by Starla Night
The fire crackled in her eyes. "You're teasing."
"Only my words. My intentions, Amber, are to have you."
She cozied into his embrace, melting against him as her resistance faded. "You already proved yourself as a marriage candidate."
He nipped her lips. "I intend to keep proving myself until you say yes."
The dragons muttered amongst themselves, shocked by their behavior, but Darcy only had ears for Amber. And whether or how much he could kiss her until she made the little sounds of arousal that had hardened his cock to granite. With the audience, he wanted to go her pace rather than his.
She too focused on him with sharp clarity. "Therefore, I accept your proposal. We will marry."
His heart surged. Blood beat in his ears, his fingertips went numb, and a suspicious moisture tickled his eyes. He sucked in a deep breath and exhaled slowly. "Oh. Good."
"You are more subdued than I thought. If you were a dragon, this is when we would embark on a wild mating flight."
He picked her up and twirled her around the shop.
She clung to him. "What are you doing?"
"I can't fly, but I can still express myself." He rested her again on her feet. "I swear I will surprise, delight, and most of all, make you happy for the rest of your life."
A warm smile shone beneath her usual stoic expression. It reflected in his heart like a beacon. They matched. She was beginning to trust and open up to him. He would treasure and nurture her trust.
"So now we should get married, I guess," she said.
He nuzzled her. "I guess."
"Darcy?" Mom crossed out of the back staging room, Nicole and Tara — covered beneath one of the fluffy blankets — in tow. "I thought the shop was closed today. What's all this?"
His heart burst. He squeezed his love. "Mom, this is Amber Onyx of the Onyx Corporation."
"Hello," Amber said, stiffening up and stepping aside from Darcy. "It's a great honor to meet the mother of Darcy."
"Yes." Mom smoothed her shirt with embarrassment. "I'm so sorry. I didn't realize."
"She's just agreed to be my wife."
Mom froze.
Amber cracked her knuckles, ankles, and neck as she stretched her arms and legs. "Surprise, I guess. Darcy didn't tell you. He didn't tell my mom, either."
Tara and Nicole pushed forward. "Darcy? And a dragon!"
"And two of my sisters," he said.
"Three female relatives." Amber rolled her shoulders. "Okay, then. I can do this."
The trio of inspectors looked at each other and then raced out the door of the shop like they'd detected a bomb.
Darcy's sisters stalked toward Amber.
Amber braced.
"You're engaged?" Tara threw her arms around the both of them, squeezing him and Amber together. "Congratulations!"
"Welcome to the crazy house," Nicole said, holding back and eying the muttering trio of brightly colored males peering in through the windows.
"Nicole!" Tara stepped back and elbowed her. "Don't say that."
"That's a nice peacock teddy," Amber noted, still tense as though a fight might break out from anywhere.
"Thanks." Tara pulled her blanket tighter around her midsection. "Here's a tip. If you get boudoir photos, hire them out. Don't get them taken by family."
"Boudoir photos?"
Darcy laughed, tugging Amber back to his side, too happy about her acceptance to react to his family's oddness. "Thanks, Tara. Amber, I'll explain later."
"So." Mom cleared her throat. "I thought you didn't have a girlfriend."
"Nicole said that." He tempered his smile. "But now that Amber's going to join our family, it's only right to call her my fiancée."
Mom crossed her arms. "And when's the wedding?"
"No date," he reassured her. "We haven't discussed it yet."
"I'm ready to fight." Amber was still stiff under his arm as she looked at his mom and sisters. "Now, if you want."
"Fight?" Mom blinked and then held her temple. "No, no. I'm not trying to start a fight."
"You aren't?"
"No, of course not. I'm just a little surprised that my son, who has never even introduced a girlfriend since high school—"
He cleared his throat. "Let's ignore that."
"Has been hiding from me a fiancée!"
He went to his mom and tried to give her a hug. "You've had a lot on your mind."
"Not so much that I can't hear about your future wife." She held as stiff as Amber, refusing to yield to his hug. "You're in so much trouble, Darcy. Springing this on me the week before Tara's wedding."
