a heartbeat. Kisses that turned into bites. Grasping that turned into clawing. We'd leave each other floundering in the best ways, even as we rose together to heights of passion and love that we had never known were possible.

“Lyrandir!” Aras shouted as he locked up against me.

His bliss shot through our bond and grabbed me by the sacs, wringing my climax out of me.

“Aras!” I added my shout to his.

And as we shuddered and held on to each other through our storm of rapture, we whispered words of love that made it even sweeter. I may be King, but Aras was my captain, and he would rule my heart forever.