The Dragon's Heart (Lochguard Highland Dragons #3) (7 page)

“Don’t call my son that ridiculous nickname,” Fergus growled.

Fraser shrugged. “Hey, you and Gina gave him the surname of MacDonald-MacKenzie. It’s your own fault.”

As Fraser and Fergus continued to argue, Ross whispered into Lorna’s ear, “How much longer until dinner’s ready?”

“Really? You’re thinking with your stomach right now?”

His voice dropped an octave, which made her shiver. “No, Lorna. The sooner you feed everyone, the sooner you can kick them out. I want you all to myself.”

“Oh,” Lorna said as her cheeks flushed with heat.

“You’d better work on that flush of yours. While I love seeing the color on your cheeks, your children will tease you.”

Turning her head, Lorna met Ross’s gaze. “You know what? Now that we’ve talked with them, and they know what’s going on, I don’t care. How about we give them a show?”

Ross wrapped his arms around her waist and murmured, “I like your way of thinking, woman.”

Impatient, Lorna took Ross’s lips in a kiss and pulled him close. Lorna was vaguely aware of whistles and comments, but she ignored them. Ross had passed the initial test with her children, and she was impatient for what came next.

Her dragon hummed.
Yes, yes. Kick them out now.

Not yet.

She was going to say more, but Ross growled and heat spread throughout her body.
 

Her beast spoke up again.
Send everyone away. I want him.

Lorna agreed with her dragon. Lorna was going to serve dinner as quickly as possible and send everyone packing. It was time to claim her new male.

~~~

Nearly two hours later, Ross placed the last bit of leftovers into the fridge and shut the door with a flourish.
 

He turned around to see Lorna leaning against the counter, watching him. Her pupils flashed to slits and back. He grinned. “Is your dragon burning for ol’ Ross Anderson?”

She raised her brows. “Wouldn’t you like to know.”

Closing the distance between them, Ross pulled Lorna up against him. The softness of her body made him hard. With Lorna, he wouldn’t need any pills to do the deed.

He nipped her earlobe and whispered, “I know one way to get the information out of you.” He worried her flesh again before adding, “Of course, it involves you naked on a bed.”

“Ross,” Lorna said in a breathy whisper.

“Don’t tell me you’re shy about this, love. Because I’m not.”

Lorna pulled back to meet his gaze. The heat he saw there eased some of his worry.
 

The dragonwoman tilted her head. “Not shy, exactly. But it’s been awhile. I may need you to remind me of a few things.”

He snorted. “I think you just want me to do all the work.”

She ran her hand up his chest to behind his neck. The soft strum of her fingers sent a spark down his back and straight to his groin.

If that wasn’t enough, Lorna leaned forward until her soft breasts squashed against his chest. The hard points of her nipples were too much, and he let out a small groan.

Smiling, Lorna replied, “Not all the work, but I did just cook a huge meal and all you did was chop veg. I think you have more energy than me.”

“So is that the tradeoff? You cook, and I give you fantastic sex?”

“You wouldn’t hear any complaints from me.”

Ross chuckled. “Aye, well, I’d better start paying off my debt.”

Before Lorna could reply, he took her lips in a possessive kiss. As he explored the inside of her mouth, he ran a hand under her jumper to her warm skin. He stroked circles slowly against her back until Lorna sighed.

Breaking the kiss, Ross murmured, “We can save the kitchen counter for later. Right now, I want to see you naked on our bed.”

“So my bed is now our bed?”

“Yes.” He nipped her bottom lip. “I can’t have any other dragonmen getting ideas about moving in and stealing you away.”

Lorna paused, and Ross wondered if he’d pushed too fast. But considering he and Lorna had lived in close proximity for months, he wasn’t exactly a stranger.
 

Still, the thought of another man not her late mate in that bed might be too much. Maybe he was daft for suggesting her bed instead of his.

Then Lorna kissed his jaw. “No one is going to sneak in, you fool. If they tried, I have a homemade deterrent to keep them away.”

“Oh, aye? Should I be worried?”

“Not as long as you stay on my good side, human.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.” He kissed her nose. “Now, if I were twenty years younger, I’d sweep you off your feet and carry you up the stairs. But I don’t want to break that old hip you keep mentioning.”

Lorna chuckled. “Considering I’m not as light as I once was, we’d better be safe and walk.”

“I don’t care about what you looked like when you were younger. You’re perfect to me now.” He cupped her cheeks and stroked them with his thumbs. “Shall we go upstairs so I can devour you?”

Her pupils flashed before she smiled. “We’d better, or you might start dozing off.”

He lightly smacked her bum. “Cheeky dragonwoman.”

Lorna laughed, and the sound echoed inside the kitchen. Ross decided right then and there, he would be the one to make Lorna laugh for the rest of her days.

Releasing her, Ross took her hand and tugged. “Then let’s get going before I fall asleep and snore your ear off.”

They exited the kitchen and ascended the stairs. “You do snore loudly, unfortunately for me.”

“That just means I’ll have to lay on my side and hold you close, all through the night. I don’t snore on my side.”

Tenderness flashed in Lorna’s eyes, and Ross ached to simply hold his dragonwoman in his arms.

But he was fairly certain his hard cock and Lorna’s flashing dragon eyes weren’t going to let that happen.

As soon as they entered Lorna’s room, she shut the door and released his hand. Ross was about to ask what she was doing when Lorna tugged off her jumper, and all thoughts left his head.

