And when Ajax propped himself up on his hands to look down at her, his red eyes really were… glowing?

  Then in a blink, it was gone, and he smirked down at her, even though it didn’t hide his own expression of amazement.

  Before she could relent, he leaned in and kissed her one more time, then pulled out and went to the bathroom to clean up, leaving her staring at his perfect ass as he went.

  When he came back, he just stood there in the doorway, watching her intently.

  Had they just done all of those things?

  She definitely wanted to do more.

  Her heart tightened at the thought. Would that mean it was serious? If they did this again, would that be a relationship?

  Twenty years of working on the run and staying alone hadn’t prepared her for the swarm of feelings inside her.

  Thankfully, Ajax came back to the bed and decisively pulled Olivia in against him. His body was so warm she couldn’t help curling in against him.

  “How was it?” he asked, voice husky.

  “That was something else,” she replied, still a little in awe and pleasurably exhausted.

  Maybe there was something worth exploring while she still had some time off out here.

  More of this with Ajax.

  “I enjoyed it too.” He nuzzled the back of her neck, making her squirm against him, his hardness surrounding her.

  “I wouldn’t be opposed to… more things like this while I’m here.” She looked over her shoulder at him. “But I have a life I plan to get back to after this, so no mates or stuff like that.”

  “You already told me,” he replied, though something in the way his eyes watched her made her feel like he didn’t quite agree.

  But more just wasn’t in the cards for them.

  Still, as she allowed herself to relax against the feel of him, she couldn’t help wondering what a life with him would look like.

  A life where she could wake up to Ajax, like this, every day.

  Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad.

  But for now, she’d simply appreciate what they’d just had.

  12

  “I’m close,” Olivia said. Then she moaned as Ajax drove his hips up against her, pushing in deep as she straddled his lap.

  It had been a week since they first came together, and they were getting more comfortable with each other now.

  He wrapped his arm around her, holding her close as her hands held on to his shoulders for balance.

  With three more thrusts, and his hand moving between them to finger her clit, Olivia orgasmed, her wet heat clenching around him, the knowledge that he’d pleased her forcing his own release to the surface as incredible pleasure shot through his veins like white light.

  If only they could do this forever…

  Olivia shuddered as she relaxed against him, slumping slightly and letting out a satisfied sigh.

  Ajax wanted to hold her close to him a little longer, but as she withdrew and moved off his lap to collapse onto the bed next to him with a satisfied sigh, he knew it wasn’t to be.

  Still, nothing could compare to the sight of her like this, eyes glazed, body warm from release, breaths light as she relaxed in the aftermath of their frequent-as-possible sex.

  He stood up and went to the bathroom to put some pants back on before coming back out to see Olivia gathering her clothing.

  Without clothes was always better, in his mind.

  Ajax couldn’t help the grin that spread across his face as he watched her get dressed.

  When she saw him, her eyes widened slightly, then moved over his shirtless chest and down to his jeans in a heated glance that had him wondering if they shouldn’t go another round right now.

  Whenever they weren’t out doing fun things alone or sometimes with the other residents of Dragonclaw, they were spending sexy times in between the sheets and sweet times talking and enjoying each other’s company.

  When they were together, it was so hard to hold back, to keep from calling her his mate.

  His basilisk had gotten more and more insistent on it, which was a problem. When this all started, it had begun on the condition that there be no strings attached, and he had seen how apprehensive the idea of permanence made her.

  He’d never thought a basilisk like him could have a mate at all, but every time he touched her, that felt untrue.

  She was his.

  Now how could he ever win her over completely?

  Or would it be enough to just stay with her as long as he could—until she left to go back to the life she’d lived for twenty years?

  Mate, his inner basilisk snarled, trying once again to convince him. I won’t accept anyone else.

  Obviously, he retorted to his basilisk.

  “So what should we do today?” Olivia asked as Ajax sat down next to her.

  He gave her a smirk, running his eyes over her, and she laughed, rolling her eyes as she pulled her shirt over her head. “You’re incorrigible.”

  “Basilisk,” he said, pulling her in for a kiss as soon as she was changed. They stayed there for a second in the middle of the room, holding each other and savoring the warm embrace, the press of their bodies together that felt so right to Ajax.

  Surely, this wasn’t casual, even to her. He could feel the way her hands clung to him as though she didn’t want to let go either.

  But finally, they pulled apart, that intense draw between them warming up again after only a hug.

  Ajax sucked in a breath and forced himself to focus on the rest of the matters at hand. Like getting his mate sustenance after he’d exhausted her with orgasms.

  “I’m going to make breakfast,” he said, grabbing a shirt.

  She let out a groan. “You’re spoiling me. I’ll never be able to eat my normal snacks again after tasting your cooking. Why are basilisks so good at everything?”

  He smirked. “Just our nature.” He did up the button on his jeans. “Besides, that was my plan. Get you so used to the good things with me that you can’t go without them.”

  There was a tense, awkward moment as she looked up at him, pausing in the middle of ruffling her curls back off her face. “Ajax…”

  He waved a hand. “I know, I know. Casual.” He went to go to the kitchen but felt her arms wrap around him from behind, pulling him back in.

