Pregnant for the Dragon: Dragons of Lake City, #3

1

Max

I was always wracked with nerves when I went in to meet a new client. I was going to be carrying his baby, after all. I took a deep breath as I pushed the clean glass door and entered the clinic, walking the same path I had many times before, to the fertility counselor’s office.

Melissa smiled when she saw me, adjusting her red plastic glasses and brushing her silvery hair back. The older woman had helped hundreds of couples and singles through infertility troubles, helping them get the family of their dreams. I had been a part of that for a few years

now

,

too

.

How are you feeling, Max? She waved her hand toward

a

seat

.

Nervous. I attempted to smile. Excited. A whole mix of things.

I get that. I think you’ll like the client you’ll be meeting today, though. He’s a prince.

I laughed, completely taken aback by the word she’d used. Wait… A prince? Like royalty? I stared at her stupidly, unsure of whether she was joking

or

not

.

Yes. He’s the prince of a tiny European kingdom called Vatravia.

"Why have I never heard

of

it

?"

It’s not a part of the EU. It’s actually a kingdom of shifters, though I’m not sure what kind. He was pretty cagey about it. She shrugged, and I wondered how she could be taking it all in stride. A prince was a very unusual client.

I suddenly felt wholly inadequate. I was about to meet actual royalty, and here I was in my plaid shirt and jeans. I had a vision of a man in a fancy, old-timey looking military suit with gold embroidery and ribbons, with a sword in a scabbard at his side and shining medals.

There was a knock on

the

door

.

Come in. Melissa looked up as the door

creaked

open

.

Hello. It’s very good to meet you, at last. The voice of this client was deep and rumbling. I felt a shiver go up my spine, just from hearing that voice.

I finally turned to look at him and started. He was literally like something out of a romance novel. He was wearing a modern-looking, dark suit, slim cut in the European style, and his blonde hair was cut in a way that looked strikingly trendy. His broad shoulders and chest belied his

muscular

body

.

The prince was

fucking

hot

.

So, you are Max, then? The prince had a strong European accent—I couldn’t place it at all—but his English was fluid and perfect. I imagined it was probably better than mine, to be honest.

Yes. And who do I have the pleasure of meeting? I made to stand up, but when he sat down, I sat down too. Ugh, I was becoming awkward already.

My name is Damon, Prince of Vatravia. I heard that this was one of the best fertility clinics for shifters in the world.

You’re right about that. Melissa smiled. "So, Max, why don’t you tell Damon a little about yourself? We’ve given him your profile, of course, but I’m sure he’d love to hear it all

from

you

."

It was insane that she was referring to him simply as Damon—when he was actually royalty. She was alarmingly casual about it. I wasn’t used to meeting people as important as this. I’d never even met a local politician.

I smiled gamely at him and he returned it. He seemed like he was a perfectly nice guy. But I absolutely could not get over the fact that he was a prince. I almost didn’t feel worthy to be carrying his child. Why in the world would he pick someone like me for such an honor?

So, I’m Max, and I’m originally from the town of Reedville, which is a couple hours northwest of Lake City. I uh, I work in a flower shop part-time; it’s fun and relaxed and I like my coworkers. I’ve been a surrogate for a few years now and you’ll be my fourth client, so I have experience.

There. That didn’t sound impressive at all, but it was all

I

had

.

It’s nice to know that the man carrying my child is one so good-natured and good-looking. Damon smiled.

Wow. I hadn’t expected that. He was the one who looked like a

movie

star

.

Max is a sweetheart. Melissa chimed in, saving me from having to reply. "He’s absolutely one of our best and I know he’s going to give your child a strong start

in

life

."

Wonderful. So, how do we proceed? The prince seemed eager to get started.

I shivered. The assignment was finally beginning.

Well, we already got your samples at our previous meeting. Now we’ll just plant your seed and let you know when Max passes his first pregnancy test. You’re welcome to call us at any point if you want updates.

Damon turned to me. "And how can I help

you

,

Max

?"

"

Wha

—

?"

I had never had anyone ask me that before.

"I want the second father of my child to be as comfortable and happy as possible during the pregnancy. Please, let me know whatever you need, and I will make sure you

have

it

."

Damn. He was so nice. Or maybe he just felt obligated. Whatever the case, I appreciated his solicitousness. All of my previous clients had just let Melissa take care of everything, and he was the first one who was taking a personal interest in my well-being, to the point of offering to help

me

out

.

That’s very kind of you, Damon. I will be sure to let you know. I smiled politely. To be honest, I couldn’t see myself actually taking him up on that offer. I would feel too presumptuous

doing

so

.

Please. He took out a business card and handed it to me. "My mobile number is on this card. Do not hesitate to

call

it

."

Princes had business cards? That was news to me. Thank you, Damon.

Do you have any other questions? asked Melissa.

Not for now, no. I will let you know if any arise. Damon smiled that movie star smile. I could feel a small part of myself swooning.

