Page 30 of The Dragon's Surprise
Not getting into bed with his human had been the hardest thing he’d done in a while. However, it would’ve been too easy to accidentally kiss her, or vice versa, and he hadn’t wanted to risk it.
His dragon spoke up.Soon she’ll be ours completely.
It was one night. Give it time, dragon. We have Ethan to think of as well.
Of course I care about our son. However, we have to woo Lexi, too. She is our female. Convince her to stay with us and be our mate.
Before he could think of how to do so in a way where she could keep her job—which was extremely important to Lexi—she moaned and rolled onto her back, stretching her arms above herhead. What he wouldn’t give to go over, pin her hands to the mattress, take her mouth, and claim her completely.
She opened her eyes, frowned, and then met his gaze. She squeaked and sat up. “Is-is this your place?”
He smiled, came in, and offered her the coffee in his hands. She took it, sipped, and he answered, “Yes. You fell asleep after your orgasm, and I carried you to my spare room. You never woke up, so you must’ve been tired and really relaxed.”
She narrowed her eyes. “You still look entirely too smug about last night.”
He laughed. “Of course I do. I proved you wrong in the best way, love. I mean, you did sleep through the night.”
“Which is definitely weird, as I usually have trouble sleeping in unfamiliar places.”
His dragon spoke up.She had no trouble here because she knows she belongs with us.
Ignoring his beast, he replied, “As much as I wish I could join you and make you come again, I have to go to the clinic soon and then check on Ethan. I have just enough time to make you breakfast, if you’re hungry.”
Her stomach growled, and he grinned. Lexi sighed. “I didn’t finish dinner, and I’m starving. Please tell me you have eggs, toast, and cheese. It’s my favorite bigger breakfast.”
“What, do you eat lettuce some days or something?”
She rolled her eyes. “No, but when I have to deal with a new baby drop-off, I barely have time to grab a granola bar.”
He moved and sat on the bed next to her, cupping her cheek and stroking her soft skin with his thumb. “Does it happen often?”
“Not as much these days. However, after a Tahoe Dragon Lottery, any of the women who don’t get picked usually go looking for a dragonman in the worst places. Nine months later, there’s a rush.”
Every year, a dragon clan would offer a male and a female volunteer who would pick a human from a room and sleep with them, with the hopes of having a child. Whenever it was a dragonman’s turn, the turnout was more determined than the other way around, and he’d heard stories of the dragon-shifter haunts in the cities being flooded with disappointed lottery candidates.
“I never really thought about that. You’d think the dragon males would be more careful.”
Lexi shrugged. “You’d think. But I’m sure there are plenty of dragonmen, like human men, who refuse to use condoms because ‘it doesn’t feel right’ or some BS.”
“If they’re going to be idiots, then they should step up when there’s a child.”
“I know. Most of the trouble has been with the clans in Northern California and Arizona. Both have refused to allow humans into their clans, no matter what. Anyone who dallies is shunned and kicked out. And while I haven’t heard it myself, my sister tells me some of the dragon leaders are determined to form their own country somewhere inside the USA.”
“Which is impossible and will make them a target of not only ADDA, but the US military as well.”
She nodded. “I sometimes wish ADDA would host events where humans and dragon-shifters could mix freely and learn more about each other. In the UK they’ve held some successful children’s events, but trying to do that here has been like trying to walk through a brick wall.”
He raised his other hand, holding her face, and replied, “Somehow, we’ll try to make that a reality.”
“We?”
“I hope so. I know it’s still early days, but I am determined to win you over, Lexi Sakamoto, no matter what. And given how your work is important and means so much to you, I need tofigure out how to keep it a part of your life, too. Well, provided you consent to stay and be my mate.”
As soon as he said it, Kyle wondered if she would freak out. It was rather soon, and yet the more time he spent with her, the more he knew he wanted to claim his true mate and make her and Ethan happy.
“It is early, but I very much want this to work, Kyle. The main thing holding me back would be abandoning the orphans. So, yes, let’s try to find a way for me to keep working with them if I do end up staying.”
While he knew there was no “if” about it since he was determined to win his true mate, he merely smiled, kissed her cheek, and asked, “With that decided, how about breakfast? You’re not leaving until you eat.”
