Savage Basilisk, page 7
That had been close. This thing between them was definitely dangerous. She needed to remember that he’d probably pulled back for a reason.
And as a shifter, even when he looked for a woman, he’d be looking for a mate.
Something she had no interest in being.
But that didn’t mean she couldn’t spend the rest of the day with him, pretending things were different.
Where was the danger in that?
10
Ajax regretted his decision to take Olivia to the roller-skating rink almost immediately.
Truthfully, there weren’t a lot of things to do in town, and he hadn’t wanted to take her home yet after shopping.
The huge, garish neon building smelled like stale popcorn and old shoes, and the carpet was practically solid, it was so dirty.
Still, the families inside seemed to be having a good time, and Ajax had to admit there was something interesting about the way humans could be so fragile, so small, and yet enjoy their simple existence.
The roller-skating, though, he wasn’t sure about.
First, the largest skates they had still weren’t basilisk size, and his feet felt crammed in. Secondly, he hated anything that took away the feel of the ground under his feet, and the gliding motion while skating (though he had picked it up quickly) was unnerving.
Third… it was all worth it when he looked over at Olivia and saw her skating next to him, her face glowing with pleasure as they glided side by side to the music, humans flowing in and around them.
Perhaps Ajax had never felt as human as he did in that moment, next to her.
Something in him that was always thrashing, always pacing, somehow felt at peace.
Flashing neon lights lit the rink, and it was bordered with black carpet with colorful shapes. There were tables where families could sit and watch and eat snacks. The air was light with Christmas music playing over speakers.
Something like this normally wouldn’t have been his first choice for relaxation, but it was a good excuse to spend more time with Olivia, and that was plenty enough reason for Ajax.
She was becoming almost too much to resist.
Mate or not, he was drawn to her in a way he couldn’t fight. That much was certain.
“I’m glad you got me to come out,” Olivia said, skating next to him somewhat awkwardly. Clearly, she wasn’t used to it either. “I’m sorry you had to talk me into it.”
Ajax would make sure she didn’t fall.
“You mean dumping you on the floor?” he asked, amused.
She nodded, her dark eyes sparkling in the neon lights in a way that made his breath catch in his chest.
What the fuck was this feeling?
Mate, his basilisk said unhelpfully.
Ajax frowned, pushing the thought away as he turned to ask Olivia a question that he’d been wanting to for a while. “Why do you want to stay in so much?”
Olivia paused thoughtfully. “I guess it’s just natural for me. I do my job, but I like resting and being away from people when I’m not working. I guess I was on my own a lot growing up and stayed in most of the time since we didn’t have money, and that habit stuck with me.”
Ajax knew what that was like, having spent so much time underground in solitude. But since he’d awakened, he’d at least had the other basilisks for friends, along with everyone at Dragonclaw.
Of course, she seemed close with the double dragons, but it didn’t really sound the same.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “That seems lonely.”
She shrugged, brushing it off as he would have if someone offered him sympathy. “It’s okay. Once I was old enough, I didn’t mind. Plus, I’ve spent most of my adulthood working my butt off for the double dragons.”
“Yeah,” he said, trying to stave off his inner basilisk, which was raging with jealousy just hearing about other creatures near his so-called mate. Stupid bastard. “How has that been anyway?”
“Well, after they saved me, and I didn’t want my memory erased, the three of us did wonder if I could potentially be their mate. But we quickly figured out that wasn’t the case. I didn’t feel chemistry with either of them.”
Ajax resisted the urge to put his fist through one of the concrete pylons holding the rink up. “How do you mean?”
She gave him an odd look. “None of your business. We weren’t ever together, though, if that’s what you mean.”
Ajax nodded, knowing it was none of his business but glad that the double dragons hadn’t put hands on her just in case.
“After that, they decided I could work for them as a coordinator if I wanted, and I said yes,” she said. “After all, I didn’t have anything else to do and didn’t want to go back to my world. I’ve always wanted to help others, and after they saved me, I realized I had even more of a chance to help now.”
“That’s very noble of you. No one would have blamed you for running as far away from danger as possible after almost losing your arm,” Ajax said, trying not to fall even harder for the beautiful, strong woman next to him.
