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I know I’m going to need more, but I want this to last as long as possible.

  This is the moment.

  This is when everything changes between me and Matthew.

  Once we’re bonded, that’s it.

  There’s no going back.

  No second thoughts.

  A dragon bonds for life, for eternity, and I’m so fucking happy that Matthew is the one I’m about to give my heart to. I may have only known him a short time, but I know that I can trust him. I know that Matthew will never lie to me, will never deceive me. I know that when he promises me he’s going to try as hard as he can, that I can believe his words are true.

  And then I move my hands lower.

  “Baby,” he murmurs.

  “You like me touching your cock, Matthew?”

  I stroke his length, squeezing it in my hand. He’s girthy and thick. I like the weight of his cock in my hand as I play with him here in the forest.

  He really went above and beyond setting up this entire romantic rendezvous for us. The least I can do, I think, is to make him moan with pleasure now. The very least I can do is to make him come undone with excitement.

  “Tell me,” I whisper. “Let me hear you say it.”

  “I love it, baby. I love how you stroke my dick. You’re so fucking good at it, Jessica. Give me more, sweetheart.”

  I rub him harder, faster. I reposition myself so I’m closer to his head, and I kiss him as I continue to play with him. He groans, thrusting his hips up, pushing himself into my hand. I grip him more tightly, stroking him, enjoying each hitch of his breath as he becomes more and more aroused.

  “Fuck, Jessica,” he groans. “I’m not going to be able to wait much longer, baby. Not if you keep that up. You’re a fucking pro, sweetheart. You know that?”

  I giggle and kiss him deeply, tasting him, running my hands through his hair as I move to straddle him. Matthew may have set up this entire date, but I’m about to make it one he’s never going to forget.

  “I love you,” I whisper, nipping his neck.

  “I love you.”

  I hear the words, and I sink down onto his cock completely. He fills me totally, and I hold still for a moment as I adjust to his length. Matthew rubs my breasts, sliding his hands over them and down to my clit, where he begins to play and touch. My entire body clenches at the sensation, and I realize that although this might be our first time, it’s not going to last very long for either of us.

  As I begin to ride him, I take his hand and bring his wrist to my mouth. It’s instinct. I don’t know if all dragons mate this way, but it’s how I want to claim Matthew as my own. It’s how I want to mark him. I want his wrist, and I take it, sinking my teeth deep into his skin. He hisses as the blood pours out of his wrist over my tongue, but I quickly seal the wound with my tongue. Healing properties: it’s one trick I never get tired of.

  “My turn, baby,” he murmurs. For a minute, I think he’s going to push me onto my back so he can top me for a little while, but he doesn’t. Instead, he takes my wrist, too, and brings it to his mouth. “Forever and always, Jessica.” Then his teeth sink into my wrist and I feel a burning sensation that bursts through my entire body. It’s both painful and exciting, and I’ve never felt so alive as I feel myself becoming linked to Matthew.

  I feel us bonding.

  I feel the mating claim.

  Before I realize it’s over, I feel his tongue lapping at my skin, sealing the open wound, and I look down at him.

  “Your eyes,” I whisper.

  “What about them?”

  “You’re crying.”

  “Jessica, this is the best moment of my entire damn life. I think it’s okay to cry a little bit, given the circumstances. Don’t you?”

  I nod, and I kiss him. He holds me for a long minute as we both allow the emotions and feelings to wash over us. This is incredible. This is insane. This is forever, I realize. It’s him and me and eternity.

  And then he thrusts up deeply into me, and I groan, completely giving my body over to the waves of pleasure that wash over me. It’s an orgasm bigger than anything I’ve ever felt before, and all I can do is grip his shoulders and hold on, hoping I don’t float away from the pure excitement that fills me in this moment.

  “Fuck, baby,” he murmurs. “You look so damn sexy when you come.”

  “Please,” I whisper. “Come for me, Matthew. Come for me, too.”

  “Since you asked so nicely,” he murmurs, and then Matthew closes his eyes and I feel the orgasm rip through his body, too. He thrusts deeper into me, filling me, marking me as his beloved mate forever. I collapse on top of him, holding him, and he kisses me in the moonlight.

  “I love you, beautiful girl,” he says.

  “And I love you, dragon man.”

  Epilogue

  Jessica

  Six Months Later

  It’s been nearly a week since I received the news from my doctor, but I haven’t told anyone.

  I haven’t told him.

  I haven’t shared the news with Matthew that he’s going to be a father again.

  It’s true, and I can’t wait to see the look on his face when he discovers that we’re going to have another dragonling. Brooke is going to be a big sister and our little family is going to grow.

  I haven’t told him and it’s been driving me crazy. Anytime he looks at me with those big, beautiful eyes, I’m tempted to just blurt the news to him, but this is much too important for that. I want him to be surprised and awed. I don’t want him to be scared when I tell him.

