The Dragon’s Brave Nanny (Mysteries of Dragon’s Island #4)

Chapter 19

CHAPTER 19

***KEITH***

K eith carried Stella out of the water, every fiber of his being demanding satisfaction, but he fought for control, sensing that this was a turning point in his life. The last thing he wanted to do was rush. He wanted this to be a night they would both remember, and as much as he wanted his own satisfaction, he wanted Stella’s even more. When he reached the tent, he set her on her feet, pulled the zipper down, and held the flaps back to let her inside.

The lantern he’d left burning cast a soft glow over the bed that sat in the center of the tent, and he couldn’t wait to sink into it with Stella, but first, he bent down and, using a towel, brushed the sand off her feet. It was one of the most sensual moments they’d shared. He heard Stella’s breath catch in her throat, and his body responded by throbbing even harder. A need to possess her, to claim her as his suddenly washed over him, and he knew that the dragon inside him wouldn’t wait much longer to be satisfied.

After brushing off his feet, he led Stella over to the bed and pulled her down onto the soft blanket with him, then covered her body with his before capturing her mouth. He ravished her mouth in a demanding kiss that was so full of promise that Stella began to tremble before he even touched her. When his hands finally began to stroke her hot flesh, she moaned into his mouth, then cried out his name when he found her swollen, erect nipples and began to tease them.

She spread her legs for him, whimpering into his mouth, and he slid his hand down her stomach, then slipped a finger between her folds, groaning when he found her wet and ready for him. He could think of almost nothing but driving his throbbing manhood into her, but he wasn’t ready to let go and, instead, began to stroke her swollen nib, reveling in her cries of pleasure. Each brush of his finger took Stella higher and higher until her body began to shake, her breath came in short gasps, and she dug her nails into his shoulder as she tumbled over the edge.

When she opened her pleasure-filled eyes and looked up at him, he couldn’t hold back any longer. Rolling between her legs, he shoved them open and then buried himself inside her. The pleasure was so intense, he couldn’t move for several wonderful seconds, then the creature inside him came to life, his magic flowed through his veins, and Stella began to move beneath him. Lost to the sensations thundering through him, his control completely gone, he drove himself into her over and over, aware of only the woman who was so perfect for him and the glories of her body beneath his.

His climax came upon him much too soon, but after denying himself satisfaction for so long, there was nothing he could do to stop it. He tumbled over the edge, dragging Stella with him, and together they soared to the heights of passion, their bodies joined just as their souls were. A burst of energy flowed from their bodies, filling the tent with sparks of light that slowly floated to the ground, then soaked into the sand, and the island slowly came awake around them, feeding on the love they shared.

The trees sighed as a warm wind blew through them. Keith collapsed on top of Stella, who welcomed his weight with a happy sigh, and they lay there for a long time. When he finally rolled off her and gathered her into his arms, he was still too blown away by the immensity of the experience to put a coherent sentence together, but he was sure that the smile on his face would say it all.

“What just happened?” Stella finally asked. “I’ve never felt anything like that before. It was…amazing.”

“Why thank you, ma’am,” he said, grinning down at her. “I wish I could take credit for everything we were feeling, but some of that was my magic. There’s an old legend about shifters bonding with their perfect mate. I’m beginning to wonder if there’s some truth to it.”

“You felt it too?” she asked, her voice full of wonder. “We’re very lucky, aren’t we?”

“I sure think so,” he said, rolling onto his side. “But that could have just been a one-time thing. We might want to try it again, you know, run the numbers as you like to put it.”

“I’ve never said that about sex,” she protested. “Now I’ll never be able to say that again without thinking about…this.”

He slid his hand down her stomach between her legs and gently parted them. “Then I’d better make sure that it’s a good memory,” he said, slipping his fingers between her folds, rewarded by a low moan from deep in her chest. “And I think I know right where to start.”

Out in the ocean a few miles from the shore, a man sat in the darkness of the night, bobbing up and down in the waves, his night vision goggles focused on the shore. He knew that he should put them down, should head back to the main island. He had gotten everything he’d come for. Stella Morgan had made that easy with her little display earlier that night, but the sight of her standing naked in the water, hands over her head, had done something to him.

Maybe it was his enforced banishment to Bermuda, maybe it was the raw power he saw in her eyes, maybe he’d been away from home too long, but he couldn’t turn away. The light in the tent still burned brightly, and he knew exactly what was going on behind those flaps, making his body tighten between his legs, and for just a few more minutes, he let himself imagine what he was going to do to Stella Morgan when he caught up to her.

