Into The Dragon's World Read online

  “Thank you for lunch,” she said, giving his hand a quick squeeze. “I’ll get the check next time.”

  “If you say so.” Brady couldn’t look away from her. She looked almost like a different woman without the oversized clothes and restrained hair. He liked the new look, but he realized he also liked the way she looked before. She didn’t need to do anything to make herself more beautiful to him.

  “This is the part where you’re supposed to argue and say no.” She smiled at him, guileless and honest. “I’ll give you a pass this time...m’lord.”

  Brady laughed and felt that missing piece click into place.

  8

  Casey

  “Watch your step. These stairs are a little treacherous.”

  Casey almost laughed. That was quite the understatement. The stairs leading down to the sub-cellar of Paradigm looked to have been built before the time of nails. The whole thing felt like it was going to collapse beneath their weight.

  “Are you sure this is safe?”

  Brady looked back at her and winked. “Nope.”

  So, here I am, Casey thought as she carefully navigated another step. Being led into the dark underbelly of a nightclub by a man I barely know. Good judgment was not one of her better traits.

  When Brady offered to show her the Arch, she’d eagerly agreed. Of course, seeing an interdimensional portal was part of the reason, but it was mostly because she wanted to spend more time with Brady. She was touched that he apparently trusted her enough to share this secret with her.

  She tried to pay attention to the steps, but she couldn’t stop looking at him. He might have been replaced by a pod person, but this version was more than acceptable. At the top of the stairs, he had taken off the flannel shirt to clear a path for them through the spiderwebs and dust. His white t-shirt accentuated every muscle in his back and clung to his chest like a second skin. Every nerve ending in her body seemed to zing with awareness when he took her hand to lead her to the sub-cellar, which made her wonder how she would react if he ever really touched her. She just knew that she could not be held responsible for her actions.

  “Here we go.” Brady opened a heavy wooden door and they stepped into the sub-cellar. The walls were literally carved out of stone. It was cave-like and dank. Casey shivered from the chilliness of the room and Brady immediately draped his flannel shirt over her shoulders.

  The room looked like a set out of a horror movie, empty except for a huge stone arch that stood in the middle of the floor. It didn’t seem particularly magical or special. There wasn’t a whirling portal on the other side of it. In fact, it looked spectacularly unspectacular.

  “So, this is it?” Casey stepped toward the Arch, lightly touching the stones. “Wow. It’s an arch, alright.”

  “You don’t sound impressed.”

  Casey looked back to Brady and smiled. “I guess I was expecting something a little bit more…showy. You know, flashing lights and spiraling tunnels.”

  Brady said nothing as he stepped to the Arch and flattened his hand against one of the stones. A sharp blue light seemed to seep through the cracks in the stones. The air inside the doorway of the Arch shimmered and took on a faint glow.

  “This more like it?” Brady grinned.

  Nodding, Casey took another step closer to the Arch. She thought she could hear music of some kind. The sound was so faint that she had to strain to hear it. The music was beautiful and calming, like nothing she had ever heard before. She looked at Brady in amazement.

  “You can hear the music,” he said, still smiling. “That’s the sound of the space between my dimension and yours.”

  “This is amazing…” she breathed as she walked around the Arch. “And it’s been here forever?”

  “I believe so.” Brady lowered his hand from the stones, and it became an ordinary arch again.

  “What happens if a human goes through?”

  “I don’t know.” Brady shoved his hands into the front pockets of his jeans. “They turn into a boneless blob on the other side? No human has ever crossed over to our world.”

  “Hmmm…” Casey strolled up to Brady, standing so close her breasts brushed his chest. His eyes widened slightly in surprise. Casey felt as if she were watching herself from afar, but she couldn’t stop herself if she tried. She felt as if something outside of her body was possessing her. All she knew was that right now, at that very moment, this was something she had to do.

