Dragonfury 02 - Fury of Ice

that he belonged to her.
    His gaze roaming, he studied the contours of her face. The adorable up-turned tip of her nose. The high cheekbones above the gentle curve of her oft-times obstinate chin. The ripe fullness of her mouth. God, his female was beautiful—so lush she took his breath away.
    Raising his hand, he followed the curve of her eyebrow with his fingertip, marveling at the softness. She sighed as he caressed her, eyes still closed, body relaxed, not awake but not quite asleep either.
    Post-feeding was like that for a female…bone-melting peaceful in the aftermath of intense pleasure. Well, if done right, anyway.
    His mouth curved. Yeah, the location sucked, but at least he’d done right by her while he fed. Thank fuck. The last thing he wanted to do was hurt her. His hunger had been terrible. Voracious. But he’d managed to temper it, taking only as much as she could afford to give. She’d tasted just like he remembered, like ice and snow. As decadent as chilled vodka straight out of the freezer.
    Dipping his head, he kissed the corner of her mouth, the touch soft, a barely-there caress. He wanted to thank her for what she’d given him. She’d fed him so well…filled him so full his body hummed and his mind pulsed with renewed energy. And magic. The power lit him up from the inside out, rushing in his veins, making his fingertips tingle.
    God, had he ever felt this good before?
    Nah. Not even close.
    Rikar kissed her again, nuzzled her before he backed off and shook his head. He couldn’t help but be amazed by her. But mostly, he was surprised at himself. His attitude was such an about-face. A total 180-degree turn from the independent SOB he’d been less than a month ago. Angela, though, was special. A rare female who gave without thought to herself. But then, that was his job now. To think of her, provide for her, give her all she needed to thrive at Black Diamond.
    All excellent intentions. With a huge freaking caveat that hinged on one thing. Would she accept him as her male? Let him care and provide for her?
    Rikar hoped so, but convincing her would take some work. He knew that. Wasn’t naive enough to believe she’d give up her life—throw away all she’d worked so hard to achieve in the human world to become part of his. One feeding, no matter how willing she’d been, did not a relationship make. He wanted one with her, though. A long-term arrangement that started now and ended at forever.
    Rikar snorted. It was official. He’d lost the battle and his heart to a hazel-eyed beauty with attitude. Fallen prey to Angela just as his best friend had with Myst. He shook his head. What a pair they made. Jacked up over a couple of females. Had someone told him such a thing was possible a month ago, he would’ve punched the dummy first and asked questions later.
    Angela’s eyelashes flickered. She shifted a little, bumping his chest with her shoulder. “What are you laughing at?”
    The question came out slow, words slurred. Rikar’s lips twitched as he caressed her cheek. “Not you.”
    “Smart.”
    “I’m all about self-preservation.”
    “I’ll bet.”
    Her mouth tipped up at the corners, blooming into a slow, sassy smile. A second later, he got a load of sleepy hazel eyes. Green, gold, even a little dark gray swam in the depths, a complicated combination, just like his female. Holding her gaze, unable to resist, he dipped his head, coming in slow, giving her lots of time to turn away. When she didn’t, Rikar brushed his lips against hers: a tender touch, gentle desire in a soft kiss.
    “Good morning, angel,” he murmured, backing off a bit. He hovered a breath away, gauging her reaction. Not wanting to frighten her.
    Angela sighed, and he got bolder, flicking the corner of her mouth with his tongue. He pulled back again. She tipped her chin up, prolonging the contact, lips parting as though she wanted more. He gave it to her, but kept it light, one gentle stroke at a time. Careful not to crowd her, he slipped inside her mouth, introducing her to his taste, getting a contact high from hers.
    Fuck, she was unbelievably good. So soft and sweet, and he was a bastard for taking advantage. She was still so relaxed—deep in post-feeding euphoria. It wasn’t fair to kiss her when she wasn’t firing on all cylinders, but he couldn’t make himself stop. She tasted so damned good, and he was addicted. But more than anything, the kiss was for her. He needed to show her that the