Making her feel safe, as always.
Jan’s hands tugged at the thick leather of Xander’s jacket, holding on for dear life as they came in unison. And even as his body gradually calmed beneath and inside her, little shocks of pleasure tightened her insides at random intervals for long moments afterward.
Then, finally, all but spent, Janet let out the happiest sigh of her life.
“You’ve been reading my books again, haven’t you…?” She trailed off, speaking into his chest as she let her body relax. Even post sex, Xander’s hardness continued to tease her deep inside.
“I can neither confirm nor deny that. I can, however, confirm that I would do anything to make you happy.”
Janet’s mind went blank at his words, and when she looked up into his kind gaze, she truly saw he meant it.
No bullshit. No lies. Just the two of them together, as if somehow brought there by some higher power.
“I want to make you happy, too,” she said. “Always.”
She didn’t know how she was finally able to just trust him. To trust life and love and just allow herself to enjoy things.
But she did.
He helped her put her clothing back together, then helped her off the motorcycle so she could stretch, all the while watching her with a satisfied grin on his face.
“Now, how about we get home and finish that movie we never finished last night?” He gave her a smug look.
“You mean the movie we ignored for two hours because you… because you…” She trailed off, blushing from head to toe.
“Ate you out relentlessly?” He flicked his tongue over his lips as if tasting the memory. “Yeah, that one.”
“You, you—”
“We’ll watch it this time, sweetheart,” he said, pulling her in for a hug before handing her a helmet. “Only cuddles tonight.”
Then he got on the bike again but moved back on the long seat, gesturing for her to ride in front of him.
It was more nerve-wracking in the front with the wind on her face and nothing but the road in front of her.
But with Xander’s muscular arms surrounding her, his powerful chest supporting her, it felt like she could do anything she wanted.
And right now, she just wanted to go home and cuddle the most amazing man she’d ever known.
Chapter 16
A couple days later, Janet was still happy with Xander.
More than happy. Ecstatic. Content. Living the life of her dreams.
The life of her book heroines.
The subtle worries that everything would be ruined were starting to subside, as she sank into a routine with Xander.
They’d never really talked about moving in together, but they enjoyed spending time so much together and she enjoyed sleeping in his arms so much that he tended to always stay at her place.
Sometimes, they met up with Kelsie and Tristan for lunch or dinner.
But mostly, they stayed in on their own, enjoying a movie, unless Xander decided to distract her with sexiness.
Or sometimes, she decided to distract him.
It was all fun and amazing, having her first whirlwind romance, but Janet knew at some point, things had to get tough.
That was how life worked, wasn’t it?
She glanced over at Xander, who was eyeing his phone worriedly.
She’d just finished work for the day and was looking forward to spending time with him, but she was guessing that was about to be put on hold.
“Is there a problem?”
He shook his head, but the way he was looking at his phone was different than at any other time. “No, it’s just my work. But they say it’s urgent.”
“And that’s unusual?”
“Yes,” he said. “I mean, have I ever been called away before?” He rubbed the back of his neck irritably, and she came over to do it for him, pushing him toward a chair so she could give him a quick massage.
As she stroked over the tense muscles of his neck, he let out a groan of satisfaction.
“Dammit, that’s amazing,” he said. “But I probably have to go.” He gave her an apologetic look. “I’m sorry I won’t be here for dinner. Will you be okay without me?”
“Sure,” she said, pushing away any disappointment. Of course he had important things to deal with. She knew he would always come back.
He stood, placing a quick kiss on her lips. “Thank you for understanding.” He wiggled his eyebrows. “When I get back, I’ll make it up to you.”
She grinned, giggling as he tickled her side and pulled her into a firm hug, resting his head on hers before letting her go.
“I’ll be back before you know it,” he said, gathering his things.
The fact that he seemed slightly nervous made it hard for her not to feel that way also, but she knew this was normal.
Impromptu calls from work—both hers and his—were just an expected part of life for most people.
“I’ll stay up and see you after work. Just text me when you’re headed back.” She gave him another kiss, and this time, he pulled her in, kissing her senseless, making her body go limp in his arms.
“I’ll be counting the seconds,” he said earnestly.
They exchanged a last kiss, and Xander closed the door behind him, locking it with the spare key she’d given him the other day, insisting she not open it until he had returned.
And when Janet went to the couch to cozy up with a soft blanket and her latest book, she knew there was only one man she’d be fantasizing about.
* * *
Xander hated having to go into work, but nothing could spoil his mood now that things were going so well with Janet.
He could be with her forever. He wanted to.
He’d told her some things about himself, but he still had no idea how to tell her the rest of it.
Tristan had told Kelsie only because he’d been forced to shift in front of her. How could Xander just bring up something like that?
It had been hard enough to get Janet to accept him as a loyal boyfriend. As someone she could be serious with.
