“Come here.”

His eyes drank in the sight of her as Sabra’s graceful moves freed her from the tangled sheets. “I couldn’t get back here to you fast enough.”

“Except to get those flowers, right?”

“Those were a must. You love pleasant fragrances, and I love you, so…” he trailed off acknowledging the freedom of his truth as it left his mouth.

Sabra’s soft warmth shone in her dazzling smile.

“You said it. You said I love you,” she marveled as if it was a rare jewel.

“That I love you?” he paused. His mind raced to search for all the times he’d confessed his feelings about his mate. Returning none, save the one he’d just casually said, a wave of contrition swept over him. “Oh, my love, I realize all the times I’ve professed my love to you have been locked in the confines of my own counsel.”

“Huh,” the look of confusion cast a furrowed brow as Sabra waded through his meaning. “I don’t understand.” She sat back down on the bed in thought.

Colson didn’t want her vibe to cool down. Quick words of explanation tumbled out of his mouth, “What I’m saying is that I’ve always said I love you, only it was in my head and heart and not to you.”

“Aw,” she smiled and blushed.

He wouldn’t let himself off the hook so quickly. “No, I failed you in my attempt to woo and win your heart. I’m making amends this instant. Bria, my love, my love for you is incomparable. There’s nothing I won’t do or be to make certain you always know my love for you.” His Dragon stirred at the emotional depths of his words, imbuing his next words with humility and inclusion. “Teach me when I get it wrong. I don’t profess to be omniscient. I’ll mess things up from time to time, but I submit to you for guidance. We’re equal in our mating in every way.”

Her mouth moved, but no sound came out. Not even his Dragon senses could make out what she said. Instinct took over to drive him beneath their surface-dwelling to find her emotional resonance. There he saw the direction of what to say next. He’d make sure she understood how far and what he’d do to never slight her over knowing his love again.

Voicing his words to put into effect his vow in every dimension, Cole pronounced his intentions with the confidence of a gladiator in victory. “Sabra Patterson, let it be known in all ways that I plan to make it my highest goal to master my skills in loving you so that your sorrows and past hurts are forced to rewrite themselves with happy endings.”

“Well, damn,” she mumbled, “and I’ll I got you was…” Sabra looked and with a shrug admitted, “I’ve got nothing.”

“You’ve got it all, including me. From the first moment I sensed your nearness, I knew. I knew that nothing would ever be the same for me. I’d found my greatest treasure—you.”

“I’m not a—”

“Let me rephrase that. In Dragon culture, our Goddess-blessed mates are considered our greatest treasures. That’s not to say I consider you as an object. Please, take no offense. I don’t mean that at all.”

“Wow, okay.” Stunned would be the word he’d choose to describe the look on her face.

“What’s wrong? Did I do something to offend you?” Colson’s exuberant energy from the moment before waned to just above cautiously optimistic.

Her smile returned.

“How do I put this without it coming off the wrong way?”

“By saying it. I’m able to handle whatever you say. I’m willing to do whatever it takes to win you over as my mate.”

“That’s what I’m talking about,” she insisted. “Colson, love of mine as well, I wasn’t going that way with my thoughts. You know, with the thinking you were calling me an object. I was saying that I’m not a demanding person. Actually, when it comes to this whole mating and love thing, I’m easy.”

She inched a little closer and placed a hand on his thigh. “You don’t have to change anything about you. I don’t require all that stuff you think I do. I want us to grow together without all the lofty goals and heights of perfection you envision us having to achieve to have a great mating. It’s all good with me the way you are. I say we do this day by day.”

“I still expect you to honor our union with a Dragon commitment ceremony.”

“Yes, of course, I’m not backing out of anything. I’m taking you up on the whole equal thing to make sure we don’t fall into the trap of setting unrealistic expectations of what it means to be in love and mated.”

“Now I’m confused. What did I say or do to make you think I’m unrealistic?”

“Hmm… I don’t know how to say it without it sounding mean.”

