mate put his hand up to match.
***
Later he came to join her in bed, draping the towel over the back of a chair before he lowered himself into the covers with a comfortable sigh
“Ahhhh. So much better,” he rumbled as she rolled up onto her side to face him, giving Rakell an eyeful of her breasts. “Now, what was it you wanted?”
Laura fiddled with her phone, searching for the app she wanted.
“I was wanting to show you another house,” she said. “I think you might like it.”
“Do you like it?” he asked.
“I love it,” she admitted. “But then, I’ve loved several of the ones I showed you, so we know that doesn’t mean you will!”
They chuckled while she pulled up the listing, enjoying the inside joke.
“Oh, that’s interesting,” Rakell said as he looked at the exterior.
Laura’s eyes went up-up-up. Was that interest in a house? Could she possibly have finally, at long last, succeeded in bringing him something he liked?
It’s too good to be true. It has to be.
“And you said you liked it?” Rakell asked as he took the phone from her and started scrolling through the pictures.
Laura looked at the phone again. The house in question was an old style craftsman on the eastern edge of town. It had only gone on the market three days ago, and she did not expect it to last long at all. It had been built four decades earlier, but the current owner had renovated the interior.
Big wooden beams crisscrossed the ceiling over the kitchen, which was one of her favorite parts. That, and the huge wrap-around front porch that came complete with a swing and screen door. The entire place just screamed cozy and warm. A family house.
“Well?” she asked when he reached the last picture and started scrolling down the page, looking at the specs, list price and other information.
Rakell glanced over at her. “If you like it, then I think it’s perfect.”
“Really?”
“Yes,” he said, nodding and handing her phone back. “Very much really. Buy it.”
Laura smiled. “Well now that we can go back to my house I can get everything ready and put in an offer as soon as we’re there.”
“No, I want you to buy it,” he said.
“That’s what I’m…” Laura frowned. “I’m confused.”
“Price isn’t an issue. I want the house,” he said, leaning over to kiss her slowly on the lips. “Don’t make them an offer. Buy it.”
She shrugged. “It’s your money.”
“When I see something I want, I usually get it,” he rumbled, bouncing his eyebrows suggestively as he rolled on top of her.
Laura giggled and pretended to shy away. “Oh you think so do you? Just like that?”
“Yes,” he growled and bit her neck.
“Ow,” she said, though it didn’t really hurt.
“Oh, I’m sorry. Here, let me kiss that better,” he said, his voice rough.
Okay, that was smooth, she thought to herself, tilting her head to the side as he kissed the inside of her neck.
“Mmmmm,” she moaned as he moved lower. “That’s nice.”
“Good,” he said, trailing over her breasts and across the rest of her body.
Laura’s hands dug deep into the sheets a few minutes later as she writhed in his grip.
Life isn’t so bad. Too bad I’ll miss having this on the regular once I’m back home.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Rakell
Grunting at the pain in his left leg, Rakell hauled himself to his feet, shaking it off as best he could, balancing more on his right.
“I’m fine,” he said at a twitch of the eyebrow from his opponent, gesturing for another go.
Sache shrugged and closed.
The pair of them were in one of the training rooms on the lower levels of the Teres compound. Thickly padded walls and floor allowed the dragons to fight without having to hold back their prodigious strength.
Rakell shuffled to the side warily. He did not have much experience fighting Sache, and knew little of the other shifter’s traits or patterns.
He did know that he was losing the mock-fight. Had already lost it, technically, since there was no way for him to get enough take-downs to balance up the scoresheet. A fact that Lara was pointing out with judicious glee, whilst Kayb watched silently from next to her.
Personally, Rakell felt that Lara was going so over the top with excitement because she knew that in just a few minutes she was going to get her ass handed to her by Kayb.
And then maybe he’ll do it to her again later, in private, if he ever learns how to pick up on a clue, Rakell thought,