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

  She resisted shivering at his deep voice.

  He didn't say another word, merely guiding her down the corridor, to another, smaller room. Inside were some refreshments, a small sofa, and a table piled with papers and binders, chairs on either side of it.

  The ADDA employee motioned toward each of them as she said, "The first step is to talk a little and go over the agreements and rules together. Jose will let me know when you're done. Take as much time as you need, but no more than two hours. We have a schedule to follow." She held out a smartphone to Victoria. "My number is the only one in there right now. Call me if you need me to come back, Ms…" She glanced at her name tag and back. "Ms. Lewis."

  Taking the phone, Victoria nodded. After the ADDA employee gave the dragon-shifter a long look, she left.

  The room fell silent, although her heart was beating so hard that she wondered if the dragoman could hear it. After all, dragon-shifters had keener senses than humans.

  As the seconds ticked by, Victoria wished she could be one of those people who could make witty remarks to break the silence.

  But she wasn't one. So instead, she smiled and said, "Nice to meet you."

  Chapter Two

  As the human said, "Nice to meet you," Jose resisted laughing. He knew one of the other dragonmen from another clan in the greater Tahoe area who'd participated in the lottery a few years ago. And according to him, the female had purred and thrown herself at him at the first opportunity.

  This…Victoria Lewis...didn't look to be about ready to throw herself at him at all.

  Which intrigued him all the more.

  His dragon bobbed his head. And that's a good thing. After all, we want more from our true mate.

  Are you absolutely sure, dragon? She's pretty, and I'll have no trouble kissing her and getting it up, but she's not what I imagined she'd be.

  No, she's not a dragon-shifter. But usually these things work out well in the end.

  Usually being the operative word. When true mates went wrong, it usually went drastically wrong.

  His dragon growled. That won't happen to us as long as you be nice and try to woo her.

  Ignoring his beast, Jose released her hand and decided he may as well get things started. The sooner everything was signed, the sooner he could get the human alone and talk her into his bed.

  And yes, as he glanced down at her small breasts, flaring hips, and curvy thighs made to lock around his head as he ate her pussy until she screamed, he very much wanted to do that, true mate or not.

  His dragon growled. Not before telling her the full truth.

  The truth meant explaining how kissing a true mate on the mouth would kick off a mate-claim frenzy, which was a nonstop sex marathon until she ended up pregnant. We'll see.

  You can't keep it from her. She'll get scared and run when she can.

  Jose had heard stories of such things happening, but this was different. If she signs the contract, she can't leave.

  Is that really how you want things to start with her? Because she could leave later.

  And while his inner beast didn't say the rest, Jose knew it—his dragon could go rogue if they claimed their true mate and she ran. And if he shifted and became uncontrollable, it was possible ADDA would hunt him down and kill him.

  He replied, I won't let it happen. I have a plan, so just bear with me.

  The human's brows drew together and she blurted, "Is your dragon talking to you? That's what your flashing pupils are about, right?" She didn't wait for him to answer, but pushed on. "Then what does he talk about? I've always been curious."

  If I took control, then I would tell her, his dragon muttered.

  Ignoring his beast, he answered the human. "Yes, he talks a lot. Too much sometimes. But as for what he's saying right now, that'll have to wait. I can't divulge dragon-shifter secrets after all, at least not until the contracts are signed."

  She raised the book she'd been reading. "Unless you're a completely different species from the British dragons, then I don't see what great secrets you could still have."

  He leaned down and murmured, "I've met my fair share of humans, but I'd bet a million bucks that you have a few secrets of your own, don't you? Maybe ones you only let come out at night, in your dreams?"

  Her cheeks flushed, and the sight made his heart rate kick up. She'd been pretty before, but now she was fucking gorgeous. Jose wondered if her entire body would flush as he thrust between her thighs, making her come harder than she ever had before.

  She cleared her throat. "Of course I have secrets, but not about being human. You could learn anything you wanted about us from a textbook. There aren't as many factual books about dragon-shifters, though. And I prefer facts over scary stories used to frighten children at bedtime."

  Did her tone seem…disappointed? And why did he have the urge to tell her whatever she wanted, so she'd lean forward and hang on his every word?

  His dragon stated, You know why.

  Not wanting to think about how a true mate could have such sway over him, he motioned toward the table. "You'll learn more about my kind simply from the paperwork. Let's get started." He searched her gaze. "Unless you want to run away?"

  She stood a fraction taller and clutched the book against her chest. While she was trying for brave, the backpack hanging from one shoulder sort of negated the image.

  And for whatever reason, Jose found the sight adorable.

  What the hell? He didn't find anything fucking adorable.

  Damn true mate and her ability to make him even think of the word.

  Victoria walked to the table to lay down her book, tossed her bag on the floor, and went to the refreshment table. As she piled cookies and chips on her plate, he watched how she picked things out carefully. No grabbing and moving on for her. No, she considered every piece and then made the decision.

  Maybe she'd be as thorough with his body, learning every inch before finally taking his cock into her mouth.

  His dragon snorted. That's not how babies are made, which means she doesn't have to do that if she chooses.

