“Well, if anyone gives you a hard time, let me know.”
She grinned. That was sweet of him, but she could handle herself.
“We’re here,” Liam said as they exited the freeway.
Upon arrival, Brynne found Cedar Lake to be charming and quaint. Liam drove along the streets, pointing out the library, the grocery store, his brother’s medical clinic, the sheriff’s office where his other brother worked, and the restaurants where they liked to eat. After the tour, Liam pulled up to a house just a few minutes away from his office. Liam’s house was large for just one person, but she supposed as an attorney, he made a decent amount of money.
He pushed the front door open. “I didn’t rent a separate house for you yet, but we can include that in the surrogacy contract.” He gestured inside the house. “Or I’d love for you to stay here.”
“I’ll stay here,” Brynne said.
Living separately and coming over to try to conceive a child sounded extremely awkward. If she lived with Liam, their attempts at getting her pregnant would at least seem more natural. Plus, she wanted him. It was as simple as that.
“Great.” He led her down a hallway. “Here’s your room. I wanted you to have your own space.”
She walked into a light, open room with a queen-sized bed and a cream-colored dresser. The wall had exposed brick that had been painted white, and the room had light gray hardwood floors, and it smelled like citrus. The room was gorgeous, but at the sight of the bed, all she could think about was having him fuck her again. She refrained from looking down at the front of his pants. If he was as turned on as she was, he’d have an erection. She swallowed hard.
“This is impressive for a bachelor.”
“Clara and Juliana decorated it.” Liam shrugged.
They weren’t shifters, but they were mated to shifters, and they both had shifter children to protect. She turned away from the bed before she started imagining him thrusting into her. “I can meet them as soon as you’re ready. I know your family is important to you.”
“They are. But first, we should get the paperwork ready. I have an appointment in an hour for you to meet with an attorney that will represent your interests, and she’ll make sure all of the terms are fair for you.”
Brynne put her hand on the wall and leaned toward him. “Listen, I’m going to trust you more than any human woman. I’m sorry, but that’s how I feel.”
He crossed his arms. It was obvious he wasn’t going to give up on this idea of fairness, even though it wasn’t necessary.
“Just meet with her, and I’ll feel better, okay?” he asked.
“Okay. If it’s important to you, I will.”
“It is,” he said, and two hours later, they were sitting in Liam’s office with the female surrogacy attorney, all the paperwork was signed, dated, and notarized, and the first payment was sitting in Brynne’s bank account.
She was officially Liam’s surrogate.
After the mind-numbing meeting with the lawyer, Brynne volunteered again to meet the family, and Liam was eager to introduce her. They drove to the outskirts of town, and Brynne’s jaw dropped open. Brynne knew Kellan was a billionaire, but she wasn’t prepared for the spectacle that was his mansion.
“No wonder the vampires like Kellan,” she said. “He’s obviously loaded, and this house is over the top.”
Liam nodded. “Kellan was happy to live near me for a long time, but his board of directors wanted him to do something splashy. Once Declan was born, he needed the space. Declan was a terror for years, even for a shifter.”
“Poor kid.” She understood exactly how he’d felt. “I lived in a penthouse on Fifth Avenue when I was twelve. It was hell.”
She was still irritated that the vampires had been in contact with Liam and his brothers for years, yet they’d hidden that information from her, but now was not the time to dwell on it.
Liam just wrapped his arm around her shoulders and squeezed as he knocked on the door.
The massive door swung open, and a petite woman with light red hair opened her arms but didn’t touch Brynne. “Hello, I’m Clara. It’s so nice to meet you. Everyone else is in the backyard. I forced them to let you actually get in the door before they pounce on you.”
Immediately, Brynne felt more at ease.
They all walked into the living area, and behind her, Liam whispered under his breath so that only a shifter could hear, “Remember, we can leave anytime you’re ready.”
