“I’d need you to look after Noel when I’m not here. He attends kindergarten at the nearby school three mornings a week. It’s within walking distance, and I walk there with Noel, but Sheryl used to drive. You’d have to make meals for him, wash and dress him, and keep him entertained and happy. He loves learning new things, but he takes longer to master them than most children his age. Apart from that, he’s a normal kid. Down children have low muscle tone, so my parents used to encourage him to run and play outside and visit the beach. I’ve continued with that as much as possible. He likes to draw and loves bright colors.
“My grandmother has visitation rights, and she has Noel every second Saturday. When she comes, you’d have to act as my fiancée. I’d be affectionate with you and maybe kiss your cheek and call you sweetheart. In return, you’ll have room and board, and I can pay you the same wage I was giving Sheryl.
“Would you…could you pose as my fiancée? I know it’s a fake engagement, but I believe it might help with my petition to get full custody of Noel.”
“We should do this,”her dragon said immediately.“I like the funny child, and his brother seems like a decent man.”
“It would solve our problem of not having anywhere to stay, but we should try to return home. Our parents will be anxious.”
“We have no idea of how we got here,”her dragon said.“All we did was our normal flight. What if we can’t return? Besides, it won’t hurt Mother and Father to worry about us. Max does not make me cringe in the same way Bruceous does. If we can help them, we should. It costs us nothing. In fact, he’s going to pay us. We get food, a roof over our head, money, and an adventure.”
“I understand why you’re hesitating,” Max said. “You’re a single woman, and you’re alone in an isolated place. You’re right to think of your safety.”
“Is he joking?”her dragon shouted.“We could take a measly human with one talon.”
Sasha winced even as she made her decision. “It is my honor to aid you.”
Max stared at her. “You’ll help?”
“Yes.”
Max stood and closed the distance between their seats. He drew Sasha to her feet and hugged her hard before spinning her around with an exuberant whoop. “Thank you. Thank you so much.” He set her on her feet and grinned at her.
Sasha’s breath caught in her chest, and she stared at him. Heat shimmered through her, and sudden tension grew between them. Max gave a soft groan and leaned closer.
“You should also know that I find you attractive, and I badly want to kiss you.”
“Ooh,”her dragon whispered.“I want that.”
“Me too,” Sasha whispered aloud.
Max’s eyes darkened, and he brushed a kiss on her lips. Quick and delicate, Sasha barely had a chance to record the intimate moment.
“If you keep staring at me like that, I’ll kiss you again.”
“Yes, please,” Sasha said, and her dragon’s anticipation resounded through her mind, an echo of the same words.
Max groaned and looked torn, but his hands landed on her shoulders. Their lips met again, soft at first, then Max settled in to kiss her in the exact way she’d seen Blaze kiss one of the dragons he’d courted for a time. Except this was much better because she was the one involved in the kiss. Max’s mouth was soft yet insistent as he traced the seam of her lips with his tongue. When she gasped, he explored inside her mouth. It felt…
“Incredible,”her dragon whispered.“Do it back to him.”
Pleasure sizzled through Sasha as their kiss continued. Her breasts grew heavy, and she loved it when Max tightened his grasp on her and pressed her against his body. He was hard where she was soft, and because of their heights, they fit together perfectly.
Max drew back with a crooked smile. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to get so hot and heavy.”
“I enjoyed it,” Sasha said, having no reason to lie.
“Just so you know, sex isn’t part of the deal. I don’t expect you to share my bed even though we’re pretending to be engaged.”
“Aww,”her dragon whispered.
Max took her left hand and kissed her knuckles. “Ah, a ring. As it happens, I have one. Wait there while I get it for you because my grandmother will expect a ring.”
Sasha watched him stride from the room, her appreciative gaze on his form.
“We’re getting a ring,”her dragon cooed.“I wonder if it’s a Marquess. They’re the prettiest, you know.”
“We’re borrowing a ring while we help Max and Noel,”Sasha corrected.“We can’t keep it.”
