Chapter 13 #3
“Right. Man, so glad I’m recording this right now.
Hey, Nikki? Hey, Gunter’s up in Alric’s study in dragon form.
I have no idea why, honestly, but they’re both pretty drunk and stuck together.
Gunter’s demanding to see you. Maybe come up, try to talk him through switching back to human form?
Sure, I’m not moving from here until you and Cameron can get them untangled.
You bet. Okay, Gunter, your joyfriend is coming. ”
Gunter sighed deeply, at least a decade’s worth of sighs all packed into one. “But they’re not my joyfriend.”
“Ahh, Gunter, do you have a sad because they’re not your joyfriend?”
Gunter whined, feeling tears well up in his eyes.
“Do you want me to tell you how to fix it?”
The tears paused. Cassie knew how to fix it? “Yes?”
“When Nikki gets here, shift over to human form first and then kiss them. Okay?”
“I just have to kiss them?”
“That’ll do it, trust me.”
Gunter could totally kiss Nikki. That was totally something he could do.
Pounding footsteps came at a run. It wasn’t Nikki, though, Nikki’s run was lighter. Must be Cameron.
This observation was confirmed a moment later when Cameron demanded, “Is that my husband’s foot sticking out of the door?”
“A fact I confirmed by tickling.”
“Of course you did. Alric?”
“Cameron, I’m stuck,” Alric told him with a whiny growl, shifting a little and pinching Gunter further against the wall in the process. “My dragon won’t shift back.”
“Uhh…okay. I really want to know what happened here, but you know, I was waiting for you in our rooms. I had a whole thing set out with hot towels and oils and those heated rocks you like so much.”
Alric paused, voice turning wistful. “Even the heated rocks?”
“Full on massage service, happy ending included. Wouldn’t you rather come home with me and do that than stay in there?”
Alric’s dragon apparently needed no further encouragement. He promptly shifted, leaving him lying on his side on the wrecked coffee table.
“There’s my hubby,” Cameron crooned.
Which was all fine and well for Alric, but where was Gunter’s mage?
With Alric no longer blocking his view, Gunter could see the doorway with one eye. When Nikki arrived, panting and red in the face, he let out a happy thump with his tail. Something may have splintered at the movement. He hushed his tail absently. There was his mage!
“Gunter,” Nikki said, panting, a hand on the door jamb for balance. “Why are you in dragon form?”
“Nikki,” Gunter whined, rolling his eyes pitifully. “Nikki, I’m stuck.”
Nikki looked to Cameron for help. “How did you get the king to shift back?”
“Bribes,” Cameron informed him.
“Oh.”
Gunter’s tail thumped again, hopefully. “Nikki, if I shift, will you kiss me?”
The oddest expression flitted over Nikki’s face, and Nikki promised with hand over heart, “I will kiss you lots if you shift back.”
Ooh, lots of kisses, even better. Gunter could shift for lots of kisses.
The dragon side of him was in complete agreement with this. Kissing his mate was a currently higher priority than killing the Jaeggi.
Gunter shifted with no trouble at all, leaving him shirtless and draped over the chair like a dying cat. But he had no time to lay there; he wanted to kiss Nikki.
Nikki was quick to dart to Gunter’s side, helping to pull him up and steady him as he found his feet. Which was thoughtful of them. Nikki was always so thoughtful. Gunter should kiss Nikki for being thoughtful.
Really, there were a lot of reasons to kiss Nikki.
Gunter framed their thin face with both his palms and leaned in, capturing their sweet mouth with his own. Nikki jerked a little under his hands, but their arms latched around Gunter’s waist, happily leaning into him.
The dragon side of Gunter made a happy rumbling sound.
Kissing Nikki was good. Do that more. Gunter was in perfect agreement on this.
Kissing Nikki was so sweet, and the hot mingling of breath tingled along his nerves.
This was different than those teasing kisses.
Those had left Gunter wanting. This kiss was pure, selfish, and hungry.
But it wasn’t enough, he wanted Nikki plastered right up against him.
With the height difference between them, it frustrated Gunter.
He trailed his hands down a slender back, finding the back of Nikki’s thighs and wrapping his hands around them. With a single hoist, he lifted Nikki up effortlessly, erasing the height difference.
Nikki gasped, hands flying up to latch around Gunter’s neck, then smiled against his mouth. Gunter tasted the smile, feeling a wave of happiness that Nikki so obviously liked kissing him.
“Phew, I need a firehose for these two,” Cassie commented. “Gunter? Hey, Gunter, don’t pin poor Nikki to the nearest wall, okay? There’s no door here, remember?”
Damn. That was right, the door was kindling on the floor right now. Gunter drew back, leaving his forehead touching Nikki’s. “Come properly to my room this time.”
Nikki beamed from ear to ear as they whispered, “Okay.”
“And stay the night, no sneaking out this time,” Gunter demanded. He was thoroughly sick of the sneaking out.
“Wait, you knew?!”
“Of course I did. No more sneaking out; stay properly in the bed with me.”
Nikki’s joy couldn’t possibly be brighter. “No sneaking out, I promise. And you’ll keep kissing me?”
“Oh, trust me,” Gunter rumbled, his dragon rumbling to life inside him, “I’m not done kissing you.”