When Teya had woken that morning with a stranger in her bed, and even later after finding out who he was, she’d been hesitant to admit she wanted him, even to herself. Now, after spending the day with him and seeing how Rachel and her brother had reacted, she was more receptive to the idea of keeping Jericho around. Not that she had been considering getting rid of him. She just wasn’t sure how she would go about her life without responding to the draw toward him she felt. Now, the idea didn’t bother her so much. She’d figure out a way to get the Fraction to accept him. She’d battle any challengers that came along, but she didn’t think it would come to that.

They stepped into the MesoAmerican and a wave of air-conditioned coolness washed over them. Teya stopped for a moment, slipped her sunglasses off, and let her eyes adjust to the dim interior while she considered dining options. After a moment, she took Jericho’s hand again and led him to the Yucatan, one of several restaurants in the resort. As they approached, the hostess stepped forward.

“It’s nice to see you this afternoon, Ms. Teya. What can I do for you?” The girl was about twenty-two and very friendly, which made her a wonderful hostess.

“Hello, Elizabeth. Can you get us a table for two? Some place quiet if you can.” Teya smiled at the hostess out of courtesy. She was a normal human, and while Teya didn’t socialize with norms, they made good staff. Even better if they thought you cared about them, which is part of why she knew the woman’s name.

“Sure, right this way.” Elizabeth led them through the upscale restaurant. There were a few empty tables but most were filled.

“How are your classes going?” Teya asked.

Elizabeth glanced back at her with a smile. “Really well, thanks.” She stopped next to an empty table in a section with only a few tables filled. “How’s this?”

“It looks great, thank you.” Teya took in the nearly empty area. Perfect, this was exactly what she was after.

“Can I get something for you to drink?” Elizabeth offered.

Teya glanced at Jericho then back to Elizabeth. “Not just yet. Give us a few minutes to think about what we’re going to have.”

“No problem. Your server will be right with you.”

“Thanks, Elizabeth.” She turned back to Jericho. “Sit down. Look at the menu.” She pulled out a chair and took a seat, watching as he did the same. He picked up the menu and looked at it with a blank expression.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Teya said. It occurred to her he might not know how to read, much less in English. “Do you need me to read it to you?”

“No, I can read it. Language is one of my gifts. However, while I know the words, I have no meaning to attach to them yet. What I do need is for you to explain what each thing is. Or, just order something and I will eat it.”

“What if you don’t like it?”

He gave her an indulgent smile. “I have not eaten anything in a very long time, and before that, we rarely had the luxury of not eating something because it was not to our taste. I will eat whatever I am given.”

“Things are different now. Let’s see if we can find something you will enjoy.” She glanced at the menu then back up to Jericho. “How do you feel about fish and shellfish?”

“I have no problems with them.”

“Good, I know some can be issues with some of the monotheistic religions, and I didn’t want to order anything you wouldn’t eat.”

Jericho laughed. “Like I said before, we rarely had the luxury of not eating something because it was not to our taste.”

