Page 59 of The Dragon Recruit
He winked. “Yes, yes, I did.”
She rolled her eyes, but her twitching lips made him keep going. “Just don’t slice it into pieces for pizza. My brand of sausage is better eaten whole.”
“It’s a good thing you didn’t go into comedy.”
Unable to resist, he rolled until she was on her back on the couch with him nestled between her thighs. His dick throbbed in his boxers, but he did his best to focus on Iris and the moment. He wanted more than a quick fuck—he wanted a future. “I’m quite funny, I’ll let you know.”
“Says who?”
“I made you laugh.”
She looked stern a second before she smiled and raised a hand to cup his cheek. “Aye, you did. I don’t know why, but your bad jokes are somehow charming.”
He ached to kiss her, to taste her lips and explore her mouth, but knew he couldn’t. Not with a dragon-shifter. At least not with one who hadn’t said yes to a possible mate-claim frenzy.
So Antony nuzzled her neck instead and lightly nibbled. “You taste fantastic.”
One of her hands went to his back and lightly stroked. The slow motion, up and down, relaxed him. She murmured, “I wish we could do this properly, Antony. But…”
“I know, we can’t.” He leaned back, searched her eyes, and said, “Not yet, at any rate. Maybe someday?”
She hesitated. Just as he was ready to say never mind, she nodded. “Aye, someday. I’d like that.”
A thrill shot through him. “Good.”You’re mine, he didn’t say.
Instead, he sat up, tugged Iris into his lap, and looped his arms around her waist. She moved to get more comfortable. Her arse brushed against his cock, and he groaned.
“Let me up, Antony. I’ll return the favor and make you come, too.”
He hugged her closer to him and laid his head over her heart. “Later. For now, I just want to hold you like this. I know it’s so simple, and yet…”
“And yet, it’s been a long time. Aye, it’s the same for me, too.”
He twisted his head a little to see her face. They stayed like that, his head on her chest and staring at one another, for nearly a minute before she bit her bottom lip. While she obviously debated something, he asked, “What is it?”
“I don’t want to ruin the moment, aye?”
He tightened his arms around her waist. “When it’s just you and me, ask or say anything, love. I mean it. We both have to be strong and controlled a lot of the time, hiding our true thoughts or opinions, and I don’t want that here. Not between us.”
She ran her nails through his hair, and he nearly hummed. “I’ll try, but this is hard for me, aye? Sharing myself, my true self, isn’t easy. Not even with my parents.”
“Why not with them?”
She looked away. “My mum wanted a different future for me, a safer one. And whilst my dad was better, he worries as well. It was easier to share news about the lighter side of my job, the easy assignments, like with babysitting your brother. That kind of stuff.”
“Babysitting Max for his public-facing persona. Yes, that is entirely accurate.”
She smiled and met his gaze again. “When he lets down the act, he’s a lot like you, in some respects. Which makes sense when…”
Her voice died down. “When, what?”
She shook her head. “I don’t want to ruin our little bubble of peace and happiness.”
Antony ignored the happiness part—which made him rather proud—and kept them on topic. “Tell me, Iris. I don’t want there to be secrets between us.”
As soon as he said the words, he mentally cursed. Iris required patience, not him saying they should bare all.
However, she didn’t jerk back or try to get away. Instead, she traced his collarbone and blurted, “Max told me how you raised him after your parents died, but not much more than that. Such as how you managed it, after everything else.”