~~~

With her heart thumping inside her chest, Lorna somehow managed to swiftly tug off her jumper and toss it aside as if she did it every day. Maybe she could fool Ross into thinking she was confident about taking him to bed. After all, it had been decades. The last time had been with Jamie.

Jamie.
For a split second, Lorna wondered if she were being selfish in wanting Ross. She and Jamie had always promised to look out for the children if one of them were gone. Lorna’s children still needed her help with the babies and new mates. Faye, in particular, was still healing from her wing injury the year before.

Her dragon growled.
Why is this so difficult? All of the bairns are adults. They need space to grow and strengthen their new families.

My mother helped me when I was a new mum. I should do the same.

Aye, and you will. But what about the mornings or nights? Soon we’ll be all alone in this house.

Ross’s voice interrupted her conversation. “What’s the matter, Lorna? Are you having second thoughts?”

Her beast growled.
Look at the desire and heat in Ross’s eyes. He wants us, and I want him. Don’t you?

Remembering Ross’s kisses, his teasing, and even his companionship since arriving on Lochguard, Lorna knew she did.

Maybe it was time for Lorna to take some time for herself after raising four stubborn-headed children on her own.

Pushing aside her nervousness and doubts, Lorna answered, “Of course not. A little waiting might do you good.”

Chuckling, Ross winked. “Not too long, I hope. It’s getting close to my bedtime.”

Lorna shook her head and moved her hands to her skirt. After wiggling out of it, she yanked off her socks and stopped at the hem of her panties. Once they were off, she doubted she would be able to stop her dragon from claiming Ross.

Ross’s voice was husky as he said, “Show me, love. I want to see all of you.”

The wanting in his voice gave Lorna the courage she needed to slide off her panties and undo her bra. Even though the room was warm, she shivered. Ross’s long perusal of her body only made her heart pound harder and wetness pool between her legs.

In the next second, Ross tugged off his shirt and her eyes moved to the gray hair on his chest. While Ross wasn’t a dragon-shifter, he had a lean hardness to him that she looked forward to touching and exploring with both her hands and her tongue.

“Like what you see, love?”

Frowning, Lorna motioned toward his trousers. “Hurry up and take them off before I freeze to death.”

With a chuckle, Ross unzipped his trousers and dropped them to the floor. His erection punched against his underwear and her dragon growled in impatience.
Tell him to hurry up. I’m starving.

Before she could think of how to reply to that, Ross pulled down his underwear and stood tall. Unable to resist, she looked down his lean, tall body until she reached his long, hard cock.

His desire for her was plain to see.

Of course it is. You need more confidence when it comes to our attractiveness.

Shut it, dragon.

Ross strode up to her and pulled her against his warm body. The press of his erection against her belly caused a pounding ache between her thighs.
 

After a brief kiss, Ross guided them back toward the bed. “I hope you’re ready, Lorna.” He gently guided her down to the mattress and caged her body with his arms. “Because I’m not stopping until you scream my name at least twice.”

