“To protect Gentry,” he said instantly.
“What is it with you guys?” she asked, staring into his eyes like she could suck out his secrets simply with her beauty.
She couldn’t.
“What do you mean by that?” he asked.
“You’re so… subservient.”
“I owe him everything. More than I could ever repay,” Sterling said simply. “But it’s not something I wish to discuss.”
“Fine,” she said. “And my dreams aren’t something I wish to discuss either.”
Sterling knew he’d hit a dead end and decided to reroute. “So you are passionate about cooking,” Sterling said. “Why?”
She sighed. “I feel like you’re only asking as part of some evil plan.”
“My plans are not evil,” he said, stifling a smile. “But you liked my plans fine last night.”
She bit her lip and looked away from him, embarrassed. “I… Of course I did,” she said. “But I’m liking you less this morning.”
“Why?” he asked.
“Because you’re pressing me, and you’re not understanding my reasoning.”
“It isn’t reasoning. It’s emotion. And yes, I have a tough time understanding it. I have a tough time picturing you happy if you left us and went to chef’s school. Mainly because you can’t go to chef’s school if you’re dead.”
“What do you mean?” she asked. She frowned, and he instantly wanted to turn the conversation around. Emotionally, that was. Rationally, he knew he had to make her see reason.
“I mean that if we hadn’t rescued you, you’d be dead. So staying with us is still a step up on that. And if you leave, you could still die. Even if you stay with us as you are, with no power, you could still die. The safest thing would be to mate us.”
“This again,” she said, turning away to turn on the stove. “Look, a person can also die just getting into their car or going down stairs. You can’t make life decisions that way.”
“This isn’t like that,” Sterling said. “This is something that will happen if it’s not otherwise prevented. And it’s awful.”
She turned to him. “Then why won’t you tell me what it is?”
“Because Gentry doesn’t want me to,” he said tersely, resenting that he couldn’t just lay it all on the line for her.
“Fine,” she said. “But if I make the choice to stay with you, I need to make it for the reasons that seem right to me. Not because you’re pressuring me.”
“Fine. So tell me what it is you love so much about cooking. It’s work; that’s all,” he said.
She shook her head as she turned to face him. He had to admire the way her face seemed to light up whenever she was feeling passion.
Like last night. She’d been so beautiful. She was so beautiful. All he wanted was to prevent her from being in pain.
“Cooking is not just work,” she said. “Not for me. It’s creating and tasting and pleasing others and pleasing myself. So much is wrapped up in food. I remember being comforted by it so often growing up.” She leaned on the counter with a sigh. “My dad used to love my cooking. He said it reminded him of Mom.”
“Used to?” he asked, though he already knew the answer, having been inside her mind. But he’d found people preferred to tell you things about themselves on their own.
“He died a few years back. Heart problems,” she said sadly. “But I know he’d be happy to know I was still keeping the dream going. He always wanted me to go to chef’s school. Had money put away for me and was saving. But the medical bills from his hospital stay really depleted that. So I’ve been working for years to build it back up.” She shrugged. “I know it doesn’t seem like much to you, but it’s been everything to me. Every late shift, every night eating beans out of a can…”
“Sounds unpleasant,” Sterling said.
“It was. But it was worth it. And now I have to wrap my head around letting go of it all. Was it for nothing?”
“I don’t think so,” Sterling said. “We will bring in anyone you want. You can still have your cooking dream.”
“I appreciate that,” she said, shaking her head. “But it’s not the same.”
“And about your dad, I’m sorry that happened to you,” he said. “But I think above all, your father would want you to be safe and happy.”
She turned away, clearly stifling emotion, and he felt an overwhelming need to comfort and protect, as he often did around her.
“Anyway, what you said about cooking makes sense,” he said. “And even when it doesn’t, I’ll try to be more patient with you. If you’ll try to be more patient with me. If I seem impatient, it’s only that I’m not eager to see Gentry suffer with visions anymore. And I don’t want to see the vision come true.”
She nodded. “I know. But it’s my life and I have to make this decision knowing I did it on my own, okay?”
Sterling nodded. There was nothing logical about this, so he would have to tread more carefully. Be more open to the emotion and intuition this bright woman seemed to work with. Talking to her had made him feel better anyway.
“Show me how you made those omelets,” he prompted.
She laughed and gestured for him to join her.
6
Gentry couldn’t believe what he was seeing when he walked into the kitchen later that day—Sterling covered in flour, cooking with Roxy, who was currently giggling and smearing a bit of flour on Sterling’s nose.
When Sterling merely wrinkled his nose and shook his head in response rather than having an outburst about cleanliness, Gentry was sure he’d walked into the twilight zone.
It was a little bit lonely that he was seeing a side to Sterling he’d never seen before, all because Roxy was here.
Then again, Roxy was bringing sunlight into the drafty old castle and that was worth it even if it was a little painful at times to sweep out the old cobwebs that had existed there for so long.
“Gentry!” Sterling said, looking pleased with himself as he opened the oven and took out a pan of muffins with his oven mitt. He slid them onto the counter and started trying to remove one, but Roxy batted his hand away.
