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  “Well, as a friend, if you ever do want to talk about it…” Ari rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.

  “Thanks,” she said, really meaning it. “I’m sorry about this morning, too. I shouldn’t have dumped on you and your family like that, it wasn’t fair. Were they really upset?”

  “With me, yes. I shouldn’t have treated you so poorly. We are better at hospitality then that, and I dropped the ball big time.”

  “So, tell me, how many balls of fire have you dropped lately, ‘cause in terms of women, that was a pretty hot one to drop.” She nudged his shoulder as they stepped out onto the street and for the first time, he tipped his head back and laughed. Its deep baritone was like music to her ears.

  “Yeah, I know, pretty corny. I have about another hour of material that I couldn’t use tonight. They only pay me for an hour.”

  “Oh yeah? What else you got? I guarantee that when you throw barbs with a dragon, nothing hits as hard as our own.”

  “Jokes, or barbs?” she grinned.

  “Bring it on, Ry.” They started walking and trading jokes, and Ry found herself warming to Ari every time she made him laugh. It had a soothing, calming effect on her. She hadn’t laughed like that since Rosie was alive. Not genuinely, anyway. But he brought it out in her as easily as slicing through butter.

  Ry wasn’t really sure where they were going until they were walking through the theater district. She found herself staring at the cross streets where Rosie was killed, and she had no idea why her feet had taken her all the way there. It was as if she had been in a trance. Instead of heading home, she paused, staring at the place where it had happened.

  “What’s the matter?” Ari asked softly. She blinked, looking up at him. For the briefest moment, she imagined she saw a white light glowing around him. She opened her mouth to explain why she had led him here instead of back to her apartment when the scene with the paramedics trying to revive her sister flashed in Ry’s mind. The intersection was a busy one, so there was no memorial or placard for Rosie. It looked just like every other corner in the city. Rosie deserved something so much better than this. She needed flower beds, photographs, and beauty as a reminder of her time on Earth. But Ry could not even afford to bury her; Rosies ashes were on her mantle behind a vase. She still could not get herself to look at the urn.

  “This is where it happened. This is where I lost my Rosie,” she explained. She wasn’t sure why, but she launched into the explanation of it all. Before she knew it, Ari pulled her close as she cried. She did not know how much time passed in his arms, telling him everything she could remember about Rosie, the accident, and the aftermath. Even in the middle of the night, tourists passed them, staring and gawking at the woman having the breakdown in the street. Ry couldn’t bring herself to care. All that mattered was someone was finally here with her, looking out for her so she could grieve properly. When she was done crying, she rubbed at her eyes.

  “I’m so sorry,” she whispered. “I know you have your own grief.”

  “Hey, you pointed it out earlier, what are friends for, right?”

  She chuckled. “Yeah, I’m sorry about that too. Can you forgive me?”

  He looked surprised. “I was the one being the jerk this morning.”

  “I think we both were.”

  “Alright, we’ll call it a draw,” he reasoned. “I forgive you and you can forgive me, whenever you like or not. Speaking of that: I know I still have to make up for last night, but can I ask you a favor?”

  Ry looked at him, puzzled but nodded.

  “Will you fly with me tonight?”

  Chapter 7

  After Ry agreed to go with him, Ari led her to an alleyway and checked to make sure it was clear before he stripped and changed. He kept an eye out, deep in the shadows as he squatted. Once he was in his dragon form, she climbed up, situating herself between two of his ridges. He craned his neck around to look at her once she was on board, and after a running leap, he took flight. He sailed straight up so that he wouldn’t catch the attention of any tourists who were enjoying the night life of the city, and then once he had gained momentum and speed, he swooped back down between the high rises, making his way down 7th Avenue. He showed Ry the sights of the city at a break next speed that looked mostly like a kaleidoscope of colors to her. He could just barely feel Ry up on his back. When he looked back at her, Ry was smiling wider than he had ever seen. Ari thought she was the most beautiful sight in all of New York.