Colson wanted to return to their mating. All this talking spelled delay in his book. “Say it plainly. I’ll listen, take what you say into consideration, and we can get back to our joining.”

“Deal.” Sabra cleared her throat and did just that. “I suggest that you bring your promises of what you plan to do through loving me down a few notches. As we like to say where I come from—you’re doing the most,” she paused as if searching for more words. Seemingly unable to find what she looked for, Sabra continued this time with a softness to her voice. “Yeah, that’s what I mean. Cole, bae, we don’t need all the gallantry and knight in shining armor stuff. I propose that instead of mastering your profound love skills, we concentrate on loving each other daily in the best way we can with what we’ve got at that time. We’ll do this while allowing ourselves to experience our true feelings. No grinning and bearing nothing. We keep it real with each other. If I mess up, I own it, we work through it, and vice versa. I don’t want this turning into some cruel mashup of a Disney Princess movie meets a Lifetime Channel special. That would be the worst ever Ground Hog day curse for me.”

“Well said, full of wisdom, and accepted.” His chuckle rose to the surface as he considered the last part of her statement.

“Why are you laughing? We’re having a serious moment here.”

“I know and respect that, but you have to realize you took movies from genres each of us in this household would watch and masterfully mixed them, don’t you? You also showed how over-the-top my macho statement came off. You’re right, mate,” he admitted. “I’ll tone it down and do this with you day by day. That’s why you’re the best mate for me. You’ll pull me back from ‘doing the most’ as you said.”

“Thank you. Don’t worry, I only know how to spot it because that’s my wheelhouse too. We’ll have to help each other out on that.” She allowed a slight chuckle out as well as Sabra looked over to the vase of flowers. “You’re way ahead on the love show-off tip. Look at those beauties. They smell so good and yummy. You really did your thing on them. See, look at you. You’re already starting to know what I love. Thank you for the flowers, too. They’re beautiful and smell amazing. How did you know I love the smell of flowers anyway? I don’t remember telling you about my favorites, yet most of them seem to be here.” Sabra took another glance at the many flowers poking out of the overflowing bouquet.

Shame clouded his thrill at hearing her praise. He had to fess up. “I can’t take the credit for that. It was Danny who helped me realize your love of aromatics.” His head drooped a bit. A Dragon being shone up by a fucking wolf was embarrassing. Still, he soldiered on, determined to keep his honor as a Dragon by being transparent to his mate. “I knew you were a perfumer by training when we met and still missed that essential part of your make up.”

“Look at me and stop being such a melodramatic Dragon. I think I now understand what Bronwyn meant when she said her husband was exuberant.”

“It is the Dragon’s way to be ‘doing the most.’”

“You’re not going to let that one go, are you?”

“No, it’s too perfect to describe us. I’ll own it.”

“See, this attitude is another reason why I’m going to enjoy our mating. You might go out there far, but you come back to shore fast and don’t take yourself too seriously while doing it. Danny might have got the scent thing, but I know I see flowers that he’d never have known I like. Like those peonies.” She investigated the flowers more. “Ooh come through with it then. I see you with the Snapdragons in here. Cole, you did your thing with this bouquet for sure!”

Bolstered by her compliment, his chest poked back out. “Yes, it was all me on the flower selection.”

“It doesn’t matter because you know what fragrance I love the most?”

“What’s that? Say it, and I’ll make sure you have it here today.”

“Already got it—you. I love your scent the most.”

Whatever he was about to say vanished as Sabra placed his arm on her hip and leaned back onto the bed. Colson followed making sure to support his weight as not to smother her.

Laying on his side, Colson took his time savoring the moment with his mate. Feminine, smoldering, and oh so sweet heat greeted his fingers as they traced a fanciful line down the length of her torso. Her taut skin blushed in welcome to his roaming caress. Colson marveled and drank in the sight of Sabra’s body boasting the warm-hued sigh of arousal. Pleased with how sensitive she was to his physical stimulation, Colson drew closer to place light kisses along the path his fingers had forged.

