Chapter 12
We pickedup the shampoo and conditioner my mom had ordered without a problem. August’s arm remained around me, and my defenses rose a little when I saw everyone in the shop drooling over him, but it was fine.
I survived.
When we got back to the cabin, I washed my hair, videoed my mom to show her the difference, then finally got out to the porch.
I spent the rest of the day working.
And August?
Well, he spent it rubbing my feet.
Not because he wanted sex. Because he liked touching me.
The man was spoiling me for everyone else.
But I didn’t have the heart to ask him to stop. So, the spoiling commenced.
And it was blissful.
We made dinner together again, and went flying after we ate just like we had done the day before.
I enjoyed every single minute of it.
A few more days passed bythe same way.
Food, sexy time, work, and flying, all on repeat. We shuffled the order sometimes, but they all had their moment in the sun.
We hadn’t gone further than what we’d currently done, silently capping our sex life at him using his fingers and mouth while I only brought my hands to the table.
It was still incredible.
Even if I wanted more sometimes.
And ached to have actual penis-in-vagina sex.
My friends stopped by for a visit on the fourth or fifth day after the magic set in, but Randa and Vi didn’t stay long. We chatted out in front of the cabin, and Randa and Eli flirted a bit, but heat’s magic pushed me back to August’s side pretty quickly. It was nice to see them, but the pain and warmth that accompanied distance from August was getting worse by the day.
A weekand a half had gone by when the heat stopped responding to August’s touch.
I sat down at the kitchen table beside him, pressing the bottoms of my bare feet to the tops of his like always.
Before, it had given me relief from the warmth and pain.
But as I touched them to his, they did nothing for me.
My forehead wrinkled.
My lips curved downward.
I lifted my toes off the tops of his feet, and pressed them back down, trying again.
Still nothing.
If the pain eased at all, I didn’t feel it.
My muscles had passed the aching stage earlier, and my pain became the stabbing kind. The hurt would come in waves, but it always came. And when it did, it was intense.
I sucked in a breath as it hit me hard for a moment.
Taking in air felt difficult.
My heart throbbed in my chest, seeming to clench as the pain deepened.
“You’re hurting.” The concern in August’s voice was unmistakable. He was shirtless, like usual, wearing just a pair of boxers.
“I’m fine.” I forced myself to try to sound chipper. It failed, but I’d figured it was worth a shot.
“Don’t lie to me, Fireball. We’re a team, remember?”
“Alright. Yes, I’m in pain. Putting my feet on yours isn’t helping like it used to.”
August’s forehead knitted in concern. “The magic must be growing stronger.”
“What does it want from us now?”
“After touching? Sex. Biting could buy us another few days. Maybe a week.”
I nodded.
Biting still sounded hot, so I wasn’t against it.
We’d get to it after breakfast.
I forced myself to take another bite of my food, trying hard to ignore the next wave of pain that was coming on—and the insane amount I was sweating. The bralette and spandex shorts I had on were damp, and not for a fun reason.
August’s foot hooked one of the legs of my chair, and he dragged me closer.
I was struggling to chew and swallow the food in my mouth when his hands caught my waist—and lifted me onto his lap.
My mostly-bare back met his chiseled chest, and the intimate contact eased the pain just a little more.
“You’re burning up.” The concern in his voice made me feel good. Or at least, it made me want to feel good.
“I’m okay.”
He ignored me, his hands gliding slowly over my abdomen and hips. More physical contact did help a little, but not enough to make the difference I wanted.
“Keep eating.”
I sighed, but forced another bite into my mouth.
I knew from experience that August would get growly if I didn’t eat enough. And while I liked him growly, he wouldn’t take no for an answer if it got to that point, so arguing was useless.
His hands continued moving over my abdomen and hips while I forced a few more bites down. Heat’s magic was intense enough that it was a huge struggle.
August’s lips brushed the back of my neck as I took yet another bite.
I shivered in response.
He’d been doing that a lot—kissing the back of my neck.
I hadn’t thought much about it. Most of my thoughts were occupied by my schoolwork and surviving heat.
When I managed to get that bite down, I nearly gagged.
My fork went down beside the plate.
I couldn’t eat any more.
“You’re alright, Fireball.” August’s voice was low, with an edge of a growl. “Put your hands on the table.”
Though I didn’t know why he’d given the instruction, I grabbed the edge of the wood.
His lips brushed the back of my neck once again—and I gasped when his teeth replaced them a heartbeat later.
A dragon’s bite wasn’t like a vampire’s.
It wasn’t pain, followed by lusty bliss.
It wasn’t a bite to my jugular, searching for blood.
It was so much better.
His magic rolled through me, a wave of power.
Strength.
Freedom.
Energy.
An orgasm tore through me just like that, leaving me sucking in air as my body adjusted to the magic that mingled with the fire in my veins.
The power didn’t feel like it belonged to me.
It felt like it was August’s.
Like I was August’s.
There was no pain from his bite—only pure, untainted belonging.
His magic was mine.
My body was his.
And that was exactly how it was supposed to be.
