“Oh, nothing. Just think it would be a perfect opportunity for her to climb on top of you and ride you. You know you could take a bus or cab or just hire a car? Might even get you there sooner, because you wouldn't have to wait until dark.”
Nathan knew where he was going with it. He was pointing out the fact that he was taking her on a ride because he wanted to. It wasn't too far off the mark. No matter what, he was attracted to Laurel in a big way. It wasn't something that he could control, it was something that he just had to live with. That was easier said than done sometimes.
Did he want her on top of him? Of course, without a doubt. That wasn't even a question in his mind. What was the question, though, was why was he torturing himself? He knew that he couldn't have her. Knew in the depths of his soul that it was wrong, and he found it truly impossible to walk away from everything he knew, even from a woman that he was sure he was completely in love with.
“Anyway, what were you calling about?”
“Honestly, I was just calling to give you shit about Laurel. And to tell you good luck. You’re on the right track.”
“I need more than luck. I need a way to fight fate. You got one of those?”
“Sorry, man, I can't say that I do. Let me know how it's going.”
“You want to know how badly I fall flat on my face, huh?”
“The thought never crossed my mind.” Vincent chuckled loudly.
Nathan hung up and looked at the phone in disgust. Of course, Vincent would find it all fun and games. Nathan didn't look at it that way, at all. It was very serious as far as he was concerned. It was going to make or break his future. That wasn’t a game. A life with Nancy was hard to imagine, and he truly didn’t want to.
***
“Why are you so nervous, Laurel? I thought you had ridden on a dragon before?”
She looked away and then fiddled with her hands. It was obvious that she was worried, and Nathan didn’t know what it was. He wished then that his intuition was a bit better than it was. Some shifters had powers that would let them read minds. It made it quite easy for them to gage how a woman felt. It would appear that Nathan still hadn’t picked up that skill, even though he felt incredibly close to her. It wasn’t enough, unfortunately.
“I have taken a couple of rides, but that was different.”
“I promise, it’s not.”
“It is, Nathan, it’s you. It has to be different.”
He turned to look at her when he heard the innocence in her voice. She was obviously nervous about something and to know that it was because of him, gave him mixed emotions. How was he supposed to feel about that?
“I see. Well, I promise that it won’t be that long.”
He didn’t mention what she was alluding to with her words. It wouldn’t do him any good and the only way he was going to be able to keep his wits about him, was for him to not lose sight of what he was there for. He was helping her, not throwing her down and taking her like he wanted to.
Why was that so damn hard to remember?
“I promise, it will be fine. I’m shifting now, climb on, and we’ll get going.”
She agreed, but still made no move to come any closer. Nathan wanted to ask her if she was okay, but he had shifted, and there was no more time for words. Laurel was just going to have to trust him.
When she got on, he groaned, knowing that it was going to be more torture than anything else. He could feel the heat coming off of her, and Nathan had to say, that it was a rather intoxicating experience. He could smell her desires, which immediately sent his body into overdrive. The flight was going to be a long one.
Why was this damn woman so hot? Humans weren’t supposed to be that hot. She was burning him from above. The heat and the smell of her readiness made Nathan close his reptilian eyes and take several breaths. It did no good, though. All it did was help the senses that he wasn’t using to heighten the ones that he was.
Chapter 7
She heard him make a sound when she got on him, and Laurel was concerned that she had hurt him somehow. He was making sounds of pain, and she asked him if he was okay. Was she too heavy for such a strong dragon?
“Sorry, right, no talking.”
Whatever it was that had bothered him, he didn’t want to talk about it, and she wasn’t going to bring it up. She didn’t have time to, even if he would have been able to talk back. Nathan’s black dragon form was rising into the sky rapidly, and she had to press herself down against him and hold onto his neck. It was the only way she was sure that she wasn’t going to fall off of him. Even then, she was leery to look below, to see what her fate would be if she fell.
She looked down with the thought, unable to stop herself, and her body shivered. The last thing she wanted to do was think about that. It was a long way down, especially for someone that couldn’t fly.
Before long, Laurel’s mind was not completely occupied with the height issues, and she was starting to feel the way his muscled dragon body slipped and slid along hers. He was cool to the touch, but heat was leaking through the soft scales. She was amazed at how good he felt underneath her, even as he was at the moment. It was hard to deal with. Laurel had to remind herself several times that she couldn’t have him. He didn’t belong to her. He belonged to someone else. She needed to remember that, or Laurel wasn’t going to be able to move forward. It would be too hard.
