Love and Dragons by Kimberly Forrest
Chapter One
the doll form she’d been working on for a custom order and stood to stretch, one hand massaging her lower back while the other rubbed the rather impressive mound of her belly. Only seven months pregnant and she already felt like a beached whale. Her little dragon baby was going to be a big one.
Her doctor, a rather stern-faced but highly capable black bear shifter, had assured her that things were progressing swimmingly, but Kayla still worried. This wasn’t exactly a standard, run-of-the-mill pregnancy. She was a human giving birth to a dragon shifter, a fact that required a great deal of secrecy, and from what she understood, there weren’t many humans who had done this before, so it wasn’t like she had a large pool of information to look up what to expect when expecting a dragon.
Walking over to the wall of windows that looked out from her and Darius’s home on Dragonback mountain, she took in the view, so different from when she’d first moved in. The snow that had blanketed the area when she’d originally come to this mountain, was now long gone, and the forest of pine trees was a vivid expanse of dark green only broken up at the base of the mountain by a winding ribbon of gray asphalt that was the road leading up to the house. It would be easy to feel isolated, alone both in this house and in her circumstances, but between Darius’s efforts and her own, they’d managed to set up a little network of support.
Her doctor, of course, but her parents knew what was going on as well. While they’d known about the pregnancy and had been ecstatic at the prospect of their first grandchild from the moment Kayla had taken the test, she and Darius had revealed the truth about dragon shifters on Christmas when they’d joined them that evening for a family dinner. They’d been shocked, of course, but had come to terms with it relatively quickly, their love for their daughter and future grandchild easing the transition. So while they couldn’t offer her any advice or tips on what she was going through with this pregnancy, she could talk to them and vent as needed.
Darius’s mother, Regina Balaur, was another source of information, though Kayla let Darius relay those questions. Kayla and the queen of dragons did not get along. Regina saw Kayla’s human blood as a blight on the perfection of the Balaur line and had no qualms about saying as much, while Kayla thought Regina was a raging bitch. End of story. Maybe they’d get past it, maybe they wouldn’t, but currently, she was the only female within close proximity that had actually given birth to a dragon shifter.
Etta Björgvinsdóttir was also in her little network – a surprising choice considering the role the gorgeous Icelandic dragon shifter would have played in Darius’s life had Kayla not ended up pregnant. But, as it turned out, Kayla and Etta had become fast friends, speaking frequently on the phone, and, when Etta was in town, going shopping or out to lunch together. Etta may not have ever been pregnant, but as a female dragon with a medical background, she had some valuable insight to offer. Plus, it was just nice having a friend with whom she could speak freely. As a matter of fact, Kayla would be seeing Etta again tomorrow and would be staying with her for a few days at her home in Manhattan while Darius attended some big gamer convention in Las Vegas.
Darius’s first inclination had been to cancel the trip, have one of the Dragon World Technologies board members go in his stead, but Kayla had convinced him otherwise. If given his way, Darius would wrap her up in bubble wrap in an attempt to keep her safe, and while she understood that about him, even accepted it, it could still, on occasion, be annoying. But, oh, how far her gorgeous, workaholic dragon had come.
They’d struck a deal concerning his work life and the hours that he kept, early on, but honestly, Kayla had thought for sure that after the new year, he would have let things slide and fallen back into old habits. That he hadn’t? That he’d stayed true to his word? It meant the world to her. He did still tend to micromanage more than necessary, but that was just Darius’s way – a quirk she found amusing for the most part.
Once Kayla had started showing, Darius had begun spending even less time at work, especially limiting how much travel was required of him, and if it was something he couldn’t postpone or delegate, he usually took Kayla with him so they wouldn’t be apart. Now, most evenings he’d return by five rather than the originally agreed upon seven-thirty, and he even took Saturdays off as well as Sundays, video-chatting if he had to, and otherwise, putting business aside in favor of taking care of Kayla. She thought it was both cute and endearing the way he’d studied up on how to take care of a pregnant woman, frequently offering to massage her lower back or her feet and making sure the house was stocked with any foods she might be craving.
