Chapter 20
CHAPTER TWENTY
“Please tell me you mean Konni and not Hestian,” Mom said with way too much calm.
“Yes. Konni.”
She chuckled, picked up her cup, and took a sip.
My self-recrimination turned to indignation.
“What does that mean? Why are you laughing? It’s not funny. It’s—”
“The best thing that could have ever happened to you.”
“In what world?”
“In a world full of cheaters and fakes, you found a man who won’t be either. You’ll have a lifetime of loyalty and consideration.”
Her words stunned me speechless.
“I’m beyond happy for you,” she continued, “but I’m also amused because I know you’re going to test that poor man six ways to Sunday before you finally accept that he’s the real thing.
“You’ve already told him you're transitioning, and he didn’t care.”
I made a pained face, and she chuckled again.
“That’s proof he’s the real deal, Sophia. His kind wouldn’t care about that.”
“There’s more,” I said, ready to spill everything so she would understand my hesitation. “I got drunk and woke up next to him with that tattoo you saw. Only, it’s not a tattoo. It’s a dragon bond mark.”
She frowned. “He marked you when you were drunk?”
“Yes!” Then, feeling guilty, I added, “But he said he asked first and I gave him permission, along with a warning that I would never be his for more than a night. He also said the mark wouldn’t have worked if I hadn’t already been receptive to him, and he apologized for not waiting until I was sober. ”
“Actually, he was smart to do it when you were drunk enough to be honest with him and yourself.”
“Are you sure you’re my mom?”
She winked at me. “I know you better than anyone. But I’m sure that’ll change soon.”
More than she knew.
Something in my expression must have given away that thought because she narrowed her eyes.
“You’ve never been good at hiding things from me. Don’t start now.”
I sighed.
“He wants me to use him as a shield, to date him openly so whoever is targeting me will back off. But I know what he’s doing, Mom. He’s inching his way in. He’s trying to find an opening. Next thing I know, I’ll be rubbing elbows in high society and mated to a dragon.”
“And which part bothers you more?” she asked gently.
The sudden urge to cry surprised the hell out of me.
“Sweetheart, you're too smart to let fear hold you back. Life isn’t about what happens to you. It’s about how you respond to what happens.
Right now, you’re letting your parents’ failures drive your life.
Take the wheel for yourself. You already have more wisdom than I did at your age to make better choices. ”
I let out a long breath, knowing that she and Wrenly were right. That I couldn’t keep living like I was. It was time to let it go.
“How do I move past the fear?” I asked.
“You push, as hard as you can, until you’re doing what you want. Heart racing. Palms sweating. Knees weak. Embrace it all and jump in with both feet. Live your life, Sophia, with love for the present and open arms for the future.”
Her advice stayed with me for the rest of the evening and into the next day as I tried to focus on the notes from my Saturday shopping trip.
Mom left me be, for the most part, quietly coexisting with me.
I retained that peace until my phone buzzed.
K: Have you eaten? Would you like to have lunch together?
“Is that a fear frown?” Mom asked.
I huffed out a breath and looked up at her. “It’s a ‘he’s being too clingy’ frown.”
“Sophia, it’s almost noon, and that’s his first text. He’s not being clingy. That’s remarkable restraint for a shifter and considerate communication for a man. You’re still denying instead of trying.”
“Ugh…” The groan was because she was right.
She smirked and walked away as I worked on opening myself to the possibility of having a real boyfriend for the first time in my life.
Me: I just ate.
K: Do you want to have dinner tonight?
Me: Yes, but I want to be on the menu, and that’s causing conflicted emotions, so I’d like a rain check and a little more time to wrap my head around the idea of having an unofficial boyfriend.
Me: Please.
K: Do you have any idea how badly I want to see you right now?
Me: No. Send me a selfie.
His expression in the picture I received was tormented and desperate, and made me want to see him even more. No, it made me want to try.
Me: I’ve never been a girlfriend before. What if I mess up? What if I’m not as great as you think I am?
K: We can mess up together.
Me: I thought dragons were perfect mates.
K: Well, you did ask me to annoy you once a day, so I doubt you’ll find me perfect in the beginning.
I caught myself grinning.
Me: Don’t you have work or something to do?
K: No.
Me: Well, I’m trying to work. Find something to do.
K: What I’d like to do isn’t possible. My mate’s busy and isn’t ready for me yet.
My face heated.
K: What are you working on?
Me: A design and marketing concept for the Southside project that I want to pitch to you tomorrow morning if you have time.
