Page 12 of Iced Heat

“Yes, you do,” she said, and I walked her backwards until her knees found the bed and her butt hit the mattress. I dropped to my knees, spreading her at the same time and very happily forgot to think about anyone else for the next half an hour because Rosemary never wore panties to bed.

Chapter Seven

Xav

I woke up with Sequin’s head on my chest and his hand under my shirt resting on my stomach. His fingers must’ve stroked some inner fire during the night because my hair sizzled against the pillowcase. Fortunately, my fire wasn’t temperamental that morning and the color of the pillowcase wasn’t some dusting shade. Otherwise, the element might’ve sent it all up in smoke. I rolled everything from the night before around my head and wondered how many questions Sequin would have. I had rehearsed their answers so many times – both about my elemental abilities and about my transition. Neither of which I cared to explain to anyone but him. After all, he was the only one who would be around for the rest of my life.

“I don’t need that many answers,” he groaned. “Of all the times my dragon could start listening in over the flight link, why does he choose so early in the morning after we walked five hundred miles yesterday?”

“Because we were thinking about you,” I said and kissed the top of his head.

He shifted his weight, cuddling closer to me and showing me just how hard he was. The whole hotel room smelled of us and whispered of all the magic tugging us toward each other. Sequin’s scent surrounded me, hard and slick, metallic and furry. He rubbed his forehead against my chest and then his cheek, nuzzling and scent marking me. For the first time in my life someone thinking I belonged to them didn’t bother me. It was nice but only because he was mine too. I kissed the top of his head against and wrapped my arm a little tighter around him. A guy could get used to waking up like this.

“Does everyone back where you come from have more than one element?” he asked.

“Usually. Sometimes. Hell, I guess the answer is both. It’s not uncommon. Some believe the more elements you’re exposed to as a kid the more you’ll take on. I’m not sure if there’s any scientific data to back that up but it seems plausible. Kids from bigger families often have more than two or three. I think the magic is constantly adapting but most people don’t want other elements. They like what they have and don’t want more. I don’t mind having ice and fire, even if ice is my favorite. I don’t mind having wind tossed in there too. Wind makes everything more interesting. That’s how I’m a breeze and why my fire plays nice with other things.”

“So how many elements do you have?” he asked, sleepily.

I glanced around the room. It wasn’t a motel, but it wasn’t a great hotel either. I was warned away from using any seedy motels by Teddy. Before we ever came to Earthside he spent hours warning us against most things on the planet. Seedy motels were on the top of that list. So while the place was safe and didn’t have bedbugs there wasn’t a coffee machine inside the room. I did have the food delivery app on my phone connected to Teddy’s Earthside points but my phone was still in the diaper bag which wasn’t there.

“Uhh… I don’t know. I’m sort of still figuring out everything my magic can do,” I said, snapping myself back to the present moment instead of worrying about caffeinating my mate. “Back home, we’re not really encouraged to explore all possibilities. So, I’m doing the work on my own now. With some help from Liatris still. I’m happy with our progress, though. You need coffee.”

“You shouldn’t know that yet,” he laughed and buried his face in my chest. “We haven’t even exchanged our claiming vows.”

“We could but do you want to do that before coffee?” I laughed.

As if remembering something from the night before he glanced down at my crotch. I was under the blankets and while I did have morning wood, I wasn’t knotted up this time around. If that disappointed Sequin, he didn’t let it show.

“It’s not like that happenseverymorning,” I chuckled. “It’s happened less often since we got my dosage figured out. As an alpha I made a lot of what I needed already. So, I didn’t need as much medical intervention as some guys would’ve, but it still took some playing with. It does still happen from time to time, though.”

“I don’t need to know how it happens. Hell, I’d have to think off how it happened at all for anyone for a minute to remember high school sex ed. I just want to know when it happens. Even if I’m in a dead sleep wake me up,” he laughed.

“Yes, sir,” I chuckled and pulled him in for a long, slow good morning kiss.

The back of my neck tickled, and I let my thoughts drift to the flight link. Liatris was poking at me again and his fur always tickled me. This was the weirdest time for my friend and teacher to poke me but I listened up because he never did it without a reason.

Sighing, I rubbed the bridge of my nose, pulling away from the kiss even though I didn’t want to. If this woman kept it up, I’d never squeeze more in than a bit of kissing with Sequin.

“What’s up?” Sequin asked, studying my face.

“Your sister has figured out where we are and Liatris says she’s incoming with a counteroffer about the wedding.”

“You sound as annoyed as my balls feel with her.”

“Weird choice of words, but yeah, I get it, I think,” I said pushing myself upright and looking around for where I’d tossed Sequin’s shirt while I was ice.

“She’d have hung me by my toenails if I did this to her,” he said and swore under his breath as he scrambled upright andfixed his fly. “I should toss her out on her ass and say her wedding can go to hell.”

“But you won’t because you love her,” I groaned and flopped back down onto my back. “I think I’ll hit the shower while you handle her.”

“Without me?” Sequin groaned, turning to face me as he pulled his shirt over his head.

“I have a feeling this could take a while.”

“We could make her wait,” his eyes flew to my crotch. “It would serve her right.”

“You’d just think about her while you were sucking my dick or whatever,” I pointed out.

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