Page 18 of The Emerald Boa's Lover
“Are you kidding? Charlie came after me, he’s not mad, and he wants to see me?” I was going to come to heel like a prize pet! She groaned at me but shrugged under my hands. I released her and pushed the door release. Charlie wasn’t the only one startled by my sudden presence in front of him. I gulped and swayed my body around Tabitha to approach him. “Charlie?” I spoke softly and hoped he meant it when he said he wasn’t mad. Because I’m still feeling raw from him and the scales beneath my eyes are sore from crying. I was braver before I opened the door, but now I’m looking at him I’m terrified. My heart races in my chest and I coil my tail beneath me tightly. Nervously.
Charlie darted his eyes past me at Tabitha, who was no doubt scowling behind me protectively, and then back into my eyes.
“So can we go home now?” He asks me and I release the breath I’m holding with a cautious smile. That had to be a good sign, right? If he wanted us to go home?
“Are you sure? I thought…I came to Tabitha’s nest to give you space…”
“Oh, fuck me.” Charlie grunted, then he huffed a laugh which I thought wasreallyconfusing. “Soyou’reTabitha?”
“I am.” She stepped up to my side and put her hand on my right bicep. “And I love this big guy like he’s my brother. So if you hurt him, I will be ahellof a lot scarier than the 9ft long Naga.”
“Tabitha?!” I hissed, but Charlie barked with laughter.
“I believe that, trust me.” He continued to chuckle even though Tabitha continued to glare at him. “You don’t need to worry. I’m not a bad guy and I’m not after any sort of round 2.”
“You’re not?” I was ridiculously pleased to hear that. I smiled so wide my jaw membranes were visible. Charlie smirked and held the back of his neck as he looked up at me. “Tabitha I’m going to head home now.” I declared and slowly leaned out to Charlie’s side. I struggled to swallow the lump in my throat as Charlie turns and offers me his hand! What’s going on? An hour ago Charlie was snarling at me and now he was offering me his hand? I was reluctant to believe he wanted anything from me, never mind my touch, but I also didn’t want to give up the chance to hold his hand.
I’ve imagined sliding up beside Charlie and interlocking my fingers with his, but the real thing was better than I dreamed. Especially when he tugged on my hand and led me confidently away from Tabitha’s home. I gave her one last look and she was smiling at me. Did she know something I didn’t? “Charlie?”
“Thank you for coming out.” He gave me his usual charming smile and I leaned closer to him. He walked on two legs and I wound on my tail. Side by side. I’d be enjoying this if I wasn’t so nervous about what he was going to say to me next. “I’m going to come out and just say it.” Charlie sighed and shrugged at me. “I was an asshole. I’m sorry.” My jaw dropped. I wasnotexpecting him to apologise. “I didn’t really think through what you were asking, and why, and you weren’t being unreasonable. I just don’t like the idea of you thinking of me as property. Add in that I’ve had a long day at the clinic and it sounded at first like you were ordering me into the bath, and…I lost my temper.” He shivered and used his free hand to rub his arm. Then he laughed and looked up at me with a chuckle. “You know, I’ve got this long-standing habit of swooping in and trying to rescue guys in need. They usually lack self-confidence or they’re insecure about something. So this isn’t the first time I’ve had to go out into the night to retrieve one. Normally from a bar.”
“I’m not needy.” I reply with a grumble and half shut my eyes in a pout. “I didn’t slither off because I wanted you to come after me. I was giving you space and staying with a friend.” Charlie narrowed his eyes at me and I tensed. The last thing I wanted was for us to fight again.
“Yeah I know, but you still ran off into the night. Istillhad to come looking for you. There are parallels, is all I’m saying.” He shrugged again and gave my hand a squeeze. “I’m not a jerk and I didn’t want to feel like the bad guy for two days until you came home. That’s why I came after you.Neitherof us deserves to feel unhappy for the next two days, I hope?”
“I wasn’t trying to make you unhappy Charlie.” I squeeze his hand back. My tongue flicks at the air and he’s shivering without pause now. “It’s late and getting very cold. We’ll get back to our nest faster if I carry you. Platonically.” I add just to protect myself from any potential accusation of trying to get my hands on him. Of course I do, I always want to touch him, but not always for the same reasons he thinks I do. Charlie must have known where my mind went as he laughed.
“I’ve been out in this cold for over an hour, so I’m not going to let my pride get in the way of getting home quickly.” Charlie surprised me again. He let go of my hand and stepped over my tail to grab my shoulders. “Ready?”
