“I see what you’re thinking of doing from here,” Colson paused for comedic effect and added, “don’t do it.”

“Do what?” expressive dark chocolate eyes simultaneously challenged and held him in her unwitting web.

“Wait, let me help you.” He flexed a dress-shirt clad bicep for emphasis. “Don’t let all this muscle go to waste.” The light tease trailed off in more throaty sensuality than he intended. Colson prayed she didn’t think he was a bragging jerk with the muscle comment. He launched a fake cough for cover.

She didn’t even spare a second glance his way. Instead, Sabra kept stuffing things into a large cardboard box. She spoke, not breaking her movements. “You are helping—a lot. More than I could have hoped for.”

Colson couldn’t tear his eyes away from her plump lips but managed to discern her words. “You’re not fooling anyone,” he said just above a whisper.

“Why, whatever do you mean?” This time she did look up, and the result rendered him speechless. Her open facial expression gave him a glimpse of an unguarded Bria. He wanted more of that—way more. The sweet softness she applied to her question enticed him to come closer.

Stay back.

He couldn’t tempt his resolve, or they’d be mated before she had a chance to realize the thrall weaving itself around them. His Dragon had never been easy to deny. Unlike Ava’s mother who was a good friend who’d been there at a time of weakness, Sabra was his mate—his.

She deserved to know everything before he made any overtures. Matings were powerful, binding, and intensely sensual. When a Dragon found his true mate, all it took was one sexual interaction, just one, and the deed would be done.

Ava’s easy conception during a one-night tryst added to the probability that a true mating would produce offspring on the first encounter.

“I mean to make sure you don’t try to take down that unit by yourself.”

Instead of snatching her up into his arms, he kept a safe distance. Everything she did held his interest. Currently, she fussed with an oddly shaped item that refused to fit into the box. A hearty chuckle escaped as he continued to watch the entertainment. Sabra stopped and looked up forcing her eyes over to him, and not the large shelving unit he’d emptied.

“Why not? You’re not the boss of me. Don’t you know by now I do what I want?”

Ah, so she had spunk. Sabra’s quick comeback coupled with her uniquely exotic features made his cock ache with desire.

She’d threatened to start taking the large shelving unit apart a few times already. He’d seen her eye the rickety shelving unit again and couldn’t stop himself from saying something about her intentions.

Colson doubted she could tell that he could hear her throaty mumblings. Her little habit of talking to herself was a charming quirk. The bonus for him was that her mumbles were both endearing and educational.

When he didn’t respond in enough time for her liking, she added, “Why do you think you know what I’m thinking?”

Because I can hear you plain as now. You’ll learn about Dragon hearing soon enough, my heart’s treasure.

Colson pushed down the carnal need to reach for her in a connecting touch. Instead, he focused on vocally explaining himself. “I see how you keep looking at that large shelving unit over there.”

Her arms crossed accentuating full breasts under the thick fleece material, “And?”

Her mood was on the verge of souring. He had to tread lightly while not bruising her independence. “And,” he stressed the word to mimic hers. “What I’m asking is for you to wait until I move this group of boxes. I’ll tackle that shelf while you make headway on the items over there.” He pointed to a group of faceless dummy heads and other lighter equipment he was sure she used in her trade.

She wasn’t convinced.

“Please?” he asked of the woman he now knew as Bria to her family and close friends. When she didn’t seem to want to relent, he lowered and softened his voice like he did when trying to get Ava down for bed, “Please, Bria? Use me to move the heavy, no-brainer stuff while you figure out how we’ll pack up the more intricate and expensive items over there.”

Bria. He liked how the name flowed over his lips.

He’d made progress to get to use that name. Colson and his Dragon wanted more, much more. Greedy bastard he might be, but this woman revealed more curiosities to be explored by the minute.

“I’ve got it,” she waved him off. “Can’t have you doing all the tough stuff.”

“I assure you, it’s not a problem. I enjoy working with my hands.”

“You don’t say,” he heard her say under her breath.

