“No it is not so terrible. Plus, we dragon shifters are great lovers and quite romantic, that’s why we usually keep our women.” Declan flashed me a charming smile and I giggled.
“That is a beautiful sound, I am jealous that it wasn’t me causing it,” said Tristan, walking back into the room followed shortly after by Micah. Micah had his hands in his pockets and looked almost as if he had just been scolded. Well I guessed Tristan really did give Micah a talking to on my behalf. Tristan grinned at me and he came to sit close to me on the right. Micah sat a bit farther from me on the left, and he wouldn’t even look in my direction.
“Don’t worry about him. He is just pouting,” Tristan whispered in my ear. His breath tickled my neck. It sent a thrill that ran down my spine. Tristan smiled at me with a bit of heat in his eyes and I wondered if he sensed my reaction to him.
“I hope my cousins have been keeping pleasant company?” Tristan said, his entire demeanor shifting and he sat back against the cushions. Both Safir and Declan grinned at me and I smiled genuinely.
“Yeah we had quite the interesting conversation. Apparently all dragon shifters are great lovers and quite romantic as well,” I teased. Safir laughed and Declan actually blushed. Micah reluctantly smirked and Tristan rolled his eyes with a smile.
“Well at least it is truth and not a lie,” Tristan said with a wink. It was my turn to blush.
“How would you know if you are a good lover Tristan? You are more virgin than Mary,” Micah poked fun at Tristan, and both Safir and Declan held their breath. They looked like they were unsure if they should laugh or not. Tristan grew warm, I could feel the heat radiating out from him and he launched himself at Micah and the two wrestled down to the floor. Safir and Declan started laughing then as Tristan pinned Micah down to the floor.
“So who do you think will win this one Declan?” Safir asked and Declan pursed his lips while the two grown men wrestled like little kids. I simply watched with a small smirk on my lips.
“I think Tristan will come out the victor in this one. He had the element of surprise,” Safir said, he sounded like a boxing announcer. I laughed then, which distracted both Tristan and Micah from their squabble on the floor. Though Tristan didn’t recover as quickly as Micah did. He grinned at me like a little kid and Micah quickly took the upper hand and pinned Tristan down.
“Well good thing we didn’t put a wager down or I would have lost,” Safir commented.
“What’s this? The future Lord of the Lands and his second in command wrestling like a couple of children?” The deep voice rumbled across the room and everyone turned their attention to the kitchen.
*****
“And in front of our future Lady as well. You boys should be embarrassed.” The speaker was a tall, muscular man. He had a shock of white hair that was medium length and wavy. He looked a lot like Tristan, but I could see the age around his eyes and mouth. He had almost yellow-colored eyes as well and that was the biggest difference between the two. I knew that the man was Tristan’s father. He approached me and I stood to shake his hand, but like Tristan, he pressed his lips to my knuckles and then let my hand go.
“I am Markus, Tristan’s father. You must be Stephanie, my soon to be daughter-in-law.” Markus smiled at me warmly and I liked him almost instantly, I got the same warmth from him that I got from Tristan.
“It’s wonderful to meet you Markus,” I said, smiling, and Markus seemed pleased.
“I hope my son’s barbaric actions haven’t been too off-putting?”
I gave a small chuckle and shook my head. “No he’s been nothing but kind, I think Micah deserved it anyway,” I smirked at Micah who gave me a rueful smile. He and Tristan were standing then, as were Safir and Declan.
“Well I am glad you are coming to like my son, I have hopes that you two will have a long and fortuitous marriage,” said Markus. He smiled at me warmly and then he gave a stern fatherly look to Tristan and Micah before he left the room and went outside. He morphed into a huge dark brown dragon and then took off into the sky.
“My father likes you. That is good,” Tristan said, smiling. I actually felt a little nervous after having met Markus. I wanted to leave a good impression on him. Was I really already coming around to the idea that they might all be my family soon?
“Really?” I asked and Tristan’s smile grew wider. He was pleased that I seem to care about his father’s opinion.
