He’d leave claiming marks all over her body, from shoulders to thighs so she never forgot again who she belonged to, and just the thought of that had him arching in the chair and spilling over his own fingers, breathing hard.
Dante curled his hand into a fist over the mess and smiled, leaning back in the chair while he caught his breath.
Yes. It would be easy to get her back, and after he cleaned up, he had a phone call to make.
Chapter 5: Bargaining
Artemis watched with a satisfied smile as Holly made her way around the tables, offering coffee and taking orders. He’d been able to tell that she was used to taking care of people and working hard from the way she always made herself available to help when he was closing up, and the way his apartment was suddenly much cleaner than it had been a week and a half ago before Holly had turned up.
He’d made sure that she’d known that she was under no obligations to clean his apartment or help at all if she didn’t want to, but she’d confessed to being bored and used to helping, so with a smile, Artemis had put her to work in the diner.
“Think of it this way,” he’d said when Holly had seemed hesitant. “I’m going to pay you, so it’s a good way for you to save for wherever it is you plan to end up once you leave her.”
The look on her face had proved to him that she didn’t really have a plan as yet, but that was fine. Artemis was in no hurry to get rid of her. He’d always assumed that he’d prefer to be alone, since he had a solitary, quiet nature, but apparently Holly was excellent company for him. She had a soft, quiet way about her that appealed to him, and they passed evenings in comfortable silence as often as they did in conversation.
It was odd how natural it felt to have her there, but he wasn’t about to question it. Not when she was a good worker and seemed to be coming out of her shell more and more every day.
He watched as Mrs. Harper smiled at her fondly and thanked her for the refill, and the way Peter, the man who owned the deli, beckoned to her when he was ready to order. It had only been about a week since she’d agreed to start working for him, but she was getting the hang of it quickly.
Hiding a smile, he rang up one of the tourists who was dining there that day, and handed back his change. “Two dollars and thirty six cents is your change,” he said, eyes clear as he looked at the man. “Thanks for your business.”
The man squinted at him and shook his head. “You’re a tough nut to crack.”
Artemis let his smile stretch into a grin that flashed entirely too many teeth. “Haven’t you heard about the secrecy of dragons?” he asked, voice all careful innocence. “And what happens when people try to get too close.”
The man paled and hurried off, and Artemis laughed to himself until he felt a finger poke him in the side.
“That wasn’t nice,” Holly admonished, setting down her coffee pot and pushing her orders through the window to the kitchen where Carlos acknowledged them with a click of his tongue.
“I don’t know what you mean,” Artemis replied, leaning back against the back counter as he looked down at her.
She was lovely, that was certain. All soft skin and softer curves. He wondered what his hand would look like on her waist. Holly wasn’t short, more average height, but compared to him, most people were dwarfed.
He knew it was inappropriate to be looking at her like that, to be thinking about her like that, especially considering what she’d been through and the fact that he was now, essentially, her boss. But after eleven days of being surrounded by her scent and her presence, the need to keep her was stronger than he’d been anticipating.
But he was a man of control, and he wasn’t going to be base about it.
“Of course you don’t,” she was saying, and he looked at her face instead of anywhere else. “You’re just so innocent, aren’t you?”
She smiled more now than she had at first, and he liked that. “Yes,” Artemis replied evenly. “Of course I am.”
Holly grinned and shook her head. They’d only had the one conversation about her being able to trust him, shifter or not, and the unease he’d been able to feel around her had never returned. Now she seemed almost comfortable in his presence, and he was gratified by it. She hardly ever seemed comfortable otherwise.
Sometimes the door would bang open when a customer came in, and she’d jump. Sometimes she’d watch the customers with haunted eyes as if wondering which one of them would be the one to sell her out, to drag her back to wherever it was she’d come from.
Artemis always sent her back to the kitchen then, with the murmur that he was going to keep her safe, which she always seemed to accept easily enough.
He still didn’t know what exactly it was that she was running from, but he had some educated guesses. A shifter, obviously, perhaps more than one, and he had his own ideas about what the nature of their relationship might have been. She seemed too old for it to be a family member, and his money was on a lover. A husband, a boyfriend, something to that extent.
But it was clear that she didn’t want to talk about it, and he wasn’t going to push her to. Artemis knew very well that sometimes things that were in the past needed to remain there, and all he could hope was that whatever person had caused this young woman so much pain would leave her alone.
He wasn’t going to hold his breath, of course, but it never hurt to hope.
The work days proceeded one right after the other as they were wont to do. He worked his usual amount, kept a watchful eye on Holly, and talked to regulars and tourists alike. Holly being there was something of a blip in his routine, well worn and loved as it was, but soon she was integrated right into it, and having tea and dinner with her at night after a long day, was as enjoyable as curling up on his couch with a book on his own.
Artemis wasn’t the only one doing the looking, though.As a few more days passed, he noticed that he could feel Holly’s eyes on him, only sliding away when he looked up and made eye contact with her. Then she’d flush lightly and hurry back to whatever she was doing.
