Oh god! Could she do this? Did she have a choice? “Shaun ‒ my ex ‒ is the only guy who’s ever seen me naked.” Her voice was soft and apprehensive.
“He is one very lucky male.” Mountain ran a hand through his hair. “I don’t know what else to suggest. I need to be sure. You wanted me to undress and I was happy to oblige. If there is something else I can do to make this more bearable, you only have to say the word and I will happily make it happen. If there was any other way.” He looked uncomfortable.
“Um…you can close your eyes…maybe turn around. I’ll hand you the items and you can check them. You don’t need to actually see me naked, do you?”
Mountain looked down at his feet before locking eyes with her. “I’m afraid I do. I need to check you…every inch of you. Not just your clothing. Tracking devices are small and easy to conceal.”
Page squeezed her eyes shut while his words sunk in. Crap! This was worse than she thought. Then she pushed out a heavy breath. “Well, we may as well get it over with. My sister is out there somewhere. One of your kind knows where she is…I hope. I need to find out one way or another. If it means having to take my clothes off so that you can start to trust me, then so be it.” She reached behind her back and unhooked her bra. Page covered her breasts with one arm and her hand, while using the other to hand him the garment.
Chapter 7
Mountain took the scrap of fabric from the female, working hard to quell his need. He had been able to see all of her just fine through the flimsy lace. From the fur between her thighs to the tight nubs on her lush breasts. Not that he had allowed himself to openly look. In fact, he’d tried hard not to see any of it. He felt bad for the female. It wasn’t like he had a choice here though.
His groin began to tighten just thinking about her soft skin, her lush thighs. Mountain looked at the far wall, taking in air through his mouth…tasting her fragrance on his tongue. She was sweet and decadent. Deliciously human. He couldn’t scent another male on her, so her story about not being attached to someone else must be true.
Good!
Aside from being attracted to her, he liked her. He had a feeling he was going to like her a whole lot more as he got to know her. He just needed to keep a level head. Page might be a slayer. He doubted it, but he needed to be sure ‒ very fucking sure ‒ before anything more happened.
As with the rest of her clothing, he sniffed at the covering, allowing the delicate fabric to slip through his fingers as he felt for a tracker. The garment was soft and scented strongly of her. Mountain was especially careful around the clasps and the little fake diamond at the front. These would be ideal locations to conceal a tiny tracker.
Nothing.
Good!
“Now for the bottom covering…your G-string.” He was sure to keep his eyes trained on hers.
She bit down on her bottom lip for a moment or two. Her cheeks reddened up some more. Mountain felt like the biggest jerk alive. He wished there was some way he could make this up to her. Wished he didn’t have to put her through this, but it would be rash of him to trust her right off the bat.
Page leaned down, her arm still covering her breasts but not doing a great job because of how lush they were. If he really looked, he’d see their rounded globes peeking out below her forearm. Their plump cleavage spilling over the top. He didn’t look though. He forced his gaze elsewhere. It was the right thing to do.
Mountain felt his Adam’s apple work as he took the slip of lace. He kept his eyes averted for the time being. He needed to make this as easy on her as possible.
Just as with all of her other clothing, he let his fingers work over the garment, feeling for something hard and out of place. Feeling— Fuck…wet! The seam of her panties was soaking wet.
His cock took note. Mountain had to work hard to keep from becoming completely and solidly aroused. As it was, he could feel blood begin to rush south. Shit! He didn’t want to scare her. It took him a few long moments to compose himself.
“Are you okay?” Her voice was high-pitched. “You look upset.”
“I’m fine.” His own voice was a thick rasp.
“You don’t sound fine, in fact you sound angry. You look angry. Every one of your muscles is bunched.”
Mountain cleared his throat. He was scaring her. He really needed to pull himself together. “I swear, I’m absolutely fine. I feel bad, that’s all. Don’t take this the wrong way.” He brought the slip of lace to his nose and inhaled.
Fuck!
