The Billionaire Dragon Shifter's Christmas: BBW Paranormal Romance (Gray's Hollow Dragon Shifters Book 3) Read online

  The Billionaire Dragon Shifter’s Christmas

  By Zoe Chant

  Copyright Zoe Chant 2015

  All Rights Reserved

  The first real snow of the season fell a week into December, when Gus and Cara had been married for five months. Gus had taken a professional interest in monitoring the storm forecasts all week, and not just because he was the mayor of the town. He and his brother Ilie, as the resident dragons in the town of Gray’s Hollow, were largely responsible for clearing the streets of snow after storms. The snow actually started to fall around nine o’clock, and Cara watched with amusement over the edge of her book as Gus leaned closer and closer to the window he was watching from.

  For a moment she enjoyed the novelty of looking at Gus when he was so thoroughly distracted from looking back at her.

  His tall, lean strength was in no way disguised by the soft sweater he was wearing tonight. A little smile played at his mouth, and his gray eyes were bright with fascination. His dark hair, showing the first touches of gray at the temples, was getting a little long by Gus’s standards—just enough to stick up in all directions when he woke up in the morning, or when she’d been running her fingers through it.

  Cara stifled a laugh when she realized he was actually pressing his nose to the glass. Gus loved spending their evenings together, and even though Cara was going to bed rather early these days, he always joined her at the same time. He didn’t want to go anywhere without her, she was sure, but he was also two minutes away from opening the window to stick his head out or pushing right through the glass.

  She should probably distract him.

  Cara stood up, and Gus’s attention turned instantly to her. His eyes traced flatteringly—promisingly—over her body as she stretched. She’d only gotten softer and curvier in the last few months, but Gus definitely didn’t seem to mind. Going to bed early, and together, was looking like an excellent plan.

  She walked over to him, leaning against him and pressing her own nose to the window. Gus’s arm went around her immediately, his hand settling on the curve of her belly, and he pressed a kiss to her hair. Outside the snow was falling steadily, and she felt a surge of longing to be out there in it.

  For the last few years there had been nothing beautiful about the winter. It was just snow to scrape off her car and drive through, long nights and dark days. No one came to visit, so she hadn’t bothered to decorate her apartment for the holidays. She’d spent Christmas with her parents down in Arizona, where the winter was hot and dry and strange.

  But in Gray’s Hollow the first snowfall meant a chance to see Gus and Ilie patrolling the town, melting snow with dragonfire. It meant a whole town decorated for Christmas, eager for Mrs. Gray to approve of the color scheme on the tree in the park (silver and gold, to no one’s surprise—Cara had laughed and agreed). It meant watching Mouse bounce through the snow, and drinking hot chocolate at Becca and Ilie’s house. It meant evenings in this cozy cluttered room with Gus, and long nights keeping warm in bed. And Christmas...

  Cara wasn’t going to worry about Christmas just yet. She wanted to enjoy the first snow.

  “Come on.” She leaned away from the window, laced her fingers with Gus’s and tugged on his hand.

  He smiled down at her. “Anywhere with you, sweetheart.”

  Cara grinned and had to kiss him, going up on her tiptoes to reach. Gus folded a helpful arm around her back, drawing her close, and for a moment Cara forgot that she had been going somewhere with this.

  She remembered when she stopped to breathe and saw the snow still falling outside the window.

  “Come on,” Cara repeated, making herself turn away to lead Gus to the stairs.

  He followed her up the first flight, and they both paused for a moment in the half-decorated nursery to look around. The crib Gus and his brothers had slept in as babies stood side-by-side with half a dozen boxed up modern conveniences. A dresser and changing table were piled with tiny clothes. They hadn’t painted or put up art on the walls yet, but Gus had strung Christmas lights around each window.

  Gus slipped his arms around her again, although for once his hand didn’t go to her belly; this embrace was all for her. Cara leaned into him for a few delicious seconds, preparing to climb another two flights. She got out of breath so much more easily now, and she knew this was only the beginning.