She was about to say that was a tall order, but Ross’s fingers brushed the juncture between her legs and she sucked in a breath.

Chapter Seven

Only because of his formidable self-control, could Ross caress Lorna’s most sensitive flesh and take his time. With each stroke of his fingers, Lorna’s legs parted a little more. The flush of her cheeks was a lovely contrast to her blondish gray hair fanned out behind her head.

Damn, she was gorgeous.

It’d been a long time since he’d last made love to a woman and regardless of what his brain wanted, his cock wanted to thrust into his dragonwoman and claim her straightaway.

Lorna’s breathy voice caught his attention. “Ross, please.”

Hearing his name on her lips was the tipping point. Removing his hand, Ross positioned his cock at her entrance. “Ready, love?”

With her pupils flashing, she murmured, “Hurry up.”

Not wanting to keep his woman waiting any longer, Ross inched his way inside. Lorna might not be a virgin, but it had been a while, and he didn’t want to hurt her.

As if reading his mind, Lorna growled, “Don’t you dare be delicate with me, Ross. I want the fire and passion I know is there.”

Lowering his head, Ross nipped Lorna’s bottom lip. “As you wish.”

Thrusting the rest of the way inside, Lorna moaned and grabbed his biceps. She dug in her nails, and something primal sparked inside Ross.

He moved his hips and increased his pace with each movement. He loved the way Lorna gripped his cock with just the right amount of pressure.

However, he wanted to feel more than just his cock inside his dragonwoman. Transferring his weight to his left arm, Ross cupped Lorna’s breast and squeezed. The large, warm flesh was softer than he’d imagined.

But touching wasn’t enough. He pinched her hard nipple between his fingers and Lorna moaned. “Yes.”

Sucking her nipples and worrying them with his teeth would have to wait. Ross needed to make Lorna his. The desire to hear her scream as she came only pushed his hips faster.

Yet as the pressure built at the base of his spine, Ross gritted his teeth. He wouldn’t come like a lad of fifteen before Lorna. His dragonwoman deserved better.

He glided his hand down Lorna’s soft stomach to the hair at the juncture of her thighs. Finding her hard nub, Ross rubbed it in firm circles. Lorna squirmed her hips below him. When she dug her nails further into his skin, Ross wanted to let go.

Thankfully, Lorna screamed his name and arched her back. As she gripped and released his cock, Ross roared and stilled inside her. Pleasure raced and crashed through his body as he finally made Lorna MacKenzie his own.

Once she had wrung every last drop out of him, Ross collapsed on top of her.
 

For a short while, they both merely lay there, breathing heavily. Then Lorna’s nails lightly traced his back as she purred, “You still have a few tricks left in you, old man.”

With a grunt, Ross rolled to the side and took Lorna with him. The dragonwoman laid half on his chest, which gave him the perfect opportunity to grab her arse cheek and squeeze. “I’m more interested in seeing your tricks, love.”

Lorna raised her head. “I thought we had a deal? I cook and you give me fantastic sex.”

“So you think it’s fantastic, aye? Good to know. Maybe it’ll make all the dragonmen jealous.”

“Don’t you dare go bragging to the public, Ross Anderson. What happens in this bed is private.”

Ross swept Lorna’s long hair over her shoulder and then traced her collarbone. “So does that give me leave to do whatever I wish as long as I don’t go havering on about it?”

Leaning down, Lorna whispered into his ear, “I can’t answer that question yet. I need to see more of your moves to make a better-informed decision.”

He chuckled. “You just want me to do all of the work.”

Lorna moved to straddle his hips, her lovely curves in full view. Not waiting for a reply, he traced her breast, her waist, and the stretch marks on her belly. Meeting Lorna’s gaze, he noticed her expression had shuttered. She was hiding something. “Tell me what’s on your mind, love.”

~~~

Lorna was raring to go another round with her human. The things that man could do with his fingers made her skin burn.

Then he studied her body and lingered on her belly, and Lorna’s confidence faded. Between wrinkles and stretch marks, she wondered how Ross found her beautiful at all.

Her dragon huffed.
Remember our talk before, about self-confidence? We’re gorgeous. Accept it.

As she tried to think of how to reply, Ross’s voice interrupted her thoughts. “Tell me what’s on your mind, love.”