“Nina, I want to thank you for letting Ms. Patterson know about her grants first thing this morning.”

Colson paced as the older woman’s voice flowed from the speakerphone in his home office. He actively ignored the blinking light indicating new messages. Monday mornings were always busy.

“Yes, I know you and the others didn’t want the young lady waiting for funds to be released. Everyone made sure to do instant transfers with comments to alert her of their gifts post haste.”

“They did, did they?” Colson refused to give in to his curiosity by asking who all gave to Sabra.

“Yes, but my question to you is how did you know about my phone call? I left that message less than an hour ago?” Nina’s breath hissed through the connection as she paused to consider her own question. “Ah, I see. It’s so good to know that you do move fast when your heart’s treasure is at stake, don’t you young one?”

There was no way he’d admit to Nina that he’d been eavesdropping on Sabra’s voice messages without her knowledge. He’d let Sabra know about Dragon hearing soon enough. For now, he wanted to make sure Nina didn’t do anything squirrelly to make Sabra think she owed that school or Nina anything in return.

“I wanted to impress on you how serious I am about my instructions for my part of the grant and school donation. Ms. Patterson is not obligated to you, your school, or any other donors if my part is to be released. Any violations of my wishes revoke my gift to the school in addition to rescinding the grant offer.”

“Yes, Colson, don’t be so uptight. I’m fully aware of your conditions for the grant and school donation. There’s no way I’d put any of Ms. Patterson’s grant awards in jeopardy. I also like how you attempted to deflect my question. Please, honor an elder Dragoness’s request and answer—how did you find out about my call? Let me see…” She paused as if checking something he knew she didn’t need to. Dragon’s had an immaculate perception of time. “Yes, impressive indeed. It only took you twenty-seven minutes to call. I think I’ve found the key to getting you to respond to my calls and correspondences in the future. Now, tell me, dear,” she almost purred through the speaker.

“How I found out is no concern of yours. If you must know, Miss Patterson suffered a bad fall Friday night. I’ve been providing medical attention.”

“Have you, now?”

Colson didn’t like the disbelief coating Nina’s words. He wasn’t too green to take the bait to show his hand where Sabra was concerned either. This old Dragoness was sly and cunning. He was protective and passionate about keeping his relationship with Sabra to himself. He'd say nothing before Sabra was ready to move forward.

If Nina had the slightest hope, that her meddling brought he and Sabra together, their regional Dragon-shifter community would know by noon. Colson refused to become Nina’s most recent testimonial. She was always on the hunt for evidence about the effectiveness of her matchmaking.

“Colson, are you there, dear?” Nina asked.

“Yes, I’m here. I wanted to ask that you remember to keep my contribution anonymous. When you speak with Ms. Patterson.”

“Of course. I won’t say a word.”

There was something about the way Nina said that part that Colson didn’t like or trust. Oil slicks didn’t have a thing on Nina with how slippery she could be. She was the grand master of subterfuge when that old Dragoness had a mind to do what she wanted.

“Nina, I want you to give me your word and promise.”

Without hesitation, she said, “On my word, I promise not to divulge your name in conjunction with your grant.”

Leery satisfaction was all Colson could hope for with this one. He’d take what he got and move on.

“Thank you. That was the reason for the call. Thank you for taking it. I imagine your day is off to a busy start.” He slid into the small talk banter easily enough.

“Yes, as always. So, on that note, I’ll have to take my leave to attend to other pressing matters. And,” Nina paused. Colson heard her assistant’s voice in the background. “I will make sure to have Ms. Patterson’s contribution set up in a way that doesn’t lead back to you in any way.”

“Thank you,” was all Colson said as they ended the call.

Alone in his office, he took another whiff of his shirt to drink in Sabra’s fragrance. She’d made him leave to take a shower and dress. But not before he’d carried her into the shower with the promise to come back in a half-hour or so. Remembering how long it took for Sabra’s shower yesterday, Colson decided to extend the time to make sure she didn’t feel rushed.

With the call to Nina done, Colson punched the button to retrieve messages. He knocked out as much of the easy work as possible and breezed through their notes. Colson checked on recuperating clients and doled out tasks to his team of assistants. He finished and geared up for the big call.