It happened when they were at the diner, and even more when they were in the apartment alone, and Artemis couldn’t help but wonder what it meant.
If she was finding herself just as attracted to him as he was to her…
Well, that would be something. It would take away the feeling that he was taking advantage of her, somewhat at least.
It still wouldn’t be an ideal situation, but the tugging in his chest that always reared up when Holly was around definitely approved of the idea. The dragon in him clearly wanted her for his horde, like she was a piece of treasure, a golden idol that he wasn’t meant to touch, but whose glimmer and shine called to him anyway.
On Saturdays, the diner opened later than usual, eliminating the breakfast rush since most people didn’t have to work that day. It meant that he didn’t have to get up as early, and so on Friday nights, he tended to let himself relax a little more than usual.
They swept the floors and put the chairs up on the tables together, and Artemis frowned when he noticed that Holly seemed more keyed up than usual that night.
She’d been fine through most of the day, working steadily and chatting with the other employees. He’d even caught her laughing at one of Carlos’ terrible jokes in between rushes, which had yet to happen in the time she’d been there. Artemis had taken it as a good sign that she was adjusting not only to him, but to the others as well.
But now a lot of that progress seemed to be undone, if the way she was fidgeting and jumping at most sounds was any indication.
When she knocked over a chair and it clattered to the floor and she squeaked and went pale, Artemis stepped in. He placed a hand on her shoulder and then picked up the chair, pushing her gently out of the way.
“Is there something we should talk about?” he asked, looking down at her.
“W-what?” Holly replied, shaking her head. “N-no. I’m fine. Completely fine.”
“Uh huh,” Artemis said, unconvinced. �
�You’ve been a nervous wreck all night just about. Did something happen?”
Holly shook her head helplessly, a look on her face that he couldn’t quite identify. “No, everything’s fine. I just…” she sighed and shook her head again. “It’s fine. Let’s just finish up.”
Artemis frowned at her and shook his own head. “I can handle it from here. You can go on up to the apartment. I’ll be up soon.” She looked like she wanted to argue, but then she nodded and hurried off.
He listened to her take the stairs nearly two at a time and frowned, wondering what had gotten into her. It was quick work to finish up the clean up, and soon enough, he was flipping off the lights and heading up himself.
When he pushed the door open, Holly was sitting on her bed, wringing her hands in her lap and looking anxious.
Before Artemis could open his mouth to say anything about it, though, Holly was getting up and making her way over to him. She stood there in front of him and drew in a deep breath before meeting his eyes.
“I’ve been thinking about something lately,” she said.
Artemis arched an eyebrow, hoping that they were finally going to get somewhere. “Oh?”
She nodded firmly. “Yeah. And I want to repay you.”
“Holly, we have been through this. For one, you don’t have to repay me. And for another, you’re working in the diner.”
“But you’re paying me for that,” she said. “I didn’t expect to stay here for so long. I just. It seemed like a safe place to be while I figured out where I was headed, but then you were so nice, and so…” She seemed lost for words, and Artemis watched her carefully, taking in the way she bit her lip and then dragged her tongue along it.
And then right before his eyes, she was sinking to her knees in front of him, hesitating only for a second before she leaned in and rubbed her cheek over his crotch.
Artemis sucked in a sharp breath, but his body responded eagerly before he could control himself, cock twitching in his pants and beginning to fill just from the view of her on her knees and the slight friction. It had been a long time since he’d had anything like this, so it was no wonder.
Holly had a determined expression on her face as she nuzzled him and then began mouthing at his cock through his jeans.
It wasn’t enough stimulation to do much more than get him excited, but that was...good. It was good because he was supposed to be putting an end to this, not encouraging it. He had better control over himself than that.
“Holly,” he rasped, leaning back and ending up against the door. “Holly, stop.”
“But why?” Holly said, looking up at him with large eyes. “You want it, I can feel that you want it.”
“It’s not...you don’t owe me anything,” Artemis stressed, trying to get it through her head. “And even if you did, you don’t owe me this. I’m not going to take advantage of you.”
She made a frustrated sound and then sat back on her heels. “It’s not taking advantage of me if I choose it,” she said. “If I want it. And I do. I want it. Please?”
And good grief, he was wavering. He was a dragon, for crying out loud. His job was to dig in his heels and tell her how it was going to be. Tell her that this was inappropriate and they shouldn’t do it and then proceed like nothing had happened. But he couldn’t make himself do that. Not when she was looking at him with those desperate eyes and leaning in again, practically pleading to be allowed to do this.
He wanted it, that much was true. Not because it was a blow job or because it had been ages since anything other than his own hand had gotten him off, but because it was her. Because in the short amount of time that he’d known Holly, she’d charmed him utterly, and the beast inside him was roaring its approval and urging him to get on with it already.
So he nodded. “Alright, then.”
Her answering smile was brilliant, and Artemis couldn’t help but smile back, letting one hand come forward so he could tangle fingers in her hair while she went back to nuzzling him before she undid his pants.
