All rights to Hiro Mashima

I would like to dedicate this chapter to hana rika, whose review reminded me that while I am enjoying how my other story "Cinders" is going, that I shouldn't forget about this one. Thank you for kicking my ass into gear!

18+ Warning: Slight Lemon

~ Twenty-third ~

Surprises abound today apparently because Natsu isn't even listening to Sting anymore, he's still looking at me with that weird look in his eyes. 'What the hell is that look? I've seen it before…what does it mean?'

I jump slightly when Cobra leans over close to my ear and whispers so low I don't think even the Dragons could hear, "He's undressing you in his mind."

-Natsu-

Rage.

All I can feel is an abnormal amount of rage swell up inside me as I watch Cobra grin and tell Lucy that he loves her. He tells my Luce, the woman I've been in love with for ages that he loves her? 'Not in this fucking lifetime, you asshole.' He's got a beat down coming shortly, one where he might stay unconscious for weeks after.

I watch as Lucy laughs, albeit slightly awkwardly at what he says, her eyes flashing up to him then returning to mine. 'I should be the one standing beside her, making her smile and laugh, not that stupid snake fucker. Why in the hell am I standing all the way over here?'

Just like that, as her gaze snaps back onto mine, I can feel the rage flowing out of me, and another feeling creeps up in its place, as I lazily peruse her exposed skin with my eyes.

Desire.

I'm not even listening to Sting blabber on about something or other, I don't even really want to fight him at the moment, which is a weird thing, but is understandable seeing as there is something much more interesting across the room from me. I'm too focused on Lucy and the way her hair is shining in the light, or the fact that the skirt she is wearing is my favourite colour of red, to even give a flying fuck about that idiot light bulb. 'Does she know that red is my favourite colour? Did she do that on purpose? Is she trying to make me attack her in the middle of the Guild Hall?'

What would she look like with that skirt around her ankles? I wonder what kind of panties she is wearing underneath it. They would be lacy and silky and wouldn't cover much at all, but they would undoubtedly look amazing on her.

I can picture her so easily in my mind, in nothing but a thin strip cloth covering her core and matching bra. All creamy smooth skin and gigantic amber eyes.

All I want to do is rip the bra off of her, to release those supple breasts – which I thank every deity there ever was that I got a handful of them during the Dragon attacks – and watch them move and heave with every breath she takes. I want to watch as her peaks pucker in the slightly chilly air so that they are slightly raised and oh so ready to be devoured.

I want to drag my tongue down her smooth stomach and bite her hips in a way that leaves my mark on her so that everyone would know that she is mine and mine alone.

I can practically smell her, her scent would drown me the closer I got to her centre, the one place I truly want to be. In my mind, her panties disappear, and all that's left is her. Just her.

Small blonde hair curls perfectly above her glistening slit, just begging to be touched, to be licked, to be eaten.

I need to taste her. I need to drown in her arousal. I need to sink into her until she is all that I feel.

Snapping out of my lust filled daze, I watch as Cobra leans over and whispers something in Lucy's ear that makes her slap his arm playfully. Jealousy rears it's ugly head once again, but I squash it down as much as I can.

But then she flushes bashfully and peeks up at me through those impossibly long eyelashes. 'Gods, she has no idea how tempting she looks right now.' Lucy is so beautiful, and that cute blush all but sends me over the edge.

I have to dig my nails into my palms just to stop myself from launching over the table between us and hoisting her over my shoulder like a cave man. But, the look in her eyes has my sanity waning, those brown orbs that I love so much are filled with a huge amount of need. I can smell her desire from here, and I can feel the sexual tension coming off of us in tangible waves.

From all the looks we're receiving from the other dragon slayers in the room, I know they can smell her too.

I don't mind that they know that she is aroused because they know that it's only me that can do this to her. I'm the one affecting her like this.

Cobra catches my eye and sends me a small smirk. 'Is he helping me? Since when is Cobra the type to wingman someone else?'

"…alright brats, that will be all. Please be safe and keep an eye out for Ivan or anything suspicious. You all have your assignments, get to it."

Without another word, I rush over to the object of my desire while waving off Happy who said something about Charles and whisk her out of the library before anyone else can get another word in edgewise or ask where we are going.

I don't even know where we are headed, all I know is I need her.

Now.

-Cana-

"Holy shit! Did you all see that display? Damn, I can't wait to hear the story from her later." I take a swig from my hip flask and slap away my father's hand as he tries to steal it.

Bickslow wanders over towards Cobra and grins lecherously. "What the fuck did you say to her that got Lucy all riled up like some sex kitten? Nothing I say to her even remotely gets that kind of reaction."

"I just told her the truth about what Natsu was doing to her in his mind." Cobra shrugs his shoulders lazily. "Apparently, she likes to know just what he's thinking about doing to her when they are alone."

"Woohoo! I've almost won the pot thanks to you Cobra! I'll buy your drinks for the whole week if this pans out." I look around and toast to all those losers that had the audacity to go against me and my cards. I scoff at them as they scowl. "You should know by now that my cards are never wrong."

-Lucy-

For some reason, Natsu is practically sprinting towards my apartment building. I can feel the slight tremble in his limbs, but I know he isn't scared or exhausted, so that leaves the stupid amount of sexual tension that I can still feel between us.

