Corbin laughed. “All right. We’ll pack more than a few things, but any major packing will have to wait until we have another day off. I don’t want to spend all day Christmas packing up your apartment.”
Josh pressed his lips to Corbin’s a moment before he sprang off the couch. “Race you to the shower.”
Before his mate had a chance to move, Josh sprinted toward the bedroom. With wicked thoughts dancing through his head, he stripped off his pants, grabbed the lube, and dashed into the bathroom. His dragon was in for a big surprise when he caught up.
Chapter Seven
Corbin sipped at his coffee, watching his mate and Seth across the room. His cousin, Marcus, was in the chair next to him, watching the pair. Corbin’s family had been delighted that he’d found his mate, and the local cousins had banded together to welcome Josh into the family. This wasn’t the first time Josh had met Seth and Marcus, but it was the first time he’d asked for time alone with Seth.
“What do you think they’re discussing?” Corbin asked.
“Seth said Josh had some questions about being a dragon’s mate. It’s one thing for us to tell them what it means to be our mate, and another for them to experience it. Seth thought it would be a good idea to tell him how his life has changed since meeting me.”
Corbin glanced at him. “For my sake, I hope you have a happy mate.”
“I’ve had no complaints from him.” Marcus smiled.
“He isn’t wearing a collar. Do you plan to give him one?”
Marcus tipped his head to the side as he studied his mate. “I think he would accept one if I were to try to put one on him, but there’s so much more to our relationship than that of Dom and Sub. I’m only his Dom in the bedroom. The rest of the time, we have an equal relationship. I ask his opinion on things before I act, and he does the same with me. He’s my mate, my other half, and putting a collar on him just doesn’t feel right. I don’t want to own him. I just want to be a part of him, like he’s part of me.”
Corbin nodded. “I feel the same way about Josh.”
“Has he seen that side of you yet? I know you were waiting because of his injury.”
“No, but the doctor cleared him a few weeks ago so I’ve just been biding my time. The moment just hasn’t seemed right, until now. I think tonight is the night.”
Marcus snorted. “And you’re spending your time here with us in a coffee shop and not at home, showing your mate what it means to grab a dragon by the tail?”
Corbin smiled. “Oh, I have plans for my mate. But he really wanted to come out this morning and meet with Seth. He asks for so little from me. I practically had to beg him to let me buy him a car when his exploded in my driveway.”
“Seth had some hang-ups when we first got together, about my money. It took a while, but he eventually realized that, as my mate, it isn’t just my money, it’s our money. He still doesn’t spend a lot, but I’m easing him into it. He wouldn’t let me give him access to my checking account, but I have a few thousand a month transferred into his.”
“We haven’t discussed that part of our relationship yet. Everything is still so new.”
Marcus rubbed his thumb over the gold band on his finger. “Are you going to marry him?”
“Eventually. We sort of jumped right into a relationship, so we’re still getting to know one another. He’s mine, tied to me in all ways that matter. I guess a wedding just doesn’t seem quite so important in the scheme of things. I haven’t even asked if he’d like to get married some day.”
“Ask. The sooner you know the better.” Marcus took a sip of his coffee. “Don’t make the mistake I did and not invite the family. Even if marriage is a human custom, my parents got their noses out of joint when they didn’t receive an invitation. I’m sure your parents would be even worse. You are, after all, the baby of the family.”
“Don’t remind me. I’m just lucky they didn’t have a fit when I couldn’t give them more grandchildren.”
Marcus stared into his coffee. “I have a child out there somewhere. My parents knew I was gay and wouldn’t mate a female, so they went old school.”
Corbin cocked his eyebrow. “You let them blindfold you and just stick you in with some random female?”
“Yeah.” Marcus shrugged. “Didn’t seem important at the time. But now, I’d love to know if I have a son or daughter out there. Did the pregnancy take? Was it twins? I mentioned it to Mom one time, but she brushed me off and told me I was better off not asking such questions, just to leave the past where it belonged.”
“I can’t even imagine.”
“We do what we have to do in order to survive. Maybe if I’d had a sister, it wouldn’t have been as big a deal.”
“My sister married a human. She claims he’s her mate, but sometimes I wonder. She doesn’t look at him the way I look at Josh, or the way you look at Seth. There are times I think I see disappointment in her eyes when she looks at him. And other times she seems deliriously happy.”
“Just leave it alone, Corbin. If she wanted you to interfere, she’d ask for your help. There’s not much that can be done if she’s truly mated him. And since she has kids, I’m assuming she has. You know it’s hard for a dragon to have babies with humans unless there’s been a mating bite. Something about our DNA mixing with theirs.”
Corbin leaned back in his chair. “Yeah, you’re right. I should just leave it alone.”
“I’m going to have to pry my mate away from yours,” Marcus said. “We have an appointment in a little while.”
“Appointment?”
Marcus smiled. “You might as well know. We’re meeting with the All-Mother.”
“You’re going to adopt a hatchling?”
“There aren’t many right now,” Marcus said, “but the fact that there are baby dragons without a family bothers me. When Seth found out, he wanted to know if it would be possible for us to adopt one. It’s the only way we’ll ever get a child of our own.”
