"Are you his dragon?" Lachlan asked.
"Yes. He won't rest if he doesn't feel safe, and you make him feel safe. He needs you."
Lachlan got off the couch and walked over to him. "Are you sure Apollo will be okay with this?" he asked.
"IamApollo," the dragon said and took Lachlan's hand, drawing him into the dark room and closing the door. Lachlan's heart was racing as he got into the bed. Apollo climbed in beside him, grabbed Lachlan's arm, and pulled it over him like a blanket.
"I need to be the little spoon," he said, now sounding more magician than dragon.
Lachlan grinned in the dark and pulled him into the cradle of his body. "Better?"
Apollo made a happy humming sound. "So warm. Pet me."
"Go to sleep, bossy boots," Lachlan replied but still took the opportunity to lightly run his fingertips over Apollo's soft as silk skin. He was fit from training and had long, lean muscles that all the Greatdrakes boys had.
Lachlan was a head taller than Apollo, so they fit together like perfect puzzle pieces. The adrenaline-fuelled anxiety that had been driving Lachlan for days finally relinquished its grip on him. Apollo's breaths went slow and deep. Lachlan wriggled so he could press his face into the back of Apollo's neck and let the sound of his breathing pull him into sleep.
15
Apollo woke the following morning, warm and content. He didn't think he was going to sleep without nightmares, but nothing had woken him. He snuggled into his pillow and felt something hard pressing into his butt. He must have fallen asleep on his phone again. He reached behind him, but instead of his phone, he found a person.
"Oh, fuck me!" he gasped in shock. Lachlan Ironwood grumbled sleepily and pulled Apollo back up against him. "Hey, let me go. What are you doing in here?"
Lachlan opened his eyes. "You told me to come and sleep with you."
"I did not," Apollo huffed. He would remember something like that.
Lachlan rubbed at his eyes and pulled out his phone from the pocket of his pants. He tapped the screen and pulled up a video recording. "This is from the security camera I installed in the lounge room. Trust me, I'd never climb into anyone's bed uninvited."
He gave the phone to Apollo, who still hadn't moved from his spot on the bed. He held the phone up with narrowed eyes. Sureenough, there he was, eyes glowing and inviting Lachlan to come and sleep with him.
"That sneaky fucking bastard dragon," he cursed and passed the phone back.
Lachlan put the phone on the bedside table. "Told you. Now, go back to sleep."
"Um, so this is awkward," Apollo whispered.
"Only if you make it awkward. Just for the record, I rather liked waking up to you rubbing your ass up against my dick," Lachlan said, opening his eyes again. "As if my morning wood needed to be harder."
Apollo covered his burning face with his hands. "Don't tease me when I'm horny and half asleep. It's unfair."
"You seemed okay with me being here last night," Lachlan replied, the corner of his mouth kicking up into a smile.
"That was my dragon." Apollo wasn't as mortified as he probably should be. His dragon needed its mate, and he had no issues telling Lachlanexactlywhat he wanted.
Usually, when he liked someone, Apollo could roll out his charming, cheeky self. He had never been able to do that with Lachlan. It was like all his thoughts frazzled, and he made a stuttering ass of himself. He should be moving away, but he struggled to resist Lachlan on a normal day, let alone when he was so sleepy and tousled. Apollo shifted his hips back into the warm curve of his body, and yep, Lachlan was still hard as a rock.
"You trying to tell me something, golden boy?" he whispered huskily in Apollo's ear.
Apollo's mouth went dry. "It's… It's a bad idea to be doing this." He had no idea what 'this' even was.
"We aren't doing anything yet," Lachlan said and ran his fingers lightly over Apollo's chest. It felt so good, his breathcaught. He loved to be touched and petted. "Would you like me to do something?"
"Like… Like what?" Apollo asked, struggling to concentrate. His words got jumbled at the best of times, but Lachlan was short-circuiting the connection between his mouth and brain with only the slightest of caresses.
Lachlan ran his lips over the back of Apollo's ear. "Like I could help take the edge off? Calm that racing brain of yours."
"I'm not going to lay at your feet and submit to you," Apollo said in a rush.