He asked the digital voice assistant to call Bronwyn and waited. He shook his head preparing for the new antics his nigh sister had cooked up to commence. Colson took in a deep breath to make sure he achieved his top priority—make sure Ava got to school with no issues.

Five minutes into the call and Colson wanted to throw up his hands in frustration.

“Because she’s my daughter and I miss her.”

Bronwyn refused to back down. “All I’m saying is that I think you and Sabra need more time to bond before Ava comes back. Don’t you think it might be a bit much for Sabra to handle the whole Dragon-shifter thing and a kid? I’m just saying.”

Colson didn’t want to do this with Bronwyn. As far as his relationship with Sabra was concerned, it didn’t look all that promising. The woman was determined to leave him as soon as possible. He didn’t want to admit that Sabra wouldn’t be there when Ava got home and instead said, “No, it won’t be a problem having Ava here.”

“Okay, it’s your mating thrall, and I’ll trust your gut on this. What time do you want me to drop her off?”

“Wait, what? I’ll pick her up after school.”

Bronwyn let out a sigh, “Oh, sorry, forgot to tell you. I promised Ava we'd go to that accessory store all the young girls like for more bubble bath and a few other goodies. That was her treat if she went to bed on time each night.

“So, you’ve taken to bribing my kid now? Bronwyn, you can’t bribe a five-year-old to do what you want.”

“Why not, if it works?”

“Because she’ll grow up thinking all interactions are transactional. You know what? Never mind, I don’t want to have this conversation with you right now. I need to get back to Bria. She’ll be finishing up soon with her shower.”

“Ooh, how’s the mating going? Are you two—you know—bonded yet?”

“That’s both intrusive and none of your business.”

A deflated voice crawled back over the line. “So, that would be a no. Oh, Colson, what are we going to do with you? Mac has said he’ll be available to talk with you day or night. Just give him a call, will you?”

“That won’t be necessary.”

“So, you say, but hey, we’re all pulling for you.”

“Is that pity I hear?” he had to know. “I’ll have you know that unlike my brute of a cousin, I take time to get to know a lady before claiming her.”

“Of course, you do, Cole. I should have Ava home around six. Got to go—toodles!”

Colson heard his cousin’s voice in the background calling his wife as Bronwyn rushed him off the phone. She’d managed to do it again. The woman had kidnapped his daughter and dared him to do anything about it.

It wouldn’t be so bad if Ava hadn’t always been too busy playing with Uncle Mac to say more than a few words to him when he’d called over the weekend. Colson had never liked trying to have a conversation with a child over the phone but being dismissed by his own daughter for Mac had hurt a little.

He decided to take yet another loss from Bronwyn and headed back to check on Sabra. Once there, he remembered having a portable one-leg mobility scooter. He’d see if she could bear to have that much pressure on her leg and if so, have Sabra use that instead of the clunky crutches. The woman was hell-bent on getting out of here. She might as well do it rolling instead of limping.

Colson tuned into the other room to make sure Sabra was still okay. He heard her gentle humming and the shower. Colson found the never before used scooter. He worked to assemble it while he waited for Sabra to finish.

“Ugh!”

Splat!

The unmistakable sound of skin impacting water had him on his feet and through the bathroom door in a flash.

Sabra lay on her side in the shower, body covered in soap. He had her in his arms and then on his lap before she could process the change.

“Are you all right?” He checked her face and then moved his eyes down her naked body checking for injury or signs of blood from an external source.

After Sabra awakened earlier, Colson noticed that her menstrual flow had tapered off. She was at the end of its cycle. By his medical guesstimate, she’d have trace amounts for the next day or so, but her menses had run its course for the month.

Still stunned from the fast-moving sequence of events, Sabra blinked a few times. Once familiarity dawned in her eyes, she held his heart in her hand once more. He waited for her to give him a clue about her feeling about his intrusion.

The mist of the shower did its work as his clothes plastered themselves to his form.

“She was right,” Sabra mumbled in a breathy sigh.

He was close enough to watch her mouth form the words.

“Right about what?”

“About you.”

His breath stalled as Colson waited to see how this played out. He was holding her naked form on his lap on the floor of the shower.

Without a hint, prompt, or any other outward direction, Sabra reached up and caressed his beard. Colson relaxed some of his tension allowing himself to enjoy her unprovoked gesture.

