Free Sailing Deep by Noah Harris

gratitude after the fact.” They came to a stop when the general crowd did. He turned to face Dylan, putting his hands on his hips and holding him close so they could continue to whisper. “And he’s a dragon shifter.”
                  Dylan’s eyes widened, and his mouth hung open. He was even distracted from how close they stood, their chests barely touching, as well as other parts. “A … dragon?”
                  He was smirking. “Have you never heard of the dragon shifters?”
                  “Of course, I have. Everyone has. No one believes they actually exist.”
                  “Oh, I assure you they exist. They’re very rare, and nearly all of them are centuries old, but they exist.”
                  Dylan glanced over his shoulder, trying to catch another glimpse of the dragon Alpha. “Wow …” He muttered. He could see the age and power in the man’s stance though his physical form didn’t look a day over forty.
                  “Hey now,” Blake said, gently taking Dylan’s chin and turning him back to face him. He tilted his head up a fraction. “You’re supposed to be paying attention to me, remember?” He tugged their bodies together, and Dylan tried to ignore the way he could feel every inch of the other man.
                  “Jealous?” Dylan asked, one eyebrow raised as he tried to keep the tone light.
                  Blake ignored him. “Kiss me.”
                  Dylan blinked. “What?”
                  “Kiss me.”  When Dylan stared at him blankly, he continued. “You’ve only reacted to my affections. You need to get comfortable around me for us to pull this off. Let yourself relax and kiss me.”
                  Dylan frowned, but he couldn’t see any arguments against it. Blake waited patiently. Finally, Dylan sighed and leaned up to kiss him. It felt … different being the initiator. Blake didn’t push him but took the kiss at his pace. Soft and gentle, Dylan waited for him to deepen the kiss, but he didn’t. Not until Dylan tilted his head more and let his lips part. Blake reacted in kind, his arms tightening around him. Dylan instinctively stiffened, and he felt Blake hesitate. He forced himself to relax, leaning slightly into the other man.
                  He felt Blake smile against his lips as his fingers began to lightly trail up and down his spine.              
                  Dylan was mildly alarmed when his body started to react in earnest. He was in the open, surrounded by others, and yet he felt himself hardening. More alarming, he felt Blake hardening eagerly against him, and that only encouraged his body further.
                  Blake kept their kisses slow and methodical, gentle and tender. Their bodies slowly moved together, subtly rocking. They didn’t stop until they heard the sudden silence. Strangely enough, Dylan found himself disappointed when they pulled apart. That is until he opened his eyes and he saw Blake’s smirking face.
                  The silence was strange and overwhelming. He hadn’t even noticed the general din of mixed voices until it was gone. The silence, so complete save for the sound of breathing, was strange and eery in a group of people this large. He automatically turned towards the Alpha, realizing that everyone else was, too. Arulean stood apart from the others. Even the small group he had been standing with earlier had backed away to give him plenty of space. His body seemed to hum with power, lighting up the very air around the field. Everyone seemed to respond to the hum. Even Dylan’s body vibrated in unknown excitement. Arulean had his head tilted toward the sky.
                  As Dylan watched, the clouds separated and the moon’s light lit the field. It fell on the Alpha and the man closed his eyes.