When Time Stops: Dragon Shifter Surprise Pregnancy Romance (3 page)

A
eon frowned to himself
.

Weird,
he thought, swirling the mouthful of whiskey around before swallowing it.

He’d chosen to stake out
Maison Dragon
that night to make sure everything was running as it should. As he was now unceremoniously kicked from his house and home by his younger brothers, he had to find something to do. The first and only thing on the list was to go through the family businesses and ensure they were being run properly.

So far, it had been the task of his brothers, with Aeon only going through the paperwork every now and then. With nothing better to do, he could go to each in person and get a feel for it. So far, he wasn’t entirely sure if he enjoyed it.

Maison Dragon
was large, crowded, and insanely lucrative. The combination of the location and the very strict exclusivity the manager had set on it ensured that it was popular and packed all year round. That was all well and good for Aeon, but being in a sea of swaying, drunken people wasn’t exactly his understanding of a good time.

Or at least it hadn’t been, until he’d caught sight of that absolutely breathtaking little thing on the dance floor. Those curves and that smile of hers had made his dragon snarl and take note, his skin bristling with power at the mere sight of her. As if being near her was enough for him to somehow be… more.

As he said, it was weird.

Briefly, he considered putting her out of his mind, but he decided against it.

It’s my club. I’m supposed to walk around and get to know it,
he rationalized with himself, a big part of him all too well-aware that he was actually going to see if he could find the beauty he’d shared a moment with again.

He stalked down from the VIP balcony, kept private for only him for that night, and allowed the security guard to undo the red velvet rope from the bottom of the stairs before he moved on. He shoved the glass into the man’s hands wordlessly, stepping into the ebb and flow of the human masses.

Even in his human form, Aeon had always felt the undercurrent of time all around him. It wasn’t much, definitely not like it was when he was shifted, but his body seemed to be more in tune with what was going around him than those of others. While people around him struggled to find a spot to step on or a path through the throng, Aeon moved forward effortlessly, as if the seas parted before him and then closed up right behind him again.

His eyes flickered around the room as he walked from one to another, looking for the wild mane of auburn hair he’d so admired before. It kept catching the light as she danced and swirled around her in patterns that seemed to surprise Aeon.

Not much could do that to him.

He was almost about to give up when he heard a voice that made him stutter to a stop.

“I said, I’m not interested.”

Aeon’s head whipped to the side, his gaze flicking golden for the briefest moment, before those intense grey eyes of his returned in full force.

Her
.

He wasn’t sure how he knew it, but he did. It was her, the woman he had seen before. And by the sound of her voice, she was
not
having fun anymore.

Striding through the crowd, Aeon chose to push a couple of people out of his way this time instead of going for the easier, smoother option of following the flow. This time, he was in a hurry.

“Hey, watch it,” someone yelped, but when he glared at them, the guy quieted immediately.

Aeon wondered if his dragon had made an appearance again or if his own barely contained irritation was enough to incite the silence. Either case, he didn’t really care.

“Oh come on, we’re going to have a little fun,” a masculine voice said and Aeon didn’t know why, but he was absolutely certain that its owner was the cause of her distress.

When he caught sight of her again, she was pinned against the rock wall of the room, a big, beefy guy leaning over her, grinning a lecherous smile. Aeon’s eyes narrowed. She was obviously uncomfortable and when she made to make an escape, ducking under the guy’s arm, he grabbed her and shoved her back against the wall.

That was enough. That was all Aeon could take.

He rushed to the guy and his dragon practically roared within him, bringing a growl to Aeon’s lips. With one smooth, effortless jerk, he’d grabbed the man by the collar, turned him around and grabbed him by the neck. Aeon took one step and walked the man against the wall and with his clothes getting stuck on the stone and mortar slightly, Aeon lifted him up by the neck.

She watched with an equal mix of horror and awe in her eyes. Unfortunately Aeon couldn’t dedicate all of his attention on her yet.

“I think you owe the lady an apology,” Aeon pressed out between gritted teeth, his fingers coiling against the man’s flesh, crushing his windpipe slowly.

