Lust and Other Drugs

by TJ Nichols

  Was Jordan thinking the killer was Andrew Campbell, not the friend or even the group? The jilted lover story had more truth than Edra had expected. “You know who killed Darian?”

  “I have a very strong suspicion. I’m going to put pressure on and maybe get some cracks. You’re going to keep your fingers out of my pie so you don’t fuck it up. You want this to happen, you have to let me follow procedure and trust that I can do this.”

  Edra closed his eyes. It went against every instinct to trust a human cop, but he believed Jordan wanted to catch the killer—or killers—although not for the same reasons.

  “Edra?”

  “Yeah.”

  “I’ve got this.”

  As much as he’d like to feed the killer to the dragons or hand him over to the mermaids, it would be better if a human finally got locked up for killing a mytho. Of course, if they didn’t get locked up, Mistress Selena would be more than happy to assist. “Okay. I’ll see you tonight.”

  “Eight?”

  “With good news.”

  “I can’t promise that, so you’d better bring the good time.” Jordan hung up.

  For a bitter moment, Edra wondered if Jordan just wanted him for what he could bring, but then he remembered Jordan above him on the sofa and the way he wanted more than Bliss. Maybe he should just give in and get the lust out of his system before he felt more for Jordan.

  But for the first time in ten years he had a chance at more, and he didn’t want to throw it away for one night of fun. Once his lust was sated, he wouldn’t want Jordan anymore unless they had a connection. He didn’t need another casual encounter.

  He wanted a partner.

  If he were smart, he’d leave California and head to the east coast where there were more lesser dragons, or north to Canada where there was a rookery. But this was his town—or what was left of it—and his greater dragons. He couldn’t abandon his duty.

  Chapter 23

  JORDAN WINGED on some eyeliner. Music was playing and excitement buzzed in his veins. The day had ended brilliantly. Greg had confessed to killing Darian, but he was using the mytho-panic defense—Darian had confronted him at the temple and it had gone wrong. That lie wouldn’t hold up, because Darian hadn’t been killed at the temple.

  There was no way to prove exactly what had happened, but taking down a satyr was a two-man job. The mayor’s son was involved somehow—Darian had been dating his human ex. Once again Andrew Campbell was using his connections and money to keep his hands clean, but Jordan had Greg, and that was something. The mytho community would be able to breathe.

  He had arranged for all of the Earth for Human members to come in for a chat. The murder of Darian was linked to the murder of his tutor. How the dead man fit in, Jordan still wasn’t sure. Maybe Greg and Andrew had killed him to make the overdoses look random, or maybe they liked killing. Jordan was looking forward to sitting down with Andrew.

  He smiled and checked his reflection.

  Happy with the way he looked, he picked up his red wine and headed back into the kitchen. They were supposed to be having dinner, but he’d been delayed at work. The roast had gone in, but they’d be eating late… which would give them plenty of time for other things. He checked the time. It was three past eight. Where was Edra?

  Panic gripped him in its tight claws—he’d gotten dressed up for nothing.

  He’d gone over the top because he didn’t get to do it very often. His lipstick had left a mark on the glass. He should get changed, clean his face.

  He tightened his fingers around the stem of the glass.

  Even if he was home alone, he could look pretty. But if Edra did come, would he think it was too much? He didn’t know what was worse—if he were stood up or if Edra took one look at him and went “nope, not mate material.”

  But he hadn’t so far. He’d asked for the red, and Jordan had put it on.

  He’d never found a man so annoying and attractive and accepting. Every time he was with Edra, he wanted to either throttle him or kiss him, and he was going to have to teach him to work better with the police.

  And they were going to have to keep their relationship a secret. Even if Dr. Lew was elected, it wouldn’t look good for him to be involved with the mytho liaison. He needed to keep his personal life better hidden, because someone at work was paying too much attention.

  He took another big drink of wine and then topped up his glass as doubts fought and pulled him apart. He worried at his lip with his teeth. He’d finish the bottle and watch porn if Edra didn’t show. Then come Monday he’d be down at Mytho Servo asking some difficult questions about what exactly Edra did, because it sure as hell wasn’t just advocating for mythos.