“It wasn’t a taste thing, from what I understand. There are religious groups who see certain animals as unclean and unfit for eating, for various reasons. I never really understood it, but then I was not exposed to anything like that for the first half of my life.”

~~~

“THERE ARE A COUPLE of things we can do now.” Teya leaned back in her chair and watched Jericho across the empty table. They’d finished eating and their waitress had already taken the dishes. “It’s up to you.”

“What are those options?” Jericho lifted one brow.

“We can either go home—that means back to my suite where we were this morning—or I can show you around the MesoAmerican.”

He was quiet for a moment as he considered the options.

“I am interested in what you do, and I would love to have you show me around, but another time.” He glanced away for a moment then back to her. “I was trapped between for millennia, sustained only by the energy I was able to steal and dreams of you. While it is great to be back, nearly the entire day has been spent surrounded by others, much of it being poked and prodded and told to take this off or put that on. What I would enjoy is some time with you. If that is all right with you, that is.”

“Actually, a quiet evening with just the two of us sounds great.” She stood, picked up her bag off the edge of the table, and waited while he got to his feet. Pulling several bills from her bag, she left them on the table for the server then curled one hand around Jericho’s arm and walked with him to the hidden elevator that led to the floors below the casino. “If you don’t mind, I’d like to make a quick stop by my office. It shouldn’t take more than five minutes, but I need to make sure there’s nothing that needs my attention before morning,” Teya said as they stepped into the empty elevator car.

“Sure.”

She watched him for a couple seconds to be sure he was really all right with it before pressing her hand to the scanner. She waited until the buttons for the floors lit up and hit the one the offices were on. When the doors opened again, they exposed the lobby where the receptionist normally sat, but the lights were dimmed.

“This way.” She kept her hand wrapped around Jericho’s arm and led him down the short hallway toward her office. Her flats and his new shoes whispered quietly over the low, sand-colored Berber carpet.

Teya was surprised to see the door leading to Rachel’s office open and the light on. Stepping inside, she found Rachel sitting at her desk.

“I guess I’m not the only workaholic in the office,” Teya said as she released Jericho’s arm. Rachel’s head snapped up, making it obvious she hadn’t heard them come in.

“Oh, it’s you.” She smiled. “I should have expected to see you tonight, but somehow I didn’t.”

“I just wanted to check in and make sure there wasn’t anything that couldn’t wait until morning.”

“Nope. If there had been, I would have messaged you.” Normally, being underground would have hindered cellphone signal, but when wireless technology had become popular, Teya had insisted that they have relays installed so she and the rest of the Fraction that lived and worked below the MesoAmerican could benefit from the technology.

“I thought you had already gone home.”

“Well, I have nothing for you.” Rachel hit a few keys on the keyboard in front of her and pushed her chair away from the desk. “In fact, I was just finishing up for the day and getting ready to leave.” She met Teya’s gaze. “Unless you need me for something more?”

“No.” Teya glanced around and saw nothing out of place. “Do you know if our bags from this afternoon arrive yet?”

“Yes.” Rachel checked the clock. “They came in about half an hour ago. I asked Neo to put them in your apartment.”

“Perfect. Thank you.” She’d checked the clock at the same time Rachel had and noticed it was almost 8:00 p.m. “We’ll walk you out, if you’re ready.”

“I am.” Rachel stepped from behind the desk and walked beside them to the elevator. “Did the two of you have a good day?”

“Well, it was a productive one, but you know how I feel about shopping.” Teya gave her friend and assistant a grimace before smiling again.

“I do, but at least that particular shop is good. You can go in, tell them what you’re after, and they’ll bring things to you.”

“You shop there often?” Teya lifted one brow as she teased.

“I take Ricky to get things once in a while. His birthday was last month, and I took him shopping as my gift. Left on his own, he dresses like a street rat, so I use these occasions to make sure he doesn’t embarrass the family, or the Fraction, at events.”

Teya just nodded. She’d listened to Rachel complain about her brother before.

“What are your plans for tonight?” Teya hit the elevator button for the floor where their apartments were.

“I have a date.” Rachel grimaced. “A blind date.”

Teya crinkled her nose. “Who this time?” Rachel’s extended family was always trying to fix her up with someone. They imported Chinese dragon shifters from all over the world and guilted her into dating them. Teya could only be glad her family had never done the same to her, especially after her husband had died so long ago.

“Tampa.”