Another something to like about her. Bria had an interesting private monologue that was funny and sexy. By the things she’d said under her breath, he was confident that she’d never had to deal with Dragon hearing before. A good thing was he knew she liked his beard. That was such a huge plus in his book.

“This one is ready to move,” she motioned to a newly filled box. As for that shelf, it’s lightweight, and I can move it.” A smile beautiful enough to make him agree to just about anything spread across her face. “Trust me, there’s plenty more to do here, and you’ve already done so much. We’re only an hour in, and you’ve managed to do what I couldn’t in an entire day.”

It helps that your atelier isn’t large.”

“My what?”

From her tone, he paused hoping he hadn’t offended her. “I meant no harm. It’s just that your studio is quaint and inviting.”

“No, go back to that big word you used. What is an at all yay?”

“Oh, you mean an atelier?” He smiled, loving the way her interest in him soothed his Dragon. “That’s another word for an artist or designer’s workshop or studio.”

“Hmm,” she appeared to ruminate on the words for a moment. “I like it. Never heard the word before but we can call this my atelier for the few remaining hours I have it.”

“Noted.” He’d asked so many questions already but Colson’s desire to know everything about his potential mate was insatiable. “Where are you planning to move? A larger space? Looks like you’ve almost outgrown this one.”

The smile on her face deflated and he wanted to kick his own ass for prying. He was about to apologize when she spoke.

“This is embarrassing, but I’m not going to lie about it. I’ve lost my business due to some missteps on my part. I’m taking the time to get the lesson and regroup.” She sighed and gave up on trying to put that weird object in a box. Once the object was put aside, Sabra grabbed more unrelated items and started stuffing them in. “Cole, I’m a business failure. I did something stupid, and it backfired. Now, I’m out of business.” The perfumed air soothed him and clung to her words as she took her time forming them. “To be honest, I don’t know what my next move will be. I know I want to make perfume, but I don’t know how that will happen.”

Colson quashed the faint smile that tried to emerge. His grant would hopefully help with her next move. As soon as he could raise Nina on the line, he’d make sure that Sabra got access to his endowment.

His Dragon wisdom tickled his awareness. That was right, she needed comfort, and he would give it to her in abundance.

“Bria look at me,” he wanted to make sure he had her attention. She complied. “I don’t want you to beat yourself up another moment about the past. This situation looks like it was what you needed to return to your true passion. You’re a perfumer. That skill and talent need to be expressed. What better way to do that than without any lingering obligations or guilt to another business endeavor?” He was on a roll now. “After tonight’s speech, I’m sure many people in that audience will be happy to contribute to your new business ventures. You’ve already proven that you understand how to set up and run a business. You’ve done that for years. Now, it’s time to reach your full potential.”

She looked down and away. His heart lurched as Colson fought with everything in him not to run over and take her in his arms.

“Thank you,” the simple words were muffled and muted.

He didn’t like that they were full of teary emotions. He hadn’t wanted to make her cry. Before he could catch himself, the words punched their way out. “You don’t ever have to worry about anything anymore. I’m in your corner.”

Huge chocolate-drop colored eyes glistened with swollen unspilled tears. She managed a smile that reached his heart and stole it.

“Again, thank you.” She swiped the tears away before they could spill. “Now, how about we keep the momentum going? We’re making good time getting packed up. I don’t want to throw a wrench in that with stuff that doesn’t matter anymore. You’re right. Onward to better things. I’m back to work now.” He could tell she tried to sell that she was fine with a small laugh on the end.

Colson let the conversation go.

She was right. Back to work. He squatted to place a large box by the door. When he stood and turned back, the beautiful woman was working fast to tape up another box. He had to agree with the time frame comment by human standards. Less than an hour in and they had managed to make a major dent in the work.

“Watch out for that glitter ball,” Sabra warned as he went for another packed box. “My friend threw them earlier and failed to pick up after herself.”

He kicked the spherical nuisance out of the way never breaking pace in his trek to the entrance. “No need to explain. I’ve been able to dodge them so far.”

