Her dragonman turned toward her and lightly brushed her cheek. “And yet your sassiness never fades.”
“Damn straight.”
As they grinned at one another, Gina’s son moved about inside her uterus. Only when Fergus was around did her little boy dance and move as if he was having his own private party.
Her mistrust of all dragon-shifters faded a fraction. She didn’t want to get her hopes up that Fergus was what he appeared. But she might have a better idea after seeing him around his family.
She cleared her throat. “Well, I’m leaving. Whether you follow or not is up to you. I can always ask Finn or Fraser to take me to your house.”
Fergus growled. “No bloody way. I’m going to be the one to introduce you to my mum.”
“Then you can carry Coal’s carrier. Since I pretty much only waddle these days, it’s quite a chore to keep my balance with a fourteen-pound cat on one side.”
Snatching up the carrier, Fergus was at her side. He placed a hand on her back and pushed gently. “Come, lass. Let me take you home.”
Opening the door, Gina half-expected Fergus to sever contact. However, he never moved his hand from her lower back. Once they were in the hall, he looped an arm around her shoulders. She glanced over. “You’re invading personal boundaries again, Fergus.”
He raised his brows. “Do you want me to release you?”
She bit her lip a second as she debated telling him the truth. What the hell. Snuggling against Fergus’s side for warmth didn’t signify anything but practicality. After all, it was freezing outside. “No.”
His pupils flashed. “Good answer.”
As her dragonman drew her closer against his side, Gina reveled in Fergus’s heat and spicy male scent. For the first time in a long time, Gina felt safe. She tried not to think too much about the reason why.
Chapter Seven
Fergus would have to thank Finn later for sending Fraser and Holly away while he’d been in the room with Gina. Meeting his brother might’ve broken the spell he and Gina were currently under. He still couldn’t believe she’d allowed him to hold her close. Even now, when they were nearly to his mum’s house, she hadn’t asked for him to remove his grip.
A small gust of wind blew and his female snuggled closer against his side. It was taking every iota of strength he had to keep his cock from hardening. Having the human’s lovely curves and heat so close was both fantastic and dangerous.
What was even better was his dragon’s contented humming at the back of his mind. It seemed both man and beast were happy for the moment to merely have their female nearby.
The silence didn’t bother him as they walked. After all, Gina’s face was pale and she had circles under her eyes. His lass was tired, but trying to hide it. He wouldn’t hurt her pride by mentioning it. His sister and mum had taught him well about a proud female’s limits.
Still, Fergus couldn’t resist stealing a glance over at Gina, who was watching two dragons doing flight exercises in the distance. Judging by their clumsy dives and maneuvers, they had to be two adolescents not quite used to their larger dragon forms.
He pointed in the direction of the blue and black dragons. “I wouldn’t judge the gracefulness of dragons on those two.”
Gina tore her gaze away to meet his. “Why’s that?”
“They’re teenagers and their bodies are growing faster than they know what to do with in both human and dragon forms.”
He paused and Gina looked back to the beasts. Fergus was about to nudge further when Gina murmured, “It’s the first time I’ve been allowed to watch dragon-shifters fly together at such a close distance.”
Frowning, Fergus stopped. Laying Coal’s carrier on the ground, he gently touched Gina’s chin with his free hand. “How is that possible if the father of your child is a dragon-shifter?” A thought entered his mind and anger coursed through his body. “Did he force himself on you? If he did, tell me his name and I’ll bring the bastard to justice.”
Gina studied him a second before replying, “No, he didn’t force me. He was a lying asshole, but not a rapist.”
Fergus tightened his grip on Gina’s arm. “Tell me who he is and I’ll teach him a lesson.”
“No.”
He frowned. “Just ‘no’? As your Guardian, I should know as much about you as possible. Otherwise, I can’t do my job properly.”
She raised her brows. “I still haven’t decided if you’d be the best guardian or not. Until then, I’ll tell you what you need to know.”
“Gina—”