When she relaxed and brought both hands up to hold his face between them, Colson wanted to launch a victory shout.
“What about this?” Her small hands trembled ever so as she expanded her boundaries.
At that moment, Colson knew it wasn’t her dislike for him but rather her inexperience with her own feelings. Dragon wisdom flew forward to give him direction in a flash.
Taking the lead, he covered one of her hands with his own and leaned into it even more. She smiled. His other hand circled around her back to position her closer on his lap. When her face winced from the discomfort, he placed that hand on the back of her injured thigh. He channeled another blast of healing power into the muscle willing it to heed his command to heal.
Sabra’s body relaxed more. To his surprise, she pulled his face down to hers and placed the softest hint of a kiss on his love-starved lips.
“Thank you, that feels good,” she whispered against his lips. Sabra bent her knee without the slightest sign of pain.
Colson didn’t stop the low rumble of pleasure that emanated from deep within his chest. It started from his heart and had no choice but to express itself in the presence of the object of its creation.
Dragon wisdom continued to direct him as he navigated their interaction.
“Bria.”
“Yes?” her voice was small and vulnerable.
“If I don’t step away from you now, I’ll do everything in my power to seduce you into my bed.”
“Would that be a bad thing?” she asked, clueless of his nature and what was happening to them.
“It would be if I didn’t make sure you understood what’s happening between us. I don’t want you to ever think I tried to trick you into this.”
“It’s okay,” she said, placing a fingertip to his lips. “We’re both consenting adults.”
Hearing her say she consented to sex did nothing to bolster his restraint—even if Dragon wisdom was at work.
“Bria, I want nothing more than to take you right here. There are too many things we need to discuss before moving in that direction.”
She attempted to lower her head as her hands fell away. There was no way Colson would allow his heart to retreat back into herself and away from him.
“No, please, don’t do that. Don’t shut me out,” he almost pleaded.
Warm mist rivulets ran down his body. The water made his clothing more cumbersome and uncomfortable by the second. Unable to stop his compulsion for a full range of motion, Colson slipped the soggy top off. He tossed it to the corner of the shower without a second glance.
Sabra looked at the shirt and then back to him and asked what he was doing through her eyes. His craving for skin-to-skin contact leaped forward. The opportunity to connect with his mate stared him in the face.
When he gently pulled her into the cradle of his arms, she launched no protest. Colson was about to settle into the bliss of holding his mate when she squirmed in his arms.
He hated to admit defeat but loosened his grip as she maneuvered about. Without a word, Sabra managed to position herself facing him. His cock twitched with want as her ass cheeks settled above. Only the wet fabric of his loose-fitting sweatpants and boxer briefs were barriers.
The more she fumbled to find a comfortable spot to sit, the harder his cock grew. So much for taking it slow and honoring the code of courtship. Colson closed his eyes and said a quick prayer for restraint. Sabra finally found her spot and settled down.
He held still as she brushed away the stray hair that always flopped in his face without hair pomade. It was the considerable cowlick that made the patch of hair grow in a spiral at the center of his forehead.
Enough water accumulated to plaster his hair to his skull. Colson didn’t care as long as Sabra wanted to stay here in his arms. She looked up to face him, said nothing, and pulled his head back down to hers.
This time he returned her affection with vigor as their lips met. His habit of keeping his emotions in check fell away. Unwilling to extinguish his Dragon's fire from enjoying this encounter, Colson loosened a daring amount of restraint.
His Dragon vibrated with joy with the increased bandwidth of emotional freedom.
Sabra responded in kind, opening up to him as his tongue invaded her warm and welcoming mouth. She pressed her body forward as his hands roamed and explored her soft skin. The mist aided his hands in their smooth glide over her body. Lost to anything but the magnetic pull of her presence, Colson’s hands climbed their way up to the twin summits that had taunted his dreams for days.
