“Richters,” the captain barked. “Have that report for me yet? Or are you too busy mooning over that partner of yours?”
What the hell? Did everyone know Josh and he were seeing each other? He’d thought they’d kept things quiet enough that no one would notice, since that’s what Josh had wanted.
“I’ll have it to you before I leave tonight, Captain.”
“See that you do. I’d like to do this again next year, so make sure you include a list of businesses that participated either by donating the printing or allowing us to place a box in their store.”
“Will do.”
He sighed. More paperwork. He felt like he was drowning in it this week.
It took him another hour to get everything typed up and printed off. He slid it into the captain’s “in” box before shutting everything down for the night. It was Christmas Eve and he hadn’t a clue what he was going to do with himself for the evening. He wanted to go see Josh, but he wasn’t sure if he would be welcome. His partner had mentioned that Simon and Allie were coming to visit and he didn’t want to intrude on their time together.
On the way home, he stopped long enough to pick up some pizzas. He’d restocked the beer in his fridge just the other night and hoped it would be enough to hold him. If not, there was always eggnog with rum. Might make him feel more festive. He’d gone shopping the other night and had bought a few things for Josh, but he hadn’t wrapped them yet. The Christmas tree was bare except for the blinking, multi-colored lights. A box of ornaments sat on the floor near the entertainment center, just waiting for him to hang them.
Corbin pulled into his driveway, grabbed the pizzas, and walked up to the front door, his keys in hand. He unlocked the door and swung it open. Flicking on the light by the door, he stepped inside and locked up. It was a safe neighborhood, but at this time of year you couldn’t be too careful. Setting the pizzas down on the kitchen counter, he went to his bedroom to shower and change.
He stepped into the shower and let the hot water beat down on him, his hands braced on the wall. His shoulders and back were tense, mostly from worry over Josh and a lack of sleep. Even though he knew Josh was on the mend and would be fine, his dragon couldn’t help but pace and worry over their mate. The beast was about to drive him mad, constantly pushing and prodding in an attempt to get Corbin to claim Josh. His mate wasn’t in any kind of shape to be claimed right now, but try explaining that to the creature lurking inside of him.
Corbin soaped up, rinsed, and then got out and dried off. Steam fogged the mirror and he swiped his hand across it. The image staring back at him was a tired and conflicted man. Not being with Josh was going against his nature, lying to his mate was taking a toll on him. Maybe he’d get to see Josh on Christmas day. He’d tell him then, when they exchanged gifts. Corbin had noticed a few under Josh’s tree with his name on them. When his mate had had time to go shopping, he didn’t know. He’d been stuck at home, unable to drive, for two weeks now.
Pulling on a pair of flannel pajama pants with a candy cane print, Corbin went to the kitchen to grab a few slices of pizza. He was so hungry that he finished his meal in a matter of minutes, wiping the grease off on a paper towel before setting his empty plate aside and reaching for the box of ornaments. He pulled the lid off and began unwrapping the treasures one at a time, hanging them up as he took them out. There was a custom ornament of his parents in their shifted form, a few elves, a large glass Santa, countless reindeer, a gryphon, and numerous other ornaments. When he was finished, he had to admit the tree looked better and the house felt more festive. It was still missing something though.
Corbin dug deeper in the box, shoving aside the paper the ornaments had been wrapped in, and pulled out the outdoor lights. His neighbors might find it strange that he would hang them while only wearing pajama pants, but it wasn’t like he was going to get cold. When he’d purchased the house, he’d noticed clips were already in place for the lights. It was just a matter of stringing them along the roof.
He stepped outside, his breath puffing out in a cloud as he exhaled. His nipples puckered from the chill in the air, but it wasn’t anything he couldn’t handle. The ladder already leaned against the house, ready and waiting for him. He’d meant to hang the lights a week ago, but with Josh being laid up, he hadn’t found the time. He refused to have his mate over for Christmas without the house being decorated, so up the ladder he went.