  Matthew may have missed being there when Brooke was little, but he’s going to be there every step of the way for this baby. I can tell. He’s going to get to experience being a father all over again, and something tells me that both he and Brooke are going to be so completely overjoyed with happiness.

  When he walks through the door of our house, Brooke starts bounding down the stairs and throws herself into his arms. I stand to the side while they finish their hug, and then it’s time for my own.

  “I missed you today,” he says with a gentle smile.

  “Not as much as I missed you,” I kiss him softly. “I made dinner tonight. Your favorite.”

  “Ooh,” he pulls back and rubs his hands together mischievously. “My favorite? I guess I better go wash up!”

  Brooke giggles and bounces after him, and I look at them and smile. Tonight at dinner, I’m going to bring out a cake with the announcement on it that our little family is going to grow, and they’re both going to be completely overjoyed. I can’t wait to see the looks on their faces when they realize that soon, there will be four of us.

  Soon, our little group will be complete.

  “Does he know we’re here?” Casa whispers from the kitchen. “I don’t think he heard us.”

  “Hush!” I hurry back to the room. “I don’t want him to know you’re here. Not just yet.”

  “Yeah,” Joyce chuckles, pushing back her long blonde hair. “It’s supposed to be a surprise. Did you forget what a surprise is? Is it because you’ve been married for so long now? Are you all tamed and settled down?”

  Casa’s eyes narrow, but both Fee and Lyon start laughing out loud.

  “You deserved that, man,” Casa chuckles, pointing at his friend.

  “Shh,” Fee whispers, motioning for everyone to pipe down. “I hear them coming.”

  Matthew doesn’t know I arranged to have all of his former coworkers and their families to come visit tonight just for this special event. He doesn’t know I invited them so we can all celebrate together because tonight is going to be an evening we never forget.

  We will always, always remember tonight.

  Each member of the team from Casa, Fee, and Lyon is present. There are a couple of babies and several toddlers wandering around the kitchen as we all hide in preparation, but somehow, everyone manages to stay quiet and not give away the surprise.

  It’s hard to believe that my life was so different just six months ago
. Before Matthew walked into our lives, I had no idea what was missing from my heart.

  I was missing my mate.

  I was missing my one true love.

  As I look around the room at Matthew’s closest friends, their mates, and their children, I can’t help but feel overjoyed at just how adored he really is. Even when he didn’t realize he was making a difference in the lives of the people around him, he was. He made a difference with his bravery, his kindness, and his spirit.

  Still, sometimes loving Matthew is bittersweet because even after all of this time, I miss Michelle every day.

  My dark-haired dragon beauty friend was the closest thing I’ve ever had to a sister, and I don’t think there will ever be a day when I don’t miss her. If our baby is a girl, I’m going to name her after my friend because while Michelle may have made mistakes in her life, she was a good, caring person. She was a kind person, and I loved her very much.

  I know the future isn’t going to be completely smooth. Our family will have ups and downs as we learn how to become one loving unit. We’re an unconventional family, I know, but as long as we have each other, we have hope.

  And as long as we have hope, I know the future will be bright.

  “Jessica?” Matthew’s voice calls out as he heads down the hallway. “Are you in the kitchen, love?”

  “I’m right over here,” I shout out, biting my bottom lip. He walks into the room with Brooke and that’s when we all jump out and shout.

  SURPRISE!

  Matthew’s eyes go wide as he takes in his group of buddies, and then he looks at them and raises an eyebrow. “You guys are here! I can’t believe it.” He starts hugging his friends one at a time, and then he turns to me. “What’s the occasion?”

  I place my hands on my belly and I smile at Matthew.

  “We’re going to have a baby, Matthew.”

  The smile that spreads over his whole face lights my entire heart.

  Oh yeah, me and Matthew? We’re going to be just fine.

  THE END

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  Author

  Sophie Stern loves cowboys, soldiers, and shifters. When she’s not busy writing, she’s got her nose buried in a book. Sophie lives with her husband and two little boys who are always keeping her on her toes.

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  Honeypot Darlings

  Want more shifters?

  I have another series called Honeypot Darlings featuring the three Blair brothers.

  Wyatt, Carter, and Micah are all different in their own ways, but they each share one very important similarity: they’re all bear shifters!

  In The Bear’s Virgin Darling, Hope moves to Honeypot for a fresh start. She doesn’t expect anything, but a paycheck. Then she meets Wyatt and everything changes.

  Here you can read the first three chapters of this book for free! If you prefer to jump right into the novel, you can get your own copy on Amazon here.

  ***

  Chapter 1

  Hope

  Hope.

  That’s my name.

  My parents struggled for years to have a baby and then finally, they had me. They named me Hope to remind themselves that things can always get better. No matter how tough life gets, there’s always a way to make things better.

  Always.

  It doesn’t matter if you’re old or young or skilled or uneducated. No matter what you’re going through, you can get through it.

  As I grip the steering wheel of my beat-up Saturn so hard I think my hands might bleed, their words run through my mind.

  “Sorry, Mama,” I whisper. “There’s no hope this time.”

