Cobalt checked the timepiece on his wrist once more, seeing the seconds tick by, each minute feeling like an eternity. The formal ballroom sprawled out around him, lit in every corner by the dazzling chandelier hanging above him as he waited for Sylvie to arrive at the requested time.

She would come, right?

Cobalt became aware of perspiration forming on his palms, and he tried to wipe it away as he adjusted his tie for the millionth time. The anticipation was killing him.

Nothing in his former life had prepared him for this. As a librarian, as a soldier, as part of the dragon guard of Drakkaris, Cobalt could use logic to override and control his emotions. But now, with everything out on the table, he couldn’t keep himself apart from what he was feeling.

The jet-black fabric he wore tugged as his shoulders and arms, threatening to destroy the suit Cadmium had helped him pick out earlier. And though he longed for something a little more comfortable, Cadmium had assured him human women loved how suits looked on men. Particularly dragons.

And even Cobalt had to admit that such attire was only appropriate given the formality of the surroundings.

It didn’t change his opinion of suits, though.

The table he’d set up in the center of the room looked minuscule in comparison to the room that stretched out in every direction. The candles, now lit, flickered back and forth, dancing with an invisible breeze. Everything was perfect.

But would Sylvie even like it?

Thankfully, the sound of one of the huge doors leading into the ballroom opening kept Cobalt’s mind from running amok. He watched with rapt attention as Sylvie walked in. Her eyes went wide for a few moments, taking everything in as she walked toward him.

When her eyes locked onto him, Cobalt felt his heart skip a beat. She wore her typical black pants and gray hoodie with a tank underneath, but no matter what she wore, she was breathtaking.

“Wow, look at you. Hot date or something?” Sylvie asked, a twinkle in her eye as she approached.

Cobalt just stared at her blankly. Of course it was a date.

Sylvie grinned, amused by his response, or lack thereof, then went silent for a second as she went back to marveling at the fully decked room around them.

“You told me to come here, right?” she asked somewhat disbelievingly.

“Yes. Here, allow me,” Cobalt said, offering his arm, which she took after a moment of hesitation. Then he led her toward the table, trying to quell the trepidation beating in his chest. “I’ve prepared dinner for us, a beef bourguignon with maple-glazed carrots and fingerling potatoes on the side.”

“Wow. Sounds fancy. How much convincing did it take to get Chromium to make it?” Her eyes were teasing.

He straightened slightly. “Actually, I prepared it myself with no help from my cousin.”

Sylvie seemed fairly shocked. “Surprise, surprise.”

“One could say cooking is simply science you can eat,” he replied, soaking in her smile as they stopped.

“Okay, Mr. Scientist. What else do we have here?” Sylvie asked, motioning to a portable closet arrayed with clothes and shoes off to the side.

“Ah, yes. These are some dresses I petitioned several of the women in the mansion to help pick out for the occasion. Though, one of them asked if the dresses were for me at one point.”

“Ooh-la-la, big strong dragon in a dress. Now there’s something I can get behind.” Sylvie waggled her eyebrows suggestively.

“Not exactly what I had intended.” Cobalt couldn’t help laughing a little at the ridiculous face she was making. “But in all seriousness, the clothes are entirely optional. There’s a powder room you can use over there if you’d like to.” He pointed toward a door not far from them. “But what you’re wearing right now is perfectly fine as well.”

Sylvie hesitated for a moment, leaving his arm and walking up to the hanging dresses, running her hand through them and looking deep in thought.

“So this is really all for me, huh?” Her voice was quiet.

“Yes. Who else would it be for?”

She took a deep breath, as if to steady herself, and then faced him with a beaming smile. “If that’s the case, then how can I not take the chance at being a fancy-pants like you, at least for the night?”

Her smile was contagious, and warmth spread inside him. “Okay. If you’re sure.”

“Of course I’m sure. You’re not the only one who gets to look all fancy. I have to match.” She quickly picked a silky blue dress and a pair of shoes and then headed toward the bathroom with a wave of her hand.

Thankfully, Cobalt didn’t have to wait long before she emerged again, appearing from behind the door.

Cobalt’s throat immediately felt like a Drakkaris desert at the sight of her.

The blue gown she’d chosen hugged every curve perfectly, dipping low between her ample breasts and showing her cleavage as it draped down to the ground. A long slit on one side revealed her leg as she strutted toward him confidently. The dress practically shimmered in the light of the ballroom, contrasted delightfully with her smooth, dark skin.

There were no words.

Well, maybe one.

Mate.

“So, space librarian, what do you think?” She turned in a little circle, revealing the low back of the dress that swooped to just above her curved posterior.

Cobalt was more than a little glad nobody else was here, because he’d have to kill any man that laid eyes on her like this.

“Ravishing. No, that’s an understatement.”

She giggled a little as he tried to not devour her completely with his eyes.

“You’re not too bad either.” Sylvie cocked a hip and gave herself a long moment to appraise him as well, eyes pausing at his groin long enough to make him tense up a little. “So what’s next?”

“First, dinner” Cobalt directed her toward the table before he could get ideas about skipping to the end with her right now.

As heated and wonderful as their sexual chemistry was, he wanted to slow things down between them. Enjoy spending real time together without any other expectations.

