The Dragon's Secret Baby

by Jasmine Wylder

  She glanced up at him and smiled. “Glad you liked it,” she said, returning her attention to the grill. “I’m sorry I made you wait so long. I know you said you were hungry and I just got so caught up that I forgot.”

  “No, it’s okay,” he assured her. “Paying customers should come first.” He stood there for a moment, suddenly feeling like he needed to do something. He spied a plastic tub full of dirty dishes and decided to load them into the washer.

  “Oh, you don’t have to do that,” Savannah told him.

  “I’m not doing anything else right now,” he said, rolling up the sleeves on his borrowed shirt. He snagged a spare apron from a hook near the door, looped it over his head and secured the ties behind his back. “I also don’t mind getting my ‘paws’ wet.” He threw a smile over to her and she returned it with a brief flash of those green eyes.

  Justin still could not believe how readily she had taken him in. He remembered how he had felt that unseen hand pulling him back to her, the same force that had awakened him in the pigeon coop and drove him to return to her rooftop. He had always had great respect for Lady Dauphine, but she had never cast any spells on him. And it wasn’t like Savannah meant to bind him to her. Justin peered over at her as he finished filling the washer and closed it. In the past, he had made friends with Humans but had always been forced to keep his true nature secret because he had been convinced it had been for his own preservation and protection. As he got older and began to feel the need to be open about his race, he still found himself unable to open up to any of his Human friends. Did that make him a hypocrite? Or did he believe, deep down, that his father had been right about the need to maintain racial anonymity?

  Savannah was the first Human he had ever confessed to about being a werewolf. Well, she already suspected, he reminded himself. You just confirmed. She already knew his people existed so she didn’t freak out, but Justin still felt like he had broken new ground by finally being able to identify himself. Having someone who accepted him so readily helped boost his confidence. She also wasn’t afraid of me when I told her I’m wanted for murder. Either she’s fearless or she’s ignorant – but so far, she seems pretty smart.

  The more time he spent in her proximity, the more Justin became aware of an odd sensation, like the pleasure one derives from a reassuring caress. It manifested as a warmth inside his chest. I don’t even know her, and yet I feel so comfortable around her…like an old friend.

  He could see she had a similar effect on her customers. All throughout the afternoon, Justin had watched Savannah welcome everyone with the kind of affection you’d see in television commercials for sappy greeting cards. It’s not a put-on, either, he noted. She’s sassy and blunt, but she’s also genuinely caring. He saw how people responded to her, too. Savannah made them smile and laugh; she clasped their hands and touched their shoulders. At one point, she had picked up someone’s toddler and hitched him onto her hip while taking everyone’s orders. Before putting the kid back down, she had received a tight hug around the neck. She’s a good person and they all love her.

  A couple of customers lingered after the rest of the supper crowd cleared out, enjoying an after-meal coffee and conversation at a corner table. Justin continued to busy himself with cleaning the dining area while Savannah tackled the kitchen. He heard the door open and glanced up to see two statuesque black women came in, their strikingly beautiful faces void of smiles. Justin decided to follow Savannah’s example and treated them to a cheerful greeting. “Good evening, ladies.”

  They stopped and looked at him as though he had two heads. “Who are you?” one of them demanded.

  “I’m Justin.”

  “’Justin?’” the other woman echoed, incredulous. She and her companion pursed their lips and traded arched eyebrows. “And here I thought she couldn’t afford to hire anyone.” She gestured to his apron. “How long have you been working here?”

  He glanced down at himself. “Oh, I’m not getting paid to work,” he said with a short laugh. “I’m just a friend, helping Savannah out.”

  “Mm-hm. A ‘friend?’ So where is Savannah?

  “She’s in the back,” he replied. His grin faltered as his instinct picked up on the strong undercurrent of hostility emanating from both women. What’s going on, here? “Hang on, I’ll go get her for you.” He moved away from them, quickly retreating into the kitchen. Glancing over his shoulder to make sure they hadn’t followed him, he approached Savannah and lowered his voice to a whisper. “Psst! Hey – there’s a couple of women here asking about you, and they don’t seem to be in the best of moods.”