“Yes really, I could tell in his eyes. If my father approves that is a good omen for us in our marriage,” Tristan said happily. I felt briefly, as though I was watching the events unfold in front of me, rather than being a part of them. Did they have some sort of magic that made everything about this weird arrangement seem normal?
Tristan’s hand traveled down my arm until he grabbed hold of my hand. He told the guys that we’d return later, and then he pulled me towards the hallway that would lead us to the center wing. We sat in the living room where it was very quiet and very much just the two of us. I grew a bit nervous as I wondered why he wanted to be alone with me.
“I want to know more about you, and I wanted to be somewhere quiet, away from everyone else if you don’t mind,” said Tristan. He sat me down on the couch and he took a seat next to me. We faced each other and I bit my lip a bit nervously.
“What do you want to know?” I asked and Tristan shrugged. He told me he’d love to know anything I was comfortable telling him. “Well I’m a veterinary technician. I work in an emergency pet hospital in the city. Uh…I have an older brother and my dad pretty much raised us, because my mom died from cancer when I was just three years old and my brother was six…” I trailed off, because there wasn’t much else to know about me.
“My mother died when I was young also. I was supposed to have a younger sister, but the childbirth was difficult for my mother and my sister didn’t survive it. The grief is what ultimately took her life though,” Tristan said, his voice was melancholy and his eyes looked far away. I put my hand on his and he seemed to come back to the present moment. He smiled at me and I couldn’t help but smile back, he was just so gorgeous.
“Would you like to have dinner with me later tonight?” Tristan asked and I nodded. I honestly really liked being with him.
Tristan and I talked for a couple of hours more and then we went back to the kitchen to make sandwiches for lunch. Safir and Declan had left and Micah was nowhere to be found. More alone time with Tristan wasn’t all that bad, but I hadn’t fully gotten over the awkwardness of this whole situation. Lunch was quiet, but it wasn’t too bad. There was a comfortable silence between us. We ate our sandwiches while watching a marathon of Friends. While I was in the kitchen cleaning up, Micah walked in and gestured towards me.
“You don’t have to clean up you know,” he reminded me and I glanced around. It was only he and I in the kitchen and Tristan was laughing at Friends on the TV.
“Where is this mysterious ‘staff’? I haven’t seen them around,” I said skeptically. Micah chuckled and he walked over to shut off the faucet at the sink. I had finished washing our plates and cups anyway.
“They are here. It’s a big house and it’s only a few people who clean up and such, so you wouldn’t see them often.” Micah leaned against the counter and then touched my shoulder to get my attention. I was looking out at the darkening sky outside.
“I’m sorry for being so hard before. I know this can’t be easy for you,” Micah said and I nodded.
“It’s not as bad as you made it seem like it would be…” I looked at him pointedly and he held his hands up in surrender.
“I admitted it, I spoke poorly. I’m sorry I won’t scare you like that anymore,” Micah promised.
“Good, and apology accepted,” I said and Micah smiled almost shyly. My heart skipped a beat and I wondered how he could be so cute and intense rolled into one sexy mysterious package. I was intrigued by him and wanted to know more about him.
“Stephanie, would you like to eat in tonight? I woul
dn’t mind eating out either,” Tristan called from the family room and Micah’s demeanor changed. He was less intimate than he had been and he walked around me to the fridge.
“Uh, eating in is fine,” I said, and Tristan smiled. I could feel the heat radiating off of Micah behind me and I knew this entire ‘arrangement’ might not turn out as perfectly as everyone had planned.
*****
I had changed and gotten ready for dinner with Tristan, and we ate outside on the deck. There was an outdoor fireplace that kept the space warm. That and Tristan seemed a bit excited and was radiating warmth also. We had a steak dinner and talked almost everything it seemed; likes, dislikes, wishes, opinions. Surprisingly we had a lot in common. By the time dessert came around, a homemade giant chocolate chip cookie and hot chocolate, my favorite, I could honestly say I liked Tristan a lot.
“So would you like to take a walk with me? To try and break up this fullness?” he said.
