Stretching her arms overhead, she replied, "I'd only smell of you if I were pregnant, which I very much hope doesn't happen anytime soon."
He noted that she didn't say never, just not soon. His dragon stood up tall. Good. One day, she will bear our young.
Hush. There are more important things to focus on today.
Unable to completely resist Honoria's body, he danced his fingers against her side. She jerked and barked out a laugh at the same time. "Don't do that, Ash."
"Why not? You always say my fingers are warm."
She raised an eyebrow. "Because your fingers have a habit of wandering, and we don't have time for that. Especially since we have no idea what today's task or test will be. On top of that, you tend to forget things the hour after you orgasm, and that would be a disaster. So you're going to have to wait."
He leaned down and positioned his face just over hers. "Just for the time being?"
A wicked glint filled her eyes. "You'll know when it's time to bring out the hanky-panky again."
The corner of his mouth ticked up. "You spent far too much time in America."
She winked. "It just adds to my charm."
It would be so easy to fall in love with Honoria again.
He stilled at that thought. No, he couldn't risk loving her because it might also put the clan's future in jeopardy. And for at least the next few years, the clan needed to be a top priority, until they were stable and somewhat cohesive again.
His beast growled, but Asher simply said, Don't.
The tone was enough to keep his beast quiet, but Honoria's voice filled the room. "Your face turned serious just then. What happened?"
Shaking his head, he sat upright again. "Not now. We need to save and focus all our energy for whatever will happen in about an hour."
She searched his gaze. "We can't be a team if you won't talk to me."
"After we complete whatever the DDA has planned, we can talk about it then."
She rolled her eyes. "If that tone is supposed to make me submit, it's not going to work."
Asher turned and moved to the edge of the bed, until his feet touched the ground. "After, Ria. I promise I'll talk more after."
Not that he had any fucking clue what he'd say to her. If he spoke the truth about how he could see himself falling back in love with her and wanting a future together, it could complicate everything.
His beast whispered, Or, it could finally slide everything into place.
With a growl, Asher stood and walked toward the bathroom. "I'll shower first."
He risked one last glance at Honoria and nearly blinked at the stubbornness in her gaze, as well as the firmness of her jaw. He knew that lookâshe wouldn't stop until she found out the truth.
It seemed that he'd have to prepare for two things now, because the instant their next task was over, Honoria would pounce on him. And not in a hanky-panky way, either.
Once he reached the bathroom, he turned on the cold water in the shower. Stepping under the freezing spray, he closed his eyes. Part of him wanted her to find out the truth, and the remaining part wanted to run. Asher hadn't had a nightmare during the past week, but one was waiting to happen. And when it did, Honoria might see him as less of a male and/or a worthy partner.
And that was something he couldn't endure.
The rational thing would be to stop their dalliances and focus on the clan.
But that thought left a sour taste in his mouth.
His dragon finally spoke again. Don't push her aside. She is meant to be ours, even if she's not our true mate.
He didn't say anything to his beast, but mulled over the words for a few minutes before forcing his brain to focus on all the new facts and information he'd learned from Honoria over the last three days. He couldn't fuck up what came next, or he could risk everyone's future, not just his own.