14.

 

When Mia parked her car in the driveway of the cabin, Rhett glanced at her and smiled. “This is it. Do you wanna take a look inside or are you too tired to come in?”

He could sense the intensity of her response to the question. He had been sure he was imagining her interest in him, but now, it was consuming and overwhelming, and she gazed at him quietly before offering him a reassuring smile. “Yeah, I would like to see how big it is.”

She looked away quickly, almost as if embarrassed, and then quickly got out of the car. Rhett followed her, a smile playing at his lips. He had a feeling that he knew why she was acting the way she was, but he wasn’t going to make any presumptions. He wanted the night to go well. He hadn’t expected any of this to happen. He had expected to go back home and spend night watching some stupid movie with Gavin for research. Human behavior didn’t always come naturally to them and sticking out like a sore thumb was often a huge mistake.

“The front door’s over here,” he said, leading her to the entrance and unlocking it quickly. He walked in briskly and switched a light on, glancing around to make sure everything was okay and that nothing too strange might stand out to her.

This was, after all, a safe place for Rhett and the others to come when they were tired of the outside world and just wanted to be dragons. The idea of Mia seeing something that might make her suspicious suddenly made him very afraid. Why hadn't he thought of this before? Probably because the others had brought their fated mates to the cabin at one point or another, and they seemed to be just fine.

“It’s really pretty in here,” Mia said, casting her gaze around the cabin. Rhett found himself feeling exceptionally high strung when he saw her eyes settle on a statue of the dragon in the corner. “Wow!”

Mia ran to the statue, reaching out to touch it carefully with her palm. “I love dragons, I always have. They’re kind of like my favorite thing. Fantasy or whatever.”

She didn’t look to him for any type of validation, nor seem to think that it was strange that the dragon was in the room. Rather, she seemed delighted by it and not at all put off by the fact.

“We are fans of dragons ourselves,” he said stiffly, shifting uncomfortably and looking around for anything else that might cause him to have a mini heart attack when his guest might take off running toward it. They were usually pretty good about keeping everything in hiding though, considering the fact that nobody was ever at the cabin twenty-four hours out of the day. It was impossible to police anything, so valuables were always kept at the house in a safe, or in Gavin’s laboratory.

“That’s actually really funny, because I was doing this thing before we ever met and…” Mia trailed off and stopped touching the statue, then turned to Rhett with a small smile. “Never mind. It doesn’t matter now. Why don’t you give me a tour of the place? It would be nice to know what we are getting ourselves into. You know, if we do decide to hide out up here at some point.”

“Sure, I can do that. Let’s start with the kitchen,” he said, hoping secretly not to have any more close calls as he gave Mia the grand tour of the cabin.

“Yeah, the kitchen sounds good. Is that where the bar is?”

“Yep, that’s where the bar is. Would you like a drink?”

Good, a distraction. Maybe he didn’t have to be so concerned after all.

“Yes, I would love a drink. Thank you.”

“Well, come right this way, and you can see what we have to offer.”

Mia laughed. “You sound like a very good tour guide,” she said. “Have you been practicing?”

Actually, he had been practicing. They had been forced to practice everything that they had seen in movies, just in case the situation should arise. Of course, dating was the number one thing they were attempting to perfect. It was the most intimate social relationships that were considered to be most important, especially when seeking out fated mates on such a foreign planet. Sometimes, he wondered if there was a point to it at all. Especially times like now, when he wanted nothing more than to be with Mia and Mia alone.

“Here’s the bar,” he said, ignoring the question entirely. He hated the thought of lying to her. Nothing else made him more upset. He just wanted to be honest with the one that he loved. He wanted to be able to be himself completely and fully. Why was it that they were from such different circumstances? Why was it so difficult for him to find his fated mate? If he had found her sooner, none of this would be happening. But maybe this was all part of the plan. It could be possible, couldn’t it? He did not control fate after all. Maybe fate was controlling him.

