His dragon’s words were a warning, but he didn’t heed them. “As my lady wishes.”
And he kissed her.
~~~
Sid wasn’t sure what had compelled her to lie, but at the feel of Gregor’s warm lips, she forgot about everything else but his heat, scent, and touch.
As he nibbled and sucked her bottom lip, he maneuvered to her side and laid down. Turning toward him, Sid grabbed his shoulders and pulled him close.
The humming started in her head and faint bursts of lust soon followed. While there was no dragon egging her on to fuck Gregor, the wetness between her thighs and the tightness of her ni
pples made her ache to be filled in a way she’d never wanted before.
Moving a hand to his arse, she hitched her leg over his hip and shimmied closer. The feel of his hard cock against her lower belly increased the humming and her lust tenfold.
Just as she started rubbing against the Scot, he pulled away and murmured, “Stop it, love. My restraint is starting to slip.”
In a voice almost not her own, she answered, “No. I need you. Now.”
Gregor froze. “That’s not you, Dr. Jackson.”
The use of her title cleared the lust haze a fraction. Pulling away, she put a few inches between them. Intense pain exploded into her head and she screamed.
Stop, stop, STOP. Please, just stop.
If anything, the pain increased to the point a sledgehammer against her skull would be relief.
Something pinched in her upper arm. Opening her eyes, she saw Gregor pulling out a needle. She should be furious, but peace returned to her mind bit by bit until she slumped back on the bed.
Gregor’s Scottish burr rumbled in her ear. “Every time I see you in pain, it breaks my heart. Working together, we can find a solution quicker, I know we can. I’ll talk to Bram straightaway.”
He moved to leave and she reached out to grab his hand. “Not yet. Stay, Gregor, and tell me something I don’t know to distract me. The sedative is working, but my mind is raw. I need something to forget the pain.”
“I’m not sure talking about myself will do that.”
“Then tell me why you’re so afraid of childbirth.”
His pupils flashed and Sid wondered if his dragon would convince Gregor to talk. It might be a bit selfish using her own pain to draw out the truth from Gregor, but she had a feeling he might not talk about it otherwise.
Besides, she couldn’t help him heal if she didn’t have all the facts.
With a curse, he removed his hand and pulled up a chair. “I’m not sure I like my bloody dragon always taking your side.”
She smiled weakly. “Most of the dragon halves tend to take my side as I usually talk sense.” She put out a hand and he engulfed it with his own. At the contact, her pain numbed a fraction. “Tell me, Gregor. I won’t tell anyone else.”
He sighed. “I know.” Lightly brushing her cheek, he murmured, “I killed my mate.” Rather than protest, Sid merely waited. Eventually he continued, “It’s true. If not for my seed, she’d probably still be alive. You see, I knew it would be difficult for Bridget to have children. Every doctor told her to be careful. While the mate-claim frenzy might happen, she needed to not risk another pregnancy after that, even if she miscarried.
“Bridget and I knew straightaway there was a connection and it wasn’t long before both of our dragons banged on about being true mates. Knowing what I did about her health and the risk of pregnancy, I suggested that I could transfer somewhere else and she could go on birth control with another bloke and possibly live risk-free. There was also the possibility of tying her tubes and me having a vasectomy to prevent pregnancy, but Bridget was stubborn and yearned for a child. And not just any child, but my child.”
Sid squeezed his hand in hers. “So you gave in to the frenzy.”
“Aye, despite my better judgment, I did. I was young and in love; I wanted to give my mate everything she desired. If she wanted a child, we’d try.
“She conceived in just over a week. I was a young doctor then and was maybe a bit overzealous in my protection and restrictions. But in my mind, I wanted to give Bridget the greatest chance of survival. While there were a few scares, she was fairly healthy up until the day I found her dead.”
~~~
Gregor remembered finding Bridget in their bed with blood on the sheets. The image would haunt him for the rest of his life.