He rubbed Mom's shoulder. She needed time to adjust.
"Then, you don't want to fight?" Amber asked. "Not at all?"
"Why would I want to fight?" Mom let out a shaky sigh, glared at Darcy, and then went to Amber. "I've barely met you. But, I guess, welcome to the family." She put her arms around Amber in a hug. His sisters joined in a nice group hug. Over Amber's shoulder, Mom continued, "We'll discuss your punishment at home, Darcy."
He grinned, enjoying the surprise and delight as much as Amber's agreement. Seeing the most important women of his life together, getting along, couldn't give him more perfect happiness.
His mom and sisters stepped back.
Amber looked disheveled again. "So no one wants to fight?"
"Are you a fighter, then?" Mom tilted her head. "You're obsessed with this question."
"I didn't expect such a warm welcome." Tears glistened in Amber's eyes. "I thought it would be harder to gain acceptance."
He pulled her back into his arms. Her emotions were under such a tight lock. "Mom cares the most about family."
Amber nodded. "Okay, then, let's get married as soon as possible."
His chest squeezed. He hugged her so tight he couldn't breathe. "I agree."
Amber smiled with sweet, innocent, teary-eyed happiness. "How about right now?"
Chapter Ten
"Right now?" Darcy repeated, and the bright smile he'd been wearing since she'd agreed to his proposal intensified. He rested his forehead against hers with sweet intimacy. "You want to get married right now?"
She nodded, struggling with her own upwelling of emotions.
Was this how her brothers had felt proposing to their wives? It differed totally from businesslike dragon proposals. No wonder her brothers were so possessive. Amber didn't even care about the dragon inspectors anymore, but if anyone threatened Darcy, Earth, or anywhere else he was—she would eliminate them with tooth and claw.
Darcy tucked her under his arm and teased a small lock of wild hair from her bun. "The courthouse is down the street. We can fill out the application and get married ... what is it in Oregon, three days?"
"Vegas is immediate."
His hot grin melted her. "What are we waiting for?"
Good, Darcy thought the same as her. She rose, lifting him a fraction of an inch off the ground — just enough so he noticed and snuggled her even closer — and turned toward the door.
"Ah, wait." Darcy's mother blocked their path.
Amber rested on her heels, respectful of Darcy's kind, generous matriarch who had welcomed her to the family without demanding Amber pay for Darcy out of her own flesh. But just in case the matriarch changed her mind, Amber sized her up.
She was plump where Darcy was lean, and her eyes were blue where his were brown, but otherwise, they had the same shape of brow, mouth, and jaw. Her short dark hair was multi toned with attractive dark and light brunette streaks. She wore jean leggings, a T-shirt with "Mother of the Bride" in hand-drawn sparkly blue print, and carried a sunflower bouquet.
The matriarch held her temple with a pinched expression like she was staving off a headache. "You can't get married tonight. Tara's last family-only dinner is tonight."
Darcy grinned winningly. "We'll be back by dinner time."
"And it's family only."
"By then, Amber will be family."
His mother's lips pinc
hed, and she stared at Amber with new shock. Anger, denial, and more anger flitted across her open face.
Amber held Darcy tight against her in case she needed to fly with him fast. Humans had few weapons that could hurt a dragon; fewer still that could hurt a female dragon, but she was not immune, and she must not underestimate her opponent. Not for her future or Darcy's.
Tara cleared her throat. "Mom, I told you I can't go. Ed's cousins are coming into town. We made plans with them."
"And I told you to unmake them. Ed's family will get you for the rest of his life."
"Except they live in Russia, so—"
"And furthermore, Darcy, you promised you wouldn't elope."
His smile faltered. He kept his arms around Amber and spoke to his mother gently, sweetly, and also firmly. "Things change."
"What changed?" She shook her head and frowned at the distant inspectors. "Why did five minutes ago you say you didn't even have a girlfriend and now you're suddenly getting married?"
"Amber said yes." He squeezed her shoulders, promising with his body that he would take care of her and defend her from the matriarch.
