“I’m sorry, man,” Liam said to Kellan. “I shouldn’t have brought your parents into this. I found myself missing them over the last few days, and I lashed out. It’s not your fault, and it’s definitely not their fault.”
Kellan pulled Liam into a big bear hug and squeezed. “Yeah, we all lost out when they died early. We lost all their wisdom and experience and their guidance. We have been making it up as we go. You’re right, though. This is something we need to talk about.”
“I’ll just go ahead and say it,” Liam said. “Maybe we should go back to Ireland for good. Niamh was afraid we were setting up another dragon clan. What if we did? What if we started all over again?”
“With what army? There’s only five of us that are adults now, and your mate is pregnant.”
Liam rubbed his hands over his face. Then, he pressed the cool whiskey glass to his cheek. “Yes, I’m aware of that fact, and I don’t want her anywhere near this right now. It’s bad enough that she had to watch me slit Niamh’s throat in a motel parking lot. But at some point, it might become a viable option to re-establish ourselves. The vampires are still living together in groups, and so are the Fae. It’s been Brynne’s dream to travel Europe and look for other dragon shifters that were displaced from our clan. Who knows? Maybe she’ll find some, and then we’ll have the numbers we need.”
“It’s a good idea,” Quinn said “But it’s easier said than done. Even if she found fifty dragon shifters, it’s probably not enough for us to rebuild. My mate is human, and so is Kellan’s. I’m not sure I want to expose my human mate to the violent battles between the witches and the dragon shifters.”
Kellan stood up. “Can we all just acknowledge that there are not any good answers right now? We’re obviously going to have to enhance our security. This witch showed up at Liam’s and Brynne’s home and was able to speak to her easily. I’m not opposed to going back to Ireland for a time or even re-establishing our community there, but we need to do it because that’s what’s best for us as dragon shifters and not let it be a knee-jerk reaction to this attack.”
His brothers agreed, and they decided to contact the Fae in New York City, as well as the vampires, for help. For now, they would increase their trips to Ireland from every few months to every two weeks to make sure the witches weren’t plotting to kill them.
The four brothers had exchanged heated words before, but that was the first time that Liam had ever lost his temper with them. Each of them hugged him and assured them that they understood. They understood that he was trying to keep his mate and his unborn child safe.
Quinn nodded. “Both of you are going to be a little more erratic for the next few months. It’ll get worse when she starts to show a lot, and then it’ll take off once the baby’s born.” Quinn clapped Liam on the shoulder. “Don’t forget you have the baby photoshoot soon. We can even do them outside if you like.”
Liam had a vague memory of Brynne telling him that she was scheduling a photoshoot with Clara to document the progression of her belly and the progression of the nursery. He guessed he needed to tune in a little more to what was going on in their lives and quit obsessing. There was no easy answer to the problem with the witches, and he needed to quit pretending like there was.
It occurred to Liam that he and Brynne had not even slept together since they’d confessed their relationship status to each other. The night after his tumultuous meeting with his brothers, he came home from work a little early. Still dressed in his suit and tie, Liam caught her hand. He lifted her hand to his mouth and kissed her warm skin.
“You always look so lovely,” he said. He moved from her hand to her mouth. He tangled his fingers in her hair. “How do you feel about trying out this mental connection in the bedroom?”
“I think it’s a great idea.” She pressed her body against his, feeling the hard ridge of his cock in his suit pants.
Every touch to her body sent an electrical charge through his muscles. As soon as her hips met his, the connection to her in his brain became turbo-charged. His dragon seemed to realize that they’d already made a baby, so the urgency was less pronounced than it had been during her heat.
“I love you, and I want to make love to you.” He nuzzled his lips against her neck. “Is there anything you want in particular?”
“Your cock.”
Her blunt words sent a dagger of desire right through his stomach.
Mine, his dragon roared. My mate. Finally, he could agree with his dragon and not have to try and reign him in.
