My Wicked Dragon

Chapter 6- Waking up mad

Laney slowly began to wake up. She groaned and put her hands to her head. This had to be the worst hangover she had ever had. Kate must have finally convinced her to drink that cinnamon-flavored whiskey she liked so much. She rolled around the silky sheets moaning some more. Her head was pounding so badly she felt nauseous and her mouth was as dry as the desert. She vaguely registered that she was still wearing the bra and panty set with a silk robe from her act last night. She mused that she must have gotten VERY drunk.

A sudden clearing of a male's throat and her eyes snapped open, her body jerking upright. She looked around wildly, realizing she was in a bedroom she didn’t recognize. Cody sat quietly across the room from her. Her eyes narrowed as she glared at him. He shifted around in his seat uncomfortably. Looking away from her, he swallowed hard.

“You’re having a little…uh….wardrobe malfunction.”

She looked down and realized her left boob had popped out of her bra. Quickly she tucked it back in. The movement caused the room to spin. She groaned and put her hands to her head. Cody was up and at her side in no time, startling a gasp from her. She suddenly sat back to get away from him. Unfortunately, her over reaction had her slamming the back of her head into the headboard behind her. She yelped in pain, Cody put his hands out to help, stopping just before touching her. He had a completely lost and helpless look on his face.

She couldn’t help it, she laughed. With everything that had happened to her, this just took the cake. She started to laugh so hard she could barely breathe. She peeked at him from under her eyelashes and then began to laugh harder after seeing the incredulous look on his face.

“My god, I’ve scrambled your brains.” Cody stated in a horrified voice. Laney suddenly stopped laughing, peering up at his handsome face a moment before she slapped him hard across the cheek.

“That’s for scaring the s**t out of me.” She yelled at him as she reached forward, grabbed his right n****e and gave it a good hard twist. She smiled with satisfaction when he shouted and leaped off the bed, glaring angrily down at her. Her victory didn’t last long however, the motion of him leaping from the bed made her already nauseous stomach start to do flips. The color drained from her face. Cody froze, staring wide-eyed at her.

“I think I’m gonna be sick.”

Cody moved swiftly to her side, scooping her up from the bed and rushing towards the bathroom. Just as he begins to set her down in front of the toilet, she vomits, covering both him and the toilet as she violently heaves.

“And that’s for drugging me!” Laney mutters right before passing out.

Cody stared down at himself and the mess that Laney had made of him. He supposed he deserved it. After all, he totally botched the entire start to their relationship.

Picking her back up into his arms, he stalked over to the giant walk in shower, turned it on and eased into the water. Laney was a little restless but appeared to be mostly out for the count at the moment. He sat on the built-in bench in the corner, placing her in his lap so he could free one arm. Gently he began undressing them both, leaving their underwear on. Careful to avoid looking at or touching anything she might find offensive, he methodically washed her hair, then his. He was trying hard to keep his thoughts elsewhere. The soft curves of her body were very enticing and he knew he would have to get out of the shower soon before his budding erection betrayed him. He felt so guilty, she had been through so much.

He reached over and shut the water off, grabbing the biggest and fluffiest towel he could find. He carefully wrapped her in it and strode from the shower to his bed. He placed her under the covers, the towel still wrapped around her, and climbed in next to her. Placing a blanket between them for modesty, he draws her back to him, throws an arm over her and quickly falls asleep.

A couple of hours later, Laney begins to regain consciousness again. Realizing she is now in just her underwear, wrapped in a towel, and with who she presumes is Cody at her back, she slowly opens her eyes. Her head is still pounding but feels better than earlier, at least there is no nausea this time. She smirks as she recalls puking on him as he tried to help her. Served him right, drugging me like that. She found that her anger had cooled with him and let herself enjoy the comfort and warmth of his body for a moment. Snuggling deeper into the blankets, she let out a sigh. She had a serious issue with him that needed to be ironed out. For now, she would pretend it hadn’t happened.

Realization dawned; he had bathed her when she was unconscious? Getting angry at him all over again, she pulled her arm back and elbowed him hard in the ribs, feeling utter satisfaction at his loud “Ooof”. That feeling died quickly when she suddenly found herself pinned beneath him as he stared angrily down at her. That old feeling of panic started creeping back, memories of what almost happened the last time she was naked and helpless almost crippled her with fear. Her heart began to race, she broke out in a sweat, and her breathing started coming rapidly.

Cody froze as he registered her escalating fear.

“I cant…..believe…..you took advantage of me like that” she gasped.

Realizing something was seriously wrong, Cody released her and sat up quickly next to her, taking her hands gently into his in an attempt to soothe her panic.

“Nothing happened, Laney. I swear I didn’t do anything sexually inappropriate. We both needed a shower and you were not in any state to do it yourself, so I did it for you.”