She grinned. “I’m made of sterner stuff than that.” They skated a little longer. Then she looked over at him. “But being out with you today, I’m beginning to wonder if I didn’t lose myself over the years.”
He frowned. “What do you mean?”
“As I got more comfortable with the shifter world, Jack and Troy had me coordinate more with shifter authorities, and eventually, I was out leading search parties and stopping bad shifters. I loved it, but I think at some point, I forgot about the fact that I’m just one human. It’s hard to relax, you know? There’s always someone being hurt and always bad shifters, or people, causing pain to others. If I slow down, who else will help them? But it hasn’t left room for much of a life.”
Ajax cocked an eyebrow. “Hence protein bars and freeze-dried strawberries?”
“Got me there, but I won’t apologize. I love my easy foods. I’m always moving, always working to make sure people are safe.” She sighed. “But it’s been getting harder lately. It seems like every day, the world is on the brink of another disaster, especially now that shifters have been revealed to the public.”
“But that can’t be your responsibility,” he said. “Besides, if you feel better, you can do better at the things you want to do.”
She smiled over at him. “Yeah, I’m getting that.”
“If the world were completely safe and you didn’t have to do this, what would you want to do?” Ajax asked.
Olivia thought about it. “I guess that’s the scary part. I don’t really know. Maybe I immerse myself in my job sometimes so I don’t have to think about it.”
“I understand that,” he said as she looked over at him with interest. “I haven’t known what my purpose was since I took human form. For so long, I lived only on primal instincts, moving through the earth and protecting it with my life just by reflex. But inside, it was like I was asleep.”
“That’s so interesting,” she said. “I can’t imagine how much of a shock that was.”
“We were basically nonverbal for a while, until we picked up language.”
“I’d heard all three of you displayed high intelligence, which made learning faster.”
Ajax nodded. “But not less stressful. Adjusting to everything has been… interesting. In fact, when we first woke up, everyone thought we were stupid due to our initial struggles with communication.”
“That’s too bad,” she said. “I don’t think we should judge how smart anyone is just by speech. Some people use simple words just to be easy to understand. Famous writers even.”
“Really?” Ajax asked.
“Yup,” she said.
“That is interesting to know. Anyway, coming to the surface was definitely an adjustment.”
She laughed. “We really are alike. Come on, say it sucked. I can tell you mean it sucked.”
Ajax peered at her. “What do you mean?”
She skated along, hands behind her back. “Just… your whole world changing, having no idea who you are now, and having to learn everything from scratch… that seems hard.”
“It was,” he said, though no one had ever mentioned that to him before, so he hadn’t really thought about it.
Warmth moved through him at her understanding. Empathy, he realized.
Being understood did feel oddly good.
He thought back to his journal, to one of his notes there.
Even if he couldn’t win her as mate, perhaps one of the tips he’d seen would work well, even if he wasn’t anything like the men in his research.
Human women liked touch and affection that was nonsexual, like touching hands, sitting together, or hugging.
He reached over and took her hand in his, unable to resist. Like his inner basilisk was forcing him to.
And worse, once his huge fingers closed around her soft, warm hand, he could feel the monster inside him growl like he would never let go.
She looked up at him, shocked, and he felt his neck go red with heat. “Ajax—”
“As friends,” he said quickly. Then he almost jerked his hand back, but she looked down at it, smiled, and squeezed his hand in hers as they continued to skate.
“I can always use a friend,” she said, smiling up at him as they moved.
Oh fuck, he wanted her. This was bad.
Just touching her hand was sending electricity coursing through him. If he kept touching her… his basilisk would surely want to take control.
He looked down at her. “Olivia, you work with shifters all the time. Has anyone ever wanted to mate you?” He had to at least know how she felt about the proposition now that his basilisk was getting attached.
Even if he knew he couldn’t have a mate in all reality.
She grimaced. “An ugly concept. I hate it.”
His eyebrows came down. “Why? Isn’t it about love?”
“You’re asking me?”
“I’ve never had a mate,” he said. “Though, I have seen my friends mated and wouldn’t ever call it an ugly concept. So I’m curious why you would.”
