“This is the kind of place kids go to make-out,” Cora noted, sliding her gaze over to Jasper.
He laughed, relaxing into his seat. “You’re not wrong.”
Nervousness crept in and made Cora pull her fingers away from his hand. She suddenly didn’t know what to do with herself. Not because she wanted to leave the make-out spot, but because she feared how badly she wanted him.
Crossing that line meant no going back. She couldn’t allow herself to touch him, to be touched by him, and then leave. It didn’t work that way.
“I’ve never brought anyone here,” he confessed. “The only reason I know about it is because Ashton and Makenna used to hide out here all the time. They were lucky. They found each other early.”
“You can’t tell me the girls weren’t fighting each other to get to you,” Cora teased.
Jasper was beautiful in the ways only ever seen in the movies. His cheekbones shimmered with the gold of his beast’s scales. His eyes were limitless, taking in every small detail and making her feel cherished. Though that might have been saved for her, considering she was his mate.
“If you haven’t noticed, I’m the big, strong, and silent type. I scared most of the girls away when I was younger.”
She leaned back against her door. “You don’t frighten me.”
Not anymore, she should have added. At first, she’d been terrified of him. The longer she spent in his presence, the more she learned about him. Perhaps she shouldn’t have been so surprised that others found him frightening. She had, herself.
“Why didn’t you bother to convince anyone otherwise?”
He popped the seat back so that he faced the ceiling. Cora hated that his attention was no longer on her. She wanted to crawl atop him and force him to look at her. That would mean touching him, straddling him. The urge was there, growing from a whisper to a scream in the back of her mind.
Mount him. Mark him.
Cora bit her lip and did her best to wait for him to respond. Maybe if he spoke more, if she listened to the sound of his voice, then she could fight back the urges tearing her apart.
“I didn’t have a reason to show anyone who I really was. They didn’t want to bother so I didn’t bother with them. It would have been a waste of my time.”
“Would it? To have people you love? Even if they weren’t your soul mate?” Cora had left behind so many good people. She’d had friends in her old clan. While they couldn’t protect her from the life she’d been handed, they helped make it manageable. They’d kept her sane.
“Obviously that time of my life is over.” His eyes flashed with a spark of life and a smirk ghosted across his lips, there and then gone. She figured he couldn’t sustain it with the exhaustion of the day still clinging to him. “What I have now is all I’ll ever need. My idiot cousins, my clan…you. If you decide to stay.”
She went rigid. How could he have known?
“You need to stay out of my mind.”
He shook his head. “I don’t need to read your mind to see that you’re hesitant.”
Like hell would anyone call her hesitant. She climbed over the gearshift and into Jasper’s lap. His eyes snapped open and his hands went to her hips. Heat filled those amber orbs, turning them into molten gold. Only for a second. His beast rising to say hello before sinking back inside to let them speak.
But she was done with words. Cora was about to burst. Her lungs were tight, throat constricted. Deep down in her core, she ached for more than just friendly banter. It could have been the mate bond making itself known. Or, it could have been Cora’s true affections for the man between her legs.
She didn’t yet know how to separate the two. All she did know was that she needed him.
The way his hands slid up her waist, hesitantly brushing her breasts, told her that he felt the same. She leaned forward, pressing her breasts into his hands. His breath came fast as he explored her body. There was still a layer of knitwear between them—and a bra—both of which frustrated her deeply.
Before she could take either off, Jasper’s fingers grasped the back of her neck and pulled her down to him. His kiss was intense, a build up of every moment they’d spent apart all condensed into this single expression. She let her teeth drag against his lips, over his tongue. He growled into her mouth, clearly hungry for more.
His fingers twined in her hair as she pulled back to look him in the eyes. There, she saw the man he wanted to be, the one he was working toward. Not just for her, but for his people.
“You can leave, but you should know I will follow you to the ends of the earth,” Jasper growled.
She scowled at him. “That’s not fair.”
Her words were breathy as his fingertips left burning trails down the back of her neck. He let his hand glide over her shoulder before he grazed her jaw with his thumb. It was like he couldn’t stand to not touch her, and she was okay with it. In fact, she reveled in it.
“I will go wherever you go. I will protect you from everything that hunts you.”
The vow struck a chord in the universe. It rang out and made Cora hold her breath, waiting like something magical was about to happen. But something magical had already struck them. The mate bond, though she’d yet to give it the full weight it deserved.
It was finally knocking, begging for her attention. Jasper had given himself over to it. His efforts to find her should have already shown her the lengths he was willing to go. But no, he reminded her as he held her that he would turn over the earth itself to make sure she stayed safe.
Cora slid her hand up his throat, gently wrapping her fingers around it until his pulse hammered beneath her thumb. His breath caught. She lowered herself again until her lips grazed his. When she pulled back and he tried to reach for more, she held him in place.
“I don’t need you to protect me,” she whispered into his skin.
His growl was hungry. She answered it with her own greedy kiss, still holding him down. He didn’t seem to mind, or perhaps he liked it, because he gripped her ass and rocked her over his engorged cock. It rubbed places long left untouched and brought a gasp to her lips.
