He gestured toward the two Protectors standing off to the side. "That's why I have them." And the special dragon Taser and emergency call button in his pocket. But he wasn't about to reveal that secret out loud, just in case someone was listening. "But if you don't leave, you'll be late." He kissed her gently. "Call me on your lunch break, if you can."
She bobbed her head. "So I can check up on you."
He smiled. "I think we'll be checking up on each other."
As she grinned at him and made his heart skip a beat, Ryan itched to tell Gaby how he felt. But if he said he loved her now, she'd probably put it down to her returning to work.
However, in the next week he was going to pull out all the stops for a romantic dinner and tell her. Wes had allowed him to stay two weeks so far, but it could change at any moment. And he wasn't going to regret not telling Gaby about his feelings.
She pressed her mouth to his again, and he parted his lips at the feel of her tongue. As soon as she stroked against his, he did the same, the two of them tangling, caressing, possessing one another, as if they couldn't get enough.
Ryan never would, and made sure Gaby could tell from his kiss.
When she finally pulled away, they both breathed heavily. She murmured, "I really do need to leave."
Taking a deep breath, he stepped back. "Then go. The sooner you do, the sooner you'll come home to me."
If Gaby's cousin Luna had been around, she would've made one of those gagging sounds, but Gaby beamed at him, and her reaction was the only one that mattered.
He watched her strip methodically, move to the center of the area, and slowly morph into her golden dragon form. She stared at him for a few beats before crouching down and jumping into the sky.
Even though he'd seen the same maneuver a dozen times by now—all he had to do was ask, and Gaby's dragon loved to come out—it still made his heart skip a beat at her dragon's sheer power and beauty.
When she was finally out of sight, Ryan headed toward his two guards. One of the men was a regular. The guy in his mid-twenties with dark, curly hair and dark skin was named Andre Carter, who was not only Dr. Carter's younger brother, but he'd also been guarding the Santos's house since day one. However, the pale, brown-haired male with blue eyes was new to Ryan.
Despite the fact there was no reason to suspect anything, Ryan barely resisted reaching for the special Taser gun in his pocket.
He stopped just in front of the two men and said, "As exciting as it is, I just need to get back to the Santos house to do some work myself."
Andre motioned toward the security building. "I need to stop by there first, to change shifts. My sister's about to give birth and Cris gave me permission to go see her."
The way the unfamiliar guy stood a little taller didn't go unnoticed, but for all Ryan knew, this would be the man's first non-grunt work assignment.
Still, his gut said something was off about the guy. His expression was neutral, but every time Ryan moved forward a little, he inched backward, maintaining his distance.
Ryan answered Andre. "Okay, I should check-in with Cris anyway."
Andre motioned with a hand. "Then let's go."
Ryan and his entourage assumed the usual position with him in the center and a Protector in front and behind him, the weight of his Taser in one pocket and the special emergency button in the other.
While he hoped he was only being paranoid, he couldn't be too careful. With Gaby gone, it was time to prove he could live on a dragon clan's land and try to hold his own.
Ryan stood waiting in the reception area of the main security building, doing his best not to tap his foot or show impatience. Cris was a busy person and had more than generously donated her time to train him over the last couple weeks.
And yet, she was one of the few he trusted and he yearned to discuss the new Protector guards with her. He had a bad feeling about the blue-eyed Protector guy—he'd found out his name was Leon—and wanted to ensure he'd been vetted by Cris.
However, when Cris's second-in-command returned with a frown on his face, Ryan knew the dragonwoman wasn't in the building. The Protector stopped next to him and said, "She's not here. Something about a teenager trapped in a cave she had to rescue. I can check to see if Wes is available, if you want."
Wes was even busier than Cris most days.
Thinking of his training and the secret weapons in his pockets, Ryan shook his head. "No, it's all right. But I'll be at the Santos house. Just have Cris call me when she can spare a minute."
"Will do. Feel free to call me if you need me, Ryan."
As the second-in-command walked away, Ryan did his best to school his face into a neutral expression. The walk wouldn't take more than ten or fifteen minutes. As long as he could survive that, then he could work on his latest code and forget about danger for a while. Two of Gaby's uncles should be at the house, along with a few of their children. They'd act as a buffer, and if it came to it, the uncles would protect him.
Ryan approached Leon, who was standing with another new face he'd never met before—a male with black hair, golden beige skin, and brown eyes. They stopped talking as soon as he reached them.