“At least this one will be somewhat Americanized. The last one was thirty years behind, and from...where was it? Northern Siberia?” Rachel laughed, which had been Teya’s intent. With a soft jerk, the elevator halted and the doors whispered as they slid open. “Come by in the morning and tell us how it went.” Teya watched as Rachel turned away and headed for her apartment.

“Will do,” Rachel called over her shoulder.

Turning back to Jericho, Teya caught his confused look.

“What don’t you understand?” She walked with him to her apartment and pressed her hand to the small screen beside the door. A soft click let her know the door had unlocked.

“Several things.”

She turned the knob and went inside, Jericho trailing behind.

“Tell me and I’ll do my best to explain.”

“First, her date cannot see?” He watched as Teya kicked off her shoes and left them beside the door.

“No. Well, yes. He probably can see. That’s not what a blind date is. A blind date is where you’ve never met the other person. A third party, often a friend or family member, has someone they want you to meet.”

“It is kind of like an arranged marriage?”

“Yes, sort of. Though, it’s done for different reasons now.”

“All right. What about Northern Siberia?” Jericho’s gaze followed her as she moved around the room, hanging her bag on the hook behind the door and then grabbing a couple bottles of water from the fridge before taking a seat on the sofa.

“Sit down, get comfortable.” She gave him one bottle of water then opened the other and took a drink. “I don’t remember exactly where the last guy Rachel’s aunt found for her was from, but it was somewhere significantly cooler than here. He spent the entire evening complaining about the heat. She and I joked that he must have been from Northern Siberia.” She took another drink. “Rachel has yet to find any of the men her aunt has fixed her up with more than barely tolerable. She goes out with them when she’s asked, then the next morning, she comes over and tells me all about it. We poke a little fun and make the experience a little less traumatic.”

Jericho frowned. “I thought you said women are equal to men now. That they are not property to be married off.”

She had little doubt she’d said something along those lines. She’d told him nearly everything about her life during her dreams over the years. For so very long, he’d been her personal confidant.

“We are, mostly.” Teya took a deep breath and let it out in a rush. “It’s complicated.” She twisted around and folded her legs until she sat cross-legged on the couch, facing him. “Legally, we’re supposed to be equal. You can’t not hire someone or not promote them simply because of their gender, among other things. Socially, however, we’re still working on it. Not everyone, but many people, think a woman is less or can’t be happy unless she is somehow connected to a man. It’s an outdated concept, but it still exists to a lot of people, especially from the older generations or those with particularly long lives.”

“It seems that it is still quite a prevalent sentiment among what you call the supernormal.”

“It is, but they’re coming around, even if I’m having to drag them kicking and screaming into the twenty-first century.” She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Anything else I can explain?” Jericho frowned and went silent for a moment.

“Not that I can think of.”

“All right.” She scooted closer to him and reached for his hand. “I’ve itched to do this for hours.”

“To do what?” Jericho tilted his head and watched as she wove her fingers into his.

“To touch you.” She picked up the remote from the table in front of the sofa and turned on some soft music. She paused for a second, half expecting Jericho to question where it was coming from, but it never came. Apparently, there had been enough disembodied music through the day that it didn’t bother him. “That’s not all I’ve been wanting to do.”

“What do you mean?”

Teya unfolded her legs and pushed herself to her knees without releasing Jericho’s hand. She had to untangle her fingers from his in order to run her hand up his arm. Moving until she was right beside him, she sat back down, facing the back of the couch as well as Jericho. Trailing her hand along his arm, she found that the touch of his skin was intoxicating. Far more so than any drug or alcohol she’d ever consumed. The more she touched, the more she wanted.

More. Her dragon didn’t hesitate in making sure Teya knew what she wanted. I don’t know why you won’t just take him and keep him.

Hush, Teya tried to silence the voice that had been pestering her all day.

He wants to be ours, her dragon kept pushing.

How would you know that?

Because he told me so.

You’ve been talking to him? For how long?

Off and on. Teya saw the mental image of her dragon shrug. Since he woke after you jumped out of bed this morning. Teya wanted to grill her dragon about everything said between them and how she’d been unaware of the conversations, but there was something else she wanted more.

If you’ll back off and be quiet a while, you might get what you want. She couldn’t make her other half shut up and let her be, but sometimes offering her something she wanted wasn’t too difficult.

Turning her attention back to Jericho, she couldn’t help but narrow her eyes and watch him as the words she hadn’t planned flowed out of her mouth.

“You’re telepathic?”

Jericho blinked a moment. “If you mean I can speak mind to mind, then yes.” There were no signs of deception in him.