“I just… I’m not here to live for another person,” she said with a shudder. “Shifters always use mating as an excuse to try to get with you as soon as possible… and lock you down and control you. Your friends are nice people, I’m sure, and I’m glad they have relationships beyond mating, but… I just think the whole thing is odd. I’d rather marry for love than some instinct.”
Ajax thought that, at least for his friends, it might be possible to have both.
But Olivia did seem genuinely upset, and probably a lot of shifters had behaved in unseemly ways with her.
Given her beauty and her curves, any shifter might find himself convinced she should be their mate.
“Mates aren’t supposed to be like that,” he said. “It’s not a way to lock someone down. It’s a way to protect—”
She shook her head. “I get it. I’m just not into it.”
“What about marriage?” he asked.
“I don’t know,” she said. “I guess being single in my forties says what you need to know about that. It’s not like I hate dating, just that I didn’t have time, and my priorities were elsewhere.”
“Hm,” Ajax said.
“Why are you asking?” She gave him a piercing stare.
Ajax had no way to answer that.
“Ajax, the other night…” Her hand tightened on his. “Why did you pull back from me?”
In an instant, he gently released her hand and skated forward, trying to get ahead of her.
No way to answer. Nothing in his journal to tell him what to do when a woman didn’t want a mate at all, and he shouldn’t even have one because he was a monster.
But that didn’t stop the wanting.
He heard Olivia telling him to stop avoiding her but kept skating forward until he heard the click of her skates catching together.
In an instant, his instincts told her she would trip.
He whirled around and caught her in his arms just as she was about to go sprawling. He managed to get them both over to a barrier, which he leaned against as other skaters flew by.
Olivia was still in his arms, trying to get her bearings.
Damn, now that they were safe, all he could see was her wide, beautiful eyes blinking up at him helplessly.
That soft, incredible body pressed up against him with womanly curves against his hips and her breasts against his chest.
He was instantly hard, instantly wanting, and as her mouth opened in a surprised expression and he pressed her hips to his, he knew she knew.
There was no hiding a basilisk in that state.
Fucking hell, his attempt to put space between them had backfired spectacularly.
He could barely breathe for wanting her, his chest felt so tight.
His hands held her against him, not ready to release her to stand up.
But after a few panting seconds, they both stood, and he let Olivia go to sit on the barrier next to him, which was padded with carpet.
She sucked in a deep breath. “This thing between us, you feel it too, don’t you?”
He started to stand to get back on the rink, but she gave a pointed look at his lap.
“I wouldn’t do that,” she said. “Not if you want to keep this place family-friendly.”
He shot her a furious glare. This was all her fault for being so hot.
“I know you want me,” she said. “And I want you.” She folded her arms, looking over at him. “But what I don’t get is why you keep getting close and then denying us both. Aren’t you the one encouraging me to get out and live? Sex is part of living.”
Holy fuck, the human was talking about sex.
Wanting sex… with him.
Fuck.
Fuck and double fuck.
If he got inside her, his inner beast would surely go insane.
But how could he deny her anything she wanted?
His eyes met hers, searching, and he found his answer in her heated brown irises, her tongue flicking out over her lower lip.
Even worse, he didn’t think he had it in him to resist this anymore.
So he would just have to deal with the consequences later, when his basilisk wanted to break everything because it found out Ajax wasn’t playing for keeps.
“So this would be casual?” he asked.
She nodded.
He swallowed. Could shifters even do casual?
In an instant, he knew. For her, he could.
He stood, extending a hand to her, and she took it, holding it tight as they skated out onto the rink together.
Just the thought of not having her for his own made his erection immediately subside.
Though, he knew it would come back to raging life the second they were alone.
His thoughts were still racing, and he hoped a bit of skating would help him think a bit more clearly.
But then a romantic song came over the speakers, and the announcer yelled over the intercom that this was a couple’s dance.
Olivia looked up at him expectantly as they slowed in the middle of the rink where it was easy to pause.
They shouldn’t skate as a couple. They shouldn’t even be touching.
As she moved in against him, his brain felt scrambled.
He was one of the most intelligent creatures in existence, but right now, he felt as stupid as the rocks he manipulated.
She looked up into his eyes and spun in as she grabbed his arms, locking them together, face to face, in the middle of the rink as families moved around them.