Normally, Kayla would have joined him on this trip as well, but, fun fact about being pregnant with a dragon, she was always hot. Where in the beginning, she’d had sporadic, nuclear-meltdown-style hot flashes, she now just remained hot, which meant time spent in a desert – even just passing between an air-conditioned vehicle to an air-conditioned building – would be akin to torture. She was dreading what she’d be feeling at the height of summer when she was full-term.
With a fond smile, her hand drifted up to her throat and she toyed with the engagement ring that now hung suspended from a silver chain rather than wearing it on her hand since her fingers frequently swelled to the size of sausages lately.
Her dragon hadn’t proposed on Christmas or New Year's Eve, remarking after the fact that such a momentous milestone such as an engagement deserved its own day. He’d picked January sixteenth to pop the question, taking Kayla completely by surprise.
They’d gone to dinner at a rustic lakeside restaurant, the window seat he’d chosen for them overlooking the frozen lake lit by charming little lanterns illuminating couples and families merrily ice skating over the glossy surface.
After dinner, they’d strolled outside to get a closer look at the skaters, and Darius had dropped to one knee, heedless of the damage the snow might do to his fine dress slacks, and took her hand.
As Kayla stood there, her free hand over her mouth and eyes wide with shock, Darius had reaffirmed his love for her, his joy in having her back in his life, and his delight at becoming a father before he’d asked her to do him the honor of becoming his wife. It was a perfect moment, romantic, and everything Kayla could have hoped for in a proposal… until she threw up.
It happened so fast, there was no stopping it. A quick rush of prickles over her skin was her only warning before her digestive system changed gears and the lovely dinner she’d consumed came back up in spectacular fashion. That beautiful proposal ruined, Kayla had promptly burst into tears.
Darius hadn’t missed a beat, he’d simply scooped her up in his arms, holding her close as he carried her back to the car and taken her home, keeping hold of her hand the entire way and murmuring soothing words of love and reassurance.
Proposal two-point-O had happened later that same night as they cuddled together in bed, fresh out of the shower, and dressed in comfy pajamas with Darius gently stroking her hair.
The air currents stirred at her back, pulling Kayla out of the memory, and she turned with a grin. “You’re home early.”
Darius made a beeline straight for her, taking her into his strong arms and sealing his lips to hers in the best form of hello.
His hand dropped to her belly, rubbing in slow circles and a clicking purrlike sound rose from his throat as his dragon said hello as well.
Breaking the kiss with a final, sweet peck of his lips against hers, he pulled back slightly to tell her, “Arvin is fully capable of finishing up for me. Besides,” he added as he tossed his suit jacket on a chair and began undoing the cuffs of his dress shirt. “I’d rather spend this time with you.”
His fingers rose to touch her jaw as his eyes moved over her face as if to memorize it. “I’m going to miss you.” Brows dropping low over his eyes, he frowned. “I really should cancel.”
“It’s only for a few days,” she reminded him with a fond smile as she began helping him roll the sleeves of his shirt up, revealing the strong corded muscles of his forearms.
Her gorgeous dragon. He still took her breath away. His hair was cut ruthlessly short on the sides, the slightly longer top perfectly styled without a hair out of place. Vivid green eyes under dark brows, a hint of shadow on that strong jawline, perfectly kissable lips – at least in Kayla’s opinion. Some women might find Darius a bit too intimidating, the figure he cut, too imposing since you could practically feel the dominance rolling off him in waves. But Kayla had always been attracted to strong men, and how that buff body filled out that suit… Mercy. He always left her wanting to fan herself even before the hot flashes of this pregnancy.
“That’s a few days too long,” Darius grumbled.
Kayla grinned and placed her palms flat on his chest, leaning into him. “Want to play big spoon to my little spoon and cuddle?”
“Yes, please.”