He vowed he would never lose another of his brothers. Of course, that also meant he’d forgotten about himself. Until her.
Deo had fully expected coming to Earth would mean he would help each one of these idiots find their mates, and then fate had laughed in his face. How could he focus on them if his own dragon roared for its own mate? Her. This beautiful dark-haired beauty. His hands fucking ached with the need to grab her ass. He nearly moaned as he imagined kissing her full breasts.
Hell. At least she wasn’t crying over that stupid little male. Although, that may have been easier to make her forget.
His dragon roared and Deo fought to keep control. Shit, is this what Eadric and Kal had gone through? No wonder they dealt with the shit their mates gave them. There was no choice.
Breathe.
What was something he could do? Keep her talking? Talk about what? It was better to understand the enemy as well, so perhaps he could use this moment to solve a few issues.
“What of that male? Does he need your help too?” Deo asked.
She blinked. The tears drying. He watched her. Was she going to explode again? Or was that it? Did females just stop like that? He’d have to ask Kal about this later.
“What? Oh, you mean Tan?” she asked.
Deo nodded. His jaw ached as he clenched it. “Why did he call you his?”
Deo stepped closer. She hadn’t moved her face away from his touch, and his dragon was pushing the issue. Testing the boundaries.
He moved, but she did too. Aisha wouldn’t meet his eyes, not yet. Why? Was she embarrassed? She shouldn’t be. She stopped as her butt hit the counter behind them.
Good. He liked this.
“Look at me, Aisha,” he said.
Her breasts rose and fell, her breathing growing more rapid the closer he seemed to get.
“I-” she paused as her gaze met his.
Deo was now close enough he could see every lash on her eyelids. He breathed in her scent, and the storm within him calmed. This was not what he’d planned. Why was he here? He’d only wanted to be near her. Breathe her in. He hadn’t meant to corner her like prey, although truthfully, he enjoyed the hunt.
“Who is the male?” he asked, again.
“Tan is sort of my fiancé,” she whispered.
Deo racked his brain for the human term. Fiancé. This word meant little to him. Fiancé?
Dipping his head, he lowered his face to the crook of her neck. She smelled heavenly. Sure, there was a chemical smell of her lab mixed with her own scent of a flowery mix. A feast to his senses.
Her heart picked up speed as he listened to her breathing. The air scented with the sweet aroma of her female mating scent. A hum of desire reverberated within his chest and she moaned.
“What is this fiancé?” he asked, as he gave in to the desire to taste her. Deo flicked his tongue along the soft skin of her neck.
Her voice came out breathy.
“I’m supposed to marry him.”
Deo stopped and pulled away.
“Marry? As in you join your life with his?”
Her eyes opened. “What? Oh, yes. But-”
“No,” he said.
She looked at him.
“What do you mean no?”
He growled. “I mean no. No, you do not join anything with him. No.”
Her eyes grew wide. And perhaps this should have been a warning sign, but he didn’t give one fuck right now.
“You. Are. Mine,” he said.
Her lips made a flat line.
Yes, these were female warning signs. But she was his, damn it.
“Just who do you think you are? Just because you have muscles on top of muscles, does not mean you get to tell me anything. Mine? What does that even mean?” she asked.
Deo stood tall, but his brain went blank. She was questioning him? He was offering himself, and she was asking what he meant? He’d said mine. Wasn’t that the word to end all words?
“Deo. Look. You seem nice and all.”
He tensed as she ran her hands over his stomach. She must have noticed or realized what she was doing wasn’t matching her words because she stopped.
“I’m not really in the market to get married. I’m really trying to get rid of that one. Tan just isn’t right for me, but I’m not exactly looking for someone macho either. I mean, well.”
She broke off and the scent of her arousal grew stronger. Maybe she said no, but her body called to him, saying something else entirely.
He leaned in again. This time he wouldn’t stop. Marriage wasn’t soul binding, it wasn’t even physically binding from what he understood. People left all the time. He sniffed her again, and she squirmed.
She was still unspoken for. He could smell as much. There was no scent of a man or dragon on her. Unclaimed, and he didn’t care if this wasn’t an Earth custom, he wasn’t going to be denied his soulmate.
She was his.
He bent and reached down, gripping the backs of her thighs and lifting her. He pressed Aisha against the unmistakable intent in his pants. Fucking pants. He liked the freedom of their battle kilts, but Earth required pants, or at least in this part of the world. Fine. He’d wear the things. But right now, he wanted to rip off her own clothing and bury himself deep within her.
She gave a surprised, “Oh” and he claimed her lips, cutting off anything else.
Slowly he released her lips, but not until her breathing was ragged and her body pressed into his in need.
Maybe he could get this mating thing done and move on to helping the rest of his brothers. This wasn’t so bad.
“Wait. Stop,” she panted.
He met her gaze. “Wait?”
Catching her breath, she finally spoke. “Wait. I might not want to marry him, but I don’t want a one-night stand either.”
He
