Although savoring the sweet honey between her thighs was most definitely on the table.
With every bit of willpower he possessed, he released her hand and scooted her plate toward her a little more. "Finish eating, Ash. Quickly."
And given how she did so without the least bit of resistance at his order told him that she was just as eager to be alone with him, too.
Shoveling what was left of his food into his mouth, he sat and watched his human. There was so much he burned to know about her—from the little things of what she preferred to drink to the bigger things such as how she'd act in his bed—but he settled for the domesticity of watching her eat.
He wouldn't rush her, but he hoped like hell she'd finish soon. He wanted to claim every minute before her training session and make the most of it.
Ashley felt Wes's gaze the entire time she ate, but she still didn't eat any less than normal.
Sure, her stomach had a few butterflies, but she was hungry. And she wasn't going to set the tone that a glare or intense gaze from Wes would make her change course.
One of the benefits of working with dragon-shifters for so long was that she understood the dominance scale better than most humans. And while she didn't want to be on the top, above him, she wanted equal footing.
Well, for most things. The thought of him holding her wrists above her head in bed as he thrust hard into her pussy made her a little wet.
Stop it, Swift. He'll notice.
Peeking from the corner of her eye, she noted his intense, smoldering gaze hadn't altered. Not even his pupils were flashing. Maybe he hadn't noticed.
Once she was full and swilled some water around her mouth—she was grateful that she'd brushed her teeth already to banish her morning breath—she turned toward Wes with a smile.
This time, his pupils flashed between round and slitted. Some might run at the sight, but it only made her nipples tighten harder.
Being the focus of a dragon-shifter could be heady stuff.
Clearing her throat, she forced her gaze to Cynthia. "Thanks for breakfast. It was delicious."
"You're welcome. I expect you back for dinner tonight. Make sure it happens, okay, Wes?"
Wes grunted, and his mother added, "Now, go and hash out some things. As it stands now, I could use a knife to cut the tension between you two."
Even though all of Wes's stares hadn't made her blush recently, her cheeks heated at his mother's comment.
If she noticed the attraction sizzling between them, how in the world were they supposed to keep it from everyone else until they were ready?
And yep, she'd just all but admitted to herself that one day, she wanted everyone to know about her and the dragon leader.
Wes put out a hand. "Come on."
Not trusting her voice, Ashley placed her hand in his. The second skin met skin, she barely registered his heat before Wes tugged her out of the kitchen and toward a rear sliding door in the living room. "Where are we going? I'm not even dressed."
"Don't worry. I have a secret pathway between my place and my mom's, one where no one can see us without using a ladder or flying overhead."
As he unlocked the slider, she sighed. "That still doesn't address me not having shoes, let alone pants on."
Once the door was open, he turned toward her, his pupils flashing. "I'm going to carry you."
Before she could do more than open her mouth, Wes swept her into his arms. The second she crashed against his hard, warm chest, her entire body instantly molded to his form.
Damn the man. Even when she should put up a protest, her body had its own ideas.
Determined to at least have some control in the situation, she growled. "You're supposed to ask my permission before just carrying me around."
He raised his brows. "Would you rather walk on the cold ground?"
True, it was early spring, which wasn't exactly warm in the greater Tahoe area. "Of course not. But your chivalry has a massive flaw—I don't even have a coat on, which is even worse."