Chapter 13
CHAPTER 13
Keegan paced near the entrance of the nightclub, waiting for Jaron to arrive. When he finally did, Keegan couldn't help but smile, despite all his nerves.
As long as Jaron was here, he wasn't going to be hurt.
Keegan stepped aside to let him in, his fingers brushing against Jaron's arm briefly. "Thanks for coming," he murmured, guiding Jaron toward the bar area, now cast in the stark overhead light they never turned on during the night.
Jaron settled onto a barstool, his eyes never leaving Keegan. "What's going on? Why did you want me here so urgently? You're not just horny, are you?"
Keegan turned his back to Jaron and reached for a bottle of synthetic blood behind the bar. As he poured himself a drink, he felt Jaron's gaze boring into him. He took a slow sip, savoring the metallic taste as it slid down his throat.
What to say, what to say?
"I just really wanted to see you." It wasn't entirely a lie. His heart did leap at the sight of Jaron. It always did.
For a moment, Jaron's expression softened, flattered by Keegan's words. But then suspicion crept back into his eyes. "Did you see something?"
Keegan worried his lower lip. He could lie. The words were on the tip of his tongue, so ready to be spoken. He was so used to lying to people. He didn't want that to be the relationship he had with his mate.
He had manipulated Jaron today… but only to keep him safe.
"You saw something but you can't tell me about it?" Jaron asked when Keegan didn't speak.
"Telling you would risk the goal I'm trying to achieve."
Jaron leaned forward, elbows resting on the bar. "What goal is that?"
Keegan reached out and took one of Jaron's hands in his own. "Protecting you."
Jaron met his eyes, searching. "You saw something bad happening to me at work?"
Keegan's silence was answer enough.
Jaron sighed, running his free hand through his hair. "I know I'm not much of a dragon, but I'm still a dragon. I'm not exactly fragile."
"I know that." Keegan's gaze narrowed. "But even dragons can be killed, Jaron. And I can't…" He stopped, taking a moment to keep a lid on his emotions. "I won't let you get hurt when I can manipulate events to keep you safe. I won't lose you like that."
His words disarmed Jaron.
Funny, Keegan thought, how uncomfortable the truth could feel to speak—and how effective it could be.
"You won't lose me," Jaron said.
"Will you stay, then?"
"You can't get rid of me now."
Keegan released a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. He tugged on Jaron's hand, pulling him off the barstool. "Come on, then. Let's go somewhere more private."
He led Jaron through the nightclub and down the stairs. As soon as they entered, Keegan closed the door behind them and turned to face Jaron. He didn't give the dragon-shifter a chance to speak, pressing their lips together in a fierce kiss. Jaron responded instantly, his hands gripping Keegan's hips and pulling him closer.
A low growl rumbled in Jaron's chest, the dragon in him reacting to Keegan's touch, craving more. Keegan sensed it in the way Jaron's grip tightened, in the heat radiating off his body. Keegan's own desire flared in response, and he deepened the kiss, trying to push Jaron further into that mindspace.
If Jaron was consumed by his dragon, he would stop asking questions that Keegan didn't want to answer for a while.
Keegan only needed to push a little bit and Jaron's animal instincts would kick in and do the rest.
But Jaron wasn't so easily distracted. Even as his body reacted to Keegan's ministrations, his mind remained sharp. He broke the kiss, panting slightly, and tightened his grip on Keegan's waist, keeping him close.
"Wait," he said, his voice rough. "You said we could talk."
"Is that really what you want to do right now?" Keegan challenged, arching an eyebrow. He ran a hand under Jaron's shirt, tracing his fingertips along the hard planes of Jaron's stomach as Jaron's tail wrapped around Keegan's leg—probably without conscious input from Jaron. Keegan smirked. His dragon's desire was so obvious.
"You're trying to distract me," Jaron accused.
"Maybe I'm just really horny." Keegan brushed his lips against Jaron's ear. "Aren't you?"
Jaron's breath hitched as Keegan nipped at his earlobe. "Always," he admitted. "When you're around." His fingers gripped the fabric of Keegan's shirt and twisted as he turned a heated gaze on Keegan. "I want to fuck you."
Keegan shivered at the intensity of his words, his arousal spiking. God, he wanted that too. Badly. "You can have a conversation or sex," he said. "Choose."
Jaron let out a frustrated sound, his tail coiling tighter around Keegan. "You drive me fucking insane," he muttered.
Keegan chuckled softly, his hands trailing down to cup the bulge in Jaron's jeans. "I know what I want you to choose."
Jaron groaned, rocking into Keegan's touch.
Keegan squeezed.
Jaron shuddered, a low growl vibrating through his chest. Keegan could feel the tension in Jaron's body, the war between his dragon instincts and his rational mind.
Jaron's hands moved to Keegan's waist, gripping him tightly. "You're impossible," he murmured.
"Says the man with the dragon wings," Keegan teased as he continued to fondle Jaron.
Jaron's gaze burned with intensity, a mixture of exasperation and lust. "You're going to be the death of me."
Keegan's heart skipped a beat at those words.
Quite the opposite, actually.
When had that stopped mattering to him?
If Keegan couldn't find a way to change the future, this man was going to kill him one day. And yet, Keegan didn't care. He'd suffer any fate to be with this dragon.
He just didn't want Jaron to suffer.
"Keegan?" Jaron had noticed his distress because of course he had. All his attention was focused on Keegan, and he cared—more than anyone else had ever cared about Keegan.
That was going to be his downfall if Keegan's visions came to pass.
