Jared woke to find Ally lying across his chest. She was snoring softly, and he felt his lips twitch as he looked down at her, brushing the hair from her face. They had fallen asleep shortly after the second round. He should have been spent after taking her standing up but instead he was still hard, and he couldn’t bring himself to pull out of her.

She rode him like a beautiful dancer, twirling her hips, contracting her muscles around him and when she reached up to cup her big beautiful breasts, he almost came like some young teenager. A glance out the window let him know the sun had recently set. Jared rolled to his side and untangled himself from her so he could get up and make them some food. It had been hours since they’d eaten and if they fully planned on enjoying their time together she would need to eat to keep her strength up.

Slipping on a pair of pants he walked into the kitchen to see what he had. The quickest thing would be breakfast but he figured they could do that in bed tomorrow. He liked the idea of feeding her in bed, so he set about making her something light.

After a look in the fridge proved he needed to leave for a bit tomorrow to buy some groceries, he settled on french dip sandwiches with french fries. Tomorrow morning, he could make her breakfast but would need to go out and buy groceries for the rest of the weekend.

The fries almost done, Jared put the sandwiches in the oven to toast the bread and melt the cheese when he heard Ally coming from the bedroom. She was wearing nothing but his shirt and he thought she looked adorable.

“I thought you might be hungry,” he said as he pulled her in for a kiss.

She wrapped her arms around his neck, loosely holding him as his hand slid down her back to cup her firm ass. “I am,” she admitted before giving him a flirty grin. When he squeezed her ass, she giggled. “Food first.”

With a light smack of her ass he took a step back causing her to release him so he could check on the food. “Your wish is my command, Princess.”

The food done, he pulled everything out of the oven. The au jus sauce ready, he poured it into small dipping bowls and made them both plates. Jared put everything on a tray and motioned for her to follow him. He led her through the bedroom and out onto the patio. Outside his bedroom was a private patio that he had been building. To date, he had set up a fire pit that was surrounded by a few chairs, and a small side table.

It would be cooling down quickly and, with the sun having already set, he decided to flick on the gas fire pit. He had placed the gas one near his bedroom for those nights he just wanted to sit and look at the stars and stay warm. This part of the patio was meant to be a private oasis for him and his future mate when he had designed it. He looked to Ally to see what she thought.

“It’s beautiful out here,” Ally said as she took the seat next to his.

Jared felt his chest puff a bit with pride. As they sat eating their sandwiches he watched her out of the corner of his eye. She had tucked one leg under her and was eating quietly as she looked around.

“There is still a lot to do on the house and yard but this is one of my favorite spots,” Jared said as he looked out at his backyard.

Ally nodded while she ate one of her fries. “The view is amazing and the fire pit is the perfect size to keep you nice and warm when it gets cold in the winter.”

A glance at her plate showed him she was almost done so he reached out, took her hand, and pulled her onto his lap. She went willingly, and he positioned her so she could continue to eat the few fries left while he held her. “Tell me something about your life before you became immortal. Your sister told me you were engaged before the Romans attacked. Did he help you? Did you go to him after?”

Jared watched as she thought about it. From the look on her face she debated not answering his question. He waited patiently for her to decide what she wanted. Curious about why, when Aithne told him a little about their human life, she never mentioned them after the Romans attacked.

“It wasn’t uncommon for a girl to be promised at a young age. I was ten when my father and his drew up the contracts. My father had no sons so, when he passed, my mother took over the clan but the land was to be divided up between us equally. I was young, and he was so charming. When the Romans started threatening us I just knew he’d come help us. I rode all day to his keep convinced he would step up and save us.”

Jared listened intently as his hand slid to her lower back. Ally’s voice had changed a bit and he slowly began to massage her back waiting for her to continue. She gave a short laugh before shaking her head. “I thought he loved me. That he’d jump at the chance of being the one to save me and be my hero. He laughed and told me he would but only under certain conditions. First, he wanted to be declared chieftain of our people. Second, he wanted an heir to seal his place, which of course I was fine with. I knew the importance of an heir, but then he told me how his mistress might be expecting and if she gave birth to a son, I was to raise it as my own.”

Jared felt his jaw harden but he kept his mouth shut, afraid of what he might say as she opened to him. He noticed how she spoke quietly and carefully. He would guess she’d never told anyone this before. She kept her head down and watched as she played with her shirt. He opened his mouth to say something comforting when she spoke again. “I probably could’ve agreed but he mentioned wanting to keep Aithne close and he would be in charge of watching over her care. Something about how he said it. I –– I could have endured anything, but I would never let anyone touch my baby sister. When I refused, he laughed and told me I’d be back after the soldiers had their way with me and then it would be too late. He wouldn’t raise a Roman bastard, and if I begged he would only let us stay for a price.”

Ally shuddered in his arms and he stroked his hand up and down her arm, thinking that explained a lot about her behavior. She didn’t say anything else for a long moment and he gently put his finger under her chin to make her look up at him. “I bet if your father knew what kind of man he was, he never would’ve promised his daughter to a man who was weaker than you.”

Jared watched as a lovely blush spread across her cheek and she bit her lower lip. He could see the uncertainty in her eyes. Jared knew that he would need to win her trust. He knew the scars of betrayal ran deep and that he would need to be patient to overcome them. When he felt her shiver in his arms he realized that she was starting to get cold. Careful not to drop her, he stood up. “You’re cold, let’s warm you back up under the blankets.”

Jared let Ally open the French doors that led to the bedroom. Once inside he gently placed her in the middle of the bed, tucking her in before going outside to get the dishes. Putting everything on the tray he brought it inside and closed the door. As he walked through the room he saw her yawn.

He wasn’t a neat freak and knew the dirty dishes would keep. Jared was eager to hold her. When he got back to the room he smiled to himself when he saw she had already fallen asleep. He carefully crawled under the blanket and pulled her close. She easily went into his arms and Jared brushed her hair back from her face and stroked her back. She breathed softly as her body snuggled closer to his. Jared could hear his dragon sigh happily as he, too, drifted off to sleep.