by Jenn Burke
Aidan hardly realized he’d acted before he materialized in Nassim’s arms. “Yes. Always.”
Chapter Seventeen
Six months later
“AND how are you feeling today, Aidan?” Dr. Kira asked.
Aidan finished turning off his phone and tucked it into a pocket. For a Monday after a busy weekend, his email was startlingly quiet, but he’d take it. “Tired,” he admitted. “I was at Court in Montreal this weekend with Duke Rudel, which is difficult enough, but the air is unsettled right now.”
“The season changing over.”
“Exactly. It plays havoc with my system.” Pressure changes, incoming storms that amounted to nothing—Aidan really wasn’t a fan of the fall.
“And how is the job with the duke working out?”
The pang of not working with Nassim on a daily basis had faded, but it was still there. After Ryan’s manipulation of Tuninas’s HR staff was revealed, Nassim had had little choice but to let Aidan go, along with the HR manager who Ryan had corrupted. The company had to maintain its integrity. While it didn’t feel good to walk out of the Tuninas doors as a former employee, it didn’t hurt as much as he thought it would either.
Part of that was knowing Nassim wasn’t going to abandon him, either professionally or personally. He’d suggested that Aidan’s organizational skills might be beneficial to Duke Rudel, and thankfully, the duke agreed.
Aidan smiled. “Good. I feel like I’m more of his wrangler than his assistant, but I’m okay with that.”
She grinned. “You’re not the first to suggest Rudel needs managing.”
“I would never suggest such a thing,” Aidan shot back, injecting a scandalized tone into his voice.
“Have you given any more thought to trying hypnosis again?”
Aidan wrinkled his nose. None of his memories of previous lifetimes had returned, but Dr. Kira thought a combination of magic and hypnosis might be able to tease them out. By choosing to return to Nassim instead of dissipating into the sky, he’d kept his newest memories, and he considered that a win. His current happiness didn’t require knowing who he was through the centuries, and if he were honest with himself, he wasn’t sure he wanted to know. Or if he wanted the permanence of finding out that the memories were truly gone forever, another fear of confronting his history.
“Ask me next month,” he said.
She offered a small smile. “Fair enough. How about your classes?”
And that was why Aidan continued to see her regularly—her even-keeled, adaptive nature. Even if she wanted to talk about Aidan’s quasi failures. So far he’d tried two part-time certificate programs at the local college, but neither the mechanics course nor the mobile app programming one seemed to be his calling.
“I’m not sure mobile app programming is for me.” Aidan grimaced and then narrowed his eyes. “Don’t say ‘I told you so.’”
“I won’t.” But it was a struggle, Aidan could see.
He sighed. “Maybe I should pursue a mythos career.”
“Beyond your role as Duke Rudel’s assistant?”
“I’m good at organizing, but I can’t see myself doing it for the next five hundred years, you know?”
“Ah.” Dr. Kira leaned back in her chair. “You’re thinking like a human again.”
Aidan let out a groan. “How? Why? Where did I soak up all these human habits?”
She shrugged. “Mother knows. But I’ve got some homework for you. Which you should have no trouble finding time to do since you’re going to drop your programming course.”
“I never said I—”
“Aidan.”
“Right. ‘Happiness is too fleeting to waste time on something you don’t like, and life is too long to dwell on things that don’t make you happy.’”
“Very good.” She gave him a pleased nod.
“You repeat that often enough.”
“Because you need to hear it.”
Aidan conceded that point with a roll of one shoulder.
“So your homework. I want you to look at your short-, medium-, and long-term goals. Not career goals—just personal ones. Then I want you to look at what you would do if you only had five years to do it, what you would do if you had one hundred years, and what you would do if you had five hundred years.” She pinned Aidan with a serious look. “‘Love Nassim’ is not an appropriate response for this exercise. Bring your lists next week, and we’ll compare them to your aptitude test.” She made a note on the pad of paper on her desk and then leaned back again. “Okay, let’s talk about the meeting in Montreal. How did being in a room with so many mythos make you feel?”
