Perhaps Cobalt should have listened to Lead sooner about the benefits of physical exertion. He had found a certain release of stress as he lost himself in the exercise, and at first, it had relaxed him somewhat.

Even if now, staring at Sylvie, he was anything but relaxed.

Even if he’d never needed to work out his body the way humans did, he could appreciate just how much strength and diligence it took to be as good at it as Sylvie was.

And then there was the way she was looking at him. As if they were in a desert and he was an oasis from which she would very much like to drink.

He didn’t know what he would do if she came on to him. His dragon was more than ready to allow this human to meld their sweaty bodies together as a way to research human sexual mores.

But he knew better. It was more complicated than that. Even if Sylvie’s beautiful curves and sparkling brown eyes made him wish it wasn’t.

To his surprise, she simply pointed at the door behind him, dabbing at her neck with a towel. “Is that the bathroom?”

He nodded.

“Is there a shower in there?”

“I believe so.” He tried not to think of the image of her naked body lathered in soap and water.

She gave him a small smile. “Then I think I’ll go wash off, if you know what I mean.”

He thought he did. Wasn’t it pretty obvious? “Yes, washing is customary following exertion, due to increased glandular production.”

She wrinkled her nose at him, then giggled. “Ew, gross.”

“I would think you were aware of such things, given how knowledgeable you are about working out.”

She nodded. “I suppose. I just hadn’t heard it put that way before.” She smiled and cocked her head. “That’s why I like you, Cobalt. You’re so different from anyone else.”

He could say the same thing about her, but he wasn’t sure he was allowed. “Thank you. So your experience with gyms, does it stem from your fighting? You mentioned it briefly before.”

“Yes. I mean, I was only ever an amateur. In training.” She bounced lightly on the balls of her feet. “I like to think I would have been good, though.”

“I think you would.”

Then things were silent between them, and she took another step toward the shower.

Despite the tension, he still wanted to talk to her. Wanted to know everything about her. She was like a book that he wanted to read cover to cover, over and over, always looking for some new way to understand her.

She looked at him carefully. “So anyway, about that shower.”

“Of course.” He waved a hand. “Please, don’t let me keep you.”

She disappeared into the bathroom, and he heard the water turn on. He gathered up his things and put on his glasses as he readied himself to leave the gym. He couldn’t just stay here, or he’d be haunted by thoughts of her body, naked and covered in hot water.

But just as he was about to leave, he heard her call out to him.

“Cobalt, can you help me for a moment?”

He stopped still, feeling his heartbeat almost in his throat.

He was an honorable dragon. A member of the dragon guard. One who thought before acting, used his head instead of his heart.

Or other, less trustworthy organs.

And yet…

He turned toward the bathroom and looked at it wistfully. Then he took a few steps forward. After all, how could he not answer a request from their new guest when part of his job was to make her comfortable?

He opened the door to the bathroom and stopped when he saw the shower was already full of steam and Sylvie was already naked.

Her dark, glistening skin was soaped up, lather running over her curves, and though he couldn’t make out everything through the frosty glass, he could make out a good deal.

Enough to know that an honorable dragon should turn and run about now.

She opened the glass door, peeking around it. “Can you wash my back?”

He had to resist the urge to let his jaw drop at the request. He averted his eyes politely, feeling his heartrate increase further. “I’m not sure that would be… proper.”

“Screw proper. I have an old injury, and it’s hard for me to reach back there.” There was a pause. Then her tone turned soft and pleading. “Please?”

That got to him, and he grabbed a washcloth with the determination of a warrior heading into battle and moved toward the shower door.

When he got there, he froze, closing his eyes and trying to reach out in front of him for the door.

“No, silly, you can’t keep your eyes closed. You’re going to slip or something.”

“It wouldn’t be right.”

“What, you’ve never seen anyone naked before?” she asked. “It’s no big deal.”

No, he’d never seen the most beautiful, tempting woman that was driving him out of his mind with lust naked before. And judging by the feeling in his pants, it was a very big deal.

