by Leela Ash
Gavin nodded slowly. “So, you’re telling me we need a whole lot of kennels, just in case you can catch a bunch of cats by yourself.”
“With one other person,” Naomi said quickly, as if trying to justify doing something that seemed rather impossible. “There’s a woman who is really invested in those cats, and she has someone who said he would help to make sure they were safe, so she doesn’t worry about them. I am actually hoping to catch one of the kittens and gift it to her for all of her help. She is very invested in their well-being, and I would love to have some way to thank her and to give her some companionship.”
“I see,” Gavin murmured thoughtfully. It would surely be quite the task to catch stray cats as a human, but people with Loni or shifter blood might have a better hand at it. Perhaps, he would be able to enlist the help of the others with this task, and the fire department. They had become good friends with many of the men from the fire department over the past year. Surely, there was some way they would be able to help. She bent over to pick up a hammer from the ground and he averted his eyes quickly. God, she was attractive. She handed it to him and her fingertips brushed against his lightly, and a hot spark of arousal instantly engulfed him. Naomi blinked at him for a moment and the dragon within him sensed that she had reacted in quite a similar way. It took all he had not to advance and surrender to the wild dragon’s impulses. He couldn’t allow it. He had to get his thoughts back on track with the fire station. to help Naomi. She needed help, not a horny dragon.
But Gavin didn’t voice any of his thoughts on the matter quite yet. He didn’t want to give Naomi false hope. She was certainly invested in their well-being, and he didn’t want to do anything that might cause her to feel unrealistically hopeful. It would almost be crueler than not being able to help at all. No, he would make sure he had a plan first.
“I just want to be prepared, just in case we get more than I expect to. It would be a shame to have them but not have anywhere to keep them. A lot of the local shelters want nothing to do with a haul of cats that big. And in my eyes, they have kind of become a family at this point, anyway. Wouldn’t it be nice for them to be able to stick together here? At least until I can maybe adopt them out or something. I could even secure a big fence, so they can have free roam of the yard. Wouldn’t that be wonderful?”
Gavin had already been thinking several steps ahead of Naomi, but the gentleness in her voice brought a surge of warmth coursing through his chest. “It would,” he said, not bothering to let her know he already knew exactly how to reinforce the fence to ensure the cats couldn’t wander off and be hurt elsewhere. “Why don’t you show me where we will be working?”
Naomi nodded eagerly. “Absolutely,” she said, walking toward the back door. Her energy was no longer nervous or overwhelmed with desire for Gavin, which was kind of a relief. As much as he enjoyed her longing, it was quite overwhelming for him. He was having a hard time keeping his thoughts on the task at hand. If they weren’t careful, he would soon have a very obvious problem.
He followed Naomi to the back door and they stepped outside. She led Gavin to the area where she wanted the kennels built and he saw that TJ hadn’t been kidding. He gripped the hammer she had handed him tightly, trying to keep his mind off of the longing she had ignited. The woman was clearly intelligent. She knew exactly what would be needed to craft the kennels. It seemed she simply lacked the knowledge of how to put it all together. And he was more than willing to help.
“This is great,” Gavin said, scanning all the materials and giving a slight nod of approval. “I can get started right away. But first…”
He had been doing his best to come up with excuses to snoop through the house all throughout the ride over. He had finally settled on one that seemed convincing enough, but now, he wasn’t so sure he could go through with it. He didn’t like the idea of lying to Naomi. She was someone he liked very much, who seemed to want to trust him. Someone he didn’t want to mess up with.
But he had to do what was necessary to protect his brethren. His planet. He would have to take the plunge. Even if it meant striking out officially with Naomi and having absolutely no chance of reciprocating his attraction.
“First?” Naomi asked, waiting for him to proceed. His hesitation had been obvious. Why couldn’t he have just come out with it? He didn’t want to make her suspicious. That would make everything worse. Especially his sudden and incessant craving for her to be closer to him. Hers hadn’t gone away either. It grew more persistent the longer they were close. The dragon could sense it. He had to get out of there. Fast. Focus on work.
“I was just wondering … TJ said I should check the basement about something. Is that all right with you?”
He let out a sigh of relief. It was as close to the truth as he was going to get. He wasn’t about to feed her some bullshit excuse about having to check the wiring to make sure he didn’t hammer into any electrical cords and shock himself. He knew the place inside and out. He had done as much work on it as the people who had initially built the house probably had. At least, in a broader sense. Reinforcing things, taking things apart and putting them back together, learning everything he could about every cord and wire and outlet and support beam. He knew the place intimately. He had intended on it to be their home for the duration of their stay on Earth. He’d had no idea that even though they were banished, they had the possibility of finding their fated mates and settling into a new sort of home.
“Of course,” Naomi said, smiling at him. The intensity of her gaze caused him to silence a dragonly groan of protest. Why hold himself back? Why not take what he wanted? What even she wanted? But no, he couldn’t do that. They weren’t fated. Back to the task at hand. She didn’t seem bothered at all by his inquiry. At least there was that. “Do you know where to find it? You seem familiar with the place somehow.”
