Page 5 of Tease Me

Did He Say Dragon?

Fleur knew lots ofshape-shifters. She’d become friends with Zara and Galyna when she’d started working at the community center. They’d fully embraced her educational gardening project.

The Troika’s had become almost a second family to her. Well, a first family, since she didn’t really have one. Zara, Galyna, and Heli hadn’t thought she was a complete weirdo like everyone else at her former jobs... or life.

She’d had more than a passing crush on at least two or three of the Troika boys when the girls had introduced her to them. But they were all paired off with her friends, mated.

The sex-on-a-stick standing in front of her was not mate material. What he was, was the hottest thing she’d ever seen and she tried her best to convince herself his flirting was the cause of her instant attraction to him.

She didn’t get a whole lot of action from most guys. They couldn’t see past her chubby cheeks and butt. It was fun to pretend he thought she was all that and a bag of salt and vinegar chips.

“A dragon, huh?” She shrugged like it was no big deal. In all her time in Rogue, New York, she’d never once known a dragon. There weren’t many in the States at all. Were all of them this charismatic and sexy? Maybe it was that delicious European accent of his.

He ran the back of his knuckles down her arm. “Yes, Daxton and I are both dragon shifters. But what are you, my treasure?”

While she was thoroughly enjoying all the attention this dominant, alpha shifter was showing her, she had other plans. Fleur poked him in the chest, giving herself a little static electricity shock, pushing him away. “Don’t go thinking you can eat me up. I’ve got a party to hostess and Jell-O shots to hand out.”

Plus, there was this year’s mating ritual, the biggest one ever, three packs from across the country were coming together. Selena Troika, the matriarch of the pack had invited her, and while the girls warned her about Selena’s matchmaking, Fleur was excited.

Steele didn’t budge an inch when she tried to push him away. He did get a lascivious glint to his eye. “I will do everything in my power to eat you up. And down, and sideways if you like.”

His tongue poked out and he licked his lips, then bit the lower one. The look on his face wasn’t a grin. No, it was unadulterated sizzling sin.

A flutter tickled her low in the belly. She couldn’t help the smile flirting with this dragon brought to her lips. He was a total perv, and she kinda liked that. Not a lot of men she’d known had found her perv-worthy.

She’d let him flirt and tease her with little kisses when she thought he was a stripper, thinking that zing she’d felt was part of the excitement of the night.

But if he was a shifter, then she needed to keep her distance. The mating ritual was tomorrow night. If she was lucky, she’d smelldeliciosoto one of the wolves and he’d choose her to be his mate.

She was destined to mate a wolf. Maybe. Hopefully.

Fleur had no idea what her destiny was, only that she had one. Her mother had told her so her entire life. Told her to prepare for it, save herself for it, while never even eluding to what she should prepare for. It made her feel stuck. Fleur had held herself back from doing so many things in her life, waiting for that destiny to show up.

Now it was here.

Probably.

Not like she could ask her mom anyway. Her mother was currently spending the summer as a red windflower at the burial site of Fleur’s father. Again.

Tonight, having fun with all the other women destined for the mating ritual out there living it up, she wanted to have fun, too.

Whatever was supposed to happen to her could wait for one more night. This might be the last time she could ever do something naughty.

She wanted so badly for her life to change, to stop waiting and get to the exciting part. Maybe that would happen tomorrow night, or maybe this was it, the beginning of a new adventurous life for her. Right here in her own kitchen.

Yeah. It was. She decided.

A tingling in her heart, directly behind the Tree of Hesperides pendant she wore told her to follow that instinct.

She usually ignored those kinds of feelings, because what if they were pulling her away from her destiny? For once, she was going to let loose. Some hot and heavy making out was exactly what the herbalist ordered.

His skin was oh, so touchable. She dragged her finger from the base of his neck to between his pecs. “You’re dirty, dragon.”

He chuckled. “You have no idea.”

“Show me.” Fleur grabbed him behind the neck and pulled him in for a kiss.

What a kiss it was. He practically inhaled her, spearing his hands into her hair to hold her close. Their tongues dueled, slashing at each other. Steele tasted like warm mint, fresh and bright. Not the toothpaste kind, but like the real fresh leaves. She couldn’t get enough.

---