She might consider him ancient. But as he studied her eyes, which appeared to notice every little thing about him and assessed his every movement, she seemed older than her years.
It was then he noticed more than her eyes. She had dark hair with blonde highlights and light brown skin, skin that he felt the urge to lean over and lick with his tongue.
What? No, stop, Ford. But he couldn't keep from then staring at her mouth, the source of so many intriguing questions and answers. The bottom lip was fuller than the top, and he wanted to stand up, pull her close, and take it between his teeth.
Woah, hold on there. Not only had he just met her, she could pick any of the men in the room. And a slightly bitter divorcee with trust issues wo
uld be at the bottom of that list.
Gaby finally nodded, as if making a decision. He met her eyes again, brows drawn. Was she saying yes to him?
However, before he could say a word, she stated, "I want him, Ashley. I want Ryan Ford."
He stopped breathing for a few seconds. All of this had been a way to placate his sister, to get her off his back, and yet the dragon lady had picked him?
Not only that, but the end result of this whole thing would probably make him a father.
Maybe the last part would make the others bolt, but Ryan had wanted to be a dad for a long, long time. He'd held off because of his ex, which had ended up being fortunate.
But having a child that was half this sexy, smart, bold woman?
The image of her round with his child stoked something inside him, a need he hadn't felt before, not even with his ex.
A feeling rushed through him, his gut saying that if he turned her down, he'd regret it for the rest of his life.
He hadn't planned on leaving with a dragonwoman, but now he couldn't imagine leaving without her.
So Ryan stood up and offered his arm, like in the times of old. Amusement danced in Gabriela's eyes, but she threaded her arm through his, making her forearm brush against his.
At the casual contact, heat raced up his arm and down his body, straight to his dick.
He glanced down at her, her pupils flashing quickly, and he wondered if she'd felt it too.
The ADDA employee cleared her throat and said, "Come with me, you two. You can stare deep into one another's eyes later."
Her words snapped him from the spell, and Ryan forced himself to look forward and follow the ADDA employee out of the room.
Now all he had to do was not fuck things up once he was alone with the dragon lady. Because he yearned to learn more about her, and even her dragon half, with each step he took.
Maybe this was the change his life had needed—one he'd never anticipated but now looked forward to.
Chapter Two
Gaby's heart pounded as she walked down the hall, her arm through Ryan's.
Their skin had barely brushed yet her entire body was on fire, her clothes suddenly feeling a size too small. The urge to strip him and surrender her virginity without a thought rushed through her body.
Could he be her true mate? After all, Gaby had never had such a strong reaction to a male in her entire life. She may be a virgin, but she'd kissed and fooled around.
None of those times compared to being next to Ryan, breathing in the earthy combination of woods and male, his heat seeping through her clothes.
Her dragon spoke up. Wishing won't make it so.
So you don't want him?
Oh, I do. I'd take just about any male with a working cock at this point.
She mentally growled at her inner beast. You're not helping.