That night, Jenny closed the bar at eight, deciding to put new hours into effect with the slowing season.

By the time they finished dinner, joking about work and Kai’s boxing obsession, all awkward thoughts about what had happened earlier in the day were forgotten.

At least until Seaton approached her with a firm set to his lips as she went to leave the kitchen.

He pulled her aside with that gentle strength he always utilized. “Can we go for a drive?” he asked. “I’d like to talk to you. Alone.”

She smiled and nodded. “Just let me get my things. Did you tell Kai and Marina?”

“Yes,” he said.

“Oh,” she said, feeling the telltale signs of blood rushing to her face. “That’s good.”

Seaton’s hair looked more mussed than usual, and he’d seemed distracted ever since the incident at the bar. Had she done something to displease him?

He opened the front door for her, and cool night air hit her, making her take a deep breath of it.

“Beautiful night,” she said as he walked her out and down the front steps.

“Yes,” he said, looking at the moon rising over the trees all around them. Then he looked down at her. “Not as beautiful as you.”

“Aw, thanks,” she said, fanning her face. “You have to stop that. You’re going to make my face explode.”

He stepped back in alarm. “You aren’t serious.”

“Of course not,” she said with a laugh. “I just mean I blush so easily, and—”

“Oh,” he said putting a hand to her cheek and brushing errant hairs back. “But I like that.”

“Um, thanks,” she said, pulling away and continuing toward the car. If she let him touch her too much, she’d turn into mush and not be able to drive. “Where did you want to go?”

“Anywhere we can talk without those two watching us,” he said, pointing at the living room where two tall, imposing figures were staring out the window.

They looked sort of like dogs waiting for their owners to come back to work, and she laughed inwardly at the image.

Still, she liked how close they all were to each other. She envied that closeness, as she’d never experienced it with her own family. They were kind to each other, sure, but in a way that was more like passing by one another without having much to say.

These siblings all needed one another. Depended on one another. It was unique and special, and she didn’t intend to come between them no matter how serious things got with Seaton.

“We’ll go somewhere with a view, then. Somewhere romantic,” she said, winking at him.

His smile was warm and inviting, but it didn’t totally hide the worry in his eyes.

She started the car and drove to a lookout point she often visited on clear nights when she wanted somewhere to think. She opened her door and motioned for him to follow her.

There was a bench overlooking the ocean and a small old railing in front of it to prevent people trying to wander over the sandy cliffs.

In the moonlight, the waves were blue and silver, tiny like little moving moons across the water.

The moon was bright and full over the water, and she almost wanted to raise a hand against the brightness of it. It lit up the clouds around it to a misty blue-gray, despite the nearly black sky.

“I have missed moons like this,” Seaton said quietly, taking his seat on the bench beside her.

“They are beautiful,” she said. She put her hand beside her on the seat as an invitation, and he took it, warming her fingers in his own. He raised her hand and blew on it lightly. It wasn’t a very cool night, but it was still comforting to feel his warm breath on her skin.

Arousing, too.

“So what was it you wanted to talk about?” she asked, keeping her hand in his.

He was quiet for a long time, just watching the waves on the ocean, and then turned to her with a serious expression. “What happened today at the bar, does it usually happen?”

She shook her head, then really thought about it. “I mean, not as extreme. But sometimes men get out of line. That’s normal, though.”

“In what world is that normal?” He thumped his free hand on the side of the bench, making it shake. She jumped slightly, and he looked apologetic. “I’m sorry, but it makes me angry. Men like that… they need to…”

“Need to what?”

“Get their ass kicked,” he said. Every day he sounded less and less odd compared to the day she’d met him. Like he was taking in everything around him and emulating it.

Or perhaps just remembering what he’d forgotten.

“Doesn’t it scare you sometimes?” she asked. “Not having a memory.”

He grimaced as he looked over at her. “I don’t know what to say to that. I can only say that when I’m with you, nothing scares me, except the idea of something happening to you. I don’t like you working at the bar if things like that are going to happen.”

“Good dodge,” she muttered, pulling her hand away and into her lap.

“What do you mean?”

“I was talking about your amnesia, and you’re just talking about my bar. What makes you think you can tell me what to do anyway?”

