by J. S. Wilder
“More?” he asked, his golden eyebrow rising.
As much as she’d like to eat the whole thing, she wanted him to have some too. “Nah, I’d like to try something else.”
The waitress snapped the fork down on the table between Levx and Megan. God, what was this lady’s problem? But Megan pushed the thought away. After all, she’d had bad days too except this server was taking it too far. A thought popped into Megan mind. Levx said he came here before…had he and the waitress dated?
Nonchalantly, Megan picked up the fork and cut into another dessert. She fought not to allow jealousy to fester. She didn’t have any hold on Levx. All she was here for was to sign the contract, get artificially inseminated, have a baby and then she’d never have to deal with this waitress or any other woman falling all over Levx again.
So why did that thought make her heart feel like it was being crushed under a cement block?
Chapter 14
Levx
One moment, Megan seemed like she was enjoying the deserts with him, the next her skin changed from beet-red to pale. Was she thinking about the dragon she’d seen? Him in his golden-scaled form. There was no way she could connect him to what she’d seen. And she hadn’t gone insane shouting about monsters so she must have dismissed his mistake to a mirage or stress.
Except she stared at him in such an odd way that made him wish he could read minds.
“With all the money you’ll earn, what will you do besides going back to school with your new freedom—”
“I haven’t signed the contract yet.” She shifted in her seat.
“But I’m sure you will. The offer is more than fair.” Why wouldn’t she sign? Dozens of women had once they saw the sum and many hadn’t blinked twice after that.
“And if I refuse, what will happen? Will you sue me?”
“Not at all. But once you agree and are pregnant, you can’t walk out.” He softened his voice. “And I’ll not have you risk your life or our unborn child’s by you doing something dangerous.”
She crossed her arm over her stomach. “You make it sound like the embryo will be mine and yours.”
Damn! He had to be more careful with his words. Hard to do when English wasn’t his first language. Then again, none of the Earth’s languages worked well. “No, ours as in mine and my wife’s.” Why did his mouth twist every time he said that word? It was as if his tongue tried to refuse to say the lie in front of her.
“Right.” She shook her head. “My mistake, of course the baby will be yours…and hers.”
What could he say to bring back the smile and easiness they’d had earlier? “There’s plenty of sweets left, want try one of the others?”
“No thanks, I’m full.” She took a sip of her wine.
He wracked his brain to think of something to say to lighten the mood again. What if he told her about his intended bride? Jemilia who had died in the first wave of Tryns who came to destroy them? He could skip over the parts about her being ripped apart by the monsters.
Clearing his throat, he set his fork down on the desert plate. “My wife loved flying. I think of her every time I sail through the clouds.”
Megan’s face brightened. “Really? Was she a pilot?”
“She had her wings and was a daredevil in the sky.”
“Oh, I’ve always wanted to learn how to fly a plane.”
How would she react to him taking her into the air in his dragon form? He chuckled under his breath. No, she could never know what he was. “What else would you do if you had unlimited resources and time?”
“Besides getting my engineering degree?” she asked, her eyes widening.
“Yes. Do you like dancing or embroidery?” What was it human women of this age did besides stare at their phones and other electronic devices?
“I’d love to take my dad to the beach again,” her voice cracked. “Learn to surf and scuba dive. Oh, and I’ve always wanted to skydive and feel the wind in my hair and view the earth beneath me.” Her gray eyes bright and her cheeks flushed.
“Flying is amazing.” The words were out of his mouth before he realized he’d spoken aloud.
She blinked. “Oh, what have you done?”
“Chute jumping.” When she cocked her head like he’d said something odd, he cleared his throat. “Forgive me, I’m still not fluent in your language.”
“Parachute jumping or bungee cord?”
“Both.” Though he didn’t need either to fly, just his dragon form. Would she scream or faint if she knew what he really was?
“Wow, that sounds so exciting.” She leaned forward resting her forearms on the table. “How often do you do either?”
He had to get the subject off himself before he said too much. “I go out when I can.”
“What’s the most amazing thing you’ve seen from above? Is it really true that it doesn’t feel like you’re falling when skydiving even though you are? How is that possible?” She picked up her fork and cut off another piece of cake. “I mean, I know I was falling and going to crash into the ground if not for the parachute.”
He lifted a shoulder. “You get used to it. As far as the coolest thing I’ve seen on Earth…the volcanoes with lava spewing out.”
“That’s amazing.” She took a bite of the cake with a smile. “Was it Hawaii?”
“Yes.”
“Wow, I’ve always wanted to go there. Have you been to other islands or Japan?” She bounced in her seat. “Or Guam, though I’m sure you’ve been to Europe tons of times.”
“Sorry, I’ve been to so many places, it’s hard to keep track.” Like the fact the volcanoes he’d seen had been on another planet.
“Are you going to have any more cake?” She gestured to the dessert tray. “I don’t want to eat all this or the scale will hate me tomorrow.”
“Sorry, I’m full.” He wanted to know more about her. What made her laugh. “Have you been to Hawaii?”
