by Ruby Ryan
"He's still in Fort Worth?"
"Or somewhere west of there, yeah." He nodded in the passenger seat. "It feels like we're going somewhere safer."
I exited the interstate, turning down the side streets of Uptown leading to my apartment.
"He was about to shift into a dragon. I could feel it," Ethan said, punctuated with a shiver.
"Why didn't he?" I asked, more to myself than him. "Was it the cops that stopped him?"
"Or the crowd," Ethan suggested. "Seeing as how I don't want to shift into a gryphon in front of anyone, I don't blame him."
That made sense. Sure, he could have turned into a dragon and burned everyone alive in the short term (assuming breathing fire was something he could do, I guess), but that would only bring the National Guard or Army or whoever down onto him. I doubted whatever dragon he shifted into could withstand a few heat-seeking missiles.
"Does he have better control over his shifting?" I asked. "Do dragons not have sexy women holding dragon totems to help them do it?"
I grinned over at Ethan, but he didn't share my post-trauma humor.
"I don't know," he said, defeated. "I don't know much at all."
We pulled into my apartment and I turned off the car. I needed to boost his confidence. Jumping his bones as soon as we got upstairs might help a little bit, but I wanted something deeper for him. A real motivator in this chaotic situation.
"Follow me," I said, leaving the car and striding away.
I didn't turn to look, but I felt him following me away from my apartment and to a public school two blocks away. The fence to the baseball field wasn't locked, and with the lights off it was a dark, secluded space.
"I don't know what to tell you, but I haven't played baseball in over a decade," Ethan said.
"I want us to figure something out," I said, taking his hand in mine. "A test to verify something we think we know."
"Like what?"
"You say you can't shift right now. That the buzzing sensation in your chest only returns when we have sex."
"Yeah, I think--"
Before he could think about it, I pulled the totem from my pocket, held it out so he could see, and pressed on the emerald.
"No wait STOP!" Ethan struck out his hand, frozen in mid-air as my thumb failed to press the gem into the stone. He took several long breaths before lowering his hand.
"Okay. We've learned something! Now we know our assumption is half true."
His eyes were still wide with surprise and fear. "Don't. Do. That. Again!"
I swept my hand around. "This would have been a good place to shift if it did happen. But it didn't. Come on, let's go inside."
I strode away again, leaving him standing dumbstruck in the middle of the field.
*
The safety of my apartment was a welcome feeling as we closed and locked the door. I turned on all the lights, then made sure the blinds were closed.
"If you can sense him, then can he sense you?" I asked.
Ethan stood in the kitchen, sort of frozen in thought. "I've been wondering that all night. I think so. How else could he have found us in the restaurant?"
Oh. Yeah, that was a good point.
"And I think shifting exacerbates it," he said slowly. "He drew much closer to me after we were done flying around that field. I didn't realize it at the time, cause I didn't really know what I was feeling, but now that I know what he feels like I'm certain of it."
I went into the kitchen and leaned against the dishwasher. "What I'm getting at is: if he can sense you, are we safe here? Is he gunna knock my door down in the middle of the night? Raid my fridge, eat my leftovers?"
That finally pulled a half smile onto his face. "You don't have any leftovers. I had to eat toast for lunch yesterday."
"I'll be sure to add raw steak to my shopping list."
"But no," he said, crossing his arms, "I don't think he can hone in on us that easily. I didn't sense he was nearby until he walked into the restaurant. Before that it was a vague tingling at a distance. But when he began to shift into a dragon, before being stopped by the cops or crowd or whatever? Even just that tiny flicker of him beginning to do it, afterwards I could feel him more acutely for several minutes. Running through the city, turning down alleys. It was like I was watching a GPS dot move on a map. I... I don't know. I can't explain it."
"You explained it pretty well," I said. "So I guess it's a good thing you didn't shift in the baseball field."
"That would have been unfortunate."
"Well, spoiler alert, you're sleeping with a headstrong woman."
