The Dragon's Choice (Tahoe Dragon Mates Book 1)

by Jessie Donovan

  However, he didn't want to bring her past lovers into this. They were bastards, all of them. From now on, she'd have him and only him. And soon those memories would fade for good.

  He threaded his fingers through hers and leaned forward. "With a dragon-shifter, that was merely the beginning. We take our female's pleasure seriously. If I don't make you come, then I shouldn't, either."

  She tilted her head, making her dark hair fall over one shoulder.

  Even with her half-naked and smelling of sex, he wanted to lean over and rub his cheek against her soft tresses.

  Damn, the romantic shit kept coming to him now.

  Shaking her head, Victoria replied, "I'm not sure I believe that. It sounds like something from a book."

  She kept talking about books, his human. Although, given her recent comments, it made him curious as to just what she was reading.

  He rubbed her legs, loving how she unconsciously parted them further in invitation, turning his dick to granite.

  His dragon roared. How can you resist her? She's right there, our true mate. Tell her and kiss her.

  Ignoring his dragon—although it was getting harder to do and a line he'd need to tread carefully—he focused on his female. He replied, "Oh, you'll learn what I say is the truth soon enough, my sweet Tori." He moved until his face was an inch from hers. "Because I'm never going to let you go."

  She lifted one shoulder. "Again, I'm a sure thing, so no need to talk me up."

  He growled. "I'm not trying to butter you up. You're mine, Victoria Lewis. Forever."

  Whether his human was ready for the news or not, it was time to tell her the truth about what would happen once he kissed her sweet lips.

  Even Victoria's post-orgasmic hazed brain caught the finality of his tone. "What do you mean, forever?"

  Tightening his fingers around hers, he murmured, "You're my true mate, Tori. Do you know what that means?"

  Her first reaction was to consult her book. But even without it, she knew the basics—each dragon-shifter had a fated true mate. That person was their best chance at happiness.

  Although she couldn't remember the rest of the details. And thankfully, she was still boneless from her orgasm, or no doubt she'd be freaking out a little. "I'm your true mate? How is that possible? I'm human."

  He smiled. "It doesn't matter. Dragon-shifters mate humans, even the author of the book you hold so dear mated one."

  True. The author, Melanie Hall-MacLeod, a human, had mated a famously sexy, growly dragonman of her own.

  Still, as the truth began to sink in, she tried to focus on her trusted, long-time friend—facts. "How do you even know it's me? You just met me a few hours ago. I'm not sure I accept the 'one look and done' theory, either."

  "An inner male dragon senses their true mate. And while there may be dragons who lie about it if they're spoiled and selfish, mine would never do so." He tried to soften his face a fraction as he took her hands in his and he continued, "Besides, look at how far we've come already. It's almost as if your body understands that you're mine."

  His words reminded her that she was naked from the waist down and a few minutes ago, the very large dragonman had been licking between her thighs as if he'd never get enough.

  Willing her cheeks not to burn—the talk of true mates was a serious thing—she blurted, "That's unhelpful. You're sexy, so of course I'm going to act like a wanton with you between my thighs." She sat up a little taller, hoping Jose would remove himself from between her legs, but he didn't budge.

  As she searched his gaze and flashing pupils, she wondered if it could be true. That somehow, someway, this man's inner dragon had taken one look at her and said, "Mine."

  The side of her full of daydreams and fantasies wanted to accept the idea and kiss the man to get their new life started. However, her more rational side won out for the moment, and she said, "If you're being serious, then I need more information. What does being a true mate fully mean, because I don't know. Plus—do I even have a choice in the matter? Or will ADDA simply force me to stay with the dragons, to help keep the peace?"

  While she was interested in dragons, not to mention Jose was also sexy and somewhat charming, was that enough to throw caution to the wind and seize an unknown future? One maybe where she couldn't decide anything ever again?