“That feels so good,” she breathed through the slight tremble her body made to accommodate the influx of stimuli.

Colson allowed his body to initiate his movements with a comfort he’d never experienced with any other sexual encounter. Sabra’s facial features relaxed to allow the lazy haze of pleasure to deepen her grin.

His voice quivered ever so at the wonder of the gift of mating she offered. Colson’s appreciation for his mate mounted as Sabra arched into his touch as if begging for more.

“I love how well your body responds to mine,” he almost whispered to himself. “We’re truly well met.”

Sabra slinked closer as his body synched to match hers in frequency and vibration. The thump of her heartbeat sounded within his own as the mating thrall wove a solid cocoon around the pair. Silky tendrils of sensation flowered to embraced them as its cinched them closer together.

When their chests met in the initial skin-to-skin contact, a very noticeable spark of power sizzled and skittered across his awareness.

“Did you feel that?” she asked.

“It happened to you too?”

“Yeah. If I didn’t know before, there’s no doubt this is meant to be.”

Colson allowed the last bit of worry that Sabra might have a change of heart to evaporate at hearing her words. Morning sunlight frolicked as its beams pirouetted and trickled into the room. The large windows that stood sentry along the exterior wall happily admitted the Sun’s rays into the room. Never had he considered the bountiful way the beams cast the room in beautiful hues of warmth and joy. Nude before him, Sabra’s body glistened as the sun’s rays played with the slopes, swell and fall of her abundant curves.

“You’re so beautiful, my love.”

The way his words hummed with excitement was enough to pull both of them farther into a private space cordoned off from the world. The atmosphere swelled with anticipatory electricity as if waiting to witness their next moves.

Colson’s energy poured forth into Sabra as her essence received and transformed it into more of everything he loved and needed from his mate. Together they produced enough fuel to power their growing bonds. His Dragon pressed close, just beneath his skin to enjoy the phenomenon. Sabra was the epitome of joy and happiness made manifest.

His greatest treasure laid bare before him, ready to join forever with him—him.

He couldn’t help but stop to do a scan of her body. No pain points were detected, but he asked to make sure. “How’s your leg? Any pain that you’re aware of?”

Sabra smiled and batted eyes full of what he’d come to know as love. “Nope, but you already know that. And, I’m off my period as well. It’s looking like we’re batting two for two.”

His lungs filled with the scent of her, Colson dove in to conduct a proper exploration of her offered body. When their lips met, his hunger flared to an almost blinding need to feast at her altar of love.

Sabra’s tongue swirled, keeping in perfect step with his. Colson tasted and sucked her full, ripe lips, taking his time to give attention to them like never before. She tasted as sweet and addictive as her scent. Each time his child had remarked on how good Sabra smelled he wanted to shout Amen. Her unique makeup delighted and aroused him and his Dragon like nothing else.

His lips pressed against the warm, soft skin of the column of her throat. Sabra’s pulse quickened as he blew hot kisses and placed tiny nips here and there. In the dip of her collarbone, he took time to appreciate how well met their body chemistry matched. Nipping and biting the spot, his mate arched in for more. His senses reacted to the rush and flow of blood and life-force that swirled within her rushing to meet his probing lips.

“Why does that feel so different—like nothing I’ve experienced before?” she mumbled.

Too engrossed in the moment to answer, he gave attention to the pressure point area a little longer before moving to one of his favorite places. This time Colson used the tip of his tongue to explore as her taut nipple strained and hardened beneath its flick. The more he sucked and pulled, the more their arousal rose together. The fleshy mound, large and round, fit perfectly in his large hand. As if custom-made for his hands alone, her breasts welcomed his touch and rewarded him with their bountiful blessing of pillowy softness.

Overcome with their seductive draw, Colson dug his face in between and pressed the mammary glands together. Before Sabra, he’d never understood the obsession for breasts. Now that his mate boasted them in abundance, he couldn’t get enough.

