by Meg Ripley
Cameron pulled in a deep breath and closed his eyes. He’d been so conflicted for so long, and he was tired of it. He’d known what he wanted when he found it, but it’d only been his own hesitation that was truly keeping him back. He couldn’t use Tess as an excuse anymore. He pushed her gently off of him and began blowing out candles. “I have an idea. You might want a jacket.”
“Um, okay?” She helped him extinguish the flames before following him downstairs and out the back door.
The stars sparkled overhead. The sky was clear of clouds, allowing all the stars to show in their brilliance. He looked to Samantha as a gentle breeze ruffled her hair. “Give me a second.” He stepped away from her and relaxed his body, letting out his true form. It’d been so long, and he needed this so badly. There were many times when he’d been tempted to go for a flight, but things had changed. Everything had changed.
When his body was covered in orange scales, he turned back to Samantha. “Let’s go for a little trip.”
She approached him slowly, reaching out a hand to gently touch the scales along his jawline. “How do we do this?”
Cameron never would’ve let this happen with anyone else, but Samantha was different. He dipped his front leg and curved his head around to gesture at his back. “Climb aboard.”
He was careful with his launch, not wanting to knock her off as he bolted into the sky. Still, she gasped as they left the ground behind them.
The scenery below him was magnificent, but nothing in his view was as wonderful as what he’d hoped the rest of his life would look like. Cameron easily landed on a secluded beach a few minutes later and allowed Samantha down before shifting back to the form she was more familiar with.
“This is gorgeous,” she breathed as she looked at the moon shining on the water and the rocky outcropping that rose behind them. “How did you know it was here?”
“You find a lot of interesting places when you’re scouting locations for films.”
“Which movie did you use this for?”
“I haven’t. But I have this scene in my head that this would make a perfect backdrop for.” He stepped close and dared to put a hand on her waist.
Her eyes shone in the dim light as she studied his face. “Tell me about it.”
“It’s a love story, one about a man who’s too stubborn and foolish to let himself be happy.” Cameron’s other hand went to the ends of her hair, running them softly through his fingers.
“Oh, yeah? Sounds intriguing.”
Cameron ran the backs of his fingers along her jawline, and she tipped her head to the side to allow him. “And then he realizes the one thing he’s been looking for is right in front of him. He’s been trying to deny it, trying to tell himself that he’s not ready. Then a mysterious woman comes along and tells him what a fool he’s been.”
The tip of her tongue flicked her lips. “And then what happens?”
“I’m about to find out.” Cameron bent his head to kiss her, tentatively at first. He knew what he wanted, and he hoped Samantha wanted the same. To his pleasure, she kissed him back with ardor, her arms wrapping around his neck as her body pressed against his.
It gave him a heady feeling, and he embraced her fully, never wanting to let her go. “I love you, Samantha. I shouldn’t have waited until I had permission to say it, but I really do.”
“I love you, too, and it’s okay. I understand.” She kissed him then, and he knew that it really was okay.
The two of them sank into the sand as their bodies entwined. Cameron moved slowly, not wanting to push her further than she wanted to go, but she was ready for him. Samantha pushed back his shirt as he worked at the buttons on hers. The feel of her skin against his was exquisite, and no matter how much he touched her, he knew he couldn’t get enough.
He trailed his kisses down along her neck, his body coming alive as he explored hers. “Have I ever told you how beautiful you are?”
“You might have, but I’ve been too busy admiring you.” Samantha ran her hands across the firm planes of his chest and around to his back, drifting down to slide over his buttocks and then over his hips, wrapping her cool fingers around his shaft.
He was ready for her, but he wanted this to last as long as possible. He pulled her closer as he sucked first one nipple and then the other into his mouth. Her breasts were firm and as soft as silk, and he worshipped them with his hands as well as his tongue.
She tossed her head back and arched her spine to give him access. “Oh, Cameron...”
“Hmm?” With one breast still in his mouth, he let his hand work its way down her soft stomach to the secret place between her legs. Samantha may have been chilly most of the time, but she was hot and wet when he touched her there. It sent a new surge of excitement through him that made him suck in a sharp breath.
“I want you so badly.” Her thighs spread a little as she spoke, and she gasped when he slipped his finger into those warm depths. “I’ve wanted you for such a long time.”
He laid her back on the powdery sand, gripping her hips as he lowered himself on top of her. “Then I wouldn’t want to keep you waiting any longer.” He held her as he penetrated her, every fiber of his being surging toward her.
Samantha undulated her hips beneath him, welcoming him and encouraging him as she pulled him down for a kiss. “I guess good things just take time.”
Cameron couldn’t believe how good she felt. He’d made himself wait so long for this, but she was right. It was worth waiting to know that he not only had exactly what he wanted, but that it was right for both of them.
Her legs wrapped around his hips and she tipped her head back. Cameron felt the faintest waves beginning inside her, and he thrust harder. Her body responded, those quivers turning to ripples and then tidal waves around him. “Oh, my god.”
