Chromium Dragon Page 14

  He was very aware of the tension building inside, the exquisitely hot friction between them that grew greater with every touch.

  But he was more aware of their connection. The way she felt totally at one with him. The way he felt that she was safe here, contained within his sphere of protection, focused on him alone as he focused solely on her. As they joined and kissed and pleased and loved and just acted like the rest of the world didn’t exist.

  Yes, these quiet, heated moments were his favorite.

  Of course, there were other favorite moments now that he was enjoying his life with her.

  Like being at the mansion with his friends and enjoying the hot tub there while talking about Drakkaris. Or helping redecorate the restaurant and pick appliances to replace those damaged in the fire. Or hanging out with her work friends, keeping them updated on how things were going.

  And then today when they would go down and work in the restaurant together for the first time since the fire.

  He felt her hand on his waist, stroking him, and looked up at her. “Hm?”

  “Where did you go? You’re distracted.”

  She looked slightly disappointed, so he hooked his hands on her hips and thrust upward, getting her moving again.

  “I was just thinking about the restaurant and how wonderful the past few weeks have been with you and how many things I like to do with you and how I get to do them now forever…”

  She laughed, getting into a comfortable rhythm again. “I get it. I’m excited, too.”

  The pressure was building more rapidly this time, and he supposed he would go with her soon. Which would probably be fine with her because she’d come so many times as to be utterly exhausted.

  Just how he liked her.

  After a good breakfast (fixed by him of course), she’d be good as new.

  He kept his hands on her soft hips and just enjoyed her movements, focusing on the luxurious feel of her soft, wet heat and how it seemed to fit him completely perfectly. The softness of her curvy thighs straddling him, the pleasant movement of her perfect breasts and her gorgeous hair.

  The way her eyes were starting to become unfocused, glazed, as she got closer to her pleasure. The way her hands were tightening and she was leaning harder on him, her body going slightly rigid.

  The panting of her breath.

  The way she looked into his eyes like he was everything.

  The way he felt he could explode at any moment but knew he could hold on, for her.

  “Oh God, Chromium. I’m coming.” And then her sex clenched around him, her entire body jerking, and the euphoria of it sent him rushing over the edge with her, unable to hold back any longer.

  He gasped as release burst through him in ecstatic waves, and he couldn’t help sitting up slightly and pulling her against him, holding her close as he felt their bodies come together, hip to hip, stomach to stomach, heart to heart.

  The rhythm of their release seemed to be perfectly synchronized, and he could tell as she called his name desperately, she felt everything he was feeling.

  “Helen, I love you. So much. To the moon and back.”

  She simply held on to him, her nails digging in tight. He didn’t mind, though. It was the greatest compliment in the world, and she could hold on to him whenever she wanted, for whatever reason.

  That’s what he was there for.

  His reason for existing.

  As their orgasms subsided, she slowly sat up, pushing hair off her forehead, glowing from release and good, honest sweat.

  Chromium thought she’d never looked more beautiful. Then again, he thought that every day.

  He brushed her hair back and cupped her face, loving how her plump, soft cheek rested right in his huge palm and how she turned to nuzzle against it. “You’re amazing, sweetheart. Should we go shower?”

  She laughed and bit her lip nervously. “I don’t know if I can even stand.”

  He stood up, sweeping her into his arms. “I can carry you. That’s what I’m here for.” He headed for the bathroom. “Now let’s go and get cleaned up. You deserve to have a good first day back in your restaurant.”

  She buried her head against him as he walked. “How did I get so lucky?”

  “I’m the lucky one, Helen.”

  “Oh yeah? Why’s that?”

  “I got you.”

  And with that he turned on the water, already excited to support his mate through the rest of the day as they returned to the place that was the start of their love.

  It was a busy reopening of the restaurant, and Chromium smiled at the amount of support that had turned up for Helen.

  It was clear that the little neighborhood had missed their lasagna, as that was the top thing that was ordered tonight.

  He was glad his friends hadn’t let the fire spread much, as the repairs had been fairly quick and painless and one would never know the place had ever been on fire just by looking at it.

  Though, he could still remember those moments of terror when he’d seen smoke coming out and known Helen was inside with a madman.

  He was still grateful for the mystery man who’d given him a warning and wondered if he’d ever see him again.

  Chromium knew he couldn’t have left Helen either way, but he still appreciated the heads-up he’d been given.

  He finished prepping the toppings for the house salad and turned to Mario. “Are you okay here if I go check on Helen?”

  “Go see your fiancée,” Mario said, smiling indulgently. The big man had a huge soft spot and already felt like a part of Chromium’s family.

  “Thanks.” Chromium removed his apron and headed out into the dining room, searching for his mate. He knew it was needy, but every few hours, he needed to check on her. Or was it every few minutes? Who knew?

  All he knew was that sometimes he needed to see her, to reassure the dragon inside himself that she was fine, happy, safe.

  His eyes locked onto her in a corner, serving a table with a lone guy seated there.

