Chapter 6 Theron
SIX
THERON
It rained on Saturday, and my dragon complained about the noise level inside the house.
I had three dragon shifter kids trapped indoors with energy they couldn't burn off, because burning things off—literally—wasn't allowed with Ledger in the house. It was his day off, but he was in his suite working.
Fraser climbed onto the back of the sofa and leaped off multiple times, and Rory got so fed up with him, he tossed a cushion as his brother’s head. That started a fight, and Skye joined in while I ducked.
I shooed them outside, and they tore around in the rain.
But while dragon kids thought getting wet was fun for a while, they’d come inside shivering, and I’d have to turn up the heat.
Ledger wouldn’t cope, so I’d bought a portable heater, and the four of us huddled in my room while I dried everyone off and bundled them into sweaters and fleece-lined pants.
I had pizza with pepperoni and ground beef delivered for dinner because I was too frazzled to cook, and I sent the kids up to ask Ledger if he wanted to eat with us. He hadn’t appeared all day, so he must have been hungry, unless he’d stashed food up there.
You said stashed. My dragon chuckled.
Human myths told tales of dragons hoarding wealth, and while it wasn’t true, my kind did have an uncanny knack for making money. But I balanced our good fortune by donating generously to charities.
“Ledger,” Fraser yelled from the bottom of the stairs, but Rory hurled himself up to the third floor, with Skye at his heels and Fraser shouting, “Not fair. You didn’t tell me it was a race.”
I followed my children, worried that in their excitement, they’d burn something because they weren’t wearing their bracelets. They barged into the manny suite without knocking, saying, “We have meat pizza. And it’s cooked.”
“That’s nice.” Ledger was at his desk, and he pushed the chair back as the kids crowded around him. He was wearing a T-shirt and shorts, and I wondered what he’d look like out of them.
“You have to come.” Skye took Ledger’s hand.
“I apologize for my children charging in, Ledger, and we’re inviting you to dinner. But you can refuse the invitation.”
I wanted him to accept so we’d all sit together eating and chatting and I could sneak looks at the man who had no idea he was my fated mate.
Ledger stretched and said he’d done enough work for today and he’d love to join us.
“Can we watch a movie after dinner?” Fraser gripped Ledger’s hand tightly as if he was worried the guy would change his mind.
I agreed because it was the weekend, and we ended up having the pizza on our oversized sofa in the cinema room.
Though the couch was massive, we were all huddled together.
Rory was at one end and I was on the other.
Wedged in the middle were Fraser, Skye, and Ledger, in that order, so Ledger was next to me.
Our legs were pressed against one another, but I was wearing jeans and our manny was still in his shorts, so his thighs were exposed.
The kids chose a movie, but I couldn’t concentrate on the story about a fish. My internal heat was rising thanks to Ledger being so close. He must have had a shower recently because I could scent my favorite body wash that I’d put in his bathroom the day he arrived.
“Can we have popcorn, Daddy?” Skye was snuggled up against Ledger, and Fraser was horizontal with his legs over his sister and his feet in Ledger’s lap.
“Yes!” I had to get away because my dragon saw this as the perfect time to mark our mate.
“Yes!” Ledger leaped up at the same time.
“Sit, this is your day off.” I couldn’t shove the guy back onto the couch. He wasn’t my property. I wouldn’t do that to my own children unless we were playing.
Ledger lowered himself onto the couch, and I dashed into the kitchen. I needed a shower, but I couldn’t have one now. I was supposed to be making popcorn, so I did what I called the Ledger sniff, lifting my arms and smelling my pits.
“Please don’t burn the popcorn like the last time, Daddy,” Skye called.
“Yeah, tell your beast to lower the temperature.”
Oh shoot. The kids were used to my dragon popping the corn, but I tore into the pantry, looking for the popcorn maker we’d won in a school raffle. It was a joke because no dragon shifter ever used one. I dragged it out of the box, read the instructions, and made what I hoped was edible popcorn.