He leaned into her touch, closed his eyes, and allowed his Dragon to feast on the feel of his mate. After a moment of basking in her show of what he hoped was affection, Colson chanced fate to open his eyes.

Big, bright, and expressive chocolate eyes watched him.

“You enjoyed that?” she asked as if confused about his response.

“Yes, I love your touch.” Throwing caution to the wind, he added, “I crave it.”

“You do?”

“Yes. I crave anything you wish to share with me.” Colson clamped his mouth shut as the tiniest microexpression of fear caused Sabra’s body to tense for the faintest moment.

When she relaxed and brought both hands up to hold his face between them, Colson wanted to launch a victory shout.

“What about this?” Her small hands trembled ever so as she expanded her boundaries.

At that moment, Colson knew it wasn’t her dislike for him but rather her inexperience with her own feelings. Dragon wisdom flew forward to give him direction in a flash.

Taking the lead, he covered one of her hands with his own and leaned into it even more. She smiled. His other hand circled around her back to position her closer on his lap. When her face winced from the discomfort, he placed that hand on the back of her injured thigh. He channeled another blast of healing power into the muscle willing it to heed his command to heal.

Sabra’s body relaxed more. To his surprise, she pulled his face down to hers and placed the softest hint of a kiss on his love-starved lips.

“Thank you, that feels good,” she whispered against his lips. Sabra bent her knee without the slightest sign of pain.

Colson didn’t stop the low rumble of pleasure that emanated from deep within his chest. It started from his heart and had no choice but to express itself in the presence of the object of its creation.

Dragon wisdom continued to direct him as he navigated their interaction.

“Bria.”

“Yes?” her voice was small and vulnerable.

“If I don’t step away from you now, I’ll do everything in my power to seduce you into my bed.”

“Would that be a bad thing?” she asked, clueless of his nature and what was happening to them.

“It would be if I didn’t make sure you understood what’s happening between us. I don’t want you to ever think I tried to trick you into this.”

“It’s okay,” she said, placing a fingertip to his lips. “We’re both consenting adults.”

Hearing her say she consented to sex did nothing to bolster his restraint—even if Dragon wisdom was at work.

“Bria, I want nothing more than to take you right here. There are too many things we need to discuss before moving in that direction.”

She attempted to lower her head as her hands fell away. There was no way Colson would allow his heart to retreat back into herself and away from him.

“No, please, don’t do that. Don’t shut me out,” he almost pleaded.

Warm mist rivulets ran down his body. The water made his clothing more cumbersome and uncomfortable by the second. Unable to stop his compulsion for a full range of motion, Colson slipped the soggy top off. He tossed it to the corner of the shower without a second glance.

Sabra looked at the shirt and then back to him and asked what he was doing through her eyes. His craving for skin-to-skin contact leaped forward. The opportunity to connect with his mate stared him in the face.

When he gently pulled her into the cradle of his arms, she launched no protest. Colson was about to settle into the bliss of holding his mate when she squirmed in his arms.

He hated to admit defeat but loosened his grip as she maneuvered about. Without a word, Sabra managed to position herself facing him. His cock twitched with want as her ass cheeks settled above. Only the wet fabric of his loose-fitting sweatpants and boxer briefs were barriers.

The more she fumbled to find a comfortable spot to sit, the harder his cock grew. So much for taking it slow and honoring the code of courtship. Colson closed his eyes and said a quick prayer for restraint. Sabra finally found her spot and settled down.

He held still as she brushed away the stray hair that always flopped in his face without hair pomade. It was the considerable cowlick that made the patch of hair grow in a spiral at the center of his forehead.

Enough water accumulated to plaster his hair to his skull. Colson didn’t care as long as Sabra wanted to stay here in his arms. She looked up to face him, said nothing, and pulled his head back down to hers.

This time he returned her affection with vigor as their lips met. His habit of keeping his emotions in check fell away. Unwilling to extinguish his Dragon's fire from enjoying this encounter, Colson loosened a daring amount of restraint.

His Dragon vibrated with joy with the increased bandwidth of emotional freedom.

