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  An idea suddenly rose up in her mind.

  “Stefan – you remember back when we first met, you – you claimed me as your mate. You crowned me, and formally claimed me.”

  “Of course I remember,” Stefan said with a smile. “How could I forget?”

  Holly took a breath. “Could I claim you?”

  Stefan’s answer was warm and immediate, in the form of a kiss.

  Of course, my love. Of course.

  Together, they moved toward the bedroom. They always brought a few select items from their hoard with them when they came here: enough that Stefan wouldn’t miss it, and that he would be able to draw energy should he need to. Opening the locked case they kept it in, Holly’s eyes flickered over the selection, before falling on a golden circlet at the center. It looked simple at first – until you looked more closely, and realized that it was engraved with an intricate, flowing pattern of swirls and circles, painstakingly picked out of the circlet’s golden surface.

  “You said you selected a piece to crown me with, back when you were first learning what a mate was,” she whispered, as she reached down to take the crown between her fingertips. She turned toward him. “But now, I select this to crown you with. I crown you, and claim you as my mate.”

  Stefan’s eyes were heavy-lidded with desire. He lay down on his back on the bed, propping himself up on his elbows, a smile on his lips. “Crown me. Claim me. I’m yours.”

  Holly grinned as she crossed the room to him, putting the crown down firmly on his head – before adjusting it so it sat at a jaunty angle.

  “There,” she said, leaning forward to kiss him. “Perfect. Very regal.”

  Stefan’s laugh was like a low growl as he pulled her down against him, wrapping his arms around her waist. She could feel the swell of his erection against her thigh, and she squirmed against it, feeling him gasp in response.

  God, I want you so badly, she transmitted to him, kissing him desperately, her mouth open as he slid his tongue inside.

  Her hands scrabbled at his t-shirt, pulling it up over his head and tossing it away. For a long moment, all Holly could do was sit back, straddling his hips, to admire the beautiful lines of his body – the dips and grooves of his muscles, the flat planes of his pecs.

  Beautiful, she thought, sliding her hands up over the ridges of his abdominal muscles, feeling his skin heating with desire.

  His hands were on her shirt in a moment, tearing it off her, before doing away with her bra just as quickly. The sensitive tips of her breasts brushed against the hard muscle of his chest and she shuddered, before his hands came up to cover them, taking her nipples between his fingers and squeezing softly.

  In her heightened state of arousal, it was enough to make her cry out, wetness gathering between her thighs.

  “You’re s-such a tease,” she mock-scolded him as he gently tormented her, sending flutters of pleasure all through her body.

  Stefan’s smile was smug. “What are you going to do about it?”

  Holly laughed as she leaned down, catching one of his own pebbled nipples between her teeth and giving it a playful nip. Stefan gasped, his back arching, head falling back.

  “You’ll lose your crown if you’re not careful,” Holly murmured as she reached up to set it more firmly on his head. “Then what will we do?”

  Stefan laughed, but she could feel the restrained desire in it. “You’re driving me crazy.”

  Holly grinned wickedly. “Am I?” She slid her hand down over his thigh, rubbing him through his jeans. His head fell back, a moan escaping from his lips. “Well, we’ll have to see what we can do about that.”

  She slowly slid down the bed as she worked open his jeans, before easing his cock free. Hard and thick, it made her mouth water just to look at it – and she knew that right now, what she wanted more than anything was to taste him.

  Taking him in her hand tightly, she lowered her head. His eyes burned brightly with desire, glowing with an unearthly green. Holly’s breath caught in her throat, the same way it always did whenever she saw him like this – to know that she alone could produce this reaction in this strong, powerful man.

  Leaning down, Holly ran her tongue slowly over the head of his cock, hearing him groan above her. He tasted amazing – it wasn’t something that she’d ever thought about any man before, but in Stefan’s case, it was completely true.

  His thighs quaked as she pulled his cock into her mouth, her tongue lapping over him, feeling the hardness and heat of him against her. Stefan threw back his head with a cry as she sucked him, swirling her tongue over his straining flesh. She wanted to explore him, just like she had done countless times before – but every time seemed like a new experience to her, a new way to give him – and herself – pleasure.

