Chapter 8 Keep Your Hands to Yourself #2
“Perhaps they did not wish to scare you,” Tāwera said.
“Maybe. Carry on. You pushed through the pain and shifted to your taniwha form.”
Tāwera darted a glance her way and seemed sheepish. “I’m frightened to tell you because I may have caused trouble.”
“What did you do?”
“Once I shifted, I was still in pain. It wasn’t as bad—not bad enough that a short flight was impossible.
Before I knew it, I’d flown over the sea and discovered I’d lost the strength I took for granted.
Trapped as I was, training was impossible, which caused me problems with fitness and weak muscles. ”
Nyree stared at him. “What happened?”
“The flight exhausted me. I knew I wouldn’t make it to the shore before I fell into the sea. I saw the ship, and I crashed on their deck. The ship wobbled with the force of my landing, which created a wave that took the humans by surprise.”
“Did anyone get hurt?”
“I do not think so,” Tāwera said.
“All right. What happened next?”
“I decided it would be best if I shifted back to my human form. This change was painful but not nearly as bad as the first one. My theory is,” Tāwera said with a frown, “that the pain came because of my lack of shifting. The transformation from human to dragon and back is like a muscle that one must exercise to function correctly.”
“That makes sense,” Nyree said.
“Once I’d shifted, I explored the ship. Most people were ashore, and it was easy to wander at will.
My curiosity,” he said, his nose wrinkling and the corners of his eyes crinkling as he poked fun at himself.
“It has always caused trouble for me. And food. The flight made my belly rumble with hunger, so I followed the aroma and discovered a huge bounty of food, waiting.”
“A buffet,” Nyree said in a faint voice. “What did you do?”
“I didn’t know what most of the foods were, so I wandered around and tried the items. A man dressed in white came from a kitchen. He saw me eating. I must’ve startled him because he dropped his tray.”
“He saw you?”
“Not at first. The man noticed the food lifting off the trays and disappearing as I placed it inside my mouth. Ernesto was with him and stayed to speak with me.”
“Oh,” Nyree said, her eyes wide. “What did you do next?”
“I was still starving. The humans kept adding platters of food, and I was in the way. Ernesto offered dessert and coffee. The men in white stared at me and became animated.”
Nyree pictured the scene and laughed. She would’ve loved to witness their reactions as they’d watched food rise to an invisible mouth.
“The man dropped his trays and containers of kai on the floor. It was a waste of delicious kai. The food—Nyree, it was tasty.”
“I’m sure it was, but I wonder if it was the food or the shift that made you visible. I could see you—an outline, at least. But right now, you look like a naked man. Normal, apart from the tattoos on your face. So, what happened with Ernesto?”
“Ernesto came to talk with me. I made him nervous, but he asked if I would like dessert and coffee. He said he would get it for me. I thanked him and finished eating. He was very polite when he suggested I left before the passengers returned. I told him that was fine. You may be right. The food seemed to help me become visible.”
“All right. Ernesto seemed quite calm for a human. It’s a wonder he didn’t scream a warning about monsters.”
“He knows I’m a dragon,” Tāwera said. “He showed me the way to the forward deck. Ships differ from when I first saw them in the harbor at home.”
“Yes, you’ve probably noticed many things have changed.”
“I shifted on deck, took the bag Ernesto held up for me and flew back here to sleep on the beach. I have missed the sun and the breeze on my bare skin,” Tāwera added. “Are you hungry?”
“Not right now. I might go for a flight. Would you like to come with me? We can take off from here and land where you left your clothes.”
“That is a fine idea.” Tāwera beamed. “We can eat after we shift back to human. Have one of those picnic things the pākehā men are so fond of having when they are working outdoors.”
“Ah, I knew I brought those chocolate bars for a reason,” Nyree said. “They can be a celebration. At least you’ve broken the curse and regained your previous abilities.” She reached out her hand and squeezed a bulky biceps. “I can see and hear you. Your skin radiates heat.”
“Is the beat of my heart audible?” Tāwera asked.
Nyree placed her palm on Tāwera’s bare chest. The warmth from his skin raced up her fingers and down her arm. She became even more aware of him as a man. His strength. The differences between them. Her skin tingled, and she hurriedly lowered her lashes to screen her thoughts.
Tāwera noticed, however, attuned to her responses. “What’s wrong?”
“I…” Her mind raced while she struggled to find an answer.
There wasn’t one. After Ari, she should want to run in the opposite direction, but something about Tāwera called to her.
He was kind and considered others, despite his warrior background.
If Ari had been on the ship, he would’ve delighted in terrorizing the staff and passengers.
Tāwera hadn’t done that—not on purpose, at any rate.
“You make my skin buzz.”
Nyree lifted her head to meet his gaze. “It’s only because no one has touched you for so long.”
“Or it might be moonlust,” Tāwera conceded.
“You too?” Nyree whispered. “I was trying to ignore my taniwha.”
