Dragon Wanted: A Dragon Shifter Fated Mates Novel (Space Dragons Seek Mates Book 3) Read online

  Dragon Wanted

  A curvy girl Dragon Shifter Romance

  Michelle Ziegler

  Introduction

  Do bad things always come in three?

  First, a sinfully hot guy asks for her help. All Aisha needed to do was find an antidote, and she failed. Then, the grant she needed was denied.

  Now her walking fantasy is back, but he doesn't want or need anything, except her. Little curvy, doesn't-fit-in, geeky her.

  How does she say no when her soul wants him, but her head is torn between promises made and her heart?

  She doesn't know, and she isn't sure what she'd risk to find out.

  The next book in the Space Dragons Seek Mates series. Deo's story.

  Copyright © 2020 Michelle Ziegler

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical method, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial users permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the publisher addressed “Attention: Permission coordinator,” at the address below.

  [email protected]

  Publisher’s Note: This is a work of fiction. Names, character, places, and incidents are a product of the author’s imagination. Locales and public names are sometimes used for atmospheric purposes. Any resemblance to actual people, living, or dead, or to businesses, companies, events, institutions, or locales is completely coincidental.

  You need to love you first.

  Acknowledgments

  Life isn’t easy. We are all different and those differences make us who we are. I should tell the world thank you for being you, because you inspire characters to be who they are.

  My husband and kids always deserve my biggest thanks for letting me have time to get these characters out into the world!

  I have so many readers to thank, but especially my Beta/Alpha readers. Thanks Lucia, Bev, Carol, and Donise! They have a knack for reading between the lines.

  Thank you Emcat Designs for my cover and Editing by Elizabeth for services.

  Of course, my review team is a group that has my undying gratitude!

  AND ALWAYS! Thank you readers! Thank you for giving me a chance and escaping into my world and loving some confused dragon shifters from outer space. Thank you for following me this far into this crazy adventure.

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Epilogue

  Coming Soon

  Also by Michelle Ziegler

  About the Author

  1

  Aisha gripped the edge of the counter. She needed a cold shower. If Deo showed up one more time, she’d probably jump him.

  Doing a favor for a hot guy seemed reasonable. Doing a favor for a man like him though, one that saw her, like really saw her, was not the plan.

  God, when he looked at her. Aisha nearly moaned as a heat settled between her legs. Well, hell. This wasn’t in her plan. He wasn’t in her plan.

  She gripped the counter harder, her knuckles starting to ache. She wasn’t supposed to want him, though. Closing her eyes, she allowed herself a few more moments of living in a world that wasn’t hers. What would it be like to be the woman that Deo wanted? To be the woman that earned his gazes of pure adoration. Hell, what would it be like just to be kissed by him?

  “Aisha? Are you okay?”

  Her eyes flew open as she swung around.

  “I, yeah. Hi, Tan. I’m fine. Just super. Why do you ask?”

  He shook his head as he walked in. “I dunno. You seemed to be having a moment with the table, I didn’t want to disturb you.”

  Her face heated.

  “You sure you’re okay?” he asked, his eyes narrowed.

  “Yeah. Fine. I was just thinking. My request for a grant was denied. Again.”

  What she really wanted to say was that she was tired of looking at life through a microscope. Both figuratively and literally. Deo, though. He was bigger than life. Both in size and that bulge in his pants. God, she struggled to keep her eyes on his face. For the first time in her life, she understood why men struggled to watch a woman’s face. Aisha wasn’t about to say anything, though.

  If Tanmay filled out his pants like Deo, maybe they wouldn’t be in this strange standstill in life. No, yeah. They still would. She just couldn’t love him, not like she should.

  Swallowing, Aisha realized that she was getting closer and closer to needing to have a conversation that she dreaded. Tan was a good man. But he wasn’t right for her.

  “You sure that’s all that’s going through your head?” he asked.

  Aisha nodded. “Yeah. Sure. I mean, when isn’t there science-y stuff going on in my head.”

  That got her an odd sideways glare. “Science-y? That’s not a word.”

  She wrinkled her nose. Damn, she just sucked at relationships.

  How did you tell the man your father arranged a marriage with that you were horny and having daydreams about another man? Hell, she still hadn’t come up with a good way to break off the engagement. Maybe that little tidbit would end it?

  Lucky for her, or maybe unlucky, Tan didn’t exactly seem to pick up on any of this. They’d sort of fallen into a happy coexistence. One where there was suitable conversation, sometimes a laugh or two, and zero sexual chemistry. He’d filled some voids.

  Moving to her test tubes, she plucked one from the stand and shook it up.

  What the hell was even in this one?

  “You’re acting a little odd, Aisha,” said Tan.

  Blowing out a breath, she glared. “I’m a chubby female scientist with permanent bags under my eyes. What exactly screams normal here?”