  Oh, I think she'll want it eventually. Sometimes the quieter ones are the most adventurous in bed.

  Says who?

  Everybody.

  She finally filled up her plate and selected a bottle of ice tea before sliding into one of the chairs at the table.

  Not bothering with food, he sat across from her, making sure his leg "accidentally" brushed against hers. The human had the cookie midway to her mouth and froze. He tried rubbing his leg against hers, and she met his gaze.

  The heat and curiosity there made his cock instantly hard.

  Ah, yes, he was going to enjoy this human in his bed.

  He just needed to get her to sign the fucking paperwork first.

  Opening one of the binders, he gave it to her and took another. Even if this was boring, and not what he wanted to do right now, he would make it a game. How much coaxing under the table would it take to make her touch him back?

  The dragon in him settled down with wide eyes. Dragons liked games, and Victoria Lewis had just become the most exciting one of their lives.

  As the dragonman's leg brushed against hers, she froze. Not out of fear, but each small rub of his jean-clad leg against her own made her belly flip and heat rush between her thighs.

  She knew the purpose of all this was sex and a baby, but did he really want her so badly that he'd resort to nearly playing footsie under the table?

  Then his leg moved between hers, gently nudging them apart.

  And for a second, she thought if she only moved forward a little on her seat, his knee could reach the currently throbbing bundle of nerves there.

  However, Jose removed his leg and sat back in his chair, a smug look on his face. "Are you going to eat that or not?"

  Glancing at the forgotten cookie in her hand, she resisted scowling. He damn well knew why she'd forgotten about it. It wasn't every day a hot, sexy dragonman tried to get between your legs.
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  She should toss it down and then look at the first page of the binder. However, somewhere deep inside, in that place she usually reserved for fantasies and dreams, an idea burst forth. Never tearing her gaze away, she licked the edge of the cookies slowly, flicking her tongue against the edge a few times before bringing it to her lips. After running it slowly back and forth, she finally took a bite.

  And she heard the dragonman suck in a breath.

  Triumph coursed through her body. For the first time in her life, she'd been able to be as smooth as in her fantasies.

  However, the happiness didn't last long because Jose took the cookie from her hands, popped the rest into his mouth, and moved her plate away. "I see you're hungry, human. If you want a taste of what you're really dying to lick, then let's get started."

  With two sentences, her cheeks burned. So much for being smooth and sexy, acting as if she taunted dragon-shifters any day of the week.

  Picking up the binder, she did her best to focus on the front page. What she found made her frown.

  SUMMARY

  Before going any further, you agree to sexually be at the mercy of one dragon-shifter for as long as it takes to conceive. Dragon-shifters are fierce in bed, and if this scares you, call the ADDA employee to leave now. You've been warned.

  Whoa. They weren't holding anything back, were they?

  And that inner piece of herself couldn't help but murmur, "Methinks dragons overstate their abilities."

  Jose's leg was back between hers, his knees nearly touching her center. He said, "I'll have to try harder than before to prove it's true, won't I?"

  Looking up, she gasped at the heat in his eyes. Add in the flashing pupils, and it was clear she wasn't around an ordinary, cocky human man.

  This was a dragon-shifter, and one who apparently liked to prove things.

  Maybe that wouldn't be so bad after all.

  Glad she didn't say it aloud—she'd only get more embarrassed—she cleared her throat for what felt like the hundredth time that day. "I'm sure you're adequate."

  His leg moved closer, his knee grazing her clit and making her gasp before he retreated. Pleasure rushed through her body, drenching her panties and it took everything she had not to ask him to do it again.

  He smiled slowly. "You know dragon-shifters have keen senses, so I know you're eager for me to prove it, too."

  He could smell her.

  Maybe that would turn off some women, but it only made her wetter.

  Which made it harder to concentrate. So she pulled back and scooted further down the table, out of the reach of his knee. "You won't be able to prove anything if we don't get through this. So, let's get started."

  As she started to read, Jose crossed his arms over his chest and merely watched her. After a few minutes, she peeked up. "Aren't you going to read it, too?"

  "I already did. And I have an eidetic memory, so I remember every word."

  Of course, the sexy as hell, muscled man who could change into a damn dragon also had an eidetic memory. "Are you immortal, too, while you're at it?"

  He snorted. "No, but I'm sure someone is working on that."

  And he had a sense of humor.

  If she stayed around him long enough, would she be able to just leave him at the end of all this?

  Or would he want her to stay with him?

  Stop with the romance novel-line of thinking, Tori. He wanted a conquest, not a wife. That wasn't a requirement of this whole thing.

  So she went back to reading, signing when needed, and reminded herself this was about sex, getting pregnant, and nothing more.

  As long as she remembered that, her heart would remain in one piece.

  Maybe.

  Chapter Three

  A couple of hours later, Jose tapped his fingers against his thigh and wished the ADDA employee would drive a little faster.

  The sooner they arrived at the cabin, the sooner he could strip the human and carry out his promise.

  Damn, she'd been flirting and sexier than any female he'd ever met, all while filling out fucking paperwork.

  His dragon spoke up. Then tell her we're her true mate. She deserves to know.