And then he couldn’t take it anymore.
He pulled his arms out of her hands and wrapped one around her waist to hold her up as his other hand cradled her head, feeling her beautiful curls as he leaned in to press his lips to hers.
Heat flared inside him, and a feral growl emanated from his throat.
She let out a little moan, melting in against him, her nails finding his back and digging in.
Encouraged, he slipped his tongue in, instincts driving him to read and do everything she wanted.
But then…
“Get a room!” a kid yelled, skating by.
“Not in front of the children!” an adult yelled.
Ajax let out a growl because he hadn’t been about to do anything in front of the children. But as he lifted his head to snarl at whoever had interrupted him, he felt Olivia take his face in her hands, keeping him focused on her.
“Let’s take this somewhere else,” she said.
“Get a room!” another person yelled.
Ajax wanted to take his head off, but Olivia took his hand and held it in hers as she led him off the rink.
“I think we should do as he says, don’t you?” She cocked her head, staring up at him as they stood on the carpet by the skate turn-in.
He folded his arms, glowering down at her, then grabbed her, pulling her in against his hips.
He caressed her face, pushing a stray hair back, and made up his mind in that moment.
If one night was all he could have with this woman, he would still savor it with everything in him.
“Yes,” he said, leading her to a bench where they could take off their skates. “I think we should get a room.”
Her smile told him he’d made the right decision.
But deep down, he knew he was probably going to regret this later.
After all, once he’d tasted her, he knew nothing else would ever compare.
11
Olivia’s hand felt electrified by Ajax’s palm and fingers as he led them into a room they’d rented for the afternoon in a modest hotel on the other side of town.
She was really doing this…
She would finally get her hands on Ajax.
Her mouth watered at just the thought.
Ajax had offered to take them back to Dragonclaw, but somewhere a little more private was more up her alley.
Not that Dragonclaw wasn’t peaceful. She just wasn’t going to wait another minute, let alone the half-hour drive it took to get back. Not when the anticipation of another kiss like the one they’d had together back at the skating rink burned in her like a wildfire that refused to go out.
She’d never known it could feel like that, that something so simple as kissing could light her entire soul on fire.
And as a shifter, even when he looked for a woman, he’d be looking for a mate.
Something she had no interest in being.
But that didn’t mean she couldn’t spend the rest of the day with him, pretending things were different.
Where was the danger in that?
10
Ajax regretted his decision to take Olivia to the roller-skating rink almost immediately.
Truthfully, there weren’t a lot of things to do in town, and he hadn’t wanted to take her home yet after shopping.
The huge, garish neon building smelled like stale popcorn and old shoes, and the carpet was practically solid, it was so dirty.
Still, the families inside seemed to be having a good time, and Ajax had to admit there was something interesting about the way humans could be so fragile, so small, and yet enjoy their simple existence.
The roller-skating, though, he wasn’t sure about.
First, the largest skates they had still weren’t basilisk size, and his feet felt crammed in. Secondly, he hated anything that took away the feel of the ground under his feet, and the gliding motion while skating (though he had picked it up quickly) was unnerving.
Third… it was all worth it when he looked over at Olivia and saw her skating next to him, her face glowing with pleasure as they glided side by side to the music, humans flowing in and around them.
Perhaps Ajax had never felt as human as he did in that moment, next to her.
Something in him that was always thrashing, always pacing, somehow felt at peace.
Flashing neon lights lit the rink, and it was bordered with black carpet with colorful shapes. There were tables where families could sit and watch and eat snacks. The air was light with Christmas music playing over speakers.
Something like this normally wouldn’t have been his first choice for relaxation, but it was a good excuse to spend more time with Olivia, and that was plenty enough reason for Ajax.
She was becoming almost too much to resist.
Mate or not, he was drawn to her in a way he couldn’t fight. That much was certain.
“I’m glad you got me to come out,” Olivia said, skating next to him somewhat awkwardly. Clearly, she wasn’t used to it either. “I’m sorry you had to talk me into it.”
Ajax would make sure she didn’t fall.
“You mean dumping you on the floor?” he asked, amused.
She nodded, her dark eyes sparkling in the neon lights in a way that made his breath catch in his chest.