“Let them cool,” she said, and Sterling reluctantly took off the mitt and went to sit by Gentry on one of the stools.
Gentry was unable to resist reaching up to brush some of the flour off Sterling’s nose, and Sterling’s eyes narrowed as he tried to look at the offending substance.
Gentry laughed as Sterling abruptly stood and walked in the direction of the bathroom, probably to clean up.
“So, you two have been cooking all day?” Gentry asked.
She nodded. Her beautiful short curls had little bits of flour in it them as well, and Gentry could see a little piece of jam at the corner of her mouth, presumably from something they’d put in the muffins.
He couldn’t resist wrapping an arm around her and pulling her in for a kiss, gently licking the stray piece of jam before releasing her. Her face was instantly heated, and she took a deep breath as she looked into his eyes.
He loved the chemistry between them.
She took a step back, trying to remember what he’d asked her. “Oh, yes, we have been cooking. It started with him wanting to learn omelets. He really wants to please you.”
Gentry nodded. “I know. I just don’t know how to make him see he doesn’t need to.”
Roxy looked surprised by that but continued cleaning up the kitchen.
They could hear water running in the bathroom, so Gentry decided to tell her a little more. Sterling would be a little while cleaning up.
“You know, a purple and silver dragon wouldn’t usually be paired,” he said carefully, lightly stroking a small bottle of spices that was still on the counter.
“They wouldn’t?” she asked, wiping down the surfaces they’d used and putting away ingredients in the fridge.
“No,” he said. But should he say more? It would help her understand Sterling, but it would also make him angry. It was somet
hing he hated to talk about unless he brought it up himself, and then only to complain.
Gentry slid off the stool and walked around the counter, taking her arm gently.
She turned to him in surprise. “You okay?”
“Yes,” he said, pulling her into his arms. His dragon was already deeply bonded and couldn’t wait another moment to be with her.
He could feel her body responding to his touch, and he mentally called out to Sterling, knowing he’d hear instantly.
Sterling came out holding a wet washcloth and looking semi-clean, though still powdered in some places.
“You called?” he asked, though his silver eyes seemed to quickly be picking up on the situation.
Gentry turned to face him, keeping Roxy tucked against his front. He lazily moved a hand down over her, grazing her breasts, her stomach, her thighs as her breath caught in her throat and she silently begged him for more.
“I was thinking we could help our mate clean up.”
It was a good sign Roxy didn’t even protest at the word mate. It implied she was accepting things. Accepting them. Gentry truly felt, given enough time to come to her own conclusion, she would feel as right about this as they did.
“I’m game for that,” Roxy said, her voice husky, her hand threading through her curls absentmindedly.
Sterling nodded. “I’ll run the bath.” He started for the bedroom door, seemingly unaffected by this turn of events. But when he stopped and turned back to face them, there was a familiar gleam in his eyes.
“Bubbles or no?” he asked.
“Bubbles,” Roxy said.
“No bubbles,” Gentry said at the same time. “I want to see your body.”
Roxy was embarrassed, biting her lip, and Sterling looked between the two of them.
“I’ll run bubbles, then,” he said, giving them a cryptic look over his shoulder. Then he grinned. “Bubbles pop.”
Gentry grinned. It was on. Another chance to bond and win her over. Another chance to let her happy, aroused face remove all the visions of pain and agony.
And maybe, just maybe he could avoid the nightmares tonight if they played it right.
* * *
Roxy was more than a little excited to see the master bathroom. She imagined it would be unbelievable given the size and architecture of the massive house.
She wasn’t disappointed.
When Gentry led her into the master bedroom and then out a side door into the bathroom, she let out a gasp of shock. Beautiful, sparkling gray tile streaked through with silver. Graceful granite countertops with gold fixtures. A large tub that was more the size of a hot tub in a back yard than a normal bathtub.
It too was made of marble and carved into a deep, rectangular bowl shape that looked soft and inviting.
Sterling started the water running, pulling on two gold knobs and then pouring in something from a glass bottle, starting bubbles.
“Who’s first?” she asked.
“You have to be kidding,” Gentry said, whipping his shirt over his head. “We’re all going in of course.”
She heated immediately, tingling with anticipation. Cooking with Sterling had been amazing. She’d actually been bonding with the complicated dragon, and she’d been unable to deny how she felt around him, how her body responded when he reached around her for an ingredient or she put her hand on his to stir things.
It was excellent foreplay, though she wondered if Sterling had felt at all the same way.
“Of course,” Sterling said, pulling off his shirt to reveal a perfect line of defined abs. “It’s natural when one is around one’s mate.”
She nodded, her breath catching in her throat as she studied his long body. Then she looked to Gentry, who was removing his pants.
He was tall and powerful, with tanned skin that looked great with his rich-brown hair and purple eyes. His muscled torso was wide and thick and his legs matched, tall and corded and strong. At the center were his slim hips and perfect ass. And then his—
“Enough,” Sterling said. “You should change too.”
Blood rushed into her face, and other places, as she realized Sterling was fully naked too. Her eyes didn’t know where to look first. She wanted to take in everything at once. Her body was hungry for her dragons.