He was grabbing at Aeon’s arm with both hands, but there wasn’t any strength to it. Not only had Aeon caught the guy unaware but the shock of being shoved up like a ragdoll was enough to make any man tongue-tied. Well, that, and there was the small problem of running out of air, too.

“Um, I don’t think he can speak,” she offered, Aeon’s eyes flitting to her, still narrowed slightly.

He considered it for a second and then his expression cleared.

“Right,” he said, almost sheepishly, as he let go of the guy and he crumpled to a heap at Aeon’s feet.

He was coughing and sputtering, clutching his neck. Two security guards had rushed over, but kept a respectful distance when they recognized who it was causing the disturbance. A couple of people were muttering among themselves, their voices shocked and hushed, but Aeon paid them no heed. No, he had something much more interesting to look at.

She was a vision, she really was. Plump lips, even plumper hips, soft curves and the face of a devilish angel, he could have kept staring at her forever. And it wouldn’t have been enough time, which was saying something, coming from a time dragon.

“Jesus fuck, man, what’s wrong with you!?” the guy spluttered, looking up at Aeon while still clutching his neck protectively.

Aeon turned his attention to him, bristling at the interruption. She’d been looking at him with those big doe eyes of hers and he was
just
about to ask her name and here this guy was, getting in his damnable way.

“I said, you need to apologize to the lady. Do it.”

His last words did not allow for any disagreement or argument. The man hiked himself up,
Maison Dragon’s
security stepping closer immediately.

“Sorry, or whatever,” he huffed.

Aeon snarled and he could swear that despite doing his best, a little bit of smoke wafted out of his nostrils, curling in wisps on either side of his head.

“I mean, I’m sorry, okay? I didn’t mean any harm,” the guy corrected himself.

“Does that satisfy you?” Aeon asked, looking at the woman.

She looked entirely uncomfortable and like she would have rather been anywhere else other than in the middle of the stupid conflict. He couldn’t blame her. The drunken club bum was getting on his nerves too.

“Sure,” she said with a faint nod. “Apology accepted.”

“Excellent,” Aeon noted, offering her a small smile. “Get him out of here. He’s banned for life.”

“Sir,” one of the security guards nodded, moving to grab the pest by one arm while the other guard took hold of his remaining arm.

In a shower of protests and shouts, the trio made their way away from Aeon and his pretty little target and the crowd slowly dispersed, the action concluded. But she was still standing there, looking at him, and he couldn’t tear his eyes from her either. Had he been a self-conscious man, he may have felt a little… awkward.

But Aeon Prevoir didn’t really know the meaning of the word.

He took a step closer to her, looming over her. She didn’t shy away from him.

“Aeon,” he said.

“I’m sorry, what?” she asked, quirking a brow at him.

He grinned.

“My name is Aeon. I hope that guy didn’t ruin your evening.”

“Oh! Sorry. That’s… well, maybe it isn’t that way here, but that’s one odd name. I’m Isobel.”

She reached her hand to him and he took it, still wearing that appreciative smile.

Isobel.

Her name felt just right. Like it was perfect for her.

But when their hands touched, skin on skin, Aeon had to suck in a breath. Suddenly, the flow of the universe that he could sense so clearly seemed to stutter and skip and he saw everything so much clearer. It was only a split second and it was gone the moment she let go of his hand, wearing a surprised expression on her face.

What the hell was that? And did she feel it too?

Aeon had to clear his voice. He didn’t
do
surprises. While a time dragon could only control a very small sliver of time around him, it was enough to ensure that they were rarely ever surprised. Yet this day kept bringing one blow after another and Aeon hadn’t seen most of them coming.

It was worrying and odd and he knew it had everything to do with her. Isobel.

“Thanks for the… whatever that was. The growly Alpha hands-off thing. Super hot. I think I need to go find my friend now,” Isobel stammered, getting redder in the cheeks with every word she spoke.

It was adorable.

When she turned to leave him, Aeon snapped back into the moment – and it may have been the first time ever that he was
out
of the moment to begin with.

“Wait!”

