Chapter 7
CHAPTER SEVEN
Why wasn’t I screaming? I’m broken, clearly.
Landry kept looking over his shoulder at me, worry evident in his gaze, but if he was expecting me to know what to say he was crazy…no, maybe I was crazy? That’s it, I hit my head on the pavement outside before I arrived and I’m in a coma.
“You’re trying to find an excuse for what you just saw aren’t you?”
My eyes widened. “Are you an alien dinosaur that can read minds?”
His booming laughter wasn’t what I expected and for a brief moment I let myself appreciate how beautiful he was.
“Have a seat, I’ll get us a drink.” He walked back to the bar…when did we get back downstairs?
“I’m going to speak to you in terms human science has dictated.” He held up a hand. “Dinosaurs is what humans called us, and scientists named each breed so to speak.”
Made sense I guess, I mean now that I thought of it, who decided we were called humans?
“I am what humans refer to as an elaphrosaurus.”
“Oh…you sort of looked like a velociraptor kind of…I’m not very savvy about dinosaurs. Want to talk fabrics and I’m your guy.” I shook my head at my stupidity and chugged half the drink Landry gave me as soon as it was in my hand.
“I’m not insulted. One thing I will tell you is the movies don’t get it right most of the time. And they’ll never get my species right.”
“Why’s that?”
He rested his ankle on his opposite knee and sat back, relaxed as if he were telling me a weather prediction.
“Fossils. You, humans, collect them and study them to understand dinosaurs. They have found some fossils related to my kind but do you know what they have never discovered?”
All I could do was shake my head, suddenly I was absorbed, desperate to know everything.
“A skull.”
“So up there…in the place you…you had a head—”
He chuckled. “Yes, we have heads but none have ever been found so all the illustrations you search for aren’t accurate. Some are damn close but nope, we are the headless horsemen of dinosaurs.”
“Interesting.”
I sipped my drink and watched as he slowly rose and moved over to the couch I was sitting on.
“At your shop, when I asked you out so abruptly was the moment I knew you were my mate.”
“Okay.”
He smirked. “See, I was always told I’d know, that my mate would have a scent that would enrapture me.”
“I smell?” As indiscreetly as possible I tried to get a whiff of myself, but Landry stopped me and gently took my hand, held my wrist to his nose, and breathed in.
“You smell like home, Jason.”
“And home equals mate?”
He nodded. “It took everything in me not to jump you right there and make you mine.”
“Wait.” I pulled my hand free. “It was you that night outside my shop.”
“It was. I couldn’t keep myself away and as soon as I smelled you again, I shifted and was desperate to get to you. I had to war with both skins to stay away. I never wanted to scare you.”
“I was terrified, Landry!”
“I know and I’m sorry.”
“This is a lot.” I stood abruptly. “I need to go.”
“Go?”
Sudden dread creeped up my spine. “Oh my God, am I not allowed to ever leave now since you entrusted me with your deepest darkest secrets of your kind? Am I a slave now?”
Landry cocked his head. “You have a wild imagination, Jason.”
“Look.” I sighed and tried to calm my rapid heartbeat. “You dumped a shitload of stuff on my lap I’m not even sure is real.”
“How do you think it’s not real?” Landry remained seated which helped. If he stood and came near me, I wasn’t sure if I’d run, scream, or god forbid touch him. Why did I want to touch him so badly?
“I’m questioning my sanity.”
He hummed and nodded curtly. “I can understand a sort of mental break over what was revealed to you but why would you go? You can’t get answers if you leave.”
“Am I never allowed back?”
Landry snorted and finally stood. I stepped back not trusting myself with him. A sort of tickle in my stomach was beginning to form and it was getting harder and harder to not touch him.
“You’re welcome here whenever you want, Jason. I told you, you’re my mate.”
“Mate…” I tried to taste the word on my tongue and realized I wanted to taste him. “Shit.”
“What ‘shit’?” Landry quirked a brow and moved toward me. Instinctively I increased our distance. “What’s wrong?”
“What’s wrong? Landry, you’re a dinosaur. You could devour me before I even got to the door.”
“I’d never!” His gaze was fierce. “I’d never hurt you, Jason, you’re my—”
“Mate, I know and…” The stirring in my belly increased, fuck, I was getting hard. “I have to go.”
“Wait, please, we can talk. I’ll stay on the other side of the—” Landry stopped suddenly, having advanced on me. “Jason…” He sniffed the air. “You’re aroused.”
“What the fuck, that’s so rude!”
“It’s rude that you’re turned on or rude that I brought it up?”
“I…” I had no idea; I just knew I needed to get out of Landry’s apartment or I’d climb him like a tree.
“You’re finally feeling it,” Landry whispered almost to himself but I heard him.
“Feeling what?”
“It’s okay, Jason, your body is responding to mine. It takes longer for full-blooded humans to feel the bond.”
“The bond?” Why wasn’t I leaving?
“I told you your scent, the second I smelled you I came alive inside. You didn’t understand what I was going through…
What I go through in your presence. You’re only now feeling it.
As mates our bodies will respond to each other.
It won’t always be intense like it is right now.
But you’ll sense me before I enter a room, and we will be connected in ways you could never imagine. ”
I didn’t know why it was my first thought but I said it anyway. “Will I turn into a dinosaur now?”
He chuckled warmly. “No, Jason.”
“I don’t know if I want this, Landry. I do know for a fact I’m not thrilled that my own body is a traitor though.”
“Your body and mind are at odds.” He pressed a hand to his chest. “I’m more animal, I suppose you can say. But for the first time ever my mind and body are at peace, they agree.” He inched closer but thankfully didn’t touch me. “You need time, but you also should get to know me. How about a date.”
“I thought that’s what this was supposed to be?” I rolled my eyes because even I thought that was ridiculous.
“No, this was more me showing you who I really am. Let me take you out for real.”
I needed to jack off badly and all I could think about was how if I went out in public with Landry, I’d embarrass myself. “I…umm…”
“I understand, your body, right?” I nodded. “How about a private date or two, just us. I won’t touch you unless you want me to…or more to the point, ask me to because make no mistake, Jason, I know you want it.”
My dick twitched, Landry’s gaze flicked to my crotch…yeah, I needed to leave.
“It’s Friday. Take a day and on Sunday we will have our first official date.”
He wasn’t asking but in that moment I didn’t really want to be asked, I needed him to tell me how to navigate this.
“Okay, Sunday.”
“I’ll text you a time and place unless there’s another appointment you have for that day?”
“No, I usually just do laundry on Sundays.”
“Perfect.”
He moved past me toward the door. A cloud of his sent lingered and yeah, I was going to come if I didn’t leave right now.
“Take care of yourself, Jason.” Landry quirked a brow.
“Yeah…uh, you too…See you Sunday.”
No man moved quicker than I did in that moment. I knew he watched me as I went to the elevator and I refused to make eye contact. I rested my head against the elevator wall and took a deep non-Landry breath once I began descending.
I’m so screwed…and wasn’t that the problem. I really wanted to be screwed.