She let out a little sigh. “If you’re uncomfortable with it, you can leave. I’d just appreciate your help.”

He opened his eyes a crack to see her peek over her shoulder innocently, and the dragon in him nearly roared in response.

What was wrong with him? Why couldn’t he retain common sense? Why was he thinking of just going all the way with this human when he had absolutely no right to? When it would be illogical and dishonorable all at the same time?

She wiggled her hips slightly, backing up to him. “Come on. Just a little.”

“Fine,” he said more sharply than he meant to. He stepped into the shower and was about to close the door behind him when he heard her giggle.

“Um, aren’t you forgetting something?”

“What?”

She pointed at him. “Your clothes. Why are you still wearing them?”

“I, um, hadn’t thought about that.” He looked down at his now-wet clothing.

“Take them off.” There was no pretense of shyness left in her eyes as she turned to face him, putting her hands on the collar of his shirt. Her eyes sparkled up at him, and he felt his heart hammering out of his chest.

“Fine, I will.” He stepped out of the shower and away from her prying hands to do so.

Washing her back? Hmph. He was pretty sure now that she was making him take off his clothes that this was just a blatant attempt at seduction.

And much to his shame, it was working.

He stepped back into the shower, letting the steam swirl around him and her gaze fall upon him, and he felt slightly mortified that he couldn’t hide the effect of all this on his body.

She looked him over from top to bottom, and he’d never felt so thoroughly appraised.

He was surprised by how much he liked it.

“You forgot something.” She reached up to pull his glasses gently off of his nose. She looked down at them, gently folding them and setting them aside.

“Oh,” he said awkwardly. “Thank you.”

“Do you even need those? I noticed you work out without them.”

“They make it easier to read, and I’m almost always reading something. So I keep them on.”

“They’re just reading glasses? So then you don’t have a prescription?”

“My eyesight is perfect, if that’s what you’re asking. I suppose they have just become a habit. Something that makes me… comfortable.”

“Well, they look hot on you.” She drew closer. “Though, you look just as hot without.”

“Good to know. Though, I think I will still wear them, as I find they increase my stamina—”

She grinned up at him, so close to him now, so naked that he could make out the little tips of her breasts covered with tiny soap bubbles and just begging for his attention. “Stamina, huh?”

“Yes, I can go for days,” he babbled nervously, trying to back up but finding the glass wall at his back. “With reading, I mean.”

“Oh.” She feigned disappointment. She kept coming and bumped up against him, her gorgeous, soft breasts pressing into his hard chest.

Surely, she would also be feeling something down below. He tried to distract himself, remind them both why he’d come in there in the first place.

“Your back,” he croaked, trying to keep his wits about him with so many soft curves so close. “I should help you…”

“Oh, right. That was just to get you in here.”

“You lied?”

“No, I do have an old injury. But I did kind of play it up to get you in here.”

He stared at her, surprised.

“Oh, come on. You’ve never said something just to get someone naked?”

He shook his head.

She laughed, running a hand down the center of his pectorals. “Oh, well then. Color me surprised.”

His body felt hotter than the steam all around them, and his throat was painfully tight. His whole life, he’d been holding himself back, but never more than now.

He’d wanted her from the moment he saw her, despite his mind’s attempts to say it didn’t make sense.

So he couldn’t really be offended by her trickery, because if it got him there, naked with his mate, then it was fine with him.

The base parts of him anyway.

“So what now?” he asked her, internally wondering the same thing.

He didn’t want to overstep his bounds, and he didn’t need the oracle on his back since she hadn’t given her approval to the match. He’d always been one to play by the rules and regulations, but at the hungry, answering look in Sylvie’s eyes, he wanted to send all regulations to hell.

He took a step closer, putting their steamy, wet bodies together.

She looked up at him, dark eyes glowing, short curls glistening, curvy body highlighted by the water running over them.

“I thought we could at least continue a bit from last night,” she said. “You know, since we both seemed to enjoy this?”

