Page 39 of Shifter For Hire (For Hire 2)

He shrugged.

“Can you see in the dark?”

“I can.”

“I mean like a bug. Can you tell if a bug’s about to get on me?”

He smiled, and she drew in a breath. Had he ever smiled before in her presence?

“If you like, you can sit on my lap.”

“Are you flirting with me, Gerard Hughes?”

He took his time answering. “Yes.”

“You’re such a weirdo.” She laughed. “Maybe I will.”

It might be the high she felt being out there with him, seeing his dragon, feeling safe with him. At least that’s what she told herself when she scooted across to climb onto his lap. Her back to his chest, she settled in, and relaxed when he rested his arms around her waist. He felt good and right.

“I know what you think about me,” she said. “And I don’t really get it. Maybe it’s a dragon thing? I’m human, so I don’t fall in line with some meant-to-be stuff.”

“Humans believe in soul mates.”

“How do you know?” She was curious because he apparently didn’t spend a lot of time socializing with humans—or anyone.

“I heard someone say it once at the pizza restaurant.”

She laughed. “Then it must be true.”

They sat in silence for a while, a gentle breeze stirring the leaves in the trees. Gerard polished off every snack after offering her more. She refused, allowing him to feed his dragon-sized appetite.

When he was done, he stirred restlessly. At first she thought he was eager to fly again, but then he spoke.

“I had a mate.”

She snapped up and twisted around to face him. “Say what?”

“She was a dragon, and we promised ourselves to each other before the civil war. In six months, we were to be bonded—married.”

Chapter 15

Gerard watched Lachelle’s eyes widen and her mouth fall open. A powerful desire stirred in him to kiss her lips. Recalling how she felt and tasted the first time they kissed weakened him. In the last few days, he had come to terms with knowing she was his mate. He no longer wanted to beat it out of his head and body.

While he still didn’t like humans, she was different. She was beautiful and strong. The thing he noticed most about her was the boldness. She wasn’t foolish with a chip on her shoulder, determined to prove she was as strong as a man. Lachelle just was.

He liked her on his lap, but wanted even more. A part of him knew he wasn’t good enough for anyone, but he wouldn’t deny what was true. She was his mate. That meant he needed to share everything with her.

“You had a mate?” she exclaimed. “You’re saying you were in love and about to get married? I don’t even know what to think about that.”

He thought about how to explain dragon shifters to her in a way she would understand. “There is one true mate for all of us. When we find that person, we immediately recognize it and bond. The feelings don’t change like humans’ feelings do. I have heard humans ‘grow apart’ or ‘fall in love’ with someone else. We have never done that.”

She settled on his chest again, but he sensed a little distance from her. It wasn’t quite hurt but like it. He tried to think what he could have said to put her off but couldn’t be sure.

“There’s the flaw in your theory right there.” She stabbed the air with a finger.

“What flaw?”

“You said ‘one true mate.’ If this woman from your past is your one true mate, then how can I be your mate? And if she is, why aren’t you with her now?”

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