Page 56 of Reptile Dysfunction
Thad
Back at my water tower, the adrenaline of the evening finally catches up with me. The protesters, the confrontation with Harrington, the official recognition—it swirls into a potent cocktail of leftover enforcer instinct and present-day pride.
The victory should feel complete, but something nags at me. Bradley’s threat about state oversight of former enforcers wasn’t just bluster—there’s real concern there that could affect every monster trying to build legitimate businesses.
“You’re thinking about Bradley’s threat,” Sloane observes, reading my expression with unnerving accuracy.
“Hard not to. ‘Permits’ and ‘state oversight’—he wasn’t talking out of his ass.”
“Which is exactly why Guardian Solutions needs to be unassailable.” She moves closer, her hands finding my shoulders. “Competent, documented, legitimate. Everything we proved tonight. And I must say, Gorgon, you were impressive tonight.” She shrugs off her jacket and spears me with a smoldering look. “The way you handled those protesters without resorting to intimidation…”
“Old dog, new tricks.” But my voice comes out a bit rough, and my snakes wiggle, unable to hide the energy still coursing through me, their movements more restless than usual.
Sloane notices—she always does. “You’re still keyed up,” she observes, moving closer. “Enforcer adrenaline with nowhere to go?”
“Something like that.” My hands find her waist, needing to touch her, to ground myself in the present rather than the hypervigilant past. “It’s different now. Using the abilities openly instead of from hiding.”
“Better different?” Her fingers trace the tribal tattoos on my arm, following the patterns that have fascinated her since the beginning. The simple touch sends electricity arcing through me, but the attraction is far more than physical now.
“I keep thinking about Mrs. Serenmut tonight,” I admit. “How she stood up in that room, knowing it could cost her everything. That’s the kind of courage I used to protect when we were still in hiding. People like her always had strength. I just made sure they could use it safely.”
“And now you’re giving your people a voice.” Her tone holds something deeper than admiration. “You’re not just evolving your purpose, Thad. You’re becoming the male you were always meant to be.”
Leaning down, I capture her lips with mine, my control fraying as her hands slide beneath my shirt. My snakes reach for her eagerly, Sterling already wrapping around her throat in his favorite claiming gesture.
The kiss deepens, evolving from comfort to hunger in the space of a heartbeat. After weeks together, we’ve learned each other’s bodies—the spots that make her gasp, the touches that make my snakes and me shiver with pleasure. But tonight feels different, charged with something beyond physical desire.
This is a celebration and a claiming all at once. We’ve fought for something together and won. The taste of victory mingles with the taste of her lips, professional triumph bleeding into personal connection in a way that makes my chest tight with unnamed emotions.
“Bedroom,” she murmurs against my mouth, already tugging me toward the spiral staircase. “Unless you want a repeat of the couch incident.”
The memory of the night neither of us could wait to climb the steps ignites a fire in my blood and makes my cock hard as stone. Sloane pulls her top over her head, revealing red lace that somehow manages to be both elegant and sinfully tempting. My snakes all rise appreciatively, including the usually reserved ones, who still try to maintain some dignity around her.
“See something you like?” There’s a teasing confidence in her voice that wasn’t there our first time—the easy intimacy of lovers who are still discovering each other but know the fundamental map by heart.
“Everything,” I admit, following her up the stairs. “Always.”
In the bedroom, moonlight streams through the curved windows, painting silver patterns across her skin as clothing falls away. Her bra drops to the floor, followed by her skirt, leaving her in nothing but a scrap of red lace that makes my mouth go dry. The curves of her breasts catch the moonlight, nipples already pebbled in the cool air.
“Your turn,” she says, reaching for the buttons of my shirt with practiced ease. “I want to feel every inch of that gorgeous body against me.”
My shirt joins hers on the floor, followed quickly by my pants. Her eyes widen as she takes in my erection straining against my boxers—thick, heavy, and already leaking with desire for her.
“God, Thad,” she breathes, her hand hovering just above the bulge. “You’re so fucking big.”
The crude word from her lips makes my cock twitch, obvious even through the fabric.
Her hands trail down my chest, nails scratching lightly over sensitive skin, making my snakes shiver in pleasure. My body reacts, eyes shifting to their slitted reptilian form as desire and power intertwine. When her fingers brush the waistband of myboxers, teasing along the elastic, I growl as I catch her wrist to maintain control.
“Patience,” I growl, though patience is the last thing on my mind as her scent surrounds me—that intoxicating blend of floral perfume and primitive arousal that drives me to distraction.
“Says the man whose snakes are practically vibrating,” she teases, nodding toward the crown of serpents now swaying in unmistakable anticipation.
“They have minds of their own.” I guide her backward until her legs hit the bed. “But even they know some pleasures are worth savoring.”
Lowering her to the mattress, I take my time exploring the terrain of her body with deliberate attention. My hands span her waist, thumbs tracing the curve of her ribs before sliding up to cup her breasts. Their weight fills my palms perfectly, as if designed specifically for my touch. When I roll her nipples between my fingers, she arches into the contact with a soft gasp.
“I love watching you respond to me,” I tell her, replacing one hand with my mouth. The taste of her skin, slightly salty with the remnants of today’s excitement, makes my cock throb against the confines of my boxers. My tongue circles her nipple before drawing it into my mouth, alternating between gentle suction and the barest edge of teeth.
