Chapter 17
***MALCOLM***
It was the sound of voices from beyond the closed bedroom door that woke Malcolm the next morning, and he jumped up from the chair so fast that he knocked it over, making a big crash.
He scrambled to pick it up, but still half asleep, only managed to drop it again, this time with an even louder clatter, and he stood staring at it for a second before finally managing to set it down on all four legs without a sound.
Sleeping sitting in the straight-backed chair had proven to be more difficult than he’d thought it would be, but he wouldn’t have slept at all if he hadn’t been right outside the door.
He’d tried and failed, then finally given up and grabbed a kitchen chair and put it in the hallway.
That had finally satisfied the dragon, and he’d finally managed to fall into a fitful sleep, but it had been filled with weird dreams about Rose, and as he stood there staring at the chair, feeling a bit foggy-brained, he wondered if it might have been better if he hadn’t slept at all.
Shaking his head to help clear it, he looked over at the door, straining to hear what was going on inside, his stomach in knots, sure that Hattie was going to come out and tell him that Rose wanted nothing to do with him.
When it finally opened, he tried to step back, but Hattie still ran into him, and he had to catch her so she didn’t go tumbling to the floor.
She just shook her head at him, shut the door, and took a few steps down the hallway, forcing him to follow her, and his heart sank; it was going to be bad news, he just knew it.
“We’re just going to give her a few minutes to freshen up, then you can go in and see her,” Hattie said. “I’ll bring up a breakfast tray later when she’s ready.”
“How is she?” he asked, unable to hide the anxiety in his voice. “Does she want to see me?”
Hattie smiled up at him. “She perked right up when I asked her if she wanted to talk to you,” she said, patting him on the arm. “Don’t worry so much, Malcolm, everything is going to be okay.”
“I’ve never cared this much about anything,” he said, running his fingers through his hair. “It’s frightening, I feel so vulnerable. It’s not supposed to be like this.”
“I hate to tell you this, but this is exactly what it feels like to be in love,” Hattie said, shaking her head.
“It’s wonderful and amazing, but it’s also scary sometimes.
The thing is, you can’t have one without the other.
With great love comes great pain. The question you have to answer is if it’s worth it, if the highs are worth the lows.
Some people would rather be alone than put themselves through what you’re feeling. ”
“You mean give Rose up?” he asked, shocked by the very idea. “That’s not happening.”
Hattie laughed. “Well, I think you just gave us both your answer,” she said. “I think you can go in now. I’ll go see about putting some breakfast together for our girl. Just let me know when she’s ready.”
“Thank you, Hattie,” he said. “I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
“Oh, you’d manage,” she said, grinning up at him. “Just not as well.”
Hattie disappeared down the stairs after wishing him good luck, and he suddenly found himself facing his future.
Whatever happened when he went into the bedroom was going to change the rest of his life.
Taking a deep breath, he knocked on the door, then pushed it open when he heard Rose call out to come in, but he hesitated for just a second before crossing the threshold, praying to whoever would listen that the woman he loved would accept him.
Rose was sitting up in bed, her back braced against the headboard, and a smile instantly spread across her face when she saw him. “Malcolm, I’m so glad to see you,” she said, a blush rising on her cheeks. “I was afraid you were still mad at me.”
He came all the way into the room. “I guess I forgot about that in all the…chaos,” he said.
“I might have overreacted. I should have listened to you. I’m sorry, I was just so.
.. shocked that you would do that. But that’s not a good excuse.
I shouldn’t have left you at the bar; that was a jerk move.
Everything that happened was my fault. Can you forgive me? ”
“It wasn’t all your fault. I should have waited for Vanessa inside.
I knew Sandra was out there. I guess I was just so upset, I forgot,” Rose said, shaking her head.
“You had every right to be mad at me. I was spying on you, but I never told Chet anything, until last night. I didn’t have anything to tell him. ”
He walked over and sat down in the rocking chair by the bed. “I think we both screwed up,” he said, then sighed. “I wish we could just start over, do everything differently, or something.”
“But we can’t, we have to go forward,” Rose said, then hesitated. “Were you going to tell me about being a shifter? I’m not mad that you didn’t, I just…well…hope you weren’t going to hide it from me…not that I deserve total honesty…but…”
“I can’t believe that you’re taking all this so calmly. I don’t know if I should be relieved or worried,” he said, shaking his head. “Doesn’t what I am bother you at all?”
She studied him for a second. “I don’t think I was ever scared, not of you anyway. I knew as soon as I figured out it was you that you were there to save me,” she said, shrugging her shoulders. “It wasn’t really a conscious thought, I just knew deep inside that you weren’t going to hurt me.”
“And now?” he asked. “Aren’t you freaked out just a little?”
“I wouldn’t say that I’m freaked out, although it was a lot to take in, especially when I was already scared out of my mind,” she said, then sighed.
“I’m sure it’s going to take me some time to get used to the idea, but you were there when I needed you.
It doesn’t matter how you did it, you saved me from those men, and I will always be grateful. ”
“And I’d do it again in a heartbeat,” he said, shrugging his shoulders. “I can’t imagine my life without you now, Rose. I’m not sure when it happened, and the truth is, I don’t really care.”
