by Maia Star
“Of course. I’ll see you then.”
I drop my phone on the couch as I get to my feet and stalk towards my bedroom. My mind is going a hundred miles an hour. Taking off my clothes, I hop into the shower and feel the steaming water cascade over me. I let out all my worries, content with the fact I have a plan now. I’m going to see Arthur again, and I’m going to find some answers. One way or another, I’ll make it so everything is clear. It’ll just take some time to fix this whole situation.
The shower feels amazing, and for a while, only good thoughts go through my mind. I forget about Arthur being a dragon shifter and remember how we danced together on the beach. He was so confident, so ready to sweep me off my feet. His touch was electrifying.
There’s no doubt in my mind that at this point, if Arthur and I can overcome our issues, we could very well be together as a couple again...or mates. We would be each other’s mates, right? That’s the term?
Turning off the steaming-hot water and stepping out of the shower, I take my time drying myself off in my room and then pick out clothes for my visit. Even now, there’s still a small part of my mind that’s urging me to dress up for him...but at the same time, I want to keep things simple.
So I proceed to follow in Arthur’s footsteps and throw on a simple shirt and some yoga pants. It’ll tell him I mean business, and it’ll help remind me of that too.
Pulling my hair back into a damp ponytail, I check myself out in the mirror, almost expecting to see permanent lines in my face from how hard I scowled earlier. But, luckily, I still look fresh, as if I’d just woken up and had my morning shower. It’s late at night, so I’ll probably look out of place getting a lift over to Arthur’s place, but what the hell.
It’s strange to me how content I am at this point. I’m handling this much better than I expected I would. Hopefully, when Kai finds out about Arthur, he’ll handle it the same.
Gathering my purse, phone, and keys, I call an Uber and say a quick goodbye to Cindy. I peek in Kai’s room to see him sleeping, blowing him a kiss. I wait silently until the black sedan pulls up. When I slide in, the driver greets me, further helping me settle my nerves. And then we take off. The trip is about ten minutes, so I’ve got time just to think.
Is there an end to this tunnel? Is there truly a way to work out all these problems and see Arthur and I together, with Kai?
As long as Arthur doesn’t freak out when he finds out about Kai, then I think it’s a possibility.
It all depends on what happens in our talk tonight. Things could go very well, or very, very bad. This might make or break everything.
Chapter Twelve
Arthur
While I try to figure out what the hell is going on, I lay on my couch, staring up at the ceiling, the back of my right hand resting on my forehead while my left arm hangs off the side.
Scarlet has just called me, asking to come over to talk about everything so far. I have no idea what she’s going to say, but I know at least the types of questions she’s going to ask me.
There are very few times I’ve considered myself truly anxious. Now is one of those. My inner dragon keeps squirming in my gut, growling and making me feel like vomiting. Every time I feel some puke coming up, I spit a tiny flame into the air and watch as it evaporates. Am I really feeling this sick to my stomach worrying about what might happen tonight? Everything could change once Scarlet walks through my front door, and everything could change again when she leaves. Or if she leaves. Or maybe we’ll leave together.
If I don’t play this right, I might lose Scarlet forever.
Clenching my teeth in an ugly smile, I glance over at the clock on the wall. The hand is ticking away without a care in the world for my worries. It’s nearly been an hour since she called. Any longer and I’ll assume she decided to simply not come. That sleep was more important than anything else right now. I won’t blame her.
But then my phone vibrates on the table next to the couch, and I reach over to scoop it up. I’ve got one message, and it’s from Scarlet. She says she’s here, at the entrance to the complex.
Rising to my feet, I smooth back my hair and walk to the door.
The trip down is just a minute or two, and when I arrive, I step out into the hallway, brushing Scarlet’s shoulder. We both do a double take, but then I smile while she looks away. I hold the elevator door open.
“I thought you’d be outside,” I say.
“No, it’s a bit chilly out there…figured I’d wait here.”
“So that I would walk out, bump into you, and you’d have an excuse to naturally start talking to me? A bit romantic, don’t you think?”
