Page 12 of Scales and Seduction

“We will find a way, but until then I want you to trust that I will do everything to take care of you,” I reply, yearning to reach out and grab her hands just to feel them in my palms. “If you are my true mate, Ruby, I won’t let harm come to you.”

A pink hue travels up her neck, warming her cheeks, and her eyes dart away from me to glance around the room. “Do you really think I’m your true mate?”

“Yes, I do. I can feel it deep inside me; the moment I swiped right on you, I knew.” My fingers itch again to touch her, but I hold back, instead sipping the wine as if it might satiate the urge. It doesn’t.

She clears her throat then, her eyes finding mine, burning into me as she asks the next question. “Will the other creatures that live here kill me?” Ruby’s throat bobs as she swallows another sip of her wine.

“Hardly.” I chuckle as I give her a kiss on the forehead. “At worst, they might want to feed off you. Vampires, those lot, unfortunately, can’t go long without a vessel to drain, though it’s been hundreds of years for those in the Vale to have a taste of human blood.”

I pause for a moment, wanting to steer the conversation somewhere less off-putting. Ruby should feel at ease, and the best way I know is to make her laugh—to flirt or tease her. So, with a smirk, I say, “At best, they would want to fuck you. Not that I blame them.” I can’t help myself. She’s intoxicating. Even from this distance, the warmth radiating off her skin sends a shiver through my scales. I crave her, every glance, every breath and inch of her.

“Monsters are a horny bunch, huh?”

I clear my throat as images play in my mind of all the things I wish I could do to Ruby. Her on her knees, a silk scarf tying her hands in front of her, pushing her breasts up just the right way.A pretty pink ball gag in her mouth as saliva rolls down her chin, and a vibrator between her legs as she begs me to stop.

“You have no idea...” is my strained reply. “Let’s change the subject, please.”

“Oh? Is the snake man getting turned-on?” Ruby snickers and her tiny fingers poke at my chest.

“Babydoll, please, for my sake.”

“Okay, okay,” Ruby says. “What’s your favorite food? And don’t you fucking tell me it’s live mice or something because I may actually vomit.”

An unrestrained laugh bellows from my chest. “No mice,” I assure her. “I’ve always had a weakness for caramel. Anything with caramel, actually.”

The change of conversation is a welcome reprieve from my devilish imagination. I’m unsure how long I can take being stuck in this cabin with her without giving in to these baser urges.

“A sweet tooth? For a giant magical snake man, I’m surprised.”

Shrugging, I allow my finger to slip from her chin. The corners of my mouth quirk into a grin. Ruby has a way of bringing out the joy inside me in ways I’ve never experienced. My face hurts from smiling. “We all have vices. Come, sit on the sofa while I make us dinner.”

My mind races over the rhythmic sound of Gideon’s knife slicing against the cutting board, and the soft crackle of things on the stove. I’m perched on one of the stools at the island, my chin propped up on my hand, zoned out.

The moment his lips touched mine, there was an electric surge of warmth, and the cottage, I swear, melted away. It was like nothing I’ve ever felt before in a kiss—it was intense, overwhelming, but also achingly perfect.

I feel so disappointed he stopped because the greedy little slut inside me wanted to take things so much further. I’m glad he had the foresight to stop us both because he’s engaged. I still need to ask him more about it, because why would he want to find his soulmate if he already has someone he loves?

I don’t think he’s a cheater because he continues to say his fiancée gave him the idea to download the app. I’m not sure I should believe it though. Who cares what sort of magical fated thing he seems to think we are—which I’m sure is absolute bullshit, right? I’m just horny; that’s all it is. It doesn’t help that I want to touch him; I want to kiss him and love the feeling ofhis lips brushing mine. There’s tension bubbling between us every second, and I feel like I might combust.

“I didn’t peg you as someone who could cook,” I break the silence and my unsavory thoughts. There’s a teasing note there. I can’t help it. Watching him work so methodically feels surreal, and I want to poke at that a little. It’s strange seeing someone otherworldly doing something so ordinary.

The way his broad shoulders shift as he maneuvers the knife and his teal scales flicker in the light has my attention locked on him now. I never would have pictured a naga cooking dinner in a rustic kitchen on my bingo card for the year.

He snorts softly, cracking a garlic clove under the flat of his knife. “What, because I’m a prince?”

“Or because you’re a sna—” I catch myself just in time before I call him a snake again. “Naga,” I finish, smiling at him.

He turns toward the stove, dumping onion and the garlic into the skillet. The hot pan hisses in protest as the water meets the heat. “What did you think I would do, eat those mice and have servants tend to me, waiting on me hand and tail?”

“Maybe,” I admit, grinning. “I figured you’d be, you know...useless. In movies and books, royalty are hardly self-sufficient.”

Gideon shakes his head, his lips twitching as though he’s trying not to smile at me. “Cooking is relaxing for me,” he mumbles. He adds a pinch of salt to the pan, and the smell of butter and garlic fills the air. I find myself leaning forward to peek at what he’s doing instead of looking at him.

“My mother always wanted me to take full advantage of the perks, but here in the Vale, the title has no real weight. The council makes most of the laws, though the king does have some say. I am mostly a figurehead.” He pauses momentarily, looking thoughtfully off into the distance as if he’s thinking of something from the past. “I wanted to be more like my father,who was a botanist, though he passed away when I was really young.”

His words linger in the air, and for a moment, I watch only him. There’s something about the way he says it, so matter-of-fact. He’s so determined to keep his independence, something I can understand.

“So, you and your brother only have your mom?” I ask softly.

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