“We don’t have to do anything,” Tāwera assured her. “We can fly in our taniwha forms, and that should suffice.”
Nyree swallowed hard and decided she didn’t want to hide her feelings from Tāwera. So far, she’d found him honest—refreshingly so—and she wanted to do the same for him. “I want to kiss you.”
Tāwera stared at her for a long, extended moment, and his gaze dropped to her mouth. Then he shook himself. “We will go for a flight together and have our picnic. There is a beautiful spot near where I left my belongings.”
Nyree’s belly pulled tight, and it was in a good way rather than the fear she’d always experienced with Ari.
He might not have been a taniwha, but he’d had a wide streak of meanness that had her treading carefully around him.
With Tāwera, she didn’t guard her words or try to gauge his mood before she spoke.
Did he want to kiss her? Did he even know about kissing?
Had they discussed this subject? Right now, her mind was a clean slate, and all she could think of was him and sex.
Fast and furious sex. Slow and tender. A shudder worked through Nyree.
Good grief. The tug of the moon was worse some months, more intense and full-on, but the way her nerves jumped and sparked right now, this time might be on another level. Luckily, he hadn’t kissed her because she feared her control might snap at the first physical contact.
“I’d love to fly with you,” she said, and this was an understatement.
Never had she flown with a male taniwha unrelated to her. “We need to take care, though. We must try to escape attention. Visibility is excellent today.”
“You shift. I have something to collect before I take off.” Tāwera strode toward a shady area before he’d even finished speaking.
Her gaze went straight to the tattoos winding down the right side of his torso, over his buttock and down his thigh. She imagined licking the lines with her tongue, and heat shot through her, leaving her breathless with need. She released a tiny moan and forced herself to glance away.
Time to shift. Right.
Nyree yanked off her clothes, despite the air of self-consciousness that swept her.
She folded her clothes and crouched to place them inside her daypack.
Once she’d secured her boots to the outside of her pack, and she was confident she wouldn’t drop or lose them en route, she rose and stepped back, ready to shift.
A prickle at her back told her Tāwera was watching her as closely as she’d studied him.
She didn’t make the mistake of sneaking a glance in his direction.
This situation was complicated enough already.
“Ready?” Tāwera asked.
“Yes.” Nyree proved it by backing up farther and shifting to her taniwha.
Her transformation was fast and pain-free.
She snatched up her pack in her right talon and rose upward.
Once airborne, she hovered to wait for Tāwera.
His shift was sluggish, and he grunted, which told her the morph from human to a dragon was still uncomfortable.
She must ask him if the change had always proved difficult.
Long moments later, Tāwera rose, the flap of his wings slower than her own.
It was noticeable he was still experiencing difficulties after escaping the stone curse.
Nyree let Tāwera set the pace. She followed, scrutinizing him closely and a little curious about the blue bag he carried.
His breathing soon became labored, and worry pulsed to life in her.
He hadn’t flown for hundreds of years and should approach this new lease of life with caution.
Nyree scanned their surroundings and spotted the cruise ship leaving the bay.
She released a quick burst of flame to attract Tāwera’s attention.
“What is it?”
Tāwera’s voice flowed through her mind, startling her so much she forgot to flap her wings.
Normally, she could only communicate with family and those of related blood.
She plummeted before she self-corrected.
“The ship is leaving. We must hurry in case they spot us. Fly lower to skim the peaks and stay away from those with snow. We are more visible against the white mountainside.”
“The place where I took off from is over the mountain ahead of us.”
Nyree kept pace with him, relieved when they flew into a valley and out of sight of anyone at sea.
Tāwera flew deep into the valley and landed near a rushing mountain stream.
There were no trees, but moss and lichen covered the rocks and other mystery herbaceous plants.
It was a beautiful spot, and it probably wasn’t a well-thought-out idea on her part to be alone here with an enticing man such as Tāwera.
Nyree shifted, and Tāwera followed suit. Once again, her transformation was much faster than his. A grunt escaped him, and he pressed his hands to his knees, panting.
Nyree stepped closer. “Can I help?”
Tāwera gasped and sucked in a huge breath as he straightened. He grinned at her. “The shifts are becoming easier each time. Eating seems to help.”
“I have a chocolate bar,” Nyree said, turning away.
“Ernesto gave me food,” Tāwera said.
“What?” Nyree turned back to Tāwera and caught him checking out her arse. His gaze lifted to her breasts, and she had to fight to stop raising her hands to cover them.
“Don’t hide. I enjoy looking at you. In clothes and without,” he added, and then he closed his eyes in an attempted and exaggerated wink.
The familiar heat roared through her, and it was her turn to suck in a steadying breath.
She couldn’t even blame the approach of the full moon for the lust that roared through her.
It was Tāwera. He wasn’t only pleasant to look at, but she genuinely liked him.
His personality. How on earth was she going to keep her hands to herself?