Bound by the Dragon: Book One (Bound by the Dragon Series 1) Read online

  I put down the slice of pizza and let my hand trail down to my throbbing pussy. I wasn’t hungry anymore. Not for food.

  I pressed my finger into the ball of nerves on my pussy and, with a little cry, I came.

  CHAPTER TWO

  The Dream

  That night, I had the strangest dream. I was in my room. All the nights were off. I was tied to my bed posts, spread eagle, on my back with thick silver ropes. I was naked except for a black lace thong. My nipples stuck straight up, and I could feel how wet I was. It had soaked my underwear and smeared on my thighs. A bizarre sense of anticipation made my heart pound. A huge angular shadow towered over me at the end of the mattress. The darkness hid most of its body except for small shiny bits of green—like fish scales—that glimmered in the moonlight.

  I squirmed and kicked my legs, doing everything I could to get free, but the ropes held fast.

  “Stop struggling,” a man’s voice boomed. “It will feel better if you relax.”

  “Fuck you,” I yelled back, straining every muscle in my body.

  “I’d like that. Very much,” the voice said. “You should never tease a dragon. We’re very… literal creatures.”

  What had he called himself? “Untie me!” I demanded.

  “Is that what you want?” the voiced asked. “I’ll repeat. We’re literal creatures. Be careful what you ask for.” The shadow seemed to shiver, and I closed my eyes as a flash of green light lit up my tiny cabin.

  When the light faded away, I saw a man step beside my bed. He wore black from head to toe. He held his hand near my cheek, getting close enough for me to feel the heat from his hand, but never actually touching me. Then he flattened his palm and slowly moved it down my body, still not touching me. Before he made it to my hips, he balled his hand into a tight fist. “Haylie, you’re the one I’ve been looking for. I’ve found you.” His deep voice sent a flurry of shivers rippling through my nerves. “If you let me make love to you, I promise you will have more pleasure than you ever thought possible. You’re tied up not because I don’t want to hurt you. Quite the opposite, actually. I want to keep you safe. I can pleasure you in ways a human man is simply not capable of, but we must be careful. There are… risks.”

  “You’re… not human?” My words came out in a hoarse whisper.

  “I will tell you everything, but first you must agree, Haylie Muller. Let me make love to you.”

  “Why? You don’t even know me. What do you want with me?”

  The man leaned over me, bracing himself on the bed with his palms on the mattress on either side of my torso. He had eyes the color of fine red wine. A powerful heat like I’d never experienced before radiated off him like a campfire. “Everything,” he said. “I want everything with you.” He looked over his shoulder, eyeing my bare legs and glistening pussy. His gaze moved slowly, his burgundy eyes tracing every curve of my body, just as Benny’s had. In some faraway part of my brain, something snapped into place. This was the thing that had come to me on the porch. It wasn’t Benny at all, but something else entirely. Something that could shift his shape.

  This man—or what he looked like as a man—wore a black t-shirt that stretched over his biceps and clung to the smooth muscles on his chest. He had dark hair, a little messy, dark stubble on his angular chin and red eyes that seemed to create a light all their own. His gaze flicked back to my face. “You’re wet.”

  I nodded. I could feel I was wet.

  He licked his lips. “I’m going to touch you between your legs now. Is that ok?” His thick dark eyebrows drew up above the bridge of his nose.

  “Ok.”

  He got up from the mattress and walked to the foot of the bed. He locked his eyes onto mine, not breaking that connection even to blink. He bent at the waist and rested his torso on the mattress, positioning his face right between my legs. “Oh god, Haylie. You don’t know what you do to me.” He brought both his hands to my vagina and used two fingers from each hand to open me up. His lips curved. “You’re to most beautiful human I’ve ever seen. Haylie, will you be my captive while I pleasure you?”

  His touch sent a whirlwind of sensations burning through my body. This man—this beautiful, sexy, commanding man had spread my pussy wide open with his strong hands and looked inside me. The pleasure was so intense it ached.

  “Yes, I will,” I said, gasping.

  The man closed his eyes and breathed in, like he was savoring my scent. “Thank you.” He straightened up and headed for the door. “Until next time.”