He sighed as he walked up the steps to the mansion.
He knocked, then turned to look at the sprawling grass in front of him, the acres of space the double dragons had for their use.
Xander didn’t feel like he needed any of it, just a quiet life with his mate. Forever.
He could hardly wait for his new life to start.
First, he would probably need a ring. Then, when he proposed… he could tell her he was a huge fucking dragon.
He shook his head warily, then turned to the door, curious why no one had answered it.
He reached down to test the handle, and finding it unlocked, he gently opened the door, peeking inside.
No one.
Hearing voices from the office, Xander walked quietly down the hall, not exactly proud of his urge to eavesdrop.
Still, they’d never called him there urgently before. Never…
“He’s not going to like it.”
Xander froze as he heard Trevor’s voice from behind the closed office doors. Who were they talking about?
“It’s not about him liking it,” a female voice said. Vaguely familiar. Older and pleasant.
The oracle, Xander realized in amazement. The one woman with the final say in the entire shifter world.
He scratched his head as he moved closer to the door, keeping his footsteps quiet.
“Xander needs a partner dragon,” the oracle said. “It isn’t optional. As a dragon in his position, he doesn’t have a choice.” She must have been using some form of remote communication to talk to them. But Xander had no desire to go into the room.
Not now that he knew what they were talking about.
His stomach felt full of lead mixed with acid.
“Yeah, but he and his brother—”
“His brother is different. He found his mate and they can watch out for each other. Xander is on his own. He needs a partner.”
The world see
med to spin around Xander as it really sank in that they meant to put him in a pair with another dragon.
A pair that would form a triad.
Like other double dragons who were born normally were expected to do.
Somehow, of all the possibilities for his life Xander had considered, the chance of fulfilling the actual destiny he’d been born to was the last thing he expected.
He’d known from a young age that he and Tristan weren’t like other double dragons. They were abandoned for that reason.
He supposed it made sense, now that he thought about it, for the oracle to try to rectify it by paring him with some weird dragon—
“And Taylor’s okay with it?” Chadwick asked.
“Taylor has agreed, yes,” the oracle said. “He’s willing to give it a try at least.”
Xander’s hands clenched into fists as he realized that all the training, all the taking Taylor around, was really just a way to manipulate him into taking a partner.
He thought darkly about the way Taylor had talked to Janet. The way she’d been blushing. The way he’d suddenly had words to say when he was talking about Xander’s mate.
Did he really think Xander was going to share her?
If so, he had a giant fireball of dragon death breath coming.
Xander stormed out the front door of the mansion and got onto his bike, zooming out onto the road that led to the freeway.
He needed to get away before anyone noticed he’d been there.
Before they could corner him or figure out he had a mate already and didn’t intend to form a triad.
Before they could try to force him to give her up or share her with another.
The oracle had said he wouldn’t have a choice in the matter. Well, he’d show her his choice.
He swerved recklessly between cars, barely watching where he was going as his rage began to be eclipsed by sheer panic.
When he was far enough away from the mansion, he took a turn off into the trees, dumped his bike carelessly, and started pacing in the shade of the forest.
Goddammit, who could he even talk to about this?
Years ago, when they’d been so alone, this might even have been welcome. The thought of having a partner at his side, watching his back, that was how things were supposed to work for dragons like him.
And the thought of sharing his mate with someone who also loved her and could watch her back was supposed to make him happy as well.
Instead, the thought of having anyone else touch her, especially because of him, made him want to turn into his dragon and raze entire cities to the ground.
The pain in him felt tremendous.
In just an hour, he’d gone from the best moment of his life to the worst.
It struck him how alone he really was in this.
He’d been so glad he and Tristan didn’t have to hide in the shadows in fear anymore that he hadn’t considered things could get worse.
But what if he did say no? Could they force him? Or just make his and Tristan’s life miserable?
He’d trusted the oracle. Thought his parents were wrong about her. But clearly, she just wanted to use him for her own purposes.
It was one thing if she was going to ask him, let him decide.
But no, she wanted to do things her way or nothing at all.
He should have known.
Suddenly, he was that little kid again, cold and alone in the rain, wondering why he had to be abandoned just because he was powerless to change who he was.
He trusted no one. He never should have.
No one but Jan. What would she say about this?
He slumped down against a tree, feeling bark bite into his leather jacket. He sank his face into his hands, wondering how he could tell her.
Forces much greater than them had decided. They would never be free.
Or maybe… What if he could just disappear for a while? Make the oracle think she’d lost his trail. Then he could come back for Janet…
Yes, that might work.
The other option was telling her everything, but what if she didn’t agree and they forced him to take another mate with Taylor?
Even worse, what if she did agree because she thought it would help him, and he had to tolerate another man’s hands on his mate?
No, he would die first.
He raised his head, surprised to feel tears on his cheeks. He touched them and held them up in front of him just to be sure.
