Now all he had to do was not fuck things up once he was alone with the dragon lady. Because he yearned to learn more about her, and even her dragon half, with each step he took.
Maybe this was the change his life had needed—one he'd never anticipated but now looked forward to.
Chapter Two
Gaby's heart pounded as she walked down the hall, her arm through Ryan's.
Their skin had barely brushed yet her entire body was on fire, her clothes suddenly feeling a size too small. The urge to strip him and surrender her virginity without a thought rushed through her body.
Could he be her true mate? After all, Gaby had never had such a strong reaction to a male in her entire life. She may be a virgin, but she'd kissed and fooled around.
None of those times compared to being next to Ryan, breathing in the earthy combination of woods and male, his heat seeping through her clothes.
Her dragon spoke up. Wishing won't make it so.
So you don't want him?
Oh, I do. I'd take just about any male with a working cock at this point.
She mentally growled at her inner beast. You're not helping.
Her dragon flicked her wings in the equivalent of a shrug. You'll find out when he kisses you.
On the slim chance he was her true mate, she'd have to put off kissing the human until they arrived at the house provided by ADDA for them to, er, get busy. Because when a true mate kicked off a mate-claim frenzy with a kiss, her dragon wouldn't stop demanding sex until they were pregnant.
Which could scare a human all too easily, especially one who had no idea what they were in for.
And yet as she glanced from the corner of her eyes, taking in Ryan's dark stubble, strong jaw, and lips, she wanted him to kiss every inch of her body.
She resisted blinking. At this rate, Gaby wondered if she could keep her lips away from his until they arrived at the ADDA house. Because she wasn't entirely sure she could.
It was as if she were some horny teenager, ready to dive into their first make-out session.
If she were watching this play out to someone else, it'd be almost funny—the virgin finally wanting to jump someone and having to wait or risk giving some ADDA employee a free show.
And while Gaby didn't want flowers and champagne, it wasn't too much for a girl to ask for some privacy for her first time having sex.
Ashley opened a door and motioned them inside a room.
Once inside, Gaby expected Ryan to release her, but he kept her arm firmly in his.
Oh no. Was he yet another alpha male, ready to dictate what she could and couldn't do, just like the dragonmen back on her clan?
Had she made the wrong choice?
Once Ashley joined them in the room, she pointed to two chairs, facing each other across a table. "Sit, go over the paperwork, and let me know when you're done." She handed a cell phone to Ryan. "My number is in there. Call me if you need anything, and I mean it. Don't be that silent, suffering man, the one trying to be brave when he shouldn't. I call those kinds of men dumbasses."
Gaby bit her lip. Yes, she loved the human female more and more.
Ryan took the phone. "I'll try not to be a dumbass, but I think we all are one at some point in our lives, so I can't promise it 100 percent."
Ashley snorted. "You may stand a chance with the dragon-shifters after all."
Gaby's dragon hummed. Yes, he just might.
As her beast blasted thoughts of licking his neck, down his chest, and finally down the goody hair trail below his navel, Gaby's cheeks heated. Stop it.
Ashley nodded at her and then left them alone, the door clicking closed echoing inside the room.
Ryan finally released her arm, only to pull out the chair and motion for her to sit.
Wanting to set boundaries—he could merely be trying to be polite, but Gaby had no idea this early on—she went to the other side and sat in the other chair.
With a shake of his head, Ryan sat down. "You'd have my mama frowning, for sure, if she were still alive."
Then Gaby felt a split-second of regret. It hadn't been a power play, but merely manners.
Pushing the feeling aside, she asked, "I'm sorry for your loss."
He smiled wistfully. "Oh, my mama passed some time ago, and my dad not long after. Everyone said he died of a broken heart."
Humans didn't have true mates, but Gaby knew some of them were lucky enough to find the equivalent.
Would she find hers, too, in this male? Wanting to learn more about him, she asked, "And what would she think of you being here with me right now?"
He put his hands out to his side, palms up. "Honestly? I don't know. I suspect as long as you didn't also leave me for my brother, she'd welcome you with open arms."
While she was aware the time was ticking for them to sign and finish the paperwork, Gaby burned to know what had turned this male somewhat bitter. "Tell me what happened. And before you protest, you keep hinting at it. I don't want your past lingering when we're together and naked."
Leaning back his chair, Ryan crossed his arms over his chest. Considering he wasn't a dragon-shifter his broad chest and toned arms called to her. Would he have a tan line? Or, did he often go out without his shirt, leaving only his ass and dick pale?
Maybe he went into the sun naked at times like she did.
"Gabriela?"
She resisted shaking her head and met his hazel eyes. "Call me Gaby. Everybody does."
"Well, Gaby, there's not a whole lot to tell. My brother—my identical twin brother—cheated on me with my wife, and about a year ago, they married and moved across the country."
Her gut said he didn't want apologies or pity. So Gaby merely blurted what came to mind. "Did he always have a thing for her?"
Ryan's dark brows came together. "I don't think so. He was serving in the army when I met her and married her. Of course, I don't know how long the affair went on. For all I know, it could've started on my wedding day since my brother had leave to attend it."
