Anya sucked in a deep breath of the waterfront air while she sat on the small dock. She closed her eyes and looked for the bond that tied her to Luc in the darkness of her mind. It felt a little like what she thought meditation should feel like, a concept she’d never found the time to try. But, the bond wasn’t a tangible string she could grab with her hands. It wasn’t even something she could visualize. It was more like a note that sang in her mind when Luc was near, a vibration that jumped across her skin and ended with a chord that moved through her.

As if to prove its point, Luc appeared. Her eyes were still closed, but she knew it was him from the feeling that touched her skin. It was almost as if the sun was shining from his direction. As he moved up and down the bank of the lake, pacing like he often did, the feeling followed him.

That was the bond. That was the thing that tied the two of them together, fate’s pinky string. Slowly, Anya opened her eyes. Luc was pacing while talking to himself. Anya raised an eyebrow and had to stifle a laugh. This caught his attention and he stuttered to a halt.

“What are you doing?”

He pressed his lips together and turned his whole body toward her. This was a talk. Not a conversation, but a talk. Anya could tell from the look on his face, from the way he’d been pacing. Something was bothering him.

She opened her mouth to explain, but he cut her off.

“I know there is a mate bond between us,” Luc began. He wouldn’t look at her. His eyes were on everything but her. “I know how that feels, especially when we’ve been cooped up in this house together for a while. It’s a magnetic pull that keeps tugging us together. I understand why the past several days have been the… way they’ve been.

“What I’m trying to say is that you have the option to deny this bond… if that’s what you want. Just tell me once and for all. If you do, I’ll leave. I’ll take the information we get today and I’ll get out of your life forever. You can finish your degree. You can move to DC and still do all of the things you’ve ever wanted to do.

“But…” Luc paused. He stopped pacing and his eyes finally met hers. “If you are willing to take this bond, I’ll follow you to the ends of the earth. I’ll follow you while you finish your degree. I’ll stand by you while you scream your convictions to the world. I’m yours if only you’ll have me.”

Anya’s heart soared. It launched itself into her throat while her eyes watered.

Luc went on. “I know why you’ve tried keeping your distance. A dragon doesn’t fit into the life you already have. I mean, having a GOE agent and a dragon at the dinner table for Christmas dinners is just inviting trouble for the holidays. I get that…”

Luc didn’t have a chance to finish. Anya closed the space between them, threw her arms around his neck, and captured his mouth with her own. His words were lost when her tongue swept past his lips. He gave a small sound of surprise, but quickly recovered and pulled her into his arms.

Together, they sank to the dock. Luc balanced his weight above her before breaking away from the kiss. His gaze met hers, a question in his dark eyes. Anya raised a hand to smooth away the furrow in his brow.

“I’ve been an idiot, like usual,” she whispered to him. “I am yours, from here on out and for however long we live.”

Luc sucked in a breath. Joy lit up his face. It was an expression that made Anya’s own heart light. Then, the smirk touched his lips. Luc’s hands gripped her waist right before he lurched into a roll. Together, they splashed into the water.

Anya let out a cry of laughter. Luc held her above the water long enough for her to wrap her legs around his waist. His lips left a trail of kisses up her wet neck before he pulled back to let his gaze drop over her wet body. His hands held her to him, one hand lowering to cup her ass.

Luc leaned in, his lips brushing her ear. “I want to be inside of you.”

Anya felt things inside of her tighten in anticipation. Her legs tightened around him until she could feel exactly what he meant. The hem of her skirt was floating above her waist, so when she rubbed against him small shocks of pleasure rocketed through her. Her hips rocked, grinding against it until his hands tightened on her waist. Luc let out a small growl, his eyes glazing over.

She glanced back, catching glimpses of the cottage through the trees. The cottage was still full of dragons. She didn’t want to go back there, where others would hear them. No, that wouldn’t do.

She leaned in to kiss Luc again, her teeth tugging at his lower lip. “Take me here,” she whispered into his mouth.

