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  Laine was staring down at her and she flashed him a quick smile as she continued to suck him in and out, finding a rhythm that suited her. She could feel him edging closer to the point of no return. When she felt his arms move towards her, like he was going to grab her and take control, she finally let go of his cock and sat up. Laine’s muscles flexed under the light of the moon. Jennifer whipped her t-shirt up and over her head, and then reached for the clasps behind her back on her bra. Laine sat up so fast she barely saw him move, and then he surrounded her. The night air was cool on skin. She stared down as he bent his dark head, and his pink tongue flickered out, capturing one of her brown nipples in his mouth. She moaned as he sucked, and her fingers laced through his hair.

  Laine kissed his way back up her chest and along her neck. He nipped her earlobe before returning to her mouth. When he kissed her again, Jennifer let herself get lost in him and finally gave him permission to take a little control. His hands wound around her waist and he pulled her on top of him. Jennifer spread her thighs over his lap. When he found her panties, she was wet, but he got his revenge by rubbing the pad of his thumb over her clitoris through the cotton. It was her turn to moan into his mouth as she bucked against him, wanting and needing more friction. She growled at him.

  “I can see why the females turn, it would piss me off too if I had to wait an eternity to be able to c...” he laughed into her mouth. His fingers pulled the elastic of the panties aside and dipped inside her wet folds. Jennifer’s head dropped to his shoulder and she rocked herself back and forth on his fingers, taking her pleasure. It wasn’t long before she was spasming around his fingers. She slumped over in a quivering heap, but her body sent her the nagging sensation that there was a deeper ache that needed to be satisfied. Laine helped her sit back as he pulled the material aside and she eased herself down on him. It was a tight fit, but the deeper he sank into her, the hotter and wilder their passion seemed to grow. They were both looking up at the stars when he finally thrust up into her, causing her to sit down all the way to the base of him.

  “Jennifer!” he cried, and Jennifer cupped her breasts as she began rocking back and forth again. She felt his hot breath on her skin and he teased her already tight nipples. The heat in her belly began to grow again from the friction. His hands found her hips and he lifted her up and down, causing both of them to groan. He lifted her up so high that he popped out of her again. A few more strokes and she willingly thrust herself so that they could both feel the jolt of pleasure whenever she ground down to the root of him. Jennifer was certain if they were anywhere other than gravel covered rooftop, he would have picked her up and laid her down, as her knees were beginning to feel the effects of the gravel under them. Instead, to help assuage the pain, he picked her up by her hips so that she had to plant her feet and squat over him.

  Laine bunched the material of her skirt to the side and they stared down between their bodies, where they were connected. They watched as he sank inside her, and the intensity became too much for him. The position itself seemed exposed enough, but Laine used his other hand to reach down and rub her clit, bringing her to another orgasm. As she tightened around him, he followed her. She felt the warm wetness of his pleasure shoot up inside her. She collapsed against his chest and he wrapped his arms around her back as they both lay there shivering.

  Jennifer let the fugue of post coital bliss befuddle her mind for a while. She closed her eyes, unsure if she dozed off to sleep, but she felt like she was soaring through the air. The wind whipped around her and the coolness threatened to give her a chill, but the feel of the hard, hot ridge at her front was enough to keep her warm. She opened her eyes and realized the hard, hot ridge was Laine’s chest and she was pressed against it. She could have sworn that she was riding on the back of a dragon, but she must have been dreaming. She was also keenly aware that her back was getting wet, and wondered how long it would take the tears from a dragon, a monstrous beast, to soak a small human. Except, Laine wasn’t crying, and he was still in human form. It was raining.

  “Seriously?” she felt him chuckle underneath her.

  “I am willing to offer you a ride anywhere you wish to go,” he said.

  “I told you, I don’t need saving. I…”

  “You’ve already proven who is in charge when you go uh…riding.” Jennifer felt the blush rise up her neck and into her cheeks and she glared down at him.