  He couldn’t see the guy’s face because Helen was blocking him, but he could hear the guy’s voice as he walked closer.

  And there was something oddly familiar about it. Something that tickled the back of his mind.

  “Helen?” Chromium put an arm around his mate when he reached her and pulled her in against him. “You need anything?”

  The customer at the table looked up at Chromium, and he was surprised to look into the eyes of Nathan Whatshisname, the rich guy from before.

  Chromium narrowed his eyes, more out of habit than anything else, since this guy had asked Helen on a date. “What are you doing here?”

  Helen gave him a playful shove. “Chromium, don’t be rude.”

  “The lasagna,” Nathan said calmly, sitting back and folding his arms. “I came for the lasagna.”

  “I was just finishing up his ticket and about to cash him out,” Helen said. “He’s allowed to be a customer, like anyone.”

  Nathan finished signing something on a slip of paper that he tucked back in a black folder. Chromium never worked the front of the house, so he wasn’t sure how things worked out here, but he assumed Nathan was paying.

  “I just wanted to make sure the place was okay,” Nathan said quietly, not making eye contact with either of them. “I heard there was a fire.” He looked up at them. “I assume no one was hurt?”

  “No one was hurt,” she said. “Chromium was there.”

  “That’s good.” Nathan gave them a mild smile. “Was anyone in danger?”

  What kind of question was that? “No.”

  “Um, I was, but Chromium was there,” Helen said kindly. “I’m lucky to have him.”

  Nathan looked between them. “You’re lucky to have each other. It doesn’t always work so well for our type.”

  Helen’s eyes widened, and she looked between him and Chromium. “What type?”

  Nathan shook his head and chuckled as if amused by an inside joke, and Chromium just stared at him, baffl
ed. There was something about this man that set him on edge. Something that reminded him of something, that made his skin tingle.

  But he couldn’t put a finger on it, and perhaps it didn’t matter.

  “Anyway.” Nathan put out a hand, and Chromium shook it reluctantly. “It was nice to meet you both, and I wish you the best of luck here. I just wanted to make sure things were okay, and I won’t be back.”

  “What?” Helen asked, aghast. “Did we do something wrong?”

  He shook his head and picked up his takeout container. “I got what I came for.” Then, with a nod at them both, he headed out the door, his silver-blue suit glinting in the sun, contrasting with his dark hair.

  “Well, I guess Nathan Lancaster has a lot to do other than go to restaurants like mine. Nice of him to check in, though.”

  She started clearing the table, and Chromium helped her, still watching Nathan, who was standing outside on the sidewalk. To Chromium’s shock, he turned and dumped his takeout container in a nearby garbage can.

  He’d thrown out Helen’s lasagna! What kind of monster was he?

  But then he took out a small white notepad of some kind and a pen and marked something down on it, looking thoughtful. Then he tucked it away and strolled down the street and out of sight.

  What a weirdo.

  But then that weirdo’s words came floating through Chromium’s head, bringing recognition.

  I got what I came for.

  He ran for the door, jerking it open and running out onto the sidewalk to see if he could find where Nathan had gone, but there was no sign of the mysterious man.

  He was the one who’d warned Chromium the night of the fire. Chromium was sure of it.

  And he was gone.

  Chromium folded his arms, unsure if he was just imagining it, as Helen came up beside him and grabbed him by the arm.

  “You rushed out of there. Are you okay?”

  Chromium stared impotently at the empty street, then put an arm around his mate, pulling her close. “I’m fine.”

  Whatever Nathan was, he was gone now, and Chromium probably wouldn’t see him again. Which was fine with him, though he would like to thank him.

  But if Nathan wanted to be left alone. If he wanted it to be over, that was fine with Chromium.

  He was just happy to return to focusing on his mate and ensuring her happiness until the end of time.

  Uncaring that anyone in the restaurant was watching, he gathered Helen’s face in his hands and leaned down to kiss her deeply, feeling that cosmic sense of home as he did.

  There were a million mysteries in the universe, but all Chromium cared about was this little, warm corner of space he could share with his mate. She was his universe now.

  I hope you enjoyed Chromium and Helen’s story. If you enjoyed it, I hope you’ll give it a review to help other readers find it.

  Thanks again so much for your support! I always know I have the best readers.

  Sincerely,

  Terry

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  “Can I get the next round for you?”

  Liam Steel looked with odd curiosity at the sound of a woman’s voice as she took the stool next to him at the bar.

  All around him, noises of glasses clinking and people talking created a dull roar that filled the room. Behind him, his two crew mates, Magnus and Titus, practically filled the booth they sat in.

  Titus was ignoring furtive glances from a group of women at a nearby table and Magnus was busy disassembling his smartphone for the umpteenth time.

  Liam took in the scent of the woman as she scooted ever-so-closer, just enough for her body to graze his. But as attractive as she probably was, with long, straight hair and full, red lips, Liam didn’t feel much except slight annoyance.

  Undeterred by his response, or lack thereof, the woman put several bills on the bar in front of him.

