She didn’t want to let him go as wave after wave of hot pleasure coursed through her. She bit her lip against further screams, wondering how so little could feel so good.
When she fell back against the cushions, he was grinning down at her, looking pleased.
“That… you probably think I’m… lame,” she said, wondering if the women he was usually with came that easily.
His eyes darkened. “Why would I think that? I think you’re amazing. The most amazing person in the world.”
“Because… I don’t know.” She tried to turn over and face the back of the couch, but he wouldn’t let her, placing a hand on her shoulder and gently turning her on her back again.
“What?” he asked.
“I mean, I came so easy. And I barely know you. And why would you care about making me feel like that? And—”
“Because you’re my mate,” he said, sitting back on his knees so he could look down at her. “Of course I want to please you.”
She pushed herself up slightly so she was sitting across from him. It was hard to hear him clearly with her heartbeat still pounding, but she thought he’d just called her his mate. “What?”
“I’m a dragon, and you’re my mate,” he said. “Now that I’ve touched you, I’m sure. There’s no point holding back anymore in telling you.”
She waited for him to make a joke, but he just stared at her, pushing his dark-red hair out of his face, waiting with his beautiful green eyes for her answer.
Dragon. Mate. Had she orgasmed so hard she was hallucinating?
6
Magnus didn’t really know what he’d expected when he told his mate about being a dragon, but it definitely wasn’t this.
She was still fighting through the haze of hormones that came from the release he’d given her, so he figured maybe it was unfair to expect her to think clearly.
But at the same time, he couldn’t wait anymore. Every time he touched her, his body screamed, Mate. With every kiss, every touch, he was binding himself to her. He had to let her know she was his. That this was serious. That she belonged to him.
That he wasn’t one of the stupid, inferior human men who surrounded her.
Despite her shock right now, she would adjust when she realized the benefits of being mated to a dragon. He’d be able to protect her, certainly, and his treasure would ensure she didn’t have to work at the shop anymore.
But if he was expecting some sort of joy as his words sank in, he was wrong. Instead, Lindy just looked like she was feeling even more confusion.
She put her hands on his chest and pushed him back, biting her lip. “What are you talking about?”
“I’m a dragon,” he said. “An ancient dragon, awakened in modern times, and you’re the mate fated to be mine forever.”
She blinked, looked at the clock on the wall, and back at him. “Oh.”
He braced himself for some kind of outburst, but instead, she just pushed out from under him and got up, stretching. Then she walked to the kitchen, opened the fridge, poured herself a glass of something, and downed it quickly.
She wiped her mouth and set the glass on the counter a little too hard, then leaned on the counter with both her hands.
She looked up at him, seeming to retain clarity. “What about you? You want a drink? I need to shower, and then we need to leave for work soon.”
That was it? That was her entire reaction? He didn’t know whether to be disappointed or relieved. “Oh. Want company in the shower?”
She was about to turn him down, but then hesitated. Well, his mate might be resisting him in every other way, but at least she was definitely attracted.
He’d loved the way her body had jumped beneath him, every curve, every dip, every soft, wet spot his. He could hardly wait to touch her again.
Maybe she couldn’t accept his words about being his mate or understand what he meant, but he could definitely keep showing her.
“Um, no,” she said, obviously deciding to resist. “We’ll be late, and um… yeah. If you want, you can shower after.”
He shrugged. “I’m just going to get dirty at the shop anyway.”
She nodded. As she walked past him, her legs were slightly shaky, and he caught her arm to steady her. “I’m fine,” she said. “You can either wait here or go home and meet me at work if you want to.”
Then she gave him a hesitant look and disappeared down the hallway, as if eager to escape him.
He wanted to follow her, read her thoughts, even if it wasn’t like the metal dragons to do that without consent.
He supposed that had gone better than expected, as Aegis seemed to think all human women would become upset or confused at the announcement that their lovers were dragons.
Obviously, Lindy was taking it better than anyone could have thought. No hysterics, no accusations.
But somehow, this cold distance was worse.
Despite her being just a few doors over, it felt as hard to reach her as if he were still under the sea.
But then he thought of her soft moans under his lips, her hips eagerly thrusting up against him, and he smiled.
Her body already accepted him as a dragon; he just had to wait for the rest of her to follow.
As she went about the shop putting people to work and making sure things were running smoothly, Lindy tried not to think about what Magnus had told her that morning.
She poked her head out of the office to see him working hard as usual and couldn’t help admiring the play of his exposed muscles in the tank top he wore.
He had to be pulling her leg about the dragon thing, right? So why had he looked so serious?
Was it some sort of kink of his? After sex, he liked to be called a dragon and for her to play along as a mate because they were animals?
She didn’t know and she really wasn’t good at conflict, so she’d decided to use work as an excuse to avoid any awkwardness.
She sighed as she went back to looking over the invoices in front of her. She really did know how to pick the wrong men.
But she liked Magnus. She’d never intended to lose control and tell him as much as she had at dinner last night, but she had to admit it felt good to just let go and tell someone her troubles.
And she’d felt she could trust him, even with secrets she hadn’t consciously meant to tell.
But she also realized she didn’t know anything about him. Even though she’d told herself before making out that this was going to be casual, just for fun, she could feel deep down when she looked at Magnus, or when he looked at her with that sizzling green gaze, that wasn’t going to be the case.
I’m a dragon, and you’re my mate.
She wanted to laugh at the hilarity of it, but for some reason, the words were stuck in her mind. What was she supposed to say to him, though? Wow, Magnus, a dragon? What do you do, burn down villages and capture fair maidens?
No, he worked as a handyman, a very good one at that.
Then again, that house he lived in was weird, and sometimes he seemed old-fashioned, out of place…