His chest was rumbling, almost purring, when he finally released my neck.
My breathing was still rapid, but my pain was entirely gone.
“Keep eating, Fireball.” His command made goosebumps erupt on my arms.
His lips brushed the back of my neck again, and there was no pain where the wound should’ve been.
I finally picked up my fork with a trembling hand, and lifted another bite to my lips.
“You smell incredible.” His hands were still moving over my abdomen.
I inhaled deeply at his words, and caught what must’ve been August’s scent.
My lower belly tightened.
My toes curled.
I didn’t have words to describe what he smelled like.
Trees?
Sex?
Freedom?
Some combination of those things, and more?
It was just like the scent I’d caught on his skin the day we first met, but so much more intense.
It didn’t make sense, but every fiber of my being told me it was right for me. He was right for me.
His hands slid up to my breasts and squeezed lightly, distracting me from his scent. “I don’t know how long this will relieve the pain.”
“Some relief is better than none.”
He made a noise of agreement, kissing the back of my neck again like he just couldn’t help it. “My scent intertwines perfectly with yours.”
“Does it?” I moved my hips a little, earning a growl as the motion caused friction between my ass and his erection.
A knock at the door interrupted us.
I sighed.
August grumbled.
When I started slipping off his lap to go answer it, he set me down on my feet. His arm went around my waist before we started walking, and he plucked one of his t-shirts off the couch on the way. It went over my head before August pulled the door open.
I blinked when we found Brynn on the porch.
Her scent hit me, and I couldn’t stop my face from scrunching up. She smelled wrong.
Brynn smiled, looking between us. “How are you guys doing?”
Neither of us answered right away.
I was trying to breathe through my mouth, to avoid her scent mingling with August’s, but it wasn’t really working.
Curiosity filled her eyes.
My jaw clenched a little.
“We’re fine,” August finally said. “You brought cookies.”
It wasn’t a question, but there was a huge plate of cookies in her hands, so it didn’t really need to be one.
“Yep!” She handed it over.
He took it.
“I think I’m interrupting something.” She looked between us.
She could see lust, so she could probably guess what we’d been up to.
“You are. And your scent is clouding my mate’s,” August said. “Take a few steps back?”
“Right.” She took multiple steps away.
“Does he still seem sane?” Eli yelled from the front yard, where his chair was still set up.
“Yep,” she yelled back. “Possessive, though.”
“As he should be.”
August grumbled, and Brynn smiled. “I’ll get out of your hair. I’m glad to see you’re enjoying yourselves, though. I hope you like the cookies!”
She winked at us, then headed off.
August walked me backward a few steps, closing the front door as soon as we were far enough from it.
He set the plate of cookies on the floor.
Then, his lips found the back of my neck again.
I shivered at the intimate sensation of being kissed there. And there was still no pain.
“Did the bite heal already?”
“Yes. My bites will always heal immediately.”
His hands moved slowly down the curve of my waist. “You were jealous, Fireball.”
My palms met the door when he kissed the back of my neck again, then dragged his tongue slowly over the sensitive skin.
“Not jealous,” I said.
“Oh, really?” He sounded amused.
And like he didn’t believe me in the slightest.
I didn’t really believe me either, so that made two of us.
“Mmhm. I was just… surprised.”
“Surprised, huh?”
“Yep. Surprised by how she smelled.”
“And how did she smell?”
“Not good.”
“Why didn’t she smell good?”
He had me with that one, and he knew it.
“I don’t know, Auggie.” I hoped the nickname would distract him from the question.
It didn’t.
He stepped closer to me, until his erection was pressed against my lower back.
My cheek met the front door.
His hands slid under my shirt and up my abdomen, finding my breasts.
“Want me to tell you why she smelled bad, Fireball?”
He held the weight of my breasts, the smell of my desire thickening around us.
It was almost as strong as the scent of his.
“Go ahead.”
His lips brushed my ear.
His thumbs teased my nipples.
My entire body tensed.
“Because I belong to you.” He worked my nipples rougher.
Harder.
While he pressed me into the door.
“Do you?” I whispered.
“With everything I am.”
Only for a few more weeks, but he didn’t say that. So I wouldn’t either.
Might as well enjoy the time we had together.
“Tell me you were jealous, Fireball.” His command was low.
Hot.
“I was jealous.” The admission escaped before I could even attempt to stop it. “Now that I can smell your scent, hers seemed wrong.”
“Good.” His hands released my breasts, sliding down my abdomen. One lingered on my hip, and the other slid between my thighs. “What do I smell like?”
“I don’t know.”
He gave me a disapproving growl.
“You don’t smell like anything. More like… feelings. Lust. Desire. Comfort. Belonging.”
“That’s better.” He finally stroked me between my thighs, over my shorts.
“What do I smell like to you?”
“Mine.” He touched me again. “Pleasure. Need. Home.”
Well, that was intense.
He worked me with his fingers, and my mind left his words.
His hands were the only thing I could focus on.
I shattered, and shattered, and shattered.
And by the time we collapsed in bed together, I started to think maybe he smelled like home to me too.