by Maia Star
But then it hit me that I was going to have his baby. I gulped and nearly wilted under the pressure of his gaze. I met his eyes again to see if they would calm me, and it worked. Those light brown eyes were like a sea of tree bark, hard and natural, yet so full of life underneath. I couldn’t deny it anymore, but I did have a small crush on the guy. Every time I was around him, I naturally forgot about my worries. And now, I was wholly consumed by his presence. Suddenly, I was wondering how exactly I would get pregnant…
“Good, you’re both here,” the woman seated across from us said. “Sometimes we have no-shows. Though, thankfully, you two are the third straight success for me today.” She smiled. “Call me Audrey. I’ll be your Hybrid Baby Hearts agent and guide through this process. Now, first and foremost, Felix, you want to have a baby, but don’t want the long term relationship that would naturally come with one.” I looked to him, and he nodded, his eyes straying back to mine. “And Lily, you’re here to be the surrogate mother.” I nodded. “Good, then I’ll reiterate the fact that you’re essentially treated as an employee of ours during the months you’re pregnant. We provide you an allowance to spend on whatever you need. Of course, if you fail to become pregnant for any reason, then no further action will be needed on your part and we’ll switch Felix over to another surrogate mother.”
The thought of Felix having a different surrogate mother bummed me out a bit, but I quickly shook it off. “Um, yes, that all makes sense.”
“Let’s get down to the contract then,” Felix announced, moving to sit on the edge of his seat. “I know you people have particular rules about this stuff.”
“We do,” Audrey said, resting her clipboard and pen in her lap. She locked her fingers against her stomach and cocked her head. “Some of this stuff might seem obvious to you two, but you wouldn’t believe how many people, both shifters and humans, seem to ignore these points. First and foremost, think of this as a business deal; Felix, you’re the client, and Lily, you’re the contract worker. While Lily will have your baby, that doesn’t mean there should be any feelings between you two. While some issues about loving the baby on the surrogate mother’s end are sometimes unavoidable...” she gave me a pointed look, “minimizing feelings between you two will help the process succeed perfectly.”
Felix grinned like a feral animal, as if the whole thing were incredibly amusing to him. “And how do we go about minimizing our emotions for each other? As a fellow dragon shifter, you must know how difficult we have it.”
Audrey raised brow, intrigued by his question. “Simple. After today, and after the pregnancy has started, there should be no contact between you two. No visits, not even calling is permitted. Don’t stalk each other on social media either.”
“And, uh, what about when I finally give birth?” I asked, feeling embarrassed by the question. Both Felix and Audrey stared at me, and my cheeks heated. “I mean, like, how will that happen? Not the birth! I mean, like, how will I give Felix his child…”
“Simple. After the baby is born and healthy enough to come out of the hospital, you will both meet back here, and the transaction will occur.”
The word “transaction” made me flinch. It sounded so...cold. But it didn’t seem to faze Felix, as he leaned his chin on his fist. “Sounds simple enough to me. Should we get on with signing the contract then?”
“If you both believe you’re willing and able to go through with this process, then go for it,” Audrey said. “But considering that bulk of the work will be on Lily, it will be her decision whether to go through with it or not.”
I took a deep breath. “Yes. Let’s do it. I’m ready to go through with it.”
Audrey then reached behind her seat and brought up two more clipboards with more than a few pages on them. “Be sure to read everything on these contracts, and then sign the very last page.” She handed them both to us, and then tossed us each a pen. “Take your time. There’s no rush.”
Gulping, I began to read over the lines on the contract. It was mostly stuff we had just talked about, and things that had been on the Hybrid Baby Hearts main page online. The silence stretched on as Felix and I continued to read. I snuck a glance at him, only to see him sneak one at me moments later. I quickly went back to reading. It’s like we’re in middle school, peeking at our crushes. Once I got to the last page, I slowly signed my name and handed the clipboard back to Audrey. I leaned back, sighing in relief. Felix, though, was frowning down at the contract.