"About that." He stared down at my feet, a weird expression on his face. "You saved me."
"I did?"
"In Fort Worth. I was dead meat, until you hit the dragon with that tire iron."
"Oh." I shrugged, not sure what to say. "Full disclosure: my motivations were selfish. I was just as worried about my own safety as yours, so hitting him in the head was an easy choice."
Ethan shook his head and gave me a knowing stare. "I can feel your emotions, Jessica. Don't try to wave it off."
I swallowed the lump in my throat. Good God his eyes were incredible.
"You felt one thing in that moment," he said, taking a step forward. "Your only thought, emotion, or physical need was to protect me."
I shrugged awkwardly. "You saved me already. I hate owing someone a favor, so now we're even. Alright?"
Ethan stopped moving when he was very close to me, our faces and chests and legs practically touching. "You can make all the self-effacing jokes you want, Jessica, but I know you. I don't know how, but I know you as if I always have."
His kiss held raw need, something deep within him he couldn't fight. My eyes closed on their own and for a while all I could think about was his body, and the way his lips tasted on mine.
His fingers ran along my thighs, and I made a noise deep in my throat as he cupped my ass. I grabbed his, then touched his thighs, and back, not caring what I touched so long as it was him, every inch of him, this strange man I had a connection with.
Ethan pulled my pencil skirt up until I felt the cool air on my cheeks, and then with easy strength he lifted me by the ass and deposited me on the counter. I gasped as he grabbed my panties and yanked them down and over my shoes, which he quickly pulled off my feet, then ran his hands up the inside of my legs and thighs and I spread them for his eager face.
"Oh Ethan," I managed to get out as he buried his face in my sex. There was no teasing or slow build-up here; he dove into me with animal-like vigor, nose pressing against my clit while his tongue thrust deep inside my tips, wedging them aside. I leaned back and put my hands on the counter as he wiggled his tongue up and down, as deep inside me as he could, oh my God how could a man have a tongue so long? It felt like it was halfway inside me, licking every inch, painting my walls up and down.
He moaned into my pussy, a wonderful masculine vibration, and I couldn't stop myself from moaning with him.
Ethan's tongue moved up and down, and then he made it go rigid, a hard wedge three inches long. He moved his head back and forth, fucking me with his tongue, the bristles on his cheek rubbing my inner thigh and lips with each thrust.
Soon I was rocking my hips on the counter, pushing my hot sex into his face. It wasn't enough. I wanted more. I wanted Ethan to take me, to use me, to have his way with me.
And no sooner had I thought the thought than he thrust one final time, as deep and hard inside me as he could, and then pulled out for good. He grabbed me by the thighs and lifted me up, then forward into his body, kissing me and allowing me to taste myself, then dropped me lightly to my feet. He squeezed my ass again, pulling it close to him, my wetness spreading on his right thigh while we kissed.
And the way he clenched my butt, the way he was worshiping it with his fingers, told me what he wanted.
I bit his lower lip, looked deep into his eyes, and turned around.
I bent over the counter and pushed my ass
against his throbbing cock, wedging it up and back against his belly. I grinded my ass up and down, a standing lap dance, spreading my wetness all over it.
And then I leaned forward, reached underneath me to grab his hard prick, and guided it into my lips.
Coated wonderfully, it slid inside with ease. I pushed back against his body until it was buried all the way to the hilt. Ethan inhaled sharply, and his hands found my hips and squeezed tight.
"You feel incredible," he said.
"Yeah?"
"Oh yeah."
"Prove it."
I pressed my chest down on the counter and arched my back, and I could feel the flare of lust inside him. Holding me tight, he pulled back a few inches and then pumped forward. Normally too intense for me, I was warmed up so wonderfully from Ethan's tongue that it was the exact right amount of pressure, the intensity just on the border of what I could handle.
With him deep inside of me, I could feel the muscles of his thighs pressed against mine. I looked back and admired the view of his body, the way the muscles in his arms and shoulder flexed as he held me tight.