  Frowning, Savannah leaned over and peered past him into the dining room. Her plump lips pressed together in a firm line. “They rarely are,” she muttered. Sighing, she pushed her spatula into his hand. “Watch that burger for me. Give it five minutes, flip it, then five minutes more before taking it off the heat.” She wiped her hands. “I’ve got to go see what they want.”

  “Who are they?” Justin called after her.

  Savannah glanced back at him. “My sisters.”

  “Oh.” Judging by her tone of voice, Justin winced. “Yikes.” He turned his attention to the grill. As he watched the burger sizzle, he trained his keen hearing to pick up on exchange between Savannah and her two sisters.

  “Tynice! Ceara! Didn’t expect to see you back this soon. To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?”

  “We wanted to deliver this in person. It’s a letter from our lawyer. He owed me a favor so I had him draw it up this morning.”

  Justin shot a look toward the restaurant and saw one of the women hand Savannah an envelope. As he watched, she opened it, and after a quick read, her hand covered her mouth.

  “Are you serious?” Savannah looked up at them. “You’re giving me two weeks to sign over my share of the property, or you’re going to take me to court?”

  “We warned you that we were going to have to get serious, Savannah. Ceara and I want to be rid of this place, and you don’t exactly have the money to buy us out.”

  “I see you finally got someone to help around here,” the other sister remarked. “Is he one of your gay friends?”

  At this, Justin scowled. Gay?

  “What makes you think he’s gay?” Savannah asked.

  The other women laughed. “Well, not many good-looking straight men hang out with lonely, freakish fat girls…”

  Justin could tell by the way Savannah looked down that she had been cut deep by their words. Anger surged inside him. Scooping the burger off the grill, he dropped it and the spatula on the counter before marching out to the dining room. He pasted on a smile and switched on the charm as approached the three women. “Sorry to interrupt, ladies,” he said. He slipped his arms around Savannah from behind and nuzzled her ear. “The meat’s ready, baby, but I can’t seem to locate the buns. You know where they might be?”

  He could smell the subtle change in Savannah’s scent with the spike of adrenaline, just as he could feel and hear her pulse skitter. To her credit, she managed to cover her surprise with a light laugh and played along.

  “They’re up in the walk-in, honey.” Savannah turned her head slightly and peered up at him. “Second shelf on the right.”

  “Awesome. Thanks, babe.” For good measure, Justin kissed her cheek before releasing her and sauntering back to the kitchen. He caught the look of shock on the other women’s faces and he smirked. Rotten bitches, he thought. He wanted to tell them to get the fuck out, but he didn’t want to make more trouble for Savannah. Sounds like she’s got enough of that, from them.

  After her sisters left, Savannah returned to the kitchen. She looked flustered. She still had the letter in her hand; she read it again and shook her head. “I’m going to lose everything,” she mumbled. She folded the paper up and tossed it onto the counter. Glancing up at Justin, she managed a small smile. “I take it you heard everything they said.”

  “Yeah, well.” Justin shrugged. “I just wanted t
o make it clear that I’m not gay.” He smiled. “I’ve also got a low tolerance for bullies. I don’t care who they are, they don’t have the right to come in here and start giving you shit while you’re working, and in front of customers.”

  “Well…I appreciate it.” Savannah reached over and picked up a package of hamburger buns sitting in full view next to the grill. “Looking for these?” she asked, and tossed them at him and he caught them. “Although that burger’s got to be cold, now. Gonna need to fire up another one.”

  “No problem.” Justin snagged the spatula before Savannah could reach for it. He twirled it around his fingers like a baton and waggled his eyebrows. “I’ve got this.”

  Savannah chuckled and shook her head. “Thanks again,” she said. “For everything.”

  Justin nodded. “You’re welcome.”

