6. Chloe

SIX

"Why are you smiling at me like that?" she continued. "Are you really so awful that you"d seduce a girl and then mock her for it?"

She knew her outburst was overdramatic.

Chloe couldn't believe the outpouring of emotion she'd just unleashed on the man who, not five minutes prior, gave her the top two most earth-shattering orgasms of her life.

But the lingering embarrassment wouldn't leave her mind, and instead of processing it, all she could do was lash out at the only person available.

When that other couple stumbled through the library door, Chloe's entire world had narrowed into one dark little window of terror.

She should have stopped him immediately.

She even pushed his face away, half-heartedly, in a bid to gain some control over a chaotic situation.

But snapping her attention back to the pleasure made that anxiety fade back into nothing, and at that moment, Chloe decided that the judgment of strangers meant nothing compared to the absolute ecstasy she was on the brink of.

But then, with Adrian admitting this was some weird sex party and that he'd outright used her, the embarrassment was flooding back. Not only did this cruel man try to use her for sex, but there were witnesses as well.

What did they think of the situation? Did they find her disgusting, pathetic, and desperate? Were they laughing at her from the shadows? Had they walked back to the party and told everyone about the chubby human begging for it?

Hot tears of anger and embarrassment rolled down Chloe's cheeks. She'd thought, maybe even hoped, that Adrian would take offense at her outburst. That he'd leave his pathetic little conquest to mope on the couch and run off to find his next target.

Instead, he'd looked at her pain and laughed. Laughed! It wasn't enough to use and humiliate her. He had to mock her for it, too. And that had made Chloe genuinely angry.

She grabbed her purse and rose from the couch, finding her panties needed a slight adjustment if she was going to walk through that door with even a shred of dignity left. Adrian's hand darted out and grabbed her by the wrist.

"Where are you going?" he asked with genuine shock in his tone.

Chloe looked back at him and scoffed. "Far away from you and your sick sense of humor."

Adrian blinked and stood, not letting go of her just yet. "Listen, Chloe, maybe I need to explain. I've always been a straight shooter."

She sighed and shook her head, not sure why she hadn't left him on the spot. "What does that mean?"

"It means I'm not going to sugarcoat it when I think you're being ridiculous. But also that you can always trust me to tell the truth."

"Oh? Well, from my perspective, that's bullshit."

She turned to leave but stopped. Was she just going to storm back into the manor and gather her friends, interrupting them for her own selfish gain? And wouldn't she stand out "like a nun in a whorehouse?"

"First, yes, my original intention in coming to this party was to get laid," Adrian continued. "I thought I might have my way with two or three willing participants, then make my way home having never known who they were."

Chloe cringed at the thought of being little more than a disposable body to this man. There was something utterly disrespectful about the concept, and she could feel herself fighting the urge to throw up.

"That plan was sidetracked, though. Because my dragon led me to this room," Adrian said calmly.

"Wait. Dragon?" Chloe asked. "What do you …"

"If I'd known my fated mate was here tonight, I never would have come."

"Fated! Hold on, slow down!"

Adrian shook his head, refusing to stop his explanation.

"I have no trouble getting sex when I want it from whatever gorgeous woman I want it from. All I can do is promise you that this isn't that. I'm just … still adjusting because I think this could be something more than that."

Was this some predatory trick to lure her back into his arms? She had only just met this man, and now he was insisting they were destined to be together.

Her head spun.

"I don't know what kind of elaborate trick this is, but if you want to go fuck around, then fuck around," Chloe said. "Just leave me out of it."

Silently, Chloe damned him for toying with her like this.

She had thought this was going to be so much more than that. She had imagined a picturesque fantasy where this magical being took her away to another realm.

But she had been deceived. Like every guy before him, he had treated her as little more than an easy lay. She was perhaps angriest with herself and the fact that she had let him.

"Chloe, please," he said, his voice softer.

He released her arm and let her take a step away. "Maybe I wasn't explaining myself well. I'm not exactly well known for my tactfulness in conversation. Let me try to answer your questions. Yes. I am a dragon shifter."

Chloe's lips parted slightly, a breath of understanding passing through them. That explained some things but not all of them.

"And we have something in our culture called fated mates."

"And what the hell does that mean?" Chloe asked, feeling her resolve wavering.