“You shouldn’t have to. Lying about like this, they’re dangers in waiting.” Sabra zeroed in on the one Colson had just maneuvered. She stared down the ball that was a tad bigger than a softball. “I need to round them up before you trip on one of them. I can’t risk blemishing my impeccable insurance rating on my last few hours.”

“Not to worry, dear Bria, I wouldn’t go after your insurance. I’m here of my own free will and insurance coverage,” he tried to assure her. “We’re making great headway. Like you said, got to keep the momentum going, and we can be finished in the next hour.”

“Look at Mr. Optimism—I like it.”

“I like hearing that,” he didn’t try to remove the intention behind his words.

He liked how well they worked together, but it was the way the atmosphere around them hummed with excitement that he loved. There were no traces of lingering male anywhere either. Sabra’s can-do attitude reinforced his hypothesis that she’d been sans male entanglement for a while.

Good, I won’t have to crush any guy trying to step in.

Colson tried to erase the thought. He was not in the habit of objectifying and claiming anyone. Until now, he’d been a live and let live Dragon. In less than twelve hours of meeting Sabra, Colson had morphed into a brute with the single mind of claiming his mate. He really had started acting like his cousin, Mac. This Dragon mating thrall was no joke.

Colson made a mental note to apologize to and get some advice from Mac as soon as possible. Without a boost to his common sense, he could see how easily he could blow any hope of mating with Sabra.

Everything about Sabra interested him. She’d specialized in little girl pageants. Even though she made light of it, he felt how kind and patient she was to deal with little girls in such a stressful capacity.

“Put the tools over there, and I’ll get to the shelves next,” he instructed her.

“Nope, I don’t want you doing any more damage to your suit clothes. Plus, you’re trying to boss me again. I told you, I do what I want.”

Sabra wore a loose set of sweats and crawled around the floor with ease. She’d changed as soon as they made it back to her office space. He, on the other hand, worked with rolled up sleeves and dust-clad suit pants. His Italian shoes had remained unmarred, but it didn’t matter. Colson never wanted their shared time together to end.

Sure, she might run if she knew he intended to mate with her after seeing her walk around a room and chit chat for a few hours. Of course, that would be considered questionable behavior in the human world, but he was a Dragon. Dragon’s always knew when they’d met their perfect mate.

Sabra was his, and his Dragon would do whatever to make that mating as comfortable for her as possible. If he needed to build Igloos in Antarctica, he’d do it to make his intended mate happy.

Taking in their progress, there was no way she would have been able to get this done by herself in time. Providing the labor tonight had been an easy way to make inroads into winning over her heart. Little did she know that he could have done the entire task alone in a smidgen of the time.

Colson didn’t rush. It translated into more time getting to know her. He continued to press his case on keeping her away from the heavy work, and especially that rickety shelving.

Staring down the object of interest with disdain, Colson said, “Still, I would much rather you give me directions on what to do. All it would take is one false step and that entire shelving system could come crashing down.” He continued to eye the haphazard-looking unit in a skeptical assessment.

Sabra had a quick comeback. “You’re a worry-wart. I put that unit together, and I can take it down. I would have had to do it if you weren’t here anyway.”

“True.”

Colson didn’t want to say more lest his tone give away the fact that he doubted she knew how shoddy the work had been. That shelving unit was a swift breeze away from collapse. Sabra had the gift of grace and possibly enchantment for how long the unit had held itself together. At the moment, his top priority was to keep her from tackling the project alone. When he saw her looking at him out the corner of his eye, Colson scrambled to make his argument solid.

“But I am here and willing to dismantle it for you. Please remember, I volunteered to help. It gives me pleasure helping you.” Colson allowed his voice to drop and deepen his intent of sincerity as he said that last part.

He didn’t miss the blush that warmed her smooth deep complexion. Instead of saying anything else, she set about the task of putting together more boxes. Gaging her reaction, Colson pulled back on the amount of attention he showered on her.

