Cammie cleaned up after dinner, chatting with Shelby who was helping her, but her mind wasn’t on their conversation. She did a lot of thinking today, her mind bouncing from topic to topic, and she still only came to one conclusion. She needed to apologize to Alex. She wasn’t sure how yet, without getting into topics better left alone, but he deserved to hear an apology for her reaction earlier.

When the kitchen was clean, Shelby headed upstairs to get ready for bed, and Cammie blew out a breath as she searched Alex out. She finally found him on the deserted porch, his arms locked on the railing as he stared at the darkening sky.

“Alex? Can we talk?” she said softly.

Turning, he smiled at her, like he didn’t have a care in the world, but she could see the worry in his eyes he was trying to hide. “Of course.”

Inhaling deeply, she moved closer to him. “I owe you an apology. I flipped out on you, and you didn’t deserve—”

He put a finger gently on her lips, halting the speech she’d so carefully prepared. “Don’t apologize. I know you’re hiding from something, Cammie. You have secrets, and you thought I was here because of whatever those secrets are. Never apologize for trying to keep yourself safe. That’s what I want you to do.”

Her breathing stuttered, not only because of his touch, but because of the sincerity in his eyes and the truth in his voice. He wasn’t upset, or offended at her reaction to his use of her real name. She melted inside as her dragon gave a hum of approval in her chest.

Kissing the tip of his finger, she reached a hand up and gently tugged his down, keeping it in hers. “Thank you for that. I’m not sure I deserve it, but thank you. Just try not to use my real name, okay? No one knows what it is except Ian. And now you.”

Turning his hand over in hers, he intertwined their fingers. “I promise. I will never do or say anything that could put you in danger. You have my word on that.”

They locked gazes for a long moment, and she could feel the heat from his eyes searing her to her soul. Her resolve, already weak, unraveled further. And she wasn’t sure she could fight it any longer. Maybe she didn’t have to. Maybe it was time to live life on the other side of the what if coin. She was strong, and Alex was smart. Together, they made a great team, and it was possible they could outwit the dragons. Being with him didn’t have to mean doom, for either one of them. And she was tired of fighting what she was certain was a losing battle.

Her fingers tightened around his just before she surged upward, glimpsing surprise in his eyes as she kissed him. It didn’t take long for him to catch up, and soon, they were going at each other like they were starving. No hesitancy, no softness or gentleness in this kiss. Just warring mouths, dueling tongues, moans and groans filling the air around them as they licked and nipped.

Twining her arms around his neck, she leaned her body into his as he filled his palms with her butt, bringing her closer still. Fervor was racing through her body, but it wasn’t enough. She needed more. More of him around her, next to her—in her. Needed it more than she needed her next breath.

She pulled back, panting as she searched his eyes. Satisfied he felt the same as she did, she said, “We’re too out in the open here for what I want to do with you, Alex. Will you come inside with me?”

His eyes widened, and she held her breath, nervous for a moment he would refuse, but a slow grin curved the corners of his mouth. Leaning in, he placed a quick kiss behind her ear, making her shiver as he replied, “There’s nothing I want more.”

Smiling, she took his hand in hers again and led him into the house and up the stairs to her room. Luckily, they didn’t run into any of the guys. She wasn’t embarrassed or trying to hide what she and Alex were doing, but running into anyone else would only delay this, and she already felt like she’d been waiting for years for this moment.

Reaching her room, she opened the door and pulled him inside before shutting it, not bothering to turn on the light. The moonlight shining through the window was enough. They stared at each other for a moment, neither making a move, only basking in the anticipation. Then Alex reached down, grabbed the hem of his shirt, and pulled it over his head.

It was like the act of taking his shirt off was the starting flag for a race. They lunged for each other, and she squeaked when he grabbed her under her ass, lifting her up so she had to wrap her legs around him. He was already hard in his jeans, and she ground against him as he crushed his mouth to hers.

He walked them to her bed in three strides of his long legs, and let her slide down his body. Searching her eyes, he hesitated for a moment, as if asking if she really wanted this. With a smile, she pulled her shirt off, letting that be her answer. His breath left his body in an audible whoosh as he drank her in.

“You’re so damn gorgeous, Cammie,” he breathed before yanking her back into his arms.

She moaned at the feel of finally being skin to skin with him, and little currents of electricity were dancing over her as he leaned down and kissed his way down her neck. Stopping where her neck met her shoulder, he suckled softly as he reached behind her and popped her bra open. He pulled back and placed his fingers on the straps, slowly sliding them down her arms, his fingers leaving trails of fire in their wake. He gave a strangled groan when her bra slipped from her body and he saw her for the first time, and she flushed from the heat and the way his eyes glazed over as he looked at her.

Reaching out, she placed her fingers on his washboard abs, slowly sliding them up his pecs before reversing her course, her fingers drifting to the V on his hips she’d wanted to touch from the first time she saw it. Glancing up, she met his eyes as she undid the snap of his jeans, smiling as he sucked in a hissing breath.