I smiled and then stood with Tristan. He took my arm, and we started down the steps of the balcony, towards the path that would lead us into the woods. I was surprised; the path was actually lit by intermittently placed poles on either side of it.
“Where does this lead?” I asked.
“You’ll see,” he said and we continued in comfortable silence down the path, I think Tristan was feeling more anticipation than I was and it was cute to see him get all excited to show me something. The path curved and then we came across a pretty large spring. Two people could definitely fit inside.
“The pool is man-made, but it’s supplied by a natural spring. We dug until the spring bubbled up. It heats pretty quickly, granted a dragon shifter gets in to heat the water,” Tristan said. He slid his arm from underneath mine and stepped towards the semi natural soon-to-be hot tub. “Would you like to get in with me?” Tristan asked with a mischievous glint to his eye. We both knew that neither of us brought any bathing suits.
I gave him a small smile and then nodded my head. “Sure, I’d love to get in.” Tristan stripped down to his boxers and revealed his deliciously defined body. His chest and stomach were like carved from stone. I had to focus a considerable amount of brain capacity on not letting my jaw hit the floor. Butterflies took off in my stomach as he slowly got into the water.
“It will only take a moment for the water to heat,” Tristan assured me. I had a coat on and I was already starting to shiver from the absence of his warmth. Being married to a dragon shifter did come in handy in the winter months. I walked over to the edge of the small pool and crouched to dip my hand in. The water was heating up. It was already a bit past warm. I felt shy all of a sudden and decided to just hurry and get it over with. I stripped down to my bra and panties, glad that I had chosen to wear a matching lacy set that night. I lowered into the water and Tristan snaked his arm around my waist to pull me up against his side.
“You’re so warm, you’re hot actually,” I said and he grinned.
“Why thank you, you’re quite beautiful as well,” he said. I giggled and Tristan bit his lip; it was the sexiest thing he could have done in that moment. My eyes became riveted onto his mouth. “Is it alright if I kiss you Stephanie?” I nodded slowly and before I knew it Tristan’s lips were on mine. They felt hot. Heat ran freely through my veins almost instantly upon contact and before my mind could catch up to what my body wanted, I found myself straddling Tristan on the little hewn stone bench in the pool.
Tristan’s lips were incredibly soft and they moved urgently against mine. His hands caressed my back and then gripped my waist tight. Everything between my legs clenched and quivered. Was it natural to be so amazingly turned on by one person and so abruptly? I broke the kiss with a gasp and then closed my eyes so that I could regain some composure. The water had gotten really hot and there was steam rising from the pool as it evaporated.
“Is the water burning your skin?” said Tristan. His voice was husky with the arousal he felt. The arousal I felt poking up between my legs wasn’t helping in the slightest.
“No…well yeah actually it’s really hot,” I said as I realized the water was really, really hot. Tristan lifted me out of the water and stepped out of the spring altogether. He set me down on the ground where he dressed me quickly before the chill could set in, though with him that close to me I didn’t think I had a chance of getting cold. Once I was dressed Tristan put his clothes back on and we started back towards the house.
*****
Tristan walked me back to my room. At the door, he kissed me on the cheek and promised me he’d see me the next day. I watched him wander down the hall and then I slid back into my room. Most of my wardrobe had been brought over to the house, except for all of my pajamas, they had been replaced with satin night gowns and satin camisole—shorts sets.
I sighed and opted for a blush-colored camisole and short set. I tried to go to bed and sleep, but I was too keyed up. I grabbed the television remote on the bedside table and turned on the flat screen over the mantle of the fireplace. I watched Nick at Nite for a few hours and still couldn’t get to bed. After our kiss, I just couldn’t settle down. I got out of bed and then padded into the kitchen for some water.
Micah was standing at the fridge, shirtless, and with nothing but a pair of black briefs on. Was black his favorite color or something? I didn’t pay too much attention to the color of his briefs. Instead my eyes were drawn to the outline along his thigh. It was thick and long. Micah cleared his throat and my eyes roamed his muscular torso up to his face. He was smirking at me and holding a bottle of water.
