one look at Brycen and knew he couldn’t be the one to do it. “Go. Go to your mate, Brycen. The other men will take over and deal with all this.”
He looked at her, then at his clan. “Yell if you need me,” he said before he turned and jogged back toward Stella.
Fitz hesitated, then followed. “I have something that will help your mate if you trust me to use it,” she heard him saying as he took off after Brycen.
Jace shuddered next to her. She should have asked Fitz what to do. Before she could call out to him, another tremor shook her mate. With a growling groan, he began the slowest, most painful shift she’d ever seen in a dragon. By the time he was done, his hair was plastered to his forehead with sweat and his whole body shook.
She didn’t even have to ask. Mateo, the last to return home, and most intimidating of the men she’d met, scooped him off the ground and carried him inside.
SIXTEEN
Three days. That’s how long Jace had been holed up in the great room, and he was going nuts. Charlotte kept him company, which he loved, except she wouldn’t let him touch her, and his dragon was raking at him to get to her. “I’m feeling fine, love,” he told her for the umpteenth time.
“Good,” she said as she smiled at him.
“Maybe we can move up to our room today,” he suggested for the second day in a row.
“Maybe.”
“Now we’re talking,” he said before she could argue. He made a move to stand.
“Not so fast,” she chided. “I’ll get Mateo—”
He growled at her, snapping his teeth in her direction in a playful way, hoping to draw her dragon out a little. “Don’t you dare. I will not be carried around like a child when I can walk perfectly fine on my own,” he told her. It was one thing to be carried while unconscious, and even acceptable to have help when his muscles refused to work for the first day, but he was healed now. Besides, what he had planned certainly didn’t involve Mateo, or any of their other clan mates either.
“I know that look in your eye, mate. Don’t think you can fool me with that sweet smile,” she said even as she took a step forward.
Had he been smiling? He hadn’t even noticed. “Fine, I’ll behave. Why don’t you come over and snuggle with me then if you won’t let me do anything else?” He’d used the same excuse to get her closer on numerous occasions in the past thirty-six hours, and she’d come without hesitation. The first time she had, he’d held her close, and in seconds, she’d burst into tears. The sounds of her crying had nearly torn his soul in two, but he held her as she’d let the pain, and her fear go.
Each time after that, he’d gotten bolder, touching her, kissing her, but always, she put a halt to it before he could satisfy either of them or their dragons. He wasn’t letting her call the shots this time.
When she came within reach, he bolted to his feet and pulled her to his chest. He crushed her lips with his, tasting her as though for the first time all over. She stiffened in his arms, and tried to pull away, but he held tight, delving into her mouth. His tongue stroked hers, and she moaned.
Pulling his lips from hers, he nipped her chin, and down her neck to the spot he’d bitten, and nipped her there, too. She gasped and arched her back. He rained small kisses up to her ear, his hands reaching for the snap of her jeans as he did. “I need you so much, Charlotte,” he whispered into her ear before he stroked his tongue around the shell. “Right now.”
When she tilted her head for more, he slid her jeans down past her hips, taking her panties along with them.
Charlotte grasped the front of his shirt and pulled, sending buttons flying all around them, before whipping her own up and off. Her light blue bra, as lovely as it was, had to go. He reached behind and undid the clasp, not waiting for it to be all the way down her arms before he sucked a nipple into his mouth. Afraid she might change her mind, he
He looked at her, then at his clan. “Yell if you need me,” he said before he turned and jogged back toward Stella.
Fitz hesitated, then followed. “I have something that will help your mate if you trust me to use it,” she heard him saying as he took off after Brycen.
Jace shuddered next to her. She should have asked Fitz what to do. Before she could call out to him, another tremor shook her mate. With a growling groan, he began the slowest, most painful shift she’d ever seen in a dragon. By the time he was done, his hair was plastered to his forehead with sweat and his whole body shook.
She didn’t even have to ask. Mateo, the last to return home, and most intimidating of the men she’d met, scooped him off the ground and carried him inside.
SIXTEEN
Three days. That’s how long Jace had been holed up in the great room, and he was going nuts. Charlotte kept him company, which he loved, except she wouldn’t let him touch her, and his dragon was raking at him to get to her. “I’m feeling fine, love,” he told her for the umpteenth time.
“Good,” she said as she smiled at him.
“Maybe we can move up to our room today,” he suggested for the second day in a row.
“Maybe.”
“Now we’re talking,” he said before she could argue. He made a move to stand.
“Not so fast,” she chided. “I’ll get Mateo—”
He growled at her, snapping his teeth in her direction in a playful way, hoping to draw her dragon out a little. “Don’t you dare. I will not be carried around like a child when I can walk perfectly fine on my own,” he told her. It was one thing to be carried while unconscious, and even acceptable to have help when his muscles refused to work for the first day, but he was healed now. Besides, what he had planned certainly didn’t involve Mateo, or any of their other clan mates either.
“I know that look in your eye, mate. Don’t think you can fool me with that sweet smile,” she said even as she took a step forward.
Had he been smiling? He hadn’t even noticed. “Fine, I’ll behave. Why don’t you come over and snuggle with me then if you won’t let me do anything else?” He’d used the same excuse to get her closer on numerous occasions in the past thirty-six hours, and she’d come without hesitation. The first time she had, he’d held her close, and in seconds, she’d burst into tears. The sounds of her crying had nearly torn his soul in two, but he held her as she’d let the pain, and her fear go.
Each time after that, he’d gotten bolder, touching her, kissing her, but always, she put a halt to it before he could satisfy either of them or their dragons. He wasn’t letting her call the shots this time.
When she came within reach, he bolted to his feet and pulled her to his chest. He crushed her lips with his, tasting her as though for the first time all over. She stiffened in his arms, and tried to pull away, but he held tight, delving into her mouth. His tongue stroked hers, and she moaned.
Pulling his lips from hers, he nipped her chin, and down her neck to the spot he’d bitten, and nipped her there, too. She gasped and arched her back. He rained small kisses up to her ear, his hands reaching for the snap of her jeans as he did. “I need you so much, Charlotte,” he whispered into her ear before he stroked his tongue around the shell. “Right now.”
When she tilted her head for more, he slid her jeans down past her hips, taking her panties along with them.
Charlotte grasped the front of his shirt and pulled, sending buttons flying all around them, before whipping her own up and off. Her light blue bra, as lovely as it was, had to go. He reached behind and undid the clasp, not waiting for it to be all the way down her arms before he sucked a nipple into his mouth. Afraid she might change her mind, he
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