She wanted so badly to walk away, but he was just so damn beautiful. And there was something so intriguing about the way he looked at her.

"It's like having a soul mate but much more intense," Adrian replied.

She stopped herself from scoffing at the thought. She had always condemned the idea of soul mates. But then, she had always dreamed about reality being something more, too.

"Go on," Chloe said.

She was ready to walk away the moment this got weird.

"Every shifter has one in their lifetime, and once they meet, no one else in the entire world will ever compare. I know that's you, Chloe. I can see it in your eyes, in the way that you carry yourself, and in the way you talk."

"That's a bold claim."

But her defenses were already shaky. How was he so persuasive? So good?

"None of the women in my black book could ever possibly compare to you. For however many days, years, or centuries I may have left on this planet, I will only ever want you. I know it sounds ridiculous to you since we just met, but my dragon recognizes its partner in you."

Chloe's breath hitched.

Adrian sounded like he'd lost his mind, or maybe he'd taken a few too many party drugs. She wanted to believe him, but she couldn't allow herself to.

"I don"t believe you," she finally said.

Adrian shook his head, then walked away.

In spite of her protests, she found herself wanting him to come back. She needed to be with him. She was immediately convinced he was abandoning her.

Instead, he walked among the rows and rows of bookshelves, wandering the library and scanning every book before finding what he was looking for.

He gingerly took a red leather-bound tome from the rest and flipped through its pages before jabbing at a page with his finger. It looked massive, but he carried it so easily that she couldn't help but admire his strength.

"Here," he said, handing the open book to Chloe. "Here"s the proof, right here."

Chloe looked at Adrian with suspicion but accepted the book all the same.

She checked the spine of the book. "‘The Sexuality, Courtship, and Mating Rituals of Shifters' by Doctor Reginald Holloway," she read aloud.

Well, that certainly made it seem legitimate. She looked where his finger was pointed in the book.

The chapter was titled, simply enough, "Fated Mates." She began to read, starting from the top of the chapter.

"Within his or her lifetime, a shifter may eventually come into contact with an individual who has been designated as their fated mate. This mate may take the form of a fellow shifter with similar or different animals, or sometimes even a human," she read out loud, emphasizing the final word. She couldn't believe what was printed right in front of her.

The chapter went on about the bond, how it felt, and what it meant for each member. That it was strong, like an all-consuming aphrodisiac. The shifter had no say in the bond, and even if the mate were to die, he would continue on completely devoted to her for the rest of his life.

Chloe felt dizzy again.

Even if this were a fictional concept, it felt all too real in the moment. She read it again and again.

She found a page detailing Dr. Holloway's credentials, just to be sure. But she couldn't find the hole in the logic.

Was this a dream? Or was this not too good to be true after all?

"How do I know you aren't just feeding me a line?" she asked. "That you aren't just stringing me along more to get me in your bed? For all I know, all of those women are in your black book because you told them the same fanciful fairy tale."

Adrian's face fell. He seemed somewhat hurt but remained determined, nevertheless.

"You think I manufactured this book as an elaborate trick to get you into bed?" he asked. "That doesn't feel very realistic."

She chuckled. He was preaching realism while describing something from a mythology lecture.

"It's not a fairy tale. And it's certainly not a lie," he continued. "I know we're only just meeting, but if you give me time to prove it, I will prove it to you. I want you to feel the same way I do, to see what I see when I look at you."

She stood paralyzed, unsure of what to do.

He continued, holding his hand up.

"But since you're so convinced I'm just trying to get you into bed, no sex. Just the two of us together," he said. "How does that sound?"

She bit her bottom lip, lost in a sea of still-swirling emotions. Admittedly, she felt slightly disappointed that sex was off the table. She supposed that was her own fault for making such a big deal of it.

But without the physical incentive, she found herself intrigued by this man and what he was trying to gain from all this.

From her …

Plus, it was late, and her head felt heavy from the wine, orgasms, and swirling emotions.

"All right," she relented. "One night."

Chloe curled up on the couch with Adrian, resting her head on his chest and feeling his heartbeat even from under his shirt.

She sighed as his arm settled over her, holding her close and secure. As nice as it felt, she couldn't help but wonder just what it was she got herself into.