“You took so long.” Fraser was pouting as I returned to the cinema room.
“This tastes different.” Rory took a handful of popcorn and tossed it in his mouth.
Ledger nibbled his popcorn, and he side-eyed me as I shoveled the snack between my lips.
“You named your popcorn maker the beast?” He sniggered, and corn kernels flew out of his mouth.
“Mmmm.” I continued chewing so I didn’t have to say anything else, and I stared at the TV, concentrating on the movie that kept the kids enthralled.
Ledger laughed at something on screen at the same moment I did, and we caught each other's eye. He looked away first.
You're staring.
I am aware.
Skye burrowed deeper into Ledger's side, and he tucked his arm around her. Her eyes drooped, and within five minutes, she was asleep. She hadn't fallen asleep on anyone since she used to do it on Vince's chest while he watched TV, but she'd never done it with any of the mannies.
Ledger reached behind him for the throw that was on the back of the couch and tucked it around my daughter. I had to look away and stare at the TV as I blinked away tears. My sons would ask what was wrong if they saw me because adult dragon shifters didn’t cry easily.
Fraser also fell asleep before the movie finished, and Ledger covered him with the throw.
Rory was still awake, and the three of us watched until the end, but as the credits rolled and the rain pelted down outside, my eldest dozed off.
Ledger and I sat in the cinema room, lit only by a small lamp in the corner.
I wished we could stay here, not saying anything and with no expectations, even though I had plenty of those, but we’d have to move eventually. It was so rare that it was just the two of us, and the coffee incident in the dining room didn’t count.
Ledger's head was tilted back against the couch, and his eyes were half closed. From this angle, I could see the pulse beating under his jaw, and my dragon stirred.
No, don’t even think about it.
But it’s the perfect time.
I’ll tell you when it’s right.
“I can't remember the last time I just sat,” Ledger said.
“You work too hard.”
“Says the man who’s often in his office late at night.” He swivelled his head to face me. “And I’m reliably informed that you sleep there too.”
I sighed. My children must have spilled.
“I do it so I don’t disturb anyone when I come in late.” And it was easier than lying in bed, wondering if he was asleep or thinking about me or staring at the ceiling, knowing he was on the floor above.
Ledger raised a brow. “I wouldn’t hear you on the third floor, and the kids are sound sleepers.” He narrowed his eyes, and I told him it was just me out there and I never had any visitors late at night. I didn’t want him to think I was having sex with someone.
“Okay.” He glanced away, but he was trying to stifle a grin. “Thanks for filling me in.”
Now it was my turn to suppress a laugh at his choice of words. Filling him was something I’d thought about often.
“How are we going to do this without waking them?” Ledger adjusted his butt, and Skye mumbled something unintelligible.
“I’ll carry them one by one.”
“Don’t be silly,” he whispered. “I’ll help.”
After removing Fraser’s legs from Ledger’s lap, I picked him up, and Ledger slid out from under Skye.
I snuck a glance at his thighs and longed to pepper kisses over them.
When I returned from putting my younger son to bed, Ledger was standing and holding Skye.
He was swaying as if he didn’t want to jostle her awake.
I reached for Skye and our arms tangled. Ledger’s elbow knocked mine, my hand landed on his waist, and for a second we were both holding her and standing close enough that I could count the freckles on his nose.
With all three kids in bed, I found Ledger in the kitchen making tea. He looked so at home as he held up a mug and asked if I wanted some. We sipped our hot drinks, and I didn’t feel the need to talk.
When he wished me good night, I almost told him everything. That he was my mate and I had a dragon inside me and so did my kids, though they hadn’t met theirs yet. He paused as if he was waiting for me to say something, before continuing to his suite.
I stood in the kitchen and pressed both hands on the counter because they were shaking. Smoke curled from my nostrils, and I let it. There was no one here to see.
You should have told him.
Soon.
It had to be soon because I wasn't going to survive many more almosts.