Chapter 15
Jasper sat nextto me and stared out at the horizon while I ate way too much of the treat he’d made me and started adding color to my sketch.
As much as I’d wanted to hold my ground on the no-flying thing, I wasn’t stupid. I couldn’t get back to Scale Ridge without a ride on his back. And he was a dragon, so it wasn’t like I was going to be able to convince him to never fly again. That would be like trying to convince any other guy not to walk anymore.
So, I’d decided to let him attempt to convince me that I could like flying.
It probably wouldn’t work, but I’d feign comfort and eventually learn not to hate it so much.
It was a necessary evil.
I stared down at my drawing for a moment, trying to pinpoint what I’d gotten wrong. The colors I’d started adding were fine for the moment, but something about his face…
Hmm.
I felt his eyes on me, and glanced up at him. He looked curious.
“Can you tilt the top of your head that way?” I gestured with my digital pencil.
He tilted.
“Good. Now tip your head back?”
He tipped.
“Perfect.” My gaze flicked between the line of his jaw and my depiction of it as I carefully reshaped the left edge. “Damn, you’re pretty.”
He snorted.
I couldn’t suppress a smile.
“What do Muddy Buddies taste like?” he asked.
My forehead creased. “You made them but didn’t taste them?”
“They were for you.”
I rolled my eyes, but held out the bowl. “Jas, I have a twin sister. I’m used to sharing everything. You can even borrow my deodorant and toothbrush. I don’t care.”
He chuckled, taking a handful of the treat and popping one in his mouth. “Mmm. Pretty good.”
“I can’t believe you haven’t had these. These are basically my childhood.” I continued adding and tweaking the colors while snacking. “Our nanny would make them secretly, and we’d have to eat the whole bag before our parents were home from work.
“My childhood was a long time ago.”
“We’re not discussing your age, remember?”
He laughed, and my smile returned. “Did your parents keep you on a healthy diet like mine did?”
“Nah. Growing shifters are like bottomless pits. We ate anything and everything. Can I move my head yet?”
“Hmm?” I glanced up, and realized he was still holding the pose. “Oh, yeah. Like five minutes ago. Sorry.”
“I’m having flashbacks to the time you told me you burn food a lot.”
“Not a lot. Just sometimes. Timers need to learn how to set themselves when I’m cooking. And for the record, you totally burned those pancakes that one time.”
“That’s the first time I’ve ever burned food on accident.”
“On accident?” My voice raised, though I didn’t look up from my drawing.
“I always leave popcorn in the microwave for an extra thirty seconds, so it gets just a little burnt.”
“Wow, you really like to live on the edge.”
“Mmhm.”
I looked up at him, narrowing my eyes as I tried to adjust the way the light hit him in my drawing. “Lean forward a bit, and turn your head that way?” I pointed in the opposite direction from before.
He leaned, and turned.
“You’re a good model. Ever thought about posing for a book cover? Authors pay way too much money for exclusive pictures of guys as gorgeous as you. You could probably make a thousand bucks a picture. More, if you found the right photographer.”
“If I ever find myself lacking money, I’ll consider it, but the government pays way too much money for exclusive dragon prison guards.”
I grinned, and he met mine with his own, his head still at that weird angle. “You never told me you were this much fun when we were going through heat. This is a major selling point, Jas.”
“I told you I wasn’t myself. I could barely think straight. I’ll feel more normal after we fly, too.”
“Let’s not talk about that.”
He snorted again. “Can I put my head back?”
“Nope, I haven’t fixed the lighting. Give me a sec.” I went back to the colors, and fixed that right up. I honestly could’ve done it without his positioning, and it probably would’ve turned out the same, but I’d been curious.
“Now?”
“Shit. Yes. Two minutes ago.”
Another laugh escaped him. “You’re terrible with time.”
“I know. It’s a problem I’m not trying to fix. Unfortunately, you’re stuck with me.”
“There’s nothing unfortunate about it, Sweetheart. I just spent two weeks watching you climax.”
That dang flush warmed my face again. “You were doing a lot more than watching, Jas.”
“Good point.” He set his hand on my thigh. “Ready to fly?”
I looked down at my bowl, hoping there was enough of my treat left to use it as an excuse.
There was only one.
So, no excuse.
I sighed, but popped the last bite in my mouth and nodded.
He took my hand as we walked to the balcony.
The touch messed with my head a little. Made me feel like I was important to him. I liked that tremendously, though I was still a little uncertain about it.
There was no real reason for my uncertainty, though.
I just hadn’t wrapped my mind around what it meant to be mates. And I had no idea how long it would take to wrap my mind around that.
When we made it to the balcony, Jasper released my hand and took two steps away from me. His eyes met mine when he unbuttoned his jeans, and stepped out of them.