Without warning, he grabbed her hands and pulled them away. She jerked her gaze to his face, finding him grinning wryly at her, strain evident around his eyes. “If you get any closer to the part of my body that’s yearning for you right now, this will be over before it begins. You first, darlin’.”

She gasped as he pushed her down on the bed, unable to help the breathless laugh that escaped her. She scooted up the bed, and he followed her, only pausing for a moment to slip her shoes off her feet. Crawling over her, he leaned down and kissed her passionately before sliding his lips down her throat. She felt one of his hands on the soft skin of her hip, and she arched her back as he slid it up her ribs.

Her skin felt like it was ablaze as he gently cupped one of her breasts in his hand. She looked down, wanting to see his hands on her, but felt an uncharacteristic flash of self-consciousness. She was small in all ways, including her chest, and though it never bothered her before, seeing his large hand swallowing her up made her feel uncertain. She fought not to stiffen as she began wondering if he liked what he saw, or if he thought she was too small, or—

“Stop,” he said gently. Her eyes raced up to meet his, and he smiled tenderly at her. “I can practically hear you worrying out loud. There is no part of you that isn’t perfect, Cammie. No part of you that isn’t breathtakingly gorgeous. Especially these,” he said as he gently squeezed.

Not giving her a chance to reply, he ducked his head down and sucked one of her nipples in his mouth. Cammie thrust her fingers in his hair, gripping the strands tightly as the suction from his mouth shot through her body. It was like there was a direct line open from her nipples to her core, and each pull of his mouth, each flick of his tongue, tugged that string. He kissed, licked, and nibbled until she didn’t think she could take any more, and then he let go, trailing his lips to her other breast, starting the process all over again.

One of his hands slowly slid down her ribs to the waistband of her shorts, and he popped the button open and pulled the zipper down. He leaned back and eased them off her body, taking a moment to drink her in in nothing but panties, and then he placed another scorching kiss on her lips before kissing and licking down her body.

Making his way slowly down, he paused when his mouth reached the edge of her panties and looked up at her. She squirmed, not only from how close he was to the part of her that was aching for him, but from the look in his eyes. The heat there alone was enough to incinerate her. It was going to be the end of her when he finally touched her, but she couldn’t think of a better way to go.

“Please, Alex.”

He traced the tip of his tongue along the edge of her panties. “Please what? What do you need from me?”

Moaning from the sensation of his warm breath against the most sensitive part of her body, it was all she could do not to come then and there. It wasn’t going to take much to push her over the edge.

“Touch me,” she breathed, unable to give her voice more substance.

“Thought you’d never ask,” he said huskily.

Dropping his eyes back down, he ran a finger straight up her center, and even with her panties as a barrier, it was almost too much for Cammie. She lifted her hips in encouragement, and he hooked his fingers in the waistband and slowly pulled them off. Tossing them over his shoulder, he turned back to look at her, and she could see the breath freezing in his chest.

Heat surged through her at the look in his eyes, and feeling powerful, she let her legs fall open, baring herself completely to him. A strangled curse left his mouth as he swiftly descended back down, and used his tongue to take the same trip his finger just had.

It was Cammie’s turn to let out a strangled moan as sensation shot through every part of her body. With no further hesitation, he plunged his tongue inside, swiftly homing in on the swollen bud that was yearning for his touch. Cammie plunged her fingers back into his hair, holding on tightly as she arched her back.

His tongue never rested, and the sensations were almost unbearable as he swirled, flicked, and suckled. She was making noises she never imagined she could make, her hips undulating as she chased the sensations.

Wrapping an arm around her waist, he held her hips still as he eased one finger, and then another, inside her. Slowly, then gaining speed, he plunged them in and out as his tongue became even more frantic.

Without warning, her body exploded, and her mouth opened on a silent scream as her orgasm pulsed through her. The intensity of it was on the verge of painful, and she kept her eyes shut, knowing her dragon was near the surface.

She came back down slowly, dragging air into her lungs in gulping breaths. The bed shifted, and she eased her eyes open, watching as Alex pulled off first his boots, then his jeans. The only light in the room was that of the moon, but with her shifter vision, she was able to see him clearly for a moment before he dropped back down on the bed with her.

And what she saw was enough to have her insides clenching, fresh heat washing over her. He was mouthwatering, all of him, including the part of him she needed inside her like she needed her next breath. He was long and thick, and had she been anyone else, his size might have intimidated her. But all she could think was how much she yearned to feel him inside her.

Settling between her legs, his dick nudged her center, and Cammie gasped as her hips automatically bucked up, wanting to feel him against her. He grabbed himself and rubbed himself through her folds, and she swore she saw a few stars when he bumped her sensitive clit.

