Page 86 of Hoarded By the Dragon

And I do. I want the dark fucking on his desk, the way he rubs comforting circles on my back, and his sleepy smiles in the morning. I want all aspects of this man. The dragon who makes his eyes glow and the part of his soul that aches for his past losses included.

His smile is slow, and he makes quick work of his pants and underclothes before taking my hand and leading me down the steps into the water. I pull my gaze away from his body. His strong thighs are a familiar sight, but if I let myself watch the fluid way he moves, I’ll combust. That’s not even mentioning the stiff cocks on display.

He’s a buffet that I must wait to savor.

The hot water distracts me from my lust as it laps against my skin, melting the tension in my body. The water is a perfect temperature… and stays that way. Our baby girl doesn’t suck the heat away. Even with how Kalos keeps her fed on heat, there has been more than one bath cut short from the water cooling too quickly.

I ease into the water with a delighted sigh.

Kalos looks around like he can read the magic rather than just feel it all around. “They have many spells here.”

“Have you been here before?” I ask and regret it immediately. This is a sex bathhouse. I don’t want to know if he’s been here before.

Kalos shakes his head. “No, but Gage said this place would fit my tastes and he’s right.”

My lips twitch at that. Kalos likes beauty and luxury. Most of the time I feel rather scrappy around him, but not tonight. Not when he looks at me like I’m precious.

Things have shifted between us since Kalos took me to his bed. There’s an openness between us.

Kalos sinks his body near mine, the water now coming up to our necks. He sits on one of the stone benches and pulls me onto his lap.

If this were a regular first date, I’d play a little harder to get, but I’m terrible at playing coy, especially for him. My smile refuses to be hidden. I lean back against his body.

I moan when he starts to massage the muscles of my lower back. Kalos’s laugh is soft, but he doesn’t tease me about my reaction. He continues to find each tight muscle that no amount of stretching can ease and coaxes them to loosen.

I’m practically a puddle by the time he opens his mouth again. “Do you feel the need to run?”

I hum and frown in question, but his claw taps on my portal charm.

I take a moment before answering.

“I like to be prepared,” I say. “I believe in your ability to keep me safe, but that doesn’t mean I want to be defenseless. Running and hiding is a flexible and dependable exit plan.” I bring my hands to my belly. “I don’t want to be caught in a bad situation.”

Kalos doesn’t respond at first, and I pull away to see his face. His expression is considering. “There are caverns below the house. If you need to hide for any reason. Those would be a good place to go. It’s the stronghold of my territory.”

“Okay,” I say. “You’ll have to show them to me so I can have them in my mental map for the portal.”

Kalos nods, and my shoulders relax. I wasn’t going to give up the amulet, and I wouldn’t think he’d ask me to. The primal, legendary creature inside him though, he can be a little illogical. Like mate bonding with a thief.

And on the topic of caverns… “Are you ever going to show me your all dragon form?”

Kalos tilts his head playfully. “Are you so eager to see a modern-day monster in the flesh?”

I huff. “Not a monster.”

He raises his brows. “At this moment, he’d resemble one.” He pauses before answering my questioning look. “It’s been a long time since I’ve stretched my wings and shifted. It’s not an issue yet since my dragon wants to be near you more than anything else, but I don’t think it would be a good idea to have you around when I next shift.”

Kalos rubs a hand over his chest. “Since we aren’t acting as one, I don’t know how he’ll be. He could steal you away and put you in a tower to keep you for all I know.”

His eyes crinkle in a tease, but concern is there too.

My shoulders drop in disappointment. “Oh, okay.”

I’m not going to argue with safety. Once the baby is born though, I want to see a real live dragon. It doesn’t mean I can’t tease him about it.

“He’s probably more like a Komodo dragon than what I have in my head anyway,” I say.

My lips twitch at Kalos’s quick frown, but he’s smug again in the next instant.

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