  Around dawn, Ari landed on Ry’s rooftop. He needed to shift before he ran the risk of being spotted in the daylight. In his human form, he dressed quickly and flashed a smile at Ry.

  She grinned back at him and said, “that was fun. Were you trying to count all the taxis in New York?”

  “Something like that,” he replied. “I should be going. I’ve kept you up all night, and I’m sure you have another gig to prepare for tonight.”

  “Actually, I don’t. I have the night off.”

  “Really?”

  “Yeah, Monday’s are usually pretty slow. Everyone just wants to go home after work, eat dinner, drink beers, and binge t.v.”

  “Fascinating. Would you want to go for another ride, then?”

  “Really?” she asked, surprised. “Sure, that would be fun. Think you can beat your total from last night?” She walked toward the roof door, opened it, and gestured with her head. “Coffee?”

  He smiled and sauntered over. Coffee sounded nice, and then he could walk home rather than fly. They made their way downstairs and she brewed coffee for the two of them. They chatted on the couch for a while. He told her all about his home in the Hudson Valley, and Ry told him about how her mom had died during her sophomore year of college. She skipped over most of the stuff about Rosie, but then she asked a peculiar question.

  “Have you ever jump roped?”

  “Huh?” he asked.

  “You know, like skipping rope, jump rope?”

  “I don’t know what that is,” he confessed. Her whole face brightened.

  “We need to teach you!” She got up, placed her coffee on the counter, and disappeared into her hall closet. When she came back, she was holding a long segment of rope. He frowned. There was no way that rope was secure enough to use for climbing, if that is what jump rope entailed.

  Ry started tugging on his arm. “Come on.” He rose and followed her out the door of her apartment. They made their way to Central Park close to his house, and she stopped in the copse of trees he and his brothers used to shift to dragon form without being seen. She tied the rope to a tree on one end, held the other by the faded plastic handle, and began swinging it up and down in a wide arc. “See, you swing it like this. Can you do that?”

  It was easy enough, and he mirrored Ry’s motions and speed. She stepped away and watched the rope swing up and down. Her head bobbed, like she was counting the swings. When the rope had just passed her and was coming down on the far side, she jumped in. Her red hair bounced on her back, catching the sunlight. Ari watched in amazement as she tried and failed numerous times before getting the hang of it. “It’s been so long since I’ve jump roped,” she confessed.

  “You do it very well, it must be fun,” he admitted. He had never seen this game before, and found himself captivated the way she closed her eyes and didn’t need to watch the rope as she became accustomed to his timing. The sunlight filtered through the trees and dappled her face like her freckles, and she laughed in sheer joy. It was one of those moments that he would capture in his memory for the rest of his life, however long eternity might be. As if she could sense him watching her, she jumped out of the motion of the circuit and stared at him with dilated eyes.

  “The white light. It’s all around you, you know,” she said quietly. It took him a moment to figure out what she was talking about. When he realized, he stopped swinging.

  “How do you know?” he whispered.

  “Because...it is my job to see people’s happiness,” she explained
. “She made you happy. I’m sure of that.”

  Ari didn’t know what to say. It felt like she was acknowledging Siesha’s presence in his life and forgiving him for his slip up from the night before at the same time. Siesha was a part of his life; his happiness. She always would be. But as Ari stood there, watching this woman understand a part of his soul that he hadn’t wanted to share with anyone in a long time, he felt like it was possible for someone else to be a part of that happiness, too.

  Ry walked over to him, took the plastic handle from his hand, and began swinging. “Now you try,” she murmured. Ari wanted to bend over and kiss her, but he did not want to cross a line too soon. He had no doubt he was taking her to his bed again, the question was when. He didn’t want to ruin it the second time around, so he forced himself to turn and prepare to jump in. Because of his dragon senses, his eyesight was good enough that he knew the exact time to jump into the cadence. He suddenly understood her delight with the game.