She nodded and reached back to squeeze his hand. She appreciated the support, but she was fine. “Hi, Clara. I’m glad to meet you, too. I love your hou—”
Before Brynne could finish, a blur of movement raced toward her. It was a little girl, around two years old. She ran forward and bypassed Clara, who made a grab for her. “Shannon,” Clara said in a firm voice, but it did no good.
The little girl scaled the nearby couch and jumped right at Brynne.
Accustomed to the wild behavior of the children from the ski lodge classes, Brynne’s arms came up and caught the little girl. She looked just like Clara in the face, but her hair was black, and her eyes were startlingly bright blue.
“Hi,” Shannon said. “You swim!”
Brynne had no words. This little girl was like her, a dragon shifter. Besides Liam, Brynne hadn’t been with another shifter in fifteen long years. She swallowed around the lump in her throat. “Yes. I’ll swim with you.”
Shannon laid her head down on Brynne’s shoulder, and Brynne held her tight, letting her snuggle close. Tears pricked her eyes. Meeting another shifter, besides Liam, was more than she’d ever hoped for, and this little one seemed to like her.
If she got pregnant, in a little less than three years, she’d have a little child just like this. Only the child wouldn’t be hers. He or she would be Liam’s. Brynne was expected to give the baby up and walk away. For the first time, she had second thoughts. What if she wanted to keep her little hatchling?
No. That was crazy. She’d signed the paperwork. She’d insisted she was ready to hand over her rights. She didn’t want kids because they drove her crazy. They didn’t listen, they hit each other, and they screamed all the time. Once she had her money, she had plans to travel to Europe and find more shifters. Liam would be a great father. That’s what she was here to do—make him a dad and give him a family.
Across the room, a door banged open, and a large male dragon shifter stuck his head inside the room. He looked around wildly but sighed as soon as he saw the toddler in Brynne’s arms. “Crap. I tried to grab her.”
The man must have been Kellan, Liam’s brother, who was the owner of the mansion and Shannon’s father.
Clara crossed the room. “I thought you guys were watching her.”
“You know what she’s like.” He came to stand next to Brynne and patted Shannon on the back. “Little speed demon.”
Brynne couldn’t help but smile.
He smiled back at Brynne. “Hi. I’m Kellan.” He wrapped his arm around Clara. “Husband to Clara, and dad to this little lady.” He turned his head. “My son’s out there somewhere, probably dismantling the swingset by now.”
“It’s nice to meet you,” Brynne said. “Thanks for having me.”
Now she was in the room with three shifters, and outside in the backyard, there were four more. The feeling was indescribable. She wasn’t sure she would ever be able to give it up. The landscape in Texas didn’t have much to offer a dragon shifter, but being around her clan sure made up for anything the countryside was lacking.
Kellan studied her, just as Liam had when he met her. “I remember you.” His eyes warmed up even more. “Your mother taught me about Shakespeare and gave me two Alexander Dumas books to read. The Count of Monte Cristo was my favorite.” He looked down at the floor. “She’d just given me a book written by a shifter when…” He trailed off. They all knew what he was referring to. “I never got to read it.”
That was a fucking sad story. Brynne remembered her moth
er reading The Three Musketeers to her when she was nine, a year before they lost their clan. “She always had stacks of books in the cave,” Brynne said, and Kellan’s face lost its melancholy look.
“It’s great to have you here,” he said. He pointed at Shannon. “Do you want me to take her back?”
Shannon waved her little fist. “No, Daddy!”
Brynne laughed. She enjoyed the feel of the little shifter in her arms. “No, she’s fine. I’ll hold her.”
As soon as her dad was gone, Shannon lifted her head again. “Swim?”
Brynne laughed. “Yes, I’ll swim with you.” She carried Shannon out, followed by Clara and Liam, and met the rest of Liam’s family.
Brennan was the loudest and the most outspoken, Quinn was the most talkative, and Kellan was the friendliest. Juliana was just as welcoming as Clara had been, and baby Isleen was fast asleep. Declan was jazzed to have another family member, and Shannon didn’t leave Brynne’s arms for the entire night.
