"Caden knows. It's instinct. He picked you the second you walked into my bakery. I really think he would've picked you seventeen years ago if I hadn't beenso drunk. We've thought about you nearly every day since. And every minute since you came into the bakery, he's been chewing through me to get closer. If I was wrong, and he was just drawn to you, the compulsion would fade. It hasn't. If anything, it's getting stronger."
She picked at her thumbnail, lashes lowered. "Does it creep you out? That you're hardwired to want somebody?"
"No. With you, it's not just my dragon. All of me wants this. Even the dumb, human part." I chuckled. "Besides, you're hot as hell. Smart. You care. If I had to be stuck with somebody forever, I'd pick you all day long."
She flushed but didn't look away. "What if I don't want to change? Would you resent me?"
"No, I'd live with it. I'd rather have you as you are than not at all."
That did something. Her lips trembled, like she was fighting back tears.
I reached over and took her hand. "Hey. You don't have to decide tonight. Or next week. Or even next month. This is a huge decision. I can wait."
She closed her eyes, fists clenching. "I'm scared," she whispered.
"That's normal. I'd be worried if you weren't."
She let it sit, then blurted, "What if I lose myself? What if the dragon takes over?"
I didn't hesitate. "You won't. The magic is yours. The dragon doesn't just appear and take over. She's still you, only bigger and scalier. It doesn't make a lot of sense if you analyze it with your big scientist brain. The magic of it all makes it work. Your dragon would never do something you wouldn't, though she might do things a bit differently."
After a minute, she rolled onto her back, staring at the ceiling fan like it held the answers. "So if I said yes, what would you do? Just bite me?"
I grinned, wicked. "Not quite. There's a ritual to it. Sex is part of it. The dragon side of me would want to mark you when you're at your limit, when you want it most."
She ran her tongue over the curve of her plump bottom lip. "I need to think."
"Take all the time you need."
She peeled off the blankets and stood, naked, letting every inch of herself soak up the moonlight angling through the window. She paced the length of the room, stopped, turned, and started again.
I watched her, not bothering to hide it. She was gorgeous. Every curve, every scar, every ripple of muscle under her skin. If I could've painted her in myhead, I'd have burned the image there for the next five centuries.
"I'm supposed to be the organized one." She let out a wild, broken laugh. "How the hell does anybody plan for this?"
Caden nearly lost it. He roared in my skull, hungry, sure that if she just said yes, we'd never have to let her go. But I held him back. It's her decision, not ours.
After two more laps, she snatched her sweater off the floor and wriggled it on. Next came the pants, no undies. Last came her boots.
I braced myself.
She turned, sweater twisted under her jacket, hair wild, eyes warm.
"Chance." Her voice was soft, softer than it'd been all night. "Don't think I'm running. I just need to breathe."
I nodded while Caden howled under my skin. "I know."
She moved in, three quick steps, and pressed her lips to my jaw. "I care about you. That's not in question."
"Then what is?"
She squeezed her eyes shut. "It's everything. It's all just very, very fast."
She gave me a lopsided smile. "I'm not going to askthe girls for permission, but they factor into the decision. I don't want to fuck things up. So I need to think clearly for a few minutes. Give me a day?"
I took her hand, pressed my lips to her knuckles. "You're not going to fuck things up."
She made a face. "You don't know that."
