Page 17 of Dance for the Dragon
“Are you sure?”
The smile returned, not as bright as it was, but still there. “I’m sure.”
But the shift in her energy didn’t match her words, and Kohl felt a sharp prick of pain in the center of his chest. It swiftly stretched and grew until his sternum felt on the verge of collapse, and he silently cursed. Vampire emotions ran higher than humans, but dragons…well, dragons were jacked up empaths. Between the two, Kohl felt things on a level that was unheard of, even for other supernatural creatures. “Devon. I won’t hurt you.”
She frowned, her hands falling into her lap. “I know you won’t.”
She sounded more convinced than he felt. “Good.” He approached the bike and indicated for her to scoot back.
With a sigh of disappointment, she did.
Kohl lifted the bike off the kickstand and got on in front of her, glad he’d worn pants with a little give. He made sure it was in neutral, put the key in the switch on top of the gas tank, turned it to the on position, and pushed the start button.
The engine rumbled to life as Devon’s arms slid around his waist. She linked her fingers at the waistline of his pants and leaned into him, her open coat falling to either side of his hips. He was so aware of her, he could feel the heat of her skin and the lace of her bra through her shirt. His cock, semi-hard since she’d opened the door to her apartment, swelled to an uncomfortable size. Kohl had never been so grateful that he had no need for protection against the cold.
He kicked the bike into gear and eased out into downtown traffic, needing to focus on something other than his passenger. He managed, barely, even with her full breasts pressed against his back and his ass nestled between her thighs.
The forty-minute ride was way too short, and he spent most of it wishing they could just keep going. Leave everyone and everything behind and live on the road, with the cool night air in his face and this woman tucked up warm against his back.
But instead, Kohl slowed down and turned onto a narrow paved road, ducking his head to avoid the low hanging branches of the trees that formed a canopy overhead. They’d left the city a while back, and a few minutes later, he saw moonlight glittering on the surface of a large lake as it peeked through the clouds.
The road ended abruptly, dead-ending into the grass, and Kohl turned the bike so it faced back the way they’d just came and turned off the engine. The gentle lapping of water hitting the shoreline and an easy breeze rustling through the trees were the only sounds he heard. It was too early in the year for the hum of cicadas or the songs of crickets. And other than some rabbits and perhaps a coyote or two, most of the animals in the area were sure to be hunkered down for the night.
Putting the kickstand down, he braced the bike while Devon climbed off. She pulled off her helmet, trying to fix her hair as she looked around. “What is this place? It’s got to be someone’s property. Is it okay that we’re here?”
He opened one of the saddlebags and pulled out a blanket and a battery-operated lantern. “It’s mine.”
She swung around to look at him. “Yours? This land is yours?”
“Yup.” He walked out into the grass and found a good spot close to the water. “I bought it a while back, before everyone started moving out here.”
“That must have been a long time ago.”
He didn’t answer, wondering if knowing his true age would bother her.
Eventually Devon looked around again. “How big is your lot?”
“It’s about ten acres.”
“Ten acres of lakefront property. Wow.”
Kohl laid the blanket out and glanced around as he rolled up his sleeves. At one time, he’d had thoughts of building a home here. A place for him and his mom where they could be themselves. Back then, the closest neighbor was miles away. But after she’d died, it took him a long time to come back here. And by that time, humans had started buying up the available land surrounding his property.
“I hired people to keep an acre mowed and free of fire ant mounds, and to take care of the trees—” He glanced overhead and she followed his gaze. Mostly tall, leafy oaks and maples, which is what had attracted him to this acreage in particular, even though he’d never be able to enjoy warm days on the lake. “The rest of the land I’m leaving the way nature intended.”
“What are you going to do with it?”
He glanced at Devon as he turned on the lantern and set it beside the blanket. “Nothing.”
She followed him back to the bike, reaching into the other saddlebag to help him carry the food he’d brought. “Nothing? You’re not gonna build a house? Maybe live here someday?” She paused with a container of strawberries in her hand, her face screwed up in thought. “It would have to have a basement, I guess. I don’t know if they could dig that far into the ground here. It’s all limestone.” She grabbed the loaf of French bread. “You could have it basement-like on the first floor. No windows. No way for the sun to get in. A sealed entrance. Then have a second floor that’s nothing but windows. With a deck that has stairs that lead down to the water. And you could put in a dock…” She wandered off to put her haul of food on the blanket.
A striking image of Devon standing on the deck with a glass of wine in her hand, her curves silhouetted against the setting sun, shot through his head. Or lying in the sun down by the water in nothing but bikini bottoms. He could almost feel the warmth of her skin, and taste the saltiness of the sweat glistening between her breasts. Sorrow filled him that he’d never be able to witness such a beautiful sight.
Kohl cleared his throat as she came back to the bike. “I’m not sure. Maybe. Someday.” He took the wine bottles from her and went to the blanket to arrange their picnic.
But she wasn’t done yet. “So, you own all of this property, and you’re just going to…do nothing with it? Just leave it wild except for this area by the water?”
Shoving his hands in his front pockets, he smiled. “Yeah.”