She choked for a moment then sipped her wine. “Gosh, no. Never been out of the state except once when I was kid. My dad took me and my mom to the beach. We stayed so long that we all came back as red as lobsters. Even my feet got sunburned.” She set her fork down, looking out one of the restaurant’s windows.
When he touched her hand, the desire to draw her into his embrace and hug her curled around him. More than anything he wanted her happy and safe. To erase her sorrow and see her smile. “Sounds like a good memory despite the burn.”
“Yeah, it was.” She blinked several times, then eased her hand away from his and finished her wine in a long gulp. “Thanks for dinner but I really need to go home.”
“Of course, thank you for joining me.” What had he done to upset her. “Let me know if you need some recommendations for the contract.”
She nodded but didn’t say anything.
With his heart in his throat, he left cash for the waitress to cover their bill and her tip, then led Megan out to his car. The ride home was quiet and tense.
“Listen. I didn’t mean to upset you,” he said pulling onto her street.
“No, it’s fine…I’m okay.” She frowned. “H-How did you know where I lived?”
“You told me or rather your bank when I called in the money transfer.” Not going to admit he had looked up everything he could on her. Stalking wasn’t ever a good thing. Even back on his planet.
“Oh.” Her voice shook.
“Listen, are you going to be—”
“I’ve never asked anyone this before,” she said as he pulled up to her apartment building.
The brick walls were covered with dirt and graffiti. A broken window on the third floor was held together with yellowed tape. As soon as she signed the contract, he was getting her out of this stink hole.
He waited for her to continue, her hand on the door, her eyes straight ahead as though she was gathering her courage. Was she going to tell him to forget their agreement? That he’d freaked her out somehow? Come on too strong or that she knew he’d checked her out be
cause he knew where she lived. Why hadn’t he asked her for directions while they were driving?
“Care to come up for a nightcap,” she let out a small chuckle. “God, that sounds so odd.”
The desire to pull her into his lap and kiss her until she sighed in pleasure sunk into every pore of his being. “I’d loved to.” He turned off the car, telling himself this was a social visit only. She was just being polite having gone to dinner with him. He’d have one drink a bit of conversation, then leave. It was too dangerous to get any closer to her than that. What if he transformed if they got to hot and heavy? That thought went straight to his dick that tented his pants.
Before he could get out and open the door for her, she dashed out and raced up the fire escape. He raised his eyebrows.
“Just…ah…give me a minute.”
He couldn’t stop his smile at hearing her pounding inside her apartment like she was a whirlwind cleaning everything in sight.
Unable to resist, he glanced up and down the street before leaping the distance up to her floor. She let out a gasp with an empty pizza box in her hand.
“I told you to give me some time.”
“Figured you could use the help cleaning up.” He winked and picked up a lacy bra.
Her face colored red and she snatched the garment out of his hand. “Yeah, well. Not like I have time to clean up when I’m hardly here except to eat before I pass out.”
“Nah, it’s fine. No need to make excuses.” He gathered up newspapers and dumped them into the trashcan in her kitchen. Her stove was pristine like it had hardly been used.
“Stop.” She pushed him toward a couch with mix-matched pillows. “Sit.”
“I will if you stop cleaning,” he leaned back against the cushions.
“Fine.” She huffed, brushing her hair out of her face. “At least the living room is presentable now. What would you like to drink? I’ve a bottle of wine and beer.”
“Beer is fine.” The desire to saunter off and examine her bedroom teased him but he stayed on the couch, resisting the temptation. She handed him a can of a weird-named beer and he raised an eyebrow.
“Sorry, it was on sale.” She sat beside him on the small couch, then took a sip of her drink. Her face scrunched up like she’d licked the back of a yronmx on a hot day.
“That bad?” he asked setting aside his can on the coffee table.
“Ugh, yeah. No wonder this stuff was so cheap.” She moved to stand. “Let me get you a glass of wine.”
He reached out and touched her hand. “Megan, it’s fine. I don’t need a drink.” What he wanted was to kiss her but that was absurd. She was a human and he was a dragon…well, mostly. All she knew was what she could see, him in his human form.
“That’s good cause my water filter is broken and I used the last of the milk this morning.” She let out a shaky sigh. “I shouldn’t have asked you up here. The place is a disaster and now I worry what you might think of me living in a dump like this. It’s not to gain your sympathy or more money, I just wanted to be able to talk with you without women staring at you or a rude waitress coming on to you.”
Her blush made his heart skip a beat and he gently squeezed her hand. What waitress was she talking about? All through dinner, he’d wanted to be alone with her. He couldn’t even remember what their waitress had looked like.
“I want to get to know you too.” All the things that made her fascinating, he wanted to press into his mind so he could tell their child about her when he or she was old enough.
“What do you want to know?” She pulled her hand from his, running her fingers through her dark hair before shrugging. “You’ve met my dad, know where I work or worked, and now you’ve seen my place. What else is there?”
“So much more.” He set the horrible beer down on the coffee table. “For starters, why don’t you tell me about your mom if it’s not too painful.”