He wasn’t prepared for how warm, soft, and pillowy her ample breasts would be. The upturned nipples of her mounds greeted his touch with an answering hardening. The desire was too strong to deny as his thumbs made tight little circles over them in worship.
Sabra’s moan reverberated through him. Their kiss transformed into a meeting of comparable desire and need. Another flick of his thumb on one of her nipples resulted in a sensual rotation of Sabra’s hips. She moved in a slow grind—directly above his straining cock.
He had to stop this before it was too late. When their tongues met in a tangled battle for more, his growl of pleasure drowned out the background noise of the shower.
Stop now. You have to stop and let her know.
Inner Dragon wisdom tapped on his conscience more than a few times. Their bodies continued to meld together in tandem. When Sabra pulled back for a breath of air, Colson devoured the column of her neck with quick kisses. His trail ended in a well-placed nip along her shoulder.
Sabra bucked in startled arousal. Yes, he did love the rewards of knowing anatomy. Her answer was to push down and grind against his pants in a deep downward arching motion.
“Stop it, Bria, you’re killing me,” he managed to get out.
She continued to tune up his cock. His only saving grace was the tight confinement of his boxer briefs. The thin barrier was his last defense against his raging need to mate with her. Through his wet pants, her effect was evident. His member was turgid and ready to feel the warmth of her womanhood.
No, stop it now. Do what’s right by her. Stop now!
His mind shouted the command enough for him to stop in mid-lick back up the column of her delicious neck. It took a moment for his prospective mate to realize the action.
Hooded brown eyes, full of passion, captured his as she said, “Why’d you stop?”
It was now or never to be the Dragon he had to be.
“I—we need to discuss some things before moving forward.” He hurried to say his next words before she could cut him off. “There are some things you need to know about me before deciding to—do what we’re doing here,” he managed to get out.
She leveled a determined look at him and said, “If you’re referring to your daughter, Ava, I’m good with that. You’re a single father, I’m a single woman, let’s move past that to see where this strong chemistry between us goes. You already know I love and am good with kids, too.”
Taken aback from her pronouncement of knowing about Ava, the first thought that came to mind was—Bronwyn.
Fighting the irritation of having his private life discussed before he could get the chance, Colson tempered his tone. “So, I see Bronwyn told you about my daughter. Please, ask any questions you still have. I’ll answer anything you want to know.”
Sabra readjusted herself, attempting to move away from his lap. Instead of going with his desire to stay here in their current position, he helped her move and pushed another boost of healing energy into her thigh.
“Aw, thank you. So sweet,” she said easing herself to the spot next to him on the cool stone floor. “Now that I’m off of you, do you think you could help me up? I think a conversation like this needs to be had in a place where it won’t be so easy for me to jump you again.”
“Of course, and you did no jumping.”
She eyed him with a grin and nodded. Reaching up to accept his assistance, Colson marveled at how much taller he was with bot
h of them standing.
Standing… She was standing?
“Bria, don’t put any weight on your leg.” He had to admit that he felt no pain sensors from her, and Bria didn’t look to be in any discomfort.
“Why not? I don’t feel anything. It’s like my leg is completely healed.”
“Trust me, it’s not.”
“I know. Bronwyn explained a little about your healing ability. She was right. The closer you are, the better I feel. I’ve got to admit, haven’t felt this good since before the fall.”
“I see,” was all Colson managed to get out as he continued to scan her body. “Just in case, let me help you out of here. Don’t want you taking another fall.”
He scooped her up in a bridal carry before Sabra had a chance to say anything to stop him.
“Whoa! Didn’t see that one coming. I’m heavy, you might want to put me down before we both fall.”
“You’re light as a feather to me. As for putting you down? Not until I have you safely back in bed.” He realized his slip immediately. “Let me rephrase that. I’ll take you back to the bed where you’ll be safe from another tumble.”
Sabra’s laugh pinged his heart in an unusual but good way. He’d have to unpack why the change later. For now, he wanted to get everything out in the open before she found a reason to shut him out again.