Keegan leaned into his touch, letting the heat of his dragon's body seep into him, chasing away the cold fear that always lurked at the edges of his mind, just out of sight.
Jaron's fingers dug into his waist, a reminder of the strength he possessed even in his human form. Keegan relished the pressure, a grounding force against the chaos in his head that could never be silenced.
"You okay?" Jaron asked.
"Yes," Keegan whispered, nuzzling against Jaron's neck. "Go on."
That was all it took. Jaron's restraint snapped, and he pulled Keegan even tighter against him, their bodies melding together. The dragon-shifter's mouth claimed Keegan's with a fervor that left no room for doubt or hesitation.
Keegan surrendered to the kiss, to Jaron's lips and tongue, feeling the tension in Jaron's muscles, the barely restrained power that hummed beneath his skin.
He let Jaron guide him to the bed, let Jaron climb on top of him without a word of protest.
Jaron's hands roamed over Keegan's body, and Keegan closed his eyes and arched into Jaron's caress, a soft moan escaping his lips as Jaron's fingers found sensitive spots he hadn't even known existed.
Jaron's mouth trailed hot kisses down Keegan's neck, his teeth grazing Keegan's skin and sending shivers of pleasure through his body as he tangled his fingers in Jaron's hair, pulling him closer, craving more contact. He knew he shouldn't let this go too far, shouldn't let Jaron complete their bond, but Jaron wasn't the only one affected by their connection.
Keegan wanted Jaron just as much as Jaron wanted him. His thoughts were all but consumed by the warm presence on top of him, the smell of Jaron's skin, the smell of his blood.
God, he wanted to taste him again, wanted to bind him to himself. Jaron was his mate, his perfect prey. The siren whose call he could never resist.
His plan had been so smart. He'd push Jaron until Jaron lost his mind and his dragon took over and then he'd forget to ask Keegan details about his visions.
Keegan had forgotten to take his own desire for Jaron into the equation.
He'd thought he could stay in control and end things before they did something stupid.
But when Jaron's hands slid under Keegan's shirt, all Keegan wanted to do was to let Jaron have him.
His plan was good, as all of his plans were. He was just fucking up the execution.
He gasped as Jaron's thumbs brushed over his nipples, the touch sending jolts of electricity straight to his groin. He ground his hips against Jaron's, feeling the hard length of the dragon's arousal pressing against him.
Jaron grinned down at him. "You want me to take you out of your mind?"
"Do your best."
Jaron's hands slipped lower, teasing the waistband of Keegan's pants. "Easy," he said with a smile that made Keegan feel like he had the sun back in his life.
Funny how a vampire as dark as him should end up with someone as bright as Jaron.
The thought was chased from Keegan's mind when Jaron unzipped Keegan's pants and freed his cock, then leaned down, his warm breath ghosting over Keegan's hardened length. Keegan arched his hips upward, involuntarily. Jaron chuckled, the vibrations of his laughter sending shivers down Keegan's spine.
"Today I'll take care of you," the dragon promised.
Keegan wanted to say something, to counter with a smart remark to show Jaron that he hadn't lost his mind yet, to show himself that he was still in full control of his mental capacities— and then Jaron's mouth was on him, hot and wet and completely overwhelming. Keegan's thoughts scattered, any semblance of control slipping through his fingers like smoke.
Keegan's eyes rolled back as Jaron's tongue swirled around the sensitive tip, teasing him mercilessly. He tangled his fingers in the sheets, gripping them tightly to keep from grabbing onto Jaron and demanding more. He couldn't remember the last time he had felt this alive, this consumed by another person.
Jaron slid down further, taking more of Keegan into his mouth, and Keegan couldn't hold back a moan. His hips bucked upward involuntarily as Jaron worked him with practiced ease, his tongue swirling around the head of Keegan's cock before taking him deeper, until Keegan could feel the back of Jaron's throat.
The sensation was too much, too good, and Keegan's entire body tensed, his muscles coiling tightly as he fought against the rising tide of pleasure. He didn't want this to end, didn't want to lose this connection, however fleeting it might be.
Jaron seemed to sense his struggle, his pace never faltering as he continued to drive Keegan closer and closer to the edge. Keegan's vision blurred, his breath coming in short, ragged gasps as he chased the release that was just out of reach.
And then Jaron's mouth slipped off Keegan's cock just as he'd almost reached his climax.
"Fuck," Keegan cursed. "Why did you-"
He didn't get to finish the sentence before Jaron was on top of him, their lips crashing together. Jaron kissed him with a ferocity that took his breath away, the taste of his own pre-cum still lingering on Jaron's tongue. Keegan clung to him, his body aching with need for the release he had been denied.
He didn't even think to protest when Jaron pulled Keegan's pants the rest of the way down before opening the zipper of his own.
But then Jaron's phone rang. Jaron cursed out loud. "That's the ringtone I set for work."
"Ignore it," Keegan said.
It wasn't just that they were in the middle of things, he also had a bad feeling about that call—one that wasn't unfounded. He pulled himself together, just for a moment, to think. If work was calling Jaron, something had happened.
Likely one of the many things Keegan had known could happen when he'd told Jaron to abandon his task.
Disregarding his sage advice, Jaron answered the call, and within moments, his face paled. "They've got Apollo," he said to Keegan. "The kidnapper's got Apollo."
"Oh," Keegan said. He hoped he looked surprised.
In reality, he wasn't surprised. Really fucking annoyed, yes, but not surprised.
Of course the future had chosen the worst possible path in response to his actions.