All of them seemed to accept her role in Liam’s life, and not one of them pulled her aside to ask her what the hell she thought she was doing.
It was a good night.
13
Liam
Over the next week, Brynne got settled in, but they didn’t have sex again. Liam didn’t want to pressure her, but maybe she was waiting on him. He decided he’d bring it up by the end of the week, but she beat him to it.
One night at dinner, she brought it up. She’d made homemade pizza with sausage, and it was delicious. After they started eating, she put her slice down and looked right at him. “I don’t know much about dragon shifter fertility,” Brynne said. “Do you?”
Liam sputtered and choked on his pizza. He hadn’t been expecting her to ask that. Once he’d recovered, he shook his head. “No. I don’t think I ever knew much. Isn’t there a heat?”
Brynne chewed on a piece of crust. “I think so. I remember my mother and her sisters saying that females were most fertile during their heats, but they can be fertile other times, as well. I can’t recall anything else.”
“Have you ever had a heat?” he asked.
“Not that I know of.” She tilted her head to the side. “I think I remember my mother saying that a male shifter can trigger a heat.” She shrugged. “But it hasn’t happened yet.”
“Do you want to try and enjoy this? Beyond making a baby?” Liam asked. He absolutely did. She was his mate, even though she didn’t know it, and he wanted to treasure the moments he had with her, even if they were only temporary.
“What do you mean?”
“Well, we both seemed to have a good time in Colorado. I think it will make it less stressful if we try to enjoy it. But if you’d rather make it more…” He paused for a long time, trying to find an appropriate word. “Make it more perfunctory, we can do that, too.”
She took a big gulp of wine. It would take a lot of wine to affect her, but maybe she needed it if they were going to discuss specifics.
“I am absolutely in favor of trying to enjoy it. I don’t want it to be sterile. I’d rather have a good time.” She finished her last bite and wiped her mouth. “I don’t know how long it’s going to take. I don’t think anything happened the first time we tried.”
“We’ll just keep trying.”
He got up from his seat and stood behind her. She had on a thin tank top and jeans. He lifted her hair from the nape of her neck and kissed her bare shoulder. She let her head fall back, and he caressed her arms, running his palms up and down her arms until she stood up.
He curled his arm around her waist. “I’m ready right now.” He pressed his nose to her neck. “You smell like you are, too.”
“I’m pretty much always ready when you’re around,” she said.
How was he supposed to deal with that? His mate wanted to fuck him. She moaned, and the sound went straight to his cock. “I want to watch you get undressed.”
Brynne’s cheeks flushed, but she nodded. She tugged her tank top off, revealing her pale blue cotton bra.
“Now your pants,” he said.
She nodded again and unbuttoned her blue jeans, revealing her matching pale blue panties. With her pants off, the vanilla scent of her arousal greeted him.
“You’re wet, aren’t you?” Liam asked.
Brynne swayed, her limbs turning liquid in his arms. “Yes. I’m so wet.”
His fingers brushed over the front of her panties. “You’re soaked. You really want this, don’t you?”
“Yes. Being with a shifter male is different. It’s better.” She smiled up at him. “Don’t let it go to your head.”
It did go to his head.
They were trying to make a baby, but there was no reason not to enjoy themselves first. They had already strayed so far from the way most surrogates behaved.
“Have you ever used your mouth on a man?”
“No,” she said.
“That’s how we’re going to start tonight.” He brushed his hand over her breast and squeezed, kneading the round flesh with his fingers. “You’re going to come into my bedroom and get on your knees. Does that work for you?”
With glassy eyes, she stared at him and nodded. Then she licked her lips. “Yes. I want that.”
His cock pulsed. Unable to wait any longer, he took her hand and tugged her toward his room.
She came along eagerly, and once they reached his room, he led her to the plush rug near his king-sized bed. He ran his hand over her shoulder, and taking the cue, she bent down, kneeling in front of him. He skimmed his thumb over her full bottom lip.
