Surrendering to the Dragon (Stonefire British Dragons Book 7) (5 page)

Moving their hips, Rafe moaned beneath them. Nikki pounded on the wall again.
He’s mine. I should be the one riding him.

No
, her dragon stated.
Your way would take years. My way will take days. We need his child. He or she will be strong, stubborn, and fierce. No other male will do.

Rafe’s voice interrupted their conversation. “Nikki?”

“Not Nikki. Dragon. You’re mine, human. I hope you’re ready.”

As her dragon placed their hands on Rafe’s chest and increased the pace of their movements, Rafe groaned.
 

Nikki knew it was foolish since her dragon was right—the beast would accomplish pregnancy quicker. But as she was helpless to watch and not act, Nikki sat down and hugged her knees to her chest at the back of her mind. Her dragon would tire eventually, and Nikki would have her chance with Rafe again.
 

She was damned if her beast was the only one to sleep with Rafe. After all, Nikki had been dreaming of it for years. She wasn’t about to waste what was sure to be her only chance to sleep with the human. True mate or not, dragon-shifter females weren’t allowed to mate human males.

Then an orgasm hit and Nikki was lost in the blinding pleasure. Rafe followed shortly, and she crested again.

She might not be able to move her human form, but at least, she could watch her human’s face; it was one of the rare times he displayed emotions beyond anger or irritation. She would almost describe his current expression as tenderness mixed with heat.

Rafe was beautiful with his green eyes and dark, wavy hair. For a split second, she wondered what their child would look like.

No.
Nikki couldn’t think like that. The child would be given to a family, who could care for little him or her. Nikki’s future was with the Protectors. She just needed to remember that over the next week or so and not lose her resolve.

Chapter Four

Eight days later, a rare bit of February sunshine woke Rafe up from his slumber. He’d lost track of all days and hours.
 

About the only thing he remembered was exploring and claiming every part of Nikki’s body.

Speaking of which, he looked over to the left side of the bed. Nikki’s bare back was to him. The urge to trace her shoulders was strong, but his cock hurt like hell. If there weren’t some kind of burn marks on it from all of the friction, he’d be pretty surprised.

Still, a hollow feeling in his chest came over him at the thought of the frenzy being complete and Rafe never getting the chance to play with Nikki’s sensitive nipples or grip her firm arse. Everything about Nikki, from her long, lean body to her small breasts and slim hips was bloody perfect. He wouldn’t change a thing about her.

Well, that was a lie. If he could only find a way to banish her inner dragon from time to time, he’d be all for it.

Nikki’s voice drifted into the air. “Are you awake?”

Deciding what the hell, he lightly caressed her back. “Yes. Is this Nikki-Nikki or Dragon-Nikki?”

“Nikki-Nikki.”

Her voice was tired, not that he blamed her. “Good. Then how about some food before the next round?”

“There doesn’t need to be a next round.”

Rafe stilled his hand. “Come again?”

With a sigh, Nikki turned to lay on her back and met his gaze. “If my dragon is correct, it’s done.”

He blinked a second before he smiled slowly. “You’re pregnant.”

She looked away. “Yes. You can go.”

He blinked in confusion. With a growl, he moved to cover her body with his. “Look at me, Nikola Gray, and explain yourself.”

Nikki kept her gaze off to the side. “Don’t make this harder than it needs to be. You’re tired. I’m tired and my dragon is content. I appreciate what you did, but it’s time to go back to our separate lives.”

“What the fuck, Nikki? That’s it? Use me and toss me aside?”

She finally met his gaze and frowned. “What else do you want from me, Rafe? We both know you’re not the wedding bells and changing baby nappies type. The longer we put off saying good-bye, the harder it’ll be.”

Gripping her chin with his fingers, he leaned down his face to hers. “If you think I’m the type of bastard who will just knock up a woman and leave, you’re out of your bloody mind. It may be illegal for me to live here, but we’ll figure something out. I’ll be damned if I let my daughter grow up without a father.”

Surprise flashed in Nikki’s eyes, but it vanished in the next second. “Are you mad?” She pushed against his chest. “Besides, it’s not your choice to make.”

“Oh, it bloody well is. If I have to tie you up and keep you prisoner until the birth, so help me, I will.”