“Yes.” I move my arms out ready to catch his legs. I soon have him on my back and his arms around my neck. I know he isn’t hugging me for anything other than support as I wind quickly through the streets of Orna. This is the middle level, so it’s not as risky as being on the public level, but I still move quickly. I prepared myself for a silent journey, but Charlie had other ideas.
“Why do you want to be my boyfriend so badly anyway?” He couldn’t see how dark my throat turned or how wide my eyes went. I stuttered in my throat and didn’t know how to begin.
“B-because of many reasons.” I fumbled. I wasn’t prepared to see him again tonight, and I certainly wasn’t ready to justify my feelings to him in the middle of the street.
“Such as?” Charlie spoke by my right ear hole and I turned my head to peer at his curious stare. I could tell that what I said next would have far more meaning to him than I could imagine, and I was scared of getting it wrong. I gulped and came to a stop. My tail coiled a few times loosely to support us. I use my tail tip to circle around his waist and lift him off my back. “What are you doing?” His arms and legs flail as I lift him through the air until I can wrap his legs around my waist. His hands land on my shoulders and I take hold of my own wrists to provide a support bar for under his backside. “Dal?” His tone is warning me not to push my luck. Looking him right in the eye, I take a deep breath and try to give him the best confession I can. He wants to know why I want to be his mate? I’ll tell him until my scales fall off.
Chapter 15
Full confession
Still Dalahan
“Your scent is wonderful, but that only means it’s not unpleasant to be near you. Rerasha told me you were confident and dominating, and evenheknew I’d be drawn to you. He was right, of course. From the first moment I saw you and we spoke, I was enchanted by you. I think you’re beautiful to look at. Yes you arouse me, and I want to tangle myself around you, but I also want to be the reason you laugh. I enjoy your laughter. I-I enjoy taking care of you. Doting on you. Making you smile is a wonderful gift, and supporting you in what you do is a privilege. You-youliterallysave lives. Every day.”
“You have a thing for doctors?” Charlie chuckles, trying to play down my confession, but I’m not letting him distract me.
“No. I have ‘a thing’ foryou,Charlie.”His cocky grin softened on me.“Your fiercely big heart and your selfless dedication. I know it’s hard for you to see people suffer, and I want to be the one who holds you up when it gets difficult to bear. Because everyone needssomeone,and I want to be your someone. In the beginning, it was attraction, yes. But we both know how my feelings for you have grown each day…I haven’t hidden it from you.”
“Dal…”
“I don’t care how long it takes.” My eyes are watering and I try to remain strong. “I won’t give up. I’ll win you over. You’ll see that I’m the right guy for you. Not because I want you to take care ofme,but because I want to take care ofyou.”I swallow thickly, unsure of what else I can say. Will that be enough? Will he hear the three words I’m too scared to say between the lines of my speech? Charlie is staring at me in shock and I can’t tell what he’s thinking. Does he believe me? Or does he think I’m just trying to seduce him? “Give me a chance Charlie? I promise you won’t regret it. Any of it.”
“That’s quite a big promise.” Charlie tipped his head to one side and smirked at me. “To promise me no regrets.” Emboldened by the flicker of hope that he’s considering courting me, I lean forward and flick my tongue at his bottom lip.
“I promise you Charlie, you won’t regret giving me a chance. We can go slowly if you like? I don’t just want you to fuck me. I want you to…” I almost said ‘love me’, but my fear strangled the words in my scaly throat. Yet, I think he saw the words in my eyes as his opened wide and his lips parted with a gasp. “…I…we can just hold hands while you get used to me. I know I’m very different to a human so if you’reuncomfortablewith the idea of being intimate with me, we can take that off the table?” That was something that kept me awake at night. What if Charlie didn’t find Ucfeni attractive, and never would? Or was it me specifically? Did I come on too strong at the beginning and—
“Dalahan you sly thing.” Charlie yanked me out of my own self-induced spiral and his seductive smirk caused the flicker of hope to ignite in my chest. He’sneverlooked at me like that. “Alright. You win. Now come here.” Charlie cupped the back of my head and kissed me.Hekissedme?!I stole a kiss from him when we first met in a travel basket, but this was much more intimate. It was gentle and filled with promise. I released my wrists to hold his ass in my palms and I brought the end of my tail around to slide up his spine to hold him close.