“I want to give it to you.” He ran both of his hands down her back to cup her bottom. With both hands on the cheeks of her ass, he squeezed. “As often as I possibly can.”
She batted her eyelashes. “Then why don’t you get started and quit talking about it?”
“Oh, you really are asking for it,” he said. He picked her up and carried her to the bedroom. “I think I know how to give my pregnant mate exactly what she needs.”
Lying on her back on the bed, she stretched her arms above her head. “I’ll be the judge of that.”
Liam’s clock throbbed. He shed his clothes in record time and crawled on top of her. He kissed her forehead and her cheek, then worked his way down to her chest. He unbuttoned the top button of her shirt, trailing kisses across her chest. With her shirt unbuttoned, he popped the clasp on her bra, revealing her breasts.
“They’re rounder now, and they’re bigger.”
“Yes, they are.” Brynne put her hands on her own plump breasts and squeezed. “I’ve gone up more than one cup size. Do you like them?”
“I love them.”
He lowered his mouth to her breasts. As soon as he licked over her nipple, her back arched and her hips bucked against him so hard that he had to steady himself on the bed as erotic pleasure surged through her body. The loop caused her pleasure to echo through Liam’s body, as well. He never found his nipples to be particularly sensitive, but right now, they were on fire. Wanting to test the outcome again, he moved his mouth to her other breast. He licked and sucked over her nipple while pinching the other one.
Brynne screamed, tossing her head from side to side on the bed. “Liam! You’re killing me! Can you feel that?”
“Yes. It feels like everything I do to you is also happening to me.”
“Oh my God. I can feel what you’re feeling,” she said.
He’d only put his mouth on her breasts, and already, he was close to coming.
He tossed her bra and shirt to the floor. He kissed down her stomach, which was no longer flat. When he got to her jeans, he noticed that she had on a maternity style. He’d have to ask her about them later, but right now, he only wanted to see her legs spread for him. He popped the button open and unzipped her pants. Once he got them off of her, he saw that she had on black panties. He ran his hands over her panties and even dropped his cheek down to rub against them.
“You are so fucking sexy.”
Her small hands came up to grip his biceps. “I can say the same about you.”
“Next time, I want to fuck you with these panties on, but right now, I don’t have the patience to work around them.”
He took the panties in his hands and carefully peeled them off, down her delectable thighs and over her shapely calves. He tossed them away, and they landed on the floor, too. Now she lay in front of him completely naked.
“Spread your legs,” he said. “I want to be able to see my mate’s pussy.”
Her eyes closed, and she moaned out loud. She did as he asked, opening her knees, which revealed her slick folds to him. He reached one hand out and traced his finger over her glistening slit. She shuddered all over her body. When he moved his finger up to her clit, he brushed his finger over her waiting flesh, and the sensation jolted from his brain down his spine.
“I felt that, too. It’s like every nerve is alive.”
“More,” she demanded. “Quit teasing me.”
Happy to oblige, he pressed one finger into her
soaking wet pussy. “You’re so wet for me now that you’re my mate. I think I want to keep you like this all the time.”
“Wet?” she asked.
“Wet and open for me. I want you here on this bed, with your legs spread wide all day and all night, and your only task is to lie back and let me fuck you.”
Her eyes rolled back in her head, and she moaned long and loud. “Liam! I can’t take it anymore.”
He added a second finger to her pussy, and with his other hand, he began to rub her clit. As he did, tensions swirled in his stomach down low, making him feel as if he were already coming. His cock was already rock-hard, and he doubted it could get any harder.
She lifted her hips, thrusting against his finger, seeking friction. The sight was as hot as hell. His mate, a dragon shifter female, loved being fucked. He couldn’t ask for a better life. In fact, he was still wondering how the hell he got so lucky.
“I think I need to get my cock inside you now.”
“Please,” she begged. “I am so ready for your cock. I’ve been ready, and you’ve been punishing me by dragging it out.”
“Anticipation will make it all the sweeter when I finally thrust my cock into you.”