  His picture-perfect smile should have done something for her. Then she thought of Deo and her entire body heated. No. Something was super wrong with her.

  “True. But you’re still acting oddly. Maybe you have a fever?” he asked.

  Oh crap. Did she? Her hand flew to her forehead. Nope. Well, maybe. It was a Deo fever, and she needed to stop it. Cold shower. Only, in the lab, all she had was the safety mandated shower and eyewash station. Well, maybe that would work.

  “I’m fine. Really. It’s just been a crap day. I was depending on that grant. Maybe I just need to face the fact I’m still nowhere, like the rest of the world.”

  Focusing on her failure cooled down her libido a bit. She wasn’t able to help Deo, and now she was letting down the rest of the world.

  “It’s okay, Aisha. Millions of people are trying to cure cancer. You’ve had a few breakthroughs using magic, but the world just isn’t ready for a magical fix.”

  She hadn’t noticed that Tan had come closer. He reached out a hesitant hand and patted her head.

  Right now, she really didn’t want a platonic relationship. She’d never felt like this before. She’d always been accepting of her life. Mostly. Aisha had always looked at women who craved sex like the
y were crazy. Not that she was super experienced, but the few experiences she’d had made her battery powered friend more and more appealing.

  The only orgasms she’d ever had were the ones she gave herself. Right now, though, her body wanted something, and he came in the form of a six-foot six man with arms the size of her thighs, and that was saying something. She was curvy, and the only gap her thighs had ever seen was when she was two. Not that her thighs weren’t super helpful when you needed to choke a man out in self-defense class or holding a jar as you tried to pry the lid off of the pickles you desperately needed to stress eat at three am.

  Stress and sex. Maybe that’s why Deo looked so good. Sex was supposed to help with stress relief and crap was she stressed. Yeah, her panties were wet for a man she’d only seen a few times, and there was no chance he’d ever look at her twice.

  But that was the thing. He did. He looked at her like he saw her, like he wanted her.

  She needed a mental slap. Who cared? She was smart. Funny sometimes. And she was going to cure cancer, someday. She needed to move on. Restart tomorrow.

  “Well, I am glad I came by. I thought I’d see if you wanted dinner?” Tan asked.

  Aisha blinked. Right, Tan was here. The man that sparked a warmth of comfort, but nothing else. God. She needed to tell him. In the months since her father passed, it wasn’t like they’d ever even kissed. Well, except the one night after the funeral. She’d been a little drunk, very depressed, and well he’d been there. But that was it. A kiss and it was like kissing her brother.

  “Dinner? Uh. Sure. But then I’m going to need to come back to the lab.”

  He nodded. “Of course. Whatever you need.”

  Good guy. That's what Tan was. A good guy. He would let her spend days in her lab.

  A knock at the door had them both looking as in walked her fantasy.

  Aisha might have licked her lips as she watched him stride in in slow motion. His shirt was like a second skin. Every single muscle visible.

  Oh, hell.

  “Aisha? How are you?”

  It took a minute to find her voice. Was she breathing heavily? Fantastic.

  Blowing out a breath, she finally found the energy to fake a calm she sure as hell didn’t feel.

  “Hi, Deo. I’m good. You?”

  He didn’t look away, and she had to squeeze her thighs tight. Every time he was here his eyes swirled a strange gold and blue mix. There was something different, something not human.

  Then again, wasn’t that the case with most of those in Roswell? It’s what drew her to this legendary city. Well, maybe legendary was the wrong word. That’s okay.

  “I’m fine. Thank you for asking. And your research?” he asked, his gaze flicking over the test tubes and slides.

  She smiled. “It’s slow. That poison you brought in isn’t like anything I’ve seen. I’ve tried everything, and it’s resistant to just about everything.”

  He nodded. “We think it has demonic properties. Not sure that helps at all.”

  Aisha’s face fell. She was an idiot.

  “Of course. I’m so stupid. Maybe if I’d tried harder in demonology courses.”

  She raced over to her cabinet that held random chemicals, some magical and some standard, opening up a cupboard just to let it slam as she moved onto another.

  Someone cleared their throat. She rolled her eyes as she kept looking. Right, Tan and his social etiquette.

  “Deo, meet Tan. Tan, Deo,” she said over her shoulder.

  Well, crap. She couldn’t find what she wanted. A few years ago, she’d met a witch that taught her about demon makeup. Something like DNA, she supposed. Anyway, she had a small vial of a potion that could isolate the magic and nullify it. Where had she put it?

  Turning back to Deo, she stopped dead as both men were locked in a staring competition.

  Tan wasn’t bad looking, but seriously, seeing them together he looked average. This was one of those moments where she really needed to think about her future. A loveless, although agreeable marriage without any passion assuming that kiss was any sign. Or did she hold out for something like she imagined, or rather, something she imagined with Deo.