  Fuck, he was in trouble with how much he loved this woman.

  Wait… love?

  Could basilisks fall in love? He supposed it had to be possible because something inside him felt it would tear him apart if they couldn’t end up together.

  He thought she might say something, but she just released him, stepping back with a smile. “I care about you, Ajax. This is the most I’ve ever let myself get close to someone in a long time. Please, don’t ruin it by getting all shifter-y on me.”

  He folded his arms. “What does that mean? I am a shifter.”

  “You know what I mean,” she said. “Getting all involved. Claiming I’m your mate immediately, like so many other shifters I’ve known. I like what we’re doing… I also like that you don’t pressure me at all.”

  But it was getting harder not to pressure her with his basilisk practically on fire with the need to stake its claim.

  “I won’t pressure you,” he said quickly. Then, because he needed a moment to calm down, he let it go to make breakfast.

  When the eggs, bacon, and pancakes were ready to go, he ladled them onto two plates, stacking them high and grabbing the syrup bottle before he headed up the stairs to take everything back to Olivia.

  When he entered the room, she was sitting on the bed, fully dressed, looking uneasily down at her phone.

  “Breakfast is ready,” he said, walking over and handing her a plate before he moved onto the bed so he could sit next to her. “What’s wrong?”

  She shook her head slightly, then blinked and looked at him. “Sorry. That was just Troy calling. He said that he and Jack are coming to stay over the weekend.” She shook her head. “It’s a bit odd they don’t want to just call. I wonder what it’s about.”

  Jealousy flooded Ajax so quickly he let out an involuntary grunt. “Oh.”

  She laughed. “Don’t get like that.”

  “Like what?”

  “Jealous,” she said. “It’s emanating from your pores. It’s not like that between me and them.”

  “But they’re coming to see you.”

  “If they are, it’s probably about business. Maybe they want to visit Dragonclaw.”

  Ajax thought about it. “I don’t know. The other basilisks are coming to visit the ranch this weekend too, for the Christmas party. So I guess maybe.” His brows lowered. “I doubt it’s that, though.”

  Did they secretly have an interest in Olivia?

  Jealousy roared through him again, making him feel like he was bathing in hot coals.

  He knew there was nothing between them. But it was easier when Olivia was only around mated shifters.

  Having her around unmated shifters, while he knew he had no right to say anything about it, made him uneasy.

  But just like his fierce mating instincts, he knew he would have to tamp his feelings down.

  “It’s probably just an update for the mission and a chance to relax,” she said. “Even dragons want a break sometimes. And it is beautiful out here. The complete opposite of the city where they work.” She smiled. “I’ll be glad to see them.”

  Ajax’s throat tightened, and he attempted to eat his eggs, though they felt dry. The double dragons had kept an eye on the mine and the black market and not seen any other sign of movement, so he and Olivia had just been able to stay in together and relax.

  Maybe that was ending now.

  Besides that, knowing the double dragons had known her longer and better than he did made him want to punch something.

  “You aren’t going to get shifter-y about it, are you?”

  He looked up, swallowing a bite of eggs. “Again, what do you mean by that?”

  “Jealous. Aggressive. Flying off the handle and using mates as an excuse.” She put a hand to her head. “I’m sure the double dragons are only here for business.”

  Ajax just frowned.

  Olivia sighed. “Look, Ajax. I’ve been working with shifters for twenty years. And shifters have been using me being their mate as an excuse for poor behavior for twenty years. Like attacking my bosses when they have no need or right to, claiming I’m their mate. It’s not that I hate couples… but I don’t believe in the mate concept. You can’t just know like that instantly. And having it as an excuse for aggression—”

  “It’s not an excuse for aggression,” he said. “I don’t know why those shifters claimed to be your mate because they clearly weren’t. But aggression in defense of a mate is normal.” He stared at her, feeling his primal nature rise to the surface. “It’s coded in our DNA.”

  She bit her lower lip. “Yeah, well, I’m looking for a boyfriend, not a mate.”

  He perked up slightly, remembering the word from his research. “So we’re exclusive?”

  She gave him a smile. “I said I’m looking, not that I have one.” She took a bite of pancake and moaned in a way that made him instantly tense. “Although, you’re convincing me more every day.”

  He swallowed. “Then I hope I’ll have more time.”

  Her eyes met his, and heat sparked between them. “I hope so too. Because while things have been wonderful, I can’t ever make decisions based only on a week.”

  He understood that. She hadn’t stayed single for twenty years and focused on her career and saving others only to hand it off casually.

  But he also knew nothing between them would ever be casual.

  He knew it every time they touched.

  But he said nothing and went back to eating his eggs.

  He stopped when he realized she’d paused her eating and was poking a piece of pancake around in the syrup. “You all right?”

  “Oh, yes,” she said, snapping out of it. “I was just thinking there are going to be a lot of people around the ranch this weekend.”

  He nodded.

  Ajax grunted finally. “Well, it’s only two more basilisks, plus the crew from Dragonclaw Ranch and their mates.”

