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After cupping my cheek, Blaise murmured, “It’s nothing like you think. Aside from a brief period during puberty, dragon shifters don’t really have much interest in sex until we find our mate. So, all these years of women throwing themselves at me have been for naught.” He leaned down and pressed his forehead to mine. “I’ve pretty much been holding out for you,miamore.”
I inhaled sharply. “That’s really beautiful and terrifying.” My chin fell, but I peeked up at him through my lashes. “I don’t want to disappoint you. There has to have been a lot of build-up to this moment. The pressure is absolutelycrippling.”
“Maggie, we have a lifetime to improve. The mating is a joining of hearts, minds, and bodies. It’s my way of gifting you with some of my abilities.” His fingers knotted in my hair and he pulled my head back until my neck was exposed. Then he scraped his teeth down my skin until he reached my clavicle, where he finally licked andnibbled.
“I have no gifts for you,” I whisperedsadly.
Immediately, Blaise pulled back and shook his head. “Not true. In this moment, you become my anchor to reality, my partner in every sense, the guardian of ourline.”
“Our line?” My browfurrowed.
Nodding, he continued. “Yes, our line: yours and mine. The best gift you’ll ever give me will be our sons.” The last words he spoke quietly in my ear, causing tingles down myspine.
I froze. “Wait.Sons?”
“Yes. There have never been any female dragon shifters. Ever.” He shrugged. “There haven’t even been any femaleoffspring.”
“And this didn’t seem strange to anyone?” I laughed. When he simply stared at me blankly, I sighed. “Never mind.” I ran my hands over his chest, examining his perfect pecs. My hands pressed flat against his skin, moved upwards, and around his broad shoulders while admiring this marvel, the man who would become everything to me for hundreds of years. “We’re going to have an amazing life together, won’twe?”
“Never doubt it, Mags. We’ll see the world. We’ll make beautiful memories wherever we go.” Blaise scooped me up into his arms. “Starting tonight.” He carried me to the lounge chair where we’d left our towels and set me on my feet just long enough to wrap my towel around me, then tucked his around his hips. Leaning down, he pressed his lips to mine so lovingly, so tenderly, tears sprang to my eyes while he hefted me into his arms again. My flutter had become an ache of longing. “What are youthinking?”
I shook my head as my cheeks warmed. “Let’s talk in your room.” I blew out a breath. “Or better still, let’s not talk in your room.” Staring into his eyes, I wrapped an arm around the back of his neck and then laid my free hand over his heart. To my satisfaction, it was racing as much as mine. This made me feel better. This made me downright happy, which apparently, Blaise noticed as we finally entered hisroom.
“What has you smiling,principessa?” he asked as he set me on myfeet.
“You. Everything about you. And…us.” My smilewidened.
He laid his hands on my shoulders and turned me around to see the room. Though all the lights were out, the room shone with what seemed like roughly a hundred candles. There were candelabras ablaze everywhere. Between them and the glow from the fireplace, the room had a warm feel and a lovely aromatic scent. I heard the door shut behind me, then music began to play from his soundsystem.
“I’m going to make a complete fool of myself over you, aren’t I?” I sighed. There were feelings stirring in me that I never expected to feel, let alone feel sosoon.
“We’ll be fools together,” Blaise murmured as he stood behind me and began to kiss myshoulder.
“So, I guess we get on the bed?” I shrugged. Behind me, I heard him chuckle and I whirled around to face him. “Listen, I don’t know how to do this. I don’t know how to be anything other than me. I’m stubborn, andsarcastic.”
“Those are wonderful qualities.” He laughed. “After hundreds of years dealing with passive women, I finally found someone to fightwith.”
My mouth gaped open. I snapped my jaw shut and shook my head. “I don’t get you. Shouldn’t I, if we’re to bemated?”
“Are you trying to talk yourself out of this, or me?” He reached down, took my hand and walked me out to thebalcony.
I thought he’d say more, but obviously, he genuinely wanted a response. My shoulders drooped. “You. We’ve known each other a matter of days and you think you want me forever. You must be crazy. You have me wondering if I understand love and relationships atall.”
“That you are questioning this tells me you do. This matters to you. So, let me ask you a few questions. Indulge me,principessa.” Then he gestured for me to sit in the cushioned chair. Once I did, he began his line of questioning. “Do you care aboutme?”
I grinned. “Yes. This much Iknow.”
“Are you attracted to me?” He eyed mecuriously.
My cheeks heated as I nodded. “Too much. It scaresme.”
He crouched down in front of me. “For once in your life, you don’t have to be afraid. I can protect you. It’s a dragon thing.” He grinned, which caused me to giggle. “And I have more money than we could spend in a thousand years. So, you have financial security.” I nodded nervously. “And I’m insanely attracted to you. Already, I know if I were to lose you, I’d be heartsick, which is worse than death for a dragon. Even now, if you decide to put me off, I’ll stay with you. I’ll be with you because I can’t be withoutyou.”
My throat constricted and I nodded. “This, I understand. I had a taste of being away from you today. It was lonely and painful. Will being mated make it better orworse?”
“Both,” Blaise responded honestly. “But know this: we’ll be forever faithful to one another. Our love will only grow as time goes on. And the passion between us, like a dragon’s ability to breathe fire, will never die out. How does thatsound?”
“Perfect. So very perfect.” I sighed as I stood and dropped my towel, then I walked inside and motioned for him to follow me. The autumnal night air had cooled and I needed warmth from the fire, and from the man I was about to be joined to for alltime.
