She was grateful for that. “How much is the payment?” she asked.
“Five hundred thousand.”
Five hundred thousand dollars. Her mind short-circuited for a minute. She’d wanted a change from the ski slopes. She would never tire of skiing, but the schedule was grueling during the winter months. A break would be nice, and maybe she could afford to travel to Europe and look for other shifters in the future. “Is that normal?”
“Most are around a hundred and twenty-five thousand dollars in the Dallas area, but I want to make sure you’re taken care of.”
“I don’t want charity. The vampires tried to give me money, but there were strings attached. I had to stay in New York.”
“There won’t be any strings attached to this,” he said.
It felt really, really weird, taking money to carry a baby.
When she said nothing, he said, “In most surrogacy agreements, once the baby’s born, the intended parents take full responsibility. For us, the situation is a little different because of our connection through our shifter clan. You won’t have any obligation to do so, but you’ll be welcome to play the role of an aunt. Or, if you prefer, you can leave and never see us again.”
That sounded fucking awful.
Liam continued. “So biologically, the baby will be yours, but as a surrogate, legally, you won’t be his or her mother.”
That was a little weird to hear. “How will the pregnancy occur?”
“Usually through in vitro fertilization. There are many clinics in Dallas that specialize.”
Brynne recoiled. She had no desire to visit a human doctor. As a shifter, she didn’t have any of the human maladies that befell humans, so she didn’t want or need their healthcare. “I don’t know about that. Is it possible for us to do it the old-fashioned way?”
Liam’s mouth opened. She guessed he hadn’t been expecting that question. “That would be unorthodox. I don’t think it would be acceptable in any contract, anywhere.”
She put her mug down. It was time to quit being polite and cut to the chase. “Look,” she said. “We’re not human. It sounds like you do a good impression of one, and so do I, but it’s because we have to to survive. It’s not by choice. If we do this, I don’t want it to be sterile and awkward and medical. I’d want to make a deal just like we would have in our clan and honor it that way.”
She had no idea about the specifics of how agreements were honored in the clan, but she remembered her father making deals about fishing and her mother making deals about extra tutoring in the evenings. There had to be a way.
Liam’s eyes lit up. “If you’re comfortable with that, then I would love to.” He smiled, and this time it was sexy. “I would much prefer our hatchling to be conceived and born in a way that honors our kind.”
She couldn’t believe she was going to do this, but it just felt right. She’d waited her whole life to finally belong, and now she had the perfect chance. “Let’s get started now. Let’s make a hatchling.”
9
Liam
That was the last fucking thing he had ever expected her to say. He wanted that more than anything, but he would not take advantage of her. She had been through more than enough.
“I would love to,” he said, “but I can’t protect you legally because we don’t have a contract yet.”
“Do you give me your word?” she asked.
“I give you my solemn word,” he said. He stood up in the middle of the summit café and placed his hand over his heart in a fist. It was a gesture he’d watched his father make many times as he handed over a sword or a tool in his workshop.
The gesture seemed to resonate with her, and her eyes filled with wonder. “I remember seeing my parents do that.” She stood up across from him and repeated the same gesture. “Then you have my word, as well.”
Energy flowed, emanating from both of them. She sat down and gripped the edge of the round wooden table.
He went to stand next to her. “Are you okay?”
Her head tipped back, and she stared up into his eyes. “I’ve never felt anything like that before. Did you feel that?”
His dragon roared. Mate. Mate. Mate.
It was too soon to say that word to her. He wouldn’t risk scaring her off. How he wished for a Dragon Clan elder to ask about this. His parents had always said, ‘You’ll know your mate when you find her.”
“Yes, I felt it,” he said.
“Is that normal? Because we’re both shifters?”
“Yes. I can feel my brothers, too. You and I just aren’t used to each other yet.”
“Let’s go now. To make the baby.”
He’d tried to keep his arousal under control, but it came roaring back to life. He paid for the bill and collected their belongings. Her eyes were glassy, and his instincts took over. He held onto her arm and guided her out of the café. “Which condo is yours? Can you ski there?”
“It’s Silver Canyon. Yes, we can ski there.”
“I know where that is. I looked at the map earlier,” he said as they pulled their gear on and set up their skis.
She tapped his helmet as he buckled it on. “It feels crazy to wear these, doesn’t it?”
He laughed. “It does. I tried to decline, but I was informed that they don’t rent skis here unless I agree to wear a helmet.”
She grinned. “I’ll have to tell you about the time I tried to ski without a coat. It was a disaster.” The smile dropped off her face, but she didn’t frown. “That’s the first time I’ve been able to talk about this with anyone. We live in the human world, and it means we have to follow their rules, even when they don’t make sense for us.”
“You’re right.”
A case could certainly be made for going back to the old ways. He, Kellan, Quinn, and Brennan had made a deliberate choice to blend into the human world. They’d figured it was their best chance to stay hidden from the witches. But Liam had grown up in Ireland, in a world tailor-made for his kind, and part of him mourned that life every day. As a child, he’d learned about humans and how they interacted, but his day to day life had been suited for a dragon shifter. His own child would never know that life.
