Page 40 of Elite Dragon's Secret Baby
“So, what are you getting at, Vincent? I really don’t know how to feel when you’re acting like this.”
“I'm getting at the fact that you're pregnant with another one of my children and we are still not married. I know that we've talked about it a little bit in the past and it really freaked you out, but I think that it's time to have that conversation again. Don't you?”
She got really quiet and that made him nervous.
“I don't know if I want to ever get married. I don't ever want to be owned by anyone.”
He scoffed at her. “Mallory, seriously, I doubt that anybody could ever own you. I doubt you could find anybody that could get the best of you. I know that you had a bad experience because of Balthazar, but I'm not Balthazar. I won't let anything happen to you, and I would never make you do something that you didn’t want to do.”
“I know that’s supposed to make me feel better.”
“And does it?”
She shook her head like she wanted it to be true, but it just wasn't.
“I shouldn't have to pay for Balthazar's sins. He's gone now and he can never hurt you again. I did that. I am the one that's going to keep you safe for the rest of our lives. Isn't that what you want as well?”
He didn't even realize he was holding his breath, until it came rushing out when she finally gave him an answer. It was just the answer that he was looking for.
“It is what I want. I am just afraid of what happens next.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean all of it. I don't want this to change. I'm afraid that if we get married, everything's going to change between us, and that would be the worst thing that could happen.”
He could finally see that it had been fear that held her back the whole time. It wasn't Balthazar and it wasn't him. It was her own fear of what was going to happen next. While he could completely understand her feelings on it, there was a part of him that wanted to remind her that they were both taking a chance.
He didn't have to, though. Fortunately, he only had to go back to a strategy that he had used several times in the past. If he wanted her to forget about everything, it was actually really easy. Distractions helped a lot.
“Dammit, woman, marry me!”
She giggled. “Is that how you’re going to ask me?”
“If I have to drag you down the aisle, I’ll do it. You know that it’s what both of us need. Why try to hide it?”
“See, you’re already trying to control me.”
He scoffed. “You weren’t worried about it last night when I told you how to ride me and then moved you myself. I was controlling you then and you certainly didn’t have a problem with it.”She blushed and he moved to kiss her, her small hands on his large chest as she tried to ward him off.
“Why do you always do this when you want your way?”
“Because it works. You think with the lower part of you more than I do.”
Mallory pressed her lips together and tried not to say anything. She couldn’t help herself, though.
“I don’t ever hear you complain about it.”
“Of course, I don’t, Mallory. I’m in love with you and you’re mine, whether you marry me or not. I just want the world to know that you are mine as well.”
Her breath quickened as they kissed. Vincent felt her surrender in her body, even if her mouth was taking its own sweet time. It was a good enough answer for him.
THE END