  Chapter Eleven

  They finished out the day, cleaned up, and then headed back to the apartment. Savannah had fallen into a deep funk ever since the visit from Ceara and Tynice. Two weeks, she thought. There’s no way I could come up with enough money to hire a lawyer of my own in that time. She went to her room and traded her work clothes for a flowing, full-length skirt and no bra under a soft, oversized T-shirt. She still felt constricted, however, caught in the grip of her future’s uncertainty. Returning to the living room, she dropped onto one end of the sofa and hugged a throw pillow to her chest.

  Justin picked up on her mood instantly. “Are you okay?” he asked, as he sat on the end of the sofa opposite her.

  “Not really,” she admitted with a sad chuckle. “I’m probably going to wind up living on the streets in the dead of winter, if Tynice and Ceara have anything to say about it.” She sighed and shook her head. “You know…all my life, they told me I was ugly, that no one would ever look at me and see me as attractive. I got that a lot at school, too. ‘Oh, Savannah, you’d be pretty if you’d just lose a few pounds.’ Or, ‘it’s a good thing you can cook, because that’s the only way you’re ever going to get a man.’”

  Justin frowned at this. “Seriously?” At her nod, he let out a derisive grunt. “Well, whoever told you that is just stupid. And you’re stupid, if you believe them.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “You heard me.” Justin jerked a thumb over his shoulder. “I just spent the whole day down in that restaurant watching you interact with people. I saw guys flirting with you and you flirting right back.”

  Savannah rolled her eyes. “Please,” she said. “None of that was real – it was all just play. Most of those guys are married and the rest spoken for. When they finish eating, they pay their bill and they go home. Not one has ever asked me out, or wanted to see me outside of this place.” She pushed herself up from the couch again and headed for the kitchen. “I’m going to drown my sorrows in a cup of chamomile and lavender tea. You want some?”

  He got up and followed her. “You can’t let those skinny bitches get to you,” he said.

  Savannah raised a hand for silence. “Now, hold up,” she said, her voice quiet yet stern. “My sisters may like to pick on me for my size, but I refuse to lower myself to their level and engage in any form of body shaming.”

  Justin grimaced. “I’m sorry,” he mumbled. “I guess I just get defensive when I see a beautiful woman being convinced that she’s unattractive based on her size.”

  She raised her eyebrows and blinked. “Did you just call me ‘beautiful?’”

  “Yeah.” Justin rolled his shoulders. “My people tend to see full-figured women as highly desirable. Generally, they’re believed to be stronger, more confident…” He licked his lips and leered. “And there’s more to grab onto, if you get my drift.”

  Savannah leaned back against the counter and folded her arms under her breasts. “Uh-huh. So, you’re saying if we’d met under different circumstances…?”

  “I would’ve looked twice, and asked for your number,” he finished for her. He took a step toward her, slowly closing the distance between them. “You really are beautiful, Savannah.” Reaching out, he brushed the backs of his fingers against her cheek, trailing down to cup her chin and tip it gently. “You have the most incredible eyes,” he murmured. His thumb stroked across her lower lip. “I’ll bet your mouth tastes as sweet as it looks, too.”

  Savannah felt her heart start to thump faster. She could not deny she felt a strong attraction to Justin the moment she saw him, even in spite of disrupting her ceremony. Because she shared the Familiar bond with his wolf half, she experienced a powerful attachment to him…but she also found herself drawn to his human side. That’s why she did not resist when he leaned down suddenly and kissed her.

  It started slow, just the press and slide of lips. Justin coaxed her to open up with the tip of his tongue and with a sigh Savannah complied. She felt one of his hands slide down around her waist and pull her up close to his lean, hard body. She raised her arms and wound them around his neck as he sealed his mouth over hers.

  Desire continued to build at a rapid pace. Savannah did not protest when Justin’s hand found its way inside her shirt. She inhaled softly as he cupped her breast, kneading it as her nipple hardened against his palm. She arched into it with a groan. It had been at least three years since she had been touched by a man, a brief reunion with a college friend that started off as just meeting for coffee and wound up in a quick fuck in the back seat of his minivan. He had been separated from his wife at the time, but had since reconciled. She had liked him, but only on a surface level, so she had considered herself lucky that it never went beyond that. Scratching an itch, she told herself. That’s all it was.