  She flattened her palms against the firm plane of his chest. His skin felt hot through the cotton of his shirt. Her gaze stayed on his as she allowed her hands to roam up to his shoulders, then the nape of his neck. She could feel him shiver as her fingers tangled in his hair.

  Without a word, she raised up on tiptoe and lightly kissed his lips. That was all she’d intended to do. A quick kiss of thanks and then it would be out of her system and she wouldn’t keep staring at his mouth every time he spoke.

  Instead, she felt his arms come up around her, pulling her even closer until her breasts flattened against his chest. His lips parted and she felt the heat of his tongue urging her to open to him, to deepen the kiss. His hands cupped her buttocks and lifted her higher and closer, and Casey felt as if she were melting against him.

  She felt her hunger for him mirrored in his embrace. The heat of his body engulfed hers, the strength of his arms cradled her tightly. Their tongues touched, dancing effortlessly as he tilted his head and deepened the kiss. Casey gave in to him, surrendering herself to the feel of his hands roaming over her back and down to her buttocks, tracing his heat over her body.

  Casey knew that if she didn’t stop now, she might never be able to.

  She pulled back slightly. He was as breathless as she was, his eyes heavy lidded and still hungry. Casey framed his face with her hands, resisting the urge to go back to those parted, soft lips.

  “Thank you,” she said in a soft sigh.

  “For what? That?” His smile curled devilishly. “It was my pleasure entirely.”

  Oh, God…I want to kiss him again, she thought. Instead, she made herself lower her hands and take a step away from his embrace. She immediately felt cold as she lost the warmth of his body.

  “Thank you for trusting me with this.”

  Brady closed the distance between them. This time he cradled her face in his hands, tipping it up to look at him. She gazed into those deep amber eyes, wishing she could read his feelings. She wasn’t optimistic enough to think that he felt the same way for her as she felt for him, but there was a spark there, a low fire that could grow into an inferno.

  “You’re very welcome,” he said as he gently kissed her forehead. He pulled away slightly to look into her eyes again. Casey wanted to say something flippant, something that would defuse the potency of the moment, but she could not form the words.

  Instead, she shocked herself by softly saying, “I want you.”

  And he shocked her even more by smiling and leaning close to whisper in her ear, “I want you, too. Now, what are we going to do about it?”

  9

  Casey

  His whisper hung in the air between them.

  Casey felt her breath quickening, her heartbeat steadily increasing. The way he was looking at her now...like he needed her like he needed air.

  “I don’t know…” she said softly. “What do you want to do?”

  Brady slipped one arm around her waist and touched the side of her face with his other hand, drawing his fingertips lower, tracing the curve of her neck, the roundness of her shoulder. His gaze never faltered from hers.

  “I want to touch you here,” he said and cupped her breast, pressing the ball of his thumb against her nipple for a too-quick moment. Casey shivered and he smiled faintly.

  “And I want to touch you here…” He slid both hands down to her ass, pulling her even closer to him. Casey could feel his hardness pressing against her lower belly.

  Brady leaned forward until his mouth was close to her ear. His breath
was hot, and the feel of it burned away any uncertainties she might have had.

  “And I want to put my mouth on you…” he whispered, sliding one hand around her hip and slipping it into the cleft between her legs. “Here…”

  Casey’s legs were suddenly weak. Even through the denim of her jeans, she could feel the warmth of his hand, the insistent pressure of his fingers against her core. She leaned against him, for a moment unable to do anything but rock against his hand, wanting more, frustrated by the barrier between his hand and her pussy.

  “But...” he said quietly, lifting her chin and smiling down into her eyes. “Not yet.”

  The club hadn’t opened for the night yet; the floor was quiet and empty as Brady led Casey by the hand up the stairs and into his office. The few minutes that she was out of his embrace felt like centuries. All she could think of was the length of steel that had pressed against her belly, the heat of want in his eyes.

  He opened his office door with trembling hands and stepped away to allow Casey to step inside. He closed the door heavily, locking it, and then turned back to look at her again. She felt almost like a deer in headlights, pinned to the spot.

