Page 59 of The Naga

Like him, I'd been prepared today, and I reached over the side of the bed for the wet cloth I'd brought up with me. It was cold now, but still wet, so I held onto it for a moment, hoping my skin would warm it up a little.

"It's a bit cold," I warned Dustin as I wiped him down, and he shivered before snuggling closer to me. Apparently, if I wanted to do anything now, I'd have to do it with Dustin attached to my front. Not that I had any interest in getting out of bed.

Once I'd wiped him clean, I threw the cloth into the new laundry basket Dustin had placed into the bedroom—because "we're not heathens, Khush!"—before wrapping my arms around him.

Pressing a kiss into his hair, I breathed in his scent and closed my eyes, letting sleep take me as Dustin started dozing in my arms.

Dustin

When I woke up the next morning, I was still splayed overKhush, my arms hanging off his sides as my legs straddled his tail. I winced as I realized I'd been drooling, and pushed myself up on an elbow to wipe the drool off Khush's neck before he woke.

So sexy, Dustin, I scoffed at myself, but then thinking of sexy led me to sex, and that reminded me of what we did last night, and my whole body heated up at the memory.

Fuck, it'd been so hot. Having Khush inside me, inside both my holes, while his fangs sank into my throat...He'd claimed me in every possible way, and it'd been marvelous.

I pressed my palm to my throat, and hissed at the pain, then smiled at the physical reminder of the night we'd had. I didn't know why, but I liked having Khush's mark on me. It was primal, and it should feel demeaning to be claimed in such a visible way, but it didn't. It just made my heart feel full, and every time I brushed my fingers over the mark and felt that little bite of pain, it turned me on.

"Mph," Khush mumbled as his eyelids fluttered, and then yellow-brown eyes met mine as a smile curved his lips.

"Good morning," he murmured in a soft-as-sin voice, then reached up to place his hand above mine, his expression turning worried. "Does it hurt?"

"A little," I answered with a smile, "I kinda like it. Is that weird?"

Khush's eyes widened imperceptibly, and he shook his head. "No, not weird. It's fucking hot, though."

I chuckled, then leaned forward to kiss him, keeping it chaste. Morning breath was no joke, and as much as I loved Khush, that wasn't something I could budge on. Thankfully, he seemed to feel the same, because after I pulled back, he simply gathered me in his arms, holding me close.

"We'll be late for breakfast," I murmured after a few minutes of silence, and Khush wriggled around for a moment before his arms returned around me.

"Nah, we have time," he assured me, and I sighed happily, sinking into him.

Before I met Khush, I'd always preferred to be active. If I wasn't working, I'd be out drinking or hanging out with Quest, or playing with Scrappy or gaming online. I was always on the go. Maybe I'd been trying to run from myself, or the loneliness that had always seemed to have a hold on me.

Past me never would've felt comfortable lying in bed doing nothing like this, but past me hadn't had a handsome, loving man to cuddle with either, so I couldn't really blame him.

"I love you," I said, not needing a special moment to tell this man how I felt. If I had it my way, I'd start every sentence with those words.

Khush startled a little under me, as if he still wasn't used to hearing those words directed at him. His arms tightened around me, and he kissed my hair. I could hear the smile in his voice when he replied, "I love you too."

"If we had a kid, what would we name them?" I asked after a while, and Khush made a strangled sound.

"Uh, I haven't really thought that far ahead. Do you have any ideas?"

I rested my chin on Khush's chest so I could see him, and gave him a sheepish smile. "I've thought about it a little. I don't have any particular names in mind just yet, but I know I want to name them something unisexual. So if they ever realize they identify differently than what they were assigned at birth, they won't have to change their name."

While I loved my name now, legally getting it changed from my deadname had been a pain in the ass. If my deadname hadn'tbeen so obviously feminine that everyone kept misgendering me because of it, I'd have kept it just to save myself all that trouble.

"That's a good idea. I'm sure we'll come up with a whole bunch of names when we need them," Khush said, and I smiled, nodding slowly.

No one ever imagines that some day all of their wildest dreams would come true. Or if they do, it's usually with a thought in the back of their mind telling them 'It's a nice fantasy, but we know it's never gonna happen.'

Well, for me it did happen. It was happening right now, and it would continue to happen for the rest of my life. Because this life I was making with Khush? This was all I'd ever wanted. A loving partner, a home to call our own, some great friends, and half a dozen kids to round everything out. I had almost everything, and I knew the last thing on the list would happen sooner or later too.

"Okay, we should get up now," Khush said, interrupting my sappy thoughts, and I groaned as I pushed myself up on my arms.

"Do we have to?"

"We don't, if you don't mind doing the dishes again," Khush said with a raised brow, and I scowled at him as I slid off him, then stood up, stretching my arms above my head.

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