Luc’s hands gripped her hips and rocked her center against his groin. Anya’s head fell back. It was like nothing she’d experienced before. She’d had casual sex. She’s made love with long term boyfriends. None of that compared to the fireworks going off inside her at that moment. Luc wasn’t even inside of her yet. She didn’t know if she could handle the sensations of sex if this was what being with a dragon was like.

Luc gripped the back of her head and brought her mouth back to his. This time, his tongue explored her mouth the way his cock would soon explore her. It delved deep, with long, luxurious strokes.

Anya could barely handle it anymore. Her arm slipped between them while his kisses reached lower and lower, down her neck and across her chest. She fumbled with the button of his jeans in the water until they popped free and she could reach past the waistband. His need was hard and ready. It sprang free in the water.

His tip pressed against her opening, rubbing and teasing. Anya laughed, a release of need more than one of humor. She prayed that no one in the cottage could see them as his tip slid past her opening. She let out a small cry and shuddered against him. Luc held the small of her back and waited for her to adjust.

Luc filled her in a way she’d never known before. It seemed as if he took up every inch of available space inside her until the two of them mingled as one. Slowly, she started rocking her hips. Each tiny thrust sent a small shudder through her body. Her head fell back and her eyes drifted closed as sensation overcame her.

Luc growled against the skin of her breasts when his head dipped over her. His teeth grazed her flesh and her lips parted. Shockwaves erupted from the tiny bites, the feeling echoed in her core.

This was what life was meant to be. It was the perfect union of body and soul, she thought. It was everything life should have promised, everything her life had led up to. Her nails dug into his shoulders as she gripped him, as she rode him.

His hand dipped between their bodies and his fingertips found the space between her legs. His touch began with slow, lazy circles in time with her thrusts, guiding her pace until it became frenzied with need. The pressure was building inside of her. It became heavy and unbearable. She stood on the brink of explosion.

Luc’s nose grazed the skin of her neck, leaving a trail of sensation up to her ear where he could whisper to her. “I will follow you no matter where you lead me.”

Anya felt the dam of pleasure burst. She smothered her cry into Luc’s chest while her opening spasmed around him. His growls only made her own orgasm stronger. The sensation sent bolts of white, hot light through her body. Her legs tightened around him as if she could linger in the sensation forever if she refused to move.

Eventually, Luc started pumping into her again. His thrusts were slow and easy at first, then it became evident that he was losing control. His thrusts became harder, filled with need. His fingers kneaded the soft flesh of her ass while her nails dug into the skin of his shoulders.

Each thrust sent an aftershock through her until she could no longer think straight. She felt the heavy dam starting to fill again. That had never happened before. She bit her lip, trying to hold on to the coming of the second orgasm. She clenched around Luc’s cock and earned a small groan from him.

His hand rose to claim her face. He pulled her in for a crashing kiss just as his orgasm overtook him. His spasmed inside of her and broke the second dam. Anya couldn’t hold back her cry this time. She let it out as the water around them wavered and birds burst from the trees.

It ended with a small, embarrassed laugh. Never before had a lover brought her more than once during sex. Heck, she was often lucky if she was able to orgasm once. Here was a dragon man who not only gave her one earth shattering orgasm, but two.

Slowly, she slid off his cock and bounced on her own two feet in the water. Her legs were jelly and the water kept her from completely falling over. It seemed Luc couldn’t bear to have her out of his arms as he reached for her again. Anya danced away from his fingertips with a laugh.

She pushed out into the water, swimming away from him with a smile. She couldn’t wipe it off her face. While other women were struggling through the dating scene, wondering if the man smiling across the bar was a potential boyfriend or a predator, Anya had found a mate. Luc was bound to her in the way she was bound to him. They were made for each other, the bright light to shine in the other’s darkness.

Anya floated on her back over the lake water. Luc ducked beneath the water’s surface and disappeared completely. Anya took notice, one eyebrow raised, right before he emerged beside her. His arms wrapped around her middle as the water of his splash rained down around them.

Life didn’t have to be as hard as she was making it. Anya liked to argue and debating, holding firm to what she believed. But, sometimes, she had to let go of what she thought was right in order to see things the way they actually were. The universe had put her and Luc together for a reason.

They were meant to be.