Dragon's Surrogate MatchMate

  Dragon’s Surrogate MatchMate

  (Dragon’s MatchMate Agency)

  Maia Starr

  Book#1

  Copyright ©2020 by Maia Starr - All rights reserved.

  In no way is it legal to reproduce, duplicate, or transmit any part of this document in either electronic means or in printed format. Recording of this publication is strictly prohibited and any storage of this document is not allowed unless with written permission from the publisher. All rights reserved.

  Respective authors own all copyrights not held by the publisher.

  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

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Other Sizzling Shifter Books

  Other Books By Maia Starr

  About the Author

  Exclusive Offer

  Chapter One

  Lily

  I stumbled down the stone steps as Adam grabbed hold of my collar and shoved me away. I flinched as he took another step towards me, a frown etched into his face. Tears streamed down my cheeks when I righted myself and stood straighter.

  “Please, Adam, don’t do this.”

  But my husband didn’t look as if he were going to grant my wishes. No, I knew him too well to think he’d simply forgive me. Or maybe I didn’t know him at all anymore. He stopped before me again and glared daggers at me. I met his eyes, shaking, but not wanting to shy away. The California sun heated my back as the seconds ticked on. Adam scoffed and turned away from me, motioning at the suitcase he had carefully placed near the gate. “Just take your things and go, Lily. This is final.”

  “Don’t just kick me out! I’m your wife!”

  He whirled on the steps to shout down at me. “I saw you kissing Eric! When you two snuck away, I knew something was up. How long, Lily? How long have you been screwing him?”

  Now it was my turn to glare daggers. My head pounded from the drunken night before, when Adam had held his white-collar party. Only the wealthiest of the wealthy came, and there was enough Champaign to overflow a cargo ship. I didn’t often drink enough to get wildly drunk, usually because I knew I would make mistakes.

  Eric was my husband’s closest friend, the kind that would always be around to pick up the pieces when Adam made a mess of things. But that wasn’t about to stop him from goading me into a makeout session.

  I clutched my head as my hangover worsened. Only little bits and pieces of the night before resurfaced in my mind. The scent of ocean spray candles...the low hum of the dozens of guests chatting and gossiping...and the touch of soft lips on mine. I recoiled at the memory. That wasn’t what I wanted. I’m sure I had said no, yet he kissed me anyway.

  “Please, honey, I haven’t been sleeping with him! I was so, so drunk, and he took advantage of me. Why can’t you see that?”

  But Adam shook his head in disgust. He balled and un-balled his fingers rapidly, like he always did when his anger was about to get the better of him. “How can I trust anything you say? There will be gossip for weeks now. Your tryst with Eric will ruin my image!”

  “Your image is more important than me?” I said.

  Something flashed through his eyes, a look I couldn’t quite make out, despite his face being lit up by the morning sunlight. “Just leave, Lily. Go!” Without another word, he spun and walked inside our...his mansion. I continued to stare, wanting to call after him, to beg him to think harder about his. No! I turned toward the winding street, which looked out over the Pacific Ocean, and wiped at my damp cheeks. I wouldn’t give in just like that. I had seen the signs of Adam’s jealousy before when men gawked at me, kissed my hand in greeting, tried to ask me out when he was right beside me. Nothing I said could ever change that. I just needed to weather the storm, and he would welcome me back with open arms.

  Suddenly, his rapid footsteps echoed on the porch, and as I turned around, I saw my husband hold up a stack of papers. “I want a divorce, Lily. I’ll email you the papers to sign later. This is it. It’s over.”

  And then he retreated through the front door, into the safety of his wealth.

  I realized when I looked back at the waves far out in front of me that my jaw had dropped, and it took all of my strength to close it tight.

  “Divorce?” I whispered to myself. “He wants...a divorce. Oh my god.”

  A warm breeze blew out my wobbly knees, and I had to crouch to keep myself from falling over. I cupped my mouth and nose in my hands, unable to hold back more silent tears. Some teenage couple sped by in a Bugatti Veyron, screaming out in ecstasy at the sheer speed they were going. I listened to them as they wound down the road, shouting and waving their arms out of the windows.

  Rising to my feet, my eyes already red and puffy, my nose sniffling, I pulled out my phone. There had to be someone that would help me convince Adam to stop all this nonsense. He was destroying my life, after all. Ringing up a woman I considered a close friend, I waited until I heard the familiar bubble pop of her gum. “Cindy! It’s Lily. Listen, I’ve got a favor to ask.” I paced along the gate.

  “Oh, so Adam’s whore wants something from me?”

  I stilled. “What...did you just say?”

  Cindy cackled on the other end, sounding more like a witch than I ever thought she could have. “You have amazing hearing, Lily; don’t act like you don’t know what I said...or pretend like you aren’t a whore.”