She frowns, though her cheeks burn. “Whatever. You never gave me your apartment number. Come on, let’s go.”
She shuffles past me, and I step back with a grin. We shoot up to my floor.
We’re silent again until we step inside my apartment and I shut the door. Scarlet stands awkwardly in front of my couch, gazing around.
My voice jolts her in place. “What did you expect? Some sort of cavern? A dragon’s den with chewed up human bones?”
“What? No! Of course not.”
Laughing, I pat her on the shoulder and move to stand in front of her. Her eyes never leave mine. “I’m just kidding, Scar. It’s okay to be a little afraid. It’s natural for humans, right? Human beings got to this point by being afraid and working to overcome those fears. So, naturally, when you see a fire-breathing dragon like me, your instinct tells you to run and hide, right?” I step closer, looming over her. She looks up at me, her chin out. I grin, and then turn around and step away, throwing my hands up for dramatic effect. “But of course, there are plenty of fools like you that run towards us. There’s plenty of humans that are attracted to hunky dragons like me, right?”
“Stop with the jokes, Arthur.” Scarlet takes a deep breath and sits down on my couch and pats the seat next to her. I blink, my smile gone, and I sit down next to her. “Why didn’t you tell me you were a dragon shifter when we met?”
Silence follows. I stare at her, my arm wrapped over the couch back. When she turns to me fully, I open my mouth to speak. “When I first met you, I knew you’d probably be my mate. I was so strongly attracted to you, and we had so much fun together. I simply forgot to tell you at first, and when I thought about it later, I was afraid you’d run off screaming, so I decided to hide it.” She uncrosses her arms. “Then, I figured that I wasn’t ready to settle down with you, or anyone, yet, so I left. I didn’t think we’d meet again, so when we matched on that app, I knew you’d have to find out at some point.”
Scarlet sighs heavily, as if a huge weight has been lifted off her shoulders. “It’s a bit ironic that you were afraid I’d leave you over this if you were the one planning to leave in the first place.”
I laugh. “So true. What the hell was I thinking back then?”
She grins. “Nothing holy, that’s for sure.”
Our hands brush on the couch, and seconds later, I’m slipping my fingers through hers. Her touch so comforting.
Scooching closer to her, with my free hand, I tuck a lock of her hair behind her ear and stare into her eyes. We’re so close now. Only inches apart.
“That’s all there is to it?” she breathes.
“As far as I know, yeah,” I say, grinning. “You know I’m not a monster, Scar. In fact, I can prove how very human I am with this…”
I plant my hot lips on hers. Time stops. Without missing a beat, she leans in to me, her kiss sizzling on my lips. She runs her hands through my hair, her fingers pressing into my scalp. I begin to kiss more passionately, more directly. I lead off of her lips to kiss her cheek and then neck. Each kiss leaves steam in its wake, and she shudders after every one.
One by one, we begin to take off our clothes, somehow managing to keep kissing without missing a beat. We’re both hungry for each other, unwilling to let go of our lips. It’s like the dance on the beach. We’re following each other’s leads, tr
ying out moves and seeing how the other responds.
Eventually, we’re forced to stand as we hurry to strip off completely. We don’t stop for even a second.
I grab her quickly and pull her to me, pressing her body to mine. Her body is so cold compared to mine. “You’re like ice cream,” I mutter.
“Ice cream?”
“Yeah.” I begin to kiss down her chest. “You’re cold, but so, so good.”
She moans with every kiss I plant on her chest, but eventually she must get bored just standing here because she pushes me down onto the couch, where she goes to straddle me.
“You know, sometimes, when we sleep together,” she begins, adjusting her butt on my hips, her palms stuck to my abdomen, “your whole body feels like it’s on fire. It’s almost painful at times.”
“I can’t help it,” I say, shrugging my shoulders. “You just rile up my inner dragon. I get very...excited, around you.”
