Page 17 of Jhon

She felt a jolt of heat between her legs and barely kept herself from gasping.

Fascinated, she tried to see the shape of it through the soft-worn leather. But it was impossible to know what it looked like without unlacing the breeches, which she knew would wake him.

You’re a foolish girl, a little voice in the back of her head scolded her. Even if you saw it, you wouldn’t know what to do with it.

The voice was right.

Ella had grown up in a one-room house that was practically bursting at the seams with younger siblings. Even if she had been able to make time for dating, which she hadn’t, any boy she liked probably would have had a similar living arrangement. There wasn’t much privacy on Terra-13 and therefore, not many opportunities for a nice girl to gain experience pleasing a man.

A shiver of awareness tingled down her spine and she looked up to find Jhon was awake, his dark eyes flashing with want.

“Good morrow,” she heard herself chirp as she launched herself out of bed. “Bo slept well last night. I think I’ll just freshen up quickly and then we can make his breakfast.”

She had closed herself safely in the refresher by the time she stopped talking.

Breathing deeply, she leaned her back against the door in relief, closing her eyes to thank the gods for getting her out of there before she could embarrass herself further, or do something stupid.

A moment later, she heard a sound - a strange sound that couldn’t possibly be what she thought it was.

She pressed her ear to the door, trying to figure out what it could be, and realized it was Jhon, and the sound was exactly what she had thought it was.

The fierce, humorless warrior was chuckling.

8

JHON

Jhon dressed and got Bo ready for his day. He changed and fed the boy and washed his little face with a flagon of water he kept in his wrap.

And the whole time, he was half-smiling to himself over the girl.

Waking up to find her studying that part of him so intently was as gratifying as it was funny.

He had expected to wake up angry and frustrated after a night of tossing and turning as the dragon yearned to claim its mate.

Instead, he felt light-hearted and calm.

And maybe a little impatient. How long was the woman going to spend in the refresher?

He was nearly ready to give up and go to breakfast when the girl finally emerged.

“Good morrow,” he told her, remembering at the last minute to wipe the silly smile off his face.

“Good morrow,” she mumbled. “You got Bo all ready? I’ll just feed him.”

“He’s fed,” Jhon told her.

She came right up to him to take the baby.

Bo instantly began wiggling to go to her.

If Jhon had been attached to the whelp, it might have hurt his feelings. But of course, he wasn’t. He was a professional soldier, attending his mission, and nothing more.

Are you sure about that? the dragon teased, using his senses to demonstrate how good the woman’s silky hair smelled, how the whelp’s heart rate slowed as she held and cuddled him.

“I need breakfast,” Jhon said, more loudly than he meant to.

She blinked up at him.