He pointed at the path in front of him. “You go first.” He was sure she knew these trails well, but he wanted to keep an eye on her.
She flew ahead of him down the slopes, with her bright red hair a contrast against her white coat. Inside her condo, they dropped their gear. He took her face in his hands. Her creamy skin was flushed pink, and her blue eyes shone brightly.
“You’re sure you want to go forward with this?” he asked.
Her bright blue eyes danced. “I’m sure.”
He kissed her. Her mouth was sweet, and the taste of strawberry and vanilla was even stronger as he licked over her lips. She opened for him, and he pushed his tongue into her mouth. She melted against him. Through her shirt, her round breasts pressed against his chest. As he moved his hand under her shirt, his cock was a hard line in his ski pants. He kissed her jaw and down her neck as his hand cupped her breast.
“Have you done this before?” he asked.
“Yeah,” she breathed. “With a human. It was okay.”
He growled. His dragon didn’t like the idea of her with another male, even if he was a human, but he was glad she wasn’t a virgin. That would have slowed him down considerably. He wanted to tell her she could have no more men, ever, but that wasn’t his place, even if his dragon disagreed strongly.
He pulled his hands from under her shirt and stripped it off over her head. She wore a pink cotton bra, and through the fabric, he could see her tight nipples. He unbuttoned her ski pants and pushed them down. Under her pants, her panties were also pink cotton, matching her bra.
His cock throbbed, desperate to be inside her. He unhooked her bra and let it fall away, baring her breasts to him. Then, he pushed her panties down, lifting each of her feet until he could toss the panties aside. She was naked and ready for him to take her. He
could smell her arousal.
“You’re stunning,” he said to her, watching the flush flow down her neck and chest.
Desire surged in his blood. The need to possess her and claim her as his own drove him, pushing him into action. He lifted her into his arms. He hadn’t even put his cock into her pussy yet, and he already felt complete, more complete than he ever had in his entire life.
He laid her on the bed, relishing the sight of her naked breasts and her bare pussy. “Open your legs for me.”
She complied, spreading her legs wide.
“I love that you’re not shy,” he said, and she grinned up at him, batting her eyelashes.
Her hand shot out, and she grabbed the hem of his shirt. “I want to see you, too.”
He paused long enough to strip off his shirt and pants and then his boxers. It felt good to free his rock-hard cock. Her hand skimmed over his abs, and she licked her lips.
“You look good,” she said.
“So do you, and I need to taste you. I can’t wait anymore.” He crawled onto the bed and pushed her legs even farther apart. With his fingers, he parted her folds, tracing one finger around her entrance. “You’re already wet. You’re practically dripping.”
She wiggled her hips. “That’s because I’m turned on. I want you to fuck me.”
His cock pulsed, ready to erupt to the point where he had to grab the base and squeeze with his free hand. “I’m not just fucking you,” he said, pressing the tip of his finger into her pussy. “I’m trying to get you pregnant.”
She moaned and stretched, lifting her hips as he pressed his finger all the way into her wet heat. Something primal inside of him snapped. He pressed a second finger inside her body and lowered his head to her clit, licking and sucking against her flesh.
She writhed, tossing her head back and forth. “Liam! Please!”
He flattened his tongue, flicking it back and forth over her clit while she bucked against him. “I’m going to come,” she said.
“No. You’ll come when I put my cock inside your body,” he panted. “You’ll come when I give you my seed.”
She moaned, arching her back as he moved away from her pussy and stretched out over her body. He rubbed the head of his cock over her entrance, treasuring her liquid heat.
“Please,” she said. “I need it.”
My mate, his dragon said.
Liam agreed. Yes. Brynne is our mate.
10
Brynne
His rigid cock pushed into her body. Her pussy welcomed him, along with the rest of her.
“We could be making a baby right now,” she said.
Liam bowed his head and closed his eyes. He panted harshly. “You’re right.” He thrust his hips forward. “That’s what my dragon wants.” He laughed and kissed her mouth again. “I’ve never been able to say that before.”
“Me neither.” When she slept with human men, she’d always been disappointed. Not so with Liam. He fucked her with a fierce hunger. She’d always had to hide her strength and pretend to be weak and delicate so that she didn’t scare away human men, but she didn’t have to do that with Liam. “You don’t have to be careful.”
“I don’t want to be too rough,” he said.
She gave him a saucy smile. “I don’t mind it being a little rough. Let me have it.”
She put her hands on his shoulders and tried to flip him, something she could have done easily with a human. Her hands landed on his rock-solid biceps. She pushed against him, getting more aroused when he didn’t budge.
His hips rocked into hers, and his cock got even harder, filling her pussy. “Are you trying to see how strong I am?”
“Yeah, I am.” She lifted her legs, gripping his waist with her thighs. Again, he didn’t budge.
He lowered his body closer to hers. With one hand, he gathered both of her wrists and raised them above her head, pinning her arms against the mattress. Liquid heat surged in her pussy, and arousal shot through her body. He was stronger than she was. He could hold her down. She tried to lift her arms, but couldn’t get any traction.