“That may be useful around some of the other Fractions, but we’ll have to be careful. Some of them are able to read minds.” Unable to resist the temptation in front of her, she continued to trail her hand up and down his arm. “Come here.” She curled one finger at him.

“Where?” He looked confused.

“Come a little closer.” Teya wrapped the hand that hand been sliding up and down his arm around his bicep as he leaned toward her. She pulled him closer and leaned in until their lips met. Her eyes drifted closed. His breath feathered across her cheek and she sighed into his kiss. Her hands fisted in his shirt as she pulled him closer. She needed more and pulled up on his shirt.

After a moment, he pulled away, and she was able to pull the polo off over his head. Her hands flattened against his bare chest as she leaned in to kiss him again. Unable to resist, she rose to her knees and lifted one leg over his until she knelt astride his legs. His hands came up and settled on her waist. Something deep inside that she’d never felt before screamed for his touch. Without breaking the kiss, she inched her shirt up until it rested just below her breasts then took his wrists and moved his hands up to her bare sides. The contact sent sparks of heat through her that made her dragon stretch and roar. They touched and reveled in each other for a while, both pairs of hands roaming freely above the waist. When Teya snaked one hand down and encountered the waistband of Jericho’s slacks, she knew it was time to move.

“Come on, let’s take this somewhere more comfortable.” She scooted backward off his lap, took his hand, and pulled him to his feet. With a self-satisfied smile, she led him to the bedroom, where she pushed her pants off her hips and reached for the button on his. After she unfastened them, she pushed his slacks down his hips and let them fall to the floor, revealing a pair of black silk boxers. She stood in her panties and looked up at him, more than a little tipsy from the effects of his touch.

Stretching up, she braced herself with her hands on his waist as she placed a kiss on the point of his chin and worked her way down his neck. Once her feet were flat on the floor again, she let her hands roam, sliding along his skin, absorbing every bit of whatever it was that made her so reckless and giddy. His hands caressed and tugged in much the same way as hers. She wanted to get closer, but it was hard when he was a good ten inches taller than her. Seeing her opportunity, she maneuvered him so his back was to the bed, and then she pushed him backward until his legs hit the edge of the mattress.

Glancing up, she saw the surprise on his face, but it didn’t stay there long before a light of an idea sparked in his eye. She wasn’t expecting it when he sat on the edge of the bed and pulled her between his knees. Now, she was looking down at him instead of up. He cupped her ass and pulled her close, his lips closing around one nipple. Teya’s head fell back and a soft moan slipped from her lips. His lips on her skin sent waves of heat through her. Her dragon lifted her head and stared straight into her eyes.

This is how it’s supposed to be.

Teya couldn’t respond. Jericho had stolen her words along with her breath. Her skin tightened and heat built inside her until she was uncertain of her control. Her hands gripped his shoulders as he played with her breasts, kneading the full mounds and teasing the sensitive tips. She was lost in the overwhelming sensations of his touch and barely noticed the claws slipping from beneath her nails.

“Jer-Jericho.” She forced his name out. He pulled back and looked up at her face.

“Is something wrong?”

“No.” She gasped. “There’s nothing wrong and everything right.” She took another rapid breath. “But I’m not sure how much longer my knees will hold me up.” She watched him.

“What do you want?”

“Just to lie down before I fall.”

“I would not let you get hurt.”

“That’s not what I’m afraid of. Let’s just move this a little bit.” She tried to pull her hands away from his shoulders but found they wouldn’t move. With a frown, she leaned closer and saw that her claws had slid from beneath her nails, and when she’d held on to his shoulders to keep upright, they’d dug into his back. “Why didn’t you tell me I was hurting you?”

“I was enjoying it,” he said with a shrug. Teya didn’t like that.

“I could have seriously hurt you.” She concentrated until her claws slid out of his skin and retracted back under her fingernails where they belonged. “Let me see.” She tugged at one shoulder, wondering how bad the wounds would be. He leaned forward, but his back was unmarked. “What? How can there be no marks? My claws were buried in your back.”

“You don’t have to worry about hurting me,” he said. “While a bit of pain is possible, it is very hard to kill me. And you in particular cannot do me lasting harm.”

“What? I can’t do you ‘lasting harm’?” She frowned. Jericho sighed.

“Because most of the energy I used to manifest this body came from you. You can do it no lasting physical harm.”

Teya blinked. This was more than she could process right now. That she hadn’t hurt him was all she cared about.