“Is something the matter?” Audrey asked. “If you have any questions, I can answer them.”
“Yeah, I do have one…” he tapped the clipboard audibly. “Who gets to choose the baby’s name?”
“Typically, the father.”
“Great!” He signed his name and handed the clipboard back to our agent. “Then I’m all good.”
“Wow, you two are making this a smooth ride for me,” Audrey said. “Seriously, matches can go horribly wrong sometimes. Like, once, there was this shifter that didn’t understand some of the rules and ended up scorching one of our meeting rooms…”
Felix chuckled. “Yeah, I won’t get out of line like that. Not yet, anyway.” He shot me a longing look, which stirred up my emotions.
Matching his smile, I looked back at Audrey. “Okay...so now, how do I become impregnated? Like, what’s the process there?”
Audrey raised another brow at me. “Well...there are a variety of paths you can take with that one. But the most direct one is to have sex with each other.”
Felix licked his lips while I blew out my hot breath. Suddenly, I was fanning my face, and I could feel sweat about to form on my skin. “Sex, huh?” I said as nonchalantly as I could. I glanced at Felix, and while I expected a wild grin to be on his face, he simply stared back at me expectantly. “Don’t tell me: that’s my choice too?”
Audrey looked as if she were about to laugh. “Yes. Like Felix mentioned, I’m a dragon shifter myself. My kind can get aggressive in bed, so the decision comes down to you. We often advise against direct intercourse, because of the emotions that might spring up from it, but we will admit it works just fine.”
I glanced at Felix, my head swimming with thoughts of seeing him shirtless, looming above me. “How do you feel?”
Finally, I saw his trademark grin. “Rolling around in the sheets sounds great to me.”
I nodded. I blinked. I gripped my knees tightly. My heart thundered in my chest. “I’m okay with that. When?”
Audrey motioned to the door behind her. “You could get it out of the way now. We have separate, soundproof rooms set up in each meeting room, just in case this situation comes up.”
“Now,” Felix said, nodding. His enthusiasm set my blood on fire in the best way possible.
“Yeah, let’s do it now,” I said, rising to my feet, realizing how I sounded like a robot. “Let’s get it out of the way.”
Audrey nodded and moved to leave the room. “I’ll mark off this room for you two. When you’re done, just come out and tell the front desk this room is back open. And remember that room is soundproof, but that doesn’t mean there aren't security measures in place, in case you get too...into it, Felix.”
He shot her an amused glance as she left, leaving us to ourselves.
Felix opened the other door, peering inside. “Cozy.” Then he looked back at me. “Ready to have a great time?”
Chapter Nine
Felix
When Lily walked into that meeting room, I couldn’t believe my eyes. It was like the world was trying to tell me something simple yet very important. Lily would play a role in my life, whether that be only the surrogate mother job or something more was for me to decide.
A mate...could she be my mate?
I watched her intensely as she slowly trudged into the back, soundproof room. She was hugging herself as if she were about to be eaten up. The thought made me smile.
“Are you okay?” I asked, shutting the door behind her. “I know we signed a contract and a
ll...but if you want to back out, I’ll give you one last chance.”
She whirled on me, her eyes glowing in the dim light of the room. Behind her was a queen-sized bed with a red comforter laid over the top and heart-shaped pillows at the head. It was cheesy...but it worked. Just one parting of her lips was enough to send my inner dragon pacing, licking its lips in anticipation of pulling this human woman into my arms.
“No, I’m fine! This is just moving quickly…” she said, lowering her arms and relaxing a bit. “Besides, you make it sound ominous, being trapped in here with you.”
I laughed and moved closer to her. She stood even straighter, attempting to stare me down while being a whole head shorter than me. “Well, as Audrey said, dragon shifters can be a little...aggressive in bed. This is going to be a roller coaster. You’re going to ride me so fast and hard you’ll forget about this whole surrogate mother business.” I touched her cheek, sliding a finger under her chin and pushing it further up. She exhaled sharply, her breath brushing my collarbone. It felt so good on my skin.