  He slowly went to each window, lowering the blinds, blocking them off from the rest of the world. Brady paused for a moment, his back to her, his shoulders tight.

  “Are you sure?” he asked quietly.

  Casey didn’t answer. Instead, she stepped behind him and flattened her hands against the sides of his waist, sliding them forward, downward, until she could feel the outline of his erection pressing against the zipper of his jeans. He took a quick, shuddering breath and Casey smiled. He wasn’t the only one who could tease.

  “Casey…” he whispered, slowly turning to face her again.

  She took the hem of his t-shirt and raised it. Brady quickly pulled it over his head. She allowed herself a long, appreciative look at his bare torso. He had the most perfectly haired chest she had ever seen, not too little, not too much. She touched his pectorals, feeling the firmness of muscle beneath the springiness of hair. As she watched his reaction, she dipped her fingertips lower, trailing down his stomach. He raised his eyebrows slightly, as if daring her to continue.

  She took that dare.

  She undid his belt and slowly pulled it from the loops of his jeans, a faint smile on her face as she watched him struggle to maintain control. Casey leaned in close as she unbuttoned him, nuzzling his neck while she slid the zipper down slowly, caressing him as she nipped and licked at his throat.

  Casey looked up at him again and his mouth was on hers instantly, hungrily. He slid his hands beneath her ass and lifted her easily, carrying her to the couch as his tongue explored, tasted her. He lowered her to the couch and straightened up, breathing hard as he gazed at her. Casey began to unbutton her blouse, but he stopped her with a slight shake of his head.

  “I get to do that,” he said quietly.

  He dropped to his knees in front of her, nudging her legs apart as he pulled her closer to the edge of the couch, closer to him. He deftly unbuttoned her silk blouse, gliding his fingertips over the lace edging of her bra. He brushed his thumbs over her nipples, sending an almost painful flash of pleasure through her. It had been so long since anyone had touched her like this; every nerve ending screamed for more.

  She leaned forward and shrugged the blouse off. Brady gazed at her breasts for a moment; they nearly spilled out of the lace of her bra. She suddenly wanted it off of her, wanting nothing between her skin and his. He reached behind her and undid the clasp easily, unveiling her slowly. With the bra still covering her breasts, he nudged the straps down over her shoulders. Then, as he watched with rapt desire, he tugged the bra down to reveal her breasts. He raised his eyes to hers again and she could see the satisfaction, the pleasure, in his gaze.

  “What do you want me to do now?” His voice was rough, husky with need. “This…?”

  He bent forward and took her right nipple into his mouth, sucking lightly for a moment, then tracing the tip of his tongue around the areola and over the tip. Casey’s back arched away from the couch and he did the same to her left breast, his breath hot on her skin.

  “Or…” he said as he raised his head, “would you prefer this…?”

  He lowered his head to her belly, opening his mouth against her skin, languidly licking her, tasting her, as he unbuttoned and unzipped her jeans. She lifted her butt off the cushion as he pulled them off her, panties and all, until she was open and exposed to him. He dragged the jeans away, nudging her legs apart.

  And then he made her wait.

  He knelt between her knees, sliding his hand up higher, his thumbs trailing along her inner thighs. Brady kept his hands there, almost touching the place where she ached for him, watching every minute change of expression on her face.

  “Please…” she whispered. “Do something...you’re killing me…”

  On command, he cupped her sex, rising up to kiss her deeply, sliding a finger inside her as he echoed the movement with his tongue. Casey heard herself gasp as he added another finger, moving them in and out, playing his thumb over and around the nubbin of her clit. She clutched at him, wanting him closer, wanting him inside her.

  Brady sensed her need and raised his head from hers, keeping his hand in motion as he smiled. “Not yet, Casey...I’ve got too many years to make up for.”