It took longer than he liked to get all of the lights strung along the roof and plugged in, but he thought it looked nice when he was finished. He grabbed his keys and unlocked the shed, pulling out the large plastic frosty and reindeer he’d had for years. He set them up in the yard and plugged them in, hoping like hell they worked. The damn things were ancient. There was a Santa and sleigh that usually would go on the roof, but he decided to leave it off this year. He snagged the spiral tree out of the storage shed, along with the large wreath that went on the front door. When he was finished, his house was looking rather festive. Corbin grabbed the last Christmas box out of the shed and locked it up for the night. He’d stash the empty boxes in the guest room until it was time to put everything away again.
By the time he went back inside, snow had started to fall, coating everything in a dusting of white. The weatherman had predicted a winter storm on Christmas day and he wondered if it was trying to sneak in early. The flurries were coming down fast and hard as he shut the door and locked up. He popped the top on the box and pulled out the stocking hangers and two handmade dragon stockings. When a dragon reached his majority, he was given a stocking for his mate, should he be lucky enough to find him, or her. Corbin had waited a long time to hang Josh’s stocking, spending some Christmases in a depression, thinking he’d never find his mate.
With the stockings hung over the fireplace, a warm fire crackling and giving the room that wood-smoke smell, all he had left was the mistletoe and a few holiday knickknacks to set around the living room. Finished with his decorating, he put the boxes away and returned to the kitchen. Corbin pulled open the door to the fridge and studied the contents. Beer or no beer? After a moment of deliberation, he pulled out the eggnog and grabbed the rum out of the cabinet over the fridge. He poured a large glass of eggnog and added a healthy dose of rum to it, put everything away, and went back to the living room to relax.
With a click of his remote, he started the Christmas CD in his stereo. A quick glance at the foot of the sofa and he was reminded that his work wasn’t quite done yet. Three rolls of wrapping paper and a sack of gifts mocked him, as he reclined against the back of the sofa, ready to take a break. He heaved himself off the couch, grabbed the stuff and spread out on the floor with it. An iPod and docking station, a bottle of cologne, some silk boxers, and a very special basket that he hoped he’d get to use when Josh was completely healed.
He finished wrapping everything and put the presents under the tree, cleaned up the living room, then collapsed onto the couch. Corbin stared into the flames of the fire and contemplated heading to bed early. It beat sitting up alone and miserable on Christmas Eve. He wouldn’t call his family until tomorrow to say Merry Christmas and make sure the gifts had arrived. A box had arrived from his sister and one from his parents, but he hadn’t opened them yet. With his family, there was no guarantee the presents were wrapped, and his parents would have a fit if he opened anything early. Somehow they always knew if he’d waited or not. He’d once asked if they spelled the packages, but they had denied it...although not as vehemently as they should have, perhaps.
Corbin tilted his head back and closed his eyes, letting the warmth of the fire wash over him. As the heat seeped into his skin, his scales shimmered and formed. He huffed out a breath, a tendril of smoke rising from his nostrils. A knock at the door had him fighting his shift and clambering to his feet. When he pulled the door open, his eyes widened.
“Josh? What are you doing? You shouldn’t be driving.”
“Surprise! The doctor cleared me for driving,”
he smiled, “and other things. I thought I’d give you time to relax before I came over.”
Corbin stepped back. “Come in and get out of the cold.”
“The roads are nasty. I have some stuff in my car, but I’m not supposed to lift it. I had a neighbor help me load everything.”
“Is the car unlocked?”
Josh turned and pointed his key fob at the car, popping the trunk open. “Everything’s in there.”
“Go sit by the fire and warm up. I’ll be back in a minute.”
Corbin stepped out into the falling snow and brought in the wrapped presents. He put them under the tree with the ones he’d wrapped for Josh and then went to close the door. His mate had claimed the chair closest to the fire and was holding his chapped hands up to the flames.