Suddenly, they were wearing far too much clothing. She hurriedly shrugged off her vest and ripped her sweater over her head. Jasper’s eyes raked over her bare skin, over the tattoo that graced her left ribcage. Now that they were naked in the light of day, she could no longer hide anything from him.
“Now, what is this?” His voice was filled with wonder. When his finger grazed it, a shudder raced up her spine and pulled her scalp taut.
Cora knew exactly what he was talking about, exactly what lines his fingers traced. It was a tangle of old Norse runes that twirled between branches, flowers, and hidden bird skulls.
“It’s an homage to my ancestry,” Cora said, breathless from his physical attention.
Jasper took the time to trace each and every rune he could find. She grabbed his hand and led him to the last one, nearly hidden among the decorations.
“It looks like a script. What does it say?”
“It’s an appeal…” She arched her back and swallowed a groan as his hand slipped over her hip and down, between her legs. “An appeal to myself.”
He brushed the folds between her legs and the sensitive parts hidden there, drawing a gasp from her. She reached for the ceiling, for the handle over her door, trying to hold on while sensation threatened to carry her away.
“Go on. I’m listening.”
Cora tried to gather her thoughts again. They were scrambled by the pleasure building in her core. Heat swirled inside her, like dragon fire, though it was not an ability she ever had.
“The runes remind me to be brave. To be strong. To be wise.”
The waistband of her pants slid down. She was so pliant in Jasper’s hands that he easily maneuvered them over her calves and ankles. Annoyed at the amount of fabric shielding his skin, she began to work at the buttons of his shirt. While she managed the first few, the rest only irritated her, so s
he sent them pinging around the truck cab.
She reveled in the hot skin beneath her hands, exploring every inch of space she could find. The smooth planes of his muscles were interrupted only by the thin trail of hair that led her hands lower and lower.
Jasper growled and snatched her hand. He brought her attention to him. Both breathed heavy. The windows around them had long fogged, obscuring the view outside.
“I need to know that this is what you want,” he said. “Not the bond. Not your beast. You.”
Cora gave it only a moment’s thought. She was sure. Her body screamed for it, for him hilt deep inside her throbbing core. The desire might have been born from the bond between them, but it was Cora who wanted to see it through.
“Is this what you want?” She challenged. “Or is your demon driving you?”
“I have wanted you since the beginning. Nothing will ever change that.”
The words broke something inside her. Any hesitation she might have been holding onto shattered. She fell into him, losing herself to the way he felt beneath her, to the press of his cock against her core. She suddenly needed him inside her. As soon as possible.
But as his lips explored the curve of her neck, his hand dipped between them. He parted her folds to expose the wet need gathered there. Cora’s cheeks heated, but her embarrassment didn’t last long. Not when his fingers made small circles over her sensitive parts that drove her wild.
She squeezed her legs around him, hungry for more. The sensation swirled inside her. It was a windstorm ripping flames from a bonfire until every bit of her was scorched from the inside out. Her toes curled as his breath cascaded over her ear. His laughter was soft and pleasant, filled with pride while she squirmed before the first explosion.
The orgasm bloomed in every direction, unexpected and oh, so welcomed. His touched delved deep inside her the same way his fingers slid into her opening. She didn’t think she could handle it, shuddering around him, but she didn’t break into a million pieces. Instead, she formed around him like he belonged there.
While his fingers stirred sensations unlike anything else, she dug hers into his shoulders, desperate for something to hold onto. If she didn’t, she felt like she would float away. Her body was weightless. A tingling current coursed through her body, lifting her.
Jasper’s growl filled the cabin of the truck. It wrapped around her, not threatening, but possessive in a way that made her feel safe.
Safety.
That wasn’t something she’d experienced since her late teens. Her every movement had been fraught with consequence since Cal discovered her scales. There had been nothing Cora could do without reaping some sort of consequence. With Jasper, she felt weightless because she felt free.
It was a dangerous thought. She should have pulled back from him, should have donned her clothes and ended it there, but her own desires were too great. If she did not take what she could, she would never know what it was like to be touched by her mate.
Because, eventually, she would have to leave him.
As if he could sense her thoughts, he grasped the back of her neck and tugged her into a passionate kiss. The way his teeth dragged along her lips, bruising them, claiming them, spoke volumes. While she was distracted by the kiss, his fingers slipped out of her and the tip of his cock touched her opening.
She had barely a moment to gasp before he pulled her down over him. A groan filled her throat the way he filled her. She felt impossibly full. Complete.
It made her shudder. The thought. The sensations. Jasper, between her legs.
A king. Her king.
At first, he guided her hips, back and forth. He was slow and gentle, even if his eyes burned over her skin with a hunger for more, more, more. Once Cora regained a bit of herself, the groan finally breaking free of her lips, she reached above to brace herself against the ceiling and began to ride his cock in earnest.
The seatbelt coupling ground against her knee, but she couldn’t feel it while the tip of his cock hit home over and over. Jasper leaned back, a growl still emanating from him like the demon lurked just beneath the surface and ran his hands over her naked body. He grazed her nipples before pinching them and rolling them between his fingers.