  “Fine. That’s just fine. Make fun of me!” she attempted to stand, but he was still holding her tightly. “Let go of me!” she exclaimed. He let go instantly, and she pushed back so hard trying to stand up that she stumbled. She was about to fall backwards but he caught her. He righted her and took a few steps back.

  “I’m not offering because you are in distress, I’m offering because that is what friends do, right? They help each other and give rides home when they need to? At least, that is what Claire says human friends do for one another. Among other things.”

  “You’ve never had a friend before?” she asked.

  “Not in the mortal sense, no.”

  Jennifer felt a pang of guilt. He really was trying to be decent to her, and she was pushing him away. The problem was…“I just don’t know if I can handle seeing a dragon again tonight. Uh, especially after what we just…well, you know,” she pointed at the place where he shattered some of the stone off the façade of the libraries roof.

  “Yeah, I know.” His devilish smile was back, so was the erection between his legs. It seemed to have taken a momentary hiatus, but as soon as she brought up the subject of mating, coupling, or sex, there it was: flying high and hard, reporting for duty. Jennifer gulped and turned back to the city. She closed her eyes. Somehow, the sparkle of the city that acted as a beacon of hope for her, felt as unreal as everything else she experienced that evening. When she turned back around, she was staring into the eyes of a dragon again.

  Chapter 4

  “If this is too much, say so and I will change back and try to shield you from the rain.” His words were lilting with the hiss of his forked tongue, but she understood him. Laine made the decision to shift while she was turned away from him so he could gauge her genuine reaction when she turned back around the second time.

  Laine held perfectly still when she approached him with her arms outstretched. He lowered his head and he felt her small hands touch his nose. She ran her fingers over his scales, petting him. He didn’t mind. She was so small and fierce it made his heart hurt, and he was trying to let her maintain the control she needed to accept him for who, and what, he was. Laine lowered his body, inviting her to climb on, if she wished. She walked around him and he felt the fleeting touch of her fingers all the way down his side and along his tail. When she returned and faced him, he snorted a little, blowing warm air on her. She laughed and finally pulled herself up to settle between the ridges of his scales on his back. When she stilled, he picked his head up and turned to stare into her eyes. He waited for her instructions.

  “Show me your world,” she whispered. Laine suppressed a grin, not wanting to scare her by showing off his razor-sharp fangs. He took off from the side of the building, moving so fast other humans wouldn’t see them. He felt her wrap her arms around him, and her thighs tightened around his spine. It felt like being touched by the wings of a butterfly, and made him happier than he could express.

  He expected Jennifer to ask a million questions, but she remained silent. He craned his neck to check on her every so often as he flew in and around buildings. She was staring at the cityscape in awe, as if she was seeing it for the first time. He flew over Long Island and made his way back up the coastline. He decided to take her out over the bay and let her see the stars twinkle off the surface of the water. She laughed when he perched lightly in the crown of the Statue of Liberty and stuck a pose, like he was Lady Liberty himself. He took off again, careful not to cause damage to the historical monument, and flew back towards the city. He figured he had given her a tour of New York like no o
ther, but he wasn’t willing to risk a Serpentina crossing their path. He saw the worry it had caused Drake when the same thing happened to him and Claire a few months ago. Since then, Claire begged him to take her flying again, but Drake refused. Laine didn’t want to take any chances with Jennifer.

  He was glad that the rain had let up. It made for a more spectacular line of sight out over the water, and he headed straight for Central Park, finding the copse of trees that he and his brothers used to shift and take off from and land. When he touched down, he did so quickly, shifting with Jennifer still on his back. She was laughing and squirming as he let her down slowly. When her feet touched the ground, he half expected her to run, but she leaned in and let her forehead touch his back between his shoulder blades. He shivered at the sensation. He recently studied modern cats and noticed when they marked their territory; they rubbed their foreheads against the things they were claiming as theirs. Her gesture reminded him of that. His Jennifer, temperamental and as haughty as a cat, was claiming him. Her dark skin and shining dark eyes reminded him of a panther. He smiled, relishing the feel of her claiming him, even if she didn’t realize it yet.