He turned on the bench to face her, looking slightly alarmed. “I don’t think I can tell you what to do, but you can’t say that you like that happening.”

“If it happens again, you can stop it,” she said.

“That’s what I’m worried about,” he said quietly.

“What?”

“I’m worried that if it happens again, I’ll be so angry I’ll do something awful. I won’t know how to stop.”

“Even if they do something small?” she asked nervously.

“Nothing is small!” he said a little too loudly. She flinched back, and his tone softened. “I’m sorry, but as far as I’m concerned, no one should be allowed to touch you. Or Marina. Or any woman who doesn’t want that kind of attention. I’m irritated because I know you love that bar, but I can’t picture you always staying there and enduring that kind of attention.”

“It would be wherever I go,” Jenny said. “I mean, it used to happen on the bus or at the doctor’s office or—”

He turned to her, right eye twitching, forehead vein looking like it was going to pop out of his head. “Stop,” he said. “I can’t take it.” He put a hand to his forehead and rubbed. “What has the world turned into?”

“The world has always been cruel to women,” she said. “I guess, as a man, you don’t know that sometimes.” She shrugged. “But I’m sure it doesn’t happen to me as often as it happens to Marina.”

“Marina can take care of herself,” Seaton said almost bitterly. “After hearing all this, I’m inclined to let her teach anyone a lesson. But no, I just want both of you safe.”

“I’m telling you the bar is safe. I’ve had very few incidents there,” she said.

“What about that Drew guy?” Seaton said. “The one I rescued you from before.”

“Well, he doesn’t come around much, and he has never been that aggressive.”

“He doesn’t act like a business partner.”

“Well, I guess that’s because he’s interested in me romantically. I wish I’d caught on to that sooner, or I wouldn’t have gone into business with him.” She shrugged again. “I mean, just another way women get screwed over. Imagine, thinking that someone actually wanted to invest because I had a good business idea, not just because they wanted to fuck me.”

“Don’t talk about yourself that way,” Seaton said. “It’s his problem, not yours. And if he wants so badly to be your partner, why doesn’t he come to the restaurant and protect you? Why do you have to deal with bad situations on your own?”

She harrumphed. “I’d rather deal with them on my own than have him there.”

“Well, you don’t have to anymore,” he said, putting his arm around her and pulling her in close. His strong body seemed to block out any hint of cold, and the confidence in his voice made her feel as though the world couldn’t hurt her.

But he was right. How many times had she just had to brush aside things men had done or said to her? Things they would never have said to a man?

She smiled as she remembered Marina, fiery and violent as any man could be as she dealt with the drunkards.

Maybe she should take some MMA from Kai, too.

She leaned in against Seaton, resting her head on his chest. Maybe she was also just safe here by his side.

* * *

Seaton wondered what Jenny was thinking as she leaned in next to him. He hoped she felt safe with him, hoped she knew he would always protect her, that his worries weren’t because he was afraid he wouldn’t be strong enough to counter other men.

No, he was worried he would do too much, go overboard. Were men really so wicked always? He spent so much time on the sea, fighting monsters, he hadn’t really thought about the monsters on land. He’d always seen humans as so harmless and weak, and even the gemstone land dragons had never seemed particularly worried about them.

Still, as much as he wasn’t sure how to deal with the dangerous things in Jenny’s world, he decided to just focus in on the moment, the beautiful moon on the ocean, the clouds in the distance, the curvy woman in his arms.

They were alone now, as he’d been wanting to be all day. It wasn’t that he didn’t like his family. It was just that he was starting to look forward to a future with Jenny. To having a family of his own.

Maybe Kai was right and he was jumping the gun, but he was following his heart, and that was all he could do.

“I missed you today,” he said, brushing her hair back, loving the feel of the soft strands on his fingertips.

She leaned back to look at him. “We were together the whole day.”

He pulled her in against him in a hug. “I missed having you to myself, then.”

She wrapped her arms around him, and the night air seemed to grow warmer in response. “Oh, I get that, then.” She chuckled. “I have to say I’m so flattered by all of this.”