  “I’ll have whatever he’s having. And get another for my friend here,” she said, her perky voice an odd contrast with the sounds of late-night drunkenness.

  Liam’s eyes narrowed slightly. A woman buying a man his drink? Ridiculous.

  What had the world come to since he and his crew had been frozen at the bottom of the sea?

  With a thump that shook the wood of the bar, Liam plopped his hand down on the money in front of them and pushed it back in front of the woman, who looked up in surprise. Even though he didn’t want to hear her thoughts, he could certainly feel disappointment coming from her at his not-so-subtle rejection.

  “Don’t bother. I’m not looking for company.”

  “Come on. Big, strong guy like you, sitting alone in a bar like this. Don’t tell me you just came here to drink,” she said, smiling through the dismissal as she put an arm around his and ran her hand appreciatively up his muscles.

  “That’s exactly why I came here,” Liam replied nonchalantly. The more she touched him, the more he was certain.

  This woman was not his mate.

  And after months of searching, he was becoming increasingly skeptical of the possibility he and his crew would indeed find their mates as hoped.

  When Liam didn’t respond to the woman’s pouty look, she got the hint and slid off the stool. But he couldn’t help but notice the one last, long glance she gave over her shoulder, accompanied by a sigh of apparent lust or longing, before she found a new seat by herself at the opposite end of the bar.

  That was mean, Liam could hear Magnus’s voice in his head, eager and inquisitive as always. Why not give her a chance?

  Unlike modern dragons, who could share thoughts for the most part only when they were together, Liam and his crew mates shared an almost inseparable mental connection that could span long distances.

  Why do you think? Liam replied.

  He’d learned pretty quickly that if you didn’t make your point strong and quick, women got ideas. And he wasn’t here to lead people on.

  He was here to find his mate.

  Just because she’s not your mate doesn’t mean you couldn’t have a little fun, Magnus replied.

  Oh really? Then why don’t you go talk to her or any other women instead of playing doctor on that damn phone of yours?

  Magnus’s silence said everything.

  He went back to fiddling with his phone, pale, light green-blue eyes focused, dark reddish-brown, shoulder-length hair tied back low with a few strands escaping around his face.

  Titus sat next to him, his wheat-blond hair trailing down is back in a long braid. His firm jaw was shaded with stubble, his expression somber as he stared down at his drink.

  No one was saying it, but his crew was losing hope.

  No one knew how long they’d been locked in ice before the oracle had found and revived them. But Liam knew for sure that neither time nor space had diminished their longing to find their fated companions.

  Do you actually think they’re out there? Titus’s deep voice resounded in Liam’s mind as icy blue eyes met his.

  Our mates? Liam replied.

  Yes. Our mates.

  Liam tried to think of a meaningful response. Something inspiring that would raise the spirits of his crew. But before he could, a disturbance at the bar broke his focus.

  “No,” said a familiar voice to his right.

  Liam turned to see the woman from earlier no longer by herself, a man standing next to her. His glazed eyes were drunk and mean, and the little blonde clearly didn’t want whatever he offered.

  “You asked that other guy out and he said no already. So I think you should give me a chance,” the drunken man said, speech slurred. His unkempt hair didn’t add to his appeal. The bartender brought up another r
ound for Liam, but he hardly even noticed; he was so focused.

  “No, because I’m not interested, you creep,” she said, waving the man away and turning back to ignore him.

  Captain? That was Titus, leaning forward, icy eyes narrowed. Despite his giant size, Titus was often the gentlest and keenly aware of things like this.

  Suddenly, the man grabbed the woman’s wrist and yanked it backward, pulling her to him.

  “Now look here, you little slut—”

  Liam didn’t even hear the rest of his words as he pushed off the bar and cleared the distance between himself and the woman in two steps.

  “Hey,” Liam said forcefully, loud enough to get the man’s attention, but hopefully not loud enough to make a scene.

  “What do you wa—” the man started to say, turning to face Liam, before being interrupted by Liam’s fist driving into his face like a hammer on steel.

  The man flew backward, ricocheting off the bar and into a pile of stools and splintered wood.

  Just because Liam wasn’t interested in the woman didn’t mean he was going to sit idly by while other men took liberties they had no right to take.

  Nice one, Captain, Magnus thought.

  But as Liam turned to go back to his drink, hopeful no one was paying attention, he saw a group of men get up from a nearby table and approach him, cracking their knuckles and rolling up shirt sleeves.

  Company. Shit, Liam thought.

  “Hey, he was just asking her out,” one man said, clearly a friend of the creep who had just been dished a deserved beat down.

  “He wasn’t hurting anybody,” another blurted out as they circled around Liam.

  Despite being various degrees of drunk and smelly, the men were all on the large side and certainly would have been an intimidating sight for any normal human. But dragons, especially the metal dragons, were made for fighting.

  This would be child’s play.

  Want a hand? Titus asked.

  What he really means is ‘can I come, too?’ Magnus clarified with a grin.