Sabra responded in kind, opening up to him as his tongue invaded her warm and welcoming mouth. She pressed her body forward as his hands roamed and explored her soft skin. The mist aided his hands in their smooth glide over her body. Lost to anything but the magnetic pull of her presence, Colson’s hands climbed their way up to the twin summits that had taunted his dreams for days.

He wasn’t prepared for how warm, soft, and pillowy her ample breasts would be. The upturned nipples of her mounds greeted his touch with an answering hardening. The desire was too strong to deny as his thumbs made tight little circles over them in worship.

Sabra’s moan reverberated through him. Their kiss transformed into a meeting of comparable desire and need. Another flick of his thumb on one of her nipples resulted in a sensual rotation of Sabra’s hips. She moved in a slow grind—directly above his straining cock.

He had to stop this before it was too late. When their tongues met in a tangled battle for more, his growl of pleasure drowned out the background noise of the shower.

Stop now. You have to stop and let her know.

Inner Dragon wisdom tapped on his conscience more than a few times. Their bodies continued to meld together in tandem. When Sabra pulled back for a breath of air, Colson devoured the column of her neck with quick kisses. His trail ended in a well-placed nip along her shoulder.

Sabra bucked in startled arousal. Yes, he did love the rewards of knowing anatomy. Her answer was to push down and grind against his pants in a deep downward arching motion.

“Stop it, Bria, you’re killing me,” he managed to get out.

She continued to tune up his cock. His only saving grace was the tight confinement of his boxer briefs. The thin barrier was his last defense against his raging need to mate with her. Through his wet pants, her effect was evident. His member was turgid and ready to feel the warmth of her womanhood.

No, stop it now. Do what’s right by her. Stop now!

His mind shouted the command enough for him to stop in mid-lick back up the column of her delicious neck. It took a moment for his prospective mate to realize the action.

Hooded brown eyes, full of passion, captured his as she said, “Why’d you stop?”

It was now or never to be the Dragon he had to be.

“I—we need to discuss some things before moving forward.” He hurried to say his next words before she could cut him off. “There are some things you need to know about me before deciding to—do what we’re doing here,” he managed to get out.

She leveled a determined look at him and said, “If you’re referring to your daughter, Ava, I’m good with that. You’re a single father, I’m a single woman, let’s move past that to see where this strong chemistry between us goes. You already know I love and am good with kids, too.”

Taken aback from her pronouncement of knowing about Ava, the first thought that came to mind was—Bronwyn.

Fighting the irritation of having his private life discussed before he could get the chance, Colson tempered his tone. “So, I see Bronwyn told you about my daughter. Please, ask any questions you still have. I’ll answer anything you want to know.”

Sabra readjusted herself, attempting to move away from his lap. Instead of going with his desire to stay here in their current position, he helped her move and pushed another boost of healing energy into her thigh.

“Aw, thank you. So sweet,” she said easing herself to the spot next to him on the cool stone floor. “Now that I’m off of you, do you think you could help me up? I think a conversation like this needs to be had in a place where it won’t be so easy for me to jump you again.”

“Of course, and you did no jumping.”

She eyed him with a grin and nodded. Reaching up to accept his assistance, Colson marveled at how much taller he was with both of them standing.

Standing… She was standing?

“Bria, don’t put any weight on your leg.” He had to admit that he felt no pain sensors from her, and Bria didn’t look to be in any discomfort.

“Why not? I don’t feel anything. It’s like my leg is completely healed.”

“Trust me, it’s not.”

“I know. Bronwyn explained a little about your healing ability. She was right. The closer you are, the better I feel. I’ve got to admit, haven’t felt this good since before the fall.”

“I see,” was all Colson managed to get out as he continued to scan her body. “Just in case, let me help you out of here. Don’t want you taking another fall.”

He scooped her up in a bridal carry before Sabra had a chance to say anything to stop him.

“Whoa! Didn’t see that one coming. I’m heavy, you might want to put me down before we both fall.”

“You’re light as a feather to me. As for putting you down? Not until I have you safely back in bed.” He realized his slip immediately. “Let me rephrase that. I’ll take you back to the bed where you’ll be safe from another tumble.”

Sabra’s laugh pinged his heart in an unusual but good way. He’d have to unpack why the change later. For now, he wanted to get everything out in the open before she found a reason to shut him out again.

“How about you let me dry off and put some clothes on before we go back to bed,” she added an alluring wink to sell her meaning.