“Yes?” she asked, turning to face him a little too quickly, like she hadn’t really wanted to leave to begin with.

Good. One step at a time.

He didn’t know who she was or why she seemed to fuck with his mind and his senses, but he wanted to find out. And for that to happen, he couldn’t exactly allow her to wander off. Something inside him told him that if he let her go that easy, it’d be the dumbest thing he ever did. The mistake of a lifetime.

“Let me help,” he offered, stepping up to her. “You shouldn’t be alone here when we don’t know if that guy’s been escorted out yet.”

That, of course, was a lie. Aeon had no doubt that the man had been kicked to the curb and told in no uncertain language to never show his face around there again. He was willing to use a small white lie if it meant that he could stay in her presence though.

“Okay,” Isobel said, her expression clearing. “Let’s do that then.”

Aeon almost wanted to skip when she said that and they started their hunt.

Time dragons don’t skip.

“
S
he wouldn’t just abandon
me,” Isobel said, frowning as she held her phone up towards the ceiling in hope of finding better reception. “She has the only key to our villa. God dammit Allie, where are you!”

“I’m sure she’s fine,” Aeon offered, fixing both of them drinks in the back office.

Calling it a back office was not doing it justice, though. It was a proper suite, with a kitchen, a big bathroom and a lavish living room and bedroom. All of the rooms sported the same hard and edgy look of the club, with whites, blacks and silver greys being used for the color scheme. All Isobel could think of was that it was very
him
, in a way.

“I guess,” Isobel sighed, flopping down on one of the massive black leather couches that took up a whole wall in the living room.

“Here,” Aeon said, offering her a glass of water as he held one filled with whiskey for himself.

She had to smile at that. Mystery man with the whiskey, here in the flesh. And the glass of water she’d run off to get to in order to her away from his piercing gaze. Now she had both in the same room and she had nowhere to run, and she didn’t particularly feel the urge to, either.

“What is it?” Aeon asked, mimicking her smile, though his brow creased gently.

It made him look even more devastatingly sexy than he did otherwise and it wasn’t fair, to be quite frank.

“Oh, nothing. I was just thinking how weirdly things work out sometimes,” Isobel offered, taking a gulp of the water.

Her feet were killing her. She hadn’t been aware of it before she’d sat down, but now it felt like the balls of her feet were on fire. Tossing one more worried look at her cell phone, she sunk back into the plush cushions of the couch.

“Are you sure I’m not imposing? I swear she has to be somewhere and I can’t go home before I find her,” Isobel asked, feeling the tension in the air grow a bit too thick and heady as he took a seat next to her on the couch.

He kept at a perfectly respectable distance, but that didn’t matter. She got the feeling that she could have been across the country and she would still feel the lingering heat from his gaze, or the odd tremble that seemed to go through the world whenever he was close enough. Her term for ‘close enough’ was expanding rapidly at this point.

“Absolutely not. I have my staff keeping their eyes open for her and the security crew is going over the surveillance feeds of the exits and entrances. We’ll find her, Isobel, don’t worry.”

“Okay,” she said lightly, falling all too easily into those swirling grey eyes of his.

He smiled and the way the corners of his inviting mouth ticked upwards made dimples appear on his cheeks. She wondered if he tasted as good as he smelled. Every manner of inappropriate thoughts had gone through her head so far and it didn’t seem to be getting any better.

Focus!

But she really didn’t want to.

“So do you own this place?” Isobel asked, trying to make conversation.

He seemed to be perfectly content with simply sitting there, practically simmering, and watching her. It would have felt sort of creepy, coming from someone else, but Aeon seemed to have the strong and silent thing down to an art and on him, it appeared effortless.

Goosebumps still pricked her skin every time she felt him looking at her though, which had meant that during the last hour of their so far futile search through
Maison Dragon,
she’d constantly felt like she was coming down with the flu.

“I do,” he answered, nodding. “Or to be more correct, my family does. But you could say that for this year, it’s all mine.”

“Just the year?”

“Long story,” Aeon said grimly, taking a stiff sip of his whiskey.