Gavin froze. How was it that she could read him so well? If she knew that much, did she also know just how difficult a time he was having in keeping himself under control? What was this strange connection they had? It was bizarre.
“Yes, thank you,” Gavin said. “I have been here before. We used to live here together.”
So. Now that was out in the open. He let out a breath of relief he didn’t realize he had been holding. It felt really good to be able to be honest with her. If only he could tell her everything else that had been on his mind. Everything. But that definitely could never happen. It simply wasn’t a possibility. He had to be strong. He could deal with it all himself. What good would it do to be able to talk to her about it, anyway? She was a human. She would never understand.
And he was certain she was a human, because no self-respecting Loni woman would ever find herself running away from a poor emotional situation with all her belongings in a car. It had been clear to him that she was a wreck. Well-intentioned, but a wreck. Lonis were incredibly gifted with their thoughts and feelings. It seemed impossible to him that they would ever get themselves mixed up in a bad situation and feeling so hopeless about it. No, she certainly couldn’t be his fated mate, though it was still nice to consider having her as a friend, or a companion in the least. His body certainly responded well to her … but that didn’t necessarily mean anything, did it?
“Okay, well … good luck with whatever it is you need to check out,” she said, smiling at him.
The smile made his heart constrict tightly in his chest, and Gavin nodded curtly before turning away and entering the house. Again, he was hit by the overpowering scent of Naomi and had to pause in his tracks to reorient himself. This woman really got to him, for whatever reason. But it wasn’t going to do him any good to fixate on it. He was here for a reason.
Gavin clenched his jaw and headed down to the basement, tuning in to his deep Dragon senses. It would help him to be able to focus and pick up any of the residual energy left behind by any of the objects that might potentially be there. He would just have to push Naomi and her scent out of his mind and focus on the task at hand
. No matter how much more he might prefer to be upstairs or beside her, drinking her in. He couldn’t let himself fixate. It wouldn’t be healthy. Not in the least. Not when there was no way anything lasting could ever form between them. She was a human. He was a Dragon shifter. Without a fated mate, he was doomed to live his life out alone. And he was just going to have to try and accept that.
When he arrived in the basement, Gavin sighed and began to rummage around, carefully inspecting the place for any possible relics that had been left behind. His search, however, turned up with nothing. He had wanted TJ to check around the place. He hadn’t wanted to do it himself. Now, though, he knew that Naomi was living in the house. And he had the unexpected pleasure of her company for the afternoon. He would find a way to make the most of it, even if it was inevitably painful because the truth of the matter was that they were probably never going to be able to be completely honest with each other.
When he came up from the basement, he found Naomi standing in the kitchen, pouring two glasses of cool home-made lemonade. She turned to him with a smile that was so beautiful it nearly blinded him, then stepped forward to offer him the glass. Her heart was thudding loudly enough for the dragon to hear it, and he remembered the agonizing arousal that was tied to this woman.
The hardest part was that she wanted him, too. Why was he trying to stop himself? He already knew he would never be able to find a fated mate. He didn’t deserve one. Why not have a little fun and indulge himself? Allow them this passion? They both wanted it. There was absolutely no denying it.
Gavin seemed suddenly the opposite of his normal, cautious self, and let go of all inhibitions. The dragon within him had been tuned into in the basement, and now it had its eyes locked on Naomi. It wasn’t going to deny the depth of its impulses any longer. No. It wanted only one thing. And that was Naomi’s touch. Her nearness. She wanted it too. But he would allow her the luxury of pretending not to if she wanted. But he could no longer keep his need hidden. He would let it be known.
She let out a surprised little cry when, instead of taking the glass, Gavin gripped her wrist gently and tugged her close to his body. Their eyes lingered on one another for a few moments, the sexual tension between them sending electrical pulses throughout the room. It was impossible to hide her true feelings from him. She desired him. Wanted him just as much as he wanted her. And as they locked eyes, he knew she knew she had been found out.
“You can stop me if you want to,” Gavin murmured before the dragon fully kicked him out of the driver’s seat.
Suddenly, his lips were on hers and a wild, animalistic desire flooded through him. His body pulsed with longing when he finally tasted her, and she let out a soft, startled moan when she felt the abundant pressure of his manhood against her thigh. She reached blindly behind her to set the glasses down on the counter and gripped his shoulders tightly, surrendering fully to the kiss.
He felt a sharp thrill as she succumbed to his need, and he lifted her gently so that she was sitting on the counter. They kissed deeply, passionately, each feeling the powerful abandon of giving in to something they had been repressing for so long. Gavin’s eyes flashed suddenly at her, the dragon making itself known, and Naomi let out a quiet gasp and pulled away, but only just for a moment.
“What was that?” she whispered, her hands reaching up to touch Gavin’s face. She looked both afraid and fearless at the same time somehow. As if she were curious enough to face the things that frightened her head on. To face him. He had never seen anything more beautiful in his life.
“It’s just me,” Gavin said, his voice a deep rumble against her ear as he fell forward to taste the sweet skin of her neck. “It’s okay.”