The last thing he wanted was to spook her with overwhelming affection. They worked in silence for a few minutes as she readied more boxes to be moved. Colson didn’t reveal that what she thought was heavy was like moving air to him. His Dragon strength put tasks like this to shame.

If she knew what he was and understood the capacity of what he could do, the moving would speed up even more. He hated portraying himself as a mere human male. Taking a box at a time was excruciating tedium, but he had to take this slow.

It wasn’t every day a Dragon met his mate. Sabra wasn’t a Dragoness, but she wasn’t all the way human either. That puzzle had been the main reason why he opted to try to talk with her before making any shows of romantic interest. He’d refrained from scenting her again after leaving the dinner.

The scan and scenting he’d allowed himself earlier had already revealed that Sabra had started her menstrual cycle. It had been hard to block that little extra gift out, but being this close, his reserves were weakened.

The rich cocktail of pheromonal information he’d deliberately ignored all evening stormed his receptors. She was delicious—pure and simple. Everything about her health, compatibility, and attractiveness compacted into a sensory bomb of arousal for him and his Dragon.

Whoa, boy—take it back down a few notches, he internally scolded himself. His Dragon wasn’t so easily subdued. Only past history was powerful enough to restrain his primal urge to press his case for mating.

He’d learned a lot about how important it was to maintain self-control around women he was attracted to since his daughter, Ava, came to be. That learning included what happened when he let his Dragon lead the way.

In the last five years, he’d done a lot to mature as a Dragon and father. Now that he’d been graced with the opportunity to mate with the greatest treasure known to a Dragon, Colson wouldn’t blow it.

He walked back to where Sabra sat on the floor filling boxes with a hodgepodge of items. Her essence filled the space. Even if he hadn’t known she was formally trained as a perfumer, the commingled scents in here would give away her penchant for fragrances. Still, he could pick out her unique scent profile above everything else.

Sabra was fresh air after a hard rain and the bright refreshment of cleanliness after a long day. She embodied everything that produced happiness in his world.

As a healer, health smelled clean and fresh like her. As a Dragon, his treasured mate produced sparks of energy ripe for creative exploration. As a father, her previous business demonstrated her ability to interact with children. As a man, being this close to her made him embrace all the possibilities that mating with this wondrous soul could provide.

Another little scan would only manage to make him more amorous toward her. As it was, Colson had taken caution not to get too close in proximity. His Dragon stirred and strained whenever he did.

She stood and stretched as Colson stole glances of her body. Even though the sweat clothes she wore were baggy, he had no problem imagining her form beneath. Sabra looked at the shelving and then over to the other area that needed attention.

With her hands in surrender, Sabra said, “Okay, fine. I defer to you to take down the shelving. I’ll be over here finishing up the last of the loose items. If that still works for you.”

He allowed himself to show how pleased he was that she’d taken his advice. “Yes, that works for me.” He considered the sturdy wood work table that took up major space in the back of the studio next to the shelving. “Does that go as well?” He motioned to the piece of simple but solid furniture.

“Oh, don’t know how I blocked that hassle out of my mind. Yes, that’s my table as well.” She huffed out an irritated breath, pushed up her sweatshirt sleeves, and moved to come back.

“No, you finish up that area, and I’ll handle the larger pieces. Remember, you have labor willing to move whatever you like.” He couldn’t resist the wink that he gave her. “Always make good use of resources when they’re available.”

“Did you just wink at me?”

“That I did.”

“I see.” She winked back. “My winker works too.”

“Noted and that’s a mighty fine winker you have there.” he wouldn’t let this devolve into X-rated territory—he wouldn’t.

“Dude, I still think you’re high on something. You’re not fooling anybody. This must be some charity-guilt trip you’re on to be here and so accommodating. I could see if I was one of those entertainment industry girls or something.” She looked around the sparse studio, hunched her shoulders and added, “Just so you know, there’s no chance I’m participating in one of those Wealthy White Guy Under Cover reality shows. You feel me?”

“I feel you, and there are no hidden cameras—promise.” He wanted to laugh but knew she was somehow serious about the reality show part.