“Open this pretty mouth,” he said.
She obeyed, opening her mouth for him.
He unbuttoned his jeans and pulled his rigid cock out. He was so turned on that he could barely touch it himself without erupting.
He tangled one hand in her hair. “Now hold still.”
He pressed the tip of his cock to her lips, giving her time to adjust to the feel and taste. She parted her lips more and mouthed at his cock. He looked down, memorizing the sight of her plump lips shaped into a circle around the end of his cock and her round breasts pushed together by her bra. The sight of her breasts, her mouth, and the overall picture of her kneeling nearly sent him over the edge.
He held tight to the base of his cock, but didn’t pull away from her lips. “Good. Keep doing that.”
Her eyes fluttered closed, and she moaned, sending tiny vibrations over his throbbing cock.
“Open more,” he said, marveling.
He’d never commanded a human partner like this before. Possibly because he often had no idea if she was truly into him or not. With Brynne, not only had she expressed her interest, but he could smell her arousal, and he could feel how much she wanted to be fucked. The feeling radiated off of her. How was that possible? Was it because she was his mate? Or simply because she was a shifter? He didn’t have a clue, and at that moment, he didn’t fucking care.
She opened her mouth more, and he pushed his cock further in, enough to stretch her lips around its considerable width. His eyes rolled back in his head, and he had to grab onto the bedpost with his free hand. He still had the other hand tangled in her hair.
“I’m going to fuck your mouth now,” he told her.
She opened her eyes and gazed up at him, with her mouth full of his cock. “Mmm,” she moaned, and he pulled back, gently, and began to thrust forward.
He pulled his cock nearly out of her mouth, then pushed it back in about halfway until her lips were stretched wide around his cock. After about ten thrusts, he couldn’t take it. He needed her pussy.
He pulled back slowly, easing his thick cock out of her mouth. He bent down in front of her. “I need to fuck your pussy now.”
He took her hands and helped her up. Once she was standing, he unfastened her bra and pushed her panties off. Standing naked in front of him, her creamy skin seemed to glow. Her eyes were half-closed, her lips were parted, and her skin was flushed all over. He shed his
own clothing, and he lifted her, wrapping her legs around his waist.
“I want you to ride me,” he said.
He carried her to the armchair in his room, and he sat down.
His cock was so hard that it stood straight up. He settled into the chair, sitting straight, and arranged her on his lap until she was straddling him. He put his hands on her slim waist, right over her hip bones.
“Lift up.”
She put her small hands on his shoulders and her feet on the floor, maneuvering until her soaking pussy was right over his cock.
He grabbed his cock with one hand and gripped her hip with the other, and carefully, he lowered her body onto his cock. Immediately, he felt whole again as her tight channel gripped his erection. She rolled her hips, rocking her body against his, and he sat back, relishing her body on top of his.
He couldn’t get enough of watching her strong, smooth thighs where they bracketed his. Next, his eyes were drawn to her perky, round breasts as they bounced while she rocked back and forth on his cock.
It seemed like an overstatement to say that every part of him felt relief at being joined with her again, but it was true. If his attachment was already this strong, what the hell was he going to do when she went back to Colorado? He wouldn’t want to ever let her go. This was the feeling he’d always heard about, the feeling his kind wrote songs about. It was more than sex. It transcended that.
Just then, Brynne moaned, and he realized he had to get out of his own head and pay attention to this beautiful shifter right in front of him. He brought his hands up and squeezed her nipples, pinching lightly until both were hard peaks.
Her head dropped back, and her back arched. “Liam!”
“You like that, don’t you? You like it when I play with your nipples.”
She nodded. “Yes. Feels good.”
He surged forward and took one of her breasts into his mouth. He sucked on her nipple while he cupped her other breast with his hand. She moaned and rocked her hips, sending sparks through his body.
Lawyer Dragon's Surrogate (Irish Dragon Shifter Brothers Book 3) Page 6