Page 33 of Never Feed a Dragon

“Up until the moment it causes you pain, sure.”

I closed my eyes.

I didn’t have anything to use against him as an argument. I wasn’t even sure I wanted to. Heat was brutal.

“We’re already mates. Nature wants you in my bed, taking my cock. You’re going to hurt every moment you aren’t,” he said. “You can hate me as much as you want, but we aren’t staying apart through this. Watching you suffer will rip my sanity away from me until I have no control over myself, and the agony will push you until you’re lost to your need too.”

“Then what do we do?”

“We fuck as ourselves, or we suffer until fate forces our bodies together.”

The words were harsh, but they were honest. And I needed that honesty.

I let out a long breath. Water was still falling over both of us, and it was starting to actually feel kind of cold. “Let’s get out and eat something. I need time to process this.”

“Alright. But after breakfast, we’re having a conversation.”

“Agreed.”

Eli stepped out of the tub and lifted me over the edge with him. My feet met the soft bathmat, and I sighed.

At least I wasn’t sweating anymore.

six

VI

Eli stripped out of his wet pants while I wrapped a towel around myself. He didn’t have any spare clothes, and I didn’t have another towel in the bathroom, so I grabbed the dirty blanket I’d left on the floor the night before and handed it to him.

Poor, poor cupcake blanket.

I’d give her a good wash when everything was said and done. Assuming everything was, at some point, wrapped up.

He dried himself off as much as he could with it, then held out his hand.

“Yep.” I accepted it, only a little reluctantly, and we walked the short distance to the kitchen. All I had on was that towel, but he was holding the excess blanket over his hip, so I didn’t feel underdressed.

Instead of looking for actual breakfast food, he grabbed a dish full of cupcakes and carried them to the table with us. I was so drained that I didn’t mind the sugary meal, and immediately took a bite as soon as we were seated.

We ate in silence for a few minutes, our arms brushing as we demolished every last one.

When we were through, Eli grabbed my half-empty gallon of milk from the fridge, and two cups from the cabinet. I didn’t ask how he knew where to look. He had probably poked around during the night when he ate the rest of the spaghetti, if he had actually done that.

I didn’t bother grabbing a cup from Eli. I just screwed the lid off and lifted it to my lips. My mouth had been dry all night.

Eli’s gaze was amused when I finally set the jug down. He picked it up and drank the same way.

I didn’t give a damn about the germs.

We’d already kissed. And had our mouths on each other’s bodies. Sharing milk wasn’t any more intimate than that.

My eyes drifted to the sink. I wanted a glass of water, but was so exhausted that getting up sounded impossible.

“Are you still thirsty?” Eli asked, apparently following my gaze to the faucet.

“I think I might always be thirsty after last night.”

“It’s hard being a sauna, huh?” He didn’t wait for an answer, taking both empty cups to the sink and filling them one after another. Instead of sipping one, he set both of them down next to me before he put his hand on my bare thigh. My towel left most of it revealed.

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