  “Right, upstairs,” Cara said after a moment, and Gus loosened his grip, settling a supportive hand at her back as she went up the stairs to their tower bedroom. This time she didn’t hesitate, just went straight for the spiral staircase.

  “Cara?” Gus hesitated a step behind, and Cara turned to enjoy the novelty of being almost exactly her husband’s height.

  “You want to be out in it, don’t you?” Cara said, gesturing up. Anyone else might have wanted to go out on the lawn, but Gus would want to be as close to the sky as he could get.

  She could see the conflict play across his face. He did want to, of course.

  “You’ll get cold, sweetheart.”

  “You’ll keep me warm,” Cara said with a wink. She turned and made her way up the stairs, not waiting for his answer.

  Gus laughed softly behind her, but she just wrapped her sweater more firmly around herself and headed for the trapdoor to the roof.

  ***

  Gus grabbed Cara’s favorite down blanket from the armchair in the corner of the bedroom and bundled it up under his arm before he followed her up the spiral stairs. She was already out on the roof when he got there, snow dotting her dark hair like stars in the night sky. Her cheeks were pink, and her green eyes were turned up toward the falling snow as she smiled.

  She had never been more beautiful.

  Gus hurried to stand behind her, and she turned her gaze from the falling snow to him. He wrapped the blanket around them both, curling his arms around her. Cara snuggled happily into his embrace.

  “It’s so lovely,” she said softly.

  Gus finally looked away from her, out over the valley below.

  There were streetlights and Christmas lights marking out every block of the town, making the gently falling snow visible in the dark. There was a thin white layer on trees and lawns, but for now the streets and sidewalks still showed up dark and bare. The low heavy clouds seemed like a blanket spread over the valley from ridge to ridge, closing them in a quiet, snowy cocoon. Everything felt soft and safe here. The whole town was tucked away like treasure, his to protect.

  “When will you and Ilie start on the snow?” Cara asked.

  “Mm,” Gus said, studying the valley below and considering the forecast. “Three o’clock or so, unless someone at public safety calls and asks me to start earlier. The snow won’t be sticking properly to the roads for a while yet.”

  “Is it hard with just two of you to do it all?”

  Gus smiled and shook his head. “Two is pretty usual—for a long time, before I was born and when I was too small to help, my father did it alone. I was so proud when my fire came in and I could join him. I was ten years old, and he woke me up hours before dawn to fly with him. He showed me the pattern of it, to make sure the snowmelt all runs off safely. It wasn’t until the year after that Ilie started helping too. By the time Teddy was old enough it took barely half an hour to do the whole town, the whole crowd of us just—”

  Gus waved a hand, then hurriedly tucked it back against Cara’s body when he let in a draft of cold air.

  “So another ten years before you and
Ilie have any help, huh?” Cara murmured.

  Gus squeezed her tighter, and refrained from shifting either hand down to the swell of her belly. She was getting rounder every day, bit by bit. He couldn’t sense any dragon speech from the baby yet, and Cara said she hadn’t been able to feel movement, but still he knew perfectly well he was holding the most precious treasure imaginable in his arms. His mate, and their soon-to-be child.

  Next year, they would have a baby to show the first snowfall to. A few years after that, the baby would be a child, shifting into dragon shape for the first time, flying on stubby dragonet wings in little fits and starts, playing in the snow with Mouse or skating on the rink in town. Gus would have so much to teach the little one, so much to share.

  “I don’t mind the wait,” he murmured, pressing a kiss to Cara’s ear, which was getting pink with cold. “We should go inside, though.”

  “Mm.” Cara turned in the circle of his arms and looked up at him, rosy-cheeked and bright-eyed and smiling mischievously as she pressed against him. “Ready for bed?”

  Gus had to kiss her again, and again, the heat between their bodies rising under the blanket in contrast to the cold all around. “Always,” he murmured. “I’m always ready for you.”

