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  She watched in the mirror as he knelt behind her, and she wondered what he was about to do. Then, he peeled her panties down over her hips. As she stepped out of them, she felt his warm palm on the back of her knee, and he lifted her leg, spreading her thighs apart. She gazed wide-eyed into the mirror and watched his hands run up the insides of her thighs. She had nothing to hold onto; nothing to anchor herself with, and she knew this was a test of her trust in him. He used his fingers to pry her apart and she watched as his pink tongue peaked through her folds as he licked up inside her. She cried out as her arms flailed around looking for something to hold onto, but she had to keep herself upright.

  She shook as she felt his tongue explore the depths of her, and waited in anticipation for each time she would see the tip of his tongue flicker over her clit. “Crylaine, please!” she whimpered. She experienced this before, and it always felt amazing, but she had never watched a man do it from behind in front of a mirror. She felt the tension in her belly build, and it only took a few more strokes of his tongue before she was close to an orgasm. He dug his fingers into the flesh of her hips to keep her steady. She spiraled over the edge and the moans she emitted filled the room. Soon, her knees buckled and she was in danger of collapsing, but Laine picked her up, and strode over to the bed. He laid her down gently and brought her knees up, spreading her legs. She whimpered when she felt his thick cock press into her. She wrapped her legs around his waist, controlling his depth and tempo.

  “Jennifer!” he groaned. He needed go harder, faster, deeper and she relented. He buried himself to the hilt and lost himself deep inside her, just as the aftershock of her first orgasm subsided, she found herself shivering through her second. Somehow, the whole experience had been too quick. It was over too soon and she needed more. She needed him to claim her, to show her that it was all going to be all right because he had her back no matter what.

  Jennifer wiggled on the bed and turned over, presenting him with her ass which he stared down at reverently. She glanced over her shoulder at him and grinned. He gasped as she raised herself onto her knees and wiggled her hips. He was on her in an instant. He grabbed her juicy ass with fervor, squeezing and slapping. If she had thought he was deep and fast before, it was nothing compared to this angle. He thrust in and they both cried out simultaneously. He continued to torment her, alternating the depths of his thrusts and the rhythm. Occasionally, he would even tease her enough and let her work herself back on him, only to place his warm palm in the center of her back and force her to be still when he would take control again. Jennifer found she loved the give and take, as they battled one another for control. It was a good war that they fought on equal ground. In the end, they had to call a draw, given that they were exhausted from their efforts.

  Jennifer giggled later when he had pulled her up into bed and they had fallen asleep. When she woke later he asked her, “What’s so funny?”

  “You told me my ability to walk on my own might be debatable. You were right.”

  “Really? Did I just hear from Ms. Jennifer…?”

  “Wilkinson.”

  “Ms. Jennifer Wilkinson that she admits she isn’t a Ms. Know-It-All all the time? Call Drake and Claire in! This needs to go down in the history books!” he exclaimed.

  She lobbed a pillow at him, but without any real effort. She pressed her face into his chest again and sighed. “We do need to get up soon though.”

  “Why? I think we should stay right here for a decade or two.”

  “Because I texted my Mom and told her we were coming for dinner,” she said.

  “You were serious about meeting your family?” he asked.

  “Of course. By the way, dragon or not, they are going to eat you alive.”

  She felt the rumble in his chest when he began to laugh. “I’m serious, the Wilkinson’s are a force to be reckoned with.”

  “I think I can hold my own,” he assured her.

  “You don’t know the half of it, I’m telling you.” He wrapped his arms around her tighter.

  “Well, as long as none of them are knights in shining armor, come to rescue the damsel in distress from the big bad dragon, I think I will be okay.”

  “I think my Dad’s side had a squire to a knight back when knights were a thing.”

  “They still are, it’s more of an honorary title than one of necessity though,” he explained.

  “Really? That’s fascinating.”

  “Sure is, ask Claire about it sometime, she will talk your ear off about it.”

  “I’ll be sure to do that,” she confirmed. “ I like her, she really helped me.”

  “Then I’ll need to thank her for that.” He kissed the top of her head and she closed her eyes.

  “Alright, big baddie. Let’s do this.” Claire pushed away from him and it felt like she had lost her security blanket. She could spend hours in his arms, and she intended to later on. But right now, she had obligations and responsibilities. Family was important, and she had all the time to get to know his, but she expected him to get to know hers as well.

  She also needed to stop by school with an excuse for being absent so much. Thankfully, she hadn’t missed any finals. Those were next week before the big rally, but she had time to make up for that as well. She dressed and shot a quick text to the committee apologizing for her absence and asking to be brought up to date. Her phone immediately pinged with responses of well wishes. A few moments later, she had to fish her phone back out of her pocket and respond to another. She caught Laine’s look of annoyance in the mirror.

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be rude, school stuff though.”

  “No, I understand. I just find cellphones annoying because I can hear the buzz they make. There are millions in the city, so it is like having mosquitos buzzing in my ear all the time.”

  Jennifer wrinkled her nose. She went to summer camp one year up north and the mosquitos had eaten her alive. When she came home covered in welts, her mom promised her she didn’t need to go back if she did not want to. She would have to try to be diligent about keeping her phone tucked away when Laine was around.