Laney studied Cody’s face critically for a moment. On seeing nothing that led her to believe he was lying, she felt her panic slowly begin to subside.

“Please, just don’t do anything like that again. I can’t stand the thought of being so helpless.”

Anger flashed in Cody’s eyes for a moment before getting himself back under control.

“I swear I will not harm you in any way, or touch you like that again without your permission. You are safe here, as I said before.”

She hated to admit it but she did feel pretty safe with him. She didn’t understand why, he had basically abducted her from her job against her will. There was just something about him that soothed her fears and made her feel like everything would be fine. The warmth of his body felt comforting and she leaned a little closer to him. Her eyes popped open wide when her brain registered the fact that she was attempting to snuggle up to a naked man. She jerked away from him, trying to keep her gaze above his waist.

“Uh Cody? Why are you still naked?”

He laughed and got off the bed, slowly walking across the room to the closet.

“Well, as it’s my home and I’m more comfortable naked, I didn’t think about it. However, for you, I suppose I could get dressed.”

He took his time picking out what he was going to wear, making sure to give his intended mate enough time to look her fill. Pulling out his trademark black t-shirt and black jeans, he slowly began to get dressed.

Laney was getting quite the eyeful. She suspected that he would be built like that when she first met him two months ago. His tight black t-shirt and black cowboy jeans made her mouth water. Naked, he certainly did not disappoint. Well-developed chest and arms, six-pack abs, muscular and strong legs, a nice rounded ass, and, of course, from what she would allow herself to peek of his c**k, that was impressive as well. Of course she didn’t have anyone else’s to compare it to, she was still a virgin.

Laney felt very drawn to him from the beginning. She had even fantasized about him when she played with herself late at night. She had told herself that he would be the perfect choice for her first. As her mind wandered dreamily towards this fantasy she found herself becoming aroused. She was lost in her own thoughts when Cody whirled around and pinned her with a look. He was suddenly very tense and looking dangerous.

Laney snapped out of it and cautiously stared up at him. His eyes narrowed and he inhaled deeply as he prowled towards her.

“Whoa buddy! What are you doing?”

He stalked closer to her, coming to her side and leaning in close.

“Whatever thoughts you’re having right now, you need to stop or I won’t be able to control my instinct.” He growled at her.

His closeness and masculine scent excited her more. Cody closed his eyes and gritted his teeth. He turned abruptly from her.

“Get dressed, we have somewhere to be. You’ll find some of your things in a bag over there.” He ground out while stabbing his finger in the air at the general direction of her things.

Cody stomped from the room, slamming the door behind him. A bewildered Laney stared at the door for a moment, waiting to see if he would come back.

“Holy s**t! What in the hell got into him?”

Surely lusting after her “captor” was a sure sign of Stockholm syndrome, Laney thought. But was he truly her captor? She decided to do what he demanded so that she could get started trying to figure out what was going on. Digging thru her bag she was relieved to see he had grabbed the one she normally kept her street clothes in for after performances. Selecting a cute t-shirt and her favorite shorts, she quickly began dressing. She was just pulling her shirt down over her head when he suddenly popped back into the room.

“Ready?”

Her stomach chose that moment to start growling.

“ OK, maybe breakfast first?” He asked.

She nodded her head in agreement and followed him from the room. As she stepped out onto the landing her eyes grew round with amazement. His home was huge! She was on the second floor. The home was an open concept and she was able to look right down into the kitchen and living room areas. There was a massive fireplace, wood floors, leather furniture, and lots of open space. The overall impression was that this was definitely a masculine space. Rich dark colors and minimalist décor led her to believe that his home had never experienced a feminine touch.

She continued to look around her, contemplating his sudden cordial attitude as she followed him down the stairs. He gestured to a stool at the breakfast bar and she gracefully sat down. They stared silently at each other for a few moments before curiosity got the best of her.

“So…..what was the sudden change in attitude about?”

Cody shifted uncomfortably on his feet while he tried to decide how much he should tell her. He quickly decided it would be best to be honest but keep the information to the least amount possible for now. He leaned towards her across the counter and in a husky voice he informed her:

“I could smell your arousal, unless you want me to toss you on the floor and f**k you silly before you even know what’s going on, I suggest you try and control your lustful thoughts.”

Shocked into silence by his announcement, she snapped her mouth shut. She hadn’t even realized it had been hanging open. She knew she should be scared by that declaration, not thrilled. The last man who had talked to her like that had tried to r**e her. Although if she was honest with herself, Cody said it in a sensual and non-threatening way. He was nothing like her half-brother.

Cody watched her process his statement and, after a few moments, went back to what he was doing, making breakfast.

