Page 26 of Drawn By Dragonblood
Jon turned and met my gaze, one of his brows rising. “Corkscrew?”
He knew I stared. Must have.
“Here.” I tore my focus off him and rummaged in the drawer in front of my hips.
Like a warm, fall breeze, Jon moved close, his earthen scent flooding my senses and swelling me to full length within a matter of heartbeats. I bit down on my tongue to keep my groan contained.
Our fingers brushed as I handed over the gadget, and his lips parted on a caught breath.
Once tied in my ropes, how many stripes would it take before he leaned into my cane? How long before he begged me to fill him? Allow him release?
Dakota stared at us, knife poised in her mincing of the garlic. Even the strong scent of the allium didn’t overpower the combined pheromones dousing my kitchen.
She was hesitant.
He was tempted but not enough for me to risk her or his heart.
“Sybil—2Cellos, ‘Thunderstruck’,” I commanded, my voice strained.
Jon’s brow furrowed as the cellists began playing the AC/DC song, but recognition lit his eyes within seconds, easing the dent between them. “Get. The. Fuck. Out.”
Smiling at pleasing my beta, I returned to my task in willing my groin to relax. “That wine is predominantly made with shiraz but includes a bit of cabernet sauvignon. One of Australia’s finest.” I didn’t add that the bottle had cost me close to fifty-thousand dollars. I would give my mates everything I owned if it meant they would stay of their own accord where fate intended.
Ears tuned in to their every move, I listened as Jon pulled the cork and filled three wine glasses while Dakota placed the garlic in the pan.
I had watched the two of them making dinner the evening before by their campfire, and I found myself feeling as though my presence didn’t hinder their harmony. Like a well-rehearsed orchestra, we worked together to create our meal.
Onions translucent and garlic perfectly fragrant, I added the remaining ingredients for a marinara I had been making for tens of years.
Awareness of Jon’s presence tingled my skin. “Here.”
I turned, my gaze landing on his crystalline blue eyes. No boundary hid him from me, no wall of hesitancy or self-preservation. He peered at me with naked honesty, glass of wine in his outstretched hand as if to say, I see you. I know you.
My soul shifted as though the mountain trembled beneath my bare feet. Did he mean it?
Truly?
Jon moved away before I found my voice and handed Dakota her glass. He kissed her temple and murmured his love. Grabbing his own glass off the island, he faced us both. “I’ve been trying to come up with some fancy-assed toast for this old vintage but fuck if I can think of jack shit.”
I smirked as Dakota coughed, clearly pained by his lack of refinement in front of me.
“To new friendships,” she said, her words almost void of tone as she glanced at me.
“To lovers finding their fate,” I added, lifting my glass.
“Hell, I’ll drink to that! To good fucking music too.” Grinning, Jon tipped his wine back and drank down a large swallow rather than sip, which would allow him to appreciate its richness. “Damn.” He peered into the glass as he lowered it. “That’s some good shit.”
I swirled my wine inside the glass and lifted it to my nose, inhaling—and completely missing out on the red liquid’s aromas. Jon’s face, pure enjoyment, and laid-back attitude held me captive.
Want.
Dragon teeth gnashing to bite into my male mate’s flesh, I sipped without really tasting. My beta’s blood would be sweet on my tongue, a heavy bouquet that would soothe the beast prowling for release inside me.
But would I have that chance? How could I entice him and our female to stay longer than a single night without resorting to physical manipulation?
Unable to give myself an answer, I sat down to dinner after serving the two I wanted to spoil forever.
Dakota’s lack of control over her body’s response to both of us men delighted me throughout our meal and created an ache in my groin I longed to ease between her thighs. The scent of her arousal wafted through the air more often than not, adding to the musk of Jon’s pre-cum that seeped from his hard cock hidden beneath the table between us.