“Right, because the army won’t come looking for you. And what about Bram? Not to mention, oh, I don’t know, asking me what I want?”

“Okay, so tell me, Nikki Gray. What do you want?”

She searched his eyes before blowing out a breath. “I don’t know.”

As Rafe scrambled for the best way to reply to her answer, someone pounded on the door. He muttered, “What the fuck? Why would people think it’s okay to knock if we’re having sex in here?”

“Because we aren’t. And I already texted Bram that we’re done. He could’ve told anyone.”

The pounding increased before an unknown male voice boomed, “Open up, Nikola Gray. You have some explaining to do.”

He looked back to Nikki’s pale face and asked, “Who the hell is that?”

Nikki swallowed loudly. “It’s my father.”

~~~

Nikki froze at her dad’s voice. When she’d texted Bram about the frenzy being completed, she hadn’t expected her clan leader to tell her father so soon.

To say Hector Gray was protective of his only child would be an understatement.
 

Her dad’s voice boomed again. “This is your last warning, Nikki. I want to meet this male who’s to be the father of my first grandchild. He had better be worthy.”

Rafe muttered, “Bloody fantastic. Yet another growly, protective dragonman.”

Nikki lightly hit his arm. “Stop it. He might be able to hear you.”

Rafe never broke his gaze. “Well, then let’s get it over with. If nothing else, your dad might be able to talk some sense into you. Because if you think I’m going to fuck you and leave, you’re daft. The sooner you realize it, the better.”

She opened her mouth to reply, but the door swung inward and banged against the wall. The tall, mostly gray-haired figure of her dad stood in the doorway. Hector narrowed his eyes and pointed at Rafe. “You, get off my daughter. You’ve done enough.”

Rafe sat up slowly, signaling to Hector he didn’t perceive the dragonman a threat. “If you’re concerned about your daughter, then you’d give her a chance to shower, dress, and eat before talking with you.”

Fantastic.
At this rate, Rafe would get himself killed.

Hector narrowed his blue eyes. “Don’t tell me how to raise my daughter.”

Rafe harrumphed. “She’s a grown dragonwoman. And given the lengths she went to protect her human compatriots during our time in Afghanistan, she’s more than earned the respect due to her.”

At Rafe’s words, Nikki tried not to blush. Rafe didn’t compliment unless he meant it.

Not that his compliment was the most important issue. As her father took a step toward them, Nikki clutched the sheet to her front and sat up. She interjected, “Dad, this is very much crossing that line we talked about. How about you wait downstairs and we’ll be there shortly?” She paused and then decided what the hell; she’d use a little guilt. “Yelling can’t be good for the baby.”

At the mention of the child, Hector’s eyes softened. “Are you all right, love? Do I need to fetch the doctor?”

Nikki resisted a sigh. “No, I don’t need a doctor. What I need is a shower. I’ll be downstairs in ten minutes, okay?”

Rafe spoke up. “As will I.”

Not if Nikki had any say in the matter.

Looking at them, her father finally nodded. “You have ten minutes. Delphine is already downstairs cooking up a storm.” Hector pierced Rafe with a glare. “And there are several guards around the house. So don’t even think of trying to escape.”

Rafe gripped the back of her neck possessively. “I wouldn’t dream of it.”

She rolled her eyes. “Can I take a shower now? Or do you two need to glare, grunt, and try to intimidate each other a little more?”

Grabbing the doorknob of the slightly broken door, Hector answered, “Ten minutes. After that, I’m coming back up here and will carry you downstairs if I have to, Nikki.”

The door screeched against the floor due to its busted hinge. When it finally clicked shut, Nikki punched Rafe in the kidney. “What are you doing giving my father false hope? Do you know nothing of his history? My mother left him the day after I was born; having the almost same thing happen to me would kill him.”

The punch didn’t so much as elicit a grunt from Rafe. “Who’s Delphine?”

She answered quickly, “My stepmother. But that’s not important. What’s important is you tell me what the hell is going on in that head of yours. If you’re trying to change my mind about giving up the child for adoption, don’t bother. It’s my decision.”

“What are you talking about?” Rafe demanded.

“Don’t pretend you didn’t know. I told Dr. Sid. If not her, then someone must’ve told you.”

His tone was even as he answered, “No one mentioned it.”

Nikki’s heart skipped a beat. “So when you agreed to the frenzy...”

“I agreed to be a father,” he finished.

“But why? All you’ve ever done is scold me or irritate me. It makes no sense.”

Rafe leaned close until his face was a few inches from hers. “Because sometimes there is a fine line between liking and hating.”

With his lips a hair away from hers, Nikki was oh-so tempted to kiss him.

No.
“I can’t handle this right now.” Nikki scrambled off the bed. After faltering a second, she regained her balance. “I’m going to shower. Alone. You can use the other one down the hall. Once you’re finished, I’ll try kicking your arse out again then.”

“You can try,” Rafe murmured as Nikki raced into the attached bathroom and locked the door. As she leaned against it, she closed her eyes and wondered what the hell she should do. Her initial instinct was to push Rafe away.

But her heart and her past feelings for him wanted to try for something more.

Her dragon’s sleepy voice filled her mind.
Just accept he is ours. It will make life easier.

Right, because Rafe is just going to let me charge into battle with an infant at home. He’s as bad as a dragon-shifter; he’ll keep me contained at home and expect me to clean house and change nappies.

Her beast yawned.
Maybe, maybe not. You won’t know until you give him a try.

Nikki’s heart thumped inside her chest. Her and Rafe. Could it ever work? Nikki wasn’t about to let a male try to dominate her life. She was a Protector and would always be a Protector. It was the only way she could help the clan.

More than that, there was the issue of her past with Rafe. He apparently didn’t remember what had happened between them four years ago. Nikki wasn’t sure she could just brush that under the rug and try to start over. And if she did mention it and brought back the memory, Rafe might leave anyway.

His words from earlier repeated inside her head:
I’ll be damned if I let my daughter grow up without a father.

Placing a hand over her lower abdomen, Nikki tried to imagine a life raising a daughter, or maybe a son, with Rafe. Even forgetting the whole mating him was illegal tidbit, it was highly likely she and Rafe would kill each other within a few non-frenzy weeks of interacting.

Memories of Rafe’s tongue caressing her body, including between her thighs, heated her skin. If they fought, she had no doubt that the make-up sex would be extraordinary.

Of course, there was a lot more to life than sex.
 

Opening her eyes, Nikki moved to the shower and turned on the hot water. As she stepped into the spray, she focused on the more pressing matter of her father. Given what Nikki’s biological mother had done, Hector wouldn’t want Nikki’s child to be given away to strangers.

However, before she convinced her father of her adoption plan, Nikki needed to convince herself again about why she wanted to do it in the first place.