K: Are you coming in early?
Me: Do I have to?
K: No. I just don’t want to wait any longer than I have to to see you.
Me: I’ll see you at 8.
Edi looked up from his monitor as I approached and nodded toward Konni’s office door. The move came across less as a “he’s waiting for you” and more as a “did you see that?”
I glanced at the door and saw it was completely different.
It had a lock.
Smirking, I sat and put my purse down. “Lianna isn’t going to like that.”
“Do you really think that’s for Lianna’s benefit?” Edi shook his head at me, and I flushed as I recalled why Konni had requested the lock.
My desk phone started to ring. Ignoring Konni’s call, I stood and handed Edi my thumb drive.
“Can you print this out for me and bring it in in a few minutes?”
He nodded, and I walked into Konni’s office. My newly minted boyfriend was leaning against the front of his desk, watching me as I shut the door and walked toward him.
“You know I’m not going to be okay with using that lock when I’m in here, right?”
“Do you know what happens when you flirt with your dragon mate?”
“A serious case of blueballs that caused him to install a lock on his office door?”
He was in front of me a second later, wrapping me in his arms and groaning into my neck.
“You have no idea, Sophia.”
Circling my arms around his waist, I hugged him back, letting myself take what I wanted without reservation or worry.
“Where’s my good morning kiss?” I asked.
His mouth was on mine, and he was kissing the daylights out of me a second later. His hold shifted from my upper body to my ass. Lifting me off my feet, he walked until my back pressed against something.
I tore my mouth from his when I heard the lock click into place.
“Tell me what I am?” he said roughly.
Was he having an identity crisis?
“A dragon.”
He chuckled and kissed the tip of my nose.
“What am I to you, Sophia?”
Understanding what he wanted, I made a face.
“Unlock the door, Konni.”
He shook his head, humor fading to warning. He used his mouth to tease my neck until I was panting and arching into him for more contact.
“What am I, Sophia?”
“Annoying.”
He cupped my breast, kneading it until my nipple pebbled, then pinched it. I gasped in pleasure and threaded my fingers through his hair.
“You’re very pretty today,” he said against my skin. “I like your skirt.”
His mouth claimed mine in a devouring kiss. Between his comment and the artful way he was using his tongue to tease me, I knew exactly what he wanted by the time he pulled back, and damn if that didn’t start a desperate fire in me.
“Not here,” I said.
“Right here. The faster, the better, or people will start to notice.”
I scowled at him, then realized what he was doing and why.
“You’re an ass.”
He grinned. “I’ll be perfect for you the rest of the day as soon as we get this out of the way. What am I?”
“My officially annoying unofficial boyfriend.”
That man was under my skirt half a heartbeat later. Shock warred with elation as he made good on his promise of perfection.
A soft sound escaped me. I covered my mouth with one hand and, desperate for what he was offering, braced the other on his head for balance. The speed at which I found my release was both satisfying and impressive.
Wilting against the door, I drifted in a happy haze until he swung me up into his arms.
“A bad mate would carry you straight to the bed on the other side of this door,” he said. “But because I’ve already annoyed you today by doing what I wanted instead of what you wanted, I’ll behave.”
He set me on my feet in his office bathroom.
“Replacement underwear are in the drawer to the right. Towels and washcloths are on the left.” He tipped my chin back to study me as some of my focus returned. “I recommend not showering here. At least, not today, or I might annoy you twice.”
He kissed my forehead and walked out.
I hated to admit it, but I liked the way he chose to annoy me so much that a second helping didn’t, in fact, sound annoying at all.
Dammit.
I grabbed a washcloth, cleaned up, and found a drawer packed with my size underwear, which made me a little giddy, knowing that he was planning to rip off a lot of underwear.
When I emerged again, he was waiting for me.
“I’ll let you unlock it,” he said. “I'll be out in a minute.”
He closed himself inside the bathroom. Was he brushing his teeth? Touching himself? Maybe both?
I stood there for a second, debating the wisdom of finding out for myself before going to his office door and opening it.
Edi looked up from his desk and lifted the papers he’d printed for me.
“Thanks,” I said, grabbing them.
“No problem. Lianna was here a few minutes ago. The lock didn’t go over well.” His amusement shone in his eyes. “She said she would be back.”
“Okay.”
I returned to Konni’s office as his phone started to ring. It was Lianna. As tempted as I was to answer, I didn’t. I set the papers on his desk and took a seat in front of it.
He emerged from the bathroom several minutes later, his hair damp.