He kissed me the way men did in those books. The moment my lips parted, he was there, exploring my mouth with his tongue and holding me almost desperately. I grabbed his shoulder, feeling his silky Dragon skin, and pressed in the way I wanted. The way that felt right.
The way I could without shame.
His mouth moved over mine, shifting, undulating, and making my pulse drop lower. My hands moved higher until they tangled in the hair at the back of his head, but when his tail slid up my legs, embracing me even more?
The smallest sound slipped from my mouth. He caught it with another kiss, drinking it in, then groaned in the back of his throat. I had to touch him, to feel all those colors and the muscles they hid. He simply held me, making me feel like it was okay to lose control.
I staggered back. His hand shot out to brace against the counter, keeping me from hitting it, and our mouths refused to stop. I could feel my body reacting, doing things I hadn't expected. My breasts felt so heavy, my pulse was pounding in my belly, and I felt like I couldn't quite catch my breath. I wanted to pant. My heart was racing.
And I never wanted this to stop.
But a chuckle proved we'd been caught. I tensed, ready to jerk back, but Rymar's hands tightened, holding me there even as he lifted his mouth from mine.
"Do not," Rymar growled, the warning so vague I didn't know what he was talking about.
"Just grabbing something for Kanik," Zasen said, making it clear who'd caught us. "And if you throw her in a bed, I'm sending Holly in to bite you, Ry."
Rymar kissed me again, but this time quickly, and finally stepped back. "No beds," he promised. "We are doing a thing, though. Ayla's okay with announcing this to our families."
"Meri?" Zasen asked.
"I'll tell her later," I explained. "She doesn't want to see the baby, and she's still healing too, and most of all, she wouldn't understand. I think it's better for me to tell her when we're alone."
"Okay," Zasen said, flashing me a smile as he carried the bread further down the counter and pulled out a knife. "So how do we want to do this?"
His eyes were on me, but when Rymar turned to look as well, I knew they were leaving the decision for me. "Um, is this when we can have another cookout? I liked the last one, and I want Saveah and the kids to be there too."
"Kanik said cookout too," Zasen told Rymar.
"I'm good with a cookout," Rymar agreed.
"But when?" I asked. "Should we be done before sundown like last time?"
Closing his eyes, Zasen let out a groan. "Yeah, probably. We should also wait until after the next scheduled attack. I want to think the Moles won't come because they've decided to start hunting animals, but I also know they might not find any."
"Why not?" I asked.
"Because," he said, "they don't know where they'll be, how loud they are, or where to shoot to kill one."
"So, a cookout for lunch," Rymar decided. "And I'll make sure Jerlis lets everyone know to be careful around sunset. I didn't even think about that!"
"No, but Ayla did," Zasen praised.
"Because I'm worried about Callah," I admitted. "I know she's still down there, and I can't help her unless they come back, but if they do..."
"People will die," Zasen finished. "Yeah. So kiss him. I think kissing is a much better thing to worry about than Moles, Ayla. It's also something youcancontrol."
"Or maybe," Rymar said, "I might kiss her." And he caught my chin, turning my face toward him.
Then he did exactly that.
Seventeen
Callah
It was the middle of our last week of honeymoon when someone knocked solidly on the door. I jumped, not expecting visitors, but Tobias simply got up and headed that way. He cracked the door open, looking through the gap, then jerked it wide.
"Come in, sir," he said properly.