A wide, teasing smile flashes on her face, revealing her beautiful white teeth. She reaches down between our legs and grabs me, angles us both. I’m already groaning at her touch, waiting to get the show on the road. She can’t help but laugh a little, and then she lowers herself onto me.
My whole world changes in an instant, like it always does when Scarlet presses her naked body onto mine. She moves slowly at first, and I watch her as she works, our smiles matching each other's, our eyes roaming the landscapes of each other’s bodies. Then she picks up the pace, going harder, going faster, her skin slapping against mine with hot desire.
My fingers sink into her hips, and then I’m very aware of her fingers digging into my abs, sliding up and down as she moves, trying to keep herself steady as she goes.
“We should...come up with...nicknames for these moves,” I say through breaths.
She leans down, bending her arms, and kisses my chest, her gaze drifting up to meet mine. “And what would...you call this?”
I force her to stop her momentum, holding her butt down on my hips. She’s practically rolling her eyes back at the pleasure while I laugh and moan nonstop. “I call this...riding the dragon.”
It’s my turn to take the reins, and I go hard, much harder. I’m smacking my hips against her like crazy, and she’s now shouting out in ecstasy, squirming on top of me. Her body feels so good against mine.
“That’s...so...damn...cheesy!” she says through gritted teeth.
I smother her lips in kisses as I go wild. Everything about her is perfect. Her sexy voice, her wide hips, her beautiful gold eyes and soft skin. I’m easily the luckiest man in the world.
Time goes away. I forget we’re in my apartment. We could have been in hers for all I knew now. All that matters is her and me. I’m closer than ever to the woman riding me right now. I’m so close, I’m practically drowning in her love. There aren’t very many women who can so thoroughly capture a dragon’s heart. She’s just one of a kind.
I can feel my body about to explode, and my hips are tingling like crazy. Any second now, I’ll explode, and from how Scarlet’s tensing up, I know she’s about to too.
I can’t even speak as I thrust one more time, pressing my waist deep into Scarlet’s butt. She cries out while I groan, and we both explode, going wild on the inside, our bodies clinging together on the outside.
We hold each other so tightly, I’m not even sure we’re two different people in my delirious, exhausted state.
We stay on the couch, holding each other, not wanting to move. We’re practically stuck together as our sweat has begun to mingle. We’re both breathing hard now. Scarlet’s face is pressed into my chest, and her breath is washing over my skin. I’m gazing up at the ceiling, my mind blank save for thoughts of Scarlet. I wonder if she’ll get pregnant from this. I wonder if this just cemented her as my mate, in her eyes. I wonder how many kids she’ll want to have.
Scarlet lifts her head and kisses me on the chin to get me to look down. “Oh, didn’t see you there. What’s up?” I say, making her giggle. God, I love making her laugh.
“Listen...mind if I use your shower?”
“Of course! You can stay over if you want...and get some much-needed sleep.”
“Oh...well, I actually need to go home tonight, Arthur.”
“Why?”
Scarlet sighs, rising and attempting to get to her feet. I help hold her steady. “After this amazing sex, you just want to go home?”
“It’s not that simple, Arthur. I just...I need to be home. That’s it.”
Frowning, I rise to my feet too and point down the hallway. “Shower’s down there. Take your time. When you’re ready, I’ll walk you home.”
“Oh, you don’t need to do that.”
“I want to, Scar. Is there a problem with you and me just walking back together?”
She stares at me and smiles. “No...no. Actually...uh, nevermind. I won’t be long in the shower.”
“Right, well, I’ll just get dressed, I suppose.”
Ten minutes later, I’m dressed in fresh clothes and ready to go, standing by the door, waiting for Scarlet to walk out of the shower. When she does, she’s dressed in some of my clothes.
“I’ll wash your clothes, and bring them over tomorrow, or the next time I can,” I tell her as I open the door. “Hope that’s fine with you.”
“Oh, it’s definitely fine,” Scarlet says with a smile. “Come on, let’s get going.”
Chapter Thirteen
Scarlet
At first, the walk back to my apartment is quiet. But it’s a different type of quiet than the usual. It’s not tense, or awkward, or even unnerving. It’s a nice quiet. A comfortable quiet.