A lump formed in Amber's throat. Like when he provided her with the shelled peanuts, Darcy was sheltering and providing for her in his way.
"And how can you propose to a stranger?" she continued, accusation sharpening her tone. "How can you think to introduce a stranger to your family as your wife?"
"You're not strangers. Mom, this is Amber. Amber, my mother, Gayle."
"Oh, you!" Gayle raised a fist to smack Darcy on the shoulder.
Amber moved Darcy out of the path of the fist and caught his mother's hand.
The matriarch looked surprised but opened her fist to shake hands.
"Thank you."
Gayle glanced down at the hand that Amber was still holding and a frown creased her brow. "You're welcome. For what?"
"Your warm welcome. I have never been so touched."
"Ah. Well, you can't get married just yet. You see, Tara—"
"Gayle!" A large, take-charge woman with dark umber hair framing her warm sepia face strode through the broken door, a slender wedding gown over her teal suited arm. She enfolded Darcy's mother in a hug. "I fielded a very surprised phone call from my husband just a few minutes ago. Thank you for being honest with him about your deception."
"Kris." Gayle returned the hug with a perplexed smile. "Deception? There was no deception. What are you talking about?"
"The text you sent confessing to impersonating Tara and canceling the groom's gift photo shoot. It was big of you to take responsibility."
"That was me." Nicole held up her hand in the back. "I sent that text."
Kris nodded. "Aha. That makes sense. Well, Tara, I got a hold of your fitter, and she's still planning to come. She knows to ignore anything that doesn't come from me."
Gayle frowned and pinched the dress bag. "This isn't the right dress."
Kris ignored her. Tara rested her hand on Kris's forearm. "Thanks, and I'm sorry."
"No, I'm sorry I didn't drill the same caution into my husband."
"Darcy took a photo up my nose."
"I'm sure he did."
"This isn't the right dress," Darcy's mother repeated. "Where's the ball gown?"
Kris and Tara exchanged a long look. Then, Kris turned to Gayle. "Tara didn't get the ball gown. She got the lace A-line with beaded sleeves."
"But she wanted the ball gown."
"No, honey, you wanted the ball gown."
"No, I wanted her to wear Great Grandma's heirloom dress." Gayle took Tara's hand. "You'd look so pretty in a family heirloom."
"Except it was five sizes too small," Nicole interjected.
"Which is why I understood you preferring the ball gown."
"I didn't, though..."
Gayle led Tara to one trunk and flung it open. A massive peekaboo sweetheart ball gown sprang out like it had been released from a trap. "This is the dress, Tara. With your sunflowers, you'll look like a summer queen."
Everyone crowded around the trunk overflowing with white taffeta and tulle.
"You rented this dress?" Tara's tone was flat.
"I bought it."
"Bought! Return it."
"It's not returnable. Unlike yours, which is returnable." Gayle smiled proudly. "When you put the ball gown on, I knew it was the one."
"But..." Tara looked at Kris. "Um..."
"Thank you, Gayle, but 'the one' is over here." Kris lofted the slender garment bag. "Come on, Tara, your fitting is this way."
"You can return yours. We can't throw money around for no reason. Tara, you wanted this dress," her mother insisted. "This is a gown for a queen."
"And this is a gown fit for a woodland elf, which is our wedding theme." Kris ushered Tara away from her mother.
"What am I going to do with a wedding dress? Tara, our business sacrificed for you."
"Maybe Amber likes the dress," Nicole smirked. "She could even fit into Great Grandma's without altering it."
Everyone fixed on Amber.
She linked her fingers. "I'd be honored to wear a family heirloom."
"You're not family," Gayle protested.
"She will be," Nicole pointed out.
"She's not now, and so she can't wear Great Grandma's gown."
There was an awkward silence.
Darcy tucked Amber under his arm. "Do dragons even wear wedding dresses?"
"No," she admitted. "To become engaged, we bare our bodies under bright lights and have sex. This proves there are no secrets."