“Um…I was just coming to get some water,” I said and Micah reached into the fridge to pull out another bottle for me. I walked over to him and felt the heat coming off of him in waves.
“Are you hungry?” Micah asked me and he moved around me to place his water bottle on the counter. “I can make an excellent midnight snack, anything you want.” Micah said with a genuine smile. I was actually a little taken aback. He wanted to make something for me?
“Uh, sure, how about…some chocolate covered bacon?”
Micah smiled as if there was no task too big for him.
“Coming right up, it’ll be the best bacon you’ve ever had in your life,” he said.
I giggled and then sat up at the breakfast bar while he got two large Hershey’s bars out of the pantry and a package of bacon from the fridge.
“So you live here too?” I asked him and he looked at me as if the answer should have been obvious. He was practically naked after all.
“I have since I was five. My parents were killed in a battle against enemy warriors who wanted to claim our town. Lord Markus took me in as his own. Tristan and I have been best friends ever since.” Micah spoke about Tristan and Markus fondly; they were his family, it was plain to see.
“Wow…so do other dragon shifters come through here a lot wanting to take the town?” I asked. Micah shrugged as he got the pan hot for the bacon and a sauce pan ready to melt the chocolate.
“Occasionally. There are seasons for it though. In the summer is when we get most threats to our territory. Mostly other dragons from Canada or Central America. We really do have an ideal section of land here in the mountains and forests. It provides protection from the humans. We can both blend in and hide in plain sight amongst them.”
I watched the muscles of Micah’s back move as he began to fry the bacon and then whisk the chocolate as it melted.
“So the female dragons fight too?” I asked. Micah glanced back at me and snorted.
“Of course they do, if they want to that is, they are just as capable as the men are,” Micah said. I smiled. Well it was good that their society wasn’t archaic or anything. Micah finished up the chocolate covered bacon pretty quickly. The bacon was crispy and the combination of sweet and salt was to die for.
“Micah…this is so good,” I said and almost moaned in pleasure when I took another bite of the bacon. Micah smiled knowingly.
“I know it is, I happen to be a grea
t chef,” I giggled and Micah grinned at me. I liked this Micah much more than the one I met initially. I picked up a piece of bacon that had yet to dry and a drop of chocolate fell onto my chin. Before I could even move Micah was beside me and he scooped up the drop with his finger. My eyes locked onto his and he held his finger out for me to lick the chocolate off.
I closed my lips around his finger and swiped the chocolate off with my tongue. He tasted delicious. Micah’s pupils dilated and I felt that familiar heat buffet against my skin. Slowly and deliberately Micah leaned in and pressed his lips against mine. A small moan escaped the back of my throat as I tasted chocolate on his soft lips and then his tongue passed over my bottom lip before he slid it into my mouth to caress mine.
My hands didn’t know where they wanted to go. I caressed his strong shoulders and slid them down the ridges of his biceps, and then I caressed his taut stomach and chest. Micah pulled me from my seat and then walked over to the couch where he laid me down and lowered some of his body weight onto me. Just enough so that I felt his hardness right at my core. I gasped and Micah’s mouth slid down from my neck to my collar and was going decisively lower. My skin was ablaze for his touch and my sex was throbbing with need.
Tristan’s face popped into my head and I pushed against Micah’s shoulders until he let me sit up. “We can’t do this can we? I mean…I am marrying Tristan in a couple of days.” I said and Micah sighed heavily.
“You’re right, this is wrong…you should go back to bed,” Micah said sullenly. His face was closed off and frankly I felt just as sullen as I stood up to leave. I had very real feelings for both Micah and Tristan and it just crept up on me.
What was I going to do?
*****
The next morning, I woke up to soft male voices speaking on either side of me. I wondered if it was a dream as both of the voices I realized belonged each to Tristan and Micah. I opened my eyes and saw first Micah’s gorgeous face. Tristan’s hand was on my hip and I turned briefly to make sure it was him. They were both still in pajamas. Well Tristan was wearing pajama bottoms, Micah was still in his briefs. The sun had barely risen and both men were extremely close to me.
Pregnant to an Alien King Box Set Page 167