~~~

Rafe leaned against the wall in the hall and resisted running his hand through his still damp hair. Clearly, there had been some miscommunication however many days ago the frenzy had hit. The question was whether Kai had withheld it on purpose or not.

If Rafe had gone in knowing about adoption, he might be okay with it.

Okay, that was a fucking lie. Rafe would never give up a child of his. One of his arsehole uncles had knocked up a woman in Australia and left her to rot. Rafe would never do the same.

In that second, Rafe decided that if Nikki honestly didn’t want the baby, he’d raise him or her on his own. The tricky bit would be convincing the DDA to allow him to do it. He’d also probably have to ask his damn sister’s mate for help with the dragon bits.

Regardless, any child of his would have a home and be loved.

Nikki’s door opened and screeched against the floor. His mouth fell open when he faced her.

He couldn’t remember the last time he’d seen her in something other than her Protector uniform. Nikki wore a simple long-sleeved maroon tunic top that hugged her slim figure, complete with gold and black leggings that showed off her toned legs. Her hair was damp and slightly curling. He barely noticed the faint circles under her eyes. All he noticed was the lack of confidence in her gaze.

Rafe growled. “You’re fucking beautiful, Nikki. Own it.”

Fire flashed in her eyes. “Gee, thanks for your permission. I never would’ve been able to feel pretty without it.”

Taking hold of her bicep, he drew her close. “Can’t you take a compliment, woman?”

She raised her chin. “Maybe. But I have a feeling you’re just trying to sweet talk me so I’ll protect you from my father.”

Judging by the firmness of her jaw, Nikki was being serious.

Rafe barked out a laugh and Nikki frowned. “What’s so funny?”