Her giggle floated to his hearing from afar as Colson realized he’d moved into an area where only he could enjoy. Pulling his head up to capture her gaze, he could only imagine how punch-drunk on her body he must seem.

“You seem to really be enjoying yourself,” she laughed.

“Yes, but now isn’t the time to be selfish. Just promise not to use these as torture, punishment, or teasing now that you’ve witnessed their power over me,” he begged referring to her breasts.

“I’ll take it under consideration.”

Sabra ran fingers through his hair, and he almost lost it.

“Oh, Goddess, do that again,” he found himself asking. “Your fingers feel so good against my scalp.”

She continued, using some sort of massage wizardry to render him a cross-eyed slave to her touch.

“That’s because you have so much hair that sunlight and proper stimulation is harder for you to achieve. From what I’ve seen with you and Ava, I’m going to incorporate ongoing scalp massages into your schedules.”

“Yes, oh yes, please.” He didn’t care that he sounded like a content dog having his spot scratched, his woman had the fingers of a divine being as far as he was concerned.

Realizing that she was doing most of the giving in their pleasure exchange, Colson returned his focus to finding mutually beneficial ways to explore her body and prepare her for their mating.

His lips continued to take in her body in a trail that led down to her mound. Without saying another word, Colson took in a deep inhale to feast on the delicious aroma of her sex. Refraining from diving in like an undisciplined teenager, he determined to finesse and arouse her nature until her womanhood wept with want for him to enter.

Instincts born of countless generations of Dragons coalesced to funnel their knowledge and intuition into and through him. His mating with Sabra was sacred, spiritual, and physical. It demanded his respect, attention, and honor, but most of all his patience to make sure her needs were met before his own.

The first lick of her lower lips had Sabra’s thighs squeezed against his ears. Colson grinned in spite of his determination to be reverential. Her body hummed with growing sexual energy— energy he would tap into to place his seed deep within her waiting womb. Over and over Colson edged his mate’s sensitivity to his touch. He took his time to lavish her lower lips with attention making sure she was ready to receive his fullness when the time came.

Sabra wiggled and writhed as the tip of his tongue found her pearl. With flicks fast and concentrated, he focused on heightening her pleasure transmitters to a fever pitch.

“Oh God, I can’t, hold up, I think I have to pee.”

“Pee then,” was all he could manage to get out not willing to release her from his sexual enticement.

Her fingers sought purchase in his hair, pulling and tugging as she fought to contain her mounting climax. To his delight, her fingers stroking his hair continued to feel good, better even with her rougher treatment. Evidently, Colson liked his scalp addressed with a little bit of force.

“I can’t, too much. I—oh no!” she squealed as he pressed a finger into her wet channel.

Sabra came up off the bed and attempted to push him away. Colson easily pushed her back down with one hand to finish his task. When he employed a second finger to the first and kept them in time with the movement of his tongue, she let out a yelp, began to tremble and came.

Her pungent sweet nectar spewed forth, giving him the added knowledge of how well she responded to his touch. Colson didn’t wait before running the sides of his beard and face along the insides of her thighs. Knowing this area of skin to be very sensitive, he allowed the texture of his beard to prolong the impact of her orgasm.

“What are you doing to me?” she breathed as her body continued to churn through the overload of sensory inputs assailing it.

“I’m preparing your body to receive me with the greatest amount of ease. The last thing I want is to cause you any pain when we join.”

“Yes, I want that—you know. I want you so bad,” she moaned in a mixture of passion and longing.

“You’ll have me soon enough.” He promised.

Colson pushed her legs open wider, paying attention to any spikes in pain from her body. When he was sure there were none, Colson moved to sit back on his haunches while pulling his mates hips up his thighs for a better position.

He took a moment to revel in how wet her pussy was and how it clenched and opened in a tantalizing invite for him to plunge himself deep inside. Taking his cock in hand, Colson ran the tip up and along her slit and allowed a shudder of excitement to rocket through his body.