  The same could not be said about right now. Savannah gasped when Justin pulled her shirt off over her head and bent to suckle at her tits. He pressed his face into them, held one up against his cheek while tonguing and lightly biting the nipple on the other. “Oh, yeah, baby,” she murmured. “You get those titties.” She could feel heat gathering between her legs, her panties growing damp with excitement. She dug her fingers into his soft, dark blond hair and cooed. She loved having her breasts fondled and she could tell Justin enjoyed it just as much. Boy was never properly weaned, she thought. Lucky me…

  She felt him reach up under her skirt, stroking her through her underwear before hooking the waistband with his thumbs and tugging them down. Her panties dropped to her ankles and she kicked them off, spreading her legs as she gave him better access. She pressed her open mouth against his shoulder when his fingers teased her clit. “Oh God, baby,” she breathed, her hips bucking against his hand. “You’re gonna make me come!”

  “Yeah,” he said, his voice low and rough with hunger. “But not like this.” He withdrew his hand and she could feel him fumbling around, then heard the telltale sound of a zipper being lowered. Stooping slightly, he hooked her behind the knees and lifted her off her feet with ease, as though she weighed nothing. Savannah reached between their bodies and found his cock, now freed from his jeans, thick and hot and ready for her. “Guide me in,” he told her, and she nodded and brought him to her slick entrance. The moment she had him in position he surged up, filling her in one smooth, hard stroke.

  Savannah cried out. She grabbed onto the counter behind her with one hand to brace herself and his shoulder with the other. Her head dropped back and her tits bounced heavily with every quick, deep thrust. “Yes!” she wailed. “Yes, yes, yes!” Justin kept pounding into her, mouth hovering at her throat, panting and growling. Savannah grabbed his face and brought their lips together again, needing his kiss.

  It did not take long for either of them to reach climax. Savannah didn’t know if it had something to do with the fact that she hadn’t been with a man in so long – after all, she had a few toys in her bedside drawer and she knew how to take care of herself – or if it could be contributed to their bond. She just knew that she could feel that delicious molten pressure building up, making her whole body quiver starting at her thighs and working its way up through her belly. She whined, h
er hips jerking, and then with a shout she let go. Justin, likewise, continued to slam into her at that near-frantic pace, his fingers digging into the backs of her thighs as he spread her legs wider and pushed her up against the counter to hold her in place. His cock throbbed inside her and he grunted, breath hitching, until he had emptied out completely.

  In the aftermath, both of them panting, Justin pushed his mouth up against Savannah’s in a sloppy kiss. “Can you stand?” he asked.

  She nodded. “Yeah. I think.” She felt him ease out and then lowered her until she felt the cool linoleum under her bare feet once more. Savannah’s legs felt weak but otherwise she managed to remain upright.

  “You good?” he asked.

  She let out a soft laugh. “Yeah. I’m good. I’m…yeah.” In truth, she was better than good. Sweaty, her shirt rucked up over her tits, her pussy well-fucked –

  “Aw, shit,” Savannah muttered, pressing her hand to her forehead before pushing her hair back from her face. She looked up at Justin. “We just had unprotected sex.”

  “Don’t worry,” he said with a smug smile. He tucked his cock away and zipped up his jeans. “Werewolves don’t get sexually-transmitted diseases. We don’t get them, and we can’t spread them.” He winked. “You’re safe.”

  A wave of relief washed over Savannah and she huffed out a sigh. “Good to know.” Not more than twenty minutes ago, she had been feeling bad about herself and her situation. Then Justin told her she was beautiful, and desirable, and he backed those words up with actions. Now, Savannah felt empowered, like she could take on any problem. And she knew where she had to start. “So,” she said. “I guess we should get to work, now.”

  Justin gave her a puzzled frown. “’Get to work?’”

  “Yeah.” She looked at him and smiled. “I’m going to help prove your innocence.”