On top of that, the light glinting off the rings also signaled that her mating was going forward at lightning speed.
Maybe she should be nervous, or wary, or more cautious. But in reality, she looked forward to seeing what could happen with Brad. The time in the landing area had shown her a different side to the dragonman, and not just because of his dragon half. She wanted to know more about him.
Besides liking Brad more, she’d also enjoy giving the middle finger to the lawyers and police officers who wanted to assume what she wanted, or what was best for her.
So she asked David, “Okay, so what do I do now? They didn’t give us any sort of mate ceremony training during my previous ADDA sessions.”
The corner of David’s mouth ticked up. “I doubt it. But in all seriousness, Brad will go first, and you can just mimic him, okay?”
She nodded and turned toward Brad. Before he could say anything, though, she murmured, “I guess shirts and shoes are optional for mating ceremonies?”
Brad smiled. “You liked me naked well enough. So I’m probably overdressed.”
She laughed. Tasha enjoyed this new side to Brad. “Well, you just need to be careful not to repeat what happened right before you shifted earlier. We can’t have that happening in front of your clan leader and head of security, now, can we?”
Brad’s eyes turned heated, and it took everything she had not to let it affect her. Well, at least not too much. Her heart rate jumped up and her clothes suddenly felt too tight.
Thankfully David cleared his throat and stated, “I don’t usually rush something this important, but time really is of the essence right now.”
Brad picked up one of the rings—the slightly smaller one—and held it out. “Natasha Jenkins, I was hell-bent on staying away from you for months. I let one person’s actions affect how I viewed all humans, and you made me realize quickly how wrong I was to do that. Your wit, your beauty, your determination—all make me like you more and more. So I claim you today with the hope of finding out even more about you in the future. Will you accept my mate claim?”
She nodded, and he slipped the ring on the fourth finger of her left hand, the slight weight a reminder of how her life would never be the same.
Brad motioned toward the other ring, and Tasha picked it up. Taking a deep breath, she said what came to mind. “While you were a damn good security guard, I was pretty sure you hated me. It took some extreme circumstances for us to be thrown together, where we had no choice but to learn more about one another. And I think we both were lucky, in a way, that it happened. You’re much more than I thought you were, Brad Harper, and I’m curious to see what else you’re made of. So I claim you today with a promise that I’m going to find that out, and whether you like it or not, we’re going to have some fun together, too. Do you accept my claim?”
He nodded, his pupils flashing rapidly, and she slowly placed it on his finger. Once done, Brad took her hand and brought it to his lips. The brief brush of his hot, soft lips made her heart skip a beat.
She might not be ready for a full-blown frenzy, but Tasha was more than a little curious about what this dragonman could do when they were alone and naked.
Before her mind could spin any kind of fantasy, David spoke up. “Good, now that’s done. I just need you to sign some papers and then I can send the lawyers and police away for the time being.”
She somehow forced her gaze from Brad’s at those words. “It’s that easy?”
David shrugged. “For now. I’m sure they’ll be back, but they’ll need new charges. It’ll give us time to strengthen your defense and plan our strategy for dealing with them.”
And so the fight would go on. Later, she’d have to ask Ashley if it ever got any easier being a human tied so closely to a dragon-shifter. Not that Tasha was someone who gave up easily, but it’d be nice to have a goal of some sort of normalcy again one day.
Brad said, “Then let’s sign the papers so I can get Tasha home. There’s still a lot for her to learn and I don’t want to put it off.”
She frowned. Of all the things to worry about, her dragon-shifter education seemed strange at the moment. “Can’t we have a small celebration of some sort? Or at least something relaxing to help me recharge before I have to tackle all the obstacles sure to be coming?”
Jon Bell grunted. “She’s right, Brad. Give her a little bit of a break. The human hasn’t even had a full night’s sleep yet.”
She smiled at the tall dragonman with black hair and dark brown skin. “I think we’re going to get along well, Jon.”
He winked at her. “For now. I’m sure you’ll hate me later when I check up on you to make sure you’re following all the rules.”
Brad growled and pulled Tasha to his side. “Watch it, Jon.”
She noticed how quickly Brad’s pupils flashed. Something was up with his inner beast. She spoke to her dragonman. “Then let’s hurry up and sign the papers so we can go, and you can tell me some more about your dragon. Does that work?”
He nodded. “Where are the papers, David?”
“In my office. Come on.”
Tasha waved goodbye to Jon and followed the clan leader down the hallway toward his office.
Brad never let her go the entire walk, but she didn’t mind.
There was something nice about the warm, solid dragonman at her side.
If only she knew what her future entailed.
For a woman used to planning everything out, the last two days had been a kind of hell for her. And yet, she wasn’t angry about it. No, Tasha would just change her plans and learn to enjoy what time she had with Brad.
Maybe they’d work out, maybe they wouldn’t, but she wasn’t going to give up until she figured out which path they’d go down.
Chapter Seven
The paperwork signing didn’t take more than ten minutes. And even with the few extra minutes waiting for David to show proof Tasha was mated to the police, thus giving them no legal reason to stay on StoneRiver, it wasn’t long before Brad sat on a couch inside his sister’s house, Tasha at his side listening to something Andy was saying.
Just as he’d predicted—bringing Tasha to Megan’s house gave Brad time to cool his lust and try to focus on how he’d resist his tempting mate when they were finally alone.
His dragon sighed. I’ve been restraining myself for months. I would think you could do it for a few hours.
Brad wanted to believe he could, too. But the mating ceremony had made it all the more real. And combined with the light weight of the ring on his finger, Brad took his duty to protect his female seriously.
Which included shielding her even from himself. He replied, Let her get used to everything a little more. Having the children around will help keep us both calm. And fuck knows I need calm if I’m going to convince her to stay on StoneRiver indefinitely.
So you do want to win her. You’d better get to it.
I’m working on it, he mentally grumbled.
Tasha waved a hand in front of his face and he finally zeroed in on what she said. “Hello, earth to Brad. Are you listening?”
He grunted. “What?”
“Well, despite the return of your grumpiness, Andy suggested we play a game. Are you on board with that?”