  She tried to pull her hands away, but he didn't let go. Jose never broke his gaze as he said, "There's no need to be afraid. It's not a future of you being a sex slave in a dungeon, Tori. Let me explain it first, then you can make a decision, okay?" She bobbed her head and he grunted. "Good, then let's try this as I do that."

  He moved to sit on the couch and pulled her into his lap, his hot chest against her bicep, the contact making her relax her posture a little.

  Even though his arms were wrapped around her, keeping her in his lap, she was a little less vulnerable and able to think clearer.

  "Better?" he murmured.

  "A little."

  His pupils flashed again, but quickly returned to round and stayed that way, which made her heart calm a fraction.

  Not that she wasn't interested in his dragon, but right now, she needed the human half to explain everything.

  After squeezing her waist in reassurance, Jose continued, "As I said, my inner dragon recognizes you as my true mate, which means it's the truth. I didn't say anything at first because I wanted to show you how good it can be between us, even without fate."

  She shook her head. "One orgasm a secure future does not make."

  "No. But answer me this—has it ever felt so easy, so right with another male this quickly?"

  She could lie, but it wasn't as if she made a convincing liar anyway. "No."

  "Exactly. It's because you've always been meant to be mine. And no, not as a mere possession, but my partner in all things. One with as much free will as any dragon-shifter has under ADDA, at least. Although I can't force you to stay with me always. It will be your choice."

  If she did, it meant ADDA would place a lot of new restrictions on her if she agreed to stick around. Ones that would mostly keep her from her friends and family.

  Before her mind whirred with all the possible changes, Jose moved a hand to her lower back and rubbed it in slow circles. The longer he did it, the less nervous she felt.

  Seriously, dragon-shifters must have some sort of powers of seduction or something.

  Giving herself a mental shake, she focused on the possibly life-changing situation at hand. "Say I accept your claim that I'm your true mate. What happens next, step-by-step? And before you tease me, I hadn't really memorized everything in that section of the book since I didn't think I'd be hanging out one-on-one with dragon-shifters any time soon."

  He brushed a section of hair off her face. "You should've expected it to happen. Even in a room of a thousand females, a million, I would've noticed you above the rest."

  His words made her relax a fraction. Maybe they were bullshit, but her gut said not.

  True mates were serious things to dragon-shifters.

  "Okay, so you noticed me and reassured me I won't be a sex slave. And if I stay, ADDA will put me under a bunch of new rules. But what else? I sense there's a part of it you haven't explained yet, something important."

  His pupils flashed to slits and back—what was his dragon telling him?—before Jose finally answered, "The condensed version is this—I kiss you and it kicks off a mate-claim frenzy where we have sex until you're pregnant."

  She resisted blinking. That was it? "So far, that was the aim of this anyway. So what else is there?"

  For the first time since she'd met him, Jose hesitated a beat. But the expression vanished so quickly that Victoria doubted she'd seen it at all.

  He said, "Once I kiss you, my inner dragon is bound to come out. Not in his dragon form, but rather he takes over my mind and controls my human body. However, dragons are more animalistic, possessive, and act on instinct. He may be rough. No, fuck that, I know he will. And that scares a lot of
humans."

  The fact the tall, imposing male worried she'd run because of his horny dragon half did something to her insides. Even knowing it could scare her, he was revealing it all to her.

  And for the first time, she wondered if she could see a future with him. Oh, she still didn't know him well beyond the fact he knew how to make her orgasm, but she'd heard tales of how a dragon's true mate was rare, a blessing of sorts, and it could be the best thing to happen to someone.

  Not necessarily a guarantee, but better odds than with anyone else.

  She finally raised a hand to touch his cheek, loving his late-date stubble against her fingers, needing to touch him right now. "Then let me talk with your inner dragon. If I do it now before we kiss, then I won't be scared when he comes out in the frenzy."

  Yep, it looked like she'd signed up for the frenzy already.

  His pupils flashed right before he said, "If I let him out now, and he kisses you, he may be the first to claim you, not me. Is that something you could handle?"

