However, he couldn't or he'd start the mate-claim frenzy. So Chase remained where he was, keeping up the steady pace against her jaw. "Then it means you'll let me court you, aye?"
She smiled. "Court is such an old-fashioned term. And yet, it almost fits considering how you can't even kiss me until we decide what to do."
He liked that she used the term "we." Leaning a fraction closer, Chase said, "What are your ground rules? And before you protest, aye, of course you'd have some."
She raised her brows. "Well, of course there needs to be some. After all, I can't just kiss you and let the mate-claim frenzy take over. I have responsibilities, ones that if I don't think about, people could die. Not to mention the result of a frenzy could hurt the clan in the long run, too."
Doing his best to keep his mind free of Layla naked and at his mercy for a sex marathon, as well as her eventually round with their child, he focused on his response. "A child would disrupt your life."
"That's part of it. But there's also the current problem I have at the surgery, which, if left unresolved, could hurt the clan further."
Right, the stolen medical supplies. "I'll help you with that, lass. And I promise—no kissing on the mouth until you want it."
Moving his head even closer, Chase only stopped about an inch from her skin. Her scent was stronger where her neck met her jaw, and if that wasn't already enough to make both man and beast hum, he could also smell her arousal.
His dragon growled. Then at least kiss her neck, jaw, somewhere.
He whispered, "Let me kiss your skin, Layla. It might help persuade you to give this more of a chance."
Chase expected her to decline for some rational reason or other, but she tilted her head a fraction. Taking that as a yes, he closed the distance to press his lips to her warm, soft jaw. When she moaned, he lightly traced her jaw with his tongue, down her neck, until he could lightly bite where her neck met her shoulder.
Her hand went to his hair, her nails digging in, making his cock instantly hard.
His dragon roared. More, taste more of her skin. That small sample isn't nearly enough.
Chase didn't wait another second to pull Layla's body flush against his, loving how her breasts pressed into his chest, her nipples already hard and straining. Fuck, he wanted to taste one, torture it slowly until his female was about to come. Only because at any moment his family could walk back into the room did he not attempt it.
When Layla's free arm wrapped around his shoulders, he moved back up to her face to kiss her cheek, her nose, her brow. "It's better than I've imagined. So much better." He moved his head to look into her eyes again. The heat there only made him harder. "Tell me how you feel, Layla. Not what you think, but how you feel right here, right now, in my arms."
She murmured, "Warm, wanted, fragile, and so many other things all at once."
Threading his fingers into the back of her hair, he asked, "Tell me why you're fragile, Layla. I hope not because of me. I'd rather cut off my own dick than hurt one hair on your body."
Her lips twitched. "I don't think your dragon would sit back and allow you to cut off your penis."
While he appreciated humor as much as the next person, he wasn't going to allow her to dodge his question. "Aye, I doubt it. But let's get back to the bit about why you feel fragile."
She bit her lower lip a few beats before finally saying, "Not many people push boundaries with me. That is both good and bad, I think." He growled as a reminder of his question, and she added, "Fine. The reason is that while this feels good right now, it doesn't mean it'll last. I work long hours, my schedule is unpredictable, and some days I give so much of myself that I don't have anything left to give someone else at the end of the day. It's not what I'd call a perfect future, and I'm well aware it's one any male would grow tired of eventually. And since I'm not the type of female to date casually and freely give my emotions, it'd break me in the end when a male decided it was too much to handle. It's why I never really tried dating anyone since I first began my medical training, to protect myself."
He hated how she felt the need to distance herself from everyone, to guard her heart. He gently caressed her cheek. "You say that as if I don't already know all of that about you. And as long as you allow me to take care of you on those days when you're too exhausted to do more than eat and sleep, then it'd be enough for me." He searched her eyes before adding, "I wouldn't leave you, Layla."
Chase knew what it was like to have someone who should love you just leave one day and never come back.
Her brows came together. "Saying the words is one thing, but it's much harder in real life, Chase. Usually only other doctors or nurses understand how draining this profession can be, and they know how to handle the demands of it."
If Layla believed actions more than words, Chase would do just that. "Then give me a trial period. I can secretly stay with you most days and nights, help you solve the mystery of the surgery, and prove I can be the mate of a dragon doctor."
While living in the same cottage as Layla for even a short amount of time without kissing her would be difficult, Chase had survived two fucking years of not having her. He could wait a little longer.
She finally said, "People will talk, aye? And this being Lochguard, everyone will try to meddle, which will only make things harder than they're going to be already."
He shook his head. "They won't find out if I can help it. I'll be careful. I wasn't what you'd call the most we
ll-behaved teenager. Not to mention when I was doing my initial electrician's training in Inverness, I became a master of leaving the boarding house after curfew to explore the surrounding areas and always made it back unnoticed." He winked. "I never even received a warning."
"The doctor in me wants to scold that behavior."
"But?"