By the time Aidan left Dr. Kira’s office, he was drained, which was his typical reaction to therapy. It was like exercise for his brain, as though his gray matter had done a hundred push-ups and just as many crunches. But his weekly visits were among the things that kept him grounded… along with Nassim’s love.
Despite the declaration that had kept Aidan from rejoining the sky, Nassim had struggled with putting his words into action. It was clear his heart knew what he wanted—Aidan—but his brain was still mired in irrational fear. It took multiple visits with Dr. Kira, with Aidan and without, to get Nassim to a point where he and Aidan could truly start moving on. But Aidan never doubted they’d get there, not after he saw Nassim’s true feelings in the crisis with Morgan and Ryan.
The elevator chimed and opened to… a dark penthouse. Aidan hesitated for an instant and then stepped into the foyer and toed off his shoes. The blinds had been drawn on the floor-to-ceiling windows to cut out the waning autumn sun, and candles glowed from every flat surface. Aidan raised his brows. When he dropped off his suitcase that morning after Nassim went into the office, the penthouse looked as normal as ever, and it was only 4:00 p.m., far too early for Nassim to be home.
Who’s going to break in and set a romantic scene with candles?
Aidan grinned and unbuttoned his shirt as he headed up the stairs. Each riser was decorated with a candle, little tealights that glimmered like stars. They led him to the master bedroom, as though there was any doubt. Aidan paused in the doorway to admire his dragon, stretched out in the nude, his bronze skin kissed by candlelight and nothing more.
At least not yet.
“Welcome home,” Nassim said, his voice low and rough with arousal. He stroked himself lazily, and Aidan’s mouth watered at the sight of his rigid length glistening with need.
“I take it you missed me?” Aidan asked with a grin as he shed his shirt.
“I’m not sure how two days can be an eternity, but that’s what it felt like.” Nassim’s eyes burned with dragonfire as he watched Aidan disrobe. “How was your session with Dr. Kira?”
“Good. She asked about hypnosis again.”
“And?”
“I’m not ready.”
“You know I support whatever decision you make, and I’ll love you no matter what you find out.”
The fire in Nassim’s eyes dimmed slightly, and that wouldn’t do. At all. “But you don’t really want to talk about that right now, do you?” Aidan shucked his pants, underwear, and socks and crawled into bed next to Nassim, just as naked as his dragon.
“I do if you do.”
“I don’t.”
“Then I don’t either.”
They were both smiling when their lips met. Their kisses were light at first, joyful and playful, despite their state of nudity and the fact that Aidan’s dick was quickly catching up to Nassim’s fully aroused state.
Before they could get too caught up in passion, Aidan pulled back. “So what’s with the candles? Not that I don’t appreciate it.”
Nassim grasped Aidan’s hand and brought them both to rest against his heart. “It’s the full moon.”
“Okay.” Aidan waited patiently for more explanation, since he’d learned that sometimes Nassim needed a little extra time to translate dragon traditions into terms Aidan could understand.
“Six months since
you came back to me.”
Aidan kissed Nassim’s knuckle. “Yes.”
“I think… I think it’s time.”
Aidan jerked his head up to look Nassim in the eyes. “Time? For….”
Nassim let go of Aidan’s hand to trace the marks on Aidan’s pectoral, over his heart. “Will you be my mate?”
The enormity of the question slammed into Aidan. It was the step he’d been wanting to take for months, and now that it was here—possible—he made himself pause. He held back the answer that wanted to rush forth. If they did this, it was forever. And not just metaphorically either.
He drew in a deep breath through his nose, welcoming the scorched-earth scent that emanated from Nassim’s skin. “Yes,” he said. Firmly. Definitively.
Nassim cupped Aidan’s cheek, spearing his fingers into the hair behind his ear. “I love you.”
Aidan smiled as tears pricked his eyes. “I love you too.”
Nassim surged up and over him, and Aidan laughed as he ended up with his head at the foot of the bed. Crinkles appeared at the edges of Nassim’s dark, sparkling eyes, and the sight of his love, his mate, in such a light, joyous mood made Aidan’s breath catch.
