Page 232 of Phoenix's Fire

"A few." I couldn't stop smiling when he was close to me like this. I wanted him to kiss me again, so I lifted my chin. I hoped he would take it as a dare.

He looked down at me, his hands moving to my waist again. Then I felt his tail sliding up the back of my leg to press behind my knee. In the darkness, he blinked, watching me, waiting for my reaction. I was waiting to see what he'd do next. To break the stalemate, I took another drink.

"Why?" I asked again.

"Dragons love gold."

"I'm not gold. I'm the Phoenix."

"Mhm," he agreed, his voice just a bit deeper. "A beautiful golden Phoenix, Ayla. And to Dragons, gold is a treasure." He bent a bit closer, but not nearly close enough. "Remember that." Gently, he reached up to smooth my hair back. "Andyou are my friend. No matter what, above all else, we are friends, and that makes this okay, not shameful."

I leaned into his hand as it moved around to cup my cheek. "This doesn't hurt."

"This," he promised, "is completely innocent." He trailed one finger lower, caressing the tendon on my neck. "And safe." Then he shifted his hand to run the backs of his knuckles across the top of my shoulder. "And there's a very good chance you won't even remember it when you wake up, but I sure hope you do."

"Because I'm drunk?"

"Mhm," he agreed. "You're very drunk, so I'm not going to take advantage of it. Not any more than this."

"Why?" I asked, aware I sounded breathless.

He smiled at me in a way that was almost sad. "Because I think Zasen was right. You deserve to have someone prove to you that people can feel good. You're allowed to experiment, and I just want to make sure you're always safe when you do it."

"I know I'm safe with you."

And his smile stopped looking so sad. "That's all I want, Ayla. Now drink the rest of that, because I have a feeling it'll be a while before I can convince you to do this again."

So I tilted my bottle and drank deeply. "And maybe another kiss?"

"Only if you ask," he said. "That's the thing with consent. You have to make sure the other person says it's okay." Then he snagged my bottle away from me. "And you started this."

"Yes, I did," I declared, feeling just a little proud of myself.

Seventy-Two

Ayla

My head pounded in time with my heart, each beat stabbing right between my eyes. I groaned and pressed my head deeper into the pillows, but the bright light streaming through the windows was almost as relentless. I didn't remember getting back to the house. Thinking about it, I didn't remember a lot. Flinging the blankets off, I found myself in a soft black shirt that was much too big. I was pretty sure Rymar had been wearing it last night.

I did remember being in the pool and being very close to him. The memories came in flashes, just little bits that teased me with the gaps in between, but what was there made my cheeks hot. I'd been pressed against him? That couldn't be right. His tail against my legs? My heart beating hard and my skin tingling? Him helping me from the water, both of us completely naked?

I couldn't be making that up. My mind shouldn't know the gaps to fill in the lines of him that should've stayed beneath his pants. Large, upright, intimidating lines. Smooth, silky scales. The sensuous feel of his tail under water.

What had I done?

Dreading the answer, I changed into my lavender dress, combed my hair, and dawdled as long as I could while trying to think of a reason I should stay in bed all day. Unfortunately, Holly had other ideas. She barked once, loudly, then moved to the door, making it clear she needed to go outside.

"Okay, girl," I told her, aware my head throbbed in time with my words. "I have to go first, then we'll play."

Unlocking the door, I let her rush out, sighing heavily when she raced down the stairs. There was no way I could keep up with her today. My stomach was rolling. My mouth felt like I'd swallowed cotton. My eyes were gritty, and then there was the headache that refused to let up.

Even worse was the way my body felt as I made my way - slowly - down thestairs. But just as I reached the bottom and turned toward the bathroom, that door opened. I paused as Rymar stepped out, wearing nothing more than a pair of soft pants. The sight of his chest made me suck in a breath as my face began to grow hotter.

I'd done that. He'd let me. For a moment, I thought about turning and bolting back up the stairs, but he just smiled at me and moved to walk around me. Shame was quickly taking over, and I had no idea how I was supposed to handle what I'd done last night!

"Morning," he mumbled, looking like he wasn't about to stop.

So I grabbed his arm, making him face me. "What did you do to me?"

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