God, he hadn’t cried since he was little. Well, what he was doing right now was more like leaking.
Tristan was the tough one. Always telling him it would be all right.
But Xander couldn’t call Tristan now. Tristan actually had a chance at a good life. Xander didn’t want to ruin that for him by putting him in the middle of a difficult situation.
A dangerous situation.
As long as Xander didn’t involve them, Tristan and Kelsie could go on thinking the shifter world was just fine.
After all, it probably was for most people.
Xander seemed to be the exception.
He supposed he could still go back and try to argue, but he doubted it would go well. It all made sense now, them telling him to take Taylor around.
Even Taylor agreed, apparently, which felt like the worst kind of betrayal.
He’d started to see Taylor as a real friend. Even got the big, quiet dragon to laugh a few times.
Now, all of that felt tainted.
Xander cursed, wondering what they would do when he didn’t show up for his meeting. If he went to Janet’s, would they find him?
Tristan might have said he was staying there.
He cocked his head. Had Taylor already told them he had a mate? No, Xander didn’t think so.
Taylor didn’t talk enough to spill anyone’s secrets.
Fuck, it really did seem like the best option was to disappear completely, but Xander couldn’t even imagine how much that would hurt Jan.
Especially after she’d just decided to trust him.
It would break her heart. But how could he explain it? If a human knew about the shifter world without being ready to mate someone, the double dragons usually came to erase their memory.
Then again, it would be better than seeing her yanked into a world that clearly didn’t care about either of them.
Xander should have known.
The shifter world had abandoned him as a child, and now they only wanted to use him. The feeling of betrayal ran deep.
As he pulled out his phone and entered Janet’s number, he felt everything breaking inside him, shattering into shards that only pushed against each other, making everything more painful. His hands shook as he typed out a text.
Can we talk?
He needed to do it soon so she wasn’t worried when he didn’t come home to her. He needed to get away before the dragons could track him or Taylor could find him.
Before Tristan could even understand what was going on.
He’d text his brother once he got far away safely and could explain without worrying the dragons were there, listening in.
He knew the level of fear he was feeling was more Tristan’s territory, but in this case, it was warranted.
He knew that in another life, he should want what they were offering. That it was the life his kind were supposed to expect.
But he. Did. Not. Want. It.
He would never share his mate.
Janet’s number flashed on his phone. She was calling him. It would be the hardest conversation he’d ever had, but he would have to make it up to her later.
It would be harder if he had to give her up for good.
“Hi,” she said cheerily when he picked up. “How are you, honey?”
He didn’t answer for a moment. His throat was tight and painful, and if he spoke, it felt like he was pulling up broken glass.
Her tone changed to slightly panicked. “Are you okay? Did something happen on your bike? Oh God, if—”
His heart w
as touched by her worry for him. Just another thing that made his mate so special.
When he figured out a way to deal with all of this, he vowed that he would find a way back to her side.
“Sweetheart,” he said, feeling his heart breaking as he mustered his words. “There’s no easy way to say this, so please don’t take it wrong. But I… I have to go away for a while.”
“What?” Her voice was smaller now. “What do you mean, for work?”
He sighed, wondering if a lie would be better. But he didn’t want her calling Taylor to find out where he was.
“Not work. It’s just… complicated.”
“Is something wrong? Are you in trouble?” She sounded so nervous, and all he wanted to do was go hold her. It tore him apart that he couldn’t. “Honey, if something is wrong, let me help.”
God, he loved that she called him honey.
“I can’t explain it. You know those things I couldn’t tell you? Well, it’s because of them. So I need to go away for a while, and I just need you to trust me.”
The phone was silent.
“How can I trust you if you won’t tell me what’s going on?”
He could hear the pain in her voice, and he put a hand to his face as the dragon in him began screaming. “I wish I could tell you everything. You know more about me than anyone, except for Tristan. But there are some things you don’t know, and—”
“Stop it,” she said. “You’re scaring me.”
“I don’t want to scare you,” he said. “I want to love you. But things keep getting in the way.”
“What things? What way?” Her voice sounded shaky now. “Xander, this feels like it’s coming out of nowhere.”
“It kind of is,” he said dully. “But there’s nothing I can do about it.”
Silence on her end. Then a sniffle. “So what, you’re just disappearing?”
“Not forever,” he said. “I’ll be back when I can. God, Janet, I swear I’ll come back for you.”
Her voice sounded deadened when she spoke. “No, you won’t. I know how this goes.”
“Janet, I know you’re going to think I’m abandoning you. I know about your dad, how he hurt you and your mother. This isn’t like that.”
“You don’t know what it was like,” she said. “Xander, I trusted you. Don’t do this. Break up with me if you have to. But don’t just leave.”
Dragon Meets Girl: Forgotten Dragons Book 2 Page 10
