Dragon's Omega Bride (Shifter Marriage Service 3)

When she was younger, she used to help her father look for errors in the books he had taken over for the crown. The earlier accountant had not done a great job, his once keen eye much less accurate due to his advanced age and hands that sometimes cramped, leaving him to finish later and forget things in between. Her father was a whiz at books, but it was sometimes overwhelming to look through volumes of books filled with tiny columns in order to find the mistake and even if he was perfectly capable, he just seemed to like her helping him.

Glancing at her watch, she saw that time had flown by much faster than expected. She packed the laptop into the carrying case that had come with it as a gift and headed back to Yakov’s place. She wasn’t sure what to expect from him. Would he be welcoming or standoffish after last night’s tryst?

Much to her surprise, he greeted her with a huge smile and a kiss on the lips. A jolt of electricity sang along her spine, all the way down to her toes, with a throbbing pause squarely in her center. She wasn’t fighting it. She was a big girl and knew that this was just a physical relationship, one of convenience. If she had had any doubts whatsoever, they had been quickly doused by that sobering pullout last night.

“You packed for our trip?” he asked.

“Partly. I’m about to go finish up now,” she replied.

“Great. I’ll see you in a couple of hours. I have to run some errands before we leave for the airport.”

“Sounds good.”

She felt incredibly content as she made her way to her room. Why shouldn’t she be? She had a great job, even if it was a bit unconventional and she was getting laid as part of the benefit package.

They were headed for a weekend in the tropics, where there would be nothing for her to do but lay in the sun and consume cold drinks with tiny skewers of fruit floating in them. She was pulled from her thoughts just as she finished zipping up her case. She went to open it, surprised to see Yakov standing there with a member of staff.

“Ready?”

“Yeah, I think so,” she replied, looking around to see if she had forgotten anything that she should have put in.

“Good. George will take your bags down for you.”

“Oh, yeah. Thanks!” she said, stepping back and waving for them to come in.

George, a groundskeeper who was usually scarce around the inner workings of the house, moved past her and retrieved the two cases sitting on her bed to take them downstairs. It was only once he was gone that Yakov entered, closing the door behind him.

“I’ve thought about our little tryst for quite a while this morning. I think we both had a bit much to drink and let things get out of hand. I’m sorry for that. It won’t happen again.”

“Oh. No. It’s fine. Don’t give it another thought,” she said, very cognizant that she felt disappointed, but unwilling to relay that to him.

“Good. Enough said about it then,” he replied with a smile. “Ready to get going?”

“Yes. Just let me grab my purse.”

Aileen walked over to the dresser where she had left her bag and picked it up, exhaling slowly while she was away from him. These months might not fly by so quickly, after all. Turning back toward him, she saw that he was still watching her and wondered why. He quickly averted his eyes and turned for her to follow him out, leaving her to wonder if he had really meant what he said or was just saying it because he didn’t want to complicate their agreement.

Whatever it meant, there was no doubt it would put a damper on what she had hoped would be a sex romp filled weekend with him - no cares, just fun and excitement. Instead, she was back to just hanging out alone with a drink and a book in hand. There were worse ways to spend a weekend, she supposed.

Today, they were driven to the airport by George, who unloaded their pre-checked bags to the acceptance hub at the drop off point while they went inside to process in for their flight. The drive had been quiet, with Aileen looking out the window for most of the ride there and Yakov involved in some sort of heated discussion about roofing tiles for a shopping outlet. Now that they were at the airport, the silence mostly continued as they made their way through security and final check in.

Finally, they were seated on the plane. Aileen was fascinated with not only the speed with which they had been processed in, but the accommodations in their first-class seats. She had always flown economy, sitting in tiny seats and afforded packs of peanuts or nuts, at best. Here, in first class, there were large, roomier seats, drinks and meals. Yakov seemed to be used to it, but for her, it was like experiencing how the other half lived.