Fleur knew lots of shape-shifters. She’d become friends with Jordan and Carly when she’d started working at the same school with them. They’d fully embraced her educational gardening project.

The Wolfe’s had become almost a second family to her. Well, a first family, since she didn’t really have one. Jordan, Carly, Nicole, Emma, and Ellie hadn’t thought she was a complete weirdo like everyone else at school... or life.

She’d had more than a passing crush on at least two or three of the Wolfe boys when the girls had introduced her to them all. But, they were all paired off with her friends, mated.

The sex-on-a-stick standing in front of her was not mate material. What he was, was the hottest thing she’d ever seen and she’d tried her best to hide her instant attraction to him.

“A dragon, huh?” She shrugged like it was no big deal. In all her time in Blue Creek, she’d never once known a dragon. Were all of them this charismatic and sexy?

He ran the back of his knuckles down her arm. “Yes, Daxton and I are both dragon shifters. But, what are you, my treasure?”

While she was thoroughly enjoying all the attention this dominant, alpha shifter was showing her, she had other plans. She poked him in the chest, giving herself a little static electricity shock, pushing him away. “Don’t go thinking you can eat me up. I’ve got a party to hostess and Jell-o shots to hand out.”

Plus, there was this year’s scenting ceremony, the biggest one ever, five packs from across the country were coming together. Barbara Wolfe, the matriarch of the Wolfe clan had invited her, and while the girls warned her about Barbara’s matchmaking, Fleur was excited.

Steele didn’t budge an inch when she tried to push him away. He did get a lascivious glint to his eye. “I will do everything in my power to eat you up. And down, and sideways if you like.”

A flutter tickled her low in the belly. She couldn’t help the grin flirting with this dragon brought to her lips. He was a total perv, and she kinda liked that. Not a lot of men she’d known had found her perv-worthy.

She’d let him flirt and tease her with little kisses when she thought he was a stripper, thinking that zing she’d felt was part of the excitement of the night.

But, if he was a shifter, then she needed to keep her distance. The scenting ceremony was tomorrow night. If she was lucky, she’d smell deliciouso to one of the wolves and he’d choose her to be his mate.

She was destined to mate a wolf. Maybe.

Fleur had no idea what her destiny was, only that she had one. Her mother had told her so her entire life. Told her to prepare for it, save herself for it, while never even eluding to what she should prepare for. It made her feel stuck. Fleur had held herself back from doing so many thing in her life, waiting for that destiny to show up.

Now it was here.

Probably.

Not like she could ask her mom anyway. She was currently spending the summer as a red windflower at the burial site of Fleur’s father. Again.

Tonight, having fun with all the other women destined for the scenting ceremony out there living it up, she wanted to have fun too.

Whatever was supposed to happen to her could wait for one more night. This might be the last time she could ever do something naughty.

She wanted so badly for her life to change, to stop waiting and get to the exciting part. Maybe that would happen tomorrow night, or maybe this was it, the beginning of a new adventurous life for her. Right here in her own kitchen.

Yeah. It was. She decided.

A tingling in her heart, directly behind the Tree of Hesperides pendant she wore told her to follow that instinct.

She usually ignored those kinds of feelings, because what if they were pulling her away from her destiny? For once, she was going to let loose. Some hot and heavy making out was exactly what the herbalist ordered.

His skin was oh, so touchable. She dragged her finger from the base of his neck to between his pecs. “You’re dirty, dragon.”

He chuckled. “You have no idea.”

“Show me.” Fleur grabbed him behind the neck and pulled him in for a kiss.

What a kiss it was. He practically inhaled her, shoving his hands into her hair to hold her close. Their tongues dueled, slashing at each other. Steele tasted like warm mint, fresh and bright. Not the toothpaste kind, but like the real fresh leaves. She couldn’t get enough.

He slid one hand all the way down her arm, over her hip, and to her butt. She’s always thought her rear end was too big, but the way he kneaded and squeezed, it was currently her favorite body part.

