Page 17 of Smoke and Blood


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If the dragon made her feel delicate and cherished, then she was a passionate, desirable woman in the man's presence.She loved every heated moment in his arms.The way he kissed her, touched her and drove into her deep and hard like he could fuse himself as a permanent part of her.Even now, thinking about all the ways he mastered her body made her knees weak and her sex ache.

The quirk of Aodh’s sexy mouth let her know that he was aware of her observation of him and perhaps even had more than a glimpse of her admiring lusty thoughts.

She cleared her throat as something beyond him grabbed her attention.There sat a vast body of water, but unlike the intense movement of the ocean in the canyon, this one was calm, with small ripples.

“Is that Drago Lake?”She walked closer to him and the fire.He hadn’t only built a decent-sized fire but also set a thick log beside it for them to sit on.

Aodh glanced over his shoulder, then back at her, and frowned.“It is.Technically, it is what remains of what used to be the old state of Oklahoma’s Blue River.The shifting of land cut this section off.We renamed it in honor of our oldest living dragon.How do you know of it?”

“Chumana.She suggested I ask you to bring me here.But, with all of the other perplexing and wonderous things I saw, I forgot about it.”She shifted in the thick grass below her feet.“Maybe I can see it one day when it is light out.”

At the log, she began to drag the pack off her shoulders.

He quickly crossed to her and helped her remove the heavy pack.“Were you planning to feed an army?”He lifted the satchel up and down with one hand, checking the heft.

She laughed.“No.Just one dragon and a hungry babe.”She rubbed her stomach before she sat on the log.“But it’s heavy because of the pot inside.I never get to cook for you, and I wanted to make you a meal.Even if a simple one.”

The flames in his eyes flared canary as he claimed space next to her.“I’m excited to see and taste what you create.”

“Oh, don’t get your hopes up too high.I’ve never had as many items to work with as are available to me now.I want it to be hot and edible.”She removed two small pouches of nuts and dried fruit from the backpack.“We can snack on these until the stew is done.”

Aodh took the items, shook a handful, and popped the nuts into his mouth.

She glanced toward the water as she took the lid from the pot.“Will you walk with me to the lake to fill this?”She tapped the side of the empty pot.

“Would you like me just to go and fill it?”

“No.I’ve never seen water like the ocean or this lake.I want to get a closer look.”She rose.

“Then let’s go.”Aodh took the pot from her and slid his free hand against hers.Taking hold of her, he pulled her alongside him as they crossed the lush grass to the large body of water.

The water’s edge wasn’t far from where Aodh set up the fire.The flames' glow allowed her to see enough of it.The steady, calm flow of the water caused a soft lapping sound as it rolled back and forth on the muddy shore.

The ground beneath her feet was soft yet firm enough to stand on and not sink.

“What do you think?”

“It’s lovely.”She smiled.There was such a peace about standing by the lake.“I think I could spend long hours just sitting beside it and letting my mind drift.”

“Then I’ll bring you back here during the day so you can do just that.”

She shook her head.“You have too many responsibilities that need your attention for you to bring me all the way here.It would be a waste of time.”

He pulled her into his arms.“Nothing with you is a waste, little flame.”He leaned down and dragged his nose along her cheek to her ear.“If this is something you enjoy, we will do it as often as you like.”

Kai leaned into his chest.“Maybe every once in a while, it would be nice,” she admitted.

“I must teach you to accept that your needs and wants matter.And they are not an inconvenience.”He gave her a quick kiss.

She would have liked him to deepen it but had a stew to get on the heat.“I’ll try to remember that.”She turned toward the water.“Right now, Ineedto get cooking.”

Aodh stepped right to the water’s edge and stooped down.He dipped the pot into the water, scooped it up, and filled it.“How’s this?”

He held it up for her to peer inside.

“You can pour half of that out.”

Once the water was at the level she needed, they returned to the fire.Kai made quick work of getting all the dried meats, vegetables, and herbs into the water.