What the fuck was this feeling?
Mate, his basilisk said unhelpfully.
Ajax frowned, pushing the thought away as he turned to ask Olivia a question that he’d been wanting to for a while. “Why do you want to stay in so much?”
Olivia paused thoughtfully. “I guess it’s just natural for me. I do my job, but I like resting and being away from people when I’m not working. I guess I was on my own a lot growing up and stayed in most of the time since we didn’t have money, and that habit stuck with me.”
Ajax knew what that was like, having spent so much time underground in solitude. But since he’d awakened, he’d at least had the other basilisks for friends, along with everyone at Dragonclaw.
Of course, she seemed close with the double dragons, but it didn’t really sound the same.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “That seems lonely.”
She shrugged, brushing it off as he would have if someone offered him sympathy. “It’s okay. Once I was old enough, I didn’t mind. Plus, I’ve spent most of my adulthood working my butt off for the double dragons.”
“Yeah,” he said, trying to stave off his inner basilisk, which was raging with jealousy just hearing about other creatures near his so-called mate. Stupid bastard. “How has that been anyway?”
“Well, after they saved me, and I didn’t want my memory erased, the three of us did wonder if I could potentially be their mate. But we quickly figured out that wasn’t the case. I didn’t feel chemistry with either of them.”
Ajax resisted the urge to put his fist through one of the concrete pylons holding the rink up. “How do you mean?”
She gave him an odd look. “None of your business. We weren’t ever together, though, if that’s what you mean.”
Ajax nodded, knowing it was none of his business but glad that the double dragons hadn’t put hands on her just in case.
“After that, they decided I could work for them as a coordinator if I wanted, and I said yes,” she said. “After all, I didn’t have anything else to do and didn’t want to go back to my world. I’ve always wanted to help others, and after they saved me, I realized I had even more of a chance to help now.”
“That’s very noble of you. No one would have blamed you for running as far away from danger as possible after almost losing your arm,” Ajax said, trying not to fall even harder for the beautiful, strong woman next to him.
She grinned. “I’m made of sterner stuff than that.” They skated a little longer. Then she looked over at him. “But being out with you today, I’m beginning to wonder if I didn’t lose myself over the years.”
He frowned. “What do you mean?”
“As I got more comfortable with the shifter world, Jack and Troy had me coordinate more with shifter authorities, and eventually, I was out leading search parties and stopping bad shifters. I loved it, but I think at some point, I forgot about the fact that I’m just one human. It’s hard to relax, you know? There’s always someone being hurt and always bad shifters, or people, causing pain to others. If I slow down, who else will help them? But it hasn’t left room for much of a life.”
Ajax cocked an eyebrow. “Hence protein bars and freeze-dried strawberries?”
“Got me there, but I won’t apologize. I love my easy foods. I’m always moving, always working to make sure people are safe.” She sighed. “But it’s been getting harder lately. It seems like every day, the world is on the brink of another disaster, especially now that shifters have been revealed to the public.”
“But that can’t be your responsibility,” he said. “Besides, if you feel better, you can do better at the things you want to do.”
She smiled over at him. “Yeah, I’m getting that.”
“If the world were completely safe and you didn’t have to do this, what would you want to do?” Ajax asked.
Olivia thought about it. “I guess that’s the scary part. I don’t really know. Maybe I immerse myself in my job sometimes so I don’t have to think about it.”
“I understand that,” he said as she looked over at him with interest. “I haven’t known what my purpose was since I took human form. For so long, I lived only on primal instincts, moving through the earth and protecting it with my life just by reflex. But inside, it was like I was asleep.”
“That’s so interesting,” she said. “I can’t imagine how much of a shock that was.”
“We were basically nonverbal for a while, until we picked up language.”
“I’d heard all three of you displayed high intelligence, which made learning faster.”
Ajax nodded. “But not less stressful. Adjusting to everything has been… interesting. In fact, when we first woke up, everyone thought we were stupid due to our initial struggles with communication.”
“That’s too bad,” she said. “I don’t think we should judge how smart anyone is just by speech. Some people use simple words just to be easy to understand. Famous writers even.”
“Really?” Ajax asked.
“Yup,” she said.
