“I like this. What do you call it?”
“My bra?”
“One day you can walk around in just the bra.”
“It comes with matching panties.” She pointed.
He raised a brow. A second later her jeans vanished. His eyes flared as he sat back on his knees, running his gaze from her bra to her panties and back.
“Wow.”
“You like?”
His hand splayed against her stomach, traced the curve of her hip. Warmth spread outward, tracings of heat twining through her limbs.
“You are beautiful.”
“You are way overdressed.”
He winked, and his trousers disappeared. Then he lay on top of her, fitting against her as if formed from a mold of her body. Hard muscles rubbed against her sensitive skin while his lips and tongue tempted her with pleasure. The lace of her bra rasped against the calluses on his palms as he cupped her breast.
“Why don’t you take it off? I can model it later.”
He shrugged, and air touched the bare skin of her breasts.
“Nice magic show.”
“I try.” One corner of his mouth kicked up before he lowered his head to pay some attention to her breasts.
Parker sighed, her hands running through the coarse strands of his hair, across the muscular planes of his back. Part of her wanted to crawl inside his embrace and stay forever. The draw of his presence, of his touch, cocooned her in warmth, in—dare she think it—love.
Jamie kissed down her stomach until he reached her panties. “Raise your bottom for me.”
“No magic?” She did as he asked.
“This puts you right where I want you.” He slid her panties off and positioned his arms under her legs, raising her to his mouth.
“Oh, yeah.”
His tongue sent shivers of pleasure roiling across her skin, over and over again until she screamed her release. When she opened her eyes, Jamie wore an expression of pride, as if he single-handedly brought down a drug cartel. He lowered his body over hers one slow inch at a time.
As soon as his thick head pressed against her core, her mind snapped out of its post-orgasmic haze, and she shoved at his shoulder.
“Wait a second.” Jamie gritted his teeth, his eyes closing as he sucked in a breath. “Sorry, but we need a condom.”
His eyes popped open as his brows furrowed. “A condom?”
“Birth control? You put it on over your penis.”
“Draconi are not very fertile. We don’t use birth control.”
“I’m not Draconi. And you’re half human. Besides, don’t your males get non-Draconi women pregnant? Isn’t that your job to find their offspring?”
Jamie sat back on his heels. “You’re right. It’s not something I’ve ever had to think about.” He glanced at his dresser. “Erik, though, found something like what you’re talking about in a village on our last mission.” He walked to the dresser and pulled open a drawer. After rummaging around, he returned with a small cloth bag, closed with a drawstring.
He sat on the edge of the bed and Parker rolled toward him, her hand resting on his thigh. “I’m sorry. I always take precautions.”
“Do you not want children?”
Did she not want his, is what he meant. His eyes broadcast the thought as if a movie screen. “Not now. Maybe someday. Is that a problem?”
“No. I’m not so sure I want them either.” He pulled the string on the bag and took out a small object, which he handed to her.
A red ribbon tied the smooth casing into a flat package. Parker held it up to her nose. Not latex. She untied the ribbon and the material expanded to the size of a penis. Jamie pulled out a jar.
“An apothecary gave Erik this. Said to apply the cream to the male-parts and cover with the fitted sock before bedplay and no children will result.”
“Are you sure it will work?”
“Apothecaries give good medicine.”
“What about diseases?”
“Draconi are not susceptible to those types of diseases. Is this questioning common before bedplay in your land?”
“Yeah. If we’re smart about it.” Parker held the strange condom. Was she willing to take a chance? The invisible strings tying them together tightened. Jamie wasn’t a one night stand. He was forever. As crazy as that sounded. “Do you mind wearing it?”
“No.” No hesitation.
Her heart swelled.
He held out his hand and she dropped the condom into it.
She dipped her hand into the jar and spread the cream over his stiff length, stroking as she rubbed it in.
Jamie moaned, his head falling back.
Parker pushed him against the mattress, scooting with him until she straddled his legs.
Jamie put on the condom and Parker positioned the head of his length at her opening. A couple of shifts and she eased him inside. Filling her. Completing her.
A moan escaped her lips, found a twin in his sigh. She moved along his length, building a rhythm, stroking against him where she ached. When she exploded into pleasure, he held her, joining her in bliss.
After he removed the condom and drew her into his arms, she lay with her ear against his chest, the beat of his heart a rapid thud-thud of life. She fell asleep wrapped in his embrace, as if their souls entwined them for eternity.
Chapter Nineteen
Parker woke to the steady thump of fists against the front door. Jamie untangled his legs from hers, rolled off the bed and walked out of the room, leaving her skin chilled without his warmth. As soon as she heard the squeak of hinges, Erik’s voice boomed through the house.
“Are you trying to get us killed? We were supposed to have left half an hour ago. Why don’t you have on clothes?” A pause. “Oh.” Another pause. “I’ll sit out here and hope the Council doesn’t decide to check up on our progress. Or lack thereof.”
A click indicated a closed door. Jamie appeared in the doorway a few seconds later, running his hand through his hair until it stood straight and frizzy.
“I forgot about having to search for the Halfling.”