"Ohh," he moaned, eyes green with lust.
Ethan moved faster, his head rubbing against my wall in just the right place. He filled me so perfectly, wide and round and long, and I loved the way I felt beneath his palms. The way he touched me. The curves of my body appreciated the way they were meant to be.
"Harder," I moaned, pushing back against him to let him know.
He thrust steadily, removing one hand from my ass to run it up my back, pushing me down, feeling my skin. He tightened on my shoulder for a moment, then grabbed a handful of hair, giving it a playful tug and no more. I grabbed his hand and moved a finger to my mouth, sucking on it as if it were his cock, and he moaned deeper as I did. Then he pulled away and grabbed my breasts, pulling my body back against his until our heads were close together. I twisted to kiss him while he fucked me, harder and harder, my back arched from his strength and from my own burning need.
Ethan held me against him with one thick arm while his other hand slid down my chest. His fingers ran through my pubic hair and then found my lips, caressing them gently before settling around my clit. He teased me for a moment, fingers splayed on either side of it without touching, and I was so desperate for him I reached down and snatched his fingers and put them where they belonged, my hand guiding his to rub my clit in quick circles. I moaned at the immediate ecstasy, the combination of that and the angle of our love causing everything below my waist to go warm with pleasure.
"You like that?" he whispered into my ear.
I tried to answer, but all that came out was a moan.
I reached up and behind me to grab the back of his neck as our bodies roiled together, me grinding my ass against him while he thrust from behind. He forced his tongue into my mouth and it danced with mine, and then I took it in both of my lips and sucked on it the way I'd sucked on his finger, back and forth tightly, a blowjob for his tongue. He fucked me harder, cock pulsing deep inside me, every ridge and grain joined in flawless friction. Soon we were both grunting from pleasure and exertion, my thighs burning but the feeling too good to stop, I was like an animal for Ethan's body and he was an animal for mine.
"Ohh," moaned, breaking my kiss to grab my waist for leverage. He was pulling all the way back before crashing into me with each stroke, and with his other hand rubbing a fire into my clitoris it was the kind of love I needed too.
"Give it to me," I breathed, desperate to hear the sounds of his pleasure.
"I'm gunna cum so hard," he said, voice strained and grip tight. "Oh Jessica, you feel..."
And then we had no words because there was only sound, a freight train of noise and light and wind. I felt Ethan's dick spasming within me so I clenched my lips around him. He cried out in ecstasy, pumping once and twice, shuddering against me.
"Don't stop," I gasped, feeling my own climax nearing. If he stopped I would die, so I grinded against him, and with one strong arm he pressed me down until my breasts were flat against the counter, taking control and fucking me faster again.
His strength, the way he controlled me, was so incredibly hot that it threw me over the edge. I opened my mouth wide and wailed my pleasure, the lights going bright and blinding, and the world narrowed until all I felt was his fingers on my clit and his cock inside my body.
He was moaning still, sharing in my ecstasy, his body rolling against mine so that our thighs and his belly and my cheeks all rubbed together in wonderful harmony.
Eyes still clenched tight from the waves hitting me, Ethan slowed his pistoning body. He wrapped his arm around my chest and pulled me back against him, kissing the place between my shoulder blades, then my neck, then my hair, kissing all of me in that moment while we were still joined but didn't dare leave one another.
16
ETHAN
I held Jessica close, savoring the feel of her body against mine, and the way her hair and neck smelled.
The buzzing returned instantly.
It was a rumble in my chest, almost imperceptible. I had the immediate instinct to check my phone, that I thought I could feel it vibrating in my pocket, but of course I wasn't wearing pants.
I pulled back from Jessica, turned her around, and gave her a quick kiss. "Your hypothesis seems to be correct."
"Ohh?" she purred, eyelids heavy.
"I can do it again. I'm ready to transform."
Her eyes widened. "Oh, good! Do you want to go out to the field to test it?"