  The highway is empty and I’ve been driving for hours. I still have at least two to go until I reach beautiful, isolated, far-from-home Honeypot, Colorado.

  I don’t know a damn thing about the town except that it’s a 12-hour drive from my rink-a-dink hometown in Missouri and that I have a job interview with some ranch.

  Like I know anything about ranching.

  That doesn’t matter though. I learned this great skill in drama class called “fake it ‘til you make it,” and that’s exactly what I plan to do.

  Holbrook can kiss my ass and so can Jacob Clint. Did he really think I wouldn’t find out he was fucking my best friend?

  Did she?

  It’s been a month since I caught them fooling around, but the pain hasn’t dimmed. It took me a whole month to sell my stuff, give my landlord ample notice I was leaving, and set up this damn job interview.

  I applied for a few gigs closer to home, but when I saw the posting for a ranch hand in Colorado, I couldn’t resist applying. I’m still shocked they liked my application. I’m still shocked they called me.

  Granted, I could show up tomorrow and they might tell me to get lost, but it’s something new, something different, something brave.

  It’s something to keep my mind off how badly my heart hurts.

  I hope Jacob and Margaret are very happy together in hell.

  I press the gas pedal a little bit harder.

  I can’t wait to get to Nowhere, Colorado. Not too much further now. I blast my music and stare out the window, driving with one hand down the highway. My car is loaded with my life’s belongings. I sure as hell hope I get the job because if I don’t, I’m going to be stuck in Colorado with no house, no job, and no boyfriend.

  Soon my stomach growls and I stop for a quick burger at a fast food place just off the highway. The only two things at the exit are a gas station and a fast food chain, so I eat my run-of-the-mill burger in silence, stretch my legs, and fill up the tank. My thoughts alternate between being horrified Jacob was the best I could do and being horrified that I won’t get the job.

  I need the job.

  Unfortunately, my thoughts are so focused that I don’t realize when the speed limit drops from 75 to 55 just outside of Honeypot. The sirens in the rearview mirror give me the notice and I growl in frustration as I pull over.

  Dammit.

  A ticket is not what I need right now. I barely have enough money saved for a hotel room while I’m in Honeypot. If I don’t get the job, or if I have a bunch of unexpected expenses, I will definitely be living out of my car.

  This is a problem because my car is full of clothes, books, and trinkets I couldn’t leave behind.

  Taking a deep breath, I place my hands on the steering wheel and wait for the officer to run my plates. I’ve never had a ticket before, but I’ve been pulled over, and I remember the cop explaining that he had to call in the license plate before he even came to speak with me.

  After a few minutes, my heart finally begins to slow, and I realize that this was just an honest mistake. Besides, getting a ticket isn’t the worst thing that could happen to a girl like me. By the time the officer gets out of his car and walks toward mine, I’ve convinced myself that I’ll handle this like an adult.

  I definitely will not cry in front of this stranger. Maybe I’ve been through a lot, but crying in front of strangers is definitely a hard limit for me. Unfortunately, as I begin to roll my window down – yes, my car is so old that I have to roll the window down – I catch a glimpse of the cop and he’s no tubby police officer.

  No, this guy is tall, cut, and fit to be tied.

  Dammit.

  My mouth goes dry when he approaches and I’m very aware of the fact that I’ve been in a car all day and probably smell like stale French fries.

  “Hello, ma’am,” the of
ficer greets me, standing outside my window. He places one hand on top of my car and peers in the window at me. I swallow loudly as I stare at his aviators.

  He’s so tall he almost has to bend in half to peek into my car. Suddenly, I wish I was wearing a low-cut shirt to give him a show. He smiles brightly, his perfectly white teeth shining in the evening sunset. And oh, is he filling out that uniform in all the right places.

  “Fuck me,” I say out loud, and I immediately cover my mouth with my hand and start shaking my head. Shit! Shit. Shit. Shit. I did not mean to say that out loud. “I’m sorry,” I mumble, and look away, completely embarrassed. I can’t believe I just said that to a stranger.

  To my surprise, the police officer doesn’t get upset, though. He just chuckles.

  “New to the area?” He says, and I nod, but don’t say anything. “Well, do you know why I pulled you over?”

  This is the part where I feign innocence. This is the part where I cry damsel, where I say that I just got out of a bad relationship and I’m trying to get a fresh start. This is the part where I say I didn’t know any better, where I missed the sign.

  Only when he lowers his glasses and I see his deep brown eyes, I know I can’t lie to this cop.

  Something tells me he’ll know whether I’m telling the truth or not.

  Something tells me he doesn’t do lies.

  “I was speeding,” I blurt out, and again, cover my mouth. What is with my bluntness around this guy?

  He nods, and asks for my registration and driver’s license. I hand both over to him, cringing the entire time. He flips over my license and eyes my registration, then he asks me the question I’ve been dreading.

  “And where are you headed, ma’am?”

  I point to the exit that’s just up ahead, number 234.