She didn’t quite understand how it worked. And it wasn’t like she could read his thoughts. But she could feel his patience, and the loving warmth that filled his heart. It came through the bond like a slow, steady river. There was an ocean of love at the heart of him, mixed with all the fierce protectiveness of his dragon.
It was a sexy combination. He was nothing at all like her previous boyfriends, but he was just right. He flooded her senses with a single look or touch—and she wouldn’t want it any different.
This was the freedom she’d thought lost to her forever. It didn’t mean running away from the shambles of her life, or starting over in a yoga retreat in the Himalaya. She could be free just settling down with him, making pancakes together in the morning and watching the stars at night from their patio—because he knew her. He understood her, right down to the secret places of her heart. It felt like he was the only one who’d ever truly seen her.
He made her feel like she truly was a dragon’s mate, wild and free—even when they were watching his aunt quarrel with the sheriff over small-town gardening prizes.
***
There was a lot to see in Mountain View. It took a while until they’d made it out of the town square—there were so many people eager to meet Naomi that by the end, she had a hard time keeping all those new faces and names and stories apart. Still, everyone she met had been quite obviously delighted to meet her. And not a single person had been taken aback to hear that Naomi wasn’t a shifter, and that she hadn’t even known they existed until she met Gregory.
It was all a bit overwhelming—but the good sort of overwhelming. It was the sort of friendly, quiet town where she’d always hoped to settle down one day. And if it also came with dragon and cheetah shifters, well, she’d learn to deal.
From what she’d seen so far, she was starting to believe that even a werewolf would make a far more polite and respectful neighbor than the awful neighbors in the apartment next door who’d kept waking her up with their shouting at 2am.
But there was more to Mountain View than just the town with its beautiful, small houses.
Once they left the road behind, Gregory showed her valleys full of wildflowers, a secret waterfall with a rainbow rising from the rushing water, and a pond hidden at the end of a deep gorge. The pond’s aquamarine water was so clear that she could look straight to the bottom, watching the fishes flit back and forth below.
Once they wandered back towards the road from the gorge, they saw a mountain lion with two cubs come racing over the rocks. Once the large cat spied them, it didn’t turn to hide. Instead it came forward, the cubs following as they circled Naomi and Gregory at full speed. The cubs made small, excited sounds—and then, as quickly as that, the small family of shifters raced off towards the pool.
Because that’s what this has to be, Naomi thought, unable to stop grinning as she looked at Gregory. A shifter parent taking the kids out for a run.
“I bet those kids will be tired tonight. No complaining about bedtimes,” she murmured.
If she and Gregory had kids—would they be dragons?
Perhaps the thought should scare her. But instead, it felt exciting. She couldn’t forget the rush of freedom she’d felt, flying on Gregory’s back. Any child of hers that was born to that same freedom would be a gift.
Dragon or not, she was sure that Gregory would love any child. And here in Mountain View, they’d have the sort of childhood she’d always hoped she’d be able to give a child.
Shifter or not, they’d be loved, and that was what mattered.
Chapter Twelve: Gregory
Gregory woke to Naomi’s arm slung across his chest, her breath warm and regular against his cheek. As he watched, her nose scrunched up a little. When he leaned forward to press a kiss to it, she made a tired sound; a second later, she’d settled back into sleep.
Silently, Gregory slipped from the bed without waking her.
It was still early; the sun had risen a while ago, but they’d stayed up late, having wine on the balcony that overlooked the town below—and then tiring each other out by making love until Naomi was trembling in his arms, her gorgeous body limp with pleasure and flushed all over.
He’d always been told that making love with his mate would feel better than anything he’d ever experienced—but nothing had prepared him for the actual experience of it.
Even now, a new jolt of hot, hard desire raced through him as he thought of the soft curve of Naomi’s breasts rising from the blanket she’d drawn around her, the dusky rose of the soft nipples he’d sucked to hard little peaks yesterday while Naomi had arched against him.
The thought was enough to make his body harden with need for her once more. Still, he was determined to wake Naomi with a cup of coffee and a tower of pancakes with butter and syrup and fruit.
But once they’d finished breakfast...
Gregory added another generous helping of syrup. Perhaps, if he was especially clumsy, they might just have to use the large bathtub to clean each other up...
***
They didn’t even make it into the bathtub.
As soon as the pancakes were gone, Gregory dipped his finger into the leftover maple syrup and teasingly held it up to Naomi’s lips. When Naomi laughed and leaned forward to catch the golden liquid with her mouth, he smirked and drew his finger back just in time.
As he watched, the syrup dripped from his finger, leaving a golden drizzle all over her gorgeous, soft skin, just barely missing a nipple that hadn’t yet hardened.