Page 10 of The Sapphire Dragon's Missing Mate

I drove in, feeling the walls close around me, tight and slick, and holding me in such a way, I had to stop and count in my head to avoid being a major disappointment to the man who my dragon was sure was my mate. But he felt so damned good. Praying for strength, I began to move again, slowly, which was almost worse than fast because I could feel every bit of him gliding against my oversensitive cock. It had been a while since I’d been in bed with anyone, but that wasn’t what this was about.

This was everything I’d heard about a mate vs. someone else and more. You’ll know when you meet them. It will ruin you for anyone else. Already this was true. Did humans even have mates?

He flexed his internal muscles, dragging me right back into the moment and the sensations and ruining any possibility of holding back. “Arvin, I’m so sorry but you’re just too sexy, too hot, and too tight.”

The human bucked his hips, making it so much worse…better…worse.

And I stopped fighting it and poured into him, my swelling knot locking us together.

I looked down to see his eyes widen. “It’s true, then? About knotting?”

“Shifter alphas all do,” I panted, rolling us to lie face-to-face, “as far as I know. Don’t humans?”

“I don’t have a lot of experience.”

That didn’t bother me in the slightest.

I held him close, trying not to worry that he might not feel the way I did, might not even understand having a mate. I’d explain. I’d ask my dragon for guidance. I’d do whatever I needed to to make this work.

Because he had, indeed, ruined me for all others.

Chapter Nine

Arvin

There was nothing sweeter than being held by Stone. This feeling, this connection, was something I’d never understood when people talked about it—specifically when referring to their mates. They spoke of this all-encompassing sensation that made you feel safe, at home, and alive all at once. My human friends never held the same emotion as they raved about their love lives. No, it had always been my shifter friends exclusively.

Silly me. I’d always thought it was just people exaggerating. Trying to make their person seem as wonderful to you as they were to them. Not intentionally being deceptive or anything. More that they were so in love that they simply saw things differently. That, or they simply experienced romance differently than I did. Not once had I ever thought it was possible for me to feel this way.

And it was more than just the post-joining aww that endorphins bring. I didn’t understand it fully, but this sense of completeness, it was real on a cellular level. There was no part of me that wasn’t touched by him. He was part of me, and I was part of him.

His warm breath tickled the back of my neck, reminding me that not only was he there but that he was close. Not that his body was letting me go; we were as physically close as two people could be, and I was cherishing every last second of it.

My phone had been buzzing nonstop, and I was sure it had everything to do with the storm. But in that moment, being here with him was far more important than any job, any class, any…anything. We just lay there together in peaceful silence. As his knot slowly subsided and he finally withdrew, the sense of loss was immediate. I rolled over to face him. He’d positioned himself up slightly on his elbow, looking down at me with a wide smile as I faced him.

I reached up to touch his cheek. “I feel like there’s some things we probably need to talk about.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. Did I push too fast?” He tensed, the exact opposite of what I’d wanted to accomplish with my comment. Gods. I was messing things up and quickly.

“Oh, no, no, no. Nothing like that. We should probably talk about last night and the…the dream.” Might as well jump right into it.

His eyes went wide. “You were there? Like, really there?”

“Yeah, and that’s something I sometimes do,” I said, feeling the awkwardness grow between us. “Not on purpose, and usually not with anyone I’m not related to, and usually only in really specific circumstances.” Could I do a worse job explaining it? “But what I wanted to talk about wasn’t exactly that part—it was more the afterward. When we woke up, my brain kept poking at me and pushing, telling me that you are my mate.” I bit my bottom lip. “I don’t mean to be clingy and that guy...”

He cut me off with a kiss. “I feel it too,” he mumbled against my lips. “I feel it too.”

I didn’t fully understand the entire mate thing with shifters, and I didn’t need to. All I needed to know was that he was mine and I was his. Together, we were going to be connected in this way forever. The rest of it was all details. Important details, but details nonetheless.

He wrapped his arms around me, and we snuggled, enjoying each other’s embrace as I backtracked enough to tell him about my dream walking and how he could keep me out if he wanted to. To my surprise, he seemed more interested in letting me in. I wasn’t exactly sure how to make that happen, but it was something we could figure out.

But not today. It quickly came to a point when I could no longer ignore all the beeps from my phone.

“I’m sorry.” I sat up. “With the storm and everything, it could be an emergency.” It had better be for disturbing me so.

“No, no, no. This is your place.”

“It’s not really my place. I just work here.” I hoped that didn’t disappoint him, but I wasn’t the owner or anything.

---