“Me too.” She threw off the covers and sat. “I can help you if you’d like.” Judging by the raised brow, he might not want her help.
“I should stop being shocked over anything you ask. The village where we’re going is outside Draconia borders. Females rarely leave Draconia, so I’m surprised you want to go.”
“What?” What kind of backward place was this? “What do you mean females don’t leave? Do you men keep them chained up or something?”
“No, no, nothing like that. Females carry a bit of the Goddess inside them, and they must be protected. They are free within Draconia, but they don’t leave.”
“And none of them have a problem with that?”
“Danger exists outside our borders. They understand and prefer the safety of Draconia.”
“So you’re saying if I live here…”
“If?”
“If I live here, you’d expect me to stay put and clean house?”
“Of course not. Females don’t clean the house. That’s a male’s job.”
Okay, she could live with that. But not with staying put. “Then what do you expect me to do while you’re off running around?”
“You are angry.”
“You are observant.” Parker stood. No sense in having a fight while sitting. Standing put her on equal footing. Even if she stood nude.
Thick carpet cushioned her feet, carpet like the grass in her yard, lush and soft. Homesickness slammed into her, stealing her breath, sending a dose of dizziness. Parker leaned against the bed. So much for being on equal footing.
Would she ever see home again?
“Parker?” Jamie rushed to her side, wrapping an arm around her waist.
Breath sawed in and out of her lungs as if she ran a mile. Could she return home? Why did it take her until now to realize how far away from home she was?
“What’s wrong?”
; She focused on the concern in Jamie’s voice, on the touch of his arm against her skin, the warmth radiating from his body, draping her like a security blanket. Breathe, Parker, deep breath in. The dizziness subsided, while the empty hole in her stomach grew, a depository of ice. Get a grip, it could be worse. Shivers shook her limbs, rattling her bones like a box of loose bullets.
So much for self talk.
“I can’t go home.” Her voice escaped small and trembling. Embarrassing. Get a grip.
Jamie rubbed her back, drew her into his embrace. The thump of his heart, the powerful thud-thud, failed to calm her. Damn it. She needed to stop acting like a sissy, crying over the matter would get her nowhere.
But chills continued a relentless slide down her spine, paying her attempt at self talk no attention.
“You’ll be all right.” A couple of pats. “We can try to go back with Erik’s help. Not sure if he’ll help or if we’ll be able to do it again, but we can try.” Uncertainty crept through his words, a thief on a mission.
“Don’t leave me here alone.” Did those cry-baby words actually come out of her mouth? Apparently Draconia brought out her inner sissy.
Get a grip, damn it.
“You can come with us.”
“You just said it wasn’t done.”
“Draconi females don’t leave. You’re human.”
Yeah, and humans were frowned upon here. Yet another reason to go home. So why did the thought of leaving Jamie bring such an ache to her chest? Probably due to remaining panic particles floating through her veins.
“And that’s bad.”
“Not to me it isn’t. It’s just different.”
“If I stay here, I won’t be accepted.”
Jamie stiffened. “Once Thoren tells them you aren’t a threat, they’ll accept you. I’ll make sure of it.”
“You can’t force people to believe a certain way.”
“No, but you can persuade them the error of their beliefs.” He inhaled a raspy breath. “I can return with you. To your world. If we are able to return.”
Force him to leave his family, his home, just so she would feel at ease? Being a selfish bitch was not in her playbook.
“Maybe we should go our separate ways.”
Jamie’s breath hitched, his panic wrapping her in a blast of suffocating fog. “Let’s not make a hasty decision. We can find the Halfling and stop by the caves on the way home. All right?”
Hurting Jamie was not her wish. Although, if she returned home and left him behind, hurting him would be the outcome. Everything inside her resisted, a ball of pain formed behind her sternum, spread outward, cold and clammy. No, she couldn’t leave him.
But how could she stay in a place that didn’t want her?
****
Jamie tried sucking in deep breaths on the off chance the air would stop the pulsing ache in his chest. How could he let his mate go? How could he force her to stay if there was a way for her to return to her home? He wanted to tie her to the bed, to chain her in his house, to refuse her request to leave.
A male was nothing without his mate.
But he knew better than to deny her request even if it meant losing her.
Parker nodded. “I’m sorry.”
“Nothing to be sorry for. Finding yourself in a different realm with different customs is bound to be disorienting.”
“To put it mildly.” A deep breath in. A noisy release. “All right. Let’s go get this Halfling. Then we can figure out what to do about us.”
After a quick bath, they met an impatient Erik outside.
“Finally. My arse was going numb.” Erik stood and rubbed his arse as he raised a brow at Parker.
“Better than other parts.” Jamie slapped him on his arm. “How are you?”
“Better. Went to the Temple and they healed my ankle.” His voice lowered. “Why’s she here?”
“Parker is coming with us to find the Halfling.”
“Can she do that?”
“Of course I can.” Parker crossed her arms. “You have a problem with it?”
Erik threw up his hands, palms out. “No, no. No problem. It’s just unusual is all. Never been on a mission with a female.”
“We want to stop by the caves on the way back. See if Parker can return to her home. Would you return her home?”
