Whatever Neo’s sister had been trying to put together hadn’t worked out and Gwen spent the evening with Neo in his apartment. She’d been relieved when he said Teya hadn’t been able to make it work and that they would end up doing whatever it was another night. The whole thing with Ellis and trying to figure out how to catch him had taken an emotional toll, and by the time evening rolled around, she didn’t know if she had it in her to socialize.

Gwen didn’t know if Neo saw how exhausted she was, or if he felt the same way, but when he’d suggested having dinner delivered instead of going upstairs, she’d almost burst into tears with relief.

They ate, spent a while curled together on the sofa talking, and then when Gwen could barely hold her eyes open, they went to bed. On the way into Neo’s bedroom, Gwen noticed it was not yet 9:00 p.m. and wondered if maybe jet lag was catching up with her.

She stepped out of her clothes, briefly considered finding one of Neo’s shirts to wear to bed but discarded the idea before slipping in between the sheets and curling up next to him. Feeling him pressed against her, the heat of his body seeping into hers, she wasn’t as tired as she’d been a few seconds before.

Neo’s arm slid around her belly and pulled her closer, even though they were already skin to skin. Heat pooled low in her belly, and she couldn’t resist the urge to slide her foot up and down his leg. The caress of his skin against hers sent sparks of heat through her entire body.

“I’m trying to be good here, but you’re making it difficult.” Neo’s breath feathered along the back of her neck as he buried his face in her hair. His voice vibrated through her, hitting nerves she hadn’t been aware of. Gwen arched into him, unable to keep her body still. She ached to have his hands on her, to feel his touch on her skin, inside her.

“Oh, I want you to be good, but not that kind of good.” Reaching back with one hand, she scraped her nails up his leg.

“Are you sure?” His mouth moved to the curve of her neck, and his hand slid down her belly. “You’re tired, and I don’t want to pressure you.”

“You’re not. I’m asking.”

A low growl rumbled through Neo’s chest and through her back, a sharp sting on her shoulder told her he’d set his teeth into her skin. Gwen was unable to stop the whimper of need escaping her throat. Neo’s fingers dipped into the cleft between her legs, pressing lightly. Her whimper turned to a low moan.

Gwen wanted to beg for more, but words escaped her as Neo’s touch transformed her from a woman to a writhing ball of need. She tugged and pulled at him, trying to get him closer. To get him to fill her with the thick, full cock she felt pressed against her back, but he wouldn’t co-operate. His hands roamed. A squeeze of her ass, then a caress across her hip and up her stomach. He rolled her nipples between his fingers before tugging until she cried out. Not in pain, but desire. She loved every time he laid his hands on her. The teeth in her neck never left, only tightened if she tried to pull away. That alone made thick moisture leak from her core. Her body tightened and pleasure washed over her. She couldn’t stop herself from calling out his name.

Before she had a chance to completely return to herself, Neo was moving. He rolled her onto her back and knelt over her. She lifted heavy lids to look him in the eye and found him smiling down at her, a pleased look on his face. Before she had a chance to ask what he was up to, he lowered his head and captured her mouth in an intense kiss. He lined himself up with her opening, and in one smooth thrust, he sank balls deep into her.

The intense sensation of him filling her, the full, tight feeling made her body clench and seize as she cried her pleasure into his mouth. He pulled back until Gwen was afraid he was going to stop. She grabbed his arms just in time to feel him reverse directions and thrust deep inside her once again. Her neck arched. She struggled to breathe. Her lungs didn’t want to draw air as wave after wave of pleasure washed through her. Unable to stop herself, Gwen’s fingers curled, digging into Neo’s skin as he continued driving her over the edge of sanity with every thrust of his hips.

She was screaming his name, not for the first time, when with one final thrust, he stiffened in her arms, groaning out her name before collapsing on top of her. They lay sweat-soaked and panting for several minutes before either could move.

After a while, she pushed at him, needing him to move so she could get up.

“What’s wrong?” Neo had caught his breath but was still laying over her like a limp noodle.

“I need you to move, unless you want to be laying in a puddle for the rest of the night.”

“I don’t mind the wet spot, babe.” She heard amusement in his voice, “It’s a sign of a job well done.”

“I’m not talking about that. I need to tinkle.”

“Tinkle?” Neo rolled to the side, freeing her to get up. “That’s cute.”

Gwen stood, stopping beside the bed to turn back to him. She put her hands on her hips and frowned. “Are you making fun of me?”

“No, I’m just amused by you.” He rolled toward her and reached out like he was going to pull her back onto the bed. Quickly, she stepped out of reach, then high-tailed it into the loo to do her business.

Gwen woke to the shrill ring of her phone. Eyes half open, she reached for the nightstand only to find the phone missing. A low light came on behind her.

“Hello?” Neo’s voice behind her sent chills up her spine as bits from the night before flashed through her mind. “No, she’s right here. Just a moment.” His arm wrapped around her, phone in hand. “Sorry, I thought it was mine. It’s your alpha.”

Taking the phone, she put it to her ear. “This is Gwen.” Her voice was still thick with sleep, and she wished it wasn’t so obvious she had just woken.

“I assume that’s the dragon you’ve been sleeping with?” Grigor’s voice held a note of something she didn’t recognize.

“Um...” she didn’t know how to answer, it really wasn’t any of his business, as long as she did the job he was paying her for.

“Never mind. I just wanted to let you know we’ve signed the treaty as is and are only waiting on the alpha there to do the same. You can come home any time you like.”

“Thank you, sir. There are a couple things up in the air here, but I’ll let you know what’s going on as soon as it’s decided.”

“Sounds good. And Gwen?” Grigor seemed to be waiting for a response.

“Yes?”

“Good job. The contract is exactly what I had in mind.”

“Thank you.” She disconnected the call and stretched to put the phone on the night stand in front of her. That’s when she realized that sometime between when she’d gone to bed and now, she and Neo had switched sides. Probably after they’d had sex. She rolled back to Neo and snuggled into his arms, reveling in the sensations of security and contentment that filled her when his arms were around her.

“What was that about?” Neo’s voice was soft as his face was tucked into her neck.

“Grigor was letting me know they’d signed the treaty. All it’s waiting on now is Teya and it’s finalized. He told me I could come home now.” She frowned. “He seemed to expect me to come back and live there like nothing has happened.”

“Do you think he expects to not let you move?” Neo’s arms tightened around her as if just the idea of losing her was too much.

“I don’t know, but the treaty he just signed will prevent that.”

“What do you mean?”

Gwen rubbed her face against his arm where it laid under her head. “I put a clause in that states they don’t have to accept the new mate of any member of the clan, but they can’t prevent the clan member from leaving to join his or her mate. It’s not worded like that, of course, but that’s what it says.”

“Why would you do that?”

“To keep them from refusing to release me.” She rolled over to face him. “Rhiannon had already said you weren’t welcome to join the clan, and I’ve seen them refuse to release dragons before, claiming they were too valuable to let them go. I didn’t want it to be an issue between us, or anyone else.” She stretched up and kissed his lips. “What time is it by the way?”

“A little after three.”

She groaned. “Obviously, he didn’t think about the time difference.”

“Or he didn’t care.”

“Now I’m the one who doesn’t care.” Gwen wrapped one arm around him, tucked her head under his chin and closed her eyes. She needed more sleep before facing the world.