***Rose***
Looking into Malcolm’s eyes as his words slowly sank in, Rose felt a wave of warmth slowly envelop her and she let out a long sigh, welcoming the comforting feeling.
“I always feel better when you’re around, it’s like I’ve been wrapped in a warm blanket,” she said, smiling at him.
“And now that I don’t have to lie to you, I won’t be feeling guilty all the time.
It was tearing me up not being able to tell you the truth about why I’m here. ”
Malcolm smiled at her. “I could feel it, I knew that something was off, that’s why I kept putting off telling you the truth, but it all makes sense now,” he said, taking her hand, making her entire body tingle a little.
“We have a lot to talk about, Rose. There are things about me that are different than everyone else.”
“You mean the part where you can turn into a dragon?” she asked, grinning at him. “That was kind of hard to miss.”
“No, smarty pants, I was talking about the bond that forms between a shifter and his perfect mate, the one that lasts for a lifetime and ties them together, leaving them both miserable if they’re ever separated,” he said, then paused to let that sink in.
“I’m talking about the bond that’s been forming between us since that night when I ran you down outside the stadium. ”
She thought back to that night, remembered the warmth, the feeling of power surging through her, the way her entire body had been tingling for hours afterward.
“I just thought…you mean that’s what that was…
I’ve been thinking…well…I don’t know…” she stammered, then looked over at him.
“We can’t stop this thing now that it’s started, can we? ”
“We could if we wanted to, it hasn’t gone that far yet,” Malcolm said, a resigned look on his face. “I’ll understand if it’s too much, I wouldn’t blame you if you wanted to back away…”
“I didn’t say that, I didn’t say that at all,” she quickly interrupted him. “I don’t want to stop it either, I was just, I don’t know…wondering what happens next.”
Before he could answer, her stomach began to growl loudly. “I think breakfast had better be next, you can’t think on an empty stomach,” he said, grinning at her. “Hattie is going to make you a tray and bring it up when you’re ready. I’ll just run down and let her know you’re hungry.”
“I don’t need breakfast in bed, I’m not sick. I’ll get up and go downstairs. Hattie already has enough to do without babying me,” she said, then started looking around the room. “I don’t suppose you know where my clothes are, I’d like to get dressed even if they’re dirty.”
“I brought your bags in last night after we got back here,” he said, getting to his feet and going to the closet. “I’ll wait out in the hallway until you’re ready.”
“You don’t have to wait for me, I can manage on my own, I know the way around,” she said, throwing back the covers. “I can meet you downstairs.”
“Yeah, you could, but I’m not ready to be that far away from you. Last night really scared me,” he said, shrugging his shoulders. “That’s another thing you’re going to have to get used to, I might be a little overprotective from time to time.”
“Oh, I see,” she said, walking over to him and wrapping her arms around him. “I guess I’ll just have to get used to that.”
“There also might be a few jealousy issues,” he said, looking down at her. “The dragon is a little possessive, I’ll try to keep him reined in, but no promises.”
“We’ll just have to do our best, but maybe you could give the dragon a message for me,” she said, grinning up at him. “Tell him that you’re the only man for me, there’s never been anyone else, and there never will be; he’s stuck with me.”
He didn’t say anything for a second, then shook his head, “The dragon doesn’t believe you,” he said, a serious look on his face. “He wants you to prove it.”
“Oh, he does?” she asked, then stretched up on her tiptoes and gave him a kiss. “Does that help?”
After another brief pause, he shrugged his shoulders. “A little,” he said, “but he’s still not convinced.”
This time, she wrapped her arms around his neck and, heart pounding, pulled him down and kissed him again, this time parting his lips with her tongue and pressing her body up against his.
He was stiff for a moment, and she wondered if she’d done something wrong, then he growled deep in his chest, wrapped his arms around her, and kissed her back.
Her body came alive instantly, every nerve alive with sensation, the world around her melted away, and she was only aware of the glorious pleasure flowing through her.
Malcolm’s hands began to roam over her body.
She instantly became aware that she had little on besides the nightgown, but it felt so wonderful, she couldn’t bring herself to protest.
A knock on the door interrupted them, and Malcolm broke the kiss with a frustrated groan and looked down at her, his eyes full of desire.
“Does he believe me now?” she asked, slightly breathless, wishing they hadn’t been interrupted.
“If he doesen’t, I’m sure I could think of something else to help convince him. ”
Malcolm groaned again, “I don’t think that will be necessary,” he said, grinning down at her. “He’s completely convinced, but now he wants more, and he’s not going to give up until he gets it.”
“Well, you’d better tell him that there’s someone at the door,” she said, backing away from him. “And I need to get dressed.”
“I could get rid of whoever it is and help you,” he said, taking a step toward her. “You might still be weak from last night.”
She laughed.
“Answer the door,” she said, heading for the bathroom. “I’m going to go get dressed.”
They were still alone when she came out a few minutes later, “Hattie came up to check on you,” he said. “I told her we’d be down when you’re dressed.”