“That is interesting to know. Anyway, coming to the surface was definitely an adjustment.”
She laughed. “We really are alike. Come on, say it sucked. I can tell you mean it sucked.”
Ajax peered at her. “What do you mean?”
She skated along, hands behind her back. “Just… your whole world changing, having no idea who you are now, and having to learn everything from scratch… that seems hard.”
“It was,” he said, though no one had ever mentioned that to him before, so he hadn’t really thought about it.
Warmth moved through him at her understanding. Empathy, he realized.
Being understood did feel oddly good.
He thought back to his journal, to one of his notes there.
Even if he couldn’t win her as mate, perhaps one of the tips he’d seen would work well, even if he wasn’t anything like the men in his research.
Human women liked touch and affection that was nonsexual, like touching hands, sitting together, or hugging.
He reached over and took her hand in his, unable to resist. Like his inner basilisk was forcing him to.
And worse, once his huge fingers closed around her soft, warm hand, he could feel the monster inside him growl like he would never let go.
She looked up at him, shocked, and he felt his neck go red with heat. “Ajax—”
“As friends,” he said quickly. Then he almost jerked his hand back, but she looked down at it, smiled, and squeezed his hand in hers as they continued to skate.
“I can always use a friend,” she said, smiling up at him as they moved.
Oh fuck, he wanted her. This was bad.
Just touching her hand was sending electricity coursing through him. If he kept touching her… his basilisk would surely want to take control.
He looked down at her. “Olivia, you work with shifters all the time. Has anyone ever wanted to mate you?” He had to at least know how she felt about the proposition now that his basilisk was getting attached.
Even if he knew he couldn’t have a mate in all reality.
She grimaced. “An ugly concept. I hate it.”
His eyebrows came down. “Why? Isn’t it about love?”
“You’re asking me?”
“I’ve never had a mate,” he said. “Though, I have seen my friends mated and wouldn’t ever call it an ugly concept. So I’m curious why you would.”
“I just… I’m not here to live for another person,” she said with a shudder. “Shifters always use mating as an excuse to try to get with you as soon as possible… and lock you down and control you. Your friends are nice people, I’m sure, and I’m glad they have relationships beyond mating, but… I just think the whole thing is odd. I’d rather marry for love than some instinct.”
Ajax thought that, at least for his friends, it might be possible to have both.
But Olivia did seem genuinely upset, and probably a lot of shifters had behaved in unseemly ways with her.
Given her beauty and her curves, any shifter might find himself convinced she should be their mate.
“Mates aren’t supposed to be like that,” he said. “It’s not a way to lock someone down. It’s a way to protect—”
She shook her head. “I get it. I’m just not into it.”
“What about marriage?” he asked.
“I don’t know,” she said. “I guess being single in my forties says what you need to know about that. It’s not like I hate dating, just that I didn’t have time, and my priorities were elsewhere.”
“Hm,” Ajax said.
“Why are you asking?” She gave him a piercing stare.
Ajax had no way to answer that.
“Ajax, the other night…” Her hand tightened on his. “Why did you pull back from me?”
In an instant, he gently released her hand and skated forward, trying to get ahead of her.
No way to answer. Nothing in his journal to tell him what to do when a woman didn’t want a mate at all, and he shouldn’t even have one because he was a monster.
But that didn’t stop the wanting.
He heard Olivia telling him to stop avoiding her but kept skating forward until he heard the click of her skates catching together.
In an instant, his instincts told her she would trip.
He whirled around and caught her in his arms just as she was about to go sprawling. He managed to get them both over to a barrier, which he leaned against as other skaters flew by.
Olivia was still in his arms, trying to get her bearings.
Damn, now that they were safe, all he could see was her wide, beautiful eyes blinking up at him helplessly.
That soft, incredible body pressed up against him with womanly curves against his hips and her breasts against his chest.
He was instantly hard, instantly wanting, and as her mouth opened in a surprised expression and he pressed her hips to his, he knew she knew.
There was no hiding a basilisk in that state.
Fucking hell, his attempt to put space between them had backfired spectacularly.
He could barely breathe for wanting her, his chest felt so tight.
His hands held her against him, not ready to release her to stand up.