Even though Gaby had zero claim on the male, she wanted to find the female and challenge her to a boxing match. A match Gaby would easily win. "That's pretty fucked up, isn't it?"
He snorted. "That about sums it up." He studied her a second before adding, "And you know what? You're the first person who hasn't tried to give me some sort of life lesson spiel, about how things will get better and how she's not worth it."
She shrugged one shoulder. "Well, while I'm sorry for all the pain in your life, I'm pretty happy about you being here with me right now and not with her."
As they stared at one another, the room melted away, her heart rate kicked up, and the temperature rose several degrees.
She was lost in his eyes, an interesting mix of brown and green, and yearned to hear more of the laughs and smiles that he'd no doubt once had, given the lines around his eyes and mouth.
Oh, that mouth. Gaby bit her lip, imagining him doing it instead.
Her dragon growled. Do the boring human stuff so we can stop imagining that and start doing.
Ryan was the first to speak again. "You're an interesting woman, Gaby. Your honesty is refreshing, for sure."
She grinned. "You haven't even seen some of the most interesting parts of me yet."
He smiled slowly. "Like to keep a man on his toes, do you? Well, I'm not going to be complaining."
Then she imagined him meeting her family, not running for the hills at how forward they were, and she wondered if he would be more than a baby daddy in the end.
If she believed in fate, then maybe Gaby had saved herself for the male truly worth it.
That's such a human thing to think. Sex is sex. From our orgasms alone, you know it feels good. I don't understand why you avoid it.
I wasn't avoiding it, dragon. I just hadn't found the right guy.
I think now you have.
Her skin heated more. Damn it. At this rate, he's going to notice me blushing. I'm hot enough that my tanned skin won't save me
now.
Her beast merely laughed and went back to curling up inside her mind.
Forcing her gaze from Ryan's, Gaby took one of the binders and passed the other to him. "We need to get this done before the two hours are up."
"Considering how much effort went into this whole thing, I can't imagine them just saying, 'Nope, it's one minute past. Go home and see you next year.'"
She rolled her eyes. "Obviously you haven't had to deal with ADDA as much as I have."
"No, I haven't. Do you hate them then?"
Gaby met his eyes again. Many humans thought ADDA a necessary evil, or didn't think about them at all. A dragon could never forget. "Not usually. But it sucks to have to ask their permission for so many things. They don't usually like humans and dragons mixing, unless it's for some sort of benefit to humankind, like with my job."
"Ah, that's right. You're a forest firefighter. It's one of the few things they told us about ahead of time."
She waited for him to say she would have to quit, that her job was to stay home and raise their baby.
But he merely opened his binder. "Well, let's not upset the ADDA gods and get this done." He met her gaze again. "Because I'd at least like the chance to know you a little, Gaby. And to do that, we need some place private, where people won't be listening in."
Her stomach did a little flip at his slightly deeper voice.
Her dragon rose her head. Just imagine when he's naked and above us.
Don't you dare flash images right now.
Then hurry your ass up.
For the first time, Gaby regretted all the porn she'd watched online, making it hard not to imagine her and Ryan doing all those things. But she had never planned to be a virgin this long, and a woman got curious.
Well, at least she had stored up a trove of things she wanted to do with the male sitting across from her. And that motivated her to finish the damn paperwork as quickly as possible.
Looking down, she answered, "Then let's each agree not to talk until we finish all the signatures required."
Ryan pretended to zip his lips and throw away the key. It was super corny, but she still smiled.
Maybe if she were lucky, they'd be some laughter before all the sex. She'd always dreamed of having that kind of male.
However, as Ryan looked at his binder and started reading, she did the same. Yet, she couldn't help but glance up every so often to study the human. But then he'd meet her gaze and smile, and she'd look back at her binder.
Each time she signed a page, her heart raced faster. It was all really happening, and soon.
Unlike male dragon-shifters, females didn't have constant access to the human males unless they turned out to be a true mate. She'd only have three days with him until her next fertile peak the following month.
And if after three months there was no baby, the human was free to walk away. The only exception was if there was a mate-claim frenzy, then ADDA would allow it to play out. However, true mates were rare and most likely not in Gaby’s favor.
She clutched the pen tighter in her fingers. She wanted more than three days, or nine in total.
Her dragon yawned. Then make the most of what we have. Don't waste time once we're alone at the ADDA house.
And right then and there, Gaby agreed with her inner beast.
Oh, she'd let Ryan know she was a virgin, but not until he was all but inside her. No doubt, he'd be too far gone to care.
And once that was done, she could finally explore a male and live out one of her many fantasies.
True, the whole point of the lottery was to conceive a child for her clan. But that didn't mean she couldn't enjoy the process.
So Gaby went back to reading and did her best to ignore Ryan as she went, only caving for a glance every ten minutes or so until she finished.
Chapter Three
As a man of thirty-six, Ryan used to think he'd learned how to control his body and his dick better than a nineteen-year-old boy.
And yet, the entire time he'd sat inside that small room with Gaby, her scent surrounding him and her heated glances making his body temperature rise, he'd been harder than he'd ever been in his life.