  The door closed, and suddenly, my hands weren’t tied at all. I lay curled up on my side, my head on my pillow. The room had lightened up slightly now that the light from the stairs had returned, shining though my windows.

  I soon drifted back to sleep.

  CHAPTER THREE

  My Ex-Boyfriend

  The next morning I awoke feeling like I’d had some disturbing dreams, but I couldn’t remember any of them. Probably a result of the pizza I’d eaten too close to bedtime.

  I went through my day as I usually did—laundry, posted on my blog and completed a few projects for my Internet marketing consulting business. Later, I bundled up in my favorite sweatshirt and went out back to chop some wood for the stove. As usual, my mind went back to my ex-boyfriend and I pretended the chucks of wood were various body parts of him. About twenty minutes in to the chore, I saw something move in my peripheral vision.

  What was that? I squeezed that smooth wooden handle of the ax in my fists and lifted it up like a baseball bat. I did a slow turn, scanning the spaces between the trees like it was a Where’s Waldo puzzle. What the fuck was that?

  A twig snapped to my right, loud and clear. Definitely not my imagination this time. I whirled my head towards the sound, thankful I had an ax in my hand. The noise had come from around the front of the cabin. I tiptoed around the side, keeping my back against the cabin wall.

  More sounds now. Distinctly human. Murmuring, breathing and… giggling?

  Then I heard the tinny clang of a key being shoved into a lock. Then, “Huh, it’s unlocked,” someone said. A male voice.

  A male voice I knew very well.

  “Country people,” said a female voice.

  I knew her voice, too.

  One big second of relief trumpeted though my body, followed by a blinding rage.

  Not wanting to do something I’d regret, I lowered the ax. I stomped around the corner and up the porch stairs to where my ex-boyfriend, Jake, and his new girlfriend, who looked like a fucking Bratz doll, were twisting the door knob of my cabin.

  “What do you think you’re doing?” I demanded.

  A eardrum-busting scream filled the air. This came from the Bratz doll. The leggy blonde gripped Jake’s broad shoulders and ducked behind him. “Oh, Jake, that’s her isn’t it? She’s got an ax!”

  Jake held up his hands. He clutched a small brass key in one hand. Under his feet, the welcome mat was askew. He’d known where I kept the spare key. Asshole.

  “Haylie, for god’s sake, put the ax down,” he said.

  I raised an eyebrow at him. “Or what?”

  “I’m sorry. We didn’t mean to scare you.” He shook his head and his smooth caramel hair caught the orange light of dusk. “What are you even doing here? Your Facebook said you were back with your parents in Chicago.”

  “I live here,” I said. “I own this place, remember?”

  “Ok, yes. I know that.” Jake sighed. “I’m so sorry.” He waved his hand dismissively. “We were on a road trip, going to see Shelly’s family, and I was telling Shelly about how we used to vacation up here. And… I thought I’d take her by really quick.”

  I crossed my arms leaned against the side of the cabin. “It kind of looks like you were going to go inside.”

  Shelly giggled again. “Omigod, look at that box of pizza.” Shelly craned her neck to see into my kitchen. “You know, not trying to be mean or anything, but maybe guys will like you more if you cut down on the c
heese and carbs. Just saying.” Her eyes up and down, making it obvious she was sizing me up.

  “Ok, I don’t even care why you’re here,” I said, trying to take the high road. “But yo need to leave now.”

  “Yeah, that’s a good idea,” Jake said, looking a little sheepish. “I’m sorry, I really didn’t realize you were staying here. I would’ve never stopped by.”

  “We’re not going anywhere,” Shelly said, stepping around Jake. She put her hand protectively on his shoulder. “Baby, what did you say you left here? Your surround sound speakers, right?”

  “Are you kidding me? That’s why you’re here?” I looked from Shelly to Jake, totally shocked. “You drove over here so you could illegally break into my home and take your crappy TV speakers back? No, get out or I’m calling the police.”

  Shelly rolled her eyes. “She’s bluffing,” she said to Jake. Then to me, “And besides we’ll be long gone before the cops show up here. Do you even get cell reception?”