Isobel pursed her lips, filing that bit of information away. So the sexy heroic stranger wasn’t entirely flawless – he could at least suffer through the simple human emotion of annoyance. Good to know!

Though a part of her wanted to get right to the task of unravelling the mystery of her savior, a much more sober part of her kept herself from prying further. After all, she could completely understand having stuff that one didn’t want to discuss. Like shitty ex-fiancés and ruined weddings and…

Focus!

“Neat place,” she said, kicking herself immediately for it.

Neat? What was she, back in the ‘80s?

But Aeon grinned and she relaxed a little.

“Thanks,” he said with a nod, tipping his glass a little. “You sure I can’t get you anything?”

“No, the water’s just fine.”

She hadn’t even noticed him bring it to her, but he was the attentive kind, it seemed. Well, she knew that without needing further proof. The way he had appeared like the dark avenger from the shadows when that drunk had been bothering her had been something else.

“I want to thank you again, though,” she started, taking a sip of the chilled water. “I think the guy was too drunk to really know what he was doing, but I’m not exactly well versed in dealing with creepy European guys.”

“You’re saying you do better with Americans?” Aeon asked with a quirk of his brow.

If it were only so.

“Not really,” she laughed, setting the glass down. “But you get what I mean, right?”

“You’re thankful that I didn’t let a lout manhandle you in my club. Noted.”

His delivery was perfectly deadpan when he said it, but the hint of amusement on his face made her consider it a part of his personality rather than just an attempt at being… difficult. He certainly had an air about him, though. Like he stood a little apart from the rest. Not necessarily above the people around him, but not on the same path as they were either. It was curious, and intriguing.

“So is this what you do? Wait around until you find a damsel to rescue and then sweep her off her feet?” she asked, trying to lighten the air a bit.

It was difficult, though. Every time their eyes met, she felt like she was being sucked into a vortex and keeping her head clear was becoming more and more difficult. Most worrying of all was that she didn’t even mind. She would gladly jump into that interesting mystery before her and get lost in it.

“I don’t think I’ve quite swept you off your feet yet,” Aeon said, shrugging his shoulders slightly.

“Oh, how come?” Isobel queried, the words slipping out before she could catch them.

“I think you’d know if I’d done that,” he said that, deadpan, perfectly serious.

Her cheeks flushed immediately and she had to break the contact between them, looking away. As he had done before when they had been looking at one another from the floor of the club and the balcony, he had done it again. He had made her skin burn and her insides twist and made her feel like she had to put distance between them or she’d burn up in it.

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Do that.”

Oh my God, is this guy for real? You can’t be
that
cocky!

But he definitely was, and it looked like he wasn’t even aware of it. It was just the air about him, a complete and unwavering sense of certainty in himself. Joshua had been full of himself, but Aeon? He was confident, and by the looks of him he had every right to be.

“So why are you here?” Aeon asked suddenly.

“Here? Well, I got escorted around by this guy who thinks he can throw around anyone he wants and get away with it,” Isobel said slightly snarkily.

“I don’t mean that,” Aeon replied with a smirk, shaking his head a little. “I mean what are you doing in Arles? You’re American, aren’t you? West Coast? California?”

“I am… I can understand that you could guess my nationality, but how did you figure out I was from California?”

Isobel frowned, considering the options. She hadn’t even been carded at the door – which she sort of wish had happened now that she thought about it – so how could he pinpoint it so easily?

“My mother was American. From San Diego, actually,” he said, and for a moment she could see something flash through his eyes that hadn’t been there before.

A kind of vulnerability that was sort of surprising in its rawness. The puzzle kept getting more and more interesting.

“Did you visit?” she asked, steering clear of the ‘was.’

She didn’t need to be a mind reader to realize that he was speaking in the past tense and his mother was probably not around anymore. He didn’t particularly look like the kind of man who wanted to talk about stuff like that on the first date.

This is not a date. Christ, stop it!

So why did he keep looking at her like he was about to devour her and spit nothing out when he was done with her? Isobel wanted to blame the cocktails but as much as Aeon made her mouth water and her head spin, he also had a curiously sobering effect on her. She was pretty damn sure that anything she would do from this point onward could not be blamed on the fruity pink concoctions she had been consuming at an alarming rate earlier.