  ***

  Gus made her keep the blanket as they went back inside, and walked slowly on the stairs in front of her so she couldn’t hurry and stumble. He scooped Cara up as soon as he was at the bottom of the stairs, carrying her over to their enormous bed.

  Cara smiled against his shoulder—The things a girl can get used to!—and reached down to flip back the covers so Gus could lay her on the soft sheets. She settled back on the pillows, letting Gus take off her snowy slippers before she shoved her feet under the covers.

  He frowned and sat down on the edge of the bed, keeping his hands wrapped around her feet. “You’re frozen, sweetheart. You should have said.”

  “My toes are a little cold.” Cara wiggled them in his grip. “Not frozen, it’s fine. Besides, I’m sure you’ll warm me up.”

  Gus gave her a stern look and bent down, breathing hot on her chilly toes. Cara shivered at the contrast, but she knew there wasn’t any point arguing with Gus when he was trying to keep her safe.

  There were other ways to make her point, though. Cara let the blanket fall open around her and wriggled out of the cardigan she’d been wearing. Gus went on rubbing her feet, but he was definitely watching as she got down to a soft t-shirt that made the new, bigger swell of her belly and breasts thoroughly obvious.

  His eyes were fiery hot. Cara felt herself getting wet under his gaze, with his strong hands rubbing her feet. She squirmed, not trying to tug her feet away, but longing for some friction. She stroked over the peak of her breast with one hand, teasing herself through her shirt and bra, and Gus’s hands went still.

  “Well, there.” Cara smiled, still touching herself as he watched. “You warmed me right up.”

  Gus smiled back, though he still sounded playfully stern as he said, “Are you sure? I should probably examine you more thoroughly. You might have gotten chilled somewhere and not even noticed.”

  “Oh, well, then,” Cara shifted a little onto her side, turning toward Gus and letting her hand trail down from her breast to her belly. “Do what you have to do, by all means.”

  Gus flashed her a wide grin at that. He tucked her feet firmly under the covers and turned to stretch out beside her, pulling her over to face him. Cara put her arm around his neck instead, and he covered her hand with his.

  “Hmm, that feels warm enough,” he murmured. Cara pressed her other hand to his chest, and Gus ran his hand down her wrist before laying it over her hand on his chest. “Warm there, too.”

  “That seems like a good sign,” Cara said as seriously as she could manage. “Of course, I was just reading something that said the lips are much more sensitive to temperature than the hands, so—”

  Gus raised her hand to his lips, kissing her fingers and then her palm. Cara shivered with desire, wanting his lips somewhere else entirely.

  “Still feels all right,” Gus murmured. “But I’d better check everywhere.”

  He leaned in and kissed her lips lightly, as if he were just testing their temperature, and then each cheek and the tip of her nose and the top of her ear.

  “A little chilled there.” Gus’s breath on her ear, warm as it was, made her shiver again. “Oh, we’re going to have to figure out what’s causing that, sweetheart. You must need warming up somewhere.”

  “Hmm,” Cara said, tilting her head. “Maybe a little lower down?”

  “No doubt,” Gus agreed, just barely keeping the laugh in his voice from breaking through.

  He kissed his way down her throat while his hands found the hem of her shirt and started pushing it up. His hands just skimmed over the sensitive skin of her belly. Cara trembled, raising her arms above her head to make it easy for Gus.

  Gus pulled her shirt the rest of the way up and off, and scooted down the bed to press kisses along her collarbones, and then to the soft tops of her breasts. They had been expanding along with her belly and threatened to spill out of her bra now. Gus pressed a thumb to her nipple through the fabric, rubbing at the hard little nub.Cara whimpered and rocked her hips. Her nipples were incredibly sensitive lately, and she knew Gus wasn’t going to stop at just a touch.

  Sure enough, he reached back to unfasten her bra, pushing it up her arms so she could toss it after her shirt. Cara sighed with relief—it was probably time to go up a size, but she didn’t always notice how restrictive the bra was until she had it off.