“What difference does it make to you if I’m having “lustful thoughts”? She air quoted. “You don’t seem to be having the same for me so who cares? Besides, who said they were about you?”

Cody turned his head and glared at her.

“You don’t think I am having “lustful thoughts” about you?”

Laney shook her head in denial and crossed her arms over her chest. Cody snorted and turned his body slightly to the side, revealing an impressive partial erection. Laney gasped and felt her face grow hot as it turned red with embarrassment. He gave a mirthless laugh and turned back to what he was cooking, completely ignoring her. Several minutes passed before he spoke again.

“Eggs, bacon, and toast, OK?”

Laney’s eyes almost rolled back in her head at the mention of food. She felt like she hadn’t eaten in days.

“God Yes!” she practically shouted.

Cody’s shoulders stiffened for a moment and briefly paused from his cooking. He muttered something under his breath, shook his head, and went back to cooking.

To keep his mind off his soon-to-be painful erection, he decided now would be as good a time as any to lightly question her.

“So where did you learn to hit like that?”

She winced, she felt slightly guilty about that right hook.

“A couple of years ago I decided to take some Krav Maga classes. I heard it was a pretty useful self-defense style. I only got to take about six classes before I had to move again.”

He zeroed in on her last statement.

“Move again?”

Laney worried that she’d said too much but then dismissed it. After all, he had kept her away from her brother. Why was that? She thought she would come clean on a few things first before she asked him about it. She really wanted to be able to trust him. They had started to build an easy friendship before all this happened. She was pretty sure if things had progressed more naturally they would have been in bed together before much longer.

“I have been on the run from my brother for the last four years. I move on somewhere new every four to six months to keep him from finding me.”

“Why would you need to do that?”

She wasn’t ready to tell him the whole truth, afraid of what he would say or how he would react if she did. She settled for a partial truth instead.

“My family exploited me as a child, working me sometimes sixteen or eighteen hours straight digging for those precious metals and gems that have made them so rich. When our dad died, I got a reprieve for about a year while they sorted things out. During that time, I realized there was a different life I wanted and I decided to leave. They had other plans for me and so I had to run away.”

He sensed there was more to the story but decided not to push her about it just yet.

“So, how did you know to come warn me about my brother?”

Cody placed her breakfast on a plate and handed it to her. Carrying his own plate around the counter, he sat down beside her and watched her eat for a minute before answering.

“The guy I work for, Alex, runs a sort of consulting business. We take on jobs that your average everyday guy can’t handle. Sometimes, we get information about special cases we need to look into. Such as your case.”

Laney paused in her eating, turning to give him her full attention.

“Aside from the jobs we take, we also watch for people with special talents. Some of them are more subtle, such as maybe someone who can read someone else’s surface thoughts or know what the weather is going to do. Some are a lot less subtle and can cause problems. You are an example of that kind.”

Laney blinked up at him, surprised that he had just told her she could be a problem.

“Why would you think I could be a problem?”

Cody rubbed the back of his neck, a nervous habit he hated but couldn’t control.

“It’s because of what you are that you haven’t yet tapped into that could cause issues.”

“What do you mean by “what you are”?”

Cody contemplated holding off on this discussion until they met with Alex, but he had a feeling she wasn’t going to let it go.

“Laney, we know about your special talents. We also know something you might not. You’re a dragon shifter. It’s why you have been able to locate all those metals and gems so easily.”

She reared back away from him, glaring at him in utter disbelief.

“Bullshit! You’re pulling my tampon string!”

Cody barked out a laugh at her unexpected reaction.

“I can assure you I am not pulling on your tampon string. I am very serious. There are other kinds of talents out there, yours is the rarest. So rare, in fact, that you are the only one of your kind I have ever met.”

Laney still didn’t believe him. She just had good luck and instinct when it came to finding precious metals and gems. Maybe she had hit him harder than she thought?

“Yeah….ok. So if I’m a dragon, what does that make you? A f*****g Werewolf?”

“Hardly. As if I could live with myself if I was one of those flea-bitten mongrels.” Cody snorted.

She rolled her eyes, totally not buying into the weird paranormal crap. Plenty of people had strong intuition, she was certain she was just one of those.

“ OK, so enlighten me.”

“You want a demonstration?”

“Yes.”

Cody smiled as he got up from his chair. It was a smile you would expect to see right before something bad happened. Laney suddenly felt very nervous.

“No matter what you do, don’t panic and run. It excites me too much. Stay sitting right there and don’t peek. Watching me turn for the first time may be a little too shocking for you.”

Laney sat riveted to her seat, torn between wanting to believe something otherworldly was about to happen and thinking that Cody had truly lost his marbles. She watched transfixed as he leaned down behind the counter out of sight.