He dipped to kiss the hollow of her shoulder, and she gasped and the nails of one hand bit into his neck. “Flattered?”

“Oh, you know, someone like me. I’m no Marina.”

He pulled back abruptly. “What do you mean?”

“Well, I’m no great beauty.”

He shook his head. “I don’t want to hear you say that again. You are the most beautiful woman in the world.”

“To you,” she murmured.

“Do any other opinions matter?” he asked, lightly kissing the base of her neck again.

“No,” she gasped out. “Not right now.”

Not ever, he wanted to growl, but even he knew that was socially inappropriate. From the TV he had watched, he knew humans didn’t talk of mates. They talked of marriage and dating and even lived together without having commitments. Something he couldn’t fathom as a dragon.

He’d heard about mating before, about the total urge to bond with only one person, but he’d never imagined it would be like this.

He kissed his way up her neck to her mouth and captured her lips in a harsh embrace, sweeping his tongue in possessively and wrapping his arms around her all at once.

She was his, and he wanted her to know it. No one could ever make her feel like this. If they ever had, they wouldn’t ever again.

Mine.

He pushed her back on the bench, pulling down her jacket to access more of her shoulder and the tops of her breasts. She was gasping now, breathing hard from just his kisses, and she shook her head.

“Should we really be doing this here? In the open?”

He lifted his head and looked around them, satisfied when he saw no one. He would sense someone long before they showed.

On the other hand…

Her eyes looked nervous, and her comfort mattered to him more than anything, so he scooped her up in his arms and carried her to the car.

“In here?” she asked as he opened the door and set her on the backseat.

“Yes,” he said, taking a deep breath as he crawled in over her, one foot on the ground and one leg kneeling on the other side of her on the seat cushion so he could sort of straddle her. His back bumped the roof of the car, and she giggled.

“Are you going to shut the door?”

“I’m not sure I can.” He grunted.

“Oh, well,” she said, clasping her hands around his neck. “I appreciate the effort.”

He growled and kissed the tops of her breasts, dragging his lips down her cleavage and then lifting her shirt so he could kiss down her stomach. She was soft and curvy, and her hands moved down as if to try and pull him away. Was she embarrassed?

“Stop, I’m fat there.”

He scowled. “I want to touch all of you.” I want to love all of you. He moved her hands away and held them at her sides as he bit down lightly on her stomach, playing with the skin there. She gasped as his tongue found her belly button and he played there, swirling this way and that as she writhed, gasping.

“No one has ever done that,” she said, struggling against him. “So embarrassing.”

“Every part of you is beautiful,” he said, releasing her hands so he could run his fingers along her curves, her rib cage, her waist, her soft tummy that she seemed so nervous about.

Everything about her was perfect to him. He couldn’t imagine her any other way.

He licked at her belly button again and then trailed down to the top of her pants. He looked up at her for permission, and when she nodded hastily, he flicked the button open, lowered the zipper, and pulled her jeans and panties down just enough to give his mouth access to her most sensitive areas.

He’d wanted to do this last night, but he’d thought if he submerged for too long, she might become a little bit suspicious of his ability to breathe underwater.

He felt he was underwater now as he licked over her center and she arched back with a small scream, setting pleasure off inside him. Making her happy was his happiness, and he kept going eagerly, licking and sucking as her movements became more frantic, her hands scrabbling at the leather car seats as she got closer to coming.

As he set his mouth down and kissed her deeply, she finally came, rising up to grab his head as she curled in to bear the waves, calling out as each one hit. Her face was intensely focused. Her eyes closed in rapture but then opened for a bit, at the end, and looked at him with sheer gratitude.

And maybe something like love.

He wondered if it could happen that fast for humans like it could for dragons.

He had to hope.

“That was… that was…” She fell back against the cushions, but he wrapped his hands around her thighs and spread her so he could kiss her again, swiping his tongue this way and that as her legs worked frantically beneath him.

Her gasping became more heated, and she called out his name, as if she thought he would stop if she didn’t keep calling for him.

His name on her lips was making him drunk, along with the taste of her, the scent of her, the way she moved and sounded. He was underwater, completely overwhelmed by the strength of his love for this woman.

Love he felt so deeply when he gave to her like this.

