Page 10 of Having the Dragon's Baby

Marcus smiled as they rocked back and forth.

“What?” he teased her. “I thought you might enjoy this kind of vigor.”

A warm rush of red bloomed along her cheeks. She looked away, but the smile remained.

“What makes you think that?” she said, her eyebrows raised.

“You have been very forward this entire night. I like that.”

Rachel sighed, her eyes scanning his own, then moved to his lips ever so briefly. When he caught her ogling, she giggled.

It was a rapturous sound.

“I will always be forward with you, Marcus. As long as you are with me.”

Soothing jazz continued as the stars emerged in the velvet sky. Marcus nodded as his hands moved to her hips. “I will be,” he murmured. “I promise you.”

FIVE

RACHEL

Leaving the mixer at Sylvia’s estate, Rachel sat captivated in the cab that would take her to her hotel for the night. She’d been so focused on wanting a family that she had forgotten about the thrill of the means by which she would be impregnated. Sex was fun, but the experience had grown dull as she moved through the dating pool.

Marcus had lit something inside her, and she lavished in it as the cab rolled into the night. Her heart pounded in her chest while adrenaline surged through her veins. She hadn’t felt this excited about anything in a very long time. She was positively vibrating in the back seat, knowing she wouldn’t get a wink of sleep.

Marcus hadn’t said anything about the contract, but there was a mutual sensation of attraction between them, so she thought she knew what the answer would be. His fingertips on her skin were like fire, stirring a passion for life that left Rachel rather breathless.

It lingered on her as she climbed out of the cab and into the chilly air. As she entered her room and flicked on the light, she noticed a manilla envelope placed on the coffee table near the window. She found herself tracing her lips with her fingers as she moved toward it, nearly floating.

For Rachel was written on the cover.

“Hmm,” she said.

She ran her fingers around the writing, noting the swooping, whimsical font. Rachel mused about Marcus touching his tongue to the pen, applying an old-fashioned medium of feather to ink. Her skin prickled hotly with anticipation.

Rachel ripped open the envelope to find a contract, the one that Sylvia had discussed with her prior to her meeting Marcus. She quickly flipped to the last page where her signature was required, found a pen, and laid it all out on the line.

When she finished, she backed away, like the paper was a bee that had stung her. Her heart galloped inside her chest with a pleasant madness. She had made the decision. It was as final as final could get. Everything involved was for the rest of her life.

* * *

That night, Rachel slept like a lamb despite the thoughts and visions of the future that danced around her mind. The next morning, she received a message from Sylvia, who inquired about the contract and whether or not they could move forward.

I’ve signed it, she texted back, sitting up in bed. I’m ready for the next steps.

Rachel sensed Sylvia’s exuberance through the phone. It reflected her own. She was plummeting into the depths of the unknown, and for the first time, the uncertainty felt good.

“Splendid! I will let Marcus know and set up a date to meet the thunder. You are going to be so happy, Rachel.”

Rachel pushed the phone against her chest, biting her bottom lip. The adventure was beginning.

After only a few hours, Sylvia got back to Rachel about meeting the thunder that very day. She would no longer be their chaperone unless things went south. Rachel loved the idea of getting some alone time with Marcus. He had charmed her with his quiet strength and the firm way he held her body close.

Unsure about where she was going to stay for the night, she packed her things and headed out to the car Marcus had sent for her.

The place had a rustic, dreamy, romantic feeling to it, which wasn’t at all what Rachel had imagined when it came to a dragon’s den. It had the feel of a small town, a community where the majority of the inhabitants just happened to be dragon shifters. She was escorted through a wrought-iron gate, which was covered in lush honeysuckle, by the driver, who was exceedingly tall and broad, and into an area where a wonderful flowering of camellia grew along the walkway.

“Good afternoon.”

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