Did dragon-shifters emit some sort of special sex hormones? He didn't remember reading anything about it, but he hadn't been the best student, either.
Which meant he had a lot to learn in a short time.
And only three days at a time to better know the dragon lady he wanted to toss on a bed and fuck like there was no tomorrow.
Even now, as he waited on the front step of the house they were to share for the next three days, keeping an eye out for the car Gaby would be riding inside, he was doing his best to tame his raging cock.
With zero success.
It took everything he had not to try and adjust himself again. After all, an ADDA employee sat in a parked car not ten feet away, waiting for Gaby to arrive before leaving him.
They'd been put in separate cars, he'd discovered, for a reason—they'd once again asked if he wanted to back out. There would be a minor fine, but it was the absolute last chance he could flee if he wanted.
While "Hell no" had echoed through his mind, Ryan had been polite. No use pissing off those who would determine if he could remain in Gaby's life once this was all over.
Oh, he was more than a little pessimistic about falling in love and finally finding a woman who wanted him—and only him—for the rest of her life. But there was one thing he would never do and that was abandon any child of his. Even if he and Gaby didn't work out, they'd be in each other's lives for a long time to come.
The second ADDA SUV drove down the road and parked near the first. Gaby exited the passenger seat and he resisted the urge to run and greet her.
Why she had such an effect over him, he had no idea. They'd known each other hours, yet years of dating and friendship hadn't been enough for his marriage to work.
No. He wouldn't let his ex ruin this. She'd made her choice, and it was time for Ryan to focus on his own life and happiness.
And for the next three days, it would center around a certain dragonwoman.
Gaby smiled at him as she approached the front door, and he stopped breathing a second. While she'd been pretty inside the hotel, she now had the sunshine highlighting her face and hair, not to mention the green of the trees making her skin come alive. Pretty wasn't a strong enough word. No, she was fucking breathtaking. "Hello, beautiful."
She snorted. "So being outside brings out your charm?"
Grinning, he replied, "I don't know, but something about the fresh air brings it out. Savor it, because it might vanish soon enough."
He winked and she shook her head. "Maybe we can find some sort of middle ground. Otherwise, I'm going to get whiplash."
Ryan ached to reach out and touch her cheek, but he was more than aware of the two ADDA employees watching them. He shouldn't care about them, but for all he knew, Gaby didn't like public displays of affections. And the longer he could go without pissing her off, the better. "Well, let's go inside and I can practice on finding the balance between the two. I know it's in me somewhere."
She opened the door and waved goodbye at the two cars outside the house. "More than testing your charm, I want some privacy. Come on."
Gaby entered and Ryan followed. As soon as the front door clicked closed, he watched her go about the room and trace first the back of the sofa with her fingers, then a side table, and finally the mantle over the fireplace.
For a woman who helped tame fires and did who knew what other kinds of hard, dangerous work, she had a light touch.
A touch he wanted to feel running along his chest and down to his cock.
And just like that, he was jealous of furniture.
Stop it, Ryan. Geez. He was acting weird for him. He didn't really do jealousy, unless another man was touching his woman when he shouldn't be.
Unless dragon-shifters liked that sort of thing?
Again, he had a steep learning curve ahead
of him. Maybe he should've listened to his sister and read more on the topic.
Gaby stopped and faced him, tilting her head to the side. "Well, what do you want to do next?"
Ryan's mind instantly imagined ripping off her clothes and bending her over the couch.
But even if his "task" was to get Gaby pregnant, he wanted her to feel like more than merely a sheath for his cock.
He walked toward her and took her hand. When she wrapped her fingers around his, the awkwardness faded a little. "Tell me something about yourself, something not many people know."
She studied him a second. "Okay, I wasn't expecting that."
Ryan raised his brows. "What? Did you expect me to toss you over my shoulder and carry you upstairs?"
He swore he heard her mutter, "I hope not," but he'd barely processed that before she said in a normal voice, "I think you could since you're strong enough, but let's not." Gaby took a step closer and lightly traced his collarbone over his shirt, the light friction making his heart pound. She continued, "So you want to know something that I don't tell many people?"
Ryan found his voice, which was more gravelly than usual. "Yes, I do."
She studied his gaze, her eyes flashing once, before answering, "As much as I love my family, I have one older brother, my father, four uncles, and seven male cousins who think I can't decide anything for myself, or should at the very least be shielded against even the slightest possibility of danger. They want to control every aspect of my life, all in the name of protecting me. And you know what? I absolutely hate it."
He frowned. "Why would they act that way? You fight fucking fires for a living. I would think that would prove you're tough enough."
She sighed. "They're dragon-shifter males. That's enough of an explanation."
Maybe he should let it drop, caress her cheek, and try to distract her with his lips. But Ryan sensed this truth of hers was vitally important as to why she'd entered the lottery. Hell, maybe as to why she'd even picked him. "Am I your rebellion, then?"
She never looked away, and he admired her for it. "At first, yes, you were. I thought it'd be nice to be with a human male, someone so different from everything I know."
The Dragon's Need (Tahoe Dragon Mates Book 2) Page 2