“You like that,” he said.
“Yes. Fuck me.”
His hips pistoned, thrusting in and out of her. He hit her sweet spot over and over. She dropped her legs, letting them lie flat on the bed as his cock stimulated her pussy.
He took his other hand and pushed it between her legs, rubbing it over her clit. At the same time, he put his lips on her breast, mouthing at it before sucking her nipple into his mouth.
She’d never been so turned on in her life. She’d never felt so connected to someone. “I’m close.”
“Come now. Come on my cock,” he said. He drilled into her with sharp, steady thrusts.
Her climax built up as her body got closer to the edge. Her thighs tensed, and as he pinched her clit, she went over the edge. Her orgasm shook her body. Every muscle quivered, and she shouted Liam’s name. He kept drilling into her, his cock keeping up the rhythm of pistoning in and out of her slick folds. As soon as her pussy had stopped pulsing, she felt his hips stutter.
“Brynne!” he cried out. His thrusts slowed, and his cock throbbed one more time as he released his seed inside her body.
We really could be making a baby right now. I could have a little shifter inside me, one that’s related to me.
He let go of her wrists and pulled her arms back down to her sides. He nuzzled her neck but didn’t pull his still-hard cock out of her body. He shifted his weight to the side, taking his weight off her. He pulled her with him, turning her on her side so that his cock stayed inside her pussy.
“That was incredible,” he said.
She snuggled closer to him. For the first time, she understood why humans had always made such a big deal about sex. She’d clearly just needed the right partner—a partner who happened to be a dragon shifter like her.
“Yes, it was.” Exhausted, she let her eyes drift close.
He kissed her on the nose. “Sleep well,” she heard him say just as she drifted off.
When Brynne woke up, she was snug under the covers of her bed. She yawned and stretched, wondering why she was so much warmer than usual. It wasn’t just physical warmth, either. A warm feeling surrounded every part of her.
Wait. There was another shifter in the bed with her.
Liam.
She jerked fully awake. She rolled over, and there he was, the hot shifter who’d taken her to bed last night and fucked her to completion. Her cheeks heated up, just thinking about it.
He lay on his side with his head propped on his elbow. The sheet lay over his waist, and she could see his sculpted abs and defined pecs perfectly. The sight of his muscles sent a jolt of arousal right through her body. Her empty pussy throbbed. She flushed harder as she remembered that she’d fallen asleep with his cock still inside her body.
“Hey, gorgeous,” he said to her.
She licked her lips. “Hi,” she squeaked.
He reached out and traced his finger over her cheek. “You look beautiful like this.”
“Like what?”
“Half asleep. Skin all flushed. It makes me want you all over again.”
Feeling daring, she moved until the sheet fell away from her shoulders, exposing her breasts to him. “You can have me.”
He scooted toward her, and the covers fell away from his gorgeous body. His cock was rock hard and leaking. He moved his hand from her cheek to her breast and tweaked her nipple. “Is that so?”
“Yeah.” She reached out and wrapped her hand around his cock. He hissed as her fingers gripped his erection.
“You’ve got it, then.”
He moved suddenly, rolling her to her side so that she was facing the wall. He snuggled up behind her, pushing his cock against her backside. He lifted one of her legs up into the air, holding her open as he pushed her leg up to her chest. He slotted his hips right behind hers and pressed one a finger into her waiting sex. He gathered the slick from her pussy and rubbed it all over
her clit while she writhed against him.
She wasn’t going to survive having him in her bed. He was too good.
“You ready?” he asked.
“Yes.” She was ready to be filled up by him again.
His cock pushed into her entrance, which was already slick with her juices.
“You’re still wet and open from last night,” he said as he slid into her body with one fluid motion.
“Thanks to you,” she breathed.
“Yeah. Thanks to me.”
He held onto her ankle as he thrust into her from behind. Each powerful thrust rocked her body as he rolled his hips. He wrapped his other arm around her shoulders, holding her in place as he fucked her. She arched her back and did her best to meet his thrusts, even while loving that he could hold her in place.
11
Liam
“Come back with me,” Liam said. Being with Brynne had been the best experience of his life, hands-down. He kissed her cheek. “I have my brother’s plane. We can leave now.”
She gave him a tiny smile. “As nice as that sounds, I need to wrap up my classes here.”
“I understand.” He kissed her mouth and had to stop to nuzzle her neck, inhaling her scent. “Where do you go to shift here? I want to fly with you.”
“I don’t shift.”
He sat up and stared at her. “What do you mean?”
“Nicolae told me never to shift. He said it wasn’t safe.”
“He wasn’t wrong,” Liam said. “It’s not without risk. But God…” He couldn’t fathom living the last fifteen years of his life without that release.
“Where do you shift in Texas?” she asked.
“In a lake near our house. We shift underwater and swim most weekends. It’s not the same as flying, but it works. Kellan’s rich, so a few times a year, we take his jet to a remote island in the Pacific Ocean and fly as much as we want.”
“That sounds like heaven.”
Lawyer Dragon's Surrogate (Irish Dragon Shifter Brothers Book 3) Page 4