Page 16 of The Dragon's Mate Proposal

So, I slammed the door in her face. It was childish, but in the heat of my shame and self-imposed anger, I didn’t care.

“Asshole,” I heard through the door before footsteps carried her away.

Licking my lips, I turned away from the door.

To find Samantha staring at me, arms crossed over her petite chest.

“Cade,” she asked flatly. “Are you broke?”

Growling angrily, I stomped past her into the bedroom and began shoving my few belongings into a bag. There wasn’t much, unfortunately, so it only bought me a few moments. Not to mention, I’d trapped myself. Samantha now stood in the doorway, blocking my way out.

“So, we’re being kicked out, great,” she said as I hoisted the bag on my shoulder, much like her own. “I thought you ‘perfect’ dragons didn’t let anyone sleep on the streets?”

The sarcasm dripping from her mouth could have filled a bathtub in seconds.

“We don’t,” I said more stiffly than I wanted. “As long as they don’t have anywhere else to go.”

Curiosity flared behind her stare. “So, then, where are we going? You have somewhere else? Why didn’t we go there first?”

“We’re not going anywhere,” I said, shaking my head, trying to end the inquiry then and there. “We can’t.”

“Why not?”

“Because I haven’t been there in—look, it doesn’t matter. We’re not going,” I said, pushing past her.

At least, I tried to, but she put a hand up, pressing it on my chest. I came to an immediate halt at her touch, fighting down the beast in my head that could focus on nothing but her fingers.

More. We wanted more. Both of her hands, running across my chest. Pulling my shirt over my head as I took the collar of her shirt and ripped it apart, exposing her body to my greedy eyes. My hands. My mouth and tongue. I wanted to kiss lower, finding the waistband of her pants, slowly dragging it down, exposing—

“Cade.”

I blinked rapidly, pulling myself together, trying to get my breathing under control as my cock swelled under my pants, threatening to reveal my building desire to take this human woman and shove my shaft deep between her legs until her moans rang in my ears nonstop.

“Yes?” I managed to say with a huff, fighting down my dragon.

There was something different in her tone. On her face. Was she thinking the same? I pondered dropping my back and pushing her back against the wall. Advancing on her, making my intentions clear as crystal, so she knew I wanted nothing more than to f—

“How did you afford the food and clothes for me if you have nothing to pay her?” Samantha asked with a curious narrowing of her almond-shaped eyes. “Did you lie to her?”

“No,” I said.

“Did you … did you spend the last of your money on me?” The shock in her voice couldn’t be hidden.

“Not quite,” I said. “I have a few coins left. Enough for us to eat for a day or two.”

She swallowed, her tiny pink tongue flicking out to wet her lips. They glistened with a hint of saliva, and I fought down another urge.

“But otherwise, you’re broke because you spent the last of your money on me.”

I shrugged. “You needed outfitting.”

“Right. But now you have nothing.”

“Yes,” I said immediately. “There. Is that what you wanted to hear? That I’m broke? I’m sorry you thought otherwise.”

She sighed. “I don’t need you to be rich, Cade. I didn’t expect that. But I’ll admit, I wasn’t prepared to live on the streets when I came here. That thought never crossed my mind.”

I stood taller. Something in me didn’t want to disappoint her. She deserved better than that. I needed to give her better.

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