Page 72 of Working Out West

I cleared my throat and followed his body up to meet his gaze. “Would you….” I made a noise in the back of my throat.

Adrik rolled to his side, up on one elbow, and looked down at me. Heat seared his gaze. “Would I what, moya lyubov’?”

I scraped my bottom lip with my top teeth and made a move to sit up. Ignoring the tight pull to my back, I faced him, sitting cross-legged on the bed. I picked at the sheet as I stared at it.

Adrik’s hand rested on mine. He still lay on his side, and it was my turn to look down at him. “I am guessing you do not wish to sleep, since you are sitting.”

“Yes.” I nodded.

“Moya lyubov’, what is it you are after then?”

Hoo-boy, here we go.

My heart threatened to beat out of my chest, but I managed to get the words out. “Kiss me.” My eyes widened. “I mean… you don’t have to. I know this is new, and you’ve been sleeping here. I don’t know—” I squeaked out the last part as Adrik sat swiftly and leaned in with his nose close to mine.

“I would give you anything, West.”

His lips brushed against mine once, twice. My ears rang from freaking butterflies bursting to life inside me.

“More?” he asked, his voice thick with… desire?

“Yes,” I whispered.

A hand slid to my neck, to the back of my head, threading through my hair where Adrik gripped. I gasped, and Adrik took the opportunity to press his mouth against mine, to gently glide his tongue over mine.

Reaching out, I held onto his T-shirt and shifted closer to deepen the kiss. Our tongues danced, our breaths mingled, our hands caressed.

It was more than I thought it would be.

It was amazing.

Adrik broke the kiss. Both of our breaths were ragged. “Christ, West,” Adrik muttered.

I wanted more. No, I needed more. I tugged on his T-shirt. “Can we?”

He groaned in the back of his throat, moved back, and removed his T-shirt, throwing it to the floor. I caught a glimpse of something on his back, and before he could turn my way, I grabbed his arm.

“What’s on your back?”

“A tattoo.”

Oh, heavens above. The man just got hotter.

I pressed a finger to my bottom lip and pinched at it. “Um, can I see?”

Adrik studied me with a smirk. “You like tattoos?”

“Uh-huh.” I nodded. “Yep.” It was a weakness of mine.

Adrik turned away from me, placed his feet on the floor beside the bed, and rested his hands on the mattress on each side of him to let me have my eyeful.

Hot damn. It was all I could think over and over. I’d never seen anything so ferocious and yet stunning in my life. A dragon’s head covered most of his back. A beautiful, scary dragon. It was perfect for Adrik.

I rested my palm against his back. He shivered. I bit my bottom lip and ran a hand over his smooth, warm skin, as if I petted the dragon.

“It’s gorgeous,” I told him.

“West,” he clipped.

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