  She searched his gaze. "So, a stranger would just pin me down and have his way with me?"

  He shook his head. "My dragon is part of me, not a stranger at all. Even if this half of me isn't in control, both halves make up one male named Jose."

  She tried to wrap her head around it. "That seems just…weird."

  He snorted. "It's not the easiest thing for humans to understand." His gaze turned heated. "But if you let me kiss you, then you're going to get a one-on-one crash course on how it all works."

  As his fingers strummed the skin at her waist, she relaxed a fraction.

  She could either have Jose kiss her now and then face his dragon when the time came, unsure of what to expect. Or, she could have his beast come out to show her what happens with the other half in control and then possibly have the dragon-possessed man kiss her and go all instinctual on her.

  Could it be that bad, either way? The book on dragon-shifters had been lovingly dedicated to Melanie's dragonman and children. And the few video clips she'd seen of some of the other British dragon couples had shown just as a devoted pair.

  Maybe, if she jumped, she'd fall right into the fantasy she'd always wanted.

  Of course, she could also plunge too deep and suffer the consequences.

  But as Jose's eyes continued to flash and his fingers brushed her skin, Victoria made her decision—it was time to jump. "I have one more question before I give my answer."

  "What is it?"

  "Will your dragon always be in control during the frenzy, or will you come out, too?"

  A determined glint in his eyes flared. "Oh, I'll be coming out. Even if I have to fucking battle my dragon inside my head and toss him into a mental prison—it's a temporary way to keep him contained inside my mind—I'll do it. I'll be damned if he is the only one to enjoy your luscious body."

  Making a mental prison to contain his inner beast? There was so much for Victoria to learn.

  But she pushed it aside. If everything went right, she'd have plenty of time later to ask anything she wanted. Right now, it was time to stop stalling. She'd signed up for this, and even though she had gotten more than she bargained for, she wasn't going to run.

  She'd wanted an adventure, and it looked like she was going to get a much bigger one than she'd bargained for.

  Victoria maneuvered to straddle his lap and looped her hands behind his neck. "Let your dragon out. I'd rather meet him at first than be surprised later."

  She expected Jose to be thrilled, but he frowned. "That means the bastard will get you first."

  Tilting her head, she asked, "But I thought you were one and the same?"

  "We are, but we're also competitive as hell. And I don't like to lose."

  She smiled. "That just made things more interesting. A competition between you two? Does that mean I'm the final judge?"

  "Don't encourage him," he said with a grunt.

  Laughing, she moved even closer to him, until her bra-covered breasts brushed his hard chest. "Let him out so we can get this started."

  He lightly caressed her lower back. "My brave human."

  For a few beats, they stared into one another's eyes and Victoria stopped breathing. Jose's pupils kept flashing, but the look of hunger and wanting never vanished.

  Somehow, someway, this dragonman wanted her, and only her. Badly.

  It took everything she had not to start riding his pants-covered cock. This dragon-shifter was fast becoming an addiction.

  His voice finally broke the spell. "Don't worry, I'll be back as soon as I can wrangle control away from him again, Tori," he murmured before his pupils slitted and stayed that way.

  And she waited to see what happened.

  Chapter Five

  Jose had wanted to be the one to claim Victoria first. But when she asked for him to let his dragon out and get it over with, he couldn't deny her.

  It was, after all, a smart plan. Deal with the dragon and then there wouldn't be any surprises.

  However, as he let his dragon to the forefront of his mind, he still glowered and muttered to his dragon, Don't be stingy.

  She wanted me, so she's going to get me. For a while.

  Fucking dragon. Jose only hoped his beast was riling him up on purpose and not speaking the truth. Because if he was, Jose would have a mental battle on his hands soon enough.

  His dragon threaded their hand through Victoria's hair and growled, "My human is pretty, and wet, and waiting. I want you, to kiss you, to fuck you, to claim you." He moved closer. "Now."