Pussy…hot, sweet, wet pussy. It made his mouth water. Made him want to groan and sniff again. He needed to look past the scent of what was nestled between her legs. This would be the ideal place to hide a tracker from a shifter male. He tried again, this time ignoring the delicious scent of aroused female, seeking only plastic, circuit breaker, electronics. He got nothing. Just her. Lots more of her. It had been so long since he’d savored a female. Too damned long. Especially one as delectable as this. She was a heady mix of gorgeous, vulnerable and defiant.
Mountain swallowed down his need. He looked down at the floor for a moment, waiting for his vision to return to normal. His eyes had turned slitted, more dragon than human in that moment. The need to fuck invading every pore, every sinew and muscle. By now he was sporting a semi but only because he forced himself to think about shitty things. A full-blown erection would scare the shit out of Page. Of that he was sure.
He looked back up at her, noting how she tried to hide herself from him. It made him feel worse. “How do you want to do this?” Mountain looked around the cave.
“What do you mean?”
“I need to check you…thoroughly.”
“Thoroughly? What does that mean?” She shook her head. “If you need to check me, then check. Just get it over with.”
“Would you prefer to lie down or to stay standing?”
“Standing!” she answered without hesitation. “My boyfriend and I aren’t really broken up…not really.” She looked nervous, her eyes darting to him and then to the floor and then back to him.
“I thought you said—”
She squeezed her eyes shut for a second or two. “We’re no longer engaged and we’re kind of together but not.” She bit her bottom lip.
“I don’t understand, either you’re with someone or you aren’t. I don’t mind that you’re telling me all this but at the same time, you need to know that there is no relevance.” He felt his heart sink. He’d been so sure that this hunt wasn’t a total loss. Especially when she had said she was no longer promised to this male. That maybe he stood a chance at winning this female even if she hadn’t come here to find a mate. “It doesn’t matter either way…I still need to check for a tracker.”
“I don’t know why I told you. Maybe because you’re easy to talk to and you’re about to see me naked. I think I might be nervous…see I’m babbling.” She laughed. “I did feel something just now when you spoke about… When you said…”
“When I spoke of fucking.”
The scent of sweet arousal met his nostrils and he had to fight the urge not to sniff.
“Yeah, that. Maybe I feel guilty or…god! I don’t know. Thing is, Shaun and I are on a break. We’re not actually broken up. Well, we are but…” She groaned. “It’s complicated. I’m not sure why I didn’t tell you that when you asked me earlier.” This female was attracted to him. He could see it, smell it, feel it.
Good!
She was telling him all this because it scared her.
“I don’t know what ‘being on a break’ means.” He shook his head, frowning.
“A break. It’s exactly how it sounds. We’re still together, well sort of. We’re just taking a break from one another.” She kept one arm hooked around her breasts and her hand firmly over her sex. He kept his eyes on hers.
“How long is this break supposed to last?” It sounded like a bunch of bullshit. He decided to hear her out though before commenting.
Page shrugged. “I don’t know…a c
ouple of months.” Her eyes welled with tears. “He never specified.”
Shit! “Look, I’m sorry.” Mountain shook his head. He could sense her sadness, which told him that she most likely wasn’t faking, but this could be an act to keep him from checking her for a tracker. “I find the whole thing quite bizarre. Seven years of dating?” He made a face, feeling confused about the whole thing.
“We were engaged for two and a half of those seven years though.”
“Even worse!” He wanted to bite his tongue when her eyes got all hazy and her face crumpled a little. “Look, if I was with a female…someone like you…if I was serious, even seven weeks would be a long time. Seven years is ridiculous. An engagement? There’d be no engagement. I’d pop the question and mate you the same day.” He clapped his hands together to prove a point. “Done!”
“You’re a shifter though. You do things differently.”
Mountain shook his head. “Not so different. Not really! Why does he need a break? I’m still not sure I understand what that even is.”
She shrugged. “I’m not sure I understand it either. He said he needs some time to find himself before we get married. That he needs some space.” She shrugged. “I couldn’t say no to that. He told me to give him a little bit of time…asked me to wait for him in the meanwhile.”