I watch as he tries and fails to surreptitiously adjust himself in his pants as he hurries along, his eyes wild and his breathing ragged.

Heat pools low in my abdomen when I think about what he has hidden in his signature harem pants that he constantly wears, and right at that moment I know that I need…something…from him, and I'm not going to be able to wait until we can make it back to my room.

"Natsu." I try to speak as evenly as possible, but his name comes out of my mouth in a breathless moan.

He stops abruptly in the middle of the street, and I all but collide with his back as he looks around frantically.

Apparently, he finds what he's searching for and drags me behind him yet again, but this time into a completely deserted alley.

Do I want my virginity taken by the man that I love in a dirty alleyway in the open where anyone could just walk in? Not really, and besides, I need to tell him a couple of things before we go that last step.

Like the fact that I actually do love him.

But…it doesn't mean that we can't have a little fun to hold us over until then.

Natsu seems to think in the same direction as he slams me against the brick wall of the baker's shop behind us and proceeds to kiss me absolutely senseless. I can feel his need and desire through this kiss that is melting all my bones into mush. His tongue is everywhere, twisting and turning in a way that I thought was entirely impossible. But Natsu always does the impossible to I'm not truly surprised anymore. He sucks my tongue into his mouth with a low groan. I can taste him, spicy sweet, just like cinnamon and cloves.

He breaks off the kiss when the need for air becomes paramount, and he leans his forehead down onto mine and breaths heavily. "Luce. I need you. Please…I'm fucking aching for you right now." To prove his point he thrusts up against my hip and I can feel just how excited that he really is. His member is thick and hard and extremely warm.

His words and his tone – low and husky and smooth – has me aching right along with him. "Gods, Natsu. Do something, anything to me. I need you too...please..."

Natsu drops to his knees in front of me and runs his hands over my exposed calves and up towards my thighs. "Lucy…" His voice has dropped an octave lower and rasps in all the right places to send my nerves on high alert. "…did you know that red is my favourite colour? Did you wear this skirt on purpose? To tease me into fucking you?"

'How did he know?!' I can't put a proper sentence together to answer his question as he leans forward and licks a path up my inner thigh towards my clothed centre, his head disappearing underneath the skirt that he apparently loves, so I just nod dumbly.

I can feel that arrogant jerk smile against the skin of my leg, but I'm too far gone to care, his lips and tongue are so damn close to the one place that is aching for them, and nothing else in the world matters at the moment. He licks a slow path over my panties, the friction that it makes against my throbbing lips feels amazing. But I need more.

One of Natsu's fingers shifts the lace of my underwear to the side, and he runs the pad of his thumb up my slit, collecting my wetness and spreading it over my clit.

I gasp his name and jerk my hips as I hear him groan. "Gods, Luce. You are so fucking wet, and you smell so good I could eat you. I could smell you in that fucking meeting, and it took everything in me not to throw you onto a table and devour you in front of everyone."

My breathing hitches at his words, my mind filled with static and fuzz so that no complete thoughts are created. 'Close…so…close…please…'

Like he could read my mind, he hooks one of my shaking legs over his shoulder while his devilish tongue dives into my waiting core, thrusting with an abandon that mimicked what he was doing to my mouth only moments ago.

A high pitched wail of his name escapes my mouth. I have never felt anything like this before. I'll never let him go after this either. I will be greedy and keep this man who has me wrapped around his pinky all to myself.

One of his callused fingers replaces his tongue, setting a slightly rough pace while his lips and tongue and teeth – sweet Mavis – attack my throbbing clit which had been all but begging for his attention. I can feel the coiled spring inside me start to stretch as Natsu closes his lips over my nub and gives it a harsh suck, his teeth slightly grazing over it. The sensation sends shivers up and down my spine as my arms and legs start to tingle. That spring is winding tighter and tighter. I can already tell that this release that he is going to give me is going to be the best I've ever felt in my life, my own experimentation has nothing on my Dragon.

"N-natsu…I'm so close…fuck…I-I'm…" I can almost feel his smirk as he adds another finger into my waiting core, scissoring them on every thrust, making sure that he hits that special spot in me every damn time. My release is so close, I can almost taste it.

"Come on Luce. I want to hear you scream…Fuck! I want to feel you cum around me."

And so I do. Natsu's name leaves my lips in a garbled shriek as I can feel myself spasm around his fingers – which are still moving inside of me – that spring that had been coiling tightly snapping back as my vision falters and my knees buckle. He prolongs my climax beyond what I thought possible until I am a shaking, over-sensitized mess on the ground.

Natsu's breathing is as heavy as mine as I watch him lick my arousal off his fingers.

Every. Last. Drop.

And then he moans. "Lucy…"

My name. Just my name and nothing else has that spring coiling tight once again. But I want to try something first.

I launch myself at him and tackle Natsu to the dirty floor, scrambling to rip off his stupid belt and trying to get his pants open as fast as humanly possible.

He pulls me up for another heated kiss that literally takes what little breath I have away.

I pant and smile sweetly at him, then lick my dry lips, ready to move on and show him just how much I want to taste him too. Pushing away from his face I grab the top of his black boxers and coyly look up at him, staring into his eyes that are as dark as night.

"It's my turn now."