Kai would call him stupid, but Seaton didn’t care what anyone thought about him at this moment. In his past life, he had always done his duty. He’d never thought about himself or what he wanted.

Right now, it felt as if the universe were making it up to him, giving him something, someone, all his own.

Someone he could make happy forever and who would be happy with him.

He swiped his tongue across her, and she came again, arching back this time on her elbows, her face lost in rapture, her eyes closed tight as her body shook.

Her pleasure was everything. He could do this forever and never get tired.

As she fell back against the seat cushions, looking exhausted, he felt suddenly protective and pulled up her pants, doing the zipper and looking around them.

“Is everything okay?” she asked. “We aren’t done, you know. We still haven’t—”

“I think so,” he said, pulling her in against him as best he could in the tight space. “Sometimes I just get overprotective.”

“That’s not a bad thing in a man,” she said, running her hands over her chest. “You know, I thought I was rescuing you when I brought you home for the beach that day, but you seem hell bent on rescuing me.”

“Can’t we rescue each other?”

“I suppose so.”

“That sounds like the best way to me,” he said, running his fingers over her back, drawing little patterns. His heart was still hammering, he was so affected by watching her orgasm. He’d never known anything could feel like this.

“Should we do you next?” she asked.

He shook his head. “We should probably get back. I didn’t even mean to do this. I just meant to talk to you. I don’t want you to feel like you owe me.”

“It’s not about owing you,” she said. “It’s just that I like to—”

They were interrupted by the buzzing of a phone.

“We’ll ignore it,” she said, stroking his face again. After a while, the phone stopped. Then it started up again. “I’m sorry,” she said, sitting up on the seat and reaching for her purse in the front seat. “Whoever it is, they’re just going to keep calling if I don’t pick up.”

Seaton thought he might want to have a few words with this person, but he sat back on his side of the backseat as Jenny answered the phone.

Her face changed from one of relaxed pleasure to irritation almost immediately. “What do you mean someone called the police?” She put a finger up to Seaton as if asking him to wait and then opened the door and got out. He watched her pace back and forth, holding the phone, growing angrier, and clenched his hands into fists.

He wanted to go help her. Wanted to intervene with whoever was on the phone, but it wasn’t his place yet. She hadn’t agreed to be his, and she wasn’t the type who liked giving other people control of her problems. That much he knew about her for sure.

So he sat there with his arms folded, silently fuming, until she came back and opened the door on his side.

“Who was it?” he asked, getting out of the backseat.

“I’m sorry,” she said. “It was Drew. Someone reported an assault to the police. Those jerks from today that Marina took out. Luckily, Drew has friends in the police department, so they’re willing to hear my side of the story. Drew is coming over.”

“Why don’t you talk to the police, then? Why talk to Drew?”

“They won’t listen to me like they will him,” she said, folding her arms. “Just trust me on that.”

“I don’t like having you talk to him.”

She sighed, looking irritated. “It’s not really your decision.”

He frowned and walked a few paces from the car, not wanting to say what he thought about that stupid statement. So he was good enough to make love with in a car, but not good enough to listen to?

She came up behind him, taking his hand and giving it a squeeze. “I’m sorry. He puts me on edge, and I shouldn’t have taken it out on you. It’s just the bar is my dream, and for a second, he made me think it was threatened. It was threatened. I know Marina didn’t mean any harm. In fact, she was in the right. But still, sometimes the world doesn’t see it that way.” She squeezed his hand again. “I appreciate you always backing me up, and I know you’re right about Drew. But I have to do this. Can you trust me on that?”

He nodded. “I want to be there.”

“It would really be better if we met alone. I don’t want him knowing that I’m living with the three of you. He has contacts in the police, and I know Marina’s afraid of them. He was jealous enough just seeing you once.” She shook her head. “And he’s never been like he was that one day. He must have been drunk. He sounded totally sober just now on the phone. And I’ll just be out in front of the house so I can easily just run back inside if something goes wrong.”

His lip curled at the thought that he would ever just let her face that alone. Good thing he had the ability to cloak, because if that bastard Drew thought for one second he could pull something on Seaton’s mate, he had another thing coming.