“I agree.” Her cool gaze touched on his and then skittered away. “I intend to make sure the Council knows about this. My plan is to have the other females educated in magic so they can protect themselves. I don’t want anyone else subjected to this kind of treatment.”
“I don’t blame you.” Reaching out to smooth a tendril of hair away from his face, he noted the way his hand shook. Repressed fury. Those damn Drakkor were lucky the Pack didn’t have magical ability or Ryan would turn this car around and head back to make them pay.
“It’s all right,” she told him, her voice soft. “I sense your distress. There’s no need. I survived and I got what I went there for. Plus, in the end the lessons were actually fun. I can access my magical abilities now. And I’m confident I can hold my own if Doug Polacek comes for me. That’s what matters.”
Though he nodded, he wondered how anyone as intelligent and beautiful as Maria couldn’t see what seemed so obvious to him. Her people, though they valued the remaining women because they were so few, clearly did not hold them in high regard otherwise. He didn’t understand how this could be so, especially considering how few female Drakkor remained. He felt pretty damn sure that if something like that had happened in the Pack, those women would be treated like goddesses and given everything they could even think of wanting, and then some.
All of this gave him an idea for a new app. And possibly even a game. He made a mental note to pass it on to his team of talented designers. As soon as he got a chance, he needed to sketch out some of the characters that had begun to occur to him. While dragons and werewolves and wizards and witches were pretty common—even passé—in the app and gaming world, his unique little twist might just put his idea right on top.
Except he wasn’t sure developing it would be ethical. The right thing to do would be to discuss it with Maria, maybe even have her sign some sort of consent form.
For now, he’d work on getting the idea developed. If it turned out to be a good one, he’d talk to Maria before releasing anything. For now, all his focus would be on keeping her safe.
* * *
Every time she glanced at Ryan, Maria’s heart hurt. Maybe the knowledge that she’d need to send him away for good would take some getting used to. Even though, she reminded herself fiercely, she’d known this ever since the day she’d learned who he was.
Billionaires and dragons didn’t mix.
When they finally reached Galveston after driving straight through, they both were exhausted. Each napped while the other drove, but it wasn’t enough.
When they arrived at her place, he covered his yawn with his hand. “Do you mind if I stay the night? Since my house burned, I’ll need to find a hotel room or something. It’s late and I’m not up to doing that right now.”
“Of course.” Suddenly she wanted nothing more than to go to sleep with him holding her and to wake up in his arms.
One last time. Though her mind knew Ryan would never be The One, she wanted to make love with him one last time. That memory would be one she’d hold close to her, buried deep, maybe, but there in case she ever wanted to pull it out and relive the moments she’d spent with him.
Maudlin, maybe. Foolish, most definitely. But she didn’t care. Despite everything Micah had told her, her heart wanted what it wanted. Ryan would be difficult to let go. But since she had no choice, she knew she would.
Eventually. But for now, she’d let herself get lost in him. Then she’d move forward with the rest of her life.
Chapter 9
“That was nice,” Ryan said, his voice rumbling through his chest to Maria’s ear. She had her head there, right above his heart, loving the steady whump-whump sound.
“Nice?” Raising her head enough to look at him, she narrowed her eyes. “We made love last night, slept in each other’s arms, and after we woke up, made love again. Is that the best adjective you can come up with?”
He laughed and kissed the tip of her nose. “Amazing, transcendent, superb. Is that better?”
As usual, his confident grin made her heart give that same twang. If she lived a hundred thousand days, she knew she’d never forget this moment. Ryan lying in her bed with the sunlight turning his hair golden, his posture relaxed, joy radiating from every pore as he talked and gestured with his hands to accentuate his points.
She’d never known a man could be so beautiful. But with Ryan, it wasn’t just his physical attributes that attracted her. His energy, the light shining inside of him, drew her to him.
With a sense of mingled horror and disbelief, she realized she’d been fooling herself all along. Getting over this man wasn’t going to be easy. At all.
“You know what,” Ryan’s easy tone oozed contentment. “This has been the best fling I’ve ever had.”
Fling. Something inside her twisted. That’s all she was to him, of course. A fling. And he’d had many. That last part went unspoken yet still understood.
She’d wanted something to remember, and she definitely would never forget this. The joke was on her.
Yet part of her felt grateful. He’d unknowingly made giving him up a little bit easier.
Pushing herself up and off him, she grabbed her bra and, keeping her back to him, managed to get it on. She found her shirt, pulled it on, and grabbed her panties and jeans before hurrying to the bathroom to clean up.
Once there, she took a good look at herself in the mirror. She had the wild and drowsy-eyed look of a woman who’d been thoroughly loved. Or rather, she amended hastily, a woman who’d been thoroughly made love to.
After cleaning up, she dressed and then finger combed her hair. She couldn’t believe she’d actually contemplated making him breakfast and then telling him he could stay here until he found another place. Clearly, that wasn’t going to work. He was a billionaire—he could find somewhere else to stay with a snap of his fingers. Heck, he could buy another house if he wanted to. It wasn’t as if he’d have to live in his car.