“Why are you intent on driving me insane?” He curved his arm around her. “What is this?”

She pressed in close, welcoming his hand and sliding hers up over his chest, admiring his muscles and making a shudder go through him. She lifted onto her tiptoes to whisper in his ear with her full lips. “Fun.”

Fun indeed, as her soft lips caressed the lobe of his ear and the edge of his neck where it met his jaw. He wasn’t a particularly sensitive dragon, but everything she did to him had an effect. Just the fact that she wanted to touch him at all had a resounding impact on him. His body was instantly at attention, ready to give anything she wanted.

Whatever that was.

She leaned back to look up at him. “What do you want, dragon?”

“Cobalt,” he croaked out, wanting something more personal between them. After all, he wouldn’t just call her human.

“Cobalt,” she said softly, with a small nod.

Then he looked down at her soft, curved breasts and was lost.

He dropped to his knees in the shower, not caring about the hard floor, ran his hands up over her wet, curvy legs, and grabbed her by the hips, pulling her forward.

She gasped as his hand slipped up her back, forcing her to lean forward so he could take her dusky nipples in his lips, teasing and torturing them, moving from one to the other as his hands continued to hold her body in his control.

She was so short compared to him that even kneeling, it wasn’t hard for him to reach her if she leaned over even a little. She struggled slightly against the sensation of his lips, and water droplets trickled down over him as he laved at her breasts.

Every sensation, from the feel of her skin under his hands to the taste of her nipples in his mouth, was heaven.

And he meant to have even more.

He gripped her hips, letting her stand up and recover slightly before he leaned forward, letting his tongue play in her curls and then softly explore her hot, wet folds. Water streamed over her, and she moaned and leaned back against the glass wall of the shower, making it creak.

“Damn, dragon, you move fast.”

“Cobalt.” He corrected, flicking his tongue against her clit.

“Cobalt,” she said, murmuring it like a prayer as steam rose up around them.

He licked and stroked, exploring every part of her sensitive, hot center as she progressed from moaning to screaming his name. Her hands were pulling out his hair now, and he ignored it, except for a small grin at the way he’d reversed the situation. At seeing confident, assured Sylvie ready to lose control, falling apart in his arms, totally helpless to the sensation he was making her feel.

“It’s too good, Cobalt. I can’t… I can’t…”

He could feel her legs trembling, her hands in his hair hanging on tight, and her sex tensing against him.

“Come,” he commanded, stroking his tongue over her center, and she did.

She screamed, arching back and thrashing as he quickly stood and held her against him, one arm around her waist, the other over her buttocks, lifting her slightly as she flailed.

He didn’t want her to be hurt or lose her balance in such a small space. The dragon inside him was roaring in triumph, and in this moment, he wanted his mate to feel nothing but pleasure.

“Oh my God, Cobalt,” she said, biting her lip and looking up at him with amazed, almost glazed eyes. “That was… That was…”

He slid his finger down and gently played in the curls between her legs, making her shiver, still oversensitive. “That was?”

She shuddered slightly, leaning in against his shoulder but making no attempt to get away from his hand. “I don’t even know… I can’t even describe it.”

“Maybe this will help.”

She moaned as he stroked slowly, gently, enjoying the feel of their bodies together and the fact that he could hold her against him with one hand while lazily playing with the other.

Her arms were around his neck, nails curling into his back, and she bit into his shoulder slightly as she began to grow more tense from stimulation.

Cobalt knew in that moment there was no one else he would rather do this with, no one else he could be with, no one who could ever inspire a fire in him like this.

His need to please her, protect her, stay with her forever was more overwhelming than the need to breathe.

He longed to say it out loud, to tell her he loved her, wanted her, was connected with her in a way that went beyond space or time or logic.

But instead, she just came again in his arms, and he held her tight, savoring every shudder and telling himself he could be patient for a treasure like this.

His feisty, silly, sexy, totally unexpected dragon heart.

His mate.

He kissed the top of her head as she slumped against him, exhausted, and waited for her heartbeat to calm down.