He pulled out the chair at the table for Sylvie, and she sat down, looking slightly puzzled. Then he lifted the cover off her food and then turned around to pull over a little rolling table with several bottles of champagne resting on ice on top of it.

“Champagne. Awesome.” Sylvie’s eyes widened as she watched him produce each bottle, one after the other, allowing her to see them.

“Do you have a preference for any specific type? I just grabbed a few with the prettiest labels from the cellar. I have no idea of their quality.”

She smiled at him. “Are they bubbly and made of alcohol?

“I would assume so.”

“Then anything will do. You choose.”

He laughed a little. “How about… this one?” With relative ease, he unwrapped the cage and pulled off the cork, pouring a glass for each of them before taking a seat at the table with her. “I don’t have much experience with imbibing, so I hope I chose well.”

She raised an eyebrow at that, but didn’t say what she was thinking at that exact moment. Sylvie then turned to her food. “Smells delicious.”

“With luck, it will taste even better than it smells.”

Sylvie dug into her food, and Cobalt almost forgot to eat as he enjoyed watching her enjoy the meal. She took such pleasure in everything and made little moaning noises while closing her eyes with each bite. It was hard not to grow turned on at the display.

But tonight wasn’t about that. He already knew their sexual connection was good. He wanted to connect on more levels than that. There was something about Sylvie that, despite her frankness and bravery, was still holding back, and he desperately wanted to know what it was.

When she finished, awkward silence settled on the room as she looked around it. “So beautiful. I’ve never… been taken anywhere like this before.”

“We’re just in the mansion.”

“I mean, I’ve been on my own since seventeen. Then I was taking whatever jobs I could to put myself through community college, and then I stopped to become a fighter.” She sank her chin into her hands with a little sigh. “Not a lot of time left for fancy dates.” She looked up at him intently. “Or to come across guys like you.”

“I see.” He leaned back, hoping to look calmer than he felt. “And what do you think about guys like me?”

She poked her fork at a lone carrot sitting on her plate. “I guess before, I would have thought they were snobs. But you’re really nice. I don’t mind you.”

“I appreciate that.”

“To be honest, it’s easier for me to be funny. Or sexually aggressive. Or just hang out.” She gestured around them. “Stuff like this, I don’t know how to feel comfortable. But I do like it. And deep down, I do feel sort of safe.”

Warmth spread though him. “I’m glad.”

She bit her lip. “So what’s next? ‘Cause obviously, I’m out of my element here.”

“Come here.” He stood, offering his hand, which she took as he led her out into the center of the sparkling ballroom. Smooth, creamy marble gleamed beneath their feet.

“Whoa, check out all the mirrors.” Sylvie looked at the ceiling-high mirrors spaced at even intervals that lined the entire perimeter of the walls. Then she turned, studying her posterior in them. “I look good.” She gave a small wiggle, then turned to him with a smile. “How are you going to resist?”

“Damned if I know.” Cobalt tried to focus on the small remote in his pocket but found it difficult to concentrate on anything other than his mate’s entrancing beauty.

“I thought you knew everything.”

“Not true, apparently.” Why wasn’t the remote working? Why were his hands suddenly so sweaty?

“So what’s next in the master date plan?”

“I thought we could dance.”

“Oh, dancing. Yeah, I’m good with that.”

Cobalt finally found the intended button on the remote and pressed down. Beautiful, classical music with the rhythm of a waltz filled the room, calming him with its romantic atmosphere.

Sylvie bobbed her head in response, her lips pursed adorably. “Okay. Not what I’m used to, but I can work with this.”

She began to sway, moving her curvy body rhythmically to the music in a very enticing way. She grinned at him. “Not what I’m used to for getting my groove on, but I can work with it.”

He was too enraptured by the sensual way she was moving to do anything but stare as she worked her way over to him and began to dance against him. She pressed her soft curves against his chest and then turned around so her back was facing his front. Her soft hips and bottom rubbed up against an ever-hardening part of him.

He stifled a groan at just how good that felt but knew he had to take control of the situation. Not that he had any problem with what she was doing, but he wanted to show her at least a little of what he had planned, before he lost his mind completely.

With great effort, he reached into his pocket and pressed pause on the remote, bringing the music and his hot date to a halt.

She looked up at him and pouted. “Oh, come on. I didn’t even get to see the freaky side of the cobalt dragon.”

“Maybe later.” With a click of the remote, the music started again, and Cobalt took his chance to catch her off guard for the next step in his plan.

Remembering the studying he’d done on the subject of dancing, he gently pulled her in close, putting one hand on her back and raising her other hand in his, ready to lead.

“I don’t really know how to dance like this.” She looked up at him nervously, so beautiful that he wasn’t sure how he’d be able to remember the steps.

But he took a deep breath, steadying himself. “Just follow my lead.”

Her eyes widened, but then she nodded softly and let him pull her along.

At first, she was awkward, stiff in his arms and trying to look around them as they went. But as he took more of her weight, leaving her on her toes, and began to glide more smoothly around the room, her body relaxed and she looked up at him with an utterly blissful expression.

“I like this kind of dancing,” she said softly.

“Me, too.”

Holding her like this, feeling her warmth and trust as he spun them around the ballroom, was the closest he’d ever been to what humans called heaven.

He didn’t want to ever let go.