“What he is doesn’t matter.”
I traced a finger under his lip, feeling the warmth and smoothness of his recently shaved skin. Light gilded him, and his beauty made my heart pound. That he wanted me seemed incredible. Power streamed off him and the strength of it was almost intoxicating. “I want both of you.”
A wicked smile cut his mouth, and he nipped at my teasing finger. “You have us.”
But his next kiss stung, a sharp burn across my lips, and he jerked back. The beginning of a perception film shimmered between us, and heavy disappointment dropped sourness in my gut. Kaden eased his hands free of my skin, and I slid down until my bare feet sank into the carpet.
He stepped back. The film strengthened, forming a curved band of opaque light at his eye level. Kaden straightened his tie and smoothed down his hair. I waved at his mouth, and he rubbed quick fingers over his lips, removing the stain of lipstick. His shadow shrank back until his mythoi formed a dark glaze around his body. His chin lifted. “ Rhodes.”
“Take your time, Rhodes.” The voice of a young man rang sharply from the device. The gryphon in me recognised an undercurrent of power…and from his tone, some youngster who thought he could lord it over Kaden. A dragon, perhaps? “What? Were you asleep? Drunk? You haven’t lost her, have you? You’re asked to do-”
“Can I confirm the arrival of the fleet car, Lord Theron?” Kaden’s smooth and deferential voice eased over the rattlings of the boy on the film. “Lord Sinon has stressed the importance of Jaime Dalton’s punctuality.”
For a blissful few seconds there was silence. I pushed my skirt back into place and bent to pick up my top. I could imagine the impotent fury gripping Theron.
“Scheduled arrival time, twenty minutes.”
“And how can I help you, Lord Theron?”
“Don’t you remember the schedule?” The sneer cut again through the young boy’s voice. “Twenty minutes means the car is early. The North American Dragon Lord Teuthras is disputing our claim to the nain energy source. Lord Sinon wants her tested and out with the rest of the gryphons already scouring the bay. Think you can remember all that?”
“Understood. Thank you, Lord Theron.”
Kaden’s face appeared neutral, pleasantly accepting, a mask that I could see through, but one with which the boy couldn’t argue. With a growl, Theron cut the connection, and the film flickered and vanished.
Kaden scrubbed a hand over his face. “Shit.”
“We’ve run out of time?”
A low laugh escaped him. “Yes, we have.” He moved towards me and his hands cupped my face, his thumb stroking under the line of my lip. His gaze focused on my mouth, and I burned for him to kiss me again, to spend the last twenty minutes we had finding ecstasy. I sighed at the first brush of his warm lips over mine, but then he was stepping back and his shoulders lifted. “You need to pack.”
I licked at my lip, tasting him, and my breath hitched. Pain tightened in my chest. “Yes. Packing.”
I moved on automatic, yanking my case from one of the cupboards and flopping it onto the sheet-rumpled bed. My official summons with the First Dragon’s seal gleaming in gold leaf over the heavy paper stated I could bring only one case to my new life. He would feed and clothe me. So…my case held trinkets, memories of my life. I stroked the black cube that held all my photographs, the vids of my life with my father.
“Here.” Kaden dumped a pile of clothes on the bed beside the case, breaking into my thoughts. “I think I have everything. Though there are papers on the table.”
Habit made me fold clothes before I packed them in and around my possessions. Kaden helped, though I did snatch my underwear from his teasing fingers. He lifted an eyebrow as I stuffed the panties into a side pocket.
“What, I can’t play with these?”
He’d found a bra, one of the desperately dull and practical ones, not the lacy fluff I would’ve preferred him to lift up to the morning light. I groaned and tried to grab it back. Kaden stretched his arm up, dangling the bra just above my reach.
“Not funny.”
His grin was wicked and it caught my breath, spiked my pulse…but then it faded. He dropped the bra into the case. I wanted to run, hide. This was not what we’d agreed. We did sex. End of story. And I couldn’t risk more, however much I wanted to. The attitude of the young dragon, Theron, showed the danger I’d place Kaden in. And I would not allow anything to happen to him because of me.
His hand cupped my jaw, and my fingers trembled as they stroked over his skin. I held his amber gaze, sinking into its warmth, the promise there. Damn him. Dealing with his mask of anger had been easier.
“What is this, Kaden?” I’d said the words out loud, when I hadn’t wanted to. I didn’t want to delve deeper into the emotions churning my gut. I’d accepted lust. Lust was safe. Lust faded with time, with separation. I could live with it. I wanted to live with it. Not…this.
“It’s not what I expected.” His soft words tightened my throat. “You’re not…” He bit back on saying anything more. “And I should stop right there, shouldn’t I?”
I gripped his hand and pulled it away from my cheek. Squeezing his fingers, I gave him a short smile. It felt strained and drove a sharp pain into my chest. Not admitting there could be anything more was the best way forward. The only sane and safe thing to do. “Yes, we both should.”
He eased his fingers free from mine and looked to the case. “Is that everything?”
“My makeup.” I grabbed the bag, catching my reflection. No lipstick remained on my lips, but they looked reddened, swollen. A wry smile twitched, and I turned back to the case. Tossing the bag on top of the folded clothes, I then pulled the lid down and snapped the locks. Yes, not admitting that our…this…was spiralling out of control was the right thing to do. My fingers curled away from the locks and dug nails into the soft flesh of my palms. I had to go on telling myself that.
Kaden took the handle and lifted the case without effort.
I murmured my thanks, belatedly yanking my jacket from the wardrobe. Oh, and my boots, zipping up the smooth leather with shaking fingers. I winced. My brain suddenly couldn’t focus. My assignment to the First Dragon, his owning of me, had become all too real. That was what had my mind blown. Not Kaden. Not him at all.
Still stamping into my boots, I made my way into the sitting room. White sheets littered the middle of the table, and I shuffled them together, the summons glittering on the top. I traced the emblem, the gold leaf cool to the touch. Closing my eyes, I began to fold them over and over before shoving the mass of thick paper into my jacket pocket. “Ready to go.”
Kaden waved me to the door. “We should go straight up.”
I nodded, and a leaden weight sank into my stomach. I took one last glance around the room, the luxury, the clean-lined beauty, and saw Kaden imprinted on its every surface. A slow sigh escaped me. My fling was a monumental mistake, just as Kaden had said. And now I had to make small talk with the man I wanted to strip naked.
“Did you have a room here?”
“When I found out that you were here, I requisitioned one, yes.”
I looked at him. “Explains the suit.”
The door shut behind us, and I headed down the wide corridor to the steel-fronted lifts. It pinged as I approached, and the doors slid open. The soft scents of carpet and polish brought back searing images of standing there the night before, of wanting to devour him. I sucked in a breath and stepped inside. Kaden followed me, and the doors closed with a soft hiss.