  “So, do you have a preference about how I should explain you to my family?” she tried to sound casual as she put her phone on silent and tucked it back in her pocket.

  “Nope, just as long as it is clear that I’m yours and you are mine and they understand that.”

  “Ha! Alrighty then.” Jennifer was pleased Laine chose to wear a pair of casual dress pants, a button up crimson shirt which made the emerald in his eyes stand out, and loafers. Her family would appreciate the effort he had made to present himself to them. They were traditional like that, even for their liberal social and political views. .

  “After you, Miss.” He held open the door and she walked out into the hall. Drake stopped them, and requested a brief conversation with Crylaine to discuss the fate of their former home. Noting the tension, she nodded her head and walked down the stairs to wait in the sitting room. She heard Drake and Crylaine converse softly at the top of the stairs, and she heard the anguish in his voice as he told Drake the extent of the damage. When she looked up, she saw the shocked and pained expressions of Arrlien and Scryos as they listened to the conversation up above.

  “I’m sorry,” she whispered to them. The words seemed to help somehow, and if their had been any animosity from her previous abrupt departure, it was gone now.

  Jennifer was relieved when Laine ascended the steps. He clapped each of his brothers on the back and they both nodded to her. He escorted her out the door and she knew they would be okay. They had their leader, Drake, if they needed any more emotional support that afternoon. Jennifer glanced back briefly and saw both men pull Corey into a hug as tears streamed down his face. She was sad they were hurting, but relieved to see proof that they truly cared about the humans in their lives. Jennifer was beginning to think it might not be so bad to be cared for by a dragon.

  Chapter 7

  Laine found he was as nerv
ous about meeting her family, as he was when he revealed his true identity to Jennifer at the library. As Jennifer pulled her car onto a side street in the Village and drove a few blocks looking for a place to park, Crylaine tugged at his collar a few times, anxiously giving himself more space to take deep breaths. When she finally put the car in park, she reassuringly pressed her fingers into him. As he strode around to her side of the car, she re-clasped his hand and they looked both ways before crossing the street.

  “Ready?” She asked, and he nodded. “Okay, brace yourself for millions of questions, and they all talk over one another. It can get loud and confusing sometimes.”

  “I’m ready.” Jennifer knocked on the door of the townhouse and they stood back. A boy, about sixteen years old, opened the door as welcoming calls sounded from somewhere in the depths of the house. The boy sized him up by puffing out his chest and Laine gave him what he hoped was his most heartfelt smile. The boy seemed unimpressed until Jennifer nudged him.

  “Say hello, Carlos,” Jennifer urged. “Carlos is my brother,” she said to Laine.

  “Hey,” Carlos grunted and turned away before Laine could respond. Jennifer glanced up apologetically, but he shrugged and smiled.

  “Teenagers?” he queried, and she laughed. When they entered the dining room, the smell of food hit him along with the roar of noises. Some of the women, presumably sisters, pulled him into quick hugs. He shook hands with numerous men, including Jennifer’s father.

  “Hank Wilkinson,” he greeted, holding out his hand. Laine shook it.

  “Laine.” He glanced at Jennifer, who looked momentarily alarmed. They hadn’t talked about the fact that he didn’t have a last name. Dragons did not need them. “Laine Hudson.” He improvised. He supposed if he had to choose a surname, it would be in remembrance of his favorite home.

  “Where have you been, chica?” Jennifer’s mother Rosie demanded. “We haven’t seen you for days. You’re looking too thin!” Laine wanted to argue that he thought her curves were just right, but he figured that was not the way to score points with his…girlfriend? He liked his girlfriend’s curves just the way they were. But he couldn’t very well tell Rosie Wilkinson that. He lowered his eyes to the Shepherd’s pie on his plate. His mouth watered. It was one of his favorites. Back in the old days, it used to be potatoes, corn and ground up sheep meat. Here in America they used ground beef, but as a dragon, meat was meat. He wasn’t impartial.

  “Mama, it’s finals. You know that.”

  “Si, but you haven’t answered Juanita’s texts! Your sister is getting married in six months and you need to be there to for the planning!”

  “Yes, Mama, but she can wait one week for me to finish finals before she starts dragging me to bridal shops and forcing me into dresses with too much taffeta.” Laine wondered what taffeta was. It sounded like something edible.

  “You will be busy in one week with your rallies, and then another week will go by, and another.” Her Mom was smiling as she dished out helpings of Shepherd's pie. Laine imagined this must be a custom between mother and daughter, to air all their grievances from the get go. Jennifer was grinning behind her glass of water too, so Laine wasn’t worried her feelings were being hurt. It was obvious when her Mom’s attention turned to her sisters and started asking why they couldn’t be more like Jennifer that her maternal pride shone through. She was proud of her daughter’s accomplishments, despite her aptitude to criticize.

  Gigi, Jennifer’s grandmother, looked over the rim of her glasses at Laine, frowned, and said, “Rosie, who is this one? He has not been here before.” All eyes turned to Laine and he found himself feeling like this must be what Jennifer had felt when she met his brothers.