“How about you let me dry off and put some clothes on before we go back to bed,” she added an alluring wink to sell her meaning.
“Ah, I see you,” he joked. “As for clothes, looks like Bron did what she does best.”
“Which is?”
Colson didn’t miss the heightened curiosity in her voice.
“Bronwyn has a personal concierge business. She and her staff offer high-end and unique services.”
Sabra made a whistling sound. “Wow—impressive. I guess that explains how she was able to get all this stuff over here so fast. Her staff must be round the clock.”
“Yes, they are, but not for family. Bronwyn doesn’t allow any of them to do for her family. She says that’s her domain, and she’s adamant about it.”
He saw a wave of newfound admiration come over Sabra’s face at that news.
“It makes sense that she’d be so interested in coming over then, huh. Bronwyn told me you are her brother as far as she’s concerned.”
“Yes, and she’s my sister, but she can be a stubborn, spoiled little sister that makes me want to yell when she’s in her mood.”
“Her mood?” Sabra’s interest in Bronwyn held something more than met the eye.
“Yes,” he said, paying close attention to Sabra as he spoke, “Bronwyn has a gift.” There was no way Colson would betray Bronwyn’s heritage without her say so, unlike her. He continued, “She’s able to know who needs her help and how best to help them. Her business is thriving because of that particular quality.”
“Well, I guess I need to really thank her for her help, then.”
“I’m pretty sure she’s in her element, knowing that she did her thing where you’re concerned.”
“Yeah, but I might have not been as kind as normal.”
“Oh,” Colson had to remember to listen before drawing any conclusions. He knew that Bronwyn could needle a monk into murder if she had a mind to, so he’d cut Sabra some slack.
“Yeah, she and I had a few words. We sort of made up, but I didn’t really make it easy for her to be back here with me. Oh, and before I forget. Bronwyn didn’t tell me about your daughter. I remember hearing her name and put two and two together based on how y’all were acting earlier.”
“I see.” Colson mulled Sabra’s words over. The last thing he wanted was for there to be any bad blood between the two women. He wasn’t sure why it mattered so much, but it did. “Well, if you’re willing to stay and do some rehab work with me, you’ll get another chance to have your say later today.”
He hoped that the casual invitation to stay embedded itself in Sabra’s intentions. Colson wanted his words to work on convincing her to remain here with him.
“Sure thing. It’s not like I have work to get to either.” She finished toweling off and tossed it to Colson. “Please dry off and change into some dry clothes. I can’t have my personal healer getting sick on me, now can I?”
“I don’t get sick, not like you would, but I’ll dry and dress after I make sure you can move around.” He ran out of the bathroom before she could speak and returned with the assembled scooter. “I remembered I had this. I want you to try it out. You’ll be able to put your knee on this padding and use the gears to help you maneuver. That way you won't have to put so much strain on your shoulders with crutches.”
Too occupied demonstrating the scooter, Colson didn’t track Sabra’s movements. He felt her body against his from behind. Her arms encircled his waist, and her head rested on the middle of his back.
“Thank you. Thank you so much for everything you’ve done for me. I realize how much of a difficult brat I’ve been to you and Bronwyn. Cole, I just want to say that I really appreciate you and how you’ve taken excellent care of me. I don’t know how I’ll ever be able to return this huge act of kind generosity, but I’ll make every effort.”
This had to be the definition of happiness, besides the joy of parenthood. Colson took a moment to drink in the sensation of his mate initiating another act of affection for him. His chest puffed out a little at the idea that he might be able to win her over after all. She’d already been cool about Ava, maybe he could move up his timetable for the Dragon reveal as well.
Yes, give her a few weeks, and he’d have her prepared to reveal the rest of his secret.
Her voice cut into his musings.
“What ‘cha thinking about? Me, I hope.”
“Of course. All good things, too.”