  He should be asking those questions anyway, but the mythos needed Edra.

  The buzzer startled him. Edra was ten minutes late. If Jordan weren’t so wired, it wouldn’t have mattered.

  “It’s me,” Edra said.

  “Come up.” He paced by the door, the tiles cool beneath his feet. He couldn’t greet Edra with a kiss, but in private they were well beyond a handshake.

  Edra knocked on the door, and Jordan opened it.

  He wasn’t wearing a suit this time, but jeans and a close-fitting long-sleeved T-shirt that clung in all the right places.

  Jordan swallowed as Edra’s gaze slid over him. He smiled, and Jordan relaxed a little. “You look good. Started without me?”

  “Half a glass.” Maybe a full one. He didn’t have to drive, and he didn’t care.

  Edra pressed a light kiss to his cheek as he brushed past. It was enough to make Jordan’s heart turn over in an undignified flip. Edra had kissed him. That meant something, didn’t it?

  “Wine or beer?” Jordan shut the door and locked it.

  “Either… wine, since that’s what you’re having.”

  Jordan poured, but he felt weird. He didn’t want to ask if Edra had the Bliss. It would be easier to talk about condoms and history—though it was clear neither of them were celibate saints. “Dinner is going to be late because I finished up late.” He handed Edra a glass. “I got a confession.”

  Edra’s eyes widened. “For Darian?”

  “Yes.”

  Edra swooped in and hugged him hard, and Jordan got to feel the strength in his arms as he was lifted off the ground for a heartbeat. He’d never been literally swept off his feet, and one glass of wine didn’t make him feel this light. Suddenly the lust that had been swamped by doubt broke free and ran wild. He wanted to drag Edra to the bedroom and celebrate properly.

  “Thank you.” Edra released him.

  Jordan’s body tingled in all the right places. Edra might only be two inches taller, but he knew how to use those inches. Jordan sipped his wine as casually as he could. “Just doing my job.”

  “I know, but you actually did it.” Edra’s eyes were bright and shimmery, as though…. Until that second, Jordan hadn’t realized what it meant for a cop to actually follow a case through and charge a human for a serious crime against a mytho—how it felt to not be believed or taken seriously, to be made unwelcome everywhere.

  That’s what Edra experienced every time he revealed himself to be not human—and he had that luxury. Plenty didn’t, because they couldn’t pass for human.

  Jordan cupped Edra’s jaw. His stubble tickled his palm. “Of course I did. Now I just need to find out who killed the students.” He paused for a moment, knowing what he was asking was not protocol. “And for that I need you.”

  “What do you want me to do?”

  “Sit in interviews with me and taste the lie.”

  “I’m not a lie detector, but I can taste changes to a person’s sweat—fear, panic, lust.” He rested his hand on Jordan’s hip. It was casual, yet intimate. “Some keep it all well-hidden.”

  He didn’t need to tonight. Jordan rocked closer, fighting the urge to kiss him, and Edra closed the distance so there was nothing between but a few layers of clothing. The hard length of his dick pressed aga
inst Jordan. He hadn’t been able to forget about Edra on his car, and he wanted to get him naked and on his bed. He exhaled—not tonight.

  The weight of what it would mean when they did finally get into bed made it hard to breathe, but it didn’t stop him from wanting it. He’d tried to research more about being a dragon’s mate, but there was very little on the Mytho Servo website.

  “I brought your present,” Edra murmured.

  “I’d rather have you.” He bit his tongue before he could let the rest of what he wanted spill off his tongue.

  Edra bowed his head for a moment. “I want you too.”

  “But.” There was always a but, and this one wasn’t in the air, ready to be fucked.

  “If that’s what you really want, I can. I want to. But the lust will be sated, and I’ll lose interest.” Edra’s hand fell away. “If you aren’t interested in more, then—”

  Jordan caught his hand. Maybe he was. “I am.” He shouldn’t be. Mating for life? They were barely dating. “How do you know when there’s enough of the connection?”

  “There’s no switch or magic. At some point you have to take the chance.”