  My heart raced. I wanted to vomit up my breakfast. “Cindy, I don’t know what you heard, but it was all a mistake. I was drunk—”

  “Excuses, excuses,” she said. “I saw you last night with Eric, going behind Adam’s back. You’re the kind that likes to create drama between two best friends, right? The type who wants everyone to love her? Poor Adam, he might be a wreck after finding out you’ve been screwing his best friend.”

  I chucked my phone across the road, watching with satisfaction as it crashed on the rocks and kept tumbling down the steep hill. I breathed hard, and once I’d calmed myself down, I swore at myself. “Great! Now I need to get a new phone too…”

  Gazing at the one suitcase still standing up straight by the gate, I sighed and trudged over to it. I had never been one to value material possessions, so this suitcase really did probably have all of my clothes and jewelry inside, and anything else that was mine. I wondered when he packed all of things. When I was passed out in our bed, blissfully unaware of what was about to happen to me? I remembered I had been dreaming about having kids mere moments before I woke up to Adam’s ugly expression and his meaty hand shaking me.

  Picking up the suitcase in two hands, I looked back at the mansion I’d lived in for the past few years, remembering all the good times I’d spent with Adam, Cindy, Eric, and others. Was all of that just a façade? How could people turn on me so quickly?

  Why was I even surprised?

  I heard a roar in the distance and looked back to the ocean, where I spied a coppery, shining dragon freefall in the air. It roared in pleasure, and was probably three times my size, though it was no bigger than my pinky from this distance. I watched in fascination as it spread its wing
s just before smashing into the water and glided away. The dragon left its tail to skim across the ocean’s surface, leaving ripples in its wake and spraying water on nearby boats. The dragon then soared higher into the sky to meet a second, albeit smaller, dragon, where they seemed to dance in the air and spin around each other before racing away towards the Golden Gate Bridge.

  I found myself smiling while watching them. I’d never met a dragon shifter before...or maybe I had and just didn’t realize. There was a large population of dragon shifters in San Francisco, after all. Not that I imagined anything like that would happen soon.

  Trying my best to put on a brave face, I lugged my suitcase out onto the sidewalk and reached into my pocket to grab my phone to call a cab...only to remember I had just chucked it down a hill.

  Slumping my shoulders, I began to walk down the street. It might take me a few hours to walk to the city, but I didn’t have a choice, now did I? Lifting my head, I marched on.

  Chapter Two

  Adam

  When I stepped up to the door of the plane, I ripped it open and gave the pilot a thumbs up. The man laughed and then did a double-take.

  “Where’s your parachute?” he shouted above the roaring winds.

  I shook my head when he pointed at the row of parachute packs underneath my lady friend’s feet. She giggled and got up to whisper in the man’s ear. “We’re both dragon shifters! We don’t need them.”

  The man gaped at her, but ultimately sighed and sunk back into his pilot's seat and waved us on. “Dragons, man. I still can’t get used to your kind.”

  I laughed and shared a final glance with my girl, and then I turned around, locked my fingers behind my head, and let myself fall back into the open air.

  The hard winds shot me away from the plane like a bullet. I sped along, gazing up as the plane grew smaller and smaller, watching as my girl followed suit, screaming out in ecstasy, her hair going wild. I laughed, unable to contain the adrenaline pumping through my veins, and rolled around to see the crashing waves below. San Francisco was laid out against the water in the distance, with the very top of the Golden Gate Bridge just barely visible through the fog that surrounded it. I pictured myself flying over and under it, scaring the life out of some random humans and maybe even some other shifters crossing the bridge.

  A big smile appeared on my face, and suddenly I was shifting into my dragon form on instinct. It roared to be let free. Coppery brown scales began to form over my tanned skin as my body enlarged. A tail sprouted. My hands and feet grew claws, and my fangs elongated. Before I knew it, I was a hulking, giant, flying lizard, and I was shooting straight down towards the water. Within seconds, I would have smashed into the waves, yet at the last moment, I righted myself and glided above the water, my tail dipping into the warm waves and splashing my underside. I roared in triumph, my voice echoing across the lake.

  Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a row of mansions situated near the water. A woman was standing outside, watching me.

  I bet you’re wishing you could be me, right? I don’t blame you. Humans never get to have this kind of fun.

  When I looked back up, I saw my lady friend shift as well. She roared to match my own, though hers was a pitch higher. She swooped down as I angled up, and we joined each other was we danced and sang in the air.

  We zoomed towards the Golden Gate Bridge, scattering flocks of seagulls and using our wings to put momentary indents in the water. The closer we got, the more we roared in unison. Once we were close enough, we spun off in different directions, she going under and me going over. I flew high, startling a few tourists in their cars. I cackled to myself. It never got old to see those flustered faces when they saw a dragon up close.