“It sounds like he wants an opportunity to fuck around before settling down with you,” Mountain blurted. “If you’re okay with it, then I guess it’s fine.”
Page burst out crying. She looked down at the floor, tears streaming down her cheeks. She made this little sobbing noise. Her shoulders shook.
Mountain felt like putting his foot in his mouth and chewing it off at the ankle. He felt like a dick. What the hell was wrong with him? Why did he blurt that out? Maybe because it was true, but still, he could have been more diplomatic. “Shit! I’m sorry! I don’t have any tact. Here,” he handed her shirt back, “cover yourself. Let’s chat about this first. We can worry about the stupid tracker later.”
“No, you’re right.” She shook her head. “What you are saying makes sense.” She took the shirt, holding it over herself but not putting it on. She took off her glasses and used the back of her hand to wipe her eyes. “You’re absolutely right. I saw him with another woman yesterday. They were having coffee together. He sent me a text afterward to tell me she was just a friend from work, but…” She rolled her eyes, which were filling with tears all over again. She blinked and swallowed and blinked some more.
“But you don’t believe him?” Mountain finished the sentence when Page left it hanging.
She shook her head. “I don’t think he’s sleeping with her. They didn’t look like they were intimate.” Her tears came faster. “I’m sorry. I guess I haven’t had much of a chance to think this whole thing through. Then again, maybe I have but I didn’t want to think about it.” She sniffed. “Maybe he does need space. Maybe they are just friends.” She bit down on her lip. “I’m really confused about it. I still don’t know why I’m telling you all of this. I don’t even know you.”
“You needed to get it out. You must have been looking for an objective opinion. It’s clearly been on your mind.”
She put her glasses back on. “It has. Maybe I also needed you to know that I’m taken.” Her eyes widened. “Not because of anything except for the fact that…well, I’m naked. This doesn’t feel right for that reason. It—”
“I’m checking you for a tracker.”
“I might be attracted to you…just a little and I feel guilty about it. What about Shaun? He asked me to wait.”
Shaun was a douchebag. “Actually, you’re on a break which means you’re fair game. Not that I’m about to take advantage. I wouldn’t do that.”
Page nodded. He could see that she wanted to say something because she opened and closed her mouth a couple of times, seeming to think better of it.
Mountain didn’t want to see her cry again, but he didn’t like that this jerk was dicking her around. “I might not be human, but I can tell you that if he wanted to be with you, he would be with you. There was be no need for a break. If he wanted to mate you…marry…whatever the right term is, he would have done so. He would never have fucked around for so long. This asshole Shaun is jerking you around, keeping you on a string so that he can reel you back in once he’s had his fill of other females. What pisses me off the most is that he’s told you to wait for him.” Mountain raised his brows. “Unbelievable,” he muttered.
“Look, we are technically broken up, but,” she shrugged, “he knows I would never jerk him around…not if I imagined us getting back together in the back of my mind ‒ and I do.” She pulled in a breath. “I guess I ultimately do,” she spoke softly, “even now, even after seeing him with that Daniella woman. I guess it’s still there, that hope…that…” She clenched her teeth. “Screw it and screw Shaun! I realize this is strictly clinical and that you have to do this. I’m not going to feel guilty about it. You’re an attractive guy but that doesn’t mean anything either.”
It sure as shit did.
Page put her glasses back on and dropped the t-shirt. She opened her arms, giving him a clear view of her body. “This isn’t cheating. It’s…something you have to do…are being forced to do.”
Forced.
Guilt flooded him. She was right, this was no hardship. In fact, the opposite was true. Mountain was sure to keep his eyes on hers. It wasn’t easy, considering how fucking gorgeous she was but he did it anyway. His dick had already decided that there was nothing clinical about this. “I’m not going to apologize to you again, even though I want to. All I’m going to say is that this Shaun bozo is a stupid fuck!”
Page snorted out a giggle. “That’s sweet.”
“It’s the truth. You’re too nice for him.”
“You think I’m nice, but you’re still going to check me for a tracker?”