I kissed her next, tasting her sweet, soft lips on mine. The whole world fell away for me. I struggled to stay in control. She was so damn beautiful, yet she was still a stranger to me. There was so much left to explore, to feel and touch and hear. I wasn’t about to let this chance slip away.
She moved her hands onto my hips, reaching up to claw into my sides. I raked my hands through her blonde hair, tugging her head back. She gasped at the kisses on her exposed neck. “Your lips are hot...like they’re on fire.”
Grinning, I let go of her hair, placed my hands on her hips, and chucked her onto the bed. She landed on her back, propping herself up on her elbows, her eyes beckoning me forward. “That’s the dragon shifter in me, Lily. I can’t help but burn.”
As I began to strip, tossing my sport coat and shirt off to the ground, Lily hungrily eyed my naked torso, peering at my six-pack. “This...don’t you think this is too...hot? I can’t imagine anyone walking away from this and not catching any feelings.”
When I finally pulled off my underwear and stood erect before her, hands on my hips, grinning like the fool I was, she couldn’t help but follow suit. She pulled off her shirt, her bra, then had to stand to shimmy her jeans and underwear off. Every part of her beautiful body that was revealed sent me over the edge. I don’t know how I managed to stay still. Once she stood naked before me, arms at her sides, she threw me a teasing grin. “Talk about an awkward first time together...so what are you waiting for? I thought you said this was going to be a roller coaster.”
I sprung forward, unable to help myself. I picked her up in my arms again, kissing her skin, feeling her hips rub against mine. She began to breathe hard again, and I threw her back on the bed. Before she could react, I knelt and put my head between her legs and got to work. She gasped and spasmed instantly. Good, you weren’t expecting that. “Oh! Felix...I—wait! Oh god!” Her thighs locked tight around my head, my hands reaching up and touch her stomach. She continued to moan and groan, shutting her eyes as she shook worse and worse. Finally, she threw her head back and her stomach tightened as she climaxed wildly.
My inner dragon was raging for more, for so much more. She calmed down, relaxing her thighs, letting me jump to my feet and thrust my hips deep into her. She wasn’t ready for that, and she threw me a look of ecstasy at the sudden pleasure again. A smile crept onto her face as I rammed into her, our bodies mashing together, the pleasure worming its way into us both. I got faster every second, hungry to taste all of her. She jiggled on the bed, back and forth, her eyes closing once again and her arms flailing wildly above her head. I leaned down and pressed my face to her chest, kissing her soft skin.
When she climaxed again, I felt myself spasm too. My legs shook, but I clenched up and exploded, sending hot fire into her. She practically screamed from the pleasure.
“Hot!” she shouted. “So hot! Wow!”
I fell on top of her, my head smashing into her chest. She breathed hard, trying to match her quicker breaths to my larger ones. She smiled at me. “That was amazing…”
I raised a brow. “You think I’m done?”
Her smile grew.
I found the strength to spring to my feet and flip her over, lifting her to her knees and smashing into her again. She yelped and laughed and sighed as I picked up the pace from zero to one hundred. Every second I stared down at her, the more I forgot where we were, why we were there in the first place. I knew I needed to get her pregnant, but that was just about all I could remember. She was my everything right now, the woman who was sending me wild with her perfect body, her strained voice. My second explosion was building up like a firework, crackling, ready to be shot off. I shook my head at how good she felt and how perfectly we matched each other. She bit her lip as she looked back at me.
That was the final straw. She was just too damn hot!
Letting it rip, I exploded again, certain that this time, she’d get pregnant. I gasped, and so did she. She arched her back, went so tense I thought she’d snap in two. Instead, she leaned up and kissed me as we both spasmed. The sensations were too sharp, too wild, and her kiss sent me over the top. I thought I maybe passed out for a split second, because the next thing I knew, I was collapsing on top of her again, my fire all burned out. She lay beneath me, panting, motioning with her finger for me to roll off, which I did.
