Page 19 of Here Be Dragons

Leaving Carly naked andin my lair was almost impossible, but I knew that if I stayed, I wouldn’t be able to give her time to come to terms with what was happening between us before I took action.

Fuck that! Go there and help our mate bathe now. Then put our scent on her and claim her.

I ignored my dragon and his impatience. All this was happening very fast, and she just had a traumatic experience. I knew it was my right to claim her since she was mine; the way my fire had spared her proved it. But there would be plenty of time for that. I already had her in my home, and had no plans to let her leave.

Besides, I’d heard the discomfort in her voice and felt the stiffness in her body when she said she could clean herself. I really should give her some time, even though what I wanted to do was rush back in there and gather her in my arms under the water.

So I went to my armoire, the only piece of furniture in my room that looked like furniture, and rifled through my tops to find the softest, silkiest shirt I owned. She could wear it as a dress until we got her more suitable things. Then I rummaged around in the bottom drawer for the healing salve. I rarely needed it since I healed quickly on my own, so it might be a little past its best, but it should still be effective.

I also grabbed my favorite wing oil, the one with the gold flakes in it. It was formulated for dragon wings but worked just as well on all human parts. I imagined rubbing the oil all over her body when she got out of the shower.

And that had me thinking of her under the warm rain, dripping wet and lonely—

Go to her!

It wouldn’t hurt to take a small peek, would it? Just to see how she was doing?

With all the things for her in hand, I opened the bathroom door. Warm humid air filled my lungs, along with the scent of her mixed with soap. She stood under the shower, her face tilted skyward with a look of bliss on her face. Water sluiced off her ample breasts, generous ass, and thick thighs, and I couldn’t stop the appreciative growl that rumbled from my throat.

She wiped the water from her face, smoothing her left hand down her hair before turning to me. I noticed that she held her right hand awkwardly at her side. The bruise on her wrist had deepened, and it was starting to get a bit puffy.

Fuck it. I was done fighting this attraction and trying to be a gentleman. Putting the items in my arms down on a rock ledge, I approached her. “Let me help you wash your hair. You mustn’t strain your wrist.”

She hesitated for a moment before she finally nodded and said, “Yeah. I might need help with that. Thank you.”

“Turn around. I’m going to remove my pants so they don’t get wet.”

She laughed softly as she turned, her curves swaying enticingly. “No, please don’t ruin another pair on account of me. I don’t think I can afford that.”

“You owe me nothing. If anything, I owe you. I’ve put you in danger.”

I removed my pants and tossed them over a hook before stepping under the steamy spray. The water was hot, almost scalding, just the way I liked it. But I worried it might make herwrist swell more. I made a mental note to get some ice for it later.

My cock, now free of its fabric prison, reacted to the delicious display before me, growing hard and demanding attention. I gritted my teeth, ignoring it even though it was torture not to bend her over the carved rocks right now and claim her.

Pumping out a generous amount of shampoo into my hands, I lathered it up between my palms before distributing it through her hair, making sure to massage her scalp thoroughly. She stood rather tense and stock still at first, but as my fingers worked their magic, she relaxed and let out a contented sigh.

“I haven’t had anyone wash my hair since I was a little girl.”

“Then we’ll have to remedy that.”

Her shoulders sagged and I scented sadness oozing from her before it swirled down the drain. This was not the response I had been expecting.

“What is wrong?”

“You say that like this”…she gestured broadly around her…”is going to be a common occurrence. I’m going to be completely honest here. I don’t know what’s happening between us, but I can’t let anything jeopardize my job at the museum. Much as I want to, jumping into bed or the shower with my boss isn’t exactly conducive to that. I’m sure you’re used to having women at your beck and call. But I’m not like that. I don’t do flings.”

I turned her around and started to rinse the shampoo out of her hair. “I don’t do flings either.”

She shook her head and pushed me lightly away with her good hand. “You can’t tell me that you’re seriously interested in me.” She let out a bitter huff. It was just a single note, but it told me everything.

How did I tell a human who had just found out I was an actual dragon that she was my fated mate? My one and only? My dragon and his usually abundant advice were suddenly nowhere to be found. The jerk was leaving it all to me.

“I am not lying. Nor do I have women at my beck and call.” I could have, but it wasn’t something I was interested in these days; random sexual conquests got monotonous after a century or so. Not to mention, I’d been completely focused on winning this competition, and females were a distraction.

“Oh, come on. You want me to believe that you, a billionaire dragon shifter who basically owns a city, are interested in me for anything other than a quick roll in the hay?” She scoffed. “I wasn’t born yesterday. Look at me. Chubby is being generous. I’m the fat chick. The girl you sleep with behind the scenes, but don’t bring to a fancy, high-profile event. I’d stick out like a sore thumb next to all the skinny supermodels.”

My dragon was awake now, because he didn’t like any of those words, and neither did I. I yanked her out of the spray and grabbed her chin, tilting her face to look up at me. “I don’t know who dared to say those things to you, but point them out, and I will burn them to a crisp. You are gorgeous. I’d be proud to have you at my side at any and all events. If other males want femaleswith nothing on their bones, then it is their loss. If the media so much as utters a word about your size or shape, they’re going to have a very angry dragon on their hands.”

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