He already knew what she was going to find when she got his jeans open and pulled down enough to free his cock. Artemis was a large man, built like the rest of the males of his kind, and he was...rather proportional all the way through.
Holly gasped when she say his cock, wrapping her fingers around it and stroking slowly. “Jesus,” she muttered and then looked up at him.
Artemis made a face and shrugged. “Par for the course,” he offered, and was about to remind her that she didn’t have to do anything she wasn’t comfortable with when she leaned forward and licked him from base to tip with the flat of her tongue.
Alright then.
Clearly it wasn’t going to be a problem.
Also clearly this wasn’t her first time. She knew just how to make up for where her mouth couldn’t reach with her hand, and the difference in feel was enough to have Artemis tipping his head back against the door and groaning softly. She thumbed the head of his cock, and precome leaked from the tip, which she licked up quickly, glancing up at him to watch his face.
He didn’t know what it looked like, but there was no doubt that he was enjoying himself.
Carefully she eased her mouth over the head of his cock and sucked lightly, and pleasure shot through him, making his hips push forward just a bit before Artemis could get his reactions in check. The last thing he wanted to do was hurt her, so he let out a slow breath and forced himself to calm down, letting Holly go at her own pace.
This was something she wanted to do, and he was interested to see what she would do with her freedom of movement.
Apparently the answer was that she was going to try to get as much of Artemis in her mouth as she could. He was thicker than he was long, but it still wasn’t easy, and the sight of her pink lips wrapped around his hard flesh had him groaning her name.
Her mouth was sweet and hot and wet, and Artemis’ nostrils flared. He tightened his fingers in her hair, savoring the muffled moan she gave him in response. From the heated look in her eyes, she was enjoying herself, and that made him enjoy it all the more. While some of his kind were known for being selfish in bed, Artemis had always taken a certain amount of pleasure in the pleasure of his partners. It was a point of pride on the one hand, being able to bring pleasure to the person he was sleeping with, and common courtesy on the other hand. He wasn’t about using people.
But Holly was making pleased noises as she bobbed her head, taking more and more of him into her mouth as she worked. She hummed and moaned, tongue sliding along the underside of his heated flesh, and her eyes never left his.
Artemis would have closed his own eyes and relished the sensations coursing through his body, but instead he held that gaze. His gemstone eyes locked with hers as he panted and swore and breathed her name.
The first time her name fell from his lips, she seemed to get even more into what she was doing, doubling her efforts while her eyes nearly pleaded with him to say it again.
So he did.
“Holly,” he groaned. “Holly.”
She whimpered softly, obviously pleased to be having an effect on him. When she needed to pull back to breathe, she kept her hand working, sliding over the damp length from root to tip and then back down again, hand twisting while she panted.
He wasn’t going to last long. It had been too long since he’d experienced this, and Holly was too determined to get him off. She was going to get her wish.
Artemis barely managed to warn her, toes curling in his shoes when she fitted her mouth back over him and sucked hard, cheeks hollowing as she worked her way back down.
And then he was done for, that heated pleasure curling against his spine and in his stomach before it spread out to the rest of him in a messy burst as he found his release with a growled swear.
Holly shivered and swallowed everything he gave her, grinning to herself as she pulled off and licked him clean. She stayed on her knees in front of him, and Artemis eased his grip on her hair, stroking his finger
s through it instead, almost petting her while he remembered how to breathe and came down from the orgasm.
“Was it…” Holly began, chewing on her lip again. “Was it alright?”
Artemis laughed, and it was a husky sound, deep with pleasure and the sated nature of that primal side of him. “Yes,” he said. “It was more than alright.”
She looked pleased with herself, and Artemis hesitated for a moment before pulling her to her feet. He searched her face for a moment, looking for some sign that she didn’t want more, and when he didn’t find it, he leaned in and kissed the corner of her mouth.
Her sharp gasp stopped him for a moment, but the fierce whimper of need that followed made him think that it was probably okay. So he kissed her, pulling her close to him and resting a possessive hand on the small of her back as their lips met again and again.
Chapter 6: Guilt and Survival
In the early morning light that came through the window into Artemis’ bedroom, Holly lay there on his bed and sighed to herself. She could hear Artemis going about his morning routine of starting the coffee and then taking a shower, and she rolled over in the bed, soaking up the warmth that he’d left behind when he’d tried to get up without waking her.
Artemis was wonderful. That was the conclusion she’d come to. He was smart and funny and brilliantly kind, and he looked at her like he would throw himself in front of a bus to keep her safe.
When she’d called him on it, he’d just shrugged and told her it was an instinct that came along with being a shifter, the urge to keep the people he cared for safe.
Holly had snorted at his reply because all the shifters she knew had sought to keep the people they claimed to care for under their control, and she knew first hand that it was completely different from keeping them safe.
Hakona: Dragon Warrior (Scifi Alien Dragon Romance) Page 21