He paid attention to every small part of her body, tracing the curve of her stomach and around her belly button. It was all too much. The pleasure was too much. If she was a balloon she would be about to burst. But Jasper was unrelenting. He gripped her hips and kept up her pace.
How could she feel so much with one person? How was any of this possible?
Cora didn’t want to feel this much for him. If she let herself love him, she’d never be able to leave. She wouldn’t be able to protect his clan from the dragons who would come after her.
But those thoughts were shattered when Jasper gave one final thrust. He punctured the dam building inside her and sent her orgasm flooding in every direction. Her nails dug into the ceiling while she clenched around Jasper’s hips. He, too, shuddered in ecstasy.
Their quick breaths fogged the windows around them. They were in a world of their own while they stared at one another. The words Cora couldn’t say buzzed in the air around them. She wouldn’t. Couldn’t.
But she did love him, no matter what she told herself. It was there, in her heart, a small spark with so much potential. If she let it, her love could become a fiery blaze. Was that how he felt about her? Did he feel this heat burning inside him, too?
She shut it away as she crawled off his lap, locking the spark behind doors in her mind. Now was not the time. There would never be a good time. Beside her, Jasper glared at the ceiling, lips twisted and brows furrowed. The expression jammed a knife in her heart, a sensation she hadn’t expected, until she followed his gaze.
There were two neat handprints on the ceiling above him with nail marks dragging through the center.
“Oh,” she breathed, still swimming in the remnants of her orgasm. Speaking was difficult. She knew she wouldn’t be able to string any words together. Not even a simple apology.
She’d never had a dick scramble her brain before. It was quite a feat.
“Well, that’s quite the memento.”
Cora couldn’t help it. She laughed at Jasper’s words, falling into hysteria before he threw her shirt at her. Her face protested at first, aching where it stretched from her silly smile. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d laughed like this. Without thinking, she’d left her mark on Jasper’s truck, and all he had to say was that it was a memento?
When he looked at her, his hope was clear. It broke her heart, her laughter suddenly dying. He looked at her like she was the answer to everything wrong in his life. The truth was that she’d only bring more devastation. Cora refused to let him sacrifice for her.
She couldn’t stay.
No matter what her heart and body wanted.
Chapter Ten
The house was abuzz with life once again. They were the kind of nights where Jasper could breathe easier again, although he would never tell his cousins that. He let them believe he hated their presence so they would continue being as annoying as possible. Their antics were a bright light in a place that had been dark for too long.
Jasper’s father had been an upright man, stoic till the end. He hadn’t allowed Jasper and Griffin to run inside. They’d barely been allowed past the front door most days, forced out into the world by themselves. When he came home at night, the house was lit only by a few dim lamps. Dinner was a quiet affair eaten in silence.
The only sound of the evening were the nights his mother read to him. He still had all the books on a shelf in his bedroom, from the short picture books to the big volumes they worked through together.
While the family night events were nothing like those simple reading hours, they were a herald of a new age. Especially now that Cora was sitting on the edge of the couch. Of course, her back was perfectly straight, as if she leaned into the cushions, they would grab ahold of her and she woul
d never escape.
He was glad to note that she didn’t glance at the exits. Instead, she watched Ashton fumble with a guitar while Ryker and Makenna both tried to coach him. The young copper dragon’s brows furrowed, and his tongue stuck out the corner of his mouth, but he couldn’t seem to get the hang of it. His fingers slipped over the wires and the chords were off key.
“I’ve got more in storage if you want to go outside and smash it,” Ryker offered.
“He will not smash it!” Makenna snatched her guitar from Ashton’s hands and held it close to her chest.
Ryker just shrugged. “I could go get one out of storage.”
Makenna narrowed her eyes at Ryker. “Do you buy guitars just to smash them?”
It was Mina who chimed in from the kitchen. “Yes! He does.”
Minute by minute, quip by quip, Cora relaxed into her seat. She drew her feet under her and rested her head in her hand. Jasper wanted to approach her, but he didn’t know what to say. He knew her body intimately now. He’d showed her just how badly he needed her.
But something about their relationship still felt impermanent. He feared one wrong move would send her running like a stray cat. He could promise her a hundred times over that he would do anything for her, but words were just words. They could not bind the universe to do his bidding. He could not tell Cal to go away and forget about Cora.
When he was near her, all he wanted to do was fold her into his arms. He wanted to sink into her and feel his own worries melt away. That would do nothing for her.
She twisted in her seat, met his gaze, and held out her hand for him. His heart stuttered, beating double. He stumbled forward and took her hand. She pulled him around the back of the couch and down onto the seat beside her. When he thought she would snuggle into him, she stayed on her side of the couch.
A bit of disappointment hit him, but he did his best not to show it. They’d crossed so many boundaries and yet she still felt miles away. He didn’t know how to close the distance. He’d be damned if he asked one of his metallic dragons. They wouldn’t let him hear the end of it.
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