It was a comforting thought, and he looked back to Mia, his thoughtful gaze flickering away instantly and turning to the bottles at the bar.

“You have quite a selection,” she said, smiling. “You wouldn’t happen to be able to make me a sangria, would you?”

“I can make you whatever you like,” Rhett said, almost wishing it weren’t true.

He had thought that the bartending lessons were one of the biggest waste of time he had participated in so far. But alcohol seemed to be quite a huge staple in human culture, and Gavin had quizzed them endlessly on knowing their alcohol after what had happened the last time with Max, who hadn’t been able to differentiate between different types of beer on one of his most important dates. It had nearly cost him the respect of his fated mate. If he had lost that, then their union would have been impossible, just like the conception of their child, who was of a sacred bloodline that ultimately ensured that shifter magic could continue to exist.

He set to work quickly in preparing the sangria for Mia, who began to look around the kitchen. She seemed fascinated by everything she saw, which both pleased Rhett and made him nervous. He wanted so badly to be able to share his life with her. Everything in his body was telling him it was okay. Everything except his mind.

“Thank you,” Mia said, when he handed the drink to her. He nodded graciously, and she accepted it, bring it immediately to her lips. “Well, this is actually really good. Maybe you should be a bartender instead of a mover.”

“I would rather not do that,” he said, laughing softly. “I hear that people cry at the bar. I would rather not have to deal with too many emotions in my place of work. It is already difficult enough to deal with on my own time at home.”

Mia laughed. “I guess that sometimes can be true. Drinking can make people feel overly emotional. But everybody has valid feelings.”

“While that is true, I do not have to be paid to deal with them.”

“I’m the opposite. I want to be paid to help people deal with her feelings. I think it’s one of the most important things anybody can do. And it is socially responsible as well. If you are having a hard time dealing with your self, how are you ever going to be able to deal with other people? It just makes the rest of the world suffer indirectly. It’s kind of selfish, honestly, not to let yourself feel things.”

Rhett was surprised by the depth and consideration of Mia’s worldview. This was something that many of his kind had understood innately. In fact, his kind are so good at emotions, at least in the context of his own society and people of his planet, that most of the time, everybody was able to feel what they felt without having to speak about them. They were the epitome of the strong, silent type, but that also meant that from an outsider’s point of view, speaking about emotions was typically not done. Not frowned upon, per se, but simply not needed. And the last thing that Rhett wanted to do was to listen to unnecessary human emotion when they could so easily be dealing with their issues on their own. In the safety and comfort of their own homes.

“I think that you are completely right about that,” Rhett said. “I think that you would do very well in that line of work, and I would love to see you succeed.”

“Oh, does that mean that you would be one of my clients? Are you going to sign up for some sessions?”

Rhett winked at her, both confused and amused by the statement. “I don’t think I want to be your client.”

“Oh, why not? Don’t trust me?”

“Oh, I trust you,” Rhett said, suddenly stopping in front of her. The dragon within him had suddenly awakened in a way that he had never experienced before. The incredible attraction he felt toward this woman was impossible to tame, and he fixed a smoldering look upon her. Why was it that this, of all things, had awakened the beast within him?

Mia gazed up at him, her eyes wide, and her heart thudding heavily in her chest. She seemed to know exactly what it meant that he had done this, and for some reason, he wasn’t surprised by her awareness. What was it about her that was so different from all the other humans that he had been interacting with? Why was it that they all seemed so oblivious, and yet this one was so weakened? She seemed to unconsciously be able to tap into things that were beyond normal human comprehension. How is that possible?

“What are you doing?” Mia asked, her voice just barely above a whisper. But it was clear that she knew exactly what he was doing, and she didn’t step away. She simply gripped her drink tighter, her eyes steady as she looked into his.

“I’ve wanted to kiss you for a very long time,” he said, his voice a low growl. “So, I’m going to do that now. Okay?”