Her dragons. When had she come to consider them such? When had this all started to feel so right?
Maybe when Sterling cooked with her. Maybe when Gentry had been inside her. She couldn’t say.
She just knew, as she pulled her shirt over her head and saw fire light in a pair of purple eyes and a pair of silver, she felt at home here.
She struggled with the back of her bra, and Sterling raised a hand, causing it to come undone. It fell off, and Sterling flashed a slight grin as she caught her breasts in her hands, shocked by what had happened.
“One never gets used to Sterling’s telekinesis,” Gentry said, reaching around her to hook his thumbs in her panties. He slid them slowly down over her hips, grazing her butt as he went.
He placed a kiss to one cheek as he knelt and slipped them off her feet. She held Sterling’s hand as she stepped out, completely naked.
With all three of them bared, there was a special feeling in the room. No one felt vulnerable and there was pure trust in the circle.
Then Sterling swept her up in his arms and carried her to the tub, which had been filling the entire time and was now covered in a thick white foam and emitting steam. He lifted her over it and let her test it with her toe.
“The right temperature?” he asked.
She nodded, and he lowered her in. The tub was deep, and she let out a squeak of surprise and then looked up to see her two dragons watching her.
Gentry scowled at the foam. “I can’t even see.”
He started scooping away the foam, but Sterling put a hand on Gentry’s shoulder. “All in good time,” he said.
“I wish I had your patience,” Gentry said, stepping toward the tub. He lowered himself in, his purple eyes hungry as he reached for her. She took his hands and eased onto his lap. She could feel his hard length in front of her, pressed into her belly, but he didn’t seem in a rush to do anything with it.
She ached to have him inside her.
Instead, he began kissing her neck, her ear, her cheek, setting kisses as light as butterflies all over her skin, lighting her up from the inside out. It was incredibly gentle and arousing, the opposite of the previous night.
Perhaps every time would be a different experience with these men.
“I hope so,” Gentry said. “I hope we always get better at pleasing you. I hope we keep getting to know you. I hope every time is better than the last.”
She let out a small hum as she bit her lip. His capable hands were at her waist, softly kneading her flesh as if he enjoyed the feel of her curves.
His lips brushed her ear again, sending tremors through her. The smallest touch could feel so sensitive.
“I love your short hair. Makes this—” He nipped the base of her earlobe. “So easy to do.”
She groaned and arched as his hands found her buttocks and kneaded there. He was so close to the place she wanted him to touch, and she ground slightly against him, letting him know what she wanted.
“All in good time,” he said softly. “I’m still savoring you.”
Then his hand dipped between her legs and she let out a gasp. She turned to see Sterling watching them, his eyes hot, like molten silver, his muscles tensed.
“Aren’t you getting in?” Gentry asked.
“I’m sorry. I was mesmerized by the sight.” Sterling blinked and composed himself. “You’re beautiful, Roxy. I too am resenting the bubbles.”
She giggled and brushed a few of them out of the way. “Well, come in and help us pop some, then.”
He nodded.
She let out a little moan as she felt him slip in behind her. This was going to be amazing.
* * *
Sterling was going to pop all the b
ubbles. He was surprised by the strength of the hunger within him, his dragon’s need to take his mate.
All his life, he’d felt unworthy of where he was, cognizant of the fact that without Gentry, he’d be in a lab somewhere, isolated from humanity and probably wasting away in the name of research.
He’d tried not to take too much for himself. Tried to make himself worthy of the mercy he’d gotten when Gentry picked him over the gold dragon for a partner.
The gold dragon was the perfect protector. The one the purple dragon always chose with first pick.
Everyone had been shocked when Gentry picked Sterling. But none of them had known what Sterling knew. That Gentry must have been aware the leaders over their region were planning to take Sterling away for research. They just couldn’t break dragon tradition by removing him before the purple dragon had first pick.
Sterling had always been grateful to Gentry for a move that was surely motivated by pity. The gold dragon would have been a better protector, with his perfect shielding abilities. Instead, Sterling had to work hard and be creative to avoid those who wanted to take out the dragon leader.
And he’d developed a reputation for being a fierce adversary, enough that the attempts on Gentry’s life had significantly lessened. But he was still aware he owed Gentry everything. And he’d always tried to be unselfish to pay him back for that.
But now, with Roxy in front of him, the beautiful little woman who’d been so patient with him earlier, who’d touched him and talked to him and cooked with him as if he were equal to everyone else, he felt greedy.
Selfishly, he wanted her for his own. Wanted to be the one taking her, pounding into her, pleasuring her, and hearing her call his name.
But he couldn’t take that from Gentry.
“Damn, Sterling,” Gentry said, interrupting his thoughts. “Your thoughts are so loud even I can hear them.”
Sterling blinked. His hands were around Roxy, caressing her breasts, though he didn’t remember doing that, and Gentry looked up at him with a puzzled but amused expression. Roxy was breathing hard from the combination of his hands on her breasts and Gentry’s hand between her legs.
Destined Dragons: BBW Paranormal Romance (Dragons of New York Book 3) Page 6