thirteen
I wanted to melt into the floor. I was mortified. I had touched his penis! Without permission! I don’t know what came over me.
That’s a lie.
Desire. Desire came over me. His skin was warm beneath my hand, the fur on his chest short and silky, the fur on his sides, upper arms and forearms long enough for me to spear with my fingers. I was so wet by the time I realized he was hiding something with his hand, my brain never registered where his hand was. I’m not sure even if I had clocked that it was covering his crotch I would have stopped.
I wanted to see what he was packing. And whoo boy.
He was packing a huge dick with semi-rigid spikes spiraling down the length. His entire dick was a cock ring. Not one of those you get from a twenty-five-cent vending machine in a truck stop bathroom, but a fancy one you have to order online or get in a store if you’re brave enough.
For the record, I’ve never been brave enough. My vibrator is the plain kind. No bells and whistles because I was too embarrassed to order anything more exciting.
And now all the excitement I could ever want was sitting in front of me, looking for all the world like he’d offer himself up as a sacrifice if I said the word. Why was it so tempting to tell him to ravish me? Why was I feeling this way?
I must have said the second part out loud. Either that or he could read my mind.
“I think it has to do with you being my mate.”
“Your what now?” My entire body swayed toward him and I pressed my back against the wall.
He was trying to make himself small again. I didn’t want him to.
“Don’t hide from me. When you shrink away like that it makes me think you’re scared of me.” He opened his mouth but I stopped him with a palm. “I know it’s because you don’t want me to be afraid of you, but I’m not. So stop trying to make yourself small.”
It took him a minute to close his mouth. I tended to have that effect on people. His ears flapped back and forth when he shook his head like he was throwing off water.
“My mate. Both dragons and werewolves have fated mates. The one person they’re meant to be with. My brother thinks you might be mine.”
“Why does he think that?”
“Because of the way I describe how I feel about you.”
“How would he know what it feels like?”
“Kendal is his mate.”
“So you’re what, stuck with me forever?”
He chuckled, but I wasn’t seeing anything funny. He probably didn’t want to be tied down to one person. Certainly not a chubby kindergarten teacher who had too many cats.
“ If you accept me and we complete the bond, then I will be the luckiest creature on the planet. But neither of those is an absolute certainty.”
I nodded like I understood. I got the basics. It was the details I lacked. Details I wasn’t sure I wanted at that moment. I rubbed between my eyebrows as exhaustion crept in.
He stood and scooped me into his arms like I was a penny.
“You are tired. I will put you in bed and leave you alone. We can talk more tomorrow.”
He tucked me under the covers but when he went to pull away I stopped him. “Will you stay again? I promise not to assault you in your sleep.”
He gave me a grin full of sharp teeth and nodded before settling behind me. A heavy arm draped over my side, his forearm snuggled between my boobs, and his giant hand resting under my cheek.
Thurl could have been a eunuch and I’d still have fallen a bit in love with him that night.