“Oh, she was great,” she breathed out, “always kind and resourceful. Once I had to have a last minute costume for school and we didn’t have the time or money to buy anything. She rummaged through our stuff and brought out a straw hat, my dad’s overalls, and a red bandana. With makeup and dried grass from the front of our house, she made me into a scarecrow. Honestly, it was the best costume I ever had.”
“Tell me more.” His own mother had dropped him off at his father’s doorstep after she gave birth. When he was old enough to confront her, she’d shrugged. Her duty to the empire of giving the king another prince was completed…she had no desire to be a true mother to him. The words stung him so deep he’d worried she’d slashed through his scales. And now, here he was, trying to woo a human woman so to speak into carrying his child so she could walk away and not feel the crushing guilt that he’d wished his mom had felt a fraction of.
“She never liked going to the doctor. Not even for a cold or stomach ache.” Megan hiked up her legs underneath her on the couch. “Her appendix erupted just enough to leak out. Me and dad dragged her to the ER when she couldn’t stand up straight. Still,” she laughed, “she argued with the doctors telling her she had to have surgery.”
“Sounds like she was an amazing woman,” he said.
“You’ve no idea. Guess you can say I get my stubbornness from her.”
He leaned back against the couch. “I’m sure you’ve gotten a lot of excellent traits from your mom.”
Her eyes brightened. “Thanks. So tell me something about you. What’s your dad or mom like? Do they support your decision to have a child?”
“My father is pushing it but my mother is off on the other side of the world having some adventure or another.” He couldn’t keep the bitterness out of his voice.
Megan reached over and placed her hand on his knee, sending warmth radiating through him. “She doesn’t know how lucky she is to have her family. Believe me, I was that way too. Living my own life before Mom got sick. Sometimes we take for granted what’s right in front of us when we should be grateful. I’d give anything for one more moment with my mom. Just a moment to tell I loved her, to hug her, to bask in her company.”
“You’re lucky to have parents who love you,” he said in a hoarse voice.
She licked her lips. “I’m certain your folks love you but maybe you should talk to them…tell them how you feel…seize the moment.”
Her words were so soft and her concern so palatable that he couldn’t stop himself. He leaned forward, cupping her cheek in his hand, and brushing his lips across hers. What surprised him even more was that she returned his kiss. His mind screamed to stop but his hands looped across her back and drew her to straddle his lap. And in response, she kissed him harder. Maybe he’d been right all along about his attraction to her.
Chapter 15
Megan
One moment, Levx and she were talking, the next he was looking at her like she was whipped cream on a luscious chocolate pie. His lips on her were warm and spicy. She couldn’t get close enough to him. Her hands clasping around his neck while she gave him a lap dance that heated her blood.
He had a sexy yet dangerous vibe that sent her libido into overdrive. Didn’t help the fancy alcohol had made her tipsy. She could hold her liquor but something about the wine at dinner and his company was a combustible combination.
And god, his mouth was just as sinful as the rest of him. He grabbed her ass and she moaned against his lips. She slid her hands into his golden hair as their kissed turned from hunger to starving. Their tongues stroking each other while his hands roved hands all over her body like he was unable to get enough of touching her and she wanted more. She nipped at his lip.
“Wha—?” he growled. There as something beast-like in his gaze.
“Sorry,” Oh God, did she just bite him too hard? “Guess I got carried away. Did I hurt you?”
In answer, he grasped a hand behind her neck and jerked her mouth onto his. The kiss hard and feral and made her heart stutter in her chest. One of his hands drifted down between them, his fingers
tracing the waistband of her jeans and stealing her breath.
His mouth leaves hers and a whimper zips from her. But then he settles his kisses to her neck while his fingers tuck into her jeans. He nuzzled the side sending desire pooling into her belly and sex making an ache bloom. His fingers stroking her clit. Her body trembling with need as she rocked her hips back and forth to ease the tension building in her sex. Lifting her up, he tugged her jeans down off her body, the zipper and snap ripping open. They landed in a pile on floor.
“Wh-What about your clothes?” she asked breathlessly. Sure she’d had boyfriends before but never sex this soon after meeting someone. But there was something about Levx that made her crazy for him.
“Later.” His husky breath sent her libido skyrocketing. Then he eased her shirt over her head. His mouth dipping from her neck to the top of her breast.
Her skin heated everywhere and moisture pooled across his fingers as he stroked her. A rising orgasm raged against her barriers like a wild cat confined too long.
Freeing her breast from her bra cup, he lowered his mouth over her taunt nipple and sucked while his fingers rubbed her sensitive folds. Her orgasm soared through her so fast that she only managed a high-pitched squeak.
Her entire body tightened, then released and she turned to mush, leaning against him as the endorphins blasted through her making her feel like she was flying. He pulled away from her breast, his hands stilling, as his ragged breathing echoed around them.
“Wow,” she said once she could remember how to form words. “That was incredible.”
His eyebrows furrowed and a pained expression filled his golden eyes. The bulge in his pants was huge and firm.
“Let me show you a good time now,” she whispered, laying her hand over his erection.