Page 17 of Stripped to the Scales

“He, I think anyway,” Castor shrugged. “You really don’t mind squeezing into the ship when you have a big house you could be at?”

“That big house has felt empty since my parents moved to Starscale 3. It was really empty today without you. You’re needed here. I adore you, but I wouldn’t quit my job for you and I don’t expect you to do that for me either. Sure, a getaway may have been nice, but I don’t think this is the right time.”

Castor kissed me on the chin, and I waited for him to bring up stripping again. I heard what they’d said about stripping being a dangerous profession on Earthside. Half of me expected him to try to talk me out of it, but instead he traced circles around my nipple in silence.

“You really like that one, huh?” I teased him.

“Is the other one jealous?” he laughed, glancing up at me.

“Nah. It’s closer to the star. So it can’t complain.”

Castor didn’t say anything else for a long moment and I thought he fell asleep when his hand fell flat against my chest and he stopped toying with my nipple. Then he let out a long, slow sigh and I knew we were about to have a serious conversation. My thoughts turned to nests, children, and Earthside.

“Whatever your thoughts are chewing on, spit it out mate,” I said because his thoughts weren’t on our mating link at that moment.

“Do you really think the purple district folks will help us?” he asked.

I stopped myself from letting out a sigh of relief. He wasn’t in a hurry to get back to Earthside. I knew that logically, but when your true-mate is from another world years away, it’s hard to believe they’re not desperately homesick.

“They will. We’ll ask them to submit ideas or something.”

“When will you go back to work?” he asked, and I tensed.

“I’m not trying to chase you off or anything. I like having you around full time.”

That time I let out the sigh of relief.

“What were you worried about?” he asked.

“That you were going to ask me to quit.”

“Why would I do that? Didn’t I tell you when I met you sex work is work?” he sat up and frowned at me. “I’m not saying you’re a callboy but it’s a job. You like the job. Will I get crunchy if other dragons are touching all over you? Yes. But it’s a job.”

“No one touches the dancers while they’re working,” I said. “That’s a firm boundary. Why do you think we tie people up before we hand out lap dances? That wasn’t just for your entertainment.”

“Good,” he nodded. “That’s the part I can’t do. I’m not poly. I don’t have the brain space for a bunch of people and don’t really have any want to work on that nagging jealous streak that just popped up. They can watch you. You can dance with your dick and balls swinging in the breeze all you want. It’s your body. I need fidelity, not control. There is a difference.”

“I don’t want to share you either,” I said, sitting up too.

“Good. Then we agree.”

“After some of the things I overheard earlier I worried a bit,” I confessed to him.

“Okay, let’s make a rule. If we overhear things or don’t understand something cultural or whatever we just ask eachother instead of worrying about it. We’re grown men with careers. We don’t need to play around like lovesick hatchlings trying to decode everything. Relationships aren’t a mystery to solve. They’re a partnership.”

“I can agree to that rule,” I nodded. “I should’ve just said something.”

“Eh, I think it’s normal to be protective over a job you like. I figure it’s no different than being mated to a famous actor or singer or something like that.”

“So you think I’m famous?” I smirked.

“Aren’t you? Everyone seems to know your name.”

“Again, you need to learn to use our flight link,” I laughed and stole a kiss. “That’s how they always know my name.”

“It doesn’t work for me,” he laughed, running his hand over my cheek.

Old dragons above me. This man was going to undo me yet again. His laughter died away and we shared a long, slow kiss before falling into a tangle of limbs and dirtying up the sheets again, this time with him inside me. Maybe he wanted to prove he meant only he could touch me or maybe he just wanted me. The pleasure was the same – maybe more intense with his pleasure showering down on us like a cloudburst in a thunderstorm over our mating link.

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