"It's all right, Graham. I'm all right. Nikolai and Rainer protected me."
"It looks like they might have done a little more than protect you." He rubbed his hand against the side of her throat and she winced as a quick shot of pain shafted through her. "Quite the hickey you have there," he muttered.
She couldn't help it; her face heated.
Zander cleared his throat. "Yes, well, Dr. Adair, I believe what did or didn't happen between Nikolai, Rainer, and your sister is just that--between them." He gave her a slow wink. "Though I've a feeling I'll be welcoming you to the clan soon enough."
Her eyes widened. "Wh--"
"You can't even let us do our own proposing, can you?" Rainer stomped into the room, his bare feet slapping against the wood floor.
"Propos..." DeeDee couldn't finish the thought, let alone the word.
Zander stood and motioned to her brother. "Why don't you and I give them some privacy? Let's go to my study--we'll call Dr. Ladlow with the good news that we've retrieved your research." The two of them walked toward the back of the cabin.
She heard the sound of a door opening and then closing, but didn't take her gaze off of the two men in front of her.
They were both dressed in jeans and black T-shirts that hugged their rugged frames. Going down on one knee in front of her, they each took one of her hands and held it in gentle grasps.
"We knew from the moment we saw your picture that you were meant for us, láska. Our love. Our mate." Nikolai brought her hand to his mouth and kissed the center of her palm.
"And when I saw you standing in the hallway, holding that can of pepper spray, looking fierce enough to go into battle, I was lost." Rainer, too, pressed his lips to her palm and then folded her fingers over the spot as if to hold his kiss there. "I realize we've known each other a short time--a very short time," he acknowledged wryly. "But I have never been more certain of anything in my entire life."
"Nor have I." Nikolai cradled her hand against his cheek. "You don't have to offer a lasting commitment to us now, láska. Just say you'll stay with us, that you'll try to love us."
She didn't have any tingling spidey-sense--or dragon DNA--to tell her these two were her mates. She only had her feelings. Her heart.
And in her heart she knew they were two of the most important people to her in the world. In her heart she also knew she already loved them. "I don't think more time will make a difference," she murmured. When their faces fell, she exclaimed, "I mean I don't need more time to know that I love you."
Big hands contracted around her fingers almost painfully. Then Rainer was on his feet with an exultant shout. He swung her up into his arms and headed toward the stairs. "Come on, Nik. We have a bonding to perform."
As they mounted the stairs, DeeDee knew this was the beginning of her future, one made brighter by the thought that these wonderful people once again had a future to look forward to because of her brother's work.
And as they fell together on a big bed, she wrapped her arms around her dragon men and held on. Getting that phone call from Graham had started her on an adventure that would take her the rest of her life to complete.
"Gentlemen, start your engines," she murmured and held her men close.
Sherrill Quinn
Sherrill Quinn spent twenty years building her career in Human Resources, reaching the pinnacle as Vice President only to realize her life needed to go in another direction. After taking a "how to write erotic romance" course online in February 2005, she discovered her true calling and hasn't looked back.
You can read about her current and upcoming books at her website, http://sherrillquinn.com. She'd love to hear from her readers at [email protected].
* * * *
Don't miss Dragonfire, by Sherrill Quinn,
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Leilani Aster and her sister are the last of the descendants of a powerful Druid. When an old, brutal enemy is determined to destroy them, Lani must call upon her ex-lover, Aleksandar Lyaksandro--the mighty leader of the shapeshifting Dragon Order--for help.
But Aleksander had betrayed Lani once before. Can she really trust the man who had broken her heart in order to keep the Druid's safe? And Aleksander must overcome the doubts of the past and learn to love, once and for all.
Can Lani and Aleksander finally accept that love is the greatest power of all, especially in time to save their lives?
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