Sabra was so warm and wet, he could barely contain himself from ramming into her the full length of his member. She bucked and rotated her hips in the most beautiful sight he’d ever beheld. The tip of his cock wept for lack of submersion into her waiting pussy.

He had to take this slow to make sure she enjoyed their mating as much as he did. The air grew still, and the sunlight froze in waiting as Colson positioned the head of his cock at her entrance and thrust forward.

She whimpered ever so faintly as he felt the walls of her tight channel resist. Colson withdrew again and took in the sight of the entrance to her vagina contract and release in the primal rhythm of the ages. Once more, he pulled her hips up against his thighs until her full ass cheeks rested in the dip of his opened legs. With a breath to remain controlled, Colson guided his now rock-hard cock into her waiting pussy, making sure to push deep and quick.

Sabra’s pussy seized around him as her body began to make adjustments to accommodate his length and girth. He held still for a moment to allow her to stretch a little more. Colson wasn’t ready for when her hips began to swivel and gyrate around him.

Too aroused to deny her anything, he anchored hands on her well-rounded hips and began to thrust into her willing body. Her soft sigh was the feedback he needed to increase his range of motion. More and more, he pressed his advance loving how well her body received him. It wasn’t his goal to press his full length in, but when she bucked and pushed forward to take more of him in on her own, his beast growled in satisfaction, urging him onward.

Positioning her lower body back on the bed, he took advantage of the new position’s leverage to increase the depth of his thrusts even more. Sabra welcomed him into her hot body with gusto, keeping in time to meet each of his quickening thrusts.

Her body was the realization of his best desires, wants, and dreams, yet he wanted more and more. Onward he dove into deeper depths of her silky yet tight core. Relieved that her injury remained calm, Colson chanced moving her to her side to continue his exploration of her womanhood. When her response was more coos of pleasure, he re-entered her body with force, determined to have all that her sweet body offered.

“F-u-c-k,” she moaned low and slow as her body clenched down on his engorged cock.

The sensation of her internal contractions about his shaft upped Colson’s pleasure by too many iterations to measure. She was unbelievable in her capacity to arouse and satisfy his thirst.

Gorging himself on the steady stream of sexual nourishment, Sabra willingly provided, Colson’s body rebounded in ways he hadn’t realized had been that depleted. His senses grew even more enhanced as a new level of awareness unlocked.

His mounting climax whispered its impending arrival as Colson began to sense the benefits and effects of joining with his mate. His sensation became less about him and more about them. Her pleasure senses bloomed in his being to express themselves. She was about to tip over into pain if he didn’t do what he could to pull her back. Too much of the infernal fire of the power of their mating thrall could ignite searing pain throughout her body.

He dared to implore his Dragon to give him the knowledge to lessen the intensity of her awakening. Still unable to stop his thirst and hunger for her and in turn stop their lovemaking, Colson grabbed hold of the images his Dragon broadcast and acted on them quickly.

With the newly gained knowledge, what felt best for her was far from what he’d been doing thus far. Taking this new knowledge into consideration, Colson returned his mate to her back and placed a pillow under her ass to elevate her to the right angle. She watched in anticipatory silence with eyes full of dark passion, arousal, and a bit of pain. The latter hurt him to know she was to endure even more before their joining would be completed.

Satisfied with the angle of her pussy and knowing it to be on par with the perfect angle for a proper medical examination of that region, Colson snatched another quick scan to make sure he stayed in tune with what would explode her pleasure. Like the petals of the flowers nearby, the essence of the answer floated into his senses and enlightened him on what to do next.

He placed both of her legs against his chest, keeping them tight and close enough for her small feet to brush against his ears. Knowing her body well enough to proceed, he ran the tip of his cock along her wet seam and played with her swollen pearl long enough to bring her levels up to match his.

They would climax together while he released his seed deep into her womb.