“Let’s try this again,” I say to Kael. “Water.” I run my fingers under the tap of the bathroom sink. “Waaaaa-terrrr.”
“Clau-dah,” Kael rumbles in that deep, overtly sexy voice. “Clau-dah Kael.” His hand slides around my waist, big and scorchingly warm against my skin.
I flick droplets of water on his face from my fingertips. “You suck. I know you understand me. You’re just being difficult, aren’t you?” But I find that my mouth is curling into a bit of a smile anyhow. “Difficult and flirty.”
It’s hard to stay mad at Kael when he’s showing a mischievous side. I’m in a surprisingly good mood this morning despite my vicious dreams. Maybe it’s because of Kael himself, I think, as I turn off the tap. It’s been a few days since Kael found me, but they’ve been surprisingly easy days. I’ve been fed, I’ve got water to wash with and to drink, and a warm place to sleep at night curled up against Kael. I’ve found an old janitor’s uniform in one of the closets, and even though it’s paper-thin and will probably rip to shreds with the wrong move, it’s clothing. The new building’s kind of nice, and it’s quiet.
The only thing I’m missing is Amy. Sasha, too, but I worry less about her being able to take care of herself. I’m haunted by thoughts of Amy starving, but I can’t get Kael to take me back to the city. He’ll do a lot of things for me, but I don’t think that’s on the table.
So I pass my time with Kael, and…he’s a surprisingly good companion. His eyes whirl black less and less, and he hasn’t had any crazy episodes. It’s like the longer he’s around me, the better he is. I’m good with that. He hasn’t tried to rape me, or touch me in the middle of the night when he thinks I’m sleeping. He’s attentive and flirty, sure, but one simple ‘no’ shuts things down. He’s comfortable to be around, and I never thought I’d say that about a dragon. We don’t speak a lot, but I still feel…pampered. Coveted. It’s weird, but I can’t deny it.
Like today.
When I woke up this morning, he’d immediately changed to his human form and then spent the next several minutes checking over my scratches and bruises, as if nothing else was more important than making sure I was okay. And that…was kind of sweet. It’s been a long time since I’ve had anyone fuss over me. With Sasha and Amy, I have to be the strong one, the one that shrugs everything off. I have to take care of them, so I can’t stop and whine about cuts or bruises, or if I’m tired. With Kael…it’s different. I don’t have to be big and strong, because I’m not. At least, not compared to him. And all he wants to do is take care of me.
That sort of attitude is growing on me.
Of course, not everything about his little inspection was nice. He examined the scratches on my breasts with the same avid intensity that he did the scratches on my arms and legs. It’d made me a little wiggly with discomfort, but he wasn’t aroused over it.
Which is ironic, because I am. More and more, his inspections, his attention, and his laser focus on me gets under my skin. Not unpleasantly, but…I’m just waiting to see where it leads. I feel like I’m crazy for viewing his attentions as a weird form of foreplay, but there it is. I shouldn’t, though; Kael just wants to ensure I’m all right. Sometimes I think this strange attraction I have is all in my head…but there’s no denying his erection.
So I let Kael fuss over me and didn’t say a thing. After he was reassured that I was whole and in one piece, he stroked my skin and repeated my name with a pleased tone that said a million things and nothing.
Hence the communication lessons. We need to figure out a way to talk.
The only problem is that Kael doesn’t seem all that interested in learning English. He takes my efforts to teach him with amused patience, as if the entire thing is completely unnecessary. It’s clear he’s far more interested in touching me than learning to speak. Even now, he lets his claws drag through my wavy hair. He’s fascinated by it.
I make an exasperated noise and turn to him. “Are you even paying attention?”
“Clau-dah,” he murmurs again, and sniffs my hair.
His eyes haven’t gone black a single time today, and so I feel comfortable throwing a little teasing back in his direction. “Oh yeah? How would you like it if I run my fingers through your hair, huh?” I turn to face him and reach for his tumbled bronze locks, then hesitate, just in case. When he doesn’t show any reaction except eagerness, I touch his hair. The texture is surprising—it’s a good deal stiffer than mine despite the loose tumble of it, and the strands feel twice as thick. I can’t get over how fascinating it is. Compared to his hair, mine probably does feel like floss. Maybe I spend too much time petting his hair, because he closes his eyes and rumbles low in his chest, a sign that he enjoys my touch very much.
And I’m…not hating touching him. His hair is interesting, and I wouldn’t mind playing with it a bit more. I also wouldn’t mind learning by touch just what other differences he has. Does his skin feel different? What about those retractable spikes at his elbows? But I don’t dare, because playing with him is like, well, playing with fire, even though I hate the irony of that particular thought.
I shouldn’t encourage him. Shouldn’t let him think that I’m seeking his attentions. His near-constant hard-on has made it pretty obvious what he’d like from me, and I don’t know that I can return the same. So I drop my hands, and hate that I regret it a little. Funny how weirdly good it makes me feel that someone’s happy just to be with me. Kael looks at me like I’m the best thing since sliced bread. I shouldn’t care what a dragon—a killer, a demon of fire and ash—thinks of me.
But when he opens his eyes and his mouth cocks up in that half-smile that mimics my own?
My silly, foolish heart skips a beat.
“Clau-dah,” he murmurs again, pulling me close.
And because I’m weak, I let him drag me against him, my breasts pressing against his chest. My breath catches in my throat as I look up at him. He’s huge, at least a foot taller than me, and with massive shoulders. He could hurt me so easily. The erection stabbing into my belly reminds me that he can overpower me at any time and take what he wants.
Instead, he stands here, flirting with me in his weird dragon way. Teasing.
Kael runs his fingers through my hair again and leans in toward me. I close my eyes, wondering if he’s going to kiss me, and if he does, what it’ll feel like. Do dragons even know how to kiss? If he doesn’t, will he let me show him how? I imagine his reaction to me putting my lips on his.