  Victoria searched his gaze and one corner of her mouth ticked up. "So, you have no filter, then?"

  The fact his human was amused made Jose relax a little. His dragon frowned. "No, that's a human trait. I want you now. Why hide it?" He pulled her head closer until their lips were a hairsbreadth away. "Say yes."

  "Yes," she breathed.

  His lips descended on Victoria's, and the instant they touched, a shot of pure lust and need coursed through Jose's body. This was their mate, their female, and they needed to claim her.

  Not once, but over and over again, until she carried both their scent and their young.

  His dragon growled and devoured Victoria's mouth, licking, sucking, and nipping as he went. And his human merely took it at first until she finally started to kiss them back.

  Damn, her taste. Between her pussy and her mouth, Jose didn't think he'd ever find anything as sweet ever again.

  His dragon moved their hand to between her thighs and stroked her clit. Victoria jumped, breaking the kiss. His dragon breathed, "You're wet and ready for me. I want to fuck and claim you now."

  Thank hell Jose had made her come already. Under normal circumstances, he'd told the truth—dragon-shifter males always ensured their mate came first.

  The only exception? In the throes of a frenzy, sometimes it was lost, especially if the dragon half was in charge.

  Even then, she'd come soon after, once he orgasmed. One thing he'd forgotten to tell Victoria was that his semen would send her into the wildest, most intense orgasm of her life.

  His dragon lifted Victoria and rearranged her so that she faced away from them, leaning over the back of the couch, her perfectly full ass in the air.

  Jose wanted to take his time caressing her soft flesh, making her arch her back, and beg for his dick.

  But his dragon wasn't thinking of anything but being inside her. After pushing her legs apart, his beast ordered, "Arch for me. Now."

  And she did without hesitation, making Jose want her all the more.

  Fuck, he was tempted to wrestle control from his dragon.

  But then he remembered that this is what his true mate wanted, and so he'd let her have it.

  His dragon positioned their cock at her entrance, and growled, "Mine. You're going to be mine, always, mine."

  He thrust in and Victoria cried out—in pleasure, not pain.

  She was so tight, so wet, so fucking perfect.

  His dragon d
idn't waste time moving his hips, increasing his pace, making the couch move with the force of his thrusts.

  This was their female. His beast needed to brand her, fill her and claim her as many times as possible.

  As he'd thought, his dragon turned rougher, not bothering to make love but fucking their mate, moving his hips, making her feel him deeper than she'd ever known possible.

  The human part of him worried it was too much. The reality of a dragon half taking their mate was usually different than what a human could imagine.

  But then Victoria reached back, her nails digging into his wrists, and she moaned. "Harder."

  His beast roared, held her hips in place, and complied. The sound of flesh hitting flesh filled the room as each movement brought him closer to coming.

  Then his dragon let go, stilled, and spent inside her. A beat later, Victoria followed, her cunt greedily milking him for his seed.

  The pleasure was so intense Jose nearly forgot where he was, coming harder than he'd ever done before, losing all thought and possibly his damn mind.

  Nothing compared to being inside his mate when it happened. Nothing.

  She was his now, and neither man nor beast was going to let her go. Ever.

  Victoria was grateful for the couch under her stomach because if she had been standing, she would've collapsed.

  Jose had been right—his dragon was more animal than human. But as he pounded away, something inside her broke free, as if she'd been waiting for exactly this type of man her whole life.

  Old Victoria never would've dug her nails into a man's wrist—probably drawing blood—and demand for him to take her harder.

  And yet she'd done it without thinking.

  Go back to a hesitant male who fumbled and never made her come?

  Never.

  Jose's voice—not as deep as just a minute before, making her wonder if his dragon had receded—asked, "Ready for more?" Strong hands lifted her up against his body, and he nuzzled her cheek. "Tell me what you want, and you'll have it, Tori."

  "Is it Jose-Jose in charge now?"

  He chuckled. "Yes, it's the human half. You were so wild and wicked for my dragon, that he decided to share."