by Marcy Jacks
For that, he supposed it made sense that Zane would be so angry over this whole thing. He didn’t understand. Josh barely understood.
“You want me to get you some water? We don’t have to go back upstairs.” Dimitri’s voice was a welcome distraction. Just what Josh needed to forget about how fucked up everything was.
Josh shook his head. “No. I think I’d feel weird if I was walking around here freely, considering how suspicious everyone is of me and Zane. Is he still with Marxus?”
Dimitri nodded. “Yeah, and he’s fine. Marxus is a hothead sometimes, but your brother is in safe hands with him. And you don’t have to worry about anything when it comes to walking around this house. You live here now. This place is your home.”
Something light and wonderful ignited within Josh’s chest. The surefire way Dimitri said that, as if he didn’t have to think about it, that he already knew this was the new reality he was living under and it was the right one.
This was Josh’s new home. The place where he used to take orders and was forced to ignore the horrible things going on around him, this massive, beautiful mansion was now his home.
He squashed that feeling down. “Well, I’m glad for that, but I’m still pretty new here. I think it will take a little while before I feel, you know, comfortable enough to be walking around so freely here.”
He wasn’t going to lounge back on the couch with his feet up and a bowl of popcorn next to him playing video games. Much as he loved them, he still felt like a guest in this house.
Not just a guest but an intruder.
Dimitri stroked the back of his head, his fingers seemingly taking great pleasure in touching his hair, the man’s nails gently, pleasantly, scratching at Josh’s scalp.
The warm coil of pleasure began to slowly unwind within him, and Josh was quickly reminded of all the teasing he’d gone through, of the nearly drunken episode in Dimitri’s room where he’d lost almost complete control of himself.
He wanted that feeling again.
“Keep touching me,” Josh begged softly. He closed his eyes when Dimitri did just that, struggling to contain the moan within him.
Dimitri actually laughed at him. “I left you in a bit of a state, did I?”
“Yeah,” Josh moaned, opening his eyes, already feeling as if he wasn’t entirely there, not fully in control of himself as his blood ran warm and his cock swelled and pulsed. “And all will be forgiven if you take care of this.”
“Fair enough, but this isn’t over. You have to know that, right?” Dimitri asked.
It honestly took Josh a minute to figure out what the man could be talking about.
When he did figure it out, he wasn’t all that impressed. “You’re talking about me and Zane?”
“Not really, not anymore,” Dimitri said. “Before you came down, James was telling us how worried he was that Varrick would send someone after him, to get back at him, kill him, maybe kill Taylor, for leaving. If Varrick did send people sniffing after James, there’s a good chance they’ll catch yours and Zane’s scents, too.”
Josh tensed.
“Try not to worry about it.”
“How can I not worry about that?” Josh asked. “There was a reason why Zane and I left instead of sticking around fighting. They’ll kill us and everyone here.”
“No, they won’t.” Dimitri’s voice took a hard turn, his eyes glazing over with a darkness that made Josh tense. “Because they’ll have to get through me, and every other dragon in this damned house, if those vampire fucks want to get to you. Understand? Seth drove them out with just him, Stefan, Lucian, Andrei, and a few other guys beneath them. This time I’m here. And if they come back, just like every other time, we’ll drive them back.”
Josh’s heart wouldn’t stop pounding. He could hardly catch his breath at those words.
Because he believed them. He believed that Dimitri would do anything and everything in his power to make sure Josh stayed safe.
“I…I think I love you.”
Dimitri grinned at him. “Good. You said that quicker than I hoped you would.”
Josh growled at him. “Don’t get too full of yourself. I’m still not entirely convinced about this mating thing.”
The growl that Dimitri let out sounded suspiciously like a purr as his powerful arm curled around Josh’s waist, pulling him closer.
“Want me to do a little more convincing?”
As if he had to ask. Josh would run to this man and let Dimitri do whatever he wanted to him in a heartbeat. “Yes, please.”
“Good,” Dimitri said again. “And by the way, I happen to love you, too.”
THE END
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