“Where are your gloves?” Corbin asked.
“Couldn’t find one of them. I didn’t want to spend all night looking for it so I just came over without them. I’m sure it’s somewhere obvious and I’ll find it tomorrow.”
“You should have called me. I’d have come and picked you up. Are you sure it’s okay for you to drive?”
“The doc said I’m good to go. I still have to take it easy at work, and I won’t be running a marathon anytime soon, but he said I could drive, return to light duty at work, and...” Josh smiled. “He said being intimate was okay as long as we were careful.”
“Not that I’m not thrilled with that news, but are you sure we should chance it? Maybe we should wait until you’re completely released.”
“That’s another four weeks. I don’t know about you, but I’m not willing to wait that long.”
“Four weeks?” Corbin took a deep breath. “No, I don’t think I can make it another four weeks. My dragon has been going nuts without you.”
“Just the dragon?”
“You know I want you. I’ve never made a secret of it, and that hasn’t changed. I just don’t want to hurt you.”
“You won’t. I trust you, Corbin.”
Corbin blew out a breath and a bit of fire escaped between his lips. Josh laughed and held out his hand. With a bit of reluctance, Corbin went to him.
“Everything will be fine,” Josh said. “You have more control than you think.”
“It’s been too long since we were together. Once I’m inside of you, my dragon is going to fight for dominance. I don’t know that I can hold it back.”
Josh tilted his head. “There’s something you aren’t telling me.”
“I am keeping something from you, but I didn’t want to tell you like this. I wanted a romantic setting, maybe a bottle of wine or something.”
Josh looked around the room. “Looks pretty romantic to me. We could always spread a blanket on the floor in front of the fire; make it a little more cozy.”
Corbin released his hand, walked over to the closet and pulled out a large quilt his mother had given him years ago. The star pattern still just as bright today as it was the day she gave it to him. He spread it on the floor in front of the fire, but not too close, and then held his hand out to Josh. They reclined on the blanket and Corbin fought for the words he needed to say.
“Whatever it is,” Josh said, “just say it. I can tell it’s weighing on you to hold it inside.”
“You asked me about mates before, and how a red dragon knows when they’ve found theirs.”
“Yeah, at the hospital. I remember.”
“There’s something I didn’t tell you, and I know I should have, but the moment never seemed right. Like I said, I wanted a romantic setting. I wanted it to be special, something you could look back on fondly.”
“Corbin, you’re starting to make me nervous. Just spit it out.”
“When we were together before, that second day that we worked together, something happened when we joined. I’ve never had to fight my dragon as hard as I did that day. Even though I wore a condom, there was enough of a connection between us that my dragon sensed its mate. I wanted to mark you that day, to claim you. You have no idea how close I came to biting you without your permission.”
“You’re sure I’m your mate?”
“I’m positive. I know you said before you’d always hoped you’d be a shifter’s mate, but you probably hadn’t counted on getting a stubborn dragon. I’ll understand if you still want to take things slow.” He smiled. “Well, slow-ish. I won’t bite you until you tell me you’re ready for that. And if you’re never ready, I’ll respect your decision.”
“No more separate housing?” Josh asked. “Because I have to tell you, my bed is rather lonely at night. I can’t think of anything I’d love more than waking up next to you each morning.”
“What about the precinct? Everyone will know there’s something between us if we have the same address and ride to work together. I think the captain already suspects.”
“If anyone at work has a problem with us being together, it’s their problem not ours. I don’t know how, but somehow I think I’ve fallen in love with you, Corbin. I think it started happening the first day we met, and then when I woke up in the hospital with you beside my bed, I knew you were the man I wanted to spend my life with. Even if it did sound completely crazy. A man I’d just met. And a dragon at that! It was totally insane, but that’s how I felt. How I feel.”
Corbin leaned closer, pausing a breath away. “I love you, too.”
