Second Chance with the Dragon King

Chapter Eleven

ELIZABETH'S POV

I barely heard the growl he let out, nor did I feel my feet leaving the ground, but suddenly I was ten feet across the room, lain over the giant desk with Rígan leaning over me, his mouth on mine. I gasped and he took the opportunity to deepen the kiss. The way he kissed me was different than before; there was no hesitation, no thought. His hands were already tearing at my clothes, as if he couldn't get close enough, fast enough.

My overcrowded mind shut down at the same time my body started responding to his. Honestly, did I have a choice? Not that he wouldn't have stopped if I asked him to. He would, I knew that. It was the fact that I didn't want him to stop. I liked the feel of his shoulders, so broad and strong, under my hands. I like the way his body pressed against mine, his warmth seeming to seep into my very bones, and in the seconds when he let me breath, I inhaled as much of his delicious scent as I could.

My shirt and pants were gone, thrown to the floor or tossed across the room. I didn't know. I didn't care. My hands moved from his shoulders down the hard planes of his chest, over his rock hard stomach to grab the hem of his shirt. In a single move that I almost missed, it was gone, too, and all I could do was stare at this spectacle of a man who claimed to be mine. He was gorgeous. He brought his lips back to mine, as eager as I was. I heard him undo his belt. . .

The sound triggered me. My lips froze against Rígan's and my muscles locked down. The memory slammed into me like someone hammering down a nail. The first time I'd caught them. I'd been headed back to our room when I heard her. The door was slightly ajar, intentionally, I was sure now. Through it, I had watched my mate bend and kiss a giggling Allie.

"Let me see what you can do." Liam had smirked playfully at her while undoing his belt. Allie had fallen to her knees in front of him, her hands right there to help. I hadn't been able to look away as she pleasured him, though I'd been breaking apart.

"Elizabeth? What's wrong? Are you okay?"

My eyes opened to see Rígan staring down at me with nothing but concern.

"I. . ." No. I'm not okay, I realized. I wondered what my face looked like right now. Judging by the expression on Rígan's face, I could only assume he saw the pain in my eyes. "There's something I need to tell you."

He helped me sit up, keeping one hand on my lower back. "Okay."

There was no way I was ready to tell him about my past life. I wasn't sure if I would ever tell anyone about that. However, what I wanted to know pressed down on my chest like an anvil.

I took a deep breath. "When I came down this morning, I. . . I heard you talking to A—nother woman." My eyes stayed down as I talked. The muscles in his arm tensed. "I heard what you said to her, and I appreciate the way you think of me, but. . . I'm not willing to get in between two people."

Silence. He didn't say anything for so long that I peeked at his face. He didn't look angry, at least. Actually, he looked a little confused, which was only understandable, given that I'd been as eager as him only moments ago and now I was pulling away.

When he finally spoke, his voice was soft. "You're not in the way of anything."

"She very obviously has feelings for you," I said.

He tilted my chin up to look at me properly. I kept my face as smooth as I could, waiting. He sighed. "Yes, she does."

Those three words hurt more than they should have. "Oh."

"I am not oblivious to the fact that she wants more with me. But there has never been anything between Allie and I. She is a capable warrior, and it's true that she has been part of my life for a long time. But it was never anything more than friendship for me."

I focused on a stray strand of his hair, not able to meet his gaze. "So you've never. . . you know. . ."

I waited, my heart beating painfully for this answer. I wasn't naive. And he was a man, with a mans needs. Even if there had been no relationship, that didn't mean s*x was off the table. Yet, deep down, I knew that I could never be with someone who had been with her. Not again.

"No."

Our eyes met. In his, there was nothing but sincereity.

"Never?" I whispered.

"Nothing."

"Do you mind. . . could I ask. . . why?"

He raised a brow at me. "Are you asking if I'm a virgin?"

Heat crept into my cheeks. "No. I kind of assumed— aren't you a hundred years old or something?"

He laughed. Really laughed. The sound bounced off the walls and I couldn't help a small smile. Rígan swept down to kiss the tip of my nose.

"If you must know, I'm three hundred and fifty two." He smirked at my astounded expression. "And no, I'm not a virgin. Neither are you. Is this something we need to dive into in order to be together? I won't judge or be mad if it is."

As long as his s****l history didn't include Allie, I was fine. "No. I'm sorry if it seemed like I was getting worked up over it."

A trace of confusion was still there in his eyes. Then he blinked it away and smiled. "I ordered a brunch to be prepared for you. Would you like to go eat?"

Looks like I ruined the mood. Or had I? I was still naked. His face went blank, and then tempted when I leaned back, spreading my legs casually.

"Would you?" I asked.