Chapter 141

[ 1,278 words ]

Aria felt unbearably hot and strangely suffocated. At first, she blamed the warmth of her room, but when she tried to shift and failed, she realized there was another reason entirely. A pair of strong arms were wrapped securely around her waist.

What the fuck?

She tried to move, only for whoever had her trapped in that position to tighten his hold almost instinctively. His entire body was cocooned around hers, his chest pressed firmly against her back, unwilling to let go. And yes, she could definitely feel the hard muscles pressed against her—

Wait a minute.

Aria immediately began struggling to free herself. Her movements finally disturbed whoever was holding her, and he stirred with a low sound, loosening his arms just enough for her to turn around.

Aria froze.

She was staring directly into the irresistible sleeping face of Rhydian Drakhar.

Dear Lord in heaven. What was happening right now?

He was fast asleep, and somehow that only made him more handsome. Without those blue eyes glaring at someone or that arrogant smirk constantly threatening his lips, Aria could properly appreciate just how unfairly beautiful the dragon prince was.

Everything about his face seemed carved, from the sharp line of his jaw to the high cheekbones, straight nose, and heavy brows that gave his features their distinctly masculine edge. Even asleep, there was something naturally severe about his face, softened only by the wild strands of red hair that had fallen messily across his forehead.

If a woman had a weakness for dangerous, powerful men who looked like they could either ruin her life or give her the best night of it, Rhydian Drakhar was practically designed to become her wet dream.

Aria’s gaze drifted toward his lips, and she swallowed.

That was a mistake.

They were slightly parted in sleep, and suddenly she couldn’t stop staring at them. Like a vampire presented with a tantalizing vein, some ridiculous part of her wondered what they would taste like, how they would feel against hers. She stared far longer than any sane human should stare at the mouth of a dragon who could wake at any moment and catch her doing exactly that.

“I can feel your pretty heart racing, my treasure p>

Aria nearly jumped out of her skin. Her gaze snapped upward.

Rhydian was awake.

His piercing blue eyes were staring directly into hers, heavy with sleep yet far too aware for her liking. Their intensity left her momentarily spellbound, especially when the corner of his mouth lifted as if he’d known exactly what she’d been thinking. Her pulse raced even faster.

“I thought I satisfied you earlier,” he murmured, his voice rough from sleep, “but that doesn’t seem to be the case here, little one p>

Aria blinked in confusion. What the hell was he talking about?

She didn’t have enough time to make sense of the question. Rhydian moved suddenly, rolling her beneath him with such effortless strength that Aria found herself flat on her back before she could even protest.

That was when she discovered something considerably more alarming. They were both naked. What the p>

Aria’s eyes widened as she stared up at him. What exactly was going on here? Why was she naked? Why was Rhydian naked? Why had she been sleeping wrapped in his arms like it was a normal thing? None of it made any fucking sense.

But coherent thought became considerably harder when Rhydian lowered his head and pressed his lips against her neck. Tingles immediately raced across her skin.

Aria’s eyes fluttered shut before she could stop them. Her body relaxed beneath him, surrendering to the warmth of his mouth while the questions she’d been desperate to answer moments ago began slipping beyond her reach. Her thoughts muddled.

Something about this wasn’t right. Aria knew that, but she just couldn’t seem to remember why. It didn’t help that Rhydian showered her throat with kisses at such perfectly wicked intervals that whenever her senses began to return, his mouth chased them away again.

“Rhydian Aria tried to sound stern, but her voice came out as a breathless rasp that did absolutely nothing to communicate whatever protest she’d intended.

Rhydian paused, burying his face against the curve of her neck before inhaling deeply.

“Fuck,” he rasped. “You smell like heaven, my treasure p>

The guttural groan that followed vibrated through her, sending another rush of heat curling low in her belly. It certainly didn’t help that their bodies were pressed together so closely she could feel exactly how affected he was, the unmistakable hardness of him pressing against her stomach.

Oh shit. Aria knew she was in trouble.

How the hell had things escalated to this point? The last thing she remembered was going to bed. Yes, she’d climbed into bed after the eventful disaster at the dining hall and fallen asleep. Nothing else had happened after that.

Wait a minute… was this a dream?

Of course! This had to be another one of those saucy dreams she’d been having lately. It explained everything. Why Rhydian was suddenly in her bed. Why they were both naked. Why none of this seemed to make any logical sense.

Now all she had to do was wake herself up.

Then Rhydian’s mouth returned to her neck, his lips closing over a particularly sensitive spot, and whatever determination Aria had gathered disappeared immediately.

Her lips parted on a gasp as her back arched from the mattress. The sensation was simply out of this world, pleasure rippling through her with enough intensity to make waking up seem like a terrible idea.

Fine. It was a dream. Nothing more than a harmless fantasy conjured by her own traitorous mind, which meant none of this was real and there would be no consequences waiting for her when she eventually opened her eyes.

So why exactly was she fighting it?

Aria abandoned every thought of waking up. If her mind had decided to give her Rhydian Drakhar naked in her bed, then she might as well enjoy her guilty little fantasy while it lasted.

Rhydian suckled harder on her skin, playfully catching the sensitive flesh between his teeth while his hand traveled down her body to cup her breast. Aria’s breathing grew labored beneath him, her body heating with each touch until a deep ache settled between her thighs.

She began to writhe restlessly, pressing closer to him without even realizing it, her mind consumed by a need that was becoming increasingly difficult to ignore.

Rhydian noticed and sank his teeth a little deeper into her neck at the same moment his fingers found her sensitive nipple and pinched.

The sharp mixture of pain and pleasure tore a cry from Aria’s lips before she could contain it. Her back arched against him, every nerve in her body seeming to flare at once as Rhydian released her skin and soothed the tender spot with his tongue.

Such a wicked dragon prince. Even in her dreams, the bastard apparently had no intention of playing fair.

Right at that moment, a door Aria hadn’t even realized was there opened.

Her head turned toward the sound, and whatever pleasure-induced haze she’d been floating in disappeared at the sight of Maverick standing in the doorway, completely bare from the waist up with nothing but an apron tied around his torso.

Aria’s head spun.

What in the heavens was going on here?

And for the first time since she’d convinced herself this was nothing more than another one of her saucy dreams, Aria began to wonder whether she was actually in control of it. Because if she was, her imagination had apparently lost its fucking mind.

If you find any errors (non-standard content, ads redirect, broken links, etc Please let us know so we can fix it as soon as possible.