Erik’s brows furrowed as his gaze darted from Jamie to Parker and back. Are you sure about that?
She needs to try. Even if he wanted to deny her the ability.
She’s your mate.
She needs to decide.
Erik shrugged. “We’ll stop by the caves if that’s what you want. As long as we find the Halfling. The Council will have our hides if we don’t.”
Jamie grabbed Parker’s hand. “Point taken. I’ll meet you outside Hogsbreath. That’s where the Council said the Halfling lived.”
“What do you mean meet me? You need me to transport.”
“You weren’t doing such a good job of it yesterday.” Jamie grinned at his friend. “We’ll meet you there. Ready?”
Parker nodded, and Jamie threw them into a transport, Erik following behind. They appeared on the outskirts of Hogsbreath to the south of the Draconia border, hidden in the trees that lined the edges of the road, protective sentries marching toward the village.
Parker dropped to her knees, gagging as tremors wracked her body.
Jamie knelt beside her, pressing a hand to her back.
“Ward lines suck.”
“It’ll get better.” He hoped. Maybe he should ask Thoren about it when they returned.
If they returned.
What would he do if Parker left him? Or if she insisted he return with her? Of course he’d go, but would he ever see his parents again? His land? His friends?
The magnitude of Parker’s sacrifice punched him in the gut like an enraged boar. Who was he to demand she stay here? If he went with her, if he abandoned all he knew and loved, he could use his magic without constraint. Without hiding. Without seeing pity in others’ eyes.
The thought tempted him, luring him in, a bright jewel for a treasure chest.
Maybe he would offer to return with her. Maybe.
Parker wiped the back of her wrist across her mouth. “It’s better.” She sat back on her heels. “How do we find the Halfling?”
“The Council heard of the existence of a child Halfling in this village.” Erik leaned against a tree. “We’re sent to see if the intelligence is correct.”
“You mean you were sent out here on a rumor?”
“That’s usually the way it works.”
“But don’t you,” she turned to Jamie, “find people?”
“Yes. But it helps to know something besides rumor about a person.”
She sighed and slapped her palms against her thighs. “Then we need to ask. Unless you have a magical way of getting information?”
“None that we’re allowed to use.”
She grinned. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
Jamie offered her a hand, pulling her to her feet. For a long moment, she stared into his eyes, a meeting of souls pulling him deeper into the pool of, dare he say it, love. Love. An emotion he never thought to feel for a female. Much less have a chance at that love being returned.
He assumed she felt the same. What if she didn’t? What if he was the only male to find his mate and then lose her?
Jamie closed his eyes, breaking the connection to Parker, as he drew in a breath. Pull it together. Focus on the mission.
Parker squeezed his hand when he opened his eyes. As if she knew his thoughts.
Impossible. Right?
Parker dropped his hand as they walked toward Hogsbreath, her strides in step with his, her body close enough to brush against his arm. As if they walked as one. One mind. One body. One heart.
Sap, sap, sap.
Were all Draconi males this crazy about their mates? If so, how did they get anything done?
Focus on the mission, idiot. You can
worry about Parker later.
Parker turned to him. “Did you say something?”
“No.” She couldn’t hear him. Humans did not mind-speak.
“I thought I heard my name.”
Goddess’s toes. Maybe humans could mind-speak.
“I didn’t say anything.”
“Would you look at that?” Thank Goddess for Erik’s interruption. With any luck Parker wouldn’t notice the heat splashing his cheeks.
“What?” Parker stopped before she ran into Erik, who stood still in the road.
Jamie glanced at his friend and followed the direction of Erik’s point. He blinked. And again. Why did Hogsbreath have a stone wall twice his height surrounding it?
“Have they been attacked?” Who would attack a village known primarily for cloth, spices and herbal medicines? Most villages didn’t bother with walls, leaving those fortifications to larger towns.
“Do I look like I know?”
“You commented on it.”
“And that makes me privy to their secret meetings?” Erik grinned.
“Does it matter whether or not they have a wall?” Parker tilted her head, one brow raised.
“It might. If they are expecting raiders, then we’ll be under suspicion as outsiders.”
“Do they not have travelers?”
“They used to.”
“Spices and cloth and whatnot.” Erik waved a hand.
“So we pretend to be merchants.”
“We don’t look like merchants.”
“We look Draconi. Well, I do. He,” Erik gestured to him, a grin turning his lips, “always confuses them as to his race. Is he Draconi? Is he human?”
Jamie shook his head. Being accustomed to his friend’s teasing and liking it were two different beasts. “It’s better than thinking I’m the arse-end of a dragon.”
Erik slapped a hand over his heart. “I’m wounded.”
“You’ll live.” A grin twitched Jamie’s lips. Erik’s teasing pricked his pride at times, but living without it would be akin to sleeping without a blanket on a cold night, doable, but not comfortable.
“Now that we have that settled,” Parker cleared her throat, “Why don’t you magic some merchant-looking clothes. You can do that, right?”
Jamie suspected Erik’s flared eyes mirrored his own. Use costumes to find a Halfling? Clearly Erik wasn’t the only one full of humor this morning. “That’s not how we operate.”
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