  With every hop, it felt like he was flying and letting go of some piece of sadness within himself. Ari couldn’t help but laugh when he became tangled in the rope. They both collapsed on the ground laughing and giggling uncontrollably. Ari assumed it was due to fatigue on both of their parts, and when he looked over at her a few moments later, Ry had fallen asleep in the crook of his arm as they lay there on the grass looking up at the sky.

  He carefully cradled her head and picked her up. She murmured into his shirt as he moved, but when he glanced down, her fist was bunched in his t-shirt and she was still sound asleep.

  Ari made his way across the street and mouthed a thank you to Corey, who opened the door for him. Corey seemed to take up a post next to the door every morning, waiting for them all to come home. Ari trudged up the stairs and strode into his room. When he tried to lay her down on his bed, she didn’t want to let go of his t-shirt. He tugged it over his head and she rolled onto her side, hugging the shirt.

  Ari smiled as he stared down at her. He felt her words touch him again and he reached over to tuck a stray strand of red hair behind her ear.

  “The happiness surrounds you too, Ry,” he murmured. She turned her face towards him and he cupped her cheek.

  After a moment, he went and shut his bedroom door where Scyros was loitering. Then he climbed into bed, gathered Ry in his arms, and let himself fall sound asleep.

  It was the first time Ari didn’t have nightmares about Siesha’s death. When he woke, he wasn’t sure if it was because Ry was there with him, staring up at him with her sleepy groggy eyes, or because he was happy enough to finally let the memory of Siesha rest.

  “Good morning,” he said.

  “Don’t you mean good afternoon?” she asked.

  “Mhmm. Either way, it is good,” he admitted. She smiled up at him. “We left your jump rope in the park,” he realized. He was about to get up and go get it when she put a hand on his chest.

  “It’s okay. It’s been sitting in the closet collecting dust for a long time now. Let some kids who find it play with it.”

  “That’s very kind of you,” he noted.

  “Thanks. How often do we as adults take the time to go outside and play anymore, right?”

  “You are an exceptionally kind woman,” he murmured, staring up into her eyes.

  Ry smiled and ducked her head under the covers. Ari was about to say something, tell her this wasn’t necessary, but she pressed a finger to his lips and said, “shh. It’s alright.”

  Ari’s eyes rolled into the back of his head when she reached down and cupped the front of his jeans, squeezing lightly, teasing him mercilessly.

  Chapter 8

  At first, Ry didn’t know why she was taking the risk of being with Ari again. But the more she thought about it, the more she realized she wanted to give him a second chance. He groaned under her as she cupped his dick through his jeans, but he made no move to stop her or to coax her on. This was her show. She was in charge.

  “Watch me, Ari. Don’t close your eyes, don’t look away. You keep your eyes on me the entire time, understood?” she whispered. His eyes widened and when he understood the game, the flames within them sparked to life. She was telling him to watch and observe who was about to do all of the things to him that would bring him pleasure.

  Ry bent over and mimicked him from the night before. She captured one of his nipples between her lips and gently tugged. She could feel him squirm under her, and it pleased her to have this much control over someone as powerful as him.

  She leaned over and gave the other nipple the same treatment, this time arching her neck, so she could look at him sideways. His eyes were glued to her face and what her mouth was doing. Good. At least she had him cooperating.

  When she let go of his nipple she sat back and leaned forward for a kiss. She was testing him now. Rather than closing his eyes for the kiss, his remained opened as she darted her tongue into his mouth and explored him. She could feel his fists clenched in the material of her t-shirt at the base of her spine, but when she again sat back, he let go of her immediately.

  “Ry,” he whispered, and she smiled and pressed her forehead to his.

  “I like it when you say my name,” she said. “Say all of it.”

  “Riley,” he moaned when her hand played with the ridges of muscles she had been fantasizing about tracing since last night.