Despite her many failed attempts to be done with him, Ryan had given her the final reason. Micah had told her he was not the one. Ryan had just proved it. Time to end this, once and for all, before she let herself get even more hurt. If such a thing was even possible.
She drew strength thinking about something else Micah had said during her training. You are stronger than you realize. And I’m not just speaking of your magic. You will come to rely on that power in the days ahead.
She’d find her Mr. Right, she told herself. The one she was meant to be with, the man who would father her child, a Halfling who would become one of the shining hopes of the Drakkor race.
Love—on both sides—was the only way such a miracle would happen. No magic or wishing could circumvent that fact.
Ryan was not that man. Never would be. She’d known this, deep in her gut, long before Micah had given her his vision of the truth of her future.
So why did she feel like she’d been punched in the stomach?
Taking a deep breath, she squared her shoulders and marched back into the room. Ryan still lay sprawled on the bed, his tanned skin golden against the white sheets. His amazing eyes glowed when she entered the room, almost as if he found her as beautiful as she did him. Or as inviting.
Mouth dry, she steeled herself against the immediate surge of desire. She squinted at him, suddenly uncomfortable. “If you’re really a billionaire, why settle for a house on the Gulf Coast? Why not buy your own private island?”
He shrugged. “I’m frugal, sort of. Though I have been in negotiations for a small island in the Bahamas. I usually buy things for investment purposes. I’m not the type for wildly extravagant monetary expenditures.”
Since she’d never met anyone as wealthy before, she wanted clarification. “What do you consider wildly extravagant? Do you own a jet?”
Slowly he nodded. “Yes. But I bought it used.”
Like that made a difference. Who knew, maybe it did. What, a couple of million less?
“I know you have several
yachts.”
“I have a couple of boats.” His clearly unapologetic smile made her feel kind of silly. “I guess some people might consider them yachts.”
“I shouldn’t ask this, but I’m going to anyway. How many houses do you own? How many cars?”
Instead of answering, he took a step closer, his gaze intent. “Is this some sort of interview? Because that’s what it’s starting to feel like. Why do you need to know all this? Possessions are just things. They aren’t a true measure of who I am.”
Though she tended to agree with him, for some reason she just couldn’t let it go. “Maybe not, but honestly, I’ve never met someone so famous. Or so well-off.”
Tilting his head, he continue to regard her. “Most women like it.”
And that right there was the crux of the problem. A flash of irritation had her stepping back. “I’m not most women. I prefer not to live my life under a spotlight.”
He moved with her. “Ah, but don’t you like nice things? Pretty clothes, jewelry? Fine wines and multilayered meals? What about travel? I can take you to any location you’ve ever wanted to visit, no matter how exotic. We can go on an African safari, if you wish. Explore the ruins in Athens, or go to Spain to make a pilgrimage on the Camino de Santiago.”
These things he held out to tempt her, as if he dangled a carrot before a hungry rabbit. While she truly enjoyed nice things every now and then, she didn’t like the way he used the idea of them to try and tempt her into a relationship with him.
“Not so much,” she managed, sounding flippant and feeling pretty damn proud of herself. “I’m just fine here in Galveston.”
When she went to turn away, he stopped her with a light touch on her shoulder. “What can I give you to make you want to be with me?”
Despite the excited leap of her pulse at his touch, she knew going down that road with him would only lead to her being hurt. “You,” she answered, her voice hoarse with repressed desire. “All the things you have don’t really matter to me. You, the man, do. I’m attracted to you, I don’t deny that. But I’m a private person. I have no desire to be constantly thrust into the public eye.”
“I can always close the deal and buy us an island,” he teased. At least, she hoped he was teasing.
“That’s not the only reason. I’m at a stage in my life where I’m not looking for a fling. I need commitment. You’ve said on more than one occasion you don’t know if you could ever be satisfied with just one woman for more than a couple of months.”
“So you have read about me?” he asked, clearly not taking her seriously.
Ignoring his comment, she bulldozed on. “I’m not saying that’s wrong, because if that’s what works for you, that’s you. But for me, I can’t do a short-term relationship at this point in my life.”
His eyes darkened, the blue almost black. “I’ve never had a woman turn me down for that reason before.”
She had to laugh at his arrogance. “That’s because you’ve been hanging out with the wrong kind of woman. Now you need to go away and let me get on with my life.”
To her relief—and if she was completely honest, disappointment—he swung his legs over the side of the bed and stood, supremely unself-conscious about his nakedness. He strode over to where he’d dropped his jeans and underwear, and tugged them on with deliberate movements. Then he pulled on his shirt, clearly preoccupied as he dressed. Heaven help her, she watched him, even now enthralled with the male perfection of his body.
When he’d gotten fully dressed, he turned to face her.
“I don’t usually beg, but why not give us another month? We can have a lot of fun. And that’s not enough time for anyone to get hurt.”
Maybe not him, but she already cared about him far too much.
“No. We need to stop this,” she said, her voice rusty. “I honestly think it’s time we said goodbye.”
He froze, the warmth fading from his gaze.
