Chapter 11

ELEVEN

Samantha

Is the temperature always perfect here? Day or night this place seems to be warm and comforting, with the occasional cool breeze coming off the ocean. I sit on the edge of the cliff watching as the waves roll over the white sandy shore and the sun sinks below the horizon, lighting the ocean up like flames. I kind of want to shift and sweep out over the water, touching the waves with my wings and soaring through these blue, blue skies, but I know that would only bring more trouble my way.

There's a sound behind me, and I twist and look, ready to kick some ass. But it's only Granger.

He stands with his hands in his khaki pants, looking uncertain. His dark brown hair is ruffled by the wind, and his sweet dark eyes seek me out, looking for permission to come closer. I inhale slowly of his scent—books and soap—and I love it. I love him. Everything about him makes me feel safe and treasured.

"Mind if I sit?" he asks softly. Awkwardly.

"Always," I say, patting the spot next to me.

He sits down next to me, leaving a little space between it, and I close the distance between us, wrapping my arms around his big frame. Granger is so different from Aydan and Evander. They're all hard muscles and big shoulders. He's like a big, soft teddy bear I could fall into.

"You smell so good, Granger," I tell him, taking a deep breath. "You feel good too."

"Yeah?" He clears his throat.

"Yeah. Whatever girl ends up with you is going to be damn lucky. I mean, I think if Dr. Abigail was thirty years younger, that might be a real love connection."

He laughs. "You're officially insane. You know that?"

I sigh and rest my head on his chest, my arms still wrapped around him. "I wish Evander and Aydan had just a drop of your patience, kindness, and lack of ego."

"They're a lot to handle," he says softly. "But you care about them."

"For some reason. Why couldn't our hearts just fall in love with each other? It'd be so much easier. I mean, don't get me wrong, I know you see me as a guy with boobs." I laugh. "But you're everything any woman could want in a man."

He's quiet, and I realize I'm being stupid. Granger never gets the girl, and maybe instead of my compliments building him up, I'm making him feel more alone. That's the last thing I want to do.

"What are you thinking about?"

He stiffens, and it takes him a minute to answer. "I'm just thinking about what you're going to do about those two. This isn't a problem time can solve, because you don't have a lot of time left. In the next few hours you need to pick one of them–"

"To bone their brains out all night," I say, trying not to sound too frustrated.

"Do you have any idea who you'll pick?"

I shake my head against his chest. "Not a clue. But I wouldn't mind some help figuring it out."

"Okay, let's work this out like any other problem. Every problem has a solution."

Releasing a deep breath, I nod and decide to just be as honest as possible. "Aydan is one of my best friends. I've loved him all my life, and all I've ever wanted is for us to be together."

"So, it's simple. Pick him."

"No, not quite," I say, trying to stay focused. "Aydan is also human. And now, I'm a dragon. I have a feeling the green dragon, and other male dragons, are going to keep coming for me, and I'm going to need protection. Evander and I need to be working together to figure out how to survive attacks with these dragons. And I very much doubt he'll want to help me if I turn him down and spend my time banging Aydan. What's more, I don't know if Aydan can… do what needs to be done to properly cover my scent."

When he doesn't answer, I continue. "Evander is a male dragon. On paper, he's the better fit for me. We're equally strong. We both shift into creatures no one else can understand. There's a biological component between us that pulls me to him. It's almost impossible to resist. With him, my scent will be properly covered, and I'll have a male dragon's protection if I need it."

"Fuck," Granger mutters. "Then pick Evander."

"The problem is that I don't love him. And I don't trust him. I'm not even sure he's a good person. I don't even know what he wants me for, or what he gets out of this, other than the obvious. It has to be more than that, right?"

He seems to be struggling for the words. "Sam, you're a very beautiful woman. A lot of men would give anything to be with you."

I hug him tighter. "So, who do I choose?"

"Well, let's eliminate options. You don't want to choose neither of them, right?"

"As much as you're tempting me to just start banging you, that probably won't solve anything, right?" I say with a laugh.

He swallows hard. "Right. So we're eliminating the option of neither of them. What about Aydan? You can't just choose him because he's not a dragon, can't protect you, can't hide you, and you have a biological need to be with Evander. And you can't choose Evander because you don't trust him or love him, and you can't give up the man you do love. Is all of that right?"

"Yes," I say, tears pricking my eyes.

"Then the only logical option is to choose both of them."

I frown and slowly look up into his big brown eyes. "You… you can't be serious."

He shrugs. "Why not? This is a brand new world for you. Traditional ideas are not meeting your needs. You need your scent covered. Regularly. Why not have two men to do that? You need one man for protection, and you want one man for love, so why not have both?"

I look out over the ocean, trying to find the words to argue about how insane this idea is, but on paper, logically, Granger is talking some sense. "Let's say this is a good idea. How do I possibly get them on board?"

He's staring out over the ocean too. "You ask them. You lay out the facts. You make it clear that if they don't agree to this, you'll be choosing one of them, and you can't promise one of them who will be chosen. I doubt they'd be willing to risk losing you. You're too… valuable for that."

"Valuable, huh?" I ask, trying to ignore the rest of it.

"Like a diamond," he says, his gaze finding me and his lips quirking. "Like a diamond vagina ring that they must keep for themselves. My precious."

I laugh and shove him over, climbing half on top of him. "Don't talk about my diamond ring vagina!"

He's laughing right back. "My precious."

"You are such a nerd! Smeagol!"

"Sam!" Evander's shout is filled with anger.

I turn to see him storming toward us, fire in his eyes. Climbing off of Granger, I race toward him and try to stop him, but he's charging at Granger.

"Stop it! Stop it right now!"

Granger is on his feet, hands raised to show he doesn't mean harm. His skin is pale.

Evander keeps going, pushing me back, and I grab ahold of his shirt and shake him. "Leave him alone! You so much as touch a hair on Granger's head and I will never speak to you again!"

His dark eyes are wild as they meet mine. "You were on top of him! You fucking smell like him!"

"We were just goofing around! He's my friend! One of my best friends! Nothing romantic has ever happened between Granger and I and it never will, but if you touch him, nothing will ever happen between us again either."

Those dark eyes of his meet mine, and his hands slide to my waist. He pulls me roughly against him and then kisses me. Hard. My thoughts disappear as his hot mouth consumes mine, his tongue caressing mine. He starts to rub me against him, and I feel his erection. My control starts to slip, and I jerk out of his arms, not wanting Granger to endure the sight of the two of us fucking in front of him.

"Come back here," he growls.

"Not a chance," I say, taking another step back.

Granger is suddenly at my side, fists clenched. "Are you okay?"

I want to touch him. To reassure him. But I know Evander will snap. "I'm okay."

Evander crosses his arms in front of his chest, looking menacing. "Well, I just came here to tell you that two dragons have changed their flying patterns and are now headed in this direction. We need to cover your scent."

"Damn it."

His voice gentles. "Come on. We'll take care of this."

I give him a look. "Why do you think you're going to be the one to cover my scent?"

His nostrils flare. "Don't fuck around, or you'll find out."

I move to walk around him, and he steps into my path. "Get out of the way."

"I'm not playing around. You're coming with me. Right now."

"Fuck you!" I shove past him and head for the compound without looking back.

It'll be a cold day in hell before I ever let someone tell me when I have to fuck someone and who I have to fuck. He'll learn that today. The easy way, or the hard way.