“Okay then. I guess I’ll take the free help and chalk it up to the Angel Lottery.”

“The Angel Lottery?” He had to know how her mind came up with that idea.

“Yeah, you know when something really good that would never happen to you in a million years, oh like getting out of a traffic stop without a ticket or need for therapy, happens?”

“I see,” he puzzled the comment and remembered the escalating tension around law enforcement issues. Colson wanted to keep her in a great mood. No downer conversation on his watch tonight. “So, you’re saying I’m an angel?” He waggled his eyebrows to sell the bit.

“Hell nah! I’m saying I must have been the daily pick for an angel. You—you’ll be dazed and confused for a few days after this. Bet on it.”

“Why’s that?”

“Because, like I said, you and me,” she motioned between them, “we don’t come in the usual combo packs. This partnership has to be some divine intervention at work.”

He didn’t follow what she meant but wanted to keep her entertained. “Well, I think it’s time to introduce our combo pack. Yes,” he looked around at the almost finished packing project and thrust his fists in the air, “it’s time the world gets introduced to our combo pack—Cole Stone Bria.”

Intelligent laughter caressed his need for connection. Sabra understood his humor. Thank the Goddess. Would she understand and accept him?

There was so much he needed to share with her before she could make an informed decision to take their interaction as more than a good Samaritan gesture. Not only hadn’t they moved past the pleasantries of names, but he’d also spent much of their time here getting to know her as a kiddie pageant stylist. Colson had yet to let her know what he did for a living, that he was a single dad, and that he was a Dragon-shifter. That last part would be hard to fit in, no matter how close they got.

Feminine giggles floated on the air as Sabra laughed at an item she packed in the box. His Dragon pressed closer to the surface in response.

“What’s so funny?” he couldn’t help wanting to know everything that made her happy.

“Oh, nothing. I remember the pageant I used this piece in. The shenanigans were crazy. There was this one family who tried to steal this little baby here, thinking that without it, I wouldn’t be able to perform my duties for the three clients I was there to assist.” She cradled the contraption. “They didn’t bank on me having old school skills. My clients did hat tricks to sweep each of their categories including the top places. One of the officials found my piece hidden at their station and stripped their girls of even the participation badges they’d won.” She looked up clenching his attention as she added, “I pleaded for the judges to not take out the sins of the parents on the kids. I couldn’t have remained a part of the industry if they hadn’t.”

“That’s because you’re a compassionate person.”

“No, it’s because I’m a wuss when it comes to the kiddos. Yes, can’t help it. They’re so full of life. I love how they view the world. I’ve learned some of the greatest life advice from my little dolls.”

He couldn’t help but pry a bit more. “You like kids, then?”

“Yeah, when they’re someone else’s.”

“Do you ever want some of your own?”

“Hmm…” she tapped a finger to her chin. “I always assumed I’d have kids eventually. Never really thought about when. Guess I was getting my mother-vibe fulfilled with the pageants.” Sabra looked at him as a revelation settled in. “I’m going to miss my girls.”

Confessions of having Ava pressed in, but he shied away from the chance to share. Guilt doused his chipperness at the missed opportunity.

Sabra responded in kind by refocusing on her task. Colson wanted to kick himself when she went back to dealing with the last of the smaller items to be packed.

Instead of trying to move the decrepit piece, Colson made short work of dismantling it. He took off the shelves first and then the frame with a small cordless drill Sabra kept in a toolbox. To her credit, Sabra had a passable range of tools. To her discredit, and as he’d surmised, the shelves barely hung on the loose metal framing. It was a miracle the weight of the items housed there hadn’t caused the entire thing to collapse long ago.

After stacking the metal pieces of the unit against a free space next to the entrance, he unbolted the work table from the floor. Colson checked to make sure Sabra wasn’t watching and then moved it to the area for the movers by grabbing it on its side with one hand.

The only thing left to do in his area was to sweep and bag the loose trash. Sabra was caught in her own little world of packing. He finished his chore and was about to go help her finish when her scream curdled his blood.

“Sabra!”