His gaze darkened and slow, sexy heat poured from his rough tone. He murmured in her ear, "I like the way dragons think."
"That's a dragon engagement party?" Kris clarified. "It sounds like a private event."
"Usually, yes. We are then provisionally married until we have a dragonlet. On our dragonlet's first birthday, the family matriarch recognizes our dragonlet, and officially validates our marriage."
"Oh, so she could still wear the ball gown," Nicole said.
"Perfect!" Kris ushered Tara to the back room. "She can wear the ball gown and Tara will get fitted for her sheath..."
"No, no. I bought that dress for Tara." Gayle followed the women into the back.
As they moved away, Darcy held his hand out to Amber. "Say yes to the dress later. We have a date with the courthouse."
She took his hand. Everything was going so well! She couldn't believe it.
"Wait, no." Gayle stopped, torn between pursuing her middle daughter and finishing with Darcy and Amber. "Don't go anywhere. I'm not done with you."
Darcy checked his wristwatch. "We'll be back in no time."
"No! Don't you dare steal away the thunder from Tara's wedding."
"We won't steal—"
"You will not get married today, Darcy, and that's final!"
"Of course we won't get married today." He smiled. "The application takes three days."
"You have teased me for the last time!"
"My brothers married immediately," Amber said. "They met a woman and married as soon as she agreed."
Gayle huffed and slammed the lid on the trunk, pinching the hem of the ball gown. "And don't you dare elope." She stormed into the back room.
Uh oh. Maybe things weren't going as well as Amber thought.
"Let's sneak out and buy rings," Darcy urged.
"Your mom disapproves."
"We'll change her mind."
"I didn't bring a change of clothes."
Darcy raised a brow and laughed. "I hope whatever you're thinking to change her mind doesn't get that messy."
"A disapproving mother of the groom usually challenges the bride to combat."
"Aha. Let's try the diplomatic approach first."
"Which is?"
"Kindness and bribery." Darcy jerked his head at the dragons peering around the door. "What do you want to do about them?"
She squared her shoulders and led Darcy to them. "This is my fia
ncé. We're going ring shopping."
The dragon inspectors lifted their snoots. "Ring shopping? What is ring shopping?"
"Humans exchange rings during the wedding ceremony."
"Oh, a human tradition." Serpentine squinted. "Hmm. This is a clever ruse to trick us."
"You can come," Darcy offered.
"But you have to stay silent and outside the door," Amber cut in.
"No, this is a delaying tactic. Multiple females entered that shop and not a single one challenged you to deadly combat."
"Humans." Darcy shook his head and rolled his eyes. "Who can understand them?"
The dragons squinted with skepticism.
He tried a different tactic. "We sprung the engagement on them. They weren't prepared. This is our place of business, you know. If you come by for dinner, my parents and sisters will do their usual tactics to haze new partners. I'm sure they'll get out the heavy artillery."
Their eyes widened and they gaped.
"No, we will not come to dinner." Serpentine pulled his robe straight and nodded to his companions. "We have seen enough for now. But, Amber Onyx, you will marry this human, or we will declare your company forfeit for lying to inspectors of the Gentleman's Society!"
The trio flew into the air and raced away, leaving a dark shadow over Darcy and Amber.
Chapter Eleven
Amber turned big liquid eyes on Darcy, melting his heart. "I'm so sorry. I do want to marry you. It's not just because the fate of my company and Earth are at stake."
He linked her arm in his, and they strolled onto the street heading toward the jeweler's row. "Me too."
"What sort of heavy artillery do you expect your female relatives to wield?"
"Oh, the usual. Childhood photos, embarrassing stories, any revenge to make me squirm."
"You're teasing."
"No, no. That's usually what new partners go through, and some find the torture excruciating."
The concerned divot between her brows softened. She rested against him. "It's strange. Usually, your presence causes me discomfort."
"Er, huh. Really?"
"But the discomfort has become more pleasant. And you are calming me." She glanced up again, her lashes delicately framing amber eyes that glimmered with innocent honesty. "I think I'm taking you seriously."