  As I came down on the other side, my lady dragon came up, and we circled the bridge a few more times before darting away again over the ocean. The morning sun heated my back as I glided along with my girl by my side. She gazed at me as we flew, but I needed to look away. I looked out over the San Francisco hills, at the homes and various figures jogging or walking their dogs. I saw couples kissing on wooden benches near beaches, and others getting a bit more intimate in secluded areas. My eyesight was better than human, so it was easy for me to spot all of this. Yet something ached in my chest as I watched all those lovey-dovey scenes.

  My lady dragon tried to snuggle up to me mid-flight, but I broke away and headed towards a familiar private beach. I came in hot, and landed even hotter, skidding on the sand. I breathed heavily from the exertion, and then shifted back to my human form, standing naked on the hot dunes as my lady friend crashed into the sand, rolling to a stop and shifting. I quickly trudged over to a redwood log that I had placed on the beach and hollowed out and reached in to grab my clothes, dressing myself quickly.

  She came up and embraced me from behind, pressing her body tight to mine. She brought her lips close to my ear and whispered, “Well, now that was fun...let’s play a different game. One that’s...hotter.”

  I met her eyes and smiled. And then I handed her her clothes.

  Puzzled, she absently grabbed her shirt and bra and stepped away from me. “You're not feeling it today?”

  “No, I’m not feeling it with you,” I said, sharper than I originally meant. Shaking my head, I grinned at her. “Listen, it’s been a fun month with you. Honest. But it’s time we part ways, toots.”

  My lady friend’s jaw dropped, and then suddenly, she was balling her clothes up and chucking them at me. “‘Toots?’ Are you serious right now? You’re breaking up with me?”

  “Exactly,” I said, pulling my shirt over my head. I shook the sand out of my hair as I then marched towards the wood steps that led up to a thin street.

  She shouted after me. “Why would you break up with me now? I thought you liked me!” And then she stopped to think, chasing after me, and stopping in front of me on the top of the steps. “We can still be friends-with-benefits, right? I mean, you’re amazing in bed.”

  I laughed. “You have ten minutes to get off of my property.”

  She raised a brow and crossed her arms. “Excuse me?”

  “Tick tock, you’re wasting time!” I said, pushing past her. “Don’t forget to put on your clothes before you walk out onto the street. You might accidentally get some poor man into a car accident after he starts gawking at you.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Not just anyone can bed me, you know. I’m high-up in dragon shifter society, you know.”

  “I know, I just don’t care. I’ve had enough fun with you.”

  Before she could protest further, because god knows that girl could go on and on, I waltzed up the street towards my house. She stomped her feet loud enough for me to hear, though I ignored her. Giving her more attention would only worsen this situation. When I finally heard her exasperated sigh and the tip-tap of her bare feet on the pavement, I stopped to stare back at her. Maybe, just maybe, I’d feel something more for her now. I mean, even shifters often didn’t realize something was valuable until it was gone.

  Yet I waited and waited, and there wasn’t a single pang in my heart as I watched her dress and scamper away, pulling out her phone to call a taxi. Not even my inner dragon cared enough to show any desire. I frowned, shrugged, and moved on.

  My private house was a small square building set into the side of a hill. An overhang to my two-car garage sheltered me from the hot sun as I whistled and trudged up the steps to the front door. I quickly punched in the passcode to my security system before unlocking the door and letting myself inside. For the security system alone, my cozy abode would have been near a million dollars, yet based on all the modern appliances, the updated hardwood flooring, state of the art TVs, etc., it was much more than that.

  Yet, when I walked down the hallway to my office, it felt quiet. Much too quiet for a dragon. My house felt emptier by the day, and no matter how many women I brought home, that gaping hole didn’t get any smaller.

  Scoffing at the frustration of it all, I stepped int
o my office, where piles of novels, memoirs, and papers lined the bookshelves on either wall. At the very center was my desk, images of dragons carved into the sides.

  It wasn’t too difficult being the CEO of a publishing company now, though I remembered the days I used to be holed up in here from dawn until dusk, reading, writing, dealing with clients and editors and the like. My restlessness made my dragon go insane.

  Plopping down in my leather chair, I turned to stare out the floor-to-ceiling window. The view was of the sloshing waters of the Pacific Ocean.

  My phone rang with the caller ID of my assistant, so I pushed my thoughts out of my head and picked up the phone.

  Chapter Three

  Lily

  I didn’t figure trying to move on would be easy, but I didn’t expect my whole life to begin to roll down a slippery slope.

  After I had reached San Francisco a few days ago, I’d found a motel to rent a room. It was expensive, but luckily, I had enough funds to sustain myself for at least a month, if not a little more than that. Plus, I still had my job...or so I thought.

  “Lily, boss is calling you,” one of my coworkers said to me.

  Exhausted from the frustration of the past few days and ready to collapse, I looked up in a daze from typing on my computer. My coworker raised a brow at me. “Uh, everything good?”