  “And if you move too soon, it’s all ruined.”

  Edra nodded.

  “That’s fucked.” Many a relationship started as a fling, but not for lesser dragons. They flinged or they fell. There was no in between.

  “It’s what I’m used to.” He was watching like he expected Jordan to declare it all too hard.

  Was it? He didn’t know what he wanted, only that he couldn’t stay away. Maybe he wasn’t as smart as he thought he was. “So you literally planned on just watching me enjoy Bliss.”

  “Yeah.” Edra smiled. “I’m okay with that. I’ve been looking forward to it. I want to give this a chance, even though I don’t know if it’s even possible.”

  The waiting could be for nothing. Jordan put down his wine. “Well, I guess we just have to wait and see.”

  He was going to die. The lace of his panties was rubbing him when what he really wanted was Edra’s hand or mouth… or something. While he got off on Bliss, Edra got nothing.

  “Will you go to the den later?”

  “I haven’t been since the night I saw you. Too much going on there. It felt like a conflict of interest to go.”

  For reasons he didn’t want to look at too closely, that made Jordan happy. He took Edra’s hand. “Come on. Just a little fun, because dinner won’t be ready for an hour and a half.”

  “You’re going to take some clothes off?”

  Jordan glanced at him. “Of course. Are you?”

  “I wasn’t going to. You don’t need me to.”

  “Just your shirt.” Edra didn’t resist as Jordan pulled off the shirt and tossed it on the sofa. “And maybe leave your shoes out here too.”

  “Where are we going?”

  “My bedroom.”

  Chapter 24

  JORDAN’S BEDROOM was immaculate yet pretty. The sheets were white, and there were small accents of blue. A large photo of the Grand Canyon hung on one wall, but there were softer touches. The perfume Jordan liked was on the dresser, along with some earrings.

  Which drawer did he keep his lingerie in?

  Edra wasn’t about to start poking around, not the first time he was invited in, anyway.

  He watched as Jordan undid the first few buttons on his black shirt until the red lace was revealed. Edra drew in a breath, not sure now if it would be too much. Jordan was entirely too tempting. It would be so easy to give in, but he knew what would happen if he did. The desire that made it impossible to walk away would evaporate. His biology was stupid. He had always hated this in-between part. He’d only ever made it through once. With everyone else, the effort of waiting had become too much of a burden. This time he wanted to wait even if it killed him—and he was sure it would.

  He helped Jordan undress by undoing the last few buttons while his heart hammered.

  He wasn’t sure he’d ever wanted anyone so badly, but he hadn’t been lying when he said he wasn’t sure it was even possible. Maybe it was only a lust thing and nothing more because Jordan was human. But he liked the way Jordan watched him from beneath his darkened lashes, the way his brown eyes were liquid with lust, as though he really wanted Edra and was making do with the powdered substitute.

  Edra brushed his fingers over the red slip, and Jordan’s nipples pressed against the fabric, so he teased them with his thumbs and then let his hands skim to his waist. “Can I take your jeans off?”

  “If you don’t, I will.” Jordan’s voice was husky.

  Edra popped open the button and dragged down the fly. Jordan was wearing matching red panties, and his dick pressed against the lace in a way that begged to be licked. Edra was never going to survive the next few hours. He thought he could do this, but he’d overestimated his willpower.

  “You can touch,” Jordan murmured.

  Edra pushed Jordan’s jeans down until he could step out of them. He traced up Jordan’s inner thigh until his fingers just brushed the lace cupping his balls. Then he traced the length of Jordan’s cock. That would feel so good inside him.

  “I didn’t notice before, but you don’t have nipples.” Jordan smoothed his hand over Edra’s chest.

  “Why would I?”

  Jordan frowned. “You look….”

  “Human? Dragons hatch.” He stepped back, needing the space to breathe so he didn’t succumb. He pulled the Bliss out of his pocket. He’d halved what Darian had given him. “Want it?”

  He couldn’t take the torture of playing with Jordan like this. A touch could lead to too many things. His dick was hard, and he really wanted to use that bed. It was far too tempting to give in. But if he waited, he’d get more than just sating his lust.