“All right.” She knew how to get past this and back to where she wanted to be. Hooking her thumbs in the waistband of her panties, she wiggled her hips as she pushed the lacy underwear down until they slid from her fingers and fell to a puddle on the floor. “I don’t know about you—” she met his gaze through her lashes “—but I’m ready for bed.” Teya moved around him and crawled across the bed, glancing back to make sure he was watching, then lay on one side, facing him, and propped her head on one hand.

“Are you not going to get beneath the blankets?”

“I said I was ready for bed, not that I was ready to sleep.” Teya lifted the hand not holding up her head and curled one finger at him. “Come here.” She couldn’t help running her gaze up and down his body, taking in all of him: the scattering of hair across his chest, his tight muscles, the V of his hips disappearing beneath the smooth silk of his boxers, the velvety head of his cock peaking above the waistband.

“If you keep looking at me like that, I am going to have a hard time behaving myself.”

“Who said anything about behaving?” Teya patted the bedspread in front of her. “Come show me how bad you can be.”

Jericho chuckled. “You don’t want to see that, either.” He crawled up the bed until he lay facing her. “Is this what you wanted?”

“No.” She gave him a mock frown.

“What did you want?”

“I want you touching me. Your hands, your mouth, all of you.” She scooted closer, reached out, and pushed him onto his back. Teya moved over him, climbing up to sit astride his hips. His erection felt like a thick rod pressed against her slit, the only barrier between them a thin layer of silk. While bracing her hands on his chest, she leaned close and murmured, “I want to feel you all around me, touching me, kissing me. I want to feel you inside me.” Leaning up, she ran her hands down his chest and over his stomach, stopping to run one finger over the tip of his erection. “But I see now that I’ve got you in the perfect position to play with you a little.” She pushed herself back so she was sitting over his calves. Running her fingers in abstract designs on his stomach, she teased him for a while, getting close but not actually touching his cock. Every time she got close, he tensed, making his manhood twitch as if begging for her touch. Eventually, she tugged at his boxers. Jericho lifted his hips and let her pull them down his legs, revealing his straining cock. She licked her lips, impatient to get her hands and mouth on it.

Cupping his cock in both hands, she slid one up, holding it upright as she leaned forward and opened her mouth, only to have her lips hit the back of Jericho’s hand instead of the tip of his cock as she’d been expecting.

“Baby, as much as I’d love to feel your mouth on me, if I let you do that right now, that will be the end of things.” His voice shook slightly. “Other than the dreams we have shared, it has been an extremely long time, and you mean more to me than just that.”

She looked up at him, frowning. She didn’t care if he went fast, or in her mouth.

“Come up here.” He tugged at her arms until she moved up so they were face to face again. He pulled her down into a kiss, gripped her tight, and rolled until she was lying on the bed as he hovered above her. “Now I get to return the favor.” He pulled away and trailed his mouth down her neck. Kissed his way over her breasts, paying attention to them both but not stopping there for long before moving downward again. His fingers played over her skin with just enough pressure. The incident with her claws earlier still fresh in her mind, she resisted the urge to hold on to him and instead fisted her hands in the bedspread beneath her. He licked and bit at her skin, never hard enough to hurt but enough to make her sensitive and want to beg for more. When he reached the apex of her thighs, he eased them apart, and lowered his body between her knees.

“You don’t have to do that,” she said. He’d gone down on her many times in her dreams, but she knew dreams and real life were not the same.

“I want to.” His breath feathered along her skin, making her shiver. The first stroke of his tongue up the length of her slit sent waves of heat through her and took away her breath. Her head fell back against the pillow, and she couldn’t help but pant. He bent her legs so her feet rested on either side of his torso, and as she let her knees fall open, she felt herself open for him. She lay tense, expecting another long, slow lick like the first, but it didn’t come. Instead, the tip of his tongue flicked over her clit then his mouth closed over it.

Teya’s back bowed, and she heard a strange roar as his hands closed around her thighs and kept her hips still. His tongue played over her clit again and again. After several long seconds, she realized the roaring she heard was coming from her. It wasn’t a human sound, but that of her dragon. She hadn’t recognized it at first because it was a sound she’d never heard herself make. Jericho continued to lick and tease her clit until a wave of pleasure so intense that Teya was afraid she might pass out washed over her then ebbed, leaving her weak and shaking.

“Stop, please stop.” Her voice was barely more than a whisper, and a shaky one at that. Jericho lifted his head.

“What is wrong?”

“Nothing. I just need a minute.”

He smiled and watched as she lay gasping. After a moment, she lifted one hand and laid it against his cheek.