  Casey felt herself being turned sideways on the couch, stretched out on the cushions as Brady maneuvered himself between her thighs. He lifted one leg up and over the back of the couch, slipping his arms beneath her legs and curling them around each thigh. She managed to open her eyes when she felt his breath against the sensitive flesh of her core.

  “How much do you want this?” he asked, brushing against her skin with each movement of his lips.

  “Brady…” She managed to get the one word out before his tongue flicked lightly, teasingly, against her clit. She raised her hips involuntarily, one hand gripping the back of the couch as the other hand tangled in his hair, urging him closer. She felt rather than heard him chuckle at her desperation.

  Then, nothing else mattered as he swirled his tongue over and around her, filling her with two, then three fingers, slowly driving them in deeper as his mouth sucked and licked at her. He devoured her, replacing his fingers with his tongue for a few thrusts, using his nose, his chin, his lips in ways Casey had never dreamed. It felt like only moments before she felt that rising, grasping need building inside her. Brady sensed it and clamped his lips around her clit as he filled her again with his fingers, sucking and tickling as she came in great heaving waves, crying out as she gasped for breath.

  When she came to herself again, Brady was sitting beside her on the couch, gazing at her with the most satisfied grin on his face. It was the smile of a man who knew he was good at pleasing women. The smile of a man who managed to keep control of himself even as he made her lose hers.

  Casey maneuvered herself into a sitting position. With her eyes locked on his, she slid out of her bra, her breasts feeling swollen and heavy, aching for his hands. He waited expectantly, that small smile curling the corner of his mouth. His erection strained almost painfully against his jeans.

  Time to fix that, Casey thought.

  “This isn’t fair,” she said quietly, drawing the tips of her fingernails through the dark blond mat of hair on his chest. “Here I am completely naked, and you’re still half-dressed.”

  He made a sound like a growl low in his throat. It sparked another ripple of pleasure between her thighs.

  She slipped down to her knees and crawled between his legs, just as he had done to her. He raised his eyebrows in faint surprise, silently watching every move she made. Casey leaned forward until the tips of her breasts barely touched the hair on his chest. She raised her face to Brady’s, her lips slightly parted, teasing his lower lip, the corner of his mouth.

  He waited.

  Casey felt his hands on her hips and knew that he wanted to let them rove
over her body. She wanted that, too, but not before she tortured him as thoroughly as he had tortured her.

  Pulling back slightly, she swept her hair over, letting it fall down past her shoulders, veiling her breasts and tickling his chest. She traced her hands over his chest and down his stomach to the open V of his jeans. He raised himself off the couch slightly and she tugged his pants off just as he had removed hers, boxer briefs and all.

  For a moment, she just took in the sight of him. Undressed, he was as perfectly muscled as the statue of David. His legs were long and nicely muscled, furred with the same dark blond hair as his chest. Casey couldn’t resist herself and allowed her palms to pet the tops of his thighs, moving upward to the part of him that had fully captured her attention.

  She smiled softly and lowered her head slightly, until the head of his cock was almost at her lips. Casey raised her gaze up to his, thrilled by the fierce need she saw in his eyes.

  “So, what do you want me to do now?” she asked softly, echoing his earlier tease. She brought her hair forward and draped it over his cock, tickling him, curling it along the shaft. He closed his eyes, a half-smile on his lips. “Something like this maybe…”

  She touched him with nothing but her hair, using it like a brush along his length, leaning in close enough for him to feel her breath on his skin. He shifted, trying to get closer.

  “Uh-uh, Mr. Markonian...you started this game.” Casey felt a wave of boldness washing over her, a need to do nothing more or less than give him the most pleasure he had ever experienced. “Or maybe you would rather I do this…”

  With the very tip of her tongue, she flicked the swollen head of his cock, gazing up at him as he watched her, his teeth gritted as he fought for control. Encouraged, she gently wrapped her hand around the base of his cock, the feel of his skin like velvet against her palm, and gave the head another lick, slower this time, flattening her tongue against the tip.