Page 37 of Lachlan

Every sleeping one too, because Belle refused to sleep anywhere else but in Lachlan’s bed beside him.

This meant Lachlan and his dragon’s self-control had been stretched to its limits. Because he was determined Belle would know him and the life she could expect to lead as his mate before their mating took place.

Which didn’t mean that they hadn’t explored every other sexual pleasure togetherexcepta full mating.

Lachlan now knew every silken inch of Belle’s body, inside as well as out. Just as she had explored and nowownedevery part of him.

Belle felt slightly guilty for the feelings of excitement bubbling inside her as she attended Ben’s funeral with Lachlan sitting beside her in the church and holding one of her hands in his much larger one. His brothers sat on her other side.

Guarding the woman destined to become their dragon queen to Lachlan’s dragon king.

The thought of their mating was the reason Belle felt only slightly guilty for her thoughts being of Lachlan today rather than Ben. Lachlan made no secret of his devotion to her, whereas Ben had betrayed her, not once but several times, and then been killed by the people who were paying him to do it.

So she couldn’t claim to be mourning Ben’s death, except in a manner she would feel for the loss of any young person’s life.

She did feel sympathy for the McGregors. The whole family was obviously devastated, making it far easier for Belle to continue with the lie of how Ben had died. Far better that the McGregors should believe Ben had died a hero rather than as someone who had been willing to steal from her, and let her die, for money.

She accepted the deceit of Ben having been a selfless hero was best for all concerned.

Belle was outwardly sad, but the excitement bubbling inside her was because today was also the day Lachlan had said they could become mates. If she was still agreeable to the idea.

If!

Belle didn’t have a single doubt in her head or heart about becoming Lachlan’s mate. On the contrary, she had been willing the hours away until the two of them could disappear together for the few days of privacy Lachlan had explained they would need to complete that mating.

And the reason Belle had no doubts was because she knew she had fallen in love with Lachlan this past week of them getting to know each other.

Fallen deeply.

Irrevocably.

The glimpses he had allowed her of his dragon told her that she had fallen in love with that magnificent beast too.

Both Lachlan and his dragon were fiercely protective and possessive of her. Emotions that had been sadly missing from Belle’s life before now.

She feltseenand cherished for the first time in her life.

Honored too, at fate having chosen her to be not just Lachlan’s one true mate, but also his queen.

The air stirred about her as Lachlan tilted his head until his lips were only centimeters away from her ear as he murmured, “Are ye wet for me right now?”

Belle glanced around them self-consciously, knowing by the smirk on Hunter’s lips and the wry expression on Ranulf’s face that the two men’s acute dragon hearing meant they had heard that remark too.

She moved up on tiptoe until her lips were almost touching Lachlan’s ear. “As much as you are hard for me.” She bared her teeth before biting into the softness of his earlobe.

Hunter gave a snort of repressed laughter at the sound of Lachlan’s pained, indrawn hiss of breath. Humor Hunter instantly covered by placing one of his hands over the bottom half of his face after several heads had turned in his direction.

Lachlan’s expression told her he would retaliate the moment they were alone together.

Which couldn’t come soon enough, as far as Belle was concerned.

She was grateful for this past week of the two of them getting to know each other. Of lying in bed in the darkness of Lachlan’s bedroom—now her suite of rooms too, he had declared—their arms wrapped about each other as they shared their secrets and hopes for the future. Their bodies were sexually attuned to each other in a way Belle had thought only happened in books, a single touch or kiss from either of them resulting in more of that explosive lovemaking.

Much as she appreciated that week of spending time with Lachlan as lovers, she now dearly wanted to become his mate.

“We’ll see the two of you in three, maybe four days,” Lachlan told his brothers after they had said their condolences to the McGregor family, refused their invitation to attend the wake, and instead they had all returned to Drake House. “Make that a week,” he added after glancing at Belle.

Hunter chuckled. “Don’t be surprised if I’ve got the information I need and gone hunting by the time you resurface.”

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