Her eyes fluttered, and so did her pussy walls, but she didn’t find release yet.
“Brynne, my mate, love of my life, mother of my child, you can come whenever you are ready.”
Brynne screamed. Around his finger, her pussy walls contracted, squeezing tight as she thrashed on the bed. He kept his fingers in her body as the waves kept crashing. As her mate, the connection between them exploded until the point where he saw stars dancing in front of his eyes. She collapsed limply to the bed and lay with her legs splayed open.
He crawled on top of her. He rubbed the head of his cock over her slick folds. She was nice and warmed up and stretched out, and it would be easy for him to slide his rigid cock right into her body.
“I’m ready,” he said. “I can’t wait anymore.”
She stretched her arms above her head, which showed off her lovely breasts. “Do it,” she said. “Put your cock in me.”
He did as his mate asked and pushed his cock into her body in one long thrust. Her legs came up and wrapped around his waist. She hooked her ankles behind his back. She lifted her hips, spurring him on. He rolled his hips, pounding into her in short, sharp thrusts. The feeling was incredible. Not only did he see stars, but all the pleasure she felt was dancing through his head. It felt really good.
He was still careful with her, more so than usual, because of the baby. He leaned down on his elbows so that he could still pound her in a rhythmic pattern and kiss her mouth, as well. He liked his tongue on her full lips.
As he continued his unwavering thrusts, he could tell her pleasure was building again, too. She was no passive participant. She was rolling her hips upward, trying to get the most of what he could give her with his body. He got his hand in between her legs and pinched her clit.
Within seconds, her entire body locked up. She let out a shuddering breath, climaxing again. As soon as the first wave of her climax squeezed his cock, he came, painting her sweet pussy with his seed.
He stayed inside her body for a long time because his cock was still hard. He could tell from their connection loop that she liked having him in her body, and she was in no hurry for him to pull out. He rolled them to their sides, which allowed him to stay in her body.
As they lay there, he couldn’t keep his hands to himself, especially because every time he touched her creamy skin, he could feel the feedback on his own body.
“I love you,” he said, leaning over to kiss her on the mouth.
“I love you too,” he replied.
Finally, he was worn out enough to sleep. For the first time since he had killed Niamh, Liam slept through the night without any nightmares.
Epilogue
Liam
What was the proper etiquette for proposing to your mate? What about proposing when your mate was already pregnant with your baby because you hired her to be a surrogate since you only wanted a dragon shifter female to carry your child?
Liam had to laugh at the way their story sounded. It was a crazy story, and they could only share the full extent of it with his family. Of course, the rest of the town also knew that Brynne was carrying his child and that he’d originally hired her to be his surrogate.
The news that Liam and Brynne were now together and planning to raise the baby together had caused quite a few raised eyebrows in Cedar Lake. The people in town had naturally been curious, and Liam had more that one gawker stop by his office to try and learn some gossip about their unusual situation.
He and Brynne had never discussed marriage. They didn’t need to. Within the shifter world, their commitment to each other through the bond they shared as mates was more binding than any human wedding ceremony or legal document could ever be. Also, Brynne seemed indifferent to the stares and whispers that followed her around. The townspeople weren’t hostile or even judgemental. They were just nosy.
If they were going to stay here for a while, and Liam was pretty sure he and his brothers would stay, Liam thought it might help Brynne ease into a small-town social life if they got married. Brynne did not seem to give a rat’s ass what other people thought, which was really nice, but if she was going to raise a child here, she would probably want to blend in a little more.
Or maybe not. Either way, Liam wanted to give her that option. Plus, he wanted to have a party to celebrate their unconventional relationship. He needed to propose soon. For a ring, he went with a traditional style with a Celtic knot. He wanted to have something meaningful for her, and to make it special, he flew on Kallen’s jet to Western Ireland and bought the ring there, near the place where they’d all come from.