“Sorry,” she said. She thought she could pull off a casual shrug. At least she could try. “We both agreed we wanted something short, with no strings. It’s time for me to move on.”
Was that hurt she saw flash across his face? No, that would only be wishful thinking on her part. She wasn’t stupid enough to expect him to jump up, declare his undying love and propose marriage. And even if he did, would it be enough? She could only conceive if her partner loved her as much as she loved him, and she wasn’t foolish enough to believe he did.
“Why?” he asked again, his expressionless features and flat tone giving her no hint of how he felt. “Why ruin a good thing? Let this run its course and enjoy it while you can. You can find your commitment with the next guy.”
Ouch. The next guy. More proof that he didn’t truly care for her, not the way she wanted and needed.
“That’s just it. I can’t.” She searched her mind for a believable reason. “I just turned thirty and my father is really putting on the pressure for me to get married.”
Her face heated. Not a complete lie, though not entirely the entire truth, either.
“Thirty, huh?” Sounding completely unbothered, he studied her, head tilted. “Any particular reason why your father wants you married soon?”
Now came the tricky part. She couldn’t exactly tell him about her destiny. Or could she? If anything was designed to send him running for the door, this would be it. Adding the fact that she was thoroughly tired of lying, she decided she’d do it. He knew everything else about her. Why not tell him the rest of it?
“My biological clock is ticking. More than ticking. You know how all along I’ve talked about my destiny?”
He nodded, expression curious.
“Well, my destiny is to help the Drakkor species continue. I have to get pregnant.” She took a deep breath, aware she’d blurted the information since she’d wanted to go all in before she had time to reconsider.
Then, while he gaped at her, she continued.
“Female Drakkor are the only ones able to reproduce. The same disease that killed our women made our males sterile. There are only four of us females remaining. One is already pregnant. If our line is to continue, I have to fulfill my destiny and conceive a child.”
His features might have been carved from marble. “So this is what you kept talking about, the duty, the task? Your destiny?”
Heart pounding, she nodded. “Yes.” She debated telling him the rest of it, the bit about love being a necessary ingredient, and decided against it. Since none of this involved him, he didn’t need to know all the details.
“Your destiny is to get pregnant?”
Again she nodded.
“There isn’t, uh, a chance that you could have...” he cleared his throat “...gotten pregnant while we, er...is there?
“No. None whatsoever.”
Heaven help her, her heart shattered a little at the relief in his face.
“That’s good,” he said.
She didn’t respond. She saw no need to tell him that birth control was the one thing she didn’t need. Only if she and her partner were in love with each other would her body allow a seed to take root.
What had once seemed difficult now felt impossible.
“I supposed you have certain qualities you’re looking for in the man who will father your child,” he drawled.
“Yes, I do. I have a list,” she said, pushing away a spark of fury. She might be close to babbling, but never more had she felt the need to fill the aching silence with noise. “I’ve kept it updated all the years I’ve been searching, but haven’t had any luck in anyone even coming close.”
What she didn’t tell him was that even though he met very few of the bullet-point items on her list, she’d have gladly tossed the thing away for him.
More proof of just how foolish she’d allowed herself to become.
* * *
Though he pretended to be unaffected, Ryan could hardly believe what he was hearing. Maria’s secret destiny was to be some sort of...broodmare? Seriously?
With all her intelligence, her beauty and her strength, he’d expected something a bit loftier.
Then he reconsidered. He guessed maybe Savior of the Drakkor could be considered lofty enough. Sort of.
If he tried really hard, he could still be rational. Or so he thought. Though she had a point—he wasn’t the marrying kind—suddenly the idea of her having a child with anyone else made him want to punch something.
“I have an idea,” he said, before he could reconsider. “I’d be perfectly happy to father your child, if you’d give me a few days to have my attorneys draft up some sort of agreement.”
A flash of anger sparked in those amazing brown eyes. “An agreement. I see. But there’s no need for such a thing. I can’t have children with you. It doesn’t work that way.”
No doubt she was just being difficult. “Then how does it work?” he asked, using his most reasonable and rational tone, even though he spoke through clenched teeth. “Explain it to me, please.”
She shook her head. “Someone like you would never understand. What I need is the opposite of legal agreements and cut-and-dried arrangements. I need...”
Whatever she’d been about to say, apparently she realized she couldn’t. Her lovely eyes widened and she closed her mouth with an audible snap. “Let me see if I can put this in words you’ll understand. I need a mate.”
A mate. Every Shape-shifter knew what this meant, even if not everyone believed such a thing could be possible. A mate was more than a partner or a spouse. A mate was the one individual fated to be with the other half of his or her soul.
Ryan was so not her mate. Or anyone’s, for that matter. In fact, he privately thought the term had been cooked up by a bunch of old spinsters, sitting around discussing romance and ways to make women happy. He’d never known one single person who’d met his or her true mate, and even though he’d heard stories about someone who had, he put them in the same category as fairy tales.
Something of his thoughts must have shown in his face.
Billionaire Wolf (The Pack 17) (Nocturne) Page 12