I find myself smiling as Arthur and I walk down the street. We’re taking out time with every step, walking so close, our shoulders brush. At one point, my hand falls to my side, and Arthur smoothly grabs it, hooking his fingers in mine. I’m grinning from ear to ear when he does that.
It feels like we’re already a couple now. My fears and doubts from just hours before are completely gone. I think I believe him now, that he won’t abandon me like he did originally. He’s more or less proven that he’s ready to settle down, and he’s mentioned that he’s even thought as far as having kids. Maybe he won’t react so badly if I tell him about Kai. Though...if I’m wrong about that, and he does react badly, it’ll ruin this mood. I can’t let that happen just yet. Maybe I’ll keep it a secret for a bit longer to let things smooth over between us.
“So, tell me about shifters,” I say, wanting to fill the void and hear his voice. “I know practically nothing, save for the fact you shift into a dragon.”
Arthur rubs his chin, a glint in his eye. “Let’s see...what else is there to know.” He glances around, and then lowers his mouth to my ear, his warm breath making me shiver. He licks his lips and speaks. “I have no idea what else there is to know.”
I blanche. “You’re kidding me! All that build-up for nothing?”
He laughs. “I mean, you know pretty much everything. Shifters shift. Whether that’s into wolves, bears, dragons... When I shift, I get bigger. And scalier. And I grow a cool tail and wings. I breathe fire too.” Flashing a grin at me, he struts farther ahead of me and stops, waving his arms around. “I suppose I’m a bit stronger than most humans too.”
I laugh and hurry to catch up. “Oh, right, right. But, well, what about, like, kids? What are dragon shifter kids like?”
He waits for me to fall in line with him, and we continue. “Oh, so you’re interested in having kids, huh? Are you trying to prepare for a wild monster or something?”
“No! I know they aren’t wild monsters.”
“And how would you know that?”
I laugh nervously under the intensity with which he stares at me. It’s hard to stay calm with those green eyes boring into my soul. “I-I’ve seen videos online about caring for kids. Shifter kids were brought up because, you know, they’re just as common as human kids.”
“Uh-huh. Sure,” he says as we wait
to cross a busy street.
“So, do you know anything about shifter children or not?” I ask. My heart is pounding. I’m trying not to reveal my secret, to reveal Kai to him just yet. But hopefully, he’ll just see my curiosity as me planning for the future. I need to learn as much as I can so I can help Kai.
“Well, if we’re talking seriously right now, the only difference between shifter kids and human kids is that one eventually needs to learn how to properly shift. Like for us dragons, we breathe fire, right?” He demonstrates, spitting out a tiny flame that lights up our faces. It’s hot, but not hot enough to be uncomfortable. “As far as I know, most shifter kids begin to show signs of shifting around ten. I didn’t show any signs until twelve if I remember correctly. For dragon shifters, it’s a bit more dangerous.
“Since we dragon shifters breathe fire, you gotta watch out for when dragon shifter kids begin to spit out their first, tiny flames. Usually, the flames aren’t too dangerous, but if they’re aimed near, oh, I don’t know, say a table cloth, or some curtains, or anything flammable, then fires could start. Those aren’t too uncommon.”
I’m hanging on his every word. Kai is just four, and I’ve never seen him breathe fire before. Or, at least, I’ve never been present for anything like that. “What age do dragon shifters usually begin to breathe fire?”
“Uh, maybe around six? Maybe five. It’s usually pretty early.”
Five or six? That’s a bit concerning. Kai could be breathing fire in a year and I doubt I’ll be able to handle that alone.
Arthur smiles as I turn away and think. “You’re thinking about when we have kids, right? Yeah, it’s certainly overwhelming, but as long as one of us is a dragon shifter, we’ll be able to guide them through their chaotic years.”
I slap him playfully on the shoulder. “Oh, shut up, we aren’t even officially a couple yet.”
“I mean, we practically are. Who else holds hands like this? Only couples do that.”