“Ah, I see you,” he joked. “As for clothes, looks like Bron did what she does best.”

“Which is?”

Colson didn’t miss the heightened curiosity in her voice.

“Bronwyn has a personal concierge business. She and her staff offer high-end and unique services.”

Sabra made a whistling sound. “Wow—impressive. I guess that explains how she was able to get all this stuff over here so fast. Her staff must be round the clock.”

“Yes, they are, but not for family. Bronwyn doesn’t allow any of them to do for her family. She says that’s her domain, and she’s adamant about it.”

He saw a wave of newfound admiration come over Sabra’s face at that news.

“It makes sense that she’d be so interested in coming over then, huh. Bronwyn told me you are her brother as far as she’s concerned.”

“Yes, and she’s my sister, but she can be a stubborn, spoiled little sister that makes me want to yell when she’s in her mood.”

“Her mood?” Sabra’s interest in Bronwyn held something more than met the eye.

“Yes,” he said, paying close attention to Sabra as he spoke, “Bronwyn has a gift.” There was no way Colson would betray Bronwyn’s heritage without her say so, unlike her. He continued, “She’s able to know who needs her help and how best to help them. Her business is thriving because of that particular quality.”

“Well, I guess I need to really thank her for her help, then.”

“I’m pretty sure she’s in her element, knowing that she did her thing where you’re concerned.”

“Yeah, but I might have not been as kind as normal.”

“Oh,” Colson had to remember to listen before drawing any conclusions. He knew that Bronwyn could needle a monk into murder if she had a mind to, so he’d cut Sabra some slack.

“Yeah, she and I had a few words. We sort of made up, but I didn’t really make it easy for her to be back here with me. Oh, and before I forget. Bronwyn didn’t tell me about your daughter. I remember hearing her name and put two and two together based on how y’all were acting earlier.”

“I see.” Colson mulled Sabra’s words over. The last thing he wanted was for there to be any bad blood between the two women. He wasn’t sure why it mattered so much, but it did. “Well, if you’re willing to stay and do some rehab work with me, you’ll get another chance to have your say later today.”

He hoped that the casual invitation to stay embedded itself in Sabra’s intentions. Colson wanted his words to work on convincing her to remain here with him.

“Sure thing. It’s not like I have work to get to either.” She finished toweling off and tossed it to Colson. “Please dry off and change into some dry clothes. I can’t have my personal healer getting sick on me, now can I?”

“I don’t get sick, not like you would, but I’ll dry and dress after I make sure you can move around.” He ran out of the bathroom before she could speak and returned with the assembled scooter. “I remembered I had this. I want you to try it out. You’ll be able to put your knee on this padding and use the gears to help you maneuver. That way you won't have to put so much strain on your shoulders with crutches.”

Too occupied demonstrating the scooter, Colson didn’t track Sabra’s movements. He felt her body against his from behind. Her arms encircled his waist, and her head rested on the middle of his back.

“Thank you. Thank you so much for everything you’ve done for me. I realize how much of a difficult brat I’ve been to you and Bronwyn. Cole, I just want to say that I really appreciate you and how you’ve taken excellent care of me. I don’t know how I’ll ever be able to return this huge act of kind generosity, but I’ll make every effort.”

This had to be the definition of happiness, besides the joy of parenthood. Colson took a moment to drink in the sensation of his mate initiating another act of affection for him. His chest puffed out a little at the idea that he might be able to win her over after all. She’d already been cool about Ava, maybe he could move up his timetable for the Dragon reveal as well.

Yes, give her a few weeks, and he’d have her prepared to reveal the rest of his secret.

Her voice cut into his musings.

“What ‘cha thinking about? Me, I hope.”

“Of course. All good things, too.”

“Whew, when you dazed out on me, I didn’t know if I’d done something to freak you out.”

He placed a hand over hers as Sabra continued to hug him from behind. More of this and they’d be right back in the midst of the mating thrall’s pull to consummate. Colson took in a steadying breath and punched down his primal needs to do right by his mate.

With much enthusiasm, he said, “You could never freak me out.”

Colson pushed back a thought. There was a strong possibility that the freaking out would be the other way around. “How about we get you dressed, fed, and ready to start your rehab session.”