Shit.

Excellent. Melissa stood up and we all shook hands, as if we had just concluded a business meeting, which I supposed we had. A very unusual business meeting.

I couldn’t help but stare after Damon as he left, his tall form filling the doorway. I wasn’t able to tell what kind of shifter he was from our brief meeting, but I did get a strong whiff of that smoky smell dragons

normally

had

.

Could it be? Was he one of us? And his whole kingdom was shifters… Was it possible that there existed a whole nation of dragon shifters out there? I was happy enough, knowing of the dragons here in Lake City, but I never quite felt like I was successful enough to hang out with them. They were so wealthy and well-dressed. The opposite

of

me

.

He’s pretty hot. Melissa laughed once she was sure he

was

gone

.

Yeah. Whew. I was glad that she had said it, not me. I sat back down in the chair and fanned myself, making her laugh even more. So I guess now I’ve gotta go get that seed planted. Time for assignment number four to start.

Yeah. You ready?

I nodded. I am. I just went to the store this morning and bought a ton of vegetables. I’ll be your most well-nourished surrogate.

She chuckled. "Let me know if you need

anything

,

okay

?"

Yeah. Of course. I got up to shake

her

hand

.

"Good

luck

,

Max

!"

After leaving her, I made a beeline down to the clinic, where I would get inseminated. I was still stunned from having met Damon. I knew that human surrogates got to meet and get to know their matches beforehand, but since the need for shifter surrogates was smaller, there was less opportunity to choose, and he was from a foreign country, anyway. If Damon needed a dragon surrogate, then he could only pick me. I didn’t think the clinic had any others.

The clinic had done psychological and physical testing beforehand, though, to make sure I was fit for surrogacy. Shifters tended to be sturdier and quicker at healing than humans, so we could take on more clients and start even if we had never been pregnant before.

I remembered the intense nerves I had when I met my first client and carried my first child. I hadn’t had any idea what to expect, except what I saw in pop culture. But they had let me go through with it, and it was such a good opportunity that I had gone on to the second, and the third…

And it was a good thing, because I needed the money to support my mother back in Reedville. Ever since my father died, things had been a struggle for us, and when humans stole her hoard, which she had kept out in the mountains in a national park, it all went

downhill

fast

.

I had tried to convince her that hoards that weren’t kept in banks were unsafe, but she was so old school. Dragons from her generation didn’t trust human institutions like banks, and the very idea of a safe deposit box was ludicrous to her. How could humans protect the valuables if they didn’t have fire breath and claws, she had asked. But how could she expect to keep her hoard safe if she wasn’t there to

protect

it

?

Well, what was done was done. Now we had to deal with it. Unlike most other dragons, we didn’t have a family fortune built up, so we had to work hard like everyone else. My flower shop income covered my basic needs, and the surrogacy income helped support my mother, though she didn’t know what I did to get it. We lived paycheck-to-paycheck, but we lived. That was what mattered.

I took another deep breath as I approached the door of the medical wing, where I knew they were expecting me. I did feel fine, really. But there was something else underneath that, and I couldn’t tell what it was. I couldn’t even tell if it was good or bad. I shook my head, trying to dislodge the feeling.

Once they planted the seed in me, there was no

going

back

.

I was getting a better handle on my feelings as I headed home. It was all because Damon wasn’t like my normal clients. The previous ones weren’t ugly, by any means, but Damon was by far the most attractive of all of them. I didn’t know whether it was the princely aura or if he really just had great features, but he was

damn

sexy

.

So this assignment wasn’t going to be like the others. It was going to be one where I would have to manage my feelings. I couldn’t develop any sort of romantic or emotional attraction to Damon. I couldn’t date him. He hadn’t mentioned a partner, but still. Even if he were looking for a partner, he wouldn’t pick me—practically a plebeian compared

to

him

.

But I was afraid that the fact that he was attractive was going to affect my pregnancy. I had never before felt an attachment toward the children I was carrying, and I had never contributed my own DNA for the child before. That was largely because my clients were in happy relationships and I didn’t have any particular feelings toward them. But having the baby of an eligible bachelor who was attractive and kind to me was going to

be

hard

.

Especially when I had been wishing for a partner for

so

long

.

But that wasn’t the only thing keeping me single. There were a lot of reasons. Honestly, I had more or less given up on finding a partner. Surrogacy was fine, for now. I got to live vicariously through my clients, being a part of their relationship for a little while.

And I had a good life. I had friends and coworkers who I liked. I had fun living in the city. I didn’t have that much to complain about. And most importantly—I was helping to support my mom, who had been one of the best mothers ever. I wanted to repay her for how well she had taken care of me, and I was glad I got to

do

that

.

But there was something missing. I wasn’t the kind of person who could be happy being single forever. I’d have to face that head-on, at some point. I never felt ready for it, and I didn’t feel ready for

it

now

.

But if Damon was going to be in my life for the next