  “It isn’t far from here,” he murmured as she stepped away.

  “What isn’t?”

  “My home,” he replied, and took her hand.

  “Oh. Are we going there? I thought…”

  “Well, you never gave me any instructions on where you wanted to go, so I figured the first thing would be to get some clothes and then we can decide from there. If you do not want to come inside and meet everyone, that’s fine, although Corey will probably have a fit if I don’t offer you something to eat.”

  “Who’s Corey?” she asked.

  “The butler.”

  “You have a butler?” she repeated incredulously.

  “Yes. Please tell me all about how you are going to organize a rally, claiming that having a butler is akin to modern slavery,” he joked.

  “Don’t make fun of what I do,” she snapped.

  “I’m not, I just like to get you going. You’re sexy when you’re annoyed with me. That, and Corey is much beloved in our house. He is human, but he is every bit a part of our family as anyone else.”

  Jennifer tried to find some way to argue with this, but she shut her mouth, and then opened it again. “I am not sexy when I’m angry. I’m just angry. I’m like a bull, I’ll fight you.”

  Laine thought about asking if he could wave the red cape in front of her to antagonize her further, but he thought better of it. He did not want to push her away, or make her feel like he did not value her emotions. “Easy there, champ. I was only playing.”

  “Actually, Champ was the monster in Lake Champlain,” she said. “He is supposedly a dinosaur that lives in the water, like Nessie, the Loch Ness Monster. He’s a myth.”

  “I can’t keep us all straight. My bad.” Jennifer laughed, and he held a branch back on the path so it didn’t whack her when he stepped past. They moved quickly through the woods, and when they reached the edge of the park, he was careful to observe his surroundings.

  “I’m about to streak across the street. You can come with me if you want, but I need to move quickly so I don’t get arrested for indecent exposure. You can stay here, or come with me. I will only be a moment. What would you prefer?”

  “Oh, alright. I’ll come with you,” Jennifer relented, holding up her hands. Laine couldn’t help the grin that spread across his face.

  “Okay, ready? Here we go.” He counted to three and then they dashed across the street. Even though it was the middle of the night, Jennifer laughed and giggled at the thrill of it. He pushed through the gate of the brownstone, and they jumped up the steps two at a time. He pushed open the door and they stumbled into the foyer.

  Laine heard movements from the front sitting room and he knew everyone was awake. Corey was the first to come see who had entered the house. “I will go and fetch some clothes right away, Sir!” he said with a bow, then ran up the stairs before Laine could introduce him to Jennifer.

  Arrlien and Scryos were first to be introduced, and Drake and Claire waited in the rear. His brothers were hesitant at first, just as they were with Claire. He expected they would be. They hadn’t been able to trust females in a very long time, and she was a stranger in their house. When Drake and Claire stepped up to meet her, Jennifer gasped.

  “Professor Drake?” Earlier, Laine wondered fleetingly if Jennifer, Drake, and Claire had ever crossed paths at school. Despite the massive size of the campus, it appeared as if they had. “But...you’re a history professor!”

  “Yes, who better to teach history than someone who was there?” Drake chuckled and held out his hand. Jennifer just stared at him, shaking her head in disbelief.

  “This is Claire, Claire this is…”

  “Oh, I know who Jennifer is. She’s one of the most active members of our student body. I’ve seen you at rallies all around campus. Everyone knows who you are,” she explained.

  “I hope that is a good thing,” Jennifer said nervously. She was more intimidated by Claire than any of the warriors.

  “Definitely! You are doing really important work.” Jennifer’s nervous grin was slowly replaced with a genuine smile. Laine watched, mesmerized as her whole face lit up.

  “Did you hear about the rally next week for students against unwanted solicitors phone calls regarding student loans?”

  “Oh my gosh, no. I get a million of those phone calls every week, and Is feel bad because technically they are working for student loan relief, but do they really need to call five times a day?”