“Whew, when you dazed out on me, I didn’t know if I’d done something to freak you out.”
He placed a hand over hers as Sabra continued to hug him from behind. More of this and they’d be right back in the midst of the mating thrall’s pull to consummate. Colson took in a steadying breath and punched down his primal needs to do right by his mate.
With much enthusiasm, he said, “You could never freak me out.”
Colson pushed back a thought. There was a strong possibility that the freaking out would be the other way around. “How about we get you dressed, fed, and ready to start your rehab session.”
16
Bria
“Whoa! How do you stop this thing?”
Colson caught up with Sabra’s runaway scooter faster than she would have suspected to scoop her up and off of it. She looked with dismay as the new electric transport made a hard bump into a circular fire pit.
“I’ve got you,” he hoisted her up into his arms, paying attention to not hurt her thigh.
Colson’s home was as beautiful as she’d suspected. The little touches of little girl stuff here and there made her heart melt too. Outside in the open space of his backyard, Sabra had convinced Colson to show her around the outer reaches of his property.
She’d spied too many cool things back here not to see more.
“Aren’t you tired yet?” he asked, still holding her and ignoring the scooter.
“Nope, I told you, whatever you do to my thigh has got me like, yeah baby!”
“You’re funny.”
His hardy laughter reached down deep into Sabra to warm those cold, dark areas she never visited.
“No, I just have cool moments here and there.”
“Well, I think it’s time we head back in. You did a lot of work on your leg, and I don’t want you overdoing it.”
Sabra was about to tell Colson she could walk when a little voice sounded from behind.
“Papa, Papa—look what Uncle Mac taught me!”
Colson turned around in time for Sabra to see a little girl leap in the air at least six feet off the ground in an impressive hang time glide. That part of her feat wasn’t the amazing feat. Nope that came w
hen she huffed up a giant ball of smoke before landing several feet away from her starting point.
“What the hell?” Sabra let slip as she tried to reconcile what she’d just seen.
“Cole, I’m so sorry, I didn’t see her leave through the back-patio area. I was looking for you two to let you know we were back.” Bronwyn stopped close to the beautiful little girl who was grinning from ear to ear. She bent over with her hands on her knees to catch her breath as the little girl rubbed her on her lower back and kissed her cheek.
“Aunt Bronnie, you have to take it easy like Uncle Mac says. You okay?” the little girl asked as Bronwyn held up a finger to give her a moment. “Hi there y’all,” she said through labored breaths. “I didn’t realize Sabra was feeling well enough to come outside. I was back in the medical suite looking for you two before I realized little Miss Missy had given me the slip.”
“Who’s that lady, Papa?” the little girl, Sabra realized had to be Ava, asked.
Colson started walking back toward his daughter and the quickly recovering Bronwyn.
“This is our house guest and my special friend, Ms. Sabra,” Colson said, as he cleared the distance with long strides.
Sabra wanted to ask him to put her down, but once again was cut off when Ava pointed up at her and said, “You look like Aunt Bronnie. Is she your sister, Aunt Bronnie?”
This time no one spoke as all eyes went to Sabra.
“Oh, hi there. You must be Ava,” Sabra offered up as Colson came to stand in front of his daughter and Bronwyn. The little girl hid her face behind Bronwyn as Sabra addressed her. Used to this, from her pageant work days, Sabra continued to talk in hopes Ava would warm up to her. “No, I’m not your Aunt Bronnie’s sister. We are friends, though,” Sabra hoped Bronwyn wouldn’t correct her on that part.
When Bronwyn was able to dislodge the little girl from behind her, Sabra jumped back in to try to connect with her. “I had a bad fall. Your Papa and Aunt Bronnie have been helping me to get better.” When the little girl looked up at her father still cradling Sabra, she added, “It’s so wonderful to meet you. I’m hoping we can get to know each other better.”
Dragon’s Curvy Patient Page 19
