“Damage report.” Dianna hadn’t even opened her eyes yet, and she was scanning her body for pain. She was sore, but…it wasn’t the normal pain. Oh, the joint stiffness and twinge lower back and shoulder were barking, but there was also soreness between… Dianna’s eyes flew open. This wasn’t her room. This wasn’t her apartment. With a thick swallow, she gingerly turned her head to the side and saw him. He slept. The dragon slept. Eyes closed, lashes kissing the high cheekbones, his hair a mess on the pillow beside her. His naked chest moved with his deep, restful breaths. His bare skin ended where the sheet covered his narrow hips, leaving the tantalizing happy trail visible and leading her eyes down, down, down. She swallowed again, her mouth dry. Dianna knew what was beneath the sheet. Knew it intimately. She’d had her hands all over that body and in that hair. He’d had his hands all over her, and his mouth and his tongue and teeth and…she swallowed again, her mouth
With a grunt, Jack levered himself out of bed. He was a little tender in places, but it was a good tender, like the type you get after a satisfying workout. And fuck, it had been satisfying. Not satisfying enough that he didn’t want more, though. He didn’t bother to shower, just pulled on his clothes from last night and raked his hands through his hair to tame it. He rubbed his face and decided he should at least brush his teeth. No one liked morning breath, no matter what movies and books tried to tell him. Teeth brushed and minty fresh, Jack exited his apartment, crossed the hall, and tapped on Dianna’s door. She didn’t answer, but he could hear music from the other side, so he assumed she was home. He knocked again and when he still got no answer, he tried the door handle. It opened under his hand and he stood frozen for a moment. Her apartment was unlocked. His stomach clenched at the thought that anyone could walk in on her. The visceral reaction shocked him. He shouldn’t c
Dianna groaned at the familiar but unwanted pain as she pushed up from her desk. It had been a long fucking week. She didn’t know if it was pain from sitting in one spot for so long, the stress of her current project, the long hours, part of her pain cycle, the lack of sleep, or the pent-up sexual tension from seeing Jack nearly every night but not being able to touch him. It could be one, three, or every single one of the above reasons, or it could be a sign that her disorder was progressing. Her last doctor’s appointment had led her to believe that her disorder was being managed, even if her pain wasn’t always manageable, but that didn’t mean something hadn’t changed. Of course, thinking of the worst-case scenario wouldn’t help, but with the way she was feeling, it was hard to keep a positive outlook. Maybe she just needed another night of unbridled sex with her grumpy DILF next door. If only she could get him alone. Yes, they’d seen each other every day, but Riley was with him.
He pulled it off over the back of his head like all men seemed to be able to do and was unreasonably sexy. Then he pressed his bare skin against hers and they both groaned. Jack rocked his pelvis against the juncture of her thighs, his hard cock hitting her in all the right places. “I’ve missed you too,” she rasped. “Me or my dick?” he whispered in her ear. “Just your dick,” she replied with a laugh that turned into a moan when he bit her neck. “Just…jokes…I…missed…all…of…you,” she panted out as he continued to rock into her. Dianna was so worked up that she was pretty sure he could get her off just with dry humping, but that’s not what she wanted. She wanted him to fill her up. She wanted him deep inside her when she came. “In me,” she breathed, pushing at his sweatpants. “I need you in me.” They didn’t get the pants off all the way, just down enough not to impede progress. Jack found a condom somewhere and Dianna was not going to question where it came
Dianna repositioned the hot pack on her stomach and groaned. Why was it that whenever she got her period, she didn’t just get period pain, but her entire body flared? It didn’t seem fair. Plus, with all the drugs she was on for pain management, why did none of them touch period pain? She was absolutely convinced that if men had to suffer through cramps once a month, they would prioritize finding a cure within the year. “What’s wrong with you?” Dianna looked up into the face of her nemesis and couldn’t censor her sneer or the words that came out of her mouth. “I’ve got my period, Phil,” she snapped. He turned white, and a look of disgust crossed his face. “Do you have to do that…here?” “Oh, I’m sorry if the natural process of my body expelling its uterine lining is upsetting for you. Should I reschedule it to a time when it is more convenient for you?” “That’s disgusting.” “No, it’s the circle of life. Now do you have something business related to talk to me about or are
“That’s bullshit and you know it,” Felicity said as she stood. “I’ve sent Mason home on any number of occasions because he was being an insufferable shithead.” “Are you saying I’m being an insufferable shithead?” Dianna asked. “No, sweetie. You’re being worse. You’ve now crossed over into manifesting as a demon from hell. Now take your demon-arse home, pick up some chocolate and wine on the way, and wallow in your sulphur-infused grumpiness to your heart’s content.” “The launch is in two weeks.” “And if you go home now and deal with all this—” Felicity moved her hands in a circular motion indicating the hot mess that was Dianna “—then you will be back to being the gaming angel from heaven that we all know you to be. Now scoot. I don’t want to see you back in the office until your skin no longer has a reddish black cast and steam is no longer coming out of your ears.”Jack looked up from his laptop when he heard the tap on his door. Finn grinned at him from the doorway. “He
“Tell me what you need,” he said. “It’s okay. I’ll be fine—” “Hot pack? Tea? One of my sisters craves carbs and swears that a sticky bun from the bakery is the only thing that can cure her cramps.” Dianna blinked up at him like he was a unicorn. “Three sisters,” he replied. She laid her head on his chest and let out a deep sigh. “I need my bed, a hot pack, and a hot chocolate.” Jack helped her to the bedroom, and she sat on the bed. “Do you want me to get you something to change into?” he asked. “No, I’m good,” she said, reaching under the messy sheets of her unmade bed to pull out a large t-shirt. He had a moment where he wondered if the shirt had belonged to an ex-boyfriend, followed by a rush of jealousy, which he stomped down Plus, he didn’t have any claim on her and if she got comfort from an ex-boyfriend’s t-shirt then who was he to complain? Although he had a fleeting thought of sneaking one of his own shirts into her drawers as an altern
“Thanks for coming with me, Mum,” Dianna said. “Will he be much longer?” They were sitting in the waiting room for the doctor, who was running late…as usual. Dianna’s doctor was great, but because he was great and took time with each patient—more time than the allotted ten-minute appointment time—he was perpetually late. “He shouldn’t be too much longer,” Dianna said with a sigh. “You don’t have to stay. I can just text you when I’m ready to go home.” “Don’t be ridiculous,” Fran said. “I’m here now. I may as well hear what he has to say.” Dianna held in a sigh. She wouldn’t have called her mother, except she was in too much pain to drive herself. It wasn’t a flare-up, or at least she didn’t think it was. This was just the typical pile-on that happened when she got her period. There was a reason women were told not to schedule waxing or tattoo appointments when their period was due…it hurt more. And this doctor’s appointment was just one of her usual check-ups.