But after a few panting seconds, they both stood, and he let Olivia go to sit on the barrier next to him, which was padded with carpet.
She sucked in a deep breath. “This thing between us, you feel it too, don’t you?”
He started to stand to get back on the rink, but she gave a pointed look at his lap.
“I wouldn’t do that,” she said. “Not if you want to keep this place family-friendly.”
He shot her a furious glare. This was all her fault for being so hot.
“I know you want me,” she said. “And I want you.” She folded her arms, looking over at him. “But what I don’t get is why you keep getting close and then denying us both. Aren’t you the one encouraging me to get out and live? Sex is part of living.”
Holy fuck, the human was talking about sex.
Wanting sex… with him.
Fuck.
Fuck and double fuck.
If he got inside her, his inner beast would surely go insane.
But how could he deny her anything she wanted?
His eyes met hers, searching, and he found his answer in her heated brown irises, her tongue flicking out over her lower lip.
Even worse, he didn’t think he had it in him to resist this anymore.
So he would just have to deal with the consequences later, when his basilisk wanted to break everything because it found out Ajax wasn’t playing for keeps.
“So this would be casual?” he asked.
She nodded.
He swallowed. Could shifters even do casual?
In an instant, he knew. For her, he could.
He stood, extending a hand to her, and she took it, holding it tight as they skated out onto the rink together.
Just the thought of not having her for his own made his erection immediately subside.
Though, he knew it would come back to raging life the second they were alone.
His thoughts were still racing, and he hoped a bit of skating would help him think a bit more clearly.
But then a romantic song came over the speakers, and the announcer yelled over the intercom that this was a couple’s dance.
Olivia looked up at him expectantly as they slowed in the middle of the rink where it was easy to pause.
They shouldn’t skate as a couple. They shouldn’t even be touching.
As she moved in against him, his brain felt scrambled.
He was one of the most intelligent creatures in existence, but right now, he felt as stupid as the rocks he manipulated.
She looked up into his eyes and spun in as she grabbed his arms, locking them together, face to face, in the middle of the rink as families moved around them.
And then he couldn’t take it anymore.
He pulled his arms out of her hands and wrapped one around her waist to hold her up as his other hand cradled her head, feeling her beautiful curls as he leaned in to press his lips to hers.
Heat flared inside him, and a feral growl emanated from his throat.
She let out a little moan, melting in against him, her nails finding his back and digging in.
Encouraged, he slipped his tongue in, instincts driving him to read and do everything she wanted.
But then…
“Get a room!” a kid yelled, skating by.
“Not in front of the children!” an adult yelled.
Ajax let out a growl because he hadn’t been about to do anything in front of the children. But as he lifted his head to snarl at whoever had interrupted him, he felt Olivia take his face in her hands, keeping him focused on her.
“Let’s take this somewhere else,” she said.
“Get a room!” another person yelled.
Ajax wanted to take his head off, but Olivia took his hand and held it in hers as she led him off the rink.
“I think we should do as he says, don’t you?” She cocked her head, staring up at him as they stood on the carpet by the skate turn-in.
He folded his arms, glowering down at her, then grabbed her, pulling her in against his hips.
He caressed her face, pushing a stray hair back, and made up his mind in that moment.
If one night was all he could have with this woman, he would still savor it with everything in him.
“Yes,” he said, leading her to a bench where they could take off their skates. “I think we should get a room.”
Her smile told him he’d made the right decision.
But deep down, he knew he was probably going to regret this later.
After all, once he’d tasted her, he knew nothing else would ever compare.
11
Olivia’s hand felt electrified by Ajax’s palm and fingers as he led them into a room they’d rented for the afternoon in a modest hotel on the other side of town.
She was really doing this…
She would finally get her hands on Ajax.
Her mouth watered at just the thought.
Ajax had offered to take them back to Dragonclaw, but somewhere a little more private was more up her alley.
Not that Dragonclaw wasn’t peaceful. She just wasn’t going to wait another minute, let alone the half-hour drive it took to get back. Not when the anticipation of another kiss like the one they’d had together back at the skating rink burned in her like a wildfire that refused to go out.
She’d never known it could feel like that, that something so simple as kissing could light her entire soul on fire.