  “That’s it. I’m done being nice,” I said. Before Shelly could step foot in my little sanctuary, I stormed up the stairs and physically blocked the front door with my body. “Get the fuck off my porch right now, or I’m going to beat the shit out of you.” I glanced at Jake. “Jake, just email the address you want my to mail the speakers to, then I never want to see you again. And as for you,” I narrowed my eyes at Shelly, “Get the fuck out of here before I bust one those inflatable breasts you have.”

  Shelly looked shocked for a moment, then quickly recovered. “I’d like to see you try,” she said, twisting her delicate features into something truly ugly. “I do CrossFit.”

  “Shelly, let’s go.” Jake tugged on her elbow.

  She shooed him away. “Jake, stop being a pussy.”

  Just as I was about to throw a punch, Shelly’s gaze focused on something high above the cabin, and her eyes bugged out in a look of absolute terror. Her mouth opened and a very unladylike scream peeled out of her lungs. “Holy Shit!” She stumbled backwards off the steps, landing on her butt, getting mud all over her designer jeans, and she scrambled back up the driveway where I assumed Jake had parked his car. “Holy shit! What is that? A fucking dinosaur.” She disappeared in the trees. A moment later, I heard a car door slam.

  Jake and I looked up at the place Shelly had been staring at, then exchanged glances with each other. He appeared as confused as I did.

  “Well,” I said, breaking the silence. “She seems nice.”

  Jake shook his head. “She’s… just under a lot of stressed lately. Her grandpa died. That’s why we’re driving down this way.”

  I held up my hands in surrender. “I really don’t need any details. I don’t care. Just leave.”

  “Ok.” Jake turned to go, then hesitated. “I’m sorry she said those things to you,” he said. “You’re not fat. You’re…” That charming half-smile flashed across his handsome face. “You’re beautiful.”

  “Jake, don’t. Please just leave.”

  “I still care about you, Haylie. That will never change.”

  “Jake—”

  “She asked you to leave,” a deep voice said from the side of the cabin.

  Jake and I both jumped at the sound.

  A man in dark jeans and a black t-shirt strolled around the corner. He was well over six feet with tan skin, a strong jawline speckled with stubble and dark eyes which narrowed at Jake.

  “Who are you?” Jake said, standing up a little straighter. He looked to me for the answer.

  I just shrugged.

  “I’m her neighbor,” he said. “I heard the commotion and came over to check on her.”

  “Oh,” Jake gave one firm nod. “I didn’t realize there were any neighbors out here.” Again, he looked at me to confirm this.

  I shrugged again.

  “You know this guy?” Jake asked me. I caught the note of jealousy in his voice, and damn it felt good.

  This time, I simply smiled.

  “Now, if I heard correctly,” the stranger said, “Haylie asked you to leave, and I suggest you do. Haylie has plans for this evening.” He held up a pie tin with a plastic wrap covering a cherry pie topped with an adorable crisscross piecrust.

  “Oh, sorry to bother you then.” Jake gave me one last questioning look, before backtracking down the steps and along the driveway.

  I waited until I heard the ignition crank on and the crunch of tires on gravel, then I planted my hands on my hips and squared off to this new—albeit handsome—obstacle. “Thanks for pretending to be my fake boyfriend, but really, who are you?” I demanded. “Because if I didn’t hate that guy so much right now, I would’ve asked him to stay until you left, because frankly, I’ve never seen you before and you could be a psychopath.” But damn, he was hot.

  “So you think I’m hot?” He threw a dazzling smile my way.

  “What did you say?” Had I said that out loud?

  “Nothing,” he said. “Here, I made a cherry pie for you. Think of it as a welcome to the neighborhood. Old family recipe. You going to invite me in?”

  The crazy thing was, I wanted to. I really, truly wanted to eat that pie with him and… I don’t know, get to know him. I’d been so awfully lonely. But that wasn’t safe.

  Still, I felt this strange connection to him, something magnetic. And for whatever reason, I felt safe standing there on the porch with him.