It was almost Valentine’s Day now, and they were supposed to visit Quinn’s office the next day to find out the gender of the baby. He decided he would propose to her during the ultrasound. It wasn’t a typical location for a proposal, but nothing about them was typical.
On Valentine’s Day, Liam picked Brynne up so that they could meet Quinn at his office during his lunch hour. The ultrasound didn’t take long. Quinn waved the wand over her stomach and pointed at the screen on the machine.
“Look, there’s your baby,” Quinn said.
Liam felt a burst of emotion from Brynne as she studied the little round blob on the ultrasound screen. “That’s the baby?” Liam asked.
“Yes, that’s the baby, and in two months, it will actually look like a baby. Are you guys sure you want to know the gender?”
Brynne nodded. “Yes, I am sure.”
A big grin spread across Quinn’s face. “It looks like Declan is going to get his wish to have another boy in the family.”
“It’s a boy?” It took Liam’s mind a minute to catch up with Quinn. “We’re going to have a son!”
He bent down to kiss Brynne, who had watery tears in her eyes.
Oh, shit. He still had to propose. He had almost forgotten. He kissed Brynne again, and then he got down on one knee, right there in Quinn’s office. Quinn’s mouth dropped open. Liam hadn’t even told him that he was going to propose.
“Brynne, you have made me the happiest man in the world. I always imagined a mate like you, but I never thought I’d be lucky enough to find you in real life. I love you, and I can’t wait to start our life together with our son.”
Brynne covered her mouth, and then she wiped her eyes. “Yes, of course I want to marry you. You’re my mate.”
Quinn cleared his throat. “I’m going to step out for a minute and give you two some privacy. However, remember that this is actually my office, so I’m going to need it back at some point.”
The three of them laughed, and Brynne pulled her shirt down and got off the ultrasound table.
She wrapped her arms around Liam. “Mate, you really have made me the happiest shifter in the world. Our son is so lucky to have you as a father.”
&nb
sp; Now it was Liam’s turn to blink hard. “You’re going to be an amazing mother, too.” Liam slipped the ring on her finger. “Congratulations on having a little boy,” he said to his fiance.
“Is it terrible that I want to have a dragon shifter wedding with just us?” Brynne asked him in late February.
“No. Weddings are for the couple getting married, not everyone else.”
“I think it would hurt people’s feelings if we didn’t have a human wedding here.”
Liam put his hands on Brynne’s shoulders. “You have the wedding that you want. I will be happy with whatever you choose. If you want to, we can have two weddings. One human and one shifter.”
She took Liam up on that offer. They had a lavish human wedding in Cedar Lake. Brynne wasn’t familiar with most of the details, so she let Clara handle them all. Between Clara and Juliana, Brynne had to do very little for the wedding.
They took her shopping for the wedding dress, and she grumbled about the itchy lace non-stop, but they prevailed in the end when Bryne walked down the aisle in a beautiful ivory wedding dress. To everyone’s shock, including Brynne’s, Nicolea came to escort her down the aisle. Declan was the ring bearer, and Shannon was the flower girl.
The ceremony that Brynne really seemed to cherish, though, was the one on the remote island. There was no wedding dress, no cake, and no live band. There was only her clan. After the human wedding, the dragons went out to their private island in the ocean. They had a mating ceremony, where all of the adults and Declan made necklaces out of rocks they found on the island. The idea was that a necklace could be worn in human form, but then when the dragon shifted, the necklace would remain intact instead of being destroyed.
During that ceremony, the brothers waited at the edge of the cliff while Clara and Juliana flanked Brynne on either side with their arms looped together. They walked down a path before the brothers, and the kids cheered as Liam leaned down to kiss his mate.
Then, all four of the brothers had shifted and flown off the cliff. Liam came back and knelt down, letting Brynne crawl on his back. Then, they joined the others in flying around the island while Clara and Juliana waved at them.
Lawyer Dragon's Surrogate (Irish Dragon Shifter Brothers Book 3) Page 12