"Are you kidding me? This is amazing! Dragons exist! Dragons exist and I get to see one!"
She suddenly laughed, although it still sounded shaky. "Now it makes sense why that non-disclosure agreement had so many pages. I knew you had to be hiding something."
Samuel looked at her, startled into a laugh. "You're taking this really well," he said.
"I wish I could see you in your actual dragon form," Theresa said. How magical would that be? But he'd have to meet his mate before that could happen. And once that happened, once he found this mystical dragon woman he was waiting for, what would he care about a plain librarian?
"I'm sorry I can't show you," Samuel said.
"This is already pretty amazing," Theresa said honestly.
She reached for one of his hands, uncurling it until she could see the sharp tips of his claws. Samuel slowly flexed his fingers, letting her see his claws emerge. She ran her fingers over the side of one. They were smooth as polished glass.
"Careful," Samuel said, but Theresa was already making sure not to get too close to the wickedly sharp edge.
When she let go of his hand, he immediately retracted his claws again. Theresa figured he was still worried about scaring her; but fear was the last thing on her mind. She reached out to touch one of his wings.
The glossy scales were smooth as polished stone, but somehow soft, too, a texture like nothing she'd ever felt before. She ran her fingers over them, fascinated. Samuel made a low sound. The wing beneath her hand flexed and tensed.
Theresa snatched her hand back. "I'm sorry. Did I hurt you?"
"No," Samuel said. He curled the wing around himself and looked down at the place she'd touched as if he'd never seen it before. "No one's ever touched my wings," he said. "I can't believe you're taking this so well. This isn't exactly what you signed up for."
"Did you think I'd be scared?"
Samuel suddenly laughed. "I guess I should have known better. You've been so damn brave from the first time I saw you. Hell, you showed up for a meeting with some crazy billionaire offering you fifty thousand dollars for God knows what."
"That wasn't brave. I was scared as hell at first," Theresa said.
"And yet you didn't let it scare you off," Samuel said, as if that proved his point. "And now I've sprung this on you with no warning—" he shrugged one wing illustratively— "and you barely even blinked."
"I think I might still be a little bit in shock," Theresa said. "But… Look at you! You're amazing!" She smiled. "I'm glad you decided to show me. Thank you."
The golden glow surrounded Samuel again. When it disappeared, it was just him again, ordinary and human. But she knew what he was now. He'd trusted her with his most well-guarded secret. Theresa smiled to herself.
Samuel's shirt was still hanging over the back of a chair where he'd left it. When he reached for it, Theresa caught his hand. "I don't think you're going to need that," she said, feeling her face heat up with a blush. She wasn't usually this forward. But Samuel had trusted her with his secret. The least she could do in return was let him know that she still wanted him just as much as she had before she'd found out what he was. She reached out and yanked him into a kiss. Samuel's arms came up around her, holding her close. Theresa moaned.
***
Samuel walked backwards until he hit the couch, still holding Theresa close to him, exchanging hungry kisses. He let himself slide down onto the cushions, pulling her with him until her whole body was stretched out on top of his. His thigh pushed up against her through her dress. Theresa gasped, pressing her hips against him. She was already getting wet. Samuel had never been more grateful for his sensitive dragon's nose, the way he could smell how true and deep her desire was.
She still wanted him, even now that she knew the truth. The knowledge burned like an ember inside his chest, a blazingly bright spot of warmth.
When he ran his hands down Theresa's back, she arched into the touch like a cat, tilting her head to the side so he could kiss her neck, her shoulders, the exposed skin at the top of her breasts.
But when he reached for the fastenings at the back of her dress, she hesitated. "I should probably go change in the bathroom. I'm not exactly wearing sexy underwear," Theresa said, blushing. "Actually, it's pretty much the direct opposite of sexy underwear."
"I could honestly not possibly care any less," Samuel said, heartfelt. "It's you wearing it, that's all I care about."
"If you're sure," Theresa said hesitantly.
She was still wearing the dress Sue had made her for the musical, a gown in a deep wine red that brought out reddish highlights in her hair. It laced up the back, showing a tantalizing glimpse of smooth pale skin.