She looked up at him curiously, face flushed from the heat and her orgasms. “What about you?”

He shook his head. “I’m fine. I came in here for you, right?”

“Yeah, but you didn’t come in here,” she said begrudgingly. Her hand moved down to him, and he felt a jolt when her soft fingers closed around his hard length.

He looked down at her in shock and saw her grin spread wide in response. Now she was in control.

She used one hand to push him up against the glass wall behind him and kept the other on his length, stroking slightly.

He arched, a tingle running all the way down his spine to his toes, his usually strong muscles suddenly feeling weak.

Would he even be able to stand up for this?

He steeled himself. He could do anything when it came to his mate.

“You get this intense look sometimes,” she said, reaching for a bottle behind her and pouring some kind of creamy lotion onto her hand. When she took him again, it was with a silky glide that made him nearly weak with anticipation.

Why did her touch affect him so much? Yes, she was his mate, but he was a logical dragon. He needed to stay calm so she could enjoy this, so he could do whatever she needed, and… Oh, damn, what was she doing now?

One hand was stroking his hard length while the other was moving over his muscles, pinching at a bicep, a pec, a nipple, exploring his body hungrily as her other hand pushed him closer to release.

He could feel all his muscles tensing powerfully and a resistance in him against letting it all go because he didn’t want the moment to end.

This had all started so playfully, but it was serious now, and he felt so close to her, with all of this water and heat and steam between them and their bare bodies totally exposed.

Touching her, letting her touch him, watching her come, and then…

Coming.

He groaned and pulled her in against him, pinning her with both arms and burying his head in her shoulder as he found his release, calling her name in a low voice against her wet skin.

She shuddered slightly in response, also holding him, and then slowly pulled back.

His entire body felt as though everything had been wrung from him. He felt weak and energized at the same time… He felt utterly grateful and overwhelmed, yet he still wanted to please her. Talk to her. Stay with her, study her.

And then she took a deep breath and turned away from him.

She straightened her back, reaching for the soap bottle and putting some on her hands before handing it to him so he could do the same.

She gave him a small smile as she turned back to the shower, taking his breath away as she lathered her soft curves and slowly rinsed them.

But what now? A part of him was on fire to know if this changed anything between them. If she felt anything for him.

If it had meant anything to her.

He slowly soaped up his body and got ready to rinse when she was done.

When she was, she moved past him and gestured for him to take his turn, and he looked down at her with a small frown as he saw she was leaving the shower.

“Wait. Where are you going?” He stepped into the hot water to quickly rinse so he could follow wherever she went.

She bit her lip and smiled at him nervously. “I think I’ll just take a short nap.”

“Do you want me to join you?”

She shook her head, giving him a genuine but hesitant smile. “It’s fine. I’m good.” She flushed and gave him a long toe-to-head look. “More than good. That was amazing. Definitely going in the spank bank.”

He choked. “The what?”

“Don’t worry about it.” She put a finger up to her lips as she toweled off and then pulled on her clothing, looking cozy and beautiful as she wrapped a towel around her still-wet curls. “That was great, Cobalt.” She gave him a wink. “I’ll see you later.”

And then she slipped out of the room while he was too wet and naked to grab her.

Oh well. He turned back to the water, mystified by her actions, especially in light of what had happened between them.

From what he’d studied on human behavior and what he’d seen on human television, the last thing human females wanted was to be alone after romantic interludes.

Hell, he didn’t much like being alone either, but the last thing he wanted to be was clingy or needy.

So Sylvie was a little unique in some respects. Well, most aspects. That was fine with him.

She was a human, not a dragon, and she couldn’t feel the same fated pull that he did. Couldn’t know they were destined to be together. At least, if he could trust his feelings at all, they were.

He would have to be patient. Wait for her to come to the same feelings as him. He smiled to himself as he soaped up again and enjoyed the hot water, remembering the feel of her hands as he rinsed off.

With chemistry like that between them, hopefully it wouldn’t take too long.