“I did,” he confirmed with a nod. “I tended to prefer Colorado though.”

“How come?”

“Always had a thing for mountains, I guess,” he offered with a shrug, taking another deep sip of his drink. “But you’re stalling, I think. Miss Isobel, why are you here?”

The way his lips curled a little as he smirked was the most maddening thing. She wanted to run her thumb along the line of his lip and find out if they were as soft as they looked, and if the slight stubble he had on his chin would rasp against her skin just right.

“My friend took me out for a night of fun,” Isobel finally said, forcing herself to pay attention to the moment instead of getting lost in her happy, lurid fantasies.

At least Aeon was living proof that she
could
be interested in another man and she hadn’t completely been ruined to the thought of being someone. If she was imagining violating him after knowing him for an hour, then clearly there was hope for her heart.

“And did you have it? Fun?” Aeon asked, sounding like he was going to need a little bit of convincing about her claim.

“It was going pretty well, yeah.”

“Nothing makes me a happier business owner to know that what I own is doing its job,” he said with a chuckle.

“Well, I could have done without Allie’s disappearing act and the guy coming to creep on me, but it was worth it in the end.”

She almost smacked her hand over her lips as that slipped out.

What are you saying?!

But Aeon definitely didn’t miss the implication. He pursed his lips slightly, a dangerous glint in his eyes. Suddenly, she felt very much like prey again, mesmerized by the predator before her. But turning tail and running didn’t exactly seem like something she would enjoy doing.

When Isobel thought she would boil over in a second, her phone suddenly buzzed on the table and both she and Aeon jumped a little. She lurched forward to grab her phone and Aeon went to down his drink whole, tossing back several fingers of whiskey.

The bottle he’d poured it from had been the same as one of the ones Joshua kept in his private bar only for the ‘most special’ occasions. If Aeon was using it as a casual evening drink, she didn’t want to guess what he would drink if he really needed to celebrate.

Hon, found some fun! Heading back 2 the villa. Keep yourself busy if you can! – Allie

Isobel groaned out loud, putting the phone back facedown.

“Something the matter?” Aeon asked, a note of worry in his voice as he deposited his glass next to her phone.

“I found Allie. But she found someone too,” she said, giving Aeon a pointed look.

“Oh,” he nodded. “So what happens now?”

“I guess I need to go find a hotel.

“Nonsense. You’ll stay here,” Aeon said, waving his hand at her dismissively.

“What? No, I couldn’t possibly! I’ve imposed on you enough!”

Isobel jumped to her feet, feeling flustered. Her hands went to her hair, instinctively gathering it up to knot it into that damn bun she’d grown so accustomed to. She was already halfway through the loose braid when her hands seemed to realize what they were doing far before her senses actually caught on.

Aeon watched her with quiet interest, having stood as well, but keeping his distance. One of his thick, carefully tapered dark brows was cocked up and the light in his eyes spoke of an almost animalistic interest. Like he was watching some exotic bird preen and fuss in front of him. Isobel’s cheeks burned bright red and she couldn’t stand it.

“I should go,” she said, gathering her things in a sudden rush, forgetting all about the bun.

She was just reaching for her purse when a strong hand locked around her wrist and gently pulled her to stand. He’d moved so quickly that Isobel hadn’t even seen how he crossed the distance between them. Suddenly, he was just there, looming over her.

She looked up into his swirling gaze, seeming to very literally toss and turn like the first tendrils of a great storm.

“I insist,” he said quietly, and she clipped her mouth shut.

His gaze seemed to travel over her face, taking in her features. It left a scorching mark behind, like twin fires burning across her. When his eyes stopped on her lower lip, she couldn’t help but bite it slightly. Her head was empty and time seemed to stand still for a moment in the most peculiar way.

Then again, the whole evening had been nothing but weird.

“I’m going to kiss you now,” he said, and instead of objecting like she perhaps should of, Isobel nodded.

“Yes,” she confirmed, as if it were a question.

It wasn’t.