Cameron didn’t realize just how turned on he could be by Samantha getting her pleasure, and he felt himself expand inside her. She felt so good, and his body had taken over without any permission from his mind. They pummeled against each other, clinging and writhing as they came, their bodies and their souls surging like the ocean next to them.
Afterwards, they both lay facing the water, Cameron behind her with his arm wrapped firmly around her waist. He wasn’t going to let her go, not ever. “Are you warm enough?”
“I always am when I’m with you.” She snuggled her body more firmly against his. Only the moon saw them as they lay naked on their pile of discarded clothes.
Chapter Eleven
Epilogue
Cameron stood up from his desk and stretched. He checked his watch, surprised to see that he’d been working on the computer for two hours straight. He was finally doing it, and his script was nearly done, but it was time to get up and give himself a break.
He headed down the hallway, peering into the room just past the master bedroom. As he knew she would be, Samantha was standing in the nursery with her hands on her round belly. “You doing okay?” He asked as he wrapped his arms around her, feeling the taught roundness of what they’d made together.
She sighed and leaned back into him. “Yeah. I’m just really excited to meet our baby.”
“You’re not the only one. Andy hasn’t stopped talking about his baby brother or sister, and he was even telling strangers when we got to the store. Nine months is a long time to make a little kid wait for a big surprise like that.”
She turned and smiled up at him. “I thought one good thing about the wait would be that I’d have time to get this nursery ready, but I’m still not sure about it.”
Cameron looked around at the sunny yellow walls, white crib, and fluffy rug. The drawers were stocked with onesies and diapers, and the shelf in the closet was stacked high with cozy blankets. “It looks like it’s ready to me.”
Samantha tipped her head. “Mostly, I guess. But don’t you think it would look nice with a wallpaper border? Or maybe just more wall hangings? I found the most adorable print when I went shopping with Cathy the
other day. I should’ve bought it. It would look cute right over here.” She’d lifted her arm to show him where she thought it should go, but she ended up grabbing her belly instead. “Oh!”
Cameron had her in his arms again in an instant, panic throbbing through his veins. “What is it? What’s wrong?”
She held her breath as she clutched her stomach, a white ring forming around her lips. “I’m not sure, since I’ve never been through this before, but I might be in labor. Give me a minute, and we’ll see if it happens again.”
But Cameron wasn’t interested in waiting around. He picked up her overnight bag that she’d placed near the nursery door several weeks ago. “No way. I’ll have Cathy meet us at the hospital to keep Andy entertained.” He rushed her out the door and into the car.
As they sped through town, Cameron felt a rush of excitement overtake his fear for a moment. He knew he’d been very lucky when he’d found Samantha, and that feeling only increased once he finally let himself admit he loved her. It’d taken explicit permission from Tess, but Samantha seemed to love him all the more for waiting for her say so.
Their wedding had been an affair that everyone in Hollywood talked about for weeks. He knew some of the gossip was scandalous as the reporters wondered how long he’d been dating the help and if they were getting married too soon, but there was also plenty of talk about Samantha’s show-stopping dress, the lavish reception, and the numerous celebrities on the guest list. Cameron had never been prouder than when he showed off his new wife in that white gown.
Until the day she’d told him she was pregnant.
Samantha had been honest with him before the wedding, explaining that she couldn’t ever have children. Cameron was happy to know they had Andy, and Samantha loved him like he was her own. But knowing they would have a new life in their family was more than Cameron ever could’ve asked for.
He swooped up to the emergency entrance of the hospital just as a nurse came rushing out with a wheelchair. “Take care of her. I’ll park and be there in a moment.”
It all went too fast for Cameron. There were so many concerns he’d had in the back of his mind, some of which he’d refused to even voice out loud, not even to Samantha. They swirled to the forefront once again as he watched the doctors and nurses rush around her with various equipment. The baby was coming quickly, and her labor would be a short one.
What if his dragon genes didn’t mix well with her human ones? What if the doctors were right when they’d told her she couldn’t have a baby, and something went badly during delivery? What if something happened to Samantha?
“Cameron.”
He looked down at his wife, beautiful even with beads of sweat on her brow and her hair in disarray on the pillow. “Yes, love?”
“Thank you for this,” she wheezed. She squeezed her eyes as another contraction hit her.
“Push!” the doctor reminded her.
Samantha did as she was told, bearing down with all her might. When she could relax again, she gripped Cameron’s hand tightly. “I need to tell you something.”
“It can wait,” he assured her. “It’s okay.”
She flopped her head back and forth on the pillow. “No, it can’t wait. I have to tell you now.”
“All right, dear. What is it?” Cameron bent close, knowing she was putting all her effort into having the baby.
Samantha pulled hard on his hand. “When I spoke to Tess, she told me you should find love again.”
“I know, silly. I’d already found you.”
“No, I mean she specifically told me that you and I would be good together, and she wanted us to be together. I didn’t want to tell you that part because I didn’t want you to be influenced in your decision.”
Cameron stroked a stray hair off her face. “That doesn’t matter. I was already in love with you anyway.”