“I hope the meeting goes well. I’ve heard it’s hard to meet her standards, but you’re the alpha of the area so I’m sure it will go smoothly. Congratulations!” Corbin slapped him on the back.
“Thanks.” Marcus grinned. “It’s not official yet though, so don’t say anything to anyone. We’ll make an announcement to the family if she’s going to let us have a baby. I think we have a decent shot if for no other reason than we didn’t specifically ask for a red dragon.”
“You’d raise a white dragon?”
“Any dragon. And if we’re denied a baby dragon, then we’ll look at adopting a human child. That just becomes trickier because of the aging thing.”
Corbin nodded. “Well, good luck!”
Marcus stood. “I’ll send your mate over here when I collect Seth. You know, since you weren’t able to have a child of your own, I bet Josh and you would have a good chance of getting a baby, if you wanted to adopt.”
It definitely gave Corbin something to think about. Having kids around the house wouldn’t be a bad thing. He’d have to discuss it with Josh, but not tonight. Tonight he had special plans for his mate. It was going to be their first time using the playroom, and the special toy Corbin bought just for Josh.
His mate wandered over to him as Seth and Marcus left the coffee shop. Josh seemed relaxed and happy the past few weeks, ever since their mating. Corbin had already contacted a contractor to build their new house and they were waiting on the first set of plans to make sure everything looked okay. It was going to be a bit ostentatious for a small town like Blueberry Hill, but it was everything they wanted in a house. Until it was built, they were staying at Corbin’s place. Josh had already packed all of his things and let his apartment go.
“Thanks for giving me a chance to speak with Seth this morning,” Josh said as he claimed an empty chair.
“I like that you want to get to know my family better. They’re your family now too.”
Josh smiled. “It’s nice to hear that. I’ve been without family
for so long, I’d forgotten what it was like to have people around that you could rely on, people you could go to when you needed help, or just when you needed a hug.”
“Are you ready for the next part of our day?”
“What did you have in mind?”
“I thought we might explore that aspect of my life that you’re so fascinated with.”
A light entered Josh’s eyes. “You mean...the playroom?”
Corbin nodded.
Josh stood so fast he nearly knocked over the chair. “So why are you still sitting there?”
“Slow down. There are some things we need to go over first.”
Josh sat back down. “Like what?”
“There are different forms of domination. What I have planned for you is Sensual Domination. Have you read about it when you were researching BDSM?”
“Yeah. I know what to expect from you. In case you’ve forgotten, we talked about it not too long ago.”
“I’ll need a safe word from you, in case things get rougher than you want. I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable, not in a sexual way, but in an oh-my-god-that-hurts-too-much kind of way.”
Josh nodded. “That’s easy enough.”
“Are you sure you’re ready for this? We’re still getting to know each other, in and out of the bedroom. There’s no need to rush things.”
“I’m sure. I was sure Christmas Eve night, when you refused to give in. Nothing has changed since then, except I’ve received clearance from my doctor. I have to admit I’m curious as to why you’ve waited so long.”
“Do you know what today is?”
Josh’s brow furrowed. “February...thirteenth?”
Corbin shook his head. “It’s Valentine’s Day. I mated you on Christmas Eve. It seemed fitting to save the next step for a special occasion.”
“Fuck! I completely forgot about Valentine’s Day. Why didn’t you say something?” He frowned. “I have nothing to give you. I feel like such a screw up right now. Our first Valentine’s together and I forget.” He snorted. “Some mate I am.”
“You do have something you can give.”
“What’s that?”
“Your submission.” Corbin smiled. “Since you seem so sure that you’re ready.”
“You don’t have any other rules for me? Like something I should wear on certain days? That I should refer to you as Master?”
“This isn’t a Master/Slave relationship. That’s never really been my thing. I may be a dominant, but only in the bedroom. Like Marcus and Seth, I want things to be on an equal footing with us when we aren’t playing.”
“And if I want more?”
“Then we’ll discuss it. I want to meet your needs, Josh, but there are some things I may not be comfortable with, some things I don’t know enough about to venture into that territory. I’ve never been a Master before and I don’t want to start something I’m unsure about. That could be dangerous for both us, and safety is always a priority.”
“There’s an S&M club a few towns over. I went one night just to observe. Well, that isn’t completely true. I thought about hooking up with a Dom, but in the end it just didn’t feel right. We could always go there and watch others play.”
“One day at a time. You haven’t even participated in BDSM yet. I think clubs are a little ways off for us.”
“You’re right. I’m being overeager again. I’m being a bad Sub and trying to take control.”
Corbin smile. “Now you’re learning.”
“Let’s go home. I can’t think of any place I’d rather be right now.”
“In a minute. I’m going to sit here and enjoy another cup of coffee while you go down to Penelope’s Pleasures and pick out a new toy.”
“I told you I’m rotten at that. Look what happened last time!”
“Ah, but this time I’m giving you a specific item to purchase. If there’s more than one like it, and I’m sure there will be, you can pick the one that you feel would work best for you. But what I want you to buy is a cock ring.”
