Page 44 of Saving the Last Heir
I nearly sagged with disappointment. Had I read this wrong? Did he not feel the same intense connection I did?
“Oh, uh, yeah, sure. I am a bit tired, I guess,” I said.
Following him out, I closed the garage door behind us and locked up.
“Do you mind if I stop by tomorrow?” Jackson asked. “To help out?”
“I don’t see why not. I’m picking up the mirror first thing in the morning. We’ll probably get started on the car around eight if you want to get here then?”
“That would be great,” he said. “I don’t know much about fixing up cars, but I don’t want to sit at home waiting. Being idle while you all are working will drive me insane.”
“Yeah, I get that,” I said. “You’re more than welcome to stop by. Maybe we can find something simple for you to do.” I pointed my finger at him. “Just stay out of the way. My guys don’t appreciate newbies fucking with their workday.”
Chuckling, he raised his hands in surrender. “Understood. I promise I won’t be a bother or slow anyone down.” He looked up at the sky, then back at me. “I guess I need to go. Thank you. I can’t tell you how much this means to me. Without you…” He shook his head. “I don’t know how I would have done this without the cops getting involved. If I’d have been arrested or lost this car, then my sister would be as good as dead. Thank you, Shyanne.”
I couldn’t recall anyone ever speaking to me with such emotion and sincerity. This reallydidmean a lot to him. Knowing I was his lone link to rescuing his sister filled me with pride and fear. That kind of responsibility wasn’t something I could take lightly.
“Any time,” I said, unsure what else I could say.
Jackson winked at me, then jumped and shifted. The air around me stirred, my hair fluttering as the two massive wings stroked the air. For a moment, I got to see his actual dragon—dark, scaled, and glossy—before his camouflage kicked in, and he grew almost invisible against the night sky. Had I not been totally sure of the direction he was moving, I would have lost sight of himalmost instantly. Instead, I managed to keep track of him until he was a few hundred yards into the sky. At that point, he simply vanished from view.
I hoped I never stopped being amazed by magic. I’d only known it was real for a day, and I was already getting a little accustomed to it. Strange how quickly something so amazing became normal.
Walking to my car, I thought back on how the day had gone. How had it only been a singleday? So much had happened that my mind spun with the sheer magnitude of it. Yet, if we succeeded in fixing the car, and getting Jackson’s sister back, it would all be worth it. Saving a child was themainthing I was focused on, but as I drove home, it was hard not to think about the money too.
Nearly two-hundred-thousand dollars? We could do so much with that. Our bills would be taken care of, and we could even give a little gift to the local elementary school or make a donation to a food bank. I didn’t want to get rich. What was life if you weren’t able to give back when you got a windfall?
Gripping the steering wheel, I pressed the gas. I wanted to shower and get into bed.
Tomorrow, it would be time to get to work.
10
JACKSON
Iwoke before dawn and rolled out of bed. Standing naked at my bedroom window, I looked out at the grounds of the estate. On the horizon, the first faint glow of light appeared. Things were looking up, and I couldn’t suppress the dull pulse of hope that radiated from my chest.
Time was running out. I needed to get that car to that Anitoli asshole soon. Shyanne had told me she’d have it ready by tomorrow, which was right at the deadline. Was I really going to pull this off?
Thinking of Shyanne brought a whole new set of emotions to the table. As focused as I was on saving my family, I couldn’t deny how drawn to her I was. She was special in a way I couldn’t verbalize. Before leaving last night, my dragon had urged me to kiss her, to pull her body to mine and lavish her with pleasure. I’dneverexperienced that with a woman before.
Over the years, my mother had tried to set me up with others—most notably, Tiana. I’d contemplated it, if only to continue the line of winged dragons. Though, since Tiana was the onlyother winged dragon near enough my age to mate with, the other options were drakes or wyrms. I wasn’t opposed to relationships with those offshoot breeds, but any child that came from it would only have a fifty percent chance of being a winged dragon. If I was going to mate for anything other than love, I wanted more assurances on that end.
Tiana was gorgeous, but there was no spark. With Shyanne, therewas, and I liked it. The whole thing had a newness to it that excited me and stirred something primal within me.
My cock twitched to life as I recalled the way she’d looked the night before. Her hair bound back, tight jeans hugging her curves, and her full lips quirking into a smile. Unbidden, thoughts swirled in my head, urged on by hormones and desire. I tried to stifle them, did my best to shove them aside, but each time I did, a new image or fantasy burst across my mind.
My dragon snarled at me, angry that I was trying to deny even this simple pleasure. Would it really be that bad to take a few minutes and bask in the idea?
My cock stiffened even more, now fully erect. Licking my lips, I sighed and closed my eyes, letting my imagination take over.
“Is this what you want?” Shyanne asked, looking up at me with those gorgeous green eyes.
“Yes,” I whispered.
With delicate fingers, she undid my belt and snapped open the top button of my pants. My cock ached, hungry to be touched. I couldn’t tear my eyes from her as she worked the zipper and pulled my pants down to my knees.
Before tugging aside my underwear, she grazed her fingers across the bulge of fabric that restrained my cock.
