Speaking of hard, she scoffed at her body’s reaction to him and the hardness of her nipples. They were hard as little rocks, digging into his back and she wondered if he could feel them. She eased herself with the idea that he couldn’t. It didn’t mean that it didn’t bother her a lot when it came to dealing with it. How badly she wanted to touch him in his human form, as she was then.
The trip to London didn’t take as long as she thought it would. Nathan got there in plenty of time, and he was quick to let her off and get back to his normal self. Laurel was panting by the time she got off of him. It had been one hell of a ride.
Though he was in his human form, he didn’t look like his normal self. His hair was pure chaos, and it was clear that something was bothering him. When she saw the proof of his desires, she couldn’t help but keep her eyes on him.
“Thanks for the lift, Nathan.”
He told her that it was no big deal, and he would be happy to do it any time that he could. She could still sense something was off with him, but he didn’t say anything else, and she found it wise to follow his lead. She had no real idea where she was or what she was doing.
“Where are we?”
“On the east side of the school. It’s the best place in the city to come in and out of the sky. Night is better, but sometimes we can even sneak away in the middle of the day. We like to keep it overgrown here, so no one can see it from any street.”
She was impressed and said as much. He seemed to think that she was just being nice, but she really wasn’t. She was just trying to figure out what was really going on.
“I thought we were going to your place?”
“We are. This is just a roundabout way. I am at the Academy so much, that I found a place that I could go underground not far from my office. It took a little digging, but we got it done.”
“Is there not a way to get in on the street?”
“Of course there is, but what would be the fun of that? Then, we would have to go all the way around, and I don't feel like doing that, do you?”
Laurel agreed that she didn't. It didn't sound like fun at all, and she was actually happy for the shortcut. The Academy was always a place that she had found so relaxing. It wasn't like it was a place where she would ever be for real, but just walking the halls when she would drop Ethen off was good enough. It was always so full of life and magic. It was probably one of her favorite places, and if she got to go through it every day to go in and out, that didn't sound too bad.
She had so many questions about some of the rooms they passed and what they were for. She wanted to ask them all at the same time, but figured that she should not act so silly. He was going to think she was ridiculous if she asked everything that was racing through her mind at the moment.
“I don't think I've ever heard you this quiet before. Even when I only saw you for five minutes at a time, you managed to get more words out than this.”
“Is that your nice way of saying that I talk a lot?”
He chuckled like she said something that was funny, but she had a feeling that she was closer to the truth than he would have admitted. Laurel always felt this emotion bubbling up inside of her when she was around Nathan. It was stronger than ever now, and she couldn’t put into words how it was making her feel.
“Well, I hope it came out in a nice way. It was meant that way. I like that you always have something to say. I want to hear what you have to say. I like hearing your opinions. They are always so different than my own.”
“I've heard you distinctly say that you can't stand how much your wife talks.”
He gave her a sour look and it made Laurel snicker. “She's not my wife.”
“She might as well be. She took you off the market, and I think that's all that matters to the rest of us. We lost.”
Another strange look and Laurel realized that she had said too much. She should have kept her mouth shut and not said anything else. Laurel hated how most of her thoughts just bubbled up and out. It was rather aggravating, especially when she was trying to keep her feelings in. It really was rather impossible.
“Well, trust me when I tell you that it's not my choice.”
She told him that she knew, but it didn't change the facts of anything, did it? “I know, but it doesn't make it suck any less.”
“Agreed. Although, I will say that I'm a bit surprised that you would even consider being with a shifter, knowing what you do about us and everything.”
“What is that supposed to mean? What do I know?”
“Just from what you have seen from being around Mallory as long as you were, I'm sure you realize that our life can be a little dangerous. It's dangerous for us, but it's increasingly dangerous for you. You could run into the wrong person in my world, and they could injure you or worse. Doesn't that worry you?”
Laurel had asked herself that same question, but at the same time, she knew that it really didn't make a difference. Humans were just as deadly, or at least they could be. While they couldn't turn into dragons and breathe fire, they had guns and other forms of weapons to do what they wanted. Laurel had learned that no matter the species, if violence was deemed warranted or necessary, they had no problem partaking in it.
“Aww…Are you worried about me?”
“Definitely. I don't want anything to happen to you.”