She nodded, moaning softly as his lips pressed against her, sending waves of hot desire surging through them both.
“I don’t want to stop you,” she breathed, yielding to Gavin’s powerful body. Another deep growl emanated from within him. The dragon was dangerously close to taking her entirely. But what would that mean? What would happen to them when it was revealed that he had gone too far with someone he wasn’t destined to be with?
Or maybe…
No, Gavin wouldn’t let himself even hope. He let out a cry of pleasure, nearly pained, as Naomi reached out and pulled him by the waist, parting her legs slightly so that he could press his groin against her middle. There was no denying her want, and his body was responding to it. It had no choice but to respond. He was helpless. He let his hips gift her with a gentle thrust, his bulge dragging sweetly against her core and igniting them both.
Helpless. Sure. And yet, he also held all the power. The dragon quickly let that be known and Gavin slid his fingers along the woman’s neck, relishing the feeling of her body growing tense against him as tendrils of desire surged through her body. He began to grow greedy for the soft skin hidden past the boundaries of her blouse and soon, clothes were flying to the floor in a flurry.
As soon as she was nude, Gavin took in the sight with the air tight in his lungs. His eyes canned the supple curves of her breasts, and the beautiful roundness of her thighs before pressing himself closer to her, holding her knees gently to part them. She gasped when she felt the nearness of his pulsing member against her, and the flood of urgent longing was unmistakable. With a swift, powerful thrust, Naomi let out a sharp cry as Gavin buried himself fully inside her.
The dragon within was poised and ready to unleash its full power within her, but Gavin held it back. He didn’t want to harm her, and instead focused his attention on moving his body with delicate grace to ensure that she was as comfortable as possible.
But when Naomi caught his eye, the fire behind her gaze sent a hot thrill through him and he found himself unable to restrain his primal impulses. Naomi cried out in pleasure as he pressed himself deeper inside, his face taut as he attempted to keep his body in check. He couldn’t let loose on her. not fully. In fact, he probably shouldn’t even be doing this at all.
But it was too late to stop now. Gavin’s hips worked rapidly as the delicious friction between their bodies sent hot waves of bliss coursing through him.
Naomi’s breath was coming in shallow bursts that seemed only to make him want her more. She gripped his shoulders tightly, her fingers digging into his skin and making it all but impossible to keep himself in check.
With a little buck of her hips, Naomi’s body engulfed him entirely and all of Gavin’s faculties were lost. He looked away quickly, hoping to conceal the dragon inside of him from her a little while longer while allowing his body to surrender to it.
He wanted her too badly to hold back any longer. He had done his best.
With a sudden burst of strength, Gavin gripped Naomi’s legs and pulled them tight around his waist, thrusting powerfully inside of her again and again until her voice was sailing over their heads in breathy waves. He had never been so consumed in an act as he was by this woman’s body working with his. He bit back the low growl rising in his throat and instead dropped his lips against the soft, firm mound of Naomi’s nipple.
Her body shuddered in pleasure against him as he worked himself inside her, and he could feel her pleasure as it was reciprocated between them. He was bringing her closer and closer to his peak. He could feel it with every single one of his senses. They were close.
Suddenly Naomi’s eyes opened wide and he could feel her body contract tightly around him. It took all he had not to burst inside of her right then, but he held back. He wanted her to release as hard as she possibly could, and worked fervently, his manhood throbbing with each gratifying stroke inside of her.
Finally she could take no more and a loud cry emanated from Naomi’s slight form. Gavin worked tirelessly inside her, his own climax building as she began to move her hips hotly against him, begging him silently for all he had.
Gavin worked his body urgently, his own hot climax warm and tingling in his abdomen and ready for release. As Naomi contracted tightly around his member, he buried his face into her neck
and released his sizzling desires deep within her. He growled into her ear, the feeling of climaxing with her simultaneously unlike anything he had ever experienced. In that moment, Gavin knew suddenly, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that this must be his fated mate. Human or not. Somehow, she was the one.
He finished emptying himself inside of her, relishing in the feeling of her hot body writhing in ecstasy against him as long as he could. When he pulled away from her finally, he smiled. Her face was flushed and sweaty, and her hair was a mess, but their eyes locking once again resulted in gentle understanding and admiration.
“Well. We had better get to work,” Gavin said, suddenly feeling awkward. How could he explain to her what he felt? That she was his fated one? That they had just made love witnessed by the universe and the stars and that it was blessed by the heavens? How insane would that make him sound? Gavin had seen all the movies. He knew exactly how women would react to such a statement. He knew better.
She watched with amusement as Gavin struggled to untangle their clothes and pull them on clumsily, as he attempted to hand her garments to her as he hopped on one foot to secure his boxers.
“I suppose you’re right,” she said quietly, holding back a laugh as she dressed herself with far more dignity than Gavin had mustered.
Staring at her dress like that, Gavin realized suddenly that he really was not dealing with any ordinary human. This had to be a Loni. This had to be his fated mate. He had found her at last.
12.
They didn’t quite have the chance to finish all of the kennels, but before he left, Gavin asked her when she was expecting to have the cats at her home.