  “No, Gigi. He has not come before. I have not brought a man home before.” Jennifer answered her grandmother.

  “It’s about time someone make an honest woman out of you!” the old woman chastised.

  “Gigi! I don’t need a man to make me honest!”

  “If that isn’t the truth.” Hank responded. “Girl, you speak your mind louder and clearer than even your mother,” he commented, earning a smack on the arm with a potholder.

  “What do you do, son?” Hank changed his tune, putting on a gruffer demeanor.

  “Laine is in private security, Dad.” When she said private security, the whole family oohed together. This was obviously a respectable vocation, because all eyes turned to Gigi. She nodded.

  “That’s good. That’s real good. Got you a man who can protect you. The streets and those kids today…” the old woman trailed off. Jennifer groaned and was going to argue she didn’t need protection, but Rosie pointed the Shepard’s pie spoon at her, daring her to argue with her grandmother.

  The rest of the night went on through the apple pie and vanilla ice cream dessert in pretty much the same manner. Laine felt more relaxed the more the family included him in conversation, and there were very few times when Jennifer needed to save him from making a modern cultural faux pas. He was even stuffed to the point of bursting by the time they were done. Rosie had just kept feeding him, and trying to feed her daughter, but Jennifer had twenty-two years of experience in passing off the extra helpings deftly to her brothers when her Mom wasn’t looking. Laine sat back in his chair and put his arm around the back of hers and grinned, taking it all in. They reminded him of his family. He ached for them. He wished he had more time after delivering the news of their beloved home. Especially when he saw Corey’s reaction. It had hit him the hardest.

  “You ok?” Jennifer nudged him gently.

  “Yeah, I was just thinking about Corey.”

  “Who is Corey?” Carlos asked. He was a sneaky one. His questions were carefully crafted to trip Laine up that evening, and reveal something nefarious about himself. But Laine had many more years of practice hiding his secrets.

  “Corey is one of my brothers,” he responded politely. He could respect a brother who was just looking out for his sister.

  “How many siblings do you have?”

  “Four.”

  “All brothers?”

  “Yes.”

  “What are their names?”

  “Carlos!” Jennifer said sharply, but he ignored her. Her family was quiet as they listened to the interrogation.

  “Drake. He’s a professor at NYU. Ari works with me in the private sector, and Ry. He’s in training. And Corey. He’s one of the best chef’s in town. He’s a bit of a homebody though, so he mostly cooks for us.” He could feel the tension and anger rolling off Jennifer.

  “What’s the matter with Corey?” he asked. Jennifer stiffened beside him.

  “We received some bad news tonight. Our family home burnt down and he is upset.”

  “Understandably so.” Rosie gave Carlos a warning look, which he ignored.

  “What about your parents?”

  “My parents are deceased.” It was the truth. He found the less he filled in with lies, the easier it was to create his backstory for the boy.

  “How…” before Carlos could finish asking how they died, Jennifer jumped up.

  “That’s it! Carlos, you are being rude! Mom, tell him!”

  Rosie nodded and pointed a finger at him and he immediately shut up.

  “That’s enough, Carlos.” Hank backed up his wife.

  “We are leaving.” Jennifer pushed her chair back and Laine wanted to reassure her that it was okay, but the warning in her eyes told him not to challenge her. “Thank you for having us for dinner, Mom. It was good to see you too Dad.” She rounded the table and gave out hugs and kisses. When she got to Carlos, the hug was stiff, but she gave it nonetheless. It was good she was capable of forgiveness, maybe she would someday forgive him for the danger he had put her in by revealing himself to her. Rosie came around the table and gave him a hug too. She smelled like flowers and baking cocoa. He wondered what she had made that had chocolate in it.

  “Your food was delicious Mrs. Wilkinson. I think you would give our Corey a run for hi
s money.” She preened at the compliment and whispered to Jennifer that she better bring him back around. It was in Spanish, and Jennifer answered in English.

  “Mom, it is rude to not speak English when my guest…”

  “I understood what she said, Jennifer. I would love to come back if she will have me again,” he said. Jennifer’s jaw dropped and the whole table had a good chuckle.

  “One more question and I promise we are done…” Hank began.

  “Dad!” Jennifer glared.

  “Yankees, or Red Sox?” The whole room fell silent and he was certain this was the question that was the most important of the whole night.

  “Yankee’s, of course.” A collective sigh of relief went around the table and Hank clapped him on the back.

  “Well done, son. Well done.” A chorus of “you better bring him back, Jennifer” came from around the table as they were ushered out the door. Laine felt like he had just passed some sort of sacred test.

  “I’m so sorry!” was all Jennifer kept saying as they crossed the street to the car.

  “Why are you sorry?” he asked.

  When they got in the car, Jennifer turned to him, “my brother shouldn’t have done that. I told Mom to tell him not to. He doesn’t listen, it’s so frustrating.”

  “So, he takes after his big sister?” he teased, earning him a swat on the arm that was uncannily similar to Rosie’s. He laughed, and she started the car. They were halfway to the brownstone when the whole car shook and threatened to split apart.