Then Nassim drew a finger down Aidan’s erection, and Aidan let out a loud, appreciative moan. Before Aidan could open his legs in invitation, Nassim straddled his hips. In the past few months, Aidan had learned Nassim had no real preferences in bed—he liked everything. He gave Aidan free rein to explore and play and discover his own desires. Aidan definitely liked being on the receiving end, but if Nassim wanted to ride him tonight….
But Nassim simply looked at him for a moment and traced the marks over Aidan’s heart. “Do you remember how you got these?”
Aidan shook his head. “I’m sorry.”
“Shh, don’t apologize. The fact that you still bear them….” He gave Aidan a tight, tremulous smile. “You have no other scars, when surely you must have injured yourself over the years. But these… these remained when you came back to me.”
Aidan caught his fingers and brought them to his lips. “Give me the last one. I’ll wear it forever.”
Nassim leaned down to kiss Aidan with a quick caress of his lips and tongue. Then he sat up again, clasped Aidan’s hands with both of his own, and brought them together between them. “Joyful gods, bear witness to our happiness. We have surpassed all of the challenges you placed in our paths to find each other. Our souls recognize our mates. Our hearts recognize our mates. We have pledged our commitment to each other twice, and now we pledge it a third and final time. Our minds recognize our mates.” Dragonfire flared in his eyes again. “Say this with me.”
“Okay,” Aidan whispered.
“My soul recognizes my mate.”
“My soul recognizes my mate.”
The fire in Nassim’s eyes burned hotter. “My heart recognizes my mate.”
“My heart recognizes my mate.” Aidan could feel something building, between them, around them, through them.
“My mind recognizes my mate.”
His mind had been unreliable, untrustworthy, but in this he had no doubt. None whatsoever. “My mind recognizes my mate.”
Nassim leaned down and placed his mouth over Aidan’s heart. An instant later, fire poured through the connection. Aidan gasped, caught off guard, but the heat didn’t hurt. It energized him, flowing through his veins and muscles as though a spark of Nassim’s soul had slipped into his body. It raced through him, leaving bits of itself everywhere, gathering pieces of Aidan’s essence to take with it when it inevitably left. Slowly Nassim righted himself and stroked Aidan’s chest, a look of pride on his face.
Aidan glanced down to see the final mark over his heart and sighed with contentment. “Finally.”
“There’s no escaping me now.”
Nassim’s words were light, but Aidan saw the flicker of uncertainty hiding behind the fire in his eyes. With speed a human would never have been able to summon, Aidan flipped Nassim onto his back and draped himself over him.
“I never want to escape you,” he vowed. “Never. You are mine, and I’m yours.”
Nassim inhaled shakily. “Show me?”
This wonderful, amazing creature. Nassim was the true definition of bravery and courage—being afraid of something, but moving forward to do it anyway.
Aidan grabbed Nassim’s wrists and put them above his head. He didn’t have to tell Nassim to leave them there. The movement itself seemed to soothe Nassim, and his body relaxed deeper into the mattress. Then Aidan set about reexploring the body he’d gotten to know so well over the past few months—how Nassim shivered when he bit lightly at his neck, how the wiry hair smattered across his pecs felt against Aidan’s cheek, how Nassim gasped when Aidan swirled his tongue around his nipples, one after the other. The smoky-rock scent of him, the warmth of his skin.
His erection twitched impatiently, as it always did when Aidan took his time getting to it. Aidan smiled at the rigid length and licked the pearl of liquid pooling at the tip, a gesture that made Nassim rumble and the temperature of the room jump up a notch. That was a good sign that Aidan was breaking down Nassim’s control. He rarely let his fire expand to heat the air around him, unlike Duke Rudel, who did that all the time.
“Don’t tease,” Nassim growled.
Aidan pulled back Nassim’s foreskin and kissed the ruddy tip. Then he moved down to give attention to his balls. He lavished attention on Nassim’s sac with his tongue, and he gently sucked one testicle into his mouth. Nassim arched, letting out a moan as Aidan manipulated the orb.