I didn’t stop my gaze from lowering to his abdomen and erection.
There was one pro to flying, at least:
Jasper’s nudity.
He inhaled, and without further ado, his body shifted. A gorgeous silver dragon replaced the man. Curiosity colored my view of him, rather than the fear or shock of the last time I’d seen him in his scaly form.
He reached his head toward me, tipping it down and closing his eyes. I knew he wanted me to touch him. Because I wanted that too, I lifted my hand to his scales and pressed it against them lightly.
His chest rumbled, and my lips curved upward.
Maybe his dragon form wasn’t that different from his man form. He would’ve rumbled if I touched his skin, too.
“You’re beautiful,” I murmured, and he blew a puff of hot air in my face.
My smile widened.
“Ready?”His voice was in my mind again, but I was coming around to the intimacy of it.
“I guess.”
“Lift your arms.”
I did as he instructed, and his tail came around to the front of me slowly, tucking beneath my arms. In a smooth motion, he lifted me off the balcony and set me on his back. It was the same place he’d put me the last time I flew with him, but his gigantic body was much calmer.
I hadn’t realized what a big difference the lack of tension would make. I could relax against his neck much more comfortably, with the way he was positioned.
“You comfortable?”he asked.
“Surprisingly, yes.”I wrapped my arms around his neck, leaning against him.
“Alright, hold on.”His body tensed for a moment, and he took off.
My stomach was tight as I closed my eyes and held on to him for dear life, waiting for the discomfort I remembered from the last flight.
It never came.
Instead, after a few minutes, I opened my eyes.
We were gliding over the mountains.
The air whipped my damp hair around behind me, the sound of it like white-noise that sort of comforted me.
It was… peaceful.
Nothing like I’d expected after our first flight.
The air smelled fresh and felt nice on my skin, if a bit chilly.
Jasper’s body kept me warm.
The scenery beneath us and around us was stunning, full of mountains and valleys covered in lush trees. Clouds floated below and above us, making me feel like we were on top of the world.
“Is it more bearable this time?” Jasper asked me, after a few minutes went by.
“Definitely.”
He rumbled below me, and I felt more than heard it.
“Is it hard to fly this smoothly?”I asked, wondering if the peace was going to last.
“Only when I’m under heat’s influence. This is how I normally fly.”
That was fair.
Heat had been difficult on both of us.
I pressed my cheek against his scales a little harder, my eyes still moving over the scenery. “Is it helping you feel better?”
“Much. I’ve always thought better in the sky.”
“I can see why. It’s calming up here.”
His responding thought was so loud, I heard it in my mind. “Thank fuck.”
A laugh escaped me. “It may be hard to believe, but I feel the same way.”
“It’s not hard to believe. Flying will be as much a part of your life now as it is mine. It’ll be a lot better for both of us if you enjoy it.”
I couldn’t disagree with that any more than I could stop myself from asking, “What’s our life together going to look like, Jas?”
“That depends on you.”
“How do you figure that?”
“The way I see it, we have two options. We can try to make you more comfortable by easing into the bond, or we can jump into our new reality and figure it out as we go.”
My forehead creased. “How would we ease into it?”
“Move you into the bedroom you wanted. Try to establish a solid friendship before adding our bond to it. Build habits together and get used to each other as we do so.”
Oh.
“I don’t like that option, for the record, but I’m willing to attempt it if it’s what you want,”he said.
“What’s the alternative?”
“We continue as we are. You keep living in our shared bedroom with me. I introduce you to the thunder as my mate. We figure everything out together, as it arises.”
“There are pros and cons to both options.”I stared out at the mountains, my body still pressed to Jasper’s. “Lots of pros and cons to both.”
He made a sound of agreement.
“Do I have to decide now?”
“No. Soon, though.”
That made sense. We did have to figure out the living situation pretty quickly.
“Maybe we can fly back to Scale Ridge to pick up the rest of my stuff first? So I can see Vi? I don’t want to tell her everything over the phone. We need to have a conversation in person. If you’re up for it, we could go talk to my parents, too. They’re probably panicking by now.”
“Let’s do it,”he agreed. “We can pack a bag and head out now.”
With that, he carried me back to the mountain.
Since most ofmy stuff was still at home, I didn’t bother packing anything except the unscented shampoo and conditioner I used for Jasper’s sake.
He threw a few changes of clothes in a backpack with my shower stuff, then tightened the straps and slipped it over my shoulders before we headed out.
The flight wasa few hours long, but it was relaxing. My body was pressed against Jasper’s warm, scaly neck the whole time, and the breeze around us was peaceful. I dozed off a few times, but he flew so steadily that it didn’t matter.
By the time we reached Scale Ridge, the sun was starting to set, so I figured Vi would be at work. My keys were in our bag, thanks to Elodie, so I unlocked the apartment’s door without knocking.