"I'm fairly confident. I don't think we need more proof." I wrapped her in a big hug, squeezing so tight she let out a squeak. "Plus I don't think I have the energy for that again."
She pulled away and arched an eyebrow. "I didn't think you were that old."
"Hey, I'm not!" I halted my protest when she started to giggle. "But I mean, I'm worn out overall. Flying. The stuff with the dragon."
"I'm 100% with you," she said. "The only thing I want to do now is crawl under the covers and cuddle until we fall asleep."
"Deal."
We brushed our teeth, and then did just that.
"So," Jessica said, draping a leg across mine and nuzzling her chin against my chest. "How do we kill something like that?"
"I'm all ears," I whispered into her hair.
"You know, I always turned my nose up at Texas's love of firearms, but maybe buying a gun is a good idea."
I snorted. "I don't think a gun will help once it's a dragon. I think I need to kill it. Me, as a gryphon, I mean."
"Good luck with that," Jessica said. "Be sure to tell me how it goes when you're done."
I ran my fingers along her back, then abruptly tickled her ribs. She squealed and squirmed until I finally stopped, and we settled back down together.
"But seriously, what's the plan?" she asked. "I don't want to go to work tomorrow, but..."
"Oh yeah!" I grinned, and twisted so that Jessica slid off me and we were on our sides, facing one another. "I've got a surprise for you."
"Did you convince Mrs. Arnold to fire me outright?" Jessica smirked. "Because although that helps things in the short term, it only makes things more difficult at my temp agency."
"Better than that." I let my smile deepen, to tease out the information. Finally Jessica tried to tickle me, but I grabbed her wrists and stopped her with ease.
"Well?" she demanded.
"So you know how we have all our servers on-site at HQ?"
"It was the first thing I noticed when I started there," she said. "It was like taking a time machine back to 2009."
"Well, we've talked about evaluating a cloud solution for months. There's a new datacenter up in Frisco we've been looking at. So last night, after you left work but before you picked me up, I emailed Mrs. Arnold and told her I was feeling good enough to go check it out." A smile crawled onto my face against my will. "And, of course, I'll need an outside opinion. Someone neutral. So that's what we'll be doing for the final three days of
your contract. You won't have to set foot in Mrs. Arnold's office again."
But Jessica frowned. "I'll admit it's nice I won't have to deal with her anymore," she said slowly, "but how does that fix our problem with the dragon?"
"Because we're not going to the datacenter," I explained. "We're going to use the next three days to practice shifting and flying, and come up with a real plan. Because we can't just sit around waiting for him to come to us."
"So long as you give Mrs. Arnold a glowing review of my services, it sounds good to me!"
"Ehh," I said, waffling a hand. "I'd say you're satisfactory at best. Room for improvement."
She punched me in the arm, and my silly grin revealed the lie.
"What'll you do on Monday morning?" Jessica asked. "When you go into work alone, and you haven't done shit with the datacenter?"
"That," I said, booping her nose with my index finger, "is a problem for future-Ethan. I'm going to let that guy worry about it."
"Your logic is foolproof." Jessica kissed me on the cheek, then draped her body across mine again.
I tried to formulate more words, to discuss what we would actually be doing tomorrow, but the feel of her warmth covering mine quickly melted my brain, and we drifted to sleep together.
17
JESSICA
I dreamed of flying with Ethan, high above the Dallas skyline while I buried my face into his feathers, soaring between the skyscrapers so fast and close my heart almost stopped.
It was almost a shame to wake up, until I remembered who I was sleeping next to.
Ethan was curled away from me, so I pressed myself against his back and butt. He let out a noise of pleasure and nuzzled against me, a not-so-little spoon covered in muscle.
I could get used to this. To all of it.
But before I could daydream about the sexy way I would wake him, I remembered that I'd left some things at the office. Nothing much: a potted cactus and two framed photos. Objects I'd hoped would be subconscious friendly reminders of my presence and personality, back when I still had hope for turning this temp job into something full-time. But I didn't want to leave them there.