Pausing, he eased down and placed a soft kiss on her lips. “Are you sure about this?” he asked in a voice tight with strain. “I’m not sure what this means for you, but it’s more than a one night stand for me. It feels important—”

Cammie lunged up and fused her mouth to his, trying to tell him without words this meant just as much to her. She arched her hips up, and he settled himself at her center. Not breaking the kiss, he began easing inside of her, going slowly, giving them both time to acclimate. When he was fully seated inside her, her body stretching to accommodate his size, the pleasure was overwhelming to the point of madness.

Easing back from the kiss, he locked eyes with her, slowly pulling almost all the way out before plunging back inside. Pleasure streaked through her nerve endings, and she felt it down to her toes. Alex gritted out a curse as he settled into his rhythm, slow out, hard and fast in. She wrapped her legs around his waist, her hips moving to meet his, and it wasn’t long before they were both losing control.

Their bodies were slapping together, and soon there was no rhythm left at all. They were animalistic in their pursuit of pleasure, and Cammie was quickly becoming overwhelmed. Unable to keep her eyes open from the intensity of the sensations coursing through her, she looked into his one more time, the gray of his gaze looking silvery in the moonlight. He changed the angle and she squeezed her eyes shut tightly as he hit a spot inside her that sent her splintering apart.

This orgasm was even more explosive than the first, and she gasped his name out as her body convulsed. Alex let out a strangled curse as his hips slammed into her one more time, and then he was coming with her, his dick pulsing as his warmth coated her insides.

They clung to each other, her arms and legs wrapped tightly around him, his face buried in her neck, as they fought for breath, slowly coming down from the heights they soared to. And even after she caught her breath, Cammie’s body was still tingling, little aftershocks dancing over her skin.

Alex raised his head and she reluctantly released her hold on him. He gave her a soft smile and a quick kiss before gently pulling out of her. As soon as he collapsed on the bed beside her, she curled her body into his, resting her head on his chest, needing to keep touching him. She trailed her fingers over his abs, listening to his strong heartbeat beneath her ear.

In a million years, she couldn’t have imagined the impact making love with him would have on her. Not only her body, but in her soul as well. She felt bone-deep contentment, and her dragon was shiny with happiness.

None of her worries or problems had miraculously disappeared. If anything, they were magnified, because being with Alex like this just drove home how much she stood to lose if something happened to him. But she was tired of always hiding, always keeping parts of herself separate from everyone she met. She wanted to live, and what she’d been doing up until she met him wasn’t living at all.

“That was incredible,” Alex said softly, interrupting her thoughts. “And I don’t want to push my luck, but… what changed? I got the impression you wanted nothing to do with this, with being with me.”

Rubbing her cheek against his pec, she exhaled softly. “It’s not that I didn’t want you. I think I’ve wanted you from the moment I saw you. I just didn’t think it was a good idea for us to become involved like this.”

“So why did you change your mind?” he asked, trailing his fingers up and down her arm.

She lifted her head, looking into his eyes and willing him to see the truth in hers. “I’m still not sure it’s the best idea, Alex. There’s still so much you don’t know about me and my life. If you choose to stay with me and continue this, you could be in danger. I warned you about that, but it didn’t stop you. You still wanted me. And I’m tired of living my life in what ifs. Tired of running from something we both clearly want.”

He searched her eyes, a smile spreading slowly across his face. “I’m so happy you finally stopped running from me,” he said, giving her a lingering kiss. Pulling back, he gazed at her with a serious expression. “I don’t know what has you living your life looking over your shoulder, and you don’t have to tell me right now. But tell me soon, okay? Because whatever it is, I want to protect you from it. And I can’t do that very well if I don’t know what I’m up against.”

Nodding, she dropped her eyes quickly before he saw the fear that surged up in her at his words. She placed a kiss on his chest and laid her head back down, heart hammering. The last thing she wanted was to tell him, because the thought of him going up against a dragon while he thought he was protecting her scared the shit out of her.

She knew she would have to let him in soon. She had no idea how to begin explaining what she was to him, much less how to tell him there were dragons hunting her. But she needed to figure out how to do it soon, because he was right, he needed to know what was going on. Knowledge was a form of protection in itself.

She didn’t think learning of shifters would faze him much. Probably not even learning dragons were real, and not just beasts of legend, would either. Alex struck her as brave-hearted, with a fearless constitution. What she thought would be hard for him was coming to grips with the fact that what he wanted to protect her from, he couldn’t. No, he wouldn’t take that well. If anything about her situation would break him, or make him hesitate about being with her, that would be it.

Snuggling deeper into his arms, she thought through her options. Maybe the best way to go about it was to intensify his fight training. Even at top form as a human, he didn’t stand a chance against a shifter, especially a dragon, so she couldn’t sugar coat the reality when she came clean about everything. That would only get him killed if her kind caught up to her. But maybe the semblance of control, of knowing he was doing what he could, would make it easier on him.

Her eyes grew heavy, her body relaxed and content. She felt him kiss the top of her head, and for one brief, shining moment in time, everything was perfect in her world.