Page 19 of The Dragon's Flamebound Mate
Our team accepted Zayne and me as mates without batting an eye—mostly. Jay seemed to have a hang-up where I was concerned, probably some internalized prejudice toward other species, or perhaps it was just because I was an omega. Either way, he wasn’t outwardly rude to me, and until he was, I couldn’t do much except my job. I knew the other leaders saw his behavior as well, so I wasn’t imagining it.
At his age, it was probably residual from his upbringing. There were a lot of dragon families that had this feeling of superiority over all others, especially those without scales. If he’d been surrounded by that his entire life, it was going to take a while for him to see that and make the decision to change. Having me as one of his Co-Leaders was probably a good thing for him, even if it was a pain in the ass for me.
The rest of the team had been excited, not only by what they saw but by what we told them was to come. They loved Zayne and were happy for him and me. And Hayden especially was thrilled at the direction we were taking the team. With that kind of buy-in, there was no stopping us this season.
After our outdoor practice, the team had hit the gym for conditioning. That was where my perfect day began to unravel. Oh, I’d had a lot of fun, but getting into a weightlifting competition with young dragons was not the best idea—not when you were an eagle, anyway. I knew halfway through that I was going to be paying for my competitive nature later that night.
After the gym, I went to the childcare classroom we had on campus. As part of my onboarding, I needed to shadow each of the different types of services we offered. Plus, I wanted to learn more about the childcare options available to the people that worked at the school. As far as I knew, I wasn’t expecting yet, but now that it had been brought up, it was all I could think about.
I was not disappointed in the program. The teachers were amazing, and the children were a delight. The facilities were fabulous, and it was included in our compensation package. It was the best of all worlds.
Chasing the kiddos around was more exhausting than the bench-pressing competition Scott and I had gotten into. It was also a lot more fun. There was something so magical about their giggles of joy.
Now, I was ready to go home and unwind with my mate for the rest of the day. Unwind meaning taking a long hot shower and snuggling with him until I fell asleep. I was bone tired, and I couldn’t think of a better way to end my day.
Unfortunately, a young dragonet named Violet had different plans. She insisted that I be the one to spoon-feed her purple Jello, even though she could use a spoon very well on her own, something she was quite proud of. Kids were hilarious like that.
When her belly was full, she proceeded to smear the Jello into my hair as if it was the most delightful game she’d ever played. Had it been someone else’s hair, I may have agreed with her.
In her defense, it did look a lot like fingerpaint. And despite me being tired and sticky, we had a lot of fun. I needed to catch a shower before I went home, or all the bugs were going to be coming around.
I went back to our office, grabbed some spare clothes, then hit the locker room showers, letting the steamy water cascade over me. It was delightful.
“You were amazing out there.” The sound of my mate’s voice echoed in the showers, and I jumped.
I put a hand over my beating heart and leaned against the tiled wall to catch my breath. I knew I wasn’t at home and behind a locked door, but it still startled a full year of life out of me having him come in like that. For a badass dragon, he sure was quiet and stealthy as a cat.
“Did I scare you, mate?” Was he serious? I’d just been high-jump worthy.
I laughed. “Yeah. I thought everyone had left.”
“They did. We’re alone here.”
The hunger in his eyes had my cock stiffening. I was on full display for him. Naked as the day I’d hatched. Meanwhile, he wore a pair of track pants and nothing else. His feet were bare and so was his chest.
The steam obscured my view more than I’d have liked, and I instinctively moved closer to him.
The air turned thick with tenson and the anticipation of what would happen next. We shouldn’t even be considering this. We were in a locker room for goddess’s sake—a shared space where anyone could come in at any time. Plus, it was inappropriate to use the team’s locker room in such a way. Right?
“I put the sign up that says the room is closed for cleaning.”
“Oh.” My smart mate, thinking of everything. “That sort of ruins the thrill of being caught, don’t you think?” I wasn’t so sure it would’ve been a thrill, but I was glad not to find out.
He let out a low growl. “I will take no chances at anyone seeing my mate in that way. That’s for me only.”
And just like that the electricity between us was back. I loved it when he was all possessive and protective like that. It was hotter than his flame.
Zayne crossed the room and pinned me against the wall, his body flush against mine. The scent of him enveloped me, and I melted against him, pliant against his demands.
“I watched you in the gym today. Your body is a work of art, Ash.” He nuzzled into my neck, kissing my wet skin and licking at the water droplets.
My eyes fluttered closed. “Oh fuck. How can you turn me on so fucking fast?”
“It’s a gift.” Zayne’s hands trailed down my body and settled on my waist. “Any special requests, mate? I’m dying to make you feel good.”
He cornered me in the shower, made sure we weren’t disturbed, and asked me what I wanted? I didn’t deserve this man.
“Anything. Anything you want.” I turned my head, hoping to capture his mouth, but he moved away.