  Olivia’s eyes went wide. “That’s a lot of people.” She stared at her plate, wide-eyed, as if she’d seen a ghost in her pancakes. “I’m not used to being around crowds for Christmas.”

  “It’s not that many,” he said.

  She folded her hands in her lap. “My family was small. And the past twenty years, Christmas meant getting drunk with the dragons or working or drinking alone.” She shrugged. “I like things quiet. And I don’t really like the holidays. Dad was always drunk, and—”

  He leaned over and took her plate from her hands and set it on the nightstand along with his plate. Then he put his arms around her and pulled her in close.

  He couldn’t help it when she looked like that.

  “I’m okay,” she said, though she leaned into the hug. “It’s just an adjustment. I guess it makes me realize that if I go spend it with happy people and bright lights and festive activities, I’ll realize what I missed out on all along.”

  “You’ll never miss out again,” he said. “And I promise it will be fun.”

  “No shifter shenanigans?”

  He shook his head. “Well, board games maybe. Drinking eggnog. If you consider those shenanigans.”

  “I don’t,” she said. She sat up, smiling at him and looking like she already felt better. “Sorry, it was just sinking in that this is the first holiday I won’t be alone in Dallas.” She bit her lip. “I’m not a people person, and crowds do make me nervous, but I’ll try my best.”

  “If you get tired or want to take off, we can always get away and go for a ride on my bike.”

  She brightened up. “I’d like that.”

  Ajax wasn’t huge on crowds either, so it worked for him.

  Then again, he’d do anything for her.

  Without saying a word, he let her go and moved over to grab their plates from the nightstand.

  “Eat.”

  She took it and dug in, and when they were both done, she sighed contentedly, then leaned against him for a second.

  “Better than granola bars?” he asked with a smirk.

  Olivia shoved him away lightly, shaking her head as she stood from the bed. “You already know the answer to that, you smug basilisk. Now I’m going to take a shower.”

  He couldn’t help but grin as he watched her walk around the bed toward the bathroom.

  Damn, his mate was beautiful, strong, funny, everything he could want.

  Everything except his.

  How was he ever going to tell her how he felt?

  13

  Olivia stepped out onto the porch of her and Ajax’s townhome right as the double dragons pulled up in a familiar, fancy Mercedes. The silver handled the dirt well, but the once-black tires were now a dusty shade of brown.

  When the car came to a stop, she walked down the steps, aware that Ajax was right behind her, watching carefully.

  He’d promised to contain himself, and she mostly trusted that he would.

  But sometimes the way he looked at her with such fierce possessiveness, it took her breath away…

  She didn’t know what to do about it.

  She’d always told herself she’d never get caught up in some sexy shifter’s mate claims, but here she was, thinking about it sometimes.

  What it would be like to be together with him, always.

  The last week had been the most restful, wonderful week of her life. Good food, good sex, and, to be honest, good companionship, which was even rarer.

  With Ajax, it finally felt like she was living, but she couldn’t help but wonder how all of this was going to end.

  But as Jack and Troy stepped out, and her heart felt glad at seeing their familiar faces, she felt her worries vanish.

  “Damn, it’s nice to take a break,” Jack said, stepping out of the car and stretching, his black hair shimmering in the evening light.

  Beside him, the taller, blond-haired dragon gave him a scowl. “As if hanging out with this bunch of misfits could be called a break.”

  “Calm down, we’re here for a party,” Jack said, smiling as he walked forward to give Olivia a warm hug.

  “Glad you could make it,” she said, holding him close as Troy stomped around the car to meet them.

  He patted Olivia and Troy awkwardly on the back as they hugged and then pulled away, turning his attention back to the house.

  When Olivia and Jack broke apart, Jack took off his black sunglasses and tucked them in his pocket, looking around cheerfully. “Good to be here. It was about time. It’s been at least half a century since I was able to get Troy to take a vacation with me.”

  “I told you this isn’t a vacation.” Troy just shot a temperamental glare at his partner.

  All the while, she could feel Ajax quietly watching. His intense glare felt like sunlight burning down on her, though it was evening.

  “Evening, Ajax,” Jack said pleasantly.

  Ajax’s only response was a grunt.

  “Don’t bother with him,” Troy said. “You never can tell with that basilisk.”

  “You been treating Olivia well?” Jack asked, being friendly.

  Another grunt was all he got.

  Glancing out of the corner of her eye, she could see Ajax’s eyebrows turned down in displeasure, but true to his word, he didn’t say anything. Nor had he interfered at all.

  He seemed fine just sitting back and watching her catch up with her friends.

  That was a relief. Proof all shifters didn’t have to be mate-crazy bastards.

  “So how did it go with the trial period?” Olivia asked, referring to the recent dragon heart with whom they had been testing compatibility.

  Jack laughed a little too loud, as though he wasn’t sure what to say, and Troy suddenly looked like he wanted to murder something, he was frowning so hard.

  Olivia grimaced. “That bad, huh?”

  “Terrible,” Troy muttered as he turned around to grab their bags from the trunk.

  Jack patted Troy on the shoulder. “It wasn’t terrible. It went…” He trailed off. “About as good as it always does.” He smiled awkwardly.