  “Riley James,” she responded, and he repeated it back to her. “Very good.” She gave him another peck on the cheek. Ry slowly kissed her way over to his neck and earlobe, and then she whispered in his ear all of the things she was about to do to him. It was hard for him to keep his eyes on her at this angle, but he remained true to the game. The flames within his irises danced the more she went into detail about her intentions.

  Ari was shaking under her by the time she was done, and she sat back, looking at him again. “Don’t forget, watch,” she said, leaning forward and tracing the muscles she was running her fingertips along a moment ago. But this time, she used her tongue. His fists were clenched, and she watched his chest rise and fall as his breathing quickened. When she was near his navel, she nipped the skin just under it and then licked where she had given him a love bite. His eyes rolled back, and she was quick to say, “don’t close your eyes. You are going to know who you are here with the entire time, Ari.”

  He moaned, his hips jerked, and Ry was able to feel the press of his hard cock through his jeans against her torso. Ry watched as his eyes popped back open and followed her as she licked her way across his belly and gave one of his hips a love bite. Then, as she moved back toward the other, she could see as his stomach began to rapidly inhale and exhale. The muscles in his stomach tremored. She was building him up with sexual tension, and he was strung tighter than a wire. She was loving every minute of all of that energy and frustration being directed at her. It made her feel wanted and she reveled in it.

  Ry stopped at the button on his jeans and blew her cool breath over the sensitive skin. “Ry, you’re killing me. Please!”

  Ry grinned at him, grabbed the fabric of his jeans with her teeth, and used her tongue to dart out and push the button through the hole. His head almost fell back, but she maintained eye contact the entire time. It wasn’t an easy feat; the material was stiff and the jeans fit him snugly, but she managed to grasp the zipper and painstakingly tugged it down, not breaking eye contact with him.

  When she was done, and she could see the swell of him through his boxers, straining to be freed from the confinements of the material. She carefully wrapped her mouth around his cock as he had done with her nipple, and sucked him lightly through the material. Ari wasn’t able to sit still anymore. His hands left the bedspread he had been clenching and dove into her hair. She could practically feel the tension of the energy as he fought to control himself and keep from using his hands to bob her head up and down on his cock.

  Ry let go of him and sat back, tugging on either side of the pants until she had them down off his hips. From there, he h
elped her kick out of his jeans and boxers. She dropped them to the floor and gazed down at his erect cock, which stuck straight up into the air. She grinned wickedly again. He knew everything that was about to happen; that’s what made this game so fun. That, and ensuring he never confused her with another woman again.

  Ry bent her head over him and stuck out her tongue. His head bobbed, much like it had when they were outside counting the beats of the rope, only now he was counting each passing second that she held out on him, making him wait.

  She watched him swallow several times as she inched her tongue closer to the tip of him, and his nostrils flared when she was less than an inch from making contact. He swallowed a few times and she knew what was coming. Just before he started to moan and beg, she let the tip of her wet tongue touch the bead that glistened at the tip of him. His eyes rolled back again as she slowly slipped the tip of him into her mouth and began sucking.

  But he remembered the rules, because he quickly picked his head up and said her name, reassuring her. He maintained eye contact, watching her mouth move up and down on him. Then, he disappeared into the soft wet depths of her mouth.

  He was getting close to the point of no return and she needed to act, or he was going to come from her mouth alone. She stood and slowly began to peel her clothes off. He remained immobile on the bed, staring at her like she was the Food Networks most divine desert and he was just waiting for a taste. But this time, it wasn’t about him getting a taste of her. She wanted to know what made him tick.

  Ry climbed onto the bed and permitted his hands to go to her waist. It helped keep her upright as she swung her leg over him. He stared up at her as she guided his hands to cup, lift, and knead her breasts, then he did the same to her ass. She was already wet from watching him, and she settled that wetness down on top of him without moving. His cock was twitching between them, but she made no move to touch him otherwise. She let him explore her body with his hands and eyes, learning her in every intimate way. Ry reached back and cupped his balls, fondling them and rubbing at the ache from their tightness and arousal.