The Dragon’s Chance by Jessie Donovan

Chapter Eighteen

Even with Sophie's slight weight in his arm and Sylvia standing next to him, Jake still couldn't believe his two ladies were here.

He raised a hand to touch Sylvia's face again, running his thumb over her bottom lip, loving how her breath hitched at the touch.

He loved his daughter and was beyond thrilled she was here, but he desperately needed to claim Sylvia. And soon.

Not just because his cock wanted it, either. No, he needed to reassure her in every way possible that he didn't blame her for Arlo's fuckery, how he burned for her and wanted to reward her bravery in risking it all to come see him.

Especially coming to the US meant Sylvia giving up so much for him—spending time with her other children, silencing her dragon, and being surrounded by the familiar instead of a clan full of strangers.

First things first—he wanted to erase any doubts Sylvia had about him still wanting her. Leaning over, he nipped her earlobe before murmuring, "I want to hear everything that's happened since I last saw you, I promise." He moved his head until his lips were nearly touching hers. "But I need you, Sylvia. As soon as possible. To ensure you're real, and I'm not dreaming that my kind, brave, pretty dragon lady is really here with me."

She smiled up at him, the sight making his heart pound harder—damn, he'd missed her—and she placed a hand on his chest. "I'm here, I assure you." She stroked slowly, each pass sending blood straight to his cock, no matter how he fought it. "If you take me to where you're staying, then we can see to Sophie, probably get her to sleep rather easily given all the travel, and then say hello properly whilst naked."

He chuckled. "There's the lady I first met, the dragonwoman who couldn't wait to get into my pants."

She rolled her eyes. "I can wait. You're the one who said you needed me, remember?"

Moving his mouth to her ear again, he worried her earlobe with his teeth before whispering, "If I didn't have a baby in my arms, it'd be easy to make you beg for more, my dragon lady. I'll just have to show you soon enough."

He moved his mouth to her neck, and could feel the rapid beat of her pulse. Kissing her there, she arched her head back. "We need to stop, Jake. I'm not going to let you take me in the clan leader's living room."

He nibbled her neck lightly before raising his head, grinning at her. "I'm sure sex on their couch isn't exactly the best way to make a good impression."

She snorted. "Aye, it's not." She moved her hand to his bicep and squeezed. "I'm a sure thing, Jake Swift, so let's get settled and then we'll see if you can live up to all these promises of yours."

Sophie decided at that moment to start babbling, as if to distract her parents from kissing, and more, in front of her.

Jake moved back, readjusted his grip on Sophie, and said to his daughter, "Don't worry, little one. We'll wait until you're asleep. And Mommy and Daddy are going to spoil you rotten until you do finally take a nap."

His daughter lightly hit him on the chest with her palm before grabbing his shirt into a baby death grip and pulling.

Jake laughed. "Missed your dad, huh?"

Sylvia said softly, "She has. Terribly. Even though she can't talk, I could tell."

He looked back at his dragonwoman. "I hated leaving you to take care of her alone again."

Sylvia took Sophie's free hand between her fingers. "It wasn't so bad. She cried a lot at first, but what with Cat giving birth and the whirlwind packing for this trip, she must've sensed something was going on and was on her best behavior."

"Cat gave birth?"

Sylvia nodded. "A daughter they named Felicity. Later, I can show you more photos than you'll ever want to see of her."

He reached up his hand to caress her cheek. "You gave up time with your first grandchild to see me."

She placed her hand over his. "Felicity arrived two weeks ago, so I spent as much time with her as I could whilst I waited for all the paperwork to go through. But as much as a piece of my heart stayed behind with her, I couldn't just abandon you. Not for Sophie's sake. Cat understood that and encouraged me to come here."

He searched her eyes. "And what about you? Did you come for your sake too?"

She hesitated a second, and he wished it didn't make his heart hurt. She finally said, "Aye, well, that is a very serious conversation. And one I'm not about to have when I'm in desperate need of food, a shower, and some sleep." He opened his mouth, but she beat him to it. "Just know that I've missed you too, Jake. Crazy as it sounds, given how little time we've spent together, the house seemed empty with you gone."

He more than understood, as his own place on PineRock had been too damned quiet without her and Sophie. Hell, he'd even missed her noisy, overprotective children.

However, at Sylvia voicing her needs, he saw the circles under her eyes and the way she leaned against him for support.

His dragon lady was tired and barely standing.

And suddenly he felt like an ass for wanting to get her naked and under him so quickly.

So he put an arm around her shoulders and guided her toward the hall that would lead to the doorway. "Come on. You'll be staying with me, and my house isn't far from here. I'll ensure you're taken care of, tie you to the bed if need be to make you sleep, and make sure you and Sophie are settled before anything else."

Sylvia leaned her head on his shoulder. "Maybe if I were twenty years younger, I could power on through another day without sleep, but I'm not. And Sophie doesn't like flying much, so let's just say some peace and quiet will be heaven." She looked up again. "Although I hope you'll sleep with me again."

A sudden need to hold her for as long as she needed coursed through him. "You'd be hard-pressed to stop me."

Wrapping her arm around his back and toward his waist, she put her head back on his shoulder as they walked. "Good. With my dragon silent, it's harder to fall asleep since I haven't truly been alone since I was six years old—that's when my dragon first spoke with me." She squeezed her arm around him. "However, with you next to me, I won't be alone anymore."

He couldn't help but feel guilty at how Sylvia had willingly silenced such an essential part of herself—her inner dragon—just to come see him.

Jake would never be able to make up for that, but he would spend every moment trying his damnedest to do so. "Then how about this? We'll get Sophie settled, and then I'll merely hold you while you sleep. We can have all the discussions and such you want later."

She smiled up at him. "That sounds perfect."

And at the pure happiness shining in her eyes, Jake fell a little in love with her. He'd been going crazy being trapped on PineRock, when all he'd wanted to do was help take care of Sophie and Sylvia.

He'd thought maybe it was just a whirlwind of finding out he had a daughter, blistering sex with Sylvia, and the newness of living with dragon-shifters that made him want to be so easily at her side.

However, it was her. She needed him in a way no one else did, and he took pleasure in being the one to help take care of her, help coax out her playfulness and be the one to show her that it was okay to have a second chance at life.

Jake had a feeling that for too long Sylvia had hidden herself from the world to focus solely on her children. Almost as if it was the only way to guard her heart against the loss of her mate, the pressures of her in-laws, and the feeling she'd failed her kids.

But there was so much more to her. And Jake hoped he could spend more time, maybe even forever, getting to unpack and know every little bit she kept tucked away.

As they exited Wes and Ashley's house, he put those thoughts aside for now. First things first—he had to take care of his two travel-weary dragon ladies.

The more serious conversation awaiting him and Sylvia would come soon enough.

But until then, he cradled Sophie against him and squeezed his arm around Sylvia's waist, reminding him how he wasn't in a dream and that they really were with him in the flesh again.

And if he had any say in it, he hoped they always would be.