When I stepped inside, I halted.
The living room was as tidy as usual, but the kitchen was a wreck.
There was a tower of dirty dishes to my left.
A stack of glass casserole pans with lids on them to the left of that.
Multiple trays of something to the left of that.
Pop music played from the radio so loudly that Vi hadn’t even heard the door open, and was facing the stove while she stirred something and shook her hips.
Jasper’s hands landed on my waist, and his mind brushed mine. “Want me to give you two some space?”
“That would be good,”I agreed, biting my lip.
The situation was abnormal.
Very, very abnormal.
Jasper’s lips brushed my cheek. “I’ll head over to Eli’s place. Let me know when you want me back here.”
“Thank you.”
“Of course.”He kissed the back of my neck, too, then finally stepped out and closed the door behind him.
Vi heard it that time, and her head jerked as she looked over her shoulder.
Her eyes lit up when she saw me.
“Randa!” She abandoned the pan on the stove and booked it across the room, throwing her arms around me. I hugged her back, though I was still confused.
“What happened?”
“I quit my job.” She squeezed me tighter, then finally released me and rushed back to the stove.
“You what?”
“I quit. You know I hated it—everyone knew I hated it. And you were off at Mate Mountain having hot dragon sex, and Elodie was off on her honeymoon having equally hot dragon sex, and I just—I quit.” She dragged her hand through her hair.
It looked like she’d been doing that a lot.
I padded into the kitchen, taking in the pans and dishes full of baked goods. “So what are you doing now?”
“Oh. That.” She glanced at the dishes and grimaced, then looked back to her saucepan. “I found a new job.”
I waited.
“Elodie found out I quit and gave me her sister-in-law’s phone number. She’s your sister-in-law now too, so I figure that kind of makes us sisters, right? Anyway, she owns that coffee shop we always used to go to, and they sell candy too, right? But they want to expand into cake and stuff, and the girl who makes up their candy recipes is busy, so she doesn’t want to be in charge of that. So, they offered to pay me salary if I agreed to handle the bakery’s recipes. And here I am. Making cake.” She gestured to the dishes. “And decorating it. The recipes can’t just be good. They have to be perfect.”
I looked closer at the pans and casserole dishes, which I could now see were full of layered cake, cupcakes, and who knew what else.
“Wow,” I finally said.
“I know.” She ran her hand through her hair again. “It’s insane, right?”
“Kind of. But are you having fun?”
“I don’t know. Maybe?”
My lips curved upward slightly. “You know, it wouldn’t be bad if you got a job that’s not related to food, Vi. If you don’t like cooking professionally, that’s fine.”
“It’s not the cooking I don’t like. It’s the people. If this is the way I can make my own recipes without having to deal with customers, this is the best job for me. I think. Here, try one of these.” She grabbed a frosted cupcake off a cooling rack and put it in my hands.
The frosting was perfectly swirled, with hot pink, bright yellow, and a bit of orange. There was an embellishment on the top that looked like a bit of candied lemon or something. “It looks professional.”
“I know! I’m getting better.”
I peeled the wrapper off and took a bite, groaning at the taste. “Oh, wow,” I said around a mouthful. “That’s amazing. Strawberry and lemon?”
“Yep. I think that recipe is done,” she agreed. “It’s going to be the first one we bring out. I’m nervous. And excited. But mostly nervous. If this doesn’t pan out, I’m screwed. Especially now that I’m paying the rent on my own.”
“I’m not abandoning you,” I said around the cake. “I’ll pay rent until you can handle it yourself. Apparently Jasper’s loaded.”
“Where is he, by the way?”
“Headed out to give us privacy.” I took another bite.
“Damn. I was going to make him try these too.”
“So you don’t hate his guts?”
She sighed. “Of course not. You guys are a packaged deal now, right? I’m pissed that you’re moving out, and I wish you didn’t have a dragon mate. I’m going to miss you like crazy. But Elodie told me a lot about him, and it sounds like he’ll make you happy. Does he?”
“I think so. It’s still pretty early. He told me I can choose whether we ease into the bond by starting as friends, or jump right in. So… I think so. I like his personality, at least. And like you said, the hot dragon sex is a plus.” I took another bite of the cupcake.
“He offered to just be your friend?” Vi asked, her voice incredulous. She was still stirring whatever was on the stove.
“Mmhm.”
“Shit, he really is perfect for you.”
I smiled.
“Sit here, eat cupcakes, and tell me everything,” she ordered, gesturing to a tiny sliver of the countertop that wasn’t covered in baking stuff. I scooted everything else over, lifted myself up, and launched into the story.
When I was done, Vi caught me up on all the tiny details of everything I’d missed from her life.
While it was different than it had been two weeks earlier, it was also the same. And I loved that.