“Fuck, Fleur. I want to rip your clothes right off you.” He grabbed the back of her thigh and lifted it, wrapping her leg over his hip.

It took her a second to register what he said, with the way his hand was pushing up underneath the hem of her shirt. “No, no, don’t do that. There are a dozen people ten feet away in the other room.”

She wanted adventure, not exhibitionism.

He growled and lifted her other leg, spreading her open. He pushed his hips forward, thrusting against her, sending stars shooting through her vision.

Oh, gods and goddesses. She could see how he got his name. Whatever he was hiding behind those pants, rocking against her in all the right places, was definitely made of steel, or kryptonite.

Because she was feeling weaker by the second. Very much more of this and she’d be begging him to strip her clothes off. This was so delectably naughty, and so much hotter than any other sexy times she’d ever had. They weren’t even having sex. Yet.

“Your kiss is driving me crazy. I’ll never get enough of you.” Steele growled against her and licked his way across her bottom lip.

She was driving him crazy? She’d never been so out of her mind in her life. Steele’s kisses went straight to her core and she wanted more, so much more. She didn’t even care that he was probably giving her a line. One tiny minute in his arms and already her panties were soaked.

She’d never reacted to any man, or wolf, this way. Even her vibrator didn’t make her this hot and needy. Where was a bed and a condom when she needed it?

Good Gods. This wasn’t meant to be more than a flirtatious make out session. First base, maybe second. Here they were rounding third and her body was chanting home, home, home.

It was too fast. She wanted a little fun, not a one-night stand. That would show her to know better than to let go. “Steele, we have to slow down.”

He nipped at the skin of her neck, sending an earthquake with shockwaves through her whole body.

Oh, baby, that felt amazing. “Oh, wait. No, we don’t. Do that again.”

He scraped his teeth across her skin, right above her collar bone and she whimpered with the pleasure of it. She wanted him to bite her, mark her with his teeth.

Why would she want that? “Steele, please, I need...”

She didn’t know what she needed. Her mind was fritzing, her body was in control now.

“Yes, little flower, I need you too. Where is your bedroom? We’ll lock the door and I’ll make you come all night long.”

Great idea.

No. No, it wasn’t. What was she thinking? She’d met this guy less than an hour ago. She didn’t know what kind of person he was, or where he was from, or anything. All she knew was how she’d been instantly attracted to him, and had pushed those feelings down like she always did.

She wasn’t, thinking. She was feeling, and it was freeing.

Too much so. She wasn’t free. She had a destiny.

There was no way a dragon that she’d only met tonight was that destiny.

Cheering came from the living room and then a series of boos. The ruckus was enough to bring Fleur back to the present, remember who and where she was.

“Steele, stop.” She pushed against head, still glued to her neck.

The loss of his lips against her skin quite literally hurt.

“What’s wrong, babe?” He tilted his head to the side and rubbed her back. “Did I do something you don’t like? I’ll learn your body and what you need as fast as I can. I promise.”

His eyes twinkled with need and she almost gave in. No one’s eyes had ever glowed for her, not like this.

Sigh. “We can’t do this.”

“Do what? Have sex on the countertop. I’ll carry you to your bed.”

“Don’t be ridiculous, you can’t carry me. And no, I mean this.” She waved her hand between the two of them.

He lifted her into his arms and took several steps across the room. “I can carry you, and I will. Where is your bedroom, my sweet?”

“Holy basil. Put me down before you drop me.” She flailed until he set her feet back on the floor.

“I liked having you in my arms, but if you don’t, I’ll get over it, as long I can have you in my arms like this.” He pulled her to him and gently kissed her.

He’d gone from raging need to sweet and gentle in the blink of an eye and she wanted him even more for that. Just one more kiss and then she’d be satisfied.

“Whoa, sorry. Covering my eyes. Sorry.” Jordan’s voice broke through the thick need in Fleur’s brain. “But, I’m not sure you should be macking on this guy. They aren’t even strippers.”