  Jordan sucked in a breath between his teeth. “What is it like to fuck on Bliss?”

  “I don’t know. I’ve been told it’s amazing.”

  He took the bag off Edra. “One day I’m going to find out.”

  “I would totally be down for that experiment.”

  “I thought you would be.” Jordan opened the bag, poured the Bliss onto his tongue, closed his mouth, and swallowed.

  The moment it hit, Jordan’s pupils widened and a faint blush spread across his cheeks. He melted onto the bed and lay like a starfish in the middle.

  It was a bloody good thing dragons had honor, because all he wanted to do was crawl onto the bed and lick Jordan all over. He was about to perch on the bedside table to supervise, but Jordan beckoned him closer.

  “I’m not leaving you. I was going to sit.”

  “Sit with me.” Jordan’s voice had become deeper and softer. He reached out, grasped Edra’s hand, and pulled him close.

  Edra let him. “You’re killing me.”

  “Bliss isn’t like the real thing.” Jordan rolled onto his stomach and looked at him as though ready to pounce.

  Edra wouldn’t fight if he did. He was only so strong, and Jordan didn’t know the need that prowled through Edra’s body. He wanted to feast on everything Jordan was offering. His fingers curled into the bedsheet. “I know.”

  When Jordan didn’t push for more, Edra leaned back against the headboard a safe distance away. The tension still chewed at him, and he wanted to touch, but he wanted more than one night. He repeated it to himself so he wouldn’t accidentally slip. Jordan moved closer, all boneless and slinky, desire clinging to his skin. One taste and Edra would be gone. Jordan hesitated for a moment, close enough that they could almost kiss, and then he turned around and settled between Edra’s legs, head against his chest, eyes closed. His breathing quickened as Bliss dragged him down.

  Edra watched the changes. The way his lips parted and his chest lifted as he reveled in the tricks Bliss played on him. This was how he’d first seen him. Unable to resist, he ran his fingers through Jordan’s hair and along his cheek, and Jordan turned into the touch.

  Satyr orgies were always Bliss-fueled. He’d watche
d one before—someone had to watch. But watching just one person was more intimate than watching twenty.

  Jordan shuddered and gasped.

  Edra held him with one arm across his stomach, the other on his hip, and the lace beneath his fingertips. Jordan’s dick was hard, dark, and leaking onto his belly. Edra closed his eyes, but the scent was on his tongue.

  Jordan covered Edra’s hand with his own, dragged it down to his dick, and bucked into Edra’s palm. Edra didn’t know if he should pull away or let Jordan continue. Jordan was human. He didn’t share the same biological need, so maybe it didn’t matter if they were touching while he got off. Maybe it was only Edra’s lust that mattered and needed to be kept waiting and wanting. Jordan kept Edra’s hand there and ground against it. Eventually Edra gave in to temptation and slid his thumb beneath the fabric to caress the ruddy, slick head.

  “How Blissed out are you?” he muttered in Jordan’s ear. If he couldn’t form a sentence then Edra was going to have to pull away no matter what Jordan did.

  “Mmmm. Want my badge number and birthday? Or just me?”

  Not so Blissed out that he was insensible. He didn’t know what Jordan’s usual dose was, so Edra had erred on the side of caution. “Do you want this?” He wrapped his fingers around Jordan’s dick.

  “Yes.” Jordan’s back arched, and he rubbed his ass against Edra.

  If Jordan kept doing that, Edra would find it impossible to hold out.

  Jordan fumbled until he’d tugged down the panties enough for his dick to be free. Edra took full advantage of the extra skin, hot and silky in his hand as he stroked the length.

  Jordan looped his arm over his head and around Edra’s neck so they were pressed together, Jordan’s back to Edra’s chest, and Edra had a clear view of Jordan spread out.

  He used the precome to slick each stroke, and Jordan thrust up, not patient enough to wait. Edra gripped his hip to keep him still, but the friction was too much—someone needed to stay in control, and that was him. It was always him.

  Jordan groaned and tried to thrust, but Edra was far stronger.