She laid flat on her stomach next to me while I stared up at the ceiling. I began to laugh when I looked at the fatigued expression on her face, and she laughed right along with me.
“I...wasn’t expecting...this to be so fun,” she said. She was covered in sweat and smelled as if she’d just gone for a long run. It was a perfect smell, and I couldn’t help but breathe in her scent. It was so intoxicating.
“So, was it a roller coaster of fun?” I asked.
“It was,” she said, a grin on her face.
Fire rolled off my tongue, and I quickly shut my mouth and sat up, sliding off the bed. I silently grabbed a nearby towel and wiped myself off before picking up my clothes and dressing again. Lily rolled over and watched me silently, her smile fading. When I was fully dressed, I gazed at her. She hadn’t gotten up yet and still laid naked on the bed. It was hard to stop looking at her. “Well...if you aren’t pregnant now, I don’t know if you ever will be.” She blinked at me. “Listen, if you need anything, just let me know. I’ll do whatever I can to help you through the pregnancy.” You’re practically mine now, anyhow. “Just call me. Or maybe I’ll call you if I can squeeze your number out of one of those pretty ladies at the front desk.” I winked at her.
She simply nodded, silent, as if she were just now realizing that this session of ours was about to come to an end.
“See ya later,” I said, leaving with a single wave.
Don’t worry; this won’t be the last you see of me, Lily.
Chapter Ten
Lily
Two weeks later, I was still alone and sitting cozy on my motel bed, flipping through the various channels on the motel TV. I flipped past ghost shows, cooking shows, animal shows. I lingered on the romance movie channel, landing at the perfect moment where the two protagonists would kiss each other for the first time. There was no point in watching what happened next, because I knew. Everyone always knew.
Two whole weeks had gone by since I’d been at the Fiery Hearts Inc. building. I hadn’t known what to think after I’d slept with Felix in that weird room. I think I liked him even more, but as our contract said, we weren’t supposed to see each other after that day, or at the very least once I got pregnant. I’d been waiting until today to find out whether I did or not.
And now, I lifted the pregnancy test back up, seeing the line the instructions had told me about. I was well and truly knocked up. Sighing heavily, I suddenly felt the whole world seem to crash in on me.
What the hell had I been thinking weeks ago? Had Adam’s betrayal sent me into a downward spiral so bad that I considered taking a job as a s
urrogate mother? Who cares if I had a crush on the shifter who was technically my client now? That only made this whole thing worse!
Groaning, I picked up the half-pint of mint chocolate chip ice cream I’d been eating and mindlessly took another bite. The sharp cold of the ice cream had gone, and now most of it was melting. A good representation of my mind right now, I’d say! Shaking my head, I looked up to watch the history show I’d landed on. It was something silly about some bald human looking into how dragon shifters used to rule humans in ancient times.
Then I started to think about Felix again, and I felt like deflating.
Felix was a gorgeous man. He was charming, wonderful in conversation and in bed. He was like a prince of dragons, waiting to come to the rescue of some foolish human girl like me. And now he was out of reach because it just so happened that we were matched together for the surrogate mother service, and we got so caught up in each other that same day we hadn’t thought to stop ourselves from sleeping with each other. I mean, I’m sure he felt something for me...or maybe that was all just lust, and now, after one time together, he was done with me.
Or maybe I was overthinking everything.
Audrey had warned us that catching feelings on the mother’s end was unavoidable. But she’d meant that for the baby...not for the father.
I bit my lip and stared at my phone. I had Felix’s number, though I never called him up once since he’d given it to me. All it would take would be a few quick taps on my smartphone, and I’d hear his voice again. Taking a deep breath, I began to reach for my phone, only to pull my hand away.
No! I couldn’t do that. I wasn’t going to be the one to break the contract. I needed the money I was receiving from Fiery Hearts Inc. And I didn’t want to cause Felix any trouble, even if he did promise to help me in any way he could.