“Stella, look at me,” Brycen said as he stood in front of her. He waited until she locked her gaze with his. “You’re fine, I promise. Take a couple of deep breaths, and try again. The dragon senses your fear. That’s what’s keeping you from shifting. She’s trying to protect you. That’s all.”
Stella did as he asked, taking three steadying breaths in and out before bringing her human form into focus in her mind’s eye again. This time, rather than think of the possibility of not being able to shift, she thought of Brycen standing there, waiting for her. Warmth flooded her body, not the searing heat like when she’d tried to suppress her first shift, but a soothing, calming presence. Her scales shivered and shook as they shrunk until they disappeared beneath her skin. Out of nowhere, her eyes watered and for some strange reason, she wanted to cry.
Brycen pulled her into his arms, stroking her back. “It was pretty intense, wasn’t it?”
“It was amazing,” she managed to croak out before the tears welled in her eyes again. “I never imagined it would be so beautiful.”
“Let’s get you home. As stunning as you were in your dragon form, and as delectable as you are now, I want to make love to you on a soft bed, not this cave floor.”
Just the thought of hiking back down the mountain had her wincing and a shudder rushing through her. Her arms and belly muscles ached from exertion, not to mention her shoulders and back. Exhaustion beat at her. “I don’t know if I have the energy to get back to Glen Farley.” While she’d been in dragon form, the beast’s energy had kept her going, but now, her human body didn’t want to move anymore.
Brycen smiled, his eyes sparkling. “If you can hang on, I can get us down there in a couple of minutes.”
“You’ll fly us down?” Already, her heart beat faster at the thought of soaring through the sky again.
He kissed the tip of her nose. “I will. But you have to get dressed. Just the idea of you riding me without a stitch on would be enough to make me crash.”
She didn’t waste any time arguing. The sooner she got her clothes on, the sooner they’d be flying again.
***
Stella bent over and picked up the clothing she’d folded and left on the ground, giving him a great view of her naked ass. It would be so easy to go to her, to kiss her, touch her, and make her his again, but Brycen held back. The dark circles under her eyes showed him just how tired she was. She needed food and rest, not a mate who couldn’t keep his hands to himself. When she turned and faced him, he smiled. She was wearing his clothes again. Her tight little nipples poked at the fabric covering them. “I could get used to seeing you dressed in my stuff.”
“I hope it’s okay. When I left your house, I couldn’t stand the thought of putting that dress on again, so I borrowed them.”
If only she knew how much he loved seeing her small body inside his larger clothing, knowing what exquisiteness was hiding underneath. “It’s fine. Borrow anything you like. As long as I get to take them off again, I’ll be happy.”
Stella licked her lips and took a step forward. “You want to take these off?” she suggested, running a finger along the V-neck of the T-shirt, pulling it lower, revealing mounds of soft, pale skin.
“I do, very much. But I won’t, not now. Let’s get you home, draw you a nice hot bath, fix you a meal, and then tuck you into bed. There will be plenty of time for me to ravish you once you’ve eaten and rested.” He grabbed the jeans he’d tied up from the floor. “If you don’t mind, we can tie this around your waist so you can hang on with both hands, and we can get out of here.”
The flight to the base of the mountain was a short one. But when Stella squealed in delight as they took flight, he took his time, giving her a good view of Glen Farley and the surrounding farms. Cattle stampeded in the opposite direction when he got too close, but that only served to make Stella laugh, so he did it again. As a rule, he tried to stay away from the farms and the village in general while in dragon form. Not that it wasn’t allowed, but it just made for friendlier neighbors when they weren’t afraid of their livelihood being eaten by a hungry dragon.
He set down in a park not far from his house and waited for her to climb down before shifting again. She watched as he pulled his wrinkled jeans, and T-shirt on with a small smile on her lips, and her cheeks flushing pink. “Those beautiful eyes of yours are making promises the rest of your body can’t keep.” He came to her then and pulled her close. She didn’t wait for him to kiss her. Instead, she pushed up on tiptoes and pressed herself closer as her lips met his. The kiss was soft and sweet—perfect.