Total pages in book: 104
Estimated words: 104141 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 521(@200wpm)___ 417(@250wpm)___ 347(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 104141 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 521(@200wpm)___ 417(@250wpm)___ 347(@300wpm)
The elevator hung in the shaft.
The world hung with it.
His chest rose and fell against mine. My legs were still wrapped around his waist. My dress was bunched up at my hips.
I was a wreck. A sweaty, breathless, glowing wreck. "Kenji."
"Mmm?"
"I love you."
He pulled back enough to look at me. His gaze softened. "I love you too, Tora."
He kissed me. Soft, this time. Slow. Then he pulled out, fixed himself, fixed me, somehow getting my torn dress to cover my breasts.
Thankfully, he lifted me into his arms because now I was totally exhausted.
A second later, he hit the emergency button again.
The elevator started moving.
By the time the doors opened on our floor, I had melted against his chest and my intoxication had decided it was time to take its real shift. My eyes closed as he carried me down the hall and I fell asleep before we could even make it to the bedroom.
Chapter nineteen
Cocoon
Nyomi
Naked, I woke up in the Dragon's muscular arms, and his body was closed around me in a way that left no space untouched. One arm was heavy across my waist. The other curled beneath my neck. His bicep was a thick pillow under my head, and his hand rested open against my shoulder.
Warmth radiated from his body.
His skin was tattooed-satin over hard muscle.
Sometime in the night, my body molded to his, deciding it fit too well to ever leave. And I understood exactly why. It felt so perfect to be cocooned within him. Every place our bodies touched was luxuriously intimate and possessive. My back to his ribs. My hip to his thigh. My foot hooked over his ankle. My ass to his cock.
With my eyes still closed, I breathed him in until my chest hurt—smoked sandalwood and burning ginger.
I matched my breath to his without thinking.
In and out.
In and out.
Outside, birds chirped. I could hear the rolling ocean underneath their melodies.
I would have given anything to freeze the morning at this exact frame—to press my hands against time itself and refuse its forward pull.
To remain caught in the Dragon’s heated hold before the fire reached us both.
To keep us here, suspended in this fragile pocket where the world paused and there was no oncoming battle in a deadly war.
But even as the desire formed, the seconds were already slipping away. Moments like this didn’t last. Maybe, they were never meant to, so that we could savor this sensation when it came. Truly appreciate it.
I can’t wake up any other way. . .anymore. I would die if I lost this.
The thought arrived without warning and lodged itself behind my ribs, pushing at my heart.
Relax. You’re not going to lose him. Not today. Not tomorrow. He will win this war.
I shivered and let out a long sigh.
His hand twitched in his sleep. The fingers at my waist flexed once and curled tighter.
Did you hear me in your dream? Are you on guard?
Smiling, I opened my eyes and slowly turned around.
His arms loosened a little to allow the movement. Once my head lay against his chest, those arms tightened around me again. A low murmur rumbled in his throat.
Deep.
Possessive.
The sound of a dragon settling back into his nest of gold.
I closed my eyes and sank deeper into his warmth.
I’m still changing.
It was an odd thought to have, yet it hit me just like that.
Inside the curve of him, my mind, heart, and soul were softening into a new shape.
I could feel it in my bones. In the way my body felt heavier and stronger at the same time. In the way my skin buzzed with more energy. In the way my pussy still ached from last night.
His strength was making me stronger. His love was making me bigger.
I was becoming something more than I had ever been, and it was terrifying and exciting all at once.
Kenji shifted with a slow expansion of his chest, much like a man surfacing from deep water. The muscles on his arms flexed around me and then settled heavier.
A soft groan left him.
I looked up at him.
His eyes remained closed.
Then his cock stirred against me.
Mmm. Good morning, Dragon.
I bit my lip and kept still. I wanted to feel every inch of him surface. The way his breath deepened. The way one of his thighs slid further between mine, parting me just slightly. The way his hand at my hip dragged downward in a slow, possessive sweep before settling against the curve of my ass and resting there like it had never belonged anywhere else.
His chest rose under my cheek.
Fell.
Rose again.
A low, slurred sound rumbled out of him. "Tora. . ."
Yet. . .his eyes were still closed.
I went still.
Are you dreaming?
He looked too peaceful to be awake. His lashes were heavy and dark against his skin. The hard line that lived between his brows softened. His mouth was relaxed.