Virginia laughed ruefully, shaking her head. "It's kind of a relief to know that I'm not going crazy. I never believed in love at first sight before."
"And now?" Dai breathed, drawing her close again.
"Now I believe in dragons. And you." She smiled up at him. "And us."
"If you really mean that, then there's something I'd like to do." He brushed her hair back from her face, still hardly able to believe that this was really happening. His inner dragon radiated smugness, mixed with both anticipation and a touch of exasperation that it had taken him so long to get to this point. "It's a sort of ritual that seals the mate bond."
Virginia's eyes brightened with interest at the word "ritual." "So your father raised you to be familiar with his culture? I'd love to—"
He bent to capture her mouth, cutting her off. He felt Virginia's lips curve under his own, then she kissed him back, abandoning her academic curiosity for now. His hands went to the front of her blouse. His inner dragon wanted to just rip it off, but he made himself take his time, kissing her with luxurious thoroughness as he carefully undid each tiny button. By the time he slid the garment off her lush shoulders, he was shaking with barely-controlled desire. His trembling fingers skimmed Virginia's glorious curves as he unfastened her bra and let it drop to the ground.
Virginia reached for the hem of his t-shirt, but he intercepted her hands. "Please, let me undress you first," he said, his voice so low it was almost a growl. "I want to do this right, and I won't be able to restrain myself long enough if you touch me."
Virginia nodded wordlessly. With the lightest of touches, he guided her down to the edge of the bed. He drew off her shoes and socks, his thumbs caressing the elegant arch of her instep as he did so. There was no graceful way to deal with the soaking wet jeans that clung to the ample curves of her legs; Virginia stifled a giggle, wriggling her hips to help him as he carefully worked the tight material down her thighs and calves. With the same slow deliberation, he slid her panties off as well.
Virginia ran her tongue over her upper lip. Never breaking eye contact, she leaned back on the bed, letting him feast his eyes on every inch of her.
"And now?" she said, her voice husky.
"Now I want to adorn you." Dai opened the cases as he spoke, filling his hands with gold and gems. "I want to adorn you, and adore you."
He straightened, turning back to offer her the very best of his hoard. "Virginia," he said formally. "I show you my hoard, so that you may judge whether I am worthy of you. Do my treasures please you? Will you accept me as your mate?"
She didn't hesitate for even a second. "I will."
Carefully, he fastened the torc around Virginia's neck. The gold gleamed against her dark skin, lovely and precious—but not as precious as her soft sigh of pleasure, or as lovely as the beat of her pulse in the soft hollow of her throat.
"My Virginia," he said hoarsely, crowning her with diamonds and draping her shoulders with pearls. She held perfectly still for him, allowing him to wind emeralds around her wrists and encircle her fingers with rings of gold and platinum. "My mate." He knelt to slip bangles over her feet, until she glittered from head to toe. He sat back on his heels, breathless at the sight of her, adorned like the goddess she was. "My greatest treasure."
He spread her thighs apart, bending his head to worship her with his tongue. She wound her fingers into his hair, wrapping her legs around him. He licked her with slow, circling strokes until her heels pressed deliciously into his back, her thighs clenching as she shuddered with pleasure.
"Dai," Virginia gasped, when she could speak again. "Oh, please." Her fists knotted in his T-shirt, urging him upward. "Please, I need you now."
He didn't need to be invited twice. Virginia lay back, watching him with desire-filled eyes as he stripped his own clothes off. The sight of her spread-eagled, undone with pleasure and gleaming with gold, drove him out of his mind with desire.
Virginia threw back her head, welcoming him with a wordless cry of ecstasy as he sheathed himself in her with one deep thrust. Her fingers raked down the dragon marks on his back, setting his blood aflame. He moved urgently in her, fast and hard, driven by her mounting moans and his own deep need. Her inner walls tightened around him.
"My mate," he gasped as he lost himself utterly. *My mate!*
And at last, she truly was.
***
"Dai," Virginia said hesitantly some time later, as they lay bonelessly together in the afterglow. "I feel...something strange, in my head."
*Hello,* he said down the mate-bond, and grinned as she jumped. He propped himself up on his elbows.
"Sorry," he said out loud. "I forgot to warn you."
"I didn't imagine that, then? I heard you in my mind?"
"It's a dragon thing. We can communicate mind-to-mind with other dragons, and some other types of shifters as well." He ran a finger over the torc around her neck. It had warmed to the exact temperature of her skin, as if the gold had become part of her. It was intensely erotic. "Now that you're truly my mate, in a way you're part dragon too. So I can send to you now."
He'd been concerned Virginia might find all this alarming, but her muscles stayed loose and relaxed underneath him. She hesitantly touched his forehead, a look of wonder in her eyes. "I think...I think I can sense how you're feeling."
"Well, I hope you don't need psychic powers for that." He turned his head to kiss the inside of her wrist. "But yes, the mate-bond gives us a sense of each other." The warmth of her mind was stronger than a summer sun. He wanted to lie there and bask in it forever. "You should be able to talk to me when you want, too."
*Why don't you try it?* Dai sent.