“Merry gods, Aidan,” he gasped.
Smiling, Aidan moved on to the other ball and sucked a little harder. The sound that came out of Nassim’s mouth was more dragon than human, and triumph rushed through Aidan. He’d discovered early on that Nassim’s balls were a hot spot, and giving them attention never failed to make Nassim writhe with need.
“Lube,” Nassim demanded. “Now.”
Aidan pulled away from Nassim’s balls and licked a stripe up his hard dick, which made him rumble again. Nassim’s eyes were nothing but black pits of fire, and the increased temperature in the room was starting to make Aidan sweat. But he didn’t care. Nassim’s glistening skin and expression, taut with desire, meant everything.
He lubed up his fingers and rubbed them around Nassim’s hole, stretching and loving the feel of Nassim’s body as it slowly opened to him. He took his time, but it felt like barely a minute passed before Nassim was growling again and insisting he was ready. Aidan retrieved more lube, slicked up his dick, and positioned himself at Nassim’s entrance.
“Gods yes,” Nassim said, pulling his legs up to give Aidan more room.
Aidan pushed forward and groaned as he sank into the depths of Nassim’s body. Would it always feel like this? Hot and tight and igniting fires of passion he never knew he had? But also spiritually welcoming, like the physical act of joining was so much more?
It was… magical.
As soon as Aidan was fully inside, Nassim rolled his hips to encourage him to move. Aidan was only too happy to comply. It felt too good to stop, too good to slow down as every thrust brought them both closer to a state of existence they could never experience alone. Before long the race to orgasm overtook Aidan, consuming him like never before. The marks over his heart burned at the same time the fire in Nassim’s eyes intensified, and Aidan realized he could feel what Nassim was feeling.
“Merry gods,” Nassim breathed. “Aidan, do you—”
Aidan nodded. “I feel it.”
He bent down to kiss Nassim, his thrusts shorter but more intense, his abs rubbing against Nassim’s cock until his orgasm screamed through him and he shouted into Nassim’s mouth. A moment later Nassim froze, and wetness spurted over Aidan’s stomach.
Breathing hard, Aidan leaned his forehead against Nassim’s and then pressed a kiss to Nassim’s temple. “Was that a strong enough illustration, Mr. Kader?” he panted.
Nassi
m let out a breathy chuckle. “It was a good start.”
“A good start?” Aidan said. “Love, I might look twenty-five, but—”
“Stop. We both know you’ll be ready to go again in ten minutes.”
“Maybe thirty,” Aidan conceded. He pulled out and flopped over beside Nassim. “But you know I’ll show you as often as you need.”
Nassim pressed a kiss to Aidan’s shoulder. “I’m yours.”
Aidan rolled onto his side and threw an arm over his dragon CEO. “And I’m yours.”
JENN BURKE has loved out-of-this-world romance since she was a preteen and first read about heroes and heroines kicking butt and falling in love. Now that she’s an author, she couldn’t be happier to bring adventure, romance, and sexy times to her readers.
Jenn is the author of a number of paranormal and science fiction romance titles, including the critically acclaimed Chaos Station science fiction romance series (authored with Kelly Jensen) from Carina Press and The Gryphon King’s Consort from Dreamspinner Press.
She’s been called a pocket-sized and puntastic Canadian on social media, and she’ll happily own that label. Jenn lives just outside of Ottawa, Ontario, with her husband and two kids, plus two dogs named after video game characters… because her geekiness knows no bounds.
Website: www.jennburke.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/jeralibu
Twitter: @jeralibu
By Jenn Burke
DREAMSPUN BEYOND
GOLDEN KINGDOM
#10 – The Gryphon King’s Consort
#39 – The Dragon CEO’s Assistant
Published by DREAMSPINNER PRESS
www.dreamspinnerpress.com
Now Available
The Gryphon King’s Consort
By Jenn Burke
A Golden Kingdom Novel