  Gus hummed a thoughtful noise and dragged his lips along the red marks the bra’s tightness had left on her skin, following the line of her rib. She couldn’t help being aware of his hand cupping her heavy, sensitive breast, his thumb not quite brushing her nipple again.

  “Not cold there,” she offered, when Gus only seemed inclined to keep kissing over the marks her bra had left.

  “No?” Gus lifted his head. “Where should I check next, sweetheart?”

  Cara bit her lip, feeling her pussy get hotter and wetter at the hungry look in Gus’s eyes. The way he wanted her made her want him more every time.

  “Could you...” Cara hooked her finger around his thumb, bringing it to her nipple. “There?”

  “That does look like it’s feeling the cold,” Gus agreed solemnly. “I’ll have to warm you up.”

  His mouth was on her breast as he finished speaking, his tongue pressing hot against her nipple. Cara moaned at the bolt of pleasure Gus sent through her body and slid her fingers into his hair, pulling him closer. He sucked at her, just once, making her breath catch and her grip on him tighten, and his hand slid down over the curve of her belly to slip under the waist of her pajama pants.

  “Gus,” Cara murmured, losing track of the game they were playing. “Oh, please—”

  He moved his mouth to her other breast, licking and teasing and making her writhe with wanting him. Her hips were moving constantly, her wet pussy tightening on nothing, looking for friction. For him. “Please, please—”

  “I’ve got you, sweetheart,” he murmured, pushing up on one arm and leaning across her to grab the pillows from the other side of the bed. He tucked them behind her back and she leaned against them as he kissed his way down her body, over the sensitive swell of her belly.

  He eased her pajama pants and underwear off as soon as his lips reached them, and Cara shifted up to help. She spread her legs wide as soon as they were free, and Gus kissed the highest spot on her belly before he moved lower, nearly out of sight. Cara let her head fall back and her eyes closed as Gus’s lips trailed over the hottest, wettest part of her.

  “Not cold at all,” she gasped.

  Gus laughed and turned his head, kissing the inside of her thigh.

  “No, my princess,” he agreed. “No, you’re not cold at all, are you? You’re very, very—”

  Cara moaned as Gus’s mouth brushed over he
r pussy, teasingly light at first. “Gus, I need you, I need—”

  “I know,” he murmured, nuzzling and licking until he was right where she wanted him, his tongue pressed flat against her clit as his finger slipped inside her, finding the sensitive places. She pressed up into his mouth, already gasping with eagerness. She was so wet for him, so ready, and Gus knew her body as well as she did by now.

  He brought her quickly to the brink, stroking and licking her until she was writhing under him, dripping wet around his fingers. His touch got firmer, the curl of his fingers coaxing while his mouth sent flames of pure pleasure racing through her body. She cried out as she came, her pussy tightening around his fingers as he kept stroking her through it.

  His lips touched the lower curve of her belly, and Cara opened her eyes to realize that she’d been drifting as the pleasure settled through her. She couldn’t see his mouth, but his eyes were smiling, silver-bright and showing the laugh lines at their corners.

  “Is that enough, sweetheart?”

  She could have fallen asleep easily enough, but she shook her head. “I want you. If I won’t be keeping you up too late—” she rocked her hips, stroking the fingers he still had inside her with her pussy. “I know you’ll have an early morning.”

  He groaned, almost laughing and shook his head. “I’d rather have you.”

  He eased his fingers from her, pressing a last kiss to the wet curls of her sex, and then stood up quickly to strip out of his clothes before he got into bed with her properly. He pushed the pillows out of the way and spooned up behind her, and Cara leaned back against his chest. She hooked her leg over his to spread herself open, offering herself to him.

  He rubbed up against her from behind, and she could feel how hard he already was. It was still surprising sometimes to know just how much he wanted her, when some days she felt a long way from desirable. But even now, with her belly swelling every day, and her hips and thighs growing along with her breasts, the heat in his eyes never faded.