"They're delivering the rest of my stuff to the clinic," Lian explained.
"Good, then we can go." A shiver traveled up Nevair's spine at the slide of Lian's hand across his arm.
His travel exhaustion vanished beneath the sizzling touch of Lian's smooth fingers. He couldn't remember the last time a man excited him. People usually treated him like a eunuch. Tres always claimed Nevair intimidated them. Men couldn't flirt with someone they were in awe of. Also, Nevair's dragon didn't like to be surrounded by strangers, which would have made it difficult to go down to the local bar and find hot sex for the night were he so inclined.
For years, Nevair had searched for the proper man to become his mate. He'd gone on several carefully supervised dates but none of them had ended up matching his or the council's requirements. Looking into Lian's cheerful gaze, Nevair wondered if he would care about anyone else's opinion about this man. His dragon stirred and whispered to him again.
Mate!
Nevair quickly ushered Lian towards where his driver and hoverlimo would be waiting.
Exiting the spaceport, Nevair kept his stride shorter than usual to match Lian's smaller step. The man's cheek came to the top of Nevair's shoulder, a good height for kissing without too much strain. Nevair bit his lip at the thought of brushing his mouth against Lian's. He bet Lian tasted sweet.
His driver, Shean Portman, waited by the vehicle, a chauffeur hat firmly positioned on his silvery hair and his back more rigid than any soldier.
"Welcome back, sir." His cool grey eyes swept over Lian without comment.
Shean had worked as a bodyguard at one point in his life and knew the value of discretion. Some days Nevair could still see remnants of a man always on the lookout for danger. Nevair refused to have a constant babysitter. His compromise with the council had been Shean.
Lian frowned and removed his hand from Nevair's arm. Walking over to Shean he waved a hand towards the driver.
"May I?" he asked.
"May you what sir?" Shean shifted his feet nervously.
For the first time in the five years they'd known each other, Nevair saw apprehension in the driver's eyes.
"I'm a touch healer. I can fix your back." Lian scowled. "You have two fused vertebrae and your thoracic spine is out of alignment."
Shean looked up and down the street at the crowds of people rushing about. "You're going to fix it here?"
Lian laughed. "I only need to touch your back. You don't need to strip naked or anything."
"I can't afford to pay you," Shean confessed.
The reluctance in Shean's voice snapped Nevair's attention away from admiring the fine shape of Lian's ass.
"I'll cover any expenses," Nevair offered.
He'd only heard of touch healers by reputation and even he knew they were notoriously expensive. Lian didn't seem to be the type to take advantage of a poor man, but Nevair didn't really know him.
Instead of bartering over charges Lian shook his head. "I offered so there's no charge. Here hop in the back and I'll fix you up quick."
Shean's eyes widened as if Lian had lost his mind.
"Go ahead," Nevair urged.
Curiosity ate at Nevair like a hungry barn mouse. He'd never seen a touch healer work. "I won't distract you will I?"
"No. It'll be fine if you want to watch." Lian's smile reassured Nevair more than any words.
Shean opened the back door ushering Lian inside first. Lian slid across the seat dragging his bag with him.
"Sir?" Shean tilted his head.
"Oh, definitely. I don't want to miss this." Nevair gave Shean his suitcase before climbing to the opposite side of the vehicle to leave room for Shean beside Lian.
The driver vanished for a moment to put Nevair's carry-on in the trunk. He returned a few seconds later to pop his head in.
