Gaby shook her head. "No."
They'd probably have to lock Gaby up inside a room until her beast calmed down, or maybe even pump her full of drugs to make her beast silent.
And it could be that way for years, if her human half lost control.
Ryan's deep voice rolled over her, almost like a caress. "Then let me be the man you need, okay? Which means right now, I need to help clean you up and relax. Will you let me?"
The human male was so different from the dragonmen she knew. Never would they ask her permission every step of the way, let alone walk away if she'd asked them to. And yet, she sensed Ryan would.
She was glad he wanted to stay and not just because fate had decided he was her true mate, either. The more she learned, the more she liked him as a male, too.
Gaby leaned against him, taking comfort from his heat. "Okay, but it has to be quick. My dragon will be out in twenty minutes or so."
He kissed her lips gently, and some of her earlier fire from his touch returned. She opened her mouth and groaned as his tongue found hers, stroking as if he could never get enough of her, licking every inch as if to memorize her taste and form.
When he finally pulled away, Gaby smiled. "That's a much better first kiss."
The corner of his mouth ticked up. "I'm not sure I can ever surpass waking a dragon's frenzied need for sex, but I agree it was much more of you, Gaby, and I want more." He leaned to her ear. "But first, we need to shower and get you relaxed."
He stepped back, took her hand, and walked until they found the master bedroom and bathroom.
Even though her beast rammed against the mental prison, no doubt roaring to get out, Gaby did her best to ignore her.
The next fifteen or twenty minutes were hers and Ryan's, and no one else's.
She wouldn't constantly fight her dragon during the frenzy as that would only exhaust both female and beast. However, she wanted a little bit more of Ryan's tenderness to balance out her dragon's first rough fucking.
And as he turned on the water and then smiled at her, mischief and heat dancing in his eyes, Gaby did her best to reinforce the mental prison. Maybe she could even have half an hour with her human, if she tried hard enough.
Chapter Four
A mixture of guilt and regret churned inside Ryan as he led Gaby to the shower.
She'd been a virgin, of all things. She sure as hell deserved more than a rough pistoning of hips for her first time. Thank fuck she'd at least orgasmed, or he would've been even angrier with himself.
But the first time with her dragon was over and he couldn't change the past. Besides, if that was the worst her dragon could dish out, he could handle it. Going forward, he'd make sure her inner dragon understood he wanted both of them, not just the beast. He instinctively knew that setting boundaries would be extremely important if he wanted a future with Gaby.
Which he did, despite all the reasons he shouldn't be so sure of it.
As the hot water hit his shoulders and then hers, Gaby moaned and turned to face the spray.
The water cascading down her face, her neck, and the slopes of her breasts made him want to lean in and lick her body all over until she squirmed, begging for him, any pain long forgotten.
However, he didn't have an infinite amount of time with Gaby's human side. Her dragon would return soon enough, so he'd have to make the minutes count and rush a little more than he would if there was no time limit.
As she stood there, he grabbed a bar of soap and reached around her, whispering into her ear, "Ready for the best shower of your life?"
She smiled, but kept her eyes closed. "Someone's a little cocky."
He nipped her earlobe and loved how she sucked in a breath. "I think you'll agree with me soon enough."
Ryan started at her chest, lightly moving the soap down to her breast, taking extra care to swirl around her nipple without touching it. The peak grew tighter, and his mouth watered to taste it.
Soon, Ryan. Soon.
He moved to her other breast and repeated the action, loving how she leaned back, her soft ass cushioning his already hard again dick.
He murmured, "When I have time, I'm going to replace the soap bar with my tongue." He moved it between her breasts, down to her belly, stopping just above her trimmed thatch of dark hair. "Would you like that?"