Double sigh. “I know. They’re dragons, or at least this one is.”

Fleur stepped out of Steele’s arms and straightened her top. He moved beside her, and put a hand on her lower back, all possessive like.

Jordan threw her hands up in the air. “What? Why didn’t you tell us?”

She jerked her thumb in her dragon’s direction. Uh, no, she shook her head. The dragon, a dragon, not her dragon. “I just found out a minute ago Steele here was a dragon.”

Nic popped into the kitchen giving Steele the stink-eye. “My stupid mutt, oh, I mean mate, sent them. I’m sure he thought they’d be safer than strangers or something dumb like that.”

Karla and Ellie joined them and they did not look happy. Although, when Barbara came in she looked more humored than mad.

“Jake put you up to this?” Nic asked, folding her arms across her chest and tapping her foot. She tapped it any harder and there would be a hole in the linoleum floor before long.

“Uh, yeah.” Steele lifted an arm and rubbed behind his neck.

“You’re not strippers?” Karla, who was the least violent of the bunch had daggers coming out of her eyes.

He addressed Fleur with the save-me-from-your-angry-friends look on his face. “I am a dragon, but I did tell you I was not a stripper.”

“Strippers or not, you two can get the hell out of our party.” Jordan said.

Nic poked Steele in the chest. “And tell Jake, that he will have to find another way to rain on our parade.”

“Yeah.” A resounding chorus came from the rest of the ladies.

Fleur bit the inside of her lip to keep from laughing. Her friends were so damn serious, but she thought it was cute and hilarious that their men had tried to keep their women in check by sending these unsuspecting dragons to the pre-scenting party. She wasn’t disappointed in the least at the choice Jake had made.

“Those fools never liked the idea of this party in the first place. So, I say we make it a tradition,” Jordan said.

Emma came into the kitchen leading Daxton by his ear. The dragon actually looked like he was having fun. “Hey, ladies. I swear, Jake, said this was a party with a bunch of horny women, that was it. Except the part where he said not to touch any of you five, and asked me to report back to him what went on here and to make sure the you didn’t get into any trouble.”

Nic rubbed her hands together. “Oh, he is getting his ass kicked when I get home.”

“Now girls, don’t be too hard on your mates.” Barbara was barely keeping a chuckle out of her voice. “Jake was simply doing as I told him to.”

“Mom. This whole bachelorette-style party was your idea in the first place. Why would you help our mates sabotage it?” Ellie looked genuinely confused.

Fleur felt the same. Barbara was the coolest mom-figure she knew, and she was a certified matchmaker, with a fine dash of trouble thrown in. It didn’t seem in line with her usual plans to do something like this.

“The dragons weren’t here for you five married girls, were they?” Barbara winked at Fleur. “Besides, which one of you isn’t quite sure you’re getting ravished when you get home just so your mates can get the scent of these delicious young dragons off you?”

While Ellie had a look of embarrassed shock on her face, the other girls’ expressions went from angry to downright dirty.

Fleur cleared her throat to keep from laughing out loud. She couldn’t wait to join in the shenanigans of having a wolf mate of her own. Then maybe she’d feel like a part of the family and not so much the one on the fringes.

She gave Steele a shove toward the hallway. He didn’t move even a centimeter. “You two better get on out of here. Send our regards to the Wolfe boys.”

“I’m not going anywhere, little flower.” He bent and whispered in her ear, “Unless it’s to your bedroom.”

Fleur was sure her face and neck had just gone the color of a whole damn field of poppies. She turned her back on Steele and gave the other dragon a shove instead.

A low growl came from behind her, but it stopped the second she took her hands off

Daxton shrugged and went toward the door of his own accord. Of course, he was probably trying to avoid getting his ear torn off by Emma. “Come on, Steele. Our cover is blown. Gonna have to get lucky somewhere else.”

The women surrounded both men and shoved them toward the door. Right before Jordan slammed it on them, Steele pointed at Fleur.

“I’ll be back for you, little flower.”