Slaying the Dragon

His breath caught and he mouthed us as he stared at me. Before I knew what was happening, he had his hands on my hips and lifted me up, forcing my legs around his waist. His eyes met mine, my heart racing at the feel of his body against mine. “Say it again,” he growled.

“Us,” I whimpered, turned on by his dominance and power.

“Again,” he said, his voice still firm, as if the only thing that could chase the demons away was my voice saying that one singular word, assuring him there was hope.

“Us.”

His stature relaxed slightly as he leaned in and pressed his mouth against mine. Sighing, I wrapped my arms around his neck, trying to pull him closer. His tongue forcefully met mine, as if my kiss alone could soothe his fears. I knew he needed this, needed this physical co

“Again,” he murmured against my lips.

“Us,” I whispered.

He groaned. “Again.”

“Us. Us. Us.”

He exhaled, the unease and torment that had plagued him seconds ago leaving him with each instance of me saying that word. And each time, it gave me the same thing it gave him… Promise.

He trailed soft kisses across my cheek, down my neck, lingering on my collarbone. I threw my head back, a surge of electricity washing over me with each nip of his lips, each brush of his tongue. With each kiss, he was saying “I love you”, “I cherish you”, “I treasure you”. I didn’t need to hear his voice say those words. I just knew. Instead of simply declaring his love to me with mere words, he did what he had always done. He proved it with his benevolence, his passion, his desire.

A loud throat clearing sounded, startling both of us. Reluctantly, Tyler pulled away from me, helping me lower my feet to the ground. He smiled mischievously as he glanced at Brayden and Je

“Get a room!” Brayden joked.

“Brayden,” Tyler said, nodding at him, shaking his hand. “Thanks for going along with everything tonight.”

I looked between Tyler and my two best friends, who had guilty, yet satisfied expressions on their faces.

“This was pla

Tyler shrugged. “Yeah. I wanted to make sure I had a few minutes alone with you.”

“We were a bit hesitant at first,” Je

“How?”

“I told him I have ties to the gay mafia.” He winked.

“Gay mafia?” I asked in disbelief.

“Yeah. Seriously, Mack. We’ve stood by your side through everything, but this schmuck made you happy for those two weeks. Then, when we saw the look of remorse on his face early this morning, well… I couldn’t help but get a good feeling about this time around.”

Tearing my gaze from my friends, I met Tyler’s eyes. “Me, too.”

He smiled back at me, planting a soft kiss on my forehead. It was the most i

Too soon, he pulled away and retreated toward where the valet attendant still stood next to his Jaguar. “Enjoy your evening, Mackenzie,” he crooned, his eyes dark and full of longing.

“You’re not going to stay?” I could hear the disappointment in my voice.

“No. It’s girls’ night.” Returning to me, he grabbed my hand in his. “You need time to catch up and you can’t do that with me around.”

“When am I going to see you again?”

“Why? Missing me already?”

“No.” I rolled my eyes in fake irritation.

Brushing a wayward curl behind my ear, he caressed my face.

“Okay, maybe a little,” I admitted.

“Can I take you out to di

“On a date?” I asked coyly.

He nodded. “Yes. A proper date. No expectations for anything more. Just two people getting to know each other.”

“I’d like that.”

“Does seven work for you?” He raised his eyebrows.

“Yes.”

He gri

“You were totally eye-fucking him,” Je

“It’s not eye-fucking if she already knows what the goods look like,” Brayden countered when we all took our normal seats at the bar.

“Says who?” Je

“Speaking of which,” I said, sipping my sparkling water once more, trying to get the focus of the conversation off me. “How’s everything going with you two?”

“Good. Better than good.” She swirled the liquid in her wine glass that the bartender had just poured for her. “I took your and Brayden’s advice and talked to him. He explained everything.”

“What did he say about the lack of any record of his previous marriage?”

“Well, it was like you said. He agreed to give his ex-wife a very hefty settlement, but a contingent of doing so was her agreeing to have all records of their marriage and subsequent divorce completely expunged. I had always just assumed she served him with divorce papers, not the other way around.”

“Why did he want that?” Brayden interjected.

“He said he didn’t want one of the biggest mistakes of his life to always follow him around. He wanted a fresh start, a new begi

“Yeah?” I popped an olive in my mouth. “What is it?”

“I actually felt bad for him. He was more or less co

“He’s got a thing for younger girls, doesn’t he?” Brayden commented, winking.

Je

“What happened?”

“She found out she was pregnant. When she confronted her boyfriend at the time, he split, disappearing into nowhere.”

I glanced down, placing my hand over my stomach. I could certainly sympathize with how she must have felt. Although the circumstances were different, I knew what it felt like to think you were alone.

“She came from a very strict Irish Catholic family and she couldn’t go home as she was unless…”

“She was married,” I finished.

Je

“Sound familiar?” Brayden mumbled under his breath, looking at me.

I shot my eyes to him and slapped him playfully.

“So he settled down with his new bride and began buying baby clothes. He couldn’t wait to be a father. He didn’t care that the kid wasn’t technically his. He said that’s not what makes someone a father… It’s being there, supporting them, putting their needs above your own. And he was ready and willing to do that.”

“But…”

Je