  Eventually. I want to tease her sweet cunt first, make her scream, and then tell her.

  Why? Are you afraid she'll say no and ask to leave?

  It really shouldn't matter what Victoria would do, but Jose desperately wanted her to stay.

  No female had ever been so easy to talk to, not even among his own kind. Yes, she found him hot and wanted him between her thighs as soon as possible, but there was more than wanting to bag him and run away. She was curious, and that might be enough to convince her of more.

  Maybe, just maybe, fate had been right about this. Maybe she was his one female to hold, protect, and treasure above all else.

  His dragon snorted. Since when are you romantic?

  Fuck if I know. The female does strange things to me.

  And she didn't even have to be next to him, or across from him, to do so.

  Victoria was being driven in a separate car, to give her one last chance to ask questions, or even back out with only a minor penalty this early in the game.

  Jose dug his nails into his thigh. She'd better not run away. Even if it was against the terms of the agreement, he would try chasing after her.

  He wanted to growl but didn't want to alarm Ashley. So he went back to tapping his fingers and remembering his little human licking that cookie, showing him what she'd do with his cock.

  A cock that hadn't stopped being hard since he'd first been alone with her.

  Ashley snorted from the driver's side. "For someone who was so reluctant not a few hours ago, you're all but bursting to get there and be with her, aren't you?"

  He looked at her askance. "Isn't that a good thing?"

  After a beat, Ashley asked, "Is she your true mate? If so, you should tell her. I've been working with ADDA for nearly ten years, and if you want any chance of a future with a human, you have to tell her."

  "I will."

  Ashly tapped the steering wheel. "So she is, then. That's only the second time that's happened from the lotteries, that I recall."

  He knew that and had rather hoped his sister would be the one to find her true mate, not him.

  But now he'd seen and talked with Victoria, there was no fucking way he was going to let her go.

  They finally arrived at the outer gates of the cabin—or, rather, he thought of it as a small compound—and were let inside a minute later. When Ashely finally pulled in front of the large, rustic-looking building and turned off the engine, she turned partway toward him. "I mean it, tell her before you kiss her. Otherwise, you could face the worst kind of hell. She could choose to remain on PineRock with the child and pick another dragonman to act as the father. And you could do nothing about it."

  He grunted. "I get it, okay? It may be hard to believe, but most of the time, we function perfectly well without the American Department of Dragon Affairs telling us what to do. I don't need babying."

  "Maybe not, but I'm just trying to be nice here. I've seen a dragonman whose true mate refused him, and he's still in pure hell, five years later. Even though I wouldn't say I love your sparkling personality, I wouldn't wish that on anyone."

  Jose knew who she was talking about, everyone in PineRock did. Cole lived in near isolation, taking every fucking risk he could with the rescue teams and firefighters in the area, almost as if he were hoping fate would kill him and end his misery.

  "I know." He paused and muttered, "Thank you."

  "See, that wasn't so hard, was it? You were nice and didn't even burst into flames."

  Rolling his eyes, he opened the door. "I'm leaving now."

  "And I'll be counting down the days until the frenzy is over. Maybe I'll even get my fiancé to bake you a super cute cake to celebrate fatherhood, one filled with adorable baby tokens and lots of flowers. Pink ones that sparkle? Right?"

  Flipping her the bird, h
e slammed the door and entered the cabin. He had another five or ten minutes before Victoria arrived.

  If she arrived.

  His beast growled. She'll be here.

  Since he thought so, too, Jose went to work getting everything ready. He wasn't going to waste time once his human arrived. And even if he could be a surly bastard, Jose knew a little seduction never hurt.

  And so he went to work.

  Victoria stood in front of the cabin, her jaw dropped, trying to even rationalize how anyone would call it such a thing.

  The house was rustic, looking like a log cabin, but it was three-stories tall and bigger than the house she'd grown up in. Hell, bigger than any house on her entire street.

  Did they provide a house this size so that they had room to ignore each other if they started to get on one another's nerves? Otherwise, she couldn't imagine why it wouldn't be a small cabin. It'd be cozy and romantic. The perfect place to get to know the dragonman.

  Then she remembered that romance wasn't a requirement of the deal.

  The ADDA employee who'd driven her to the cabin honked her horn, reminding Victoria that she wouldn't leave until she was inside.

  Even though she had every right to enter, she knocked. A second later, Jose opened the door.

  And the man was shirtless.

  As she gaped at the chiseled muscles of his chest and abs, she forgot all about the house, the employee, and even how chilly it was. She'd always thought the information about how dragon-shifters were so toned from all the flying in their dragon form had to be an exaggeration.

  Apparently not.

  Her gaze dipped lower, to the trail of hair going down his abdomen and she bit her lip at the erection punching against his jeans.

  A rather sizable one.

  With a growl, Jose pulled her inside and shut the door. In the next beat, she was pinned against it, his face mere inches from hers.

  As his hot breath danced across her lips, a barely there caress, her knees nearly gave out. She was finally alone with him, the sexy dragon-shifter with an eidetic memory. The one who probably would've given her an orgasm earlier, in the small meeting room, if she'd allowed it.