  “Haylie, you’re thinking too much,” he said, smirking. Damn, he had a nice mouth—smooth, puffy pink lips surrounded by stubble. “I can tell by your eyes. What is there to think about? I brought you pie.”

  I laughed. “Yes, but why? And if you’re my neighbor, where’s your house?”

  “A few miles up the road. I’m new here, like you.”

  Him saying that made me feel less alone. I appreciated that. “So… did you walk here?”

  “Oh hell no,” he said, chuckling. “I don’t walk anywhere if I can help it.”

  “Where’s your car?”

  “At the end of your driveway.”

  “I didn’t hear you drive up.”

  He shrugged. “It’s a Prius. Quiet motor.”

  “You… just seem so familiar.” I squinted at him, trying to place him. Some instinct inside me wanted to connect him to the Benny weirdness last night. What this mysterious stranger behind that? And then again, had that whole thing with Benny even happened? In the light of day, it all seemed absurd.

  The man held out his hand to me. “I’m sorry, I never introduced myself. “I’m Nick.”

  “Nick.” The moment I touched his hand, a wave of heat overtook my entire body. It all came back to me. The dream. The straps. The way he spread my most intimated places open and looked inside. No one had ever done that to me before. It made me feel beautiful all over.

  “There it is. Now you remember me.” His grip around my hand tightened. “I know you don’t understand what I am, but you don’t need to. What is your heart telling you? What is your body telling you? I came to you in a different form last night so I could be close to you. I had to touch you to enter your dreams that night. I needed you to make that promise to me.”

  I nodded, it all made sense in a way that made no sense at all. But I didn’t care. That magic that had paralyzed me in my dream was back. “Nick,” I whispered, “are you here to fuck me?”

  “Do you want me to?” He stepped closer.

  I hesitated. “Will I ever understand any of this?”

  “You will. But it will take time.”

  I nodded.

  He flashed me another smile. “Here, hold this.” He set the pie in my hands. Then he scooped his hand underneath my legs and literally swept me off my feet. “What do you want to know?” he asked casually. “I’m not quite human, but trust me, I can still make love to you and give you the greatest orgasms you’ve ever felt. What else do you need to know?” He opened the door and carried me into the kitchen. “Just set the pie on the counter, we’ll have that after I make you cum with my mouth
and my fingers.”

  “And your cock?” I supplied.

  He gave me a sly grin. “If you can handle it.” He opened the bedroom door and set me gently on the bed. “You’re already feeling it, aren’t you?

  “What?” I said dreamily.

  He caressed my forehead and leaned over me on the bed. “I have that effect on the woman folk.”

  I sat up. “Excuse me?”

  “What you’re feeling now is part of my power. I’m not human, but I can take the form of anyone or anything, and I can make women feel things—wonderful things. But it’s dangerous. It can kill you, Haylie.”

  “What are you?”

  “In my natural form, I’m what your people refer to as a dragon.”

  His natural form, I thought. That must have been what Shelly had seen above the house.

  “I’ll ask you one more time,” he said. “Do you want me to fuck you?”

  CHAPTER FOUR

  Getting More Than Asked For

  “Yes.” I said, gazing up at him. I didn’t know what had come over me, all I knew was how I felt. The powerful hormones bouncing around in my body. “Yes, fuck me. Please.”

  Something hot and dangerous sparkled in his eyes as he pushed me up the bed and unbuckled his belt. He peeled his shirt off, revealing a tanned torso marked with rippling muscles. They coiled and uncoiled with every movement of his body. He climbed onto the bed with an animal-like grace, his chest hovering over me. “Take off your shirt.”

  I slowly unbuttoned my flannel shirt, revealing a basic black bra. He watched me the entire time. His eyes glinted with what I took as male appreciation.

  “The bra, too,” he said.

  I propped myself up with my elbows and unclasped the bra behind my back. My breasts fell out, big and bouncy, and I saw his chest heave as his breathing sped up. “I’m going to secure you to the bed now. Just like in the dream.”

  “But what if I want to touch you?”

  “You can’t. I may look human, but there are things about me you don’t understand.” He licked his lips. “Give me your wrists.”