  “I know, right?” she said, and Claire walked over and linked her arm through Jennifer’s. She lead her down the hall to the kitchen.

  “Come on, let’s let Drake and Laine check in and get dressed. Corey made an amazing chocolate mousse and we can chat a bit over a bite.”

  “Sounds excellent,” Jennifer said. Laine smiled. He hoped for this outcome when he brought her to meet everyone, and it seemed like everything was falling into place. They certainly had a long way to go before they were completely comfortable with one another, but this was a step in the right direction. Once they were out of earshot, Drake spoke.

  “So, did you kidnap her like I did with Claire?”

  “I tried,” he replied, and the brothers laughed as Corey practically shoved the clothes at him. Then, Corey chased Jennifer and Claire down the hall. He was particular about who touched his kitchen, preferring to dote on anyone who entered rather than let them mess with the flow of his domain. He was sure to have an aneurysm if Claire left the bread tie off of the loaf one more time. Laine pulled his clothes on and stepped into the sitting room to give them the lowdown on how he met Jennifer. Afterall, even though their goal was to meet mates, once they did, it required more diligence on the part of all four brothers to keep the women safe from the Serpentina. The only problem was that he was sure Jennifer would balk and reject the idea of having a bodyguard on her at all times.

  Once his brothers had debriefed him, they all made their way to the kitchen where Corey had something simmering on the stove. Laine was famished, not having eaten since the night before. When he pushed into the kitchen, two things caught him. First, he noticed how beautiful Jennifer looked with her head tipped back, laughing at whatever Claire had just said. But he also noticed how tired she was. It took Claire a few months to grow accustomed to their unusual schedule. She often napped in between classes. Now that she was graduated, Claire stayed on as a paid teaching assistant. Drake often left her in charge of the classes while he took care of dragon-related issues, and the arrangement worked out nicely.

  Laine was sure Jennifer was running on fumes at this point. Still, he gratefully accepted a plate of food from Corey and wolfed it down, returning the dishes to the sink before he injected himself into the conversation.

  “Claire, I don’t mean to be rude, but I’m afraid I kept Jennifer awake all night. Might I steal her so she can cat
ch a few hours of sleep before he classes?”

  “We were actually just talking about her borrowing some of my jeans and a t-shirt when she wakes up, so she can shower and go to class rather than go the way back to the dorms. Thanks for the offer. Will she be sleeping in your room?” she asked. The whole room fell silent. Even with her dark complexion, Laine could see the blush in her cheeks.

  “Ahh, I’ll use whatever bed is available I suppose.” Before Corey could offer the spare room, Laine grinned and linked his arm with hers.

  “My room will be fine.” He was challenging anyone who might argue the point, and quickly whisked Jennifer out of the kitchen and up the stairs. The pipes creaked in the walls, and he imagined it was the buildings way of showing appreciation that people had come to call the place home. Corey purchased this house on the fly when they needed to come to the city, and the previous owners were wealthy. They did not mind pushing the sale through, because they made a decent profit. The building sat vacant for so long, it was like life had been breathed back into the antique walls and décor.

  He had grown fond of his new room here. The window in his bedroom overlooked a bench in the park, and he found he enjoyed people watching there. He liked to imagine what their lives were like, and what they did for a living. His favorite people who frequented the bench were children. He watched them pretend they were on a pirate ship, forced to walk the plank and face the shark-infested sidewalks below. Laine secretly longed for children. He never admitted it to his brothers. It was a dream he had never thought would come to fruition, but as he watched Jennifer peer out the window, his heart skipped a beat. He briefly entertained the thought. What if?

  “The bathroom is through that door, if you need it,” he murmured and pointed when she looked up. Each room had its own private bathroom, and he was grateful for that. He enjoyed a long hot shower every morning after he got in from a long night of patrolling and battling. Jennifer strode across the room and opened the door, noticing the large luxurious jet tub.