Phase one was going according to plan. All they had to do was play dumb tomorrow when the shit hit the fan.
Chapter Eleven
The second they got into the hotel room, Abi ran for the bathroom. He needed to get away from Nash before he jumped his sexy bones. He leaned against the door and tried to think about anything other than his hard cock.
Gods, he wouldn’t be able to take much more of Nash. He needed Nash as much as he needed water. And wasn’t that some shit to admit? By the gods, Abi was a fucking goner over the guy.
Abi sighed.
The mating pull. Why did he feel it with Nash and not any of the others?
The answer mattered. It meant Abi’s heart might get ripped in two. If Nash was like the others, then Abi didn’t know if he could survive it. The pain would be significantly worse than it had been with the others.
Colin had only pissed him off. Well, his heart ached a little, but it hadn’t been about Colin so much as it had been about a repeat performance—Groundhog Day.
There was a knock on the door. “Are you okay?”
“Fine.” Not fine. Abi needed to do something about his erection. It hadn’t gone down even a little the entire time. Nash would surely hear it if he did anything about it. Dragon shifters had superior hearing.
“Are you sure?”
“Just need a minute.”
“You ran in there like your ass was on fire.”
He didn’t know about setting his ass on fire, but it would be nice if it ached. Nash inside him would be fantastic. Gods, the satisfaction that would bring made Abi whimper. “You know, this whole mating thing will fade by the end of next week, right?”
“Is that so?” Nash was still close. Only the door separated them.
“It’s what happened to all the others. My scent isn’t alluring to them after a while.”
“That’s what makes me different. I’ve never smelled you, baby. I would like to, though.”
Abi turned and pressed his hand to the door, imagining it was Nash’s chest. “I thought you couldn’t smell at all.”
“When I’m up close to things.” Like the door. Nash was very close. Abi shut his eyes, imagining Nash whispering in his ear. “Like when I give you the mating mark, I’ll be able to catch your scent.”
Abi pulled open the door with enough force to make Nash stumble forward. Nash caught himself with a hand on the wall, and Abi grabbed onto his waist to stabilize him. Nash was a big, heavy oaf, so Abi didn’t help as much as he would have liked.
Instead of letting him go, he hung on, burying his face in Nash’s chest. Beyond the cinnamon was something unique to Nash. He smelled like sugar, sweet as candy.
Nash slid his arms around Abi.
They stayed in comfortable silence, not needing anything but the closeness. Abi had never been into soft touches and gentle hugs with anyone else. He needed them from Nash. No one else was better at it.
Nash tightened his grip right before he spoke again. “When Mallor kidnapped us, I was young, twelve years old. Too young to shift. He used a chemical to subdue us. The chemical caused permanent damage.”
Abi shut his eyes. It was hard to hear. Nash had been just a boy. He must have been terrified. “You say ‘us’. Who else was with you?”
“My older brother. He was sixteen. He fought…to keep Mallor away from me. Mallor killed him. Said he was more trouble than he was worth.”
Abi would make sure Mallor paid. “Mallor’s last moments will be painful.”
“Bloodthirsty.” Nash said it with no small amount of affection.
“I told you I wasn’t a good person. Mallor will find that out the hard way.”
Abi tightened his grip. “I’m so sorry that happened.”