Mia nodded dumbly, barely able to set her drink down on the counter before Rhett had his strong arms around her. She gasped softly, her heart pounding a mile a minute as the dragon began to take over. When their lips met, any reservations he had came crashing down and he no longer cared whether she was human or not. He just wanted her. Badly. He wanted her entirely. And with a passion unlike anything he had ever experienced before. 

And it was clearly reciprocated. Rhett’s animal instinct sensed the same intense passion within Mia and he found it was nearly impossible for him to control himself now; especially knowing she felt the same way.

He ran his tongue sensually against hers, and she closed her eyes, shuddering as a jolt of desire pierced through her body; a desire that the dragon within him could sense and reciprocate.

He lifted her suddenly by the waist, and her desire turned to a longing that filled the entire room with its intensity. Mia cried out in surprise and pleasure as he sat her on the counter, prying her legs apart and pressing himself between them. The swollen urgency of his member brought a sharp gasp to her lips when she felt it, and he set to work kissing her tenderly on the nape of the neck as he began to roll his hips, holding back as much as he could as he gave himself a chance to truly appreciate her body.

Her body was responsive to his appreciation and the scent of Mia’s arousal nearly drove the dragon within him mad. In a passionate flurry, Rhett removed their clothes, pressing his body close against her in a loving embrace. He wanted so badly to protect this woman from all the world’s ills. Protect her from her own humanness. He wanted to make her his.

And more than that, she was ready for it. She wanted to be made his.

Without any further hesitation, he surrendered to his deepest longing and provided the aching need within him with the gratification of Mia’s heat. She shuddered in pleasure as he began to submerge himself within her, the sweet friction of their bodies bringing them both untold pleasure. He had never known that anything could feel this good and delighted in the rapture spreading across all of Mia’s features. She was the most beautiful creature he had ever seen. And he was going to do everything in his power to create an equally beautiful experience for her.

Mia moaned deeply when Rhett slowed his hips to a stop as he hilted inside of her, and she swallowed hard, opening her eyes to hold his gaze briefly. Her eyes were heavy-lidded with desire, and the unspoken words were communicated to him then: “Take me.”

He didn’t hesitate and unleashed the fervor of his longing, pressing himself deep within her and surrendering to the power of the dragon within. Rhett’s powerful body drove into Mia again and again, each time bringing a soft gasp of pleasure to her lips as she was consumed by the fire of her longing. He wasn’t going to hold back.

Another gasp echoed through the cabin as Rhett began to move his hips eagerly, letting out a low growl as heat surrounded his member. He could feel a heavy pressure building up in his abdomen, causing him an incredible rush of adrenaline. God, she felt good. How had he been able to restrain himself for this long?

Every inch of him was consumed by Mia’s body and he showered her with kisses, dropping his lips over one of her breasts and tugging at her nipple gently with his teeth. Mia’s back arched and he felt the delicious friction of her body drag along his member. Both of them were deeply gratified by the act, and soon, she was beginning to tremble in his arms. She was close to her climax. He could feel it.

The urgency in her body brought him close to releasing his full power upon her, but he didn’t want to hurt her and used every last ounce of his self-control to hold back. Mia threw her head back in rapture, overwhelmed with pleasure as Rhett’s sculpted body brought her to the ceiling of her ecstasy. She began to shudder in his arms, closing her eyes as she was swept away by powerful jolts of pleasure.

Her body began to contract tightly around Rhett’s swollen muscle and he let out a low growl of approval. He was burning to release, and a hot wave of his longing erupted suddenly as Mia began her ascent to climax, enhancing her pleasure and bringing them both to the height of their bliss. He held her tightly by the waist, his hips pumping gently into her as they shared in their rapture. The heat of her body against his filling her brought them to the height of their desire. Mia’s arms wrapped tightly around him as they climaxed, and suddenly, a strange sense of peace pierced the room and Mia stared at Rhett, each of them at a loss for words but both thinking the same thing.

She was pregnant.