His lips came down on Josh’s crushing them in a bruising kiss. The kiss was fierce, hard, and hungry. Corbin poured everything he was feeling into the kiss, wanting to brand Josh as his in all ways. It was a long, drugging kiss. Intoxicating and passionate. His body pressed against Josh’s, pinning his mate against the blanket as he ravaged his mouth.
Josh pushed at his shoulders and Corbin pulled back.
“Too much?” Corbin asked.
“No, just enough. But before this goes any further, why don’t you go get whatever we might need to take this to the next level.”
Corbin gave him a quick, hard kiss. “Don’t go anywhere.”
He got up and went into the bedroom to gather a few things. He paused when he saw the condoms in the bedside table drawer and grabbed one just in case. They hadn’t discussed whether or not they would continue to use them and he’d rather be prepared, but in his heart he really hoped Josh was ready to make things more permanent between them.
With a vibrator, lube, and a condom clutched in his hand, he returned to the living room, to find his mate completely bare. He reclined on the blanket next to his lover, his mate, and set the items down. He saw Josh eyeing the vibrator.
“It’s new, I promise. I bought some things while you’ve been recovering, in hopes I’d get to use them with you. But if I ever bring out something that makes you uncomfortable, just say so. I want you to enjoy what happens between us.”
“I’m intrigued. I’ve never used toys before. Guess I never trusted anyone enough for anything more than a wham-bam-thank-you-sir.”
Corbin held up the vibrator. “This is just the tip of the iceberg, but I thought it would be a good starter toy. It’s small, compared to me, so it will help loosen you up, and the vibrations will feel amazing. If you don’t like it, all you have to do is tell me and I’ll stop and I’ll know not to buy another one.”
“Can I make a request?”
“Of course. This is about both us, together, not just what I want.”
Josh smiled. “Have any honey? Because I have to admit, I’ve fantasized about licking it off you since that first day.”
The mere thought of Josh’s tongue lapping up honey off his skin had Corbin breaking out into his dragon hide and talons sprouting from his fingers. He hurried into the kitchen and rummaged through the cabinets until he found what he was looking for. He didn’t usually keep honey in the house, but it had been an impulse buy a week ago, and now he was glad he had it. If his mate had a thing for honey, he’d fill the cabinets with it.
In the living room, Josh was kneeling on the blanket, his back to the fire. “Why do
n’t you lie down and let me take a little control this time?”
“Giving up control isn’t easy for me, but I want to make you happy.”
“Then lie back and relax. I promise you’ll like it. Then you can be all bossy with me afterwards, just as long as there’s a mating bite involved.”
Corbin frowned. “Maybe the bite should wait until you’re completely healed. The doctor said nothing rough.”
“You’re going to bite my shoulder right?”
Corbin nodded.
“Just bite the opposite side of my wound. I’m sure it’s going to hurt like hell for a few days, but I don’t want to wait. I want us tied together, and if that means you bite me, then you’ll damn well bite me. You made me wait this long to find out I’m your mate, you can give me this one thing.”
Corbin fought not to smile. “You’re kind of cute when you get bossy.”
Giving in to his mate, he stretched out on his blanket, folding his hands behind his head so he wouldn’t be tempted to reach out for Josh. He got comfortable as Josh drizzled honey across both of his nipples and a line down his abs. But with the first lick of his mate’s tongue on his skin, as it lightly brushed his nipple, he nearly came off the floor. Corbin was used to giving the pleasure, not receiving it, and the sensations hit him like tidal wave. With each lap of Josh’s tongue, Corbin’s cock grew harder and longer, until his erection was damn near painful.
He’d thought his mate would be content with the honey, and when Josh had cleaned it all off, Corbin started to rise, but his mate pushed him back down. With a rather devilish smile and a wicked gleam in his eye, Josh leaned down and licked Corbin’s cock from root to tip before swallowing him down.
My Dragon, My Dom Page 5