***Stella***

Stella woke with the first rays of light and watched Keith sleeping as the day began, marveling at the power of what they shared and thanking the powers that had thrown them together. Her life had been in ruins, everything ripped away in one moment of violence, but from that horror had come the greatest gift she’d ever received, and she wasn’t going to take it for granted for a single second. She knew how lucky she was and knew that not everyone was given the chance to experience the kind of love she shared with Keith.

After giving him a quick kiss, she slipped out of the tent, not the least bit tired even though they’d slept very little the night before. Looking out at the still shadowy ocean, she took a deep breath of the early morning air, then set to work building the fire back up. When she had a bed of coals, she filled the coffee pot and put it on to boil, then rummaged around in the food supplies for breakfast, pleased when she found pastries, bacon, eggs, and fresh fruit.

By the time the sun was just about to peek over the horizon, their little camp was filled with the smell of breakfast cooking, and Keith came stumbling out of the tent. His hair was tousled from sleep, there were creases on his face from the pillow, but to her, he was the sexiest man on the planet. Crossing over to him, she pulled him down to her and kissed him soundly before turning back around and walking back over to the fire.

“Well, good morning to you, too,” Keith said, a silly smile on his face. “I didn’t enjoy waking up alone, but that almost made it worth it. Is that coffee I smell?”

She handed him a cup. “You’re just in time for the sunrise,” she said, smiling up at him. “I don’t think I’ve ever been this happy.”

“Me either,” he said, leaning down and giving her a kiss. “Let’s go watch the sunrise. There’s something I want to talk to you about, and I can’t think of a better time to do it.”

She was surprised when he didn’t lead her over to the beach but started walking inland instead. “Keith, where are we going?” she asked. “We won’t be able to see the sunrise in the trees.”

“It’s not much further, but we’d better hurry, or we’ll miss the big show,” he said, pulling her along. “I’ve been waiting to show you this…well, until I was sure.”

He led her to a clearing in the trees, and she gasped when she realized that thanks to a rise, the ocean lay spread before them, the sun just climbing beyond the horizon line. Keith put his arm around her, and she leaned into him with a contented sigh, knowing that she’d remember this morning for the rest of her life. As the brilliant oranges and yellows of early morning began to wash over them, Keith turned to her, cupping her face with his hands, and kissed her. She felt the love and promise in his kiss and kissed him back, telling him everything she had yet to put into words, feeling like she was going to burst with happiness.

When Keith pulled away, he smiled down at her, “Well, what do you think?” he asked. “Will it work?”

“Will what work?” she asked, confused by his question .

“Building our cabin here,” he said. “I’ve spent days combing the site, and I think this is the perfect spot.”

“Our cabin?” she asked. “Keith, what are you talking about?”

“If we’re going to be here for a while, I think we should have our own place,” he said. “I already talked to Max. He thinks it’s a great idea. Just think about it, Stella, until this mess with the assassination is over, this is the perfect place for you to hide. It will take months to finish the project, you know that. I want you right here with me.”

“And then what?” she asked. “We can’t live here forever.”

“One step at a time, remember,” he said. “When we’re gone our cabin will become staff housing like all the rest. It won’t sit empty.”

She looked around the clearing, then at the trees around them, then back at Keith to make sure he wasn’t kidding. “You’re serious, are you?” she asked, then shook her head. “Never mind, I don’t need an answer. I might be crazy, but let’s do it.”

Keith picked her up and swung her around. “If I wasn’t so hungry, I'd take you back to the tent and make love to you to celebrate,” he said, grinning down at her. “But I think you’d better feed me first.”

“Typical man,” she said, grinning up at him. “Always thinking about your stomach. It's a good thing I like to eat just as much as you do.”

After breakfast, they cleaned up the dishes and packed them away carefully, tidied up the tent and packed their things, but neither was quite ready to give up the time alone together. The passion between them was still burning hot, yearning to be explored, and it wasn’t long before they found themselves back in bed. It was nearly noon before they made their way back over to the site where Keith wanted to build their cabin, and she began to give it some serious thought .

When they finally headed back to the village a few hours later, she had a rough idea of what she wanted but wasn’t ready to share her plans with Keith yet. “Come on, Stella, just a little hint,” Keith begged. “The suspense is killing me.”

“That’s a bit dramatic,” she laughed. “But you’ll just have to wait. At least let me get it down on paper before I show you. I haven’t worked the math out yet, and you know…”

“It always comes down to the math,” he said, grinning at her. “Are you going to run the numbers?”

Her heart started pounding. Desire rushed through her when she remembered the last time he’d asked her that, and she let out a little groan. “Stop teasing me, it won’t do you any good,” she said, shaking her head. “And if you keep distracting me, it’s just going to take that much longer.”