  Oh, right. Staring match.

  “Have you two met or something?” she asked.

  Neither turned to her.

  “No. I can’t say we have,” Deo said.

  “Yes. No. I’d remember someone like him. How do you know my Aisha?” Tan asked.

  If it was possible, Deo might have just grown an extra inch and the veins in his neck popped.

  “She is not yours, tiny human.”

  Aisha had the same thought, although she’d have worded it better.

  “Tiny? Who are you calling tiny?”

  Aisha’s legs remembered how to work and she finally made her way over to the two men.

  “You, human. I am calling you tiny. You would not satisfy her. You wouldn’t satisfy one of those small creatures you call dogs.”

  Where the hell was this coming from? Deo said all of five sentences every time she saw him. She’d never have imagined this. Was he jealous?

  Tan’s caramel skin reddened, and Aisha flew into action.

  “Whoa there, boys.”

  Stepping in between them, she pushed each away with the palm of her hand. With Deo, that was much easier said than done.

  Absently, her fingers rubbed against Deo’s chest. Okay, yeah. Maybe he was right, Tan wouldn’t satisfy her when she had a taste for someone like him. But that wasn’t fair. She just wasn’t easy to please.

  “Put the testosterone away. Do not have a pissing contest in my lab,” she said.

  Aisha looked up into Deo’s face as his hand caressed hers. No fair. He was touching her. He wasn’t supposed to touch her. Men didn’t do that. Not even Tan.

  “Hey, Aisha. He started it. What does he want?” Tan said, a whine in his voice that annoyed her.

  Sighing, she turned to the one she’d promised her father she’d marry when her body screamed that this was all wrong. It screamed that she should be with Deo.

  She swallowed a lump past her tight throat. Her body needed to shut up. He wouldn’t want her. No, worse, she’d be breaking her promise to her dad. Still, keeping the annoyance out of her voice was impossible. She still wanted Deo, even if he was all wrong.

  “I’m working with him, Tan.”

  Tan’s nose curled up. “He sure seems a little, uh. Well, are you sure he’s the thinking type? You know, with all those muscles?”

  She snorted. “Really, Tan? That seems a little judge-y for a guy with a PhD in psychology. Aren’t you supposed to be exactly the opposite of judgmental?”

  His jaw muscles visibly tightened. “I’m not judging. I’m just saying, you don’t see many like him.”

  Heat traveled up her arm as Deo’s thumb traced a circle against her hand. What was she yelling at Tan about?

  Oh, right.

  Except Deo beat her to the punch.

  “I am smart enough. I assure you,” Deo said.

  His voice sent chills down her spine. Why didn’t he talk more? She could get used to this.

  She pulled her hands away from both of them. If she didn’t stop touching Deo, she couldn’t be held accountable for her actions.

  She needed to clear her damn head.

  She had a mission. She needed to finish her work. No distractions. No. No more love. Tan was safe, and if he ever died, it wouldn’t break her. Sure, that was a sad reality and an even sadder truth. She’d miss his friendship, but it wouldn’t break her, not like losing her dad.

  Studying her hands, resenting the tingle still lingering on the one, she tried to snap out of it. Was that the worst reason to agree to a business-like marriage? Her father would be happy to know she wasn’t alone. Too bad it all felt so wrong and every time she tried to think about kissing him again, a little throw up seemed to find its way into her throat.

  God, she needed out of this situation.

  “Tan, tha
nks. I’ll meet you for dinner. Just text me where and as soon as I’m finished with Deo, I’ll meet you. Okay?”

  He looked at her and then looked at Deo. She felt like a child, a bit of nostalgia in the way Tan looked at her, the same way her father looked at her disapprovingly.

  She missed him, but she wasn’t sure she could agree to this marriage just for his sake. Yup, tonight, at dinner, she’d end it.

  The memories of her father were close enough to a cold shower as she would need. At least it was safe for Tan to leave, even if she didn’t voice that.

  Tan nodded and finally headed to the door with a second glance before walking out.

  Aisha left Deo standing in the middle of the lab as she headed back to her microscope, where one more failed trial lay. She had magic and science on her side, and yet she hadn’t found a cure in time. Now what? She still wanted to save people from ever feeling the pain of watching someone suffer.

  “Aisha?”

  She looked up, realizing that her eyes were watering. She wouldn’t admit they were tears.

  “Do you cry because of that human?” Deo asked. He stepped forward, stepping around the table separating her from him.

  Aisha didn’t move. She couldn’t help it, she wanted him near, but she didn’t know why.

  “No. It’s not,” she said, sniffling.

  “Good. I don’t like to harm humans, but I would make an exception.”

  2

  His mouth watered to taste her. From the moment they’d seen her, Deo and his dragon knew she was theirs. They needed to wait, find the right time. Only, every moment he was near her seemed like it should be the right time. Except now.