“It’s a formality. I really want to trust you, Page. I’m sure I can but I still have to do this. I’m sure I don’t need to tell you how evil your father is…how evil the whole lot of them are.”
“You don’t, that’s why I ultimately understand. That’s why I’m standing here naked in front of a stranger. Please can you get this over with.”
“Of course.” He glanced down at all of her nakedness and almost groaned loudly. Then quickly looked back up. “I will try to think respectful thoughts.”
She smiled. “Thank you.”
“I’m attracted to you as well…I’m not sorry about that. I need you to know that I am and that it can’t be helped. It’s probably not something I should admit but hey, there it is.”
“It’s fine!” Her smile broadened. “It’s good to know I’m still attractive to the opposite sex.”
“Not just attractive…off the damned charts hot. You’re way out of that jerk’s league,” he growled the last, but only because he meant it.
She snickered. “How can you say that? You’ve never even seen him.”
“I don’t have to see him. I’m looking at you.” His voice had a husky edge.
She licked her lips. “That’s sweet.”
“I guess I’d better get to it. It’s pretty cold in here.” Her nipples were tight…a delicate pink and hard as fucking nails…hard like his dick was getting right about then. He walked up to her. “Can I run my fingers through your hair, touch your scalp?”
“Sure. Don’t be touching anything else though.” She laughed at her own joke, sounding nervous.
“I wouldn’t dream of it.” Her hair was soft and silky. It still smelled of smoke but not in an unpleasant way. He placed the tips of his fingers against her scalp and rubbed across her flesh using firm, slow movements. Careful not to pull her hair.
Her breathing hitched and she closed her eyes. “Wow!” she murmured, her voice sounding husky. “That feels really good.” Her voice had an edge to it.
He tried to ignore her comments but when she moaned it shot straight to his balls. If this was all it
took to please her, she’d been hard fucking done by. Mountain thought about those same shitty things from earlier and worked his way across her scalp, as quickly and efficiently, as possible. He looked down her slender neck and along her long, elegant back.
Her ass was delectable. He forced his eyes off of it, looking down the backs of her thighs.
Mountain pulled in a deep breath, silently begging his cock to behave as he moved around to her front. “Please raise your arms.”
Clinical.
Professional.
Page did as he instructed, and he looked under her armpits. “You can hide a tracking device just about anywhere,” he explained. Hoping she would continue to be understanding. He couldn’t be too sure. The lives of his people were at stake, he reminded himself for the hundredth time. Damn this was getting more difficult by the second.
“I’m sorry to have to ask you this.” Fuck, but this was awkward. “Please can you lift your breasts, I need to see underneath them.” He winced as he said the last.
“Oh god!” She squeezed her eyes shut. “Do you really think I’m hiding something under my boobs? Really?”
Mountain tried hard not to stare at her perfect as fuck tits. Big and soft with large plump nipples. Pink was his favorite color, hands down. “Um…no…I doubt it very much but…”
“Yeah, yeah, you have to be sure.”
“Yep, I do.” He felt like an asshole. No better than her dickwad boyfriend ‒ make that, ex-boyfriend. The turd had asked for the break and Mountain was stepping up. Not right then, not this very second, but he was stepping the fuck up all the same.
She sighed, taking a full mound in each of her hands and gently lifted.
Shit!
Shit!
Oh fuck!
He was getting hard. His balls felt achy. They felt big, and blue and sore.
He watched her throat work and reminded himself of what a dick he was. Her gaze was on the ceiling above. Her cheeks were a bright red. “I guess I wouldn’t pass the pencil test anymore.” She made that sound like it was a bad thing, which made him frown. “Shaun often mentioned how gravity was a bitch when he saw me naked.” She pushed out a quick laugh. “He would often say that more than a handful was too much. Maybe he was right. I wouldn’t have to lift them if they weren’t a bit droopy. I guess it’s the price you pay for having a decent set of boobies.” She giggled again, sounding sad and lost and very nervous. Fuck!
Dragon Guard: Earth Dragons Series: Book 1 Page 6
