Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fourteen

Lauren Meets The Parents

The first view of Daxter's family home was deceptive. It looked small. But Lauren knew most of the house was built into the mountain. Only a large deck, a small entryway, and a few windows were visible from the pathway.

What she could see was surrounded by dark cliffs, scrubby trees, and several large boulders. The red sand and rust-colored stone reminded her of desert areas in the southwest United States. The pang of homesickness was immediate. She loved her mate, but she missed her home. Taking a deep breath, she shook off the sadness. Now was not the time.

Her dragon-man had explained that he was born in this very building. It was imposing—built into the cliff. It was where he'd spent a great deal of time growing up. His father and mother would go to the castle when needed during his early years. But as a child, Daxter was left in this mountain fortress.

Lauren stood a few steps from the deck and tried not to wince every time she moved. She had warned Daxter they were going to be late. Her mate wasn't kidding when he retorted they would be very late. Daxter's dragon had waited a long time to claim her.

Something about Daxter taking dragon form and having Lauren ride him had triggered the dragon's need and brought him close to the surface—even when Dax held his human form. It meant her mate was in a perpetual state of arousal. He couldn't get enough of her.

Now they were several hours later, and Lauren was walking funny.

What she needed was a hot bath with some Epsom salts.

Her legs were weak, and the idea of sitting in a chair made her wince. She needed to soak her pains away. Instead… it was time to meet the parents. Lauren would leave any discussion of why they were late to her mate. Her only goal was to get through the next few minutes and pray someone suggested they should clean up and rest after their day of travel. Please.

As Daxter led her toward the entryway, the large double doors were thrown open.

A woman rushed toward them, squealing excitedly. She was pale, green-eyed, and had dark brown hair. Her mate's resemblance to this woman was unmistakable. She must be his mother, Dalia.

There was a man right behind her. It was easy to see where Daxter got his black, coarse hair. His father, Xter, also wore his hair short. He was a muscular man, who obviously kept in shape. He was just a little shorter than her mate. Maybe an inch or two. He also had bright green eyes and oblong irises, like Daxter.

Huh. Daxter had told her his parents' names several weeks ago. She'd known they were Dalia and Xter for a long time, but hadn't realized that Daxter's name was a combination of the two. Like the ship names of celebrities where Brad and Angelina became… Brangelina, Dalia and Xter named their son Daxter.

She couldn't help it. Her thoughts scrambled as she tried to figure out what she could make with Lauren and Daxter. LaDa? Laxter, Ladaxter, Laurda? Oh, my hell! She had to stop thinking of baby ship names and pay attention.

Her soon-to-be father-in-law, the King, was coming in for a hug. Lauren opened her arms and accepted his affection. Xter had a very light skin tone, although not as pale as Daxter's mother. Daxter spent a great deal of time outdoors, so his skin tone was a little darker.

Both parents were worlds away from Lauren's light chocolate color. But no one seemed to notice. Instead, they were fascinated by her. Appeared eager to envelop her with open arms and hearts. Lauren started to tear up and couldn't figure out why.

Until she realized it had been a very long time since an older man had hugged her as a father would.

Both her parents, her aunt and uncle, and her grandparents had all died in a car accident when she and Kaitlyn were in their teens. Makayla had raised them since that horrible day. But there wasn't an older male in their lives.

Daxter realized she was sad and gathered her into his arms. She shook her head. "I'm okay. Nothing's wrong. I just realized something. We can talk about it later," she whispered into the crook of his neck. He nuzzled the top of her hair in acknowledgment.

Lauren crossed her fingers, hoping that this relationship worked out, and she'd gain a set of parents to love. She knew she couldn't count on it yet. At some point in the next day or so, they were going to have more than one serious discussion. Depending on how those went, the budding relationship might die before it had a chance to start.

Dalia looped her arm around Lauren's waist, pulling her out of Daxter's arms. She started guiding her toward the door. "Come inside, Lauren. It's cooler and I have water or juice for you. This is the hottest part of the day, and we can become dehydrated so quickly. I assumed you and Daxter would want to rest up for an hour or so after your travels. We don't eat dinner until much later, but I had a selection of food and drink taken to Daxter's rooms in case you were hungry. Will that be okay, my new daughter?"

Lauren didn't know if she should laugh or cry. She hugged Dalia and nodded. "Perfect!" If she'd known the way to Daxter's rooms, she'd have skipped the water and small talk and headed straight for bed. Her legs were shaking, and she needed some serious downtime.

Turning toward her mate, she caught the gleam in his eye. She frowned and shook her head at him. Absolutely not! She mouthed the words at him and took a step back.

Daxter growled and rushed toward her, scooping Lauren into his arms. Running from the small entryway, he yelled over his shoulder, "We need more than an hour! See you for a late dinner."

When both his parents started laughing, Lauren's body flushed with embarrassment.

Daxter leaned in and nuzzled her head. "Remember, my love. Dragons have a fantastic sense of smell."

Frowning, Lauren wondered what… Oh, my hell! Her mate was telling her that his parents could smell them. And after what they'd been doing for the last few hours—they had to smell like sex. "I'm going to kill you," she muttered. Her embarrassed flush deepened.

Daxter's laughter echoed through the halls.