Page 97 of Tempting the Tiger
Although I didn’t see it happen, I can’t stop picturing Bryn hooked up to some kind of machine trying to permanently rip his dragon side from him. I’d never have been able to forgive myself if Lance and Nyoka had succeeded.
He winces. ‘I’m sorry. I honestly just panicked.’
‘And forgot about your boyfriend who is highly trained for situations just like this, and whose actual job it is as well.’ I give him a pointed look.
His lips tip up at the corners. ‘If there’s ever a next time, I’ll call you first. I promise.’
I lean over and seal that promise with a soft press of my lips on his before sitting back again. Ethan insisted I take today off while the rest of the pack deal with the aftermath, including inspecting what’s left of the warehouse basement. I argued against it until my alpha told me to keep a close eye on Bryn to make sure he’s suffering no ill effects after what he went through yesterday.
I stopped arguing at that point.
He seems completely fine and his wounds have fully healed, but I should probably do a closer examination just to make sure.Before I can reach for his T-shirt though, he gives me a smile full of love with a hint of mischief.
‘I want to give you a sign name.’ His hand movements are playful, his eyes bright with happiness. ‘I can’t risk anyone else calling you treasure, can I?’
My heart melts, the hint of possessiveness settling the insecure little boy inside of me who was never important to anyone. ‘I would love that.’
He grins at me, then signs ‘rapid.’
I frown slightly. ‘Umm… why that one? I’m not the fastest on the team, not by a long shot.’
‘You’re the fastest at chopping in the kitchen though, and you’re pretty rapid when you’re chasing Jet.’
‘That’s true.’
‘And you get me hard pretty fucking rapidly too.’ He winks.
I bark out a laugh. ‘I do love how fast you get hard for me.’
I don’t even get the chance to lower my hands before he tackles me, making me laugh again. He kisses me with the same passion he displayed the first time we kissed in my flat, like he’ll never get enough of me no matter how long we’re together or how many times we do this. Or maybe that’s me projecting, because I certainly feel that way about him.
Unsurprisingly, we harden against each other the longer we kiss, so I work my hands beneath his T-shirt until he sits up to strip it off. He leans back down and joins our lips again as I unfasten his jeans, then eagerly lifts up to let me strip off the rest of his clothes. Only when he’s naked do I wrap my arm and leg over his and, with a decisive hip thrust, roll him onto his back.
Smooth, impenetrable scales replace his skin, which wasn’t really what I was going for. When I raise my eyebrows, he reaches underneath his arse and pulls out a stick with one broken twig jutting out.
I grin. ‘Oops.’
He rolls his eyes and reverts back to his skin again. I make themost of the delicious feast laid out in front of me and inch down to lick the tattoo of a serpent on his right pec, tracing the lines with my tongue.
Exploring his tattoos has become one of my favourite ways to relax him, like foreplay and stress relief rolled into one. He certainly enjoys it if the panting breaths are anything to go by.
I move on to licking and kissing along the lines of the dragon that covers most of the left side of his torso, breathing its flames across the right half of his ribcage. When he starts working to free the buttons on my shirt, I abandon my tattoo exploration in favour of sitting up, more than happy to help him get me naked.
As my shirt hits the ground, I lift off him just long enough to strip off my trousers and briefs, remembering to grab the lube I put in my pocket earlier just in case. I set it next to us on the grass before straddling him again.
‘Top or bottom?’ I ask, rocking back against his rigid cock so that it slides through my crack.
He sucks in a sharp breath then grips my hips, stilling them before tracing a heart shape over the centre of my chest with his finger. ‘Do you still want us to bond?’ he asks, his hand movements soft, the heat in his eyes melting into love.
‘Yes,’ I sign without hesitation. ‘Absolutely yes. I know it’s fast, and we’re probably going to argue sometimes while we figure out how to be together, but there have been too many times already when I thought I could lose you. I know what an incredible person you are, and I choose you.’
His answering smile is dazzling. ‘I choose you too.’
I wonder if he knows how much it means to me to be chosen—for the rest of our lives—when my parents have spent my entire life making me feel like an unimportant afterthought. Now that I’m in my late thirties the sting of my parents’ rejection is less than it used to be, especially since Ethan officially made us a pack last summer. Even so, having a fated mate of my own is something I’ve always wanted.
Now I realise that a chosen mate is even more special. And Bryn? Well, he’s been unexpected in the best of ways.
‘I come with a pack. Including Ethan,’ I warn him, since I’m not entirely sure how he feels about my alpha.