  His thick cock in her mouth made her feel more turned on than she knew how to describe – as she lowered her lips along his shaft, she could feel wetness soaking through her panties. Every gasp and shudder he made only drove her further and further into wild desire.

  Holly kept going, working the base of his cock with her fist as she moved over him with her mouth. She could feel him moving toward the edge, the muscles of his thighs bunched, his back arching off the bed. His growing pleasure seemed to flow through him and into her, filling her with her own building waves of bliss.

  Holly… Oh God, Holly…

  He jerked up, sinews straining against his skin, and she knew he was close.

  And it was only then that she pulled back, releasing him from her mouth. He looked up at her, eyes hazy with lust and desperate need, face flushed.

  “Holly… please…”

  She grinned at him, appreciating the sight of him – his beautiful, finely-cut muscles bathed in a sheen of sweat, his chest heaving with exertion. His cock, thicker and harder than ever, lay pressed tightly against his abs, still shiny from her mouth.

  “Don’t be impatient,” she said lightly, though she knew she simply didn’t have the willpower to tease him for long.

  Straddling him once more, she held his erection in her hand, guiding it to the wetness between her thighs. She was so soaking wet, so ready for him, that even for all his size and girth he slid into her easily, filling her to perfection.

  She cried out as she slid herself down over him, taking him within herself, squeezing him tightly with her inner walls. His hands came up to rest on her hips, holding her over him once he was all in. For a long moment, they simply stayed where they were, both trembling with anticipation, both simply enjoying the sensation of their joined bodies.

  But again, Holly couldn’t make them wait for long. Thrusting herself forward with a clench of her thighs, she began to ride him, leaning forward to fill her hands with the thick muscle of his shoulders.

  Bright splinters of pleasure swept through her body, all her muscles straining. Stefan’s fingers on her hips urged her onward, faster and faster, their pleasure growing like a wave within them.

  Holly cried out, her hair falling forward over her breasts, her body singing with bliss as she moved closer and closer toward climax. She could feel it building inside her, every thrust, every movement bringing her closer and closer…

  Holly… Holly, my sweet, beautiful mate. I’m yours. You’ve claimed me.

  Stefan’s mind touching hers sent her tumbling over the edge, her orgasm bursting through her with such force she couldn’t hold back a cry. Beneath her, Stefan let out a long, desperate groan, his body jerking, as they rode out their climaxes together.

  When the last wave of pleasure crested and then slowly subsided, Holly at last lowered herself to Stefan’s side, circling his broad chest with her arms. She could hear his heartbeat – but even better than that, she could hear the peacefulness in his mind. It was a mind that was so often busy with thoughts of how best to lead the Novaks, or what decisions he might have to make. But now, here, with her, Stefan was content.

  They needed nothing but each other.

  “I love you,” she said alou
d, when she finally had her breath back.

  In response, Stefan turned his head and kissed her, long and slow. His hand came up to cup her face, tucking a few sweaty tendrils of hair behind her ear.

  “And I love you.” He looked deeply into her eyes, before kissing her again. There’s nothing we can’t do together. Nothing.

  Holly smiled into the kiss, before snuggling back down into his side. A few short years ago, she might have doubted that she was capable of anything much. But since then, things had changed – more than she had ever dreamed they could. The existence of dragons, everything that had happened with Erik, the new steps the Novak Clan was taking in the world…

  And the fact that she was the mate of the powerful leader of a dragon clan.

  It all seemed incredible.

  But Holly knew there was nowhere else she would rather be.

  The past might have been difficult, and it couldn’t be erased. The things that Stefan had lost could never be brought back.

  Holly knew she had so much more to learn and discover about this new world she found herself in.

  But together, she knew that they would make the future a better place, filled with light and happiness – and each other.

  Closing her eyes, Holly drifted into sleep with a smile on her face.

  A note from Zoe Chant

  Thank you for buying my book! I hope you enjoyed it. If you’d like to be emailed when I release my next book, please click here to be added to my mailing list. You can also visit my webpage, or follow me on Facebook or Twitter.

  Please consider reviewing A Mate for the Dragon, even if you only write a line or two. I appreciate all reviews, whether positive or negative.

  Page down to read a special sneak preview of Lawman Lion, the first in the Cedar Hill Lions series.

  The cover of A Mate for the Dragon was designed by Isabelle Arden.

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