“And then she told me—ugh!” Samantha scrunched her face as another contraction hit.
He watched her writhe on the bed, wishing he could take the pain away from her, but he knew she would do a far better job at this than he ever could.
“She told me we’d have a child,” she finally panted. “Right before I came back to you, she said I’d have a baby with you. I didn’t want to believe her, because I knew it couldn’t be true. I’m sorry I couldn’t tell you.”
“Almost there!” the doctor said from the end of the bed. “Just one or two more pushes!”
“It’s all right. It’s fine.” Cameron meant it. He understood why she’d kept this a secret, and he wasn’t sure he wanted it any other way.
“It’s a baby girl!” The doctor held their child aloft, a tiny squirming bundle. He let the new parents see her for only a moment before the nurses whisked her to the other side of the room to get cleaned up.
“You did amazingly well,” Cameron said as he kissed her on the forehead. “I knew you would.”
He waited anxiously, and when the soft bundle was placed in Samantha’s arms a few minutes later, he thought he might cry. He reached out and touched her tiny hand. They wouldn’t know for a while if she had shifting abilities, or if she was a medium, for that matter. What they did know is that she was absolutely precious—and she was theirs.
“What’s the baby’s name for the birth record?” a nurse asked at his elbow.
“Victoria,” he said proudly. They’d chosen the name carefully, a name that showed their triumph after all they’d gone through. “Victoria Collins.”
“Victoria Tess Collins,” Samantha corrected.
He looked at his wife, his eyes wide. “Are you sure?”
She smiled at him. “Absolutely.”
When Cameron brought Andy in, the little boy wiggled up onto the bed to see. “Wow, Mommy. She’s tiny.”
Andy’s speech had improved dramatically over the last several months, and no matter how many times he’d heard it, Cameron never got tired of hearing him call Samantha “Mommy.” As soon as they’d told him they were getting married, he’d asked if he could. Soon, there would be two kids calling her that, and he loved the idea.
“What do you think of our new family?” Samantha asked their son.
He looked from his father to his mother and then down to his new baby sister and beamed. “I love it.”
Cameron reached forward and ruffled his hair. “Me too, sport.”
His dragon beamed with pride at the sight of his brood, wanting nothing more than to sprout his wings and wrap them around his beloved family. But for now, he sat in his human form and relished this moment, his heart feeling so full it could burst.
* * *
Preview Of Dragon’s Royal Guard
Shifters Between Worlds
Chapter One
Kaylee Turner shifted uncomfortably in her narrow seat. Usually, she saw these international flights as the perfect time for reading and research. While other passengers complained of boredom, air sickness and cramped conditions, Kaylee was content to lose herself in a good book or an essay from her field of study.
But that wasn’t the case today.
Turning and pressing her forehead against the cool glass of the window, Kaylee studied the land formations below. She’d found that every country—and every state, even—looked a little different. She’d been on so many flights, she’d started to recognize them from the air, even before the captain would announce where they were in a thick accent over the speaker. This time, she was heading into Zimbabwe, which meant she wouldn’t get to see much of it from the air. The airport was on the western edge of the country, and the site she’d be visiting was much further east.
Even so, she scanned the hot, dry earth below her. Deep inside, Kaylee sensed she was looking for something. She’d always felt that way, and she would continue her pursuit when she landed and traveled across the country in a vehicle. Her search had been constant for most of her life, though she never quite knew what she was looking for.
That was what had inspired her career—that and her love for book
s and languages, which her father helped foster ever since she was a baby. Kaylee was always reading, and not always in her first language. She had a gift for words, one that she couldn’t explain any more than her yearning for finding that missing something. She took in everything below her, longing to feel some sort of connection to it. She’d been born on this planet. She’d been a part of it for her entire life, yet she never felt that way. The disconnection left her with an unsettled feeling in the pit of her stomach.
* * *
“I trust you had good travels?” Dr. Morrick clasped her hand in both of his, his fingers warm and worn as he greeted her near the entrance of the Great Zimbabwe. Releasing her, he pushed his dark glasses up on his nose and ran a hand over his slick, gray hair. His pale, skinny legs stuck out of his baggy khaki shorts, and his matching safari shirt was soaked with sweat.
“It gave me the chance to get a lot of work done,” she admitted with a smile. Kaylee had always liked Dr. Morrick. He’d been one of her first archeology professors, and his enthusiasm had helped her find her own passion.
He tipped his head to the side and frowned a little. “Are you all right? You’re not unwell, are you? I’ve heard the airplane food is quite terrible these days.”
“No, I’m fine. I’m just a little tired.” Kaylee scrunched her toes inside her boots, wishing she could take them off and rest her bare feet against the hot soil beneath her. The sun baked them where they stood, and it was clearly making Dr. Morrick uncomfortable. Beads of sweat rolled down the sides of his rounded cheeks, no matter how quickly he swiped them away with a handkerchief. To Kaylee, it was a glorious heat that sank through her skin and down to her bones, something she would carry with her once she got back on a plane in a few days. She would miss it when she returned to the chilly weather back home.