Josh’s eyebrow went up. “For me?”
Corbin nodded.
“There this one I saw on a website when I purchased the butt plug. It has an anal piece attached to it. Would something like that work for what you’re wanting? I don’t know what your plans are for the cock ring.”
“You can buy one like that, but buy one without the extra part as well. No such thing as too many toys. If we don’t use it tonight, there’s always tomorrow.”
Josh licked his lips. “Is that all you want me to buy?”
“Depends. How much do you want to squirm?”
“I don’t know that you can top our mating, but I want this to be the second best sexual experience of my life.”
“Pick up some anal beads. And maybe a cock sleeve. I don’t know that we’ll use everything tonight, but it never hurts to be prepared. We need to start gathering more toys anyway, keep this diversified. Can’t have you getting bored with me.”
Josh shook his head. “That’s never going to happen.”
“Go. Have fun shopping. And take your time. I promise to drink my coffee slowly and savor every drop. Don’t buy something just to buy it. Make sure it’s something you really want, that you think you’ll enjoy. If it looks uncomfortable, it probably will be. I know some men like the metal cock rings, but that might be more constrictive than you want for your first time. I’m assuming it’s your first time since you said you hadn’t purchased sex toys before the butt plug?”
“No, I haven’t used one before. Never really had a reason to.”
Corbin nodded. “I want you to get another butt plug, this time one that’s smaller and won’t be as uncomfortable for you. And some lube.”
Josh frowned. “I thought we had plenty of lube at home.”
“We do. But this isn’t for home.”
Josh’s eyebrows disappeared into his hairline. “We’re going to...”
“Just buy the things on the list I gave you. Don’t worry about what we’re using when. That’s for me to decide. You be a good Sub and follow directions.”
Josh swallowed hard. “Yes, Sir.”
Corbin stood and approached the counter to order another coffee, certain that the sound of the door opening was Josh, heading off to do his bidding. He tried not to be a dominant asshole outside of the bedroom, but when it came to their sex life, all bets were off. He found great satisfaction in controlling his mate’s pleasure, and he had a feeling that Josh was going to enjoy every minute of tonight.
The barista gave him a flirty smile and he sighed. It wasn’t the first time a woman had found him attractive, and he doubted it would be the last. For a while he found it entertaining, but now it was just plain irritating.
“What can I get for you, sir?” she asked, licking her lips as she checked him out from head to toe.
“A house-blend coffee, medium size.”
She rang up his coffee. “And is there anything else I can interest you in?”
Was she batting her eyes at him? Oh for the love of... “Honey, if you’re trying to turn me on, you’re wasting your time. You’re not my type.”
The smile slipped from her face and she hit the total button. “That will be three dollars and twenty-seven cents.”
He handed her a five and accepted his change, shoving it in his jeans pocket. Another barista handed him his coffee and he returned to his table. As he sipped at the hot brew, he watched people through the front window. He saw men stepping into the jewelry store to buy trinkets for their lovers or wives, women heading into the sporting goods store to pick up last minute gifts for the men in their lives, and teens who should be in school hanging out at the diner across the street. He shook his head. If he ever had a kid, he’d make sure they were in school every day, not running wild around town getting up to who knows what mischief. Especially with it being a day to celebrate love and their hormones raging out of control. There was a reason Valentine’s Day had such a high conception rate. In a
bout nine months, the hospital would be full to bursting with newborns.
Corbin wondered how Josh was getting along at the sex toy shop. He knew it could be an overwhelming place for someone who wasn’t used to shopping for such items. The thought of the pink-haired girl that worked the counter having to assist him brought a smile to Corbin’s face. He would love to see the flustered look on Josh’s face when he had to explain what he was looking for to some stranger. Corbin was open about his sexual preferences, but Josh was more reserved, more private. Truthfully, he was surprised Josh wasn’t trying to hide their relationship from the department, but the day the bomb had gone off, he’d openly embraced Corbin in front of their fellow officers.
Yes, his mate was full of surprises. Like the night he’d downloaded some porn videos and hooked his tablet to the huge TV in the living room. Of all things for Josh to do, that had been the last thing Corbin had expected. It was a pleasant surprise though.
A throat cleared and Corbin looked up. A sharply dressed man, wearing an expensive looking gray suit, stood near his chair. His dark hair was smoothed back with some sort of gel and his crystal blue eyes studied Corbin. He motioned to the chair across from Corbin.
“Mind if I sit?”
“Since I don’t know who you are, I’m a little curious as to why you’d want to sit with me.”
The man smiled, flashing even, white teeth. “I heard what you said to the barista. I hoped it meant you were interested in men. I haven’t seen you at the local gay bar, but then I don’t frequent the place often.”
Corbin scanned him from head to toe before returning his gaze to the stranger’s. “I’m flattered, really, but I’m in a committed relationship.”
The man bit his lip. “Look, why don’t you take my card, and if your situation changes, you can give me a call. My name’s Sterling Masters.”
Corbin’s eyebrows lifted. “The man who owns half of Blueberry Hill?”
Sterling gave him a sheepish smile. “That would be me.”
My Dragon, My Dom Page 8