Chapter 8 Larkin
EIGHT
LARKIN
Three days after the kiss behind the trucks, I could still feel Percy's mouth on mine.
It was becoming a problem. Not the remembering but the timing. During equipment checks, my brain would replay him moaning when I kissed him. I'd lose my train of thought. Colin would ask if I was feeling okay, and I'd blame it on the heat. But the weather wasn’t hot.
We'd been texting every day, short messages squeezed between shifts and pretending we didn't know each other. Percy texted the way he talked, fast and with no filter. He sent me a photo of a spider in his locker room.
I almost quit today.
Next came photos of his crew's firehouse dinner, and at midnight, there was a short message that read, I keep thinking about the kiss.
Me too.
Texting wasn’t my thing, and I rarely used emojis, unlike Percy. But he was miles away, and we were working opposite shifts. Texts were all we had until our schedules matched.
I’m off duty tomorrow.
I messaged, Me too, and my dragon told me I needed to go to texting lessons.
We had twenty-four hours where neither of us had to answer to anyone.
Percy suggested we meet up, but I couldn't do another restaurant meal where we pretended we were casual acquaintances.
How about my place? I’ll cook.
I should have predicted Percy’s reply. One of your three dishes?
I'll surprise you.
You have a limited menu, so I doubt I’ll be surprised. He added a smiley face.
Before he arrived, I cleaned my apartment that didn’t need it because scrubbing and polishing helped with my nerves.
The stir-fry was the most impressive of my three dishes, and with the ingredients prepped and in the fridge, I rearranged a cushion and adjusted a photo frame while waiting for Percy.
He had a six pack of beer dangling from one hand when I flung open the door. But it was his grin that sent a burst of lust rushing through my veins, while my dragon adjusted my inner temperature that was threatening to overheat.
“I brought provisions.” He held up the beer. “In case the cooking doesn't work out.”
“Oh ye of little faith.”
Percy strolled in, and his scent filled the hallway and every corner of my apartment as if it belonged here. He inspected my bookshelves, the old leather couch with the worn leather, and the kitchen island with the cooking utensils laid out in a neat row.
“Did you build that?” He pointed to the bookcase with his beer.
“Mmmm.”
“Clever.”
We sat on the balcony drinking beer after the sun set, and Percy asked if I was hungry. I closed one eye, unsure if he was talking about food or he wanted to suck me off. I was hoping for the latter.
“When did you last fly?”
“I assume you’re talking about flap-flap flying and not taking a plane.”
I do not flap, I soar and swoop and glide. My dragon was annoyed at my description.
Percy chuckled. “Is that how your dragon takes to the sky?” He lifted his arms up and down but didn’t flutter so much as flail. “I was going to suggest we shift before dinner, but now I’m reconsidering.” He rubbed his chin.
“It was a bad choice of words. And my dragon agrees with you and is peeved at me.”
I suggested we walk to the woods along the trail that ran behind the apartment building, but Percy sprinted down the fire escape and was jogging along the path with me in the rear.
“Race you,” he yelled.
I bounded after him, and when I caught up, he told me to shift first.
“Why me?”
“Because I suspect your dragon is broody and mysterious and I want to catch a glimpse.”
“Fine.” One of us had to take their scales before the other.
After getting undressed and grinning at Percy peering at my crotch, I closed my eyes and allowed my dragon’s heat to ripple through my body.
My skin grew tight and leathery before being covered in thick scales.
Wings, a tail, and sharp ridges erupted, and I was no longer me but a dragon hovering over Percy.
My beast stretched his wings, and they cast a shadow over the ground. My senses were sharper when I had my scales, and I picked up the scents of deer, moss, and the dry leaves below us.
Percy’s mouth gaped, and he gave a thumbs-up. “Gorgeous,” he shouted.
Why, thank you. My dragon’s wings rose and fell as he acknowledged the compliment.
See, you do flap them.
Percy shifted. His dragon was smaller than mine, and he snapped his jaws. The sound bounced off the trees. Percy’s dragon launched into the air, and while mine was maintaining his position, Percy flicked his tail and nudged my dragon with his snout.
We rose together, leaving the trees as the dark sky opened up above us. Percy's dragon darted ahead and circled back, while mine flew straight, letting the wind carry him.
He’s a show-off but still cute, my dragon observed.
I wouldn’t be sharing with Percy that my dragon described his beast as cute.
We chased each other until the stars appeared. We weren’t competing, and there were no secrets or crews or stations. We were two fated mates flying together for the first time in a space vast enough to hold us both.
When we landed and took our skin, Percy's cheeks were flushed, and he smelled like mine.
“I’m starving,” he announced. “Feed me.”
I gave him a look because that reminded me of a line from a movie.
“Food,” he clarified, “in case you thought I meant cock.”
Well, I didn’t, but I did now.
But we were fully dressed while I cooked, and Percy sat on the kitchen counter beside me. That was a health code violation, but I dismissed it because I wanted him close.
He stole vegetables out of the pan when he thought I wasn't looking, but I caught him and smacked his hand. He responded by kissing my cheek, and I almost burnt the food because I was so distracted.
He kept up a running commentary about a call they'd had where a cat was stuck up a tree. But after they set up the ladder, the cat leaped down as if to say, “Did you think I needed help?”
I turned off the gas and plated the food. But as I offered him his, my arm grazed him. We both became still. We’d seen one another naked, but skin to skin sent a surge of heat through me.
Percy gripped the edge of the counter as he whispered my name. I put the plates down because I was hungry, greedy even, not for stir-fry but for my mate. I pushed between his legs, and he wrapped them around me while draping his arms over my shoulders.
I placed my hands on the counter on either side of him.
“I’ve been thinking about this since the kiss. No, that's a fib. Since the barbecue. I'm not a patient person.”
I wanted to say, “Me too,” but kissed along his jaw instead, making him shiver.
He twisted his fingers in my hair and yanked it, making me moan. I brought my hand to cup his face, but he grabbed it and kissed along the life line on my palm.
After putting my arms around him, I slid him off the counter, and he wrapped his legs around me and kissed me. This wasn't the kiss behind the trucks that was stolen or rushed. This was one that was meant to be savored.
“Which way’s the bedroom, assuming you do have one?” He giggled into my mouth as I strode toward my bed.
The stir-fry was forgotten, and I didn’t care.