Her Overlooked Dragon Mate (eBook)

Arizona Tape (Autor)

eBook Download: EPUB

2023 | 1. Auflage
220 Seiten
Vampari Press (Verlag)
978-0-00-048246-4 (ISBN)

Infos

Dragon shifter and helpless romantic Danni is constantly on the lookout for her fated mate, bravely and foolishly putting her heart on the line, much to the frustration of her best friend Isabella who prefers strings of flirtations and dates that never go anywhere.

The two women couldn't be more different in their approach to love and it isn't until Isabella meets someone with real potential that Danni starts to look at her best friend differently and wonder if she's overlooked something during all their years of friendship.
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Her Overlooked Dragon Mate is a fated mates paranormal romance featuring a romantic dragon shifter and her fated mate. It includes a standalone f/f best friends to lovers romance and a dash of steamy goodness. It is part of the Crescent Lake Shifters series.

Textauszug

Five

Danni tried not to feel self-conscious in her tights and tank top but she couldn't shake the feeling of being exposed and spilling over. She let her hands glide down her body, hating the extra weight around her stomach. It would take more than one yoga lesson to get rid of her relationship fluff and now that she was single again, it was imperative that she got back in shape.

The sound of her name snapped her out of her thoughts and she looked up in time to find Isabella striding towards her. The usual pang of jealousy shot through Danni when she took in her best friend and how fit she was. Isabella was graced with a lean physique and looked good in everything, including the tight shirt she'd chosen for their work-out. It hugged her in all the right places and even if she gained some weight, she still had her lovely face and bright eyes and charm that never failed to dazzle anyone.

"Earth to Danni?" Isabella waved her hand.

Danni snapped out of her thoughts and pushed them to the back of her mind. "Sorry, what did you say?"

"I asked if you're ready to work up a sweat."

"Sure. Shall we go in?"

Isabella held the door open for her and Danni gave her a grateful smile. At least having her best friend here helped her from feeling entirely self-conscious. She still felt fat but at least she didn't have to brace people staring at her and feeling sorry for her because she was alone. Rationally, she knew nobody was actually thinking that but that didn't stop her from feeling anxious about it.

At the front desk, a woman of Asian descent gave them a polite smile. "Welcome, how can I help?"

Danni held out her phone with her club card. "Just checking in for our next class."

Isabella had other plans. She picked up a random flyer and twirled it needlessly as she leaned in towards the woman. "It's my first time here, could you help me?"

The receptionist nodded. "Of course, did you pre-book or are you looking to join a class right now?"

"We pre-booked. Yoga. I hope I do well, I'm a little out of shape." Isabella said, clearly drawing attention to her body.

The Asian woman let out an appreciative hum. "You don't look out of shape to me."

"Aww, that's nice of you to say."

"It's true. So if you've pre-booked, you'll have gotten a confirmation code in your email. You can use that to scan in or I can do it for you."

Isabella leaned in even more. "Yes, please. My name is Isabella Payne."

"Isabella? That's a beautiful name."

"Thank you. What's yours?"

"Summer."

"Love that."

Danni rolled her eyes at the unimaginative flirting and tuned out. It never ceased to amaze her how they could go literally anywhere and Isabella would find some woman to charm, it was like magic. She wished she had that kind of confidence but realistically, even if she did, she didn't have Isabella's good looks to back it up.

She knew it wasn't healthy to compare but it was hard when no matter where they went, people always paid more attention to her friend. And unlike herself, Isabella was dragonkin and therefore able to love anyone she wanted. Danni didn't have that luxury, any shifter was automatically unsuitable and if she did find a non-shifter she liked, there was the whole dance of figuring out if they were aware of the secrets of Crescent Valley.

Her mind shifted to her new ex-girlfriend and how disappointing it was that they hadn't been mated. It had taken her a long time to find someone as compatible as Nicole and now she had to start from scratch all over again. Meet-cutes, first dates, the whole shebang all for the small chance that she was her mate.

Not in the mood to watch Isabella work her charms, Danni scanned her email and continued on by herself. Some days she found the whole thing quite amusing but not today, not after she just got dumped.

"Hey, wait for me!" Isabella caught up with her, slightly panting. "You left without me."

Danni rolled her eyes again. "I didn't feel like being a third wheel and we're going to be late for our class."

"Yes, but it's yoga. It wouldn't be very zen if they kicked us out for being late, right?"

"True, but I paid for a whole hour so I want a whole hour. And coming in late is just awkward."

"Relax, we have plenty of time. We're here for fun, right? So let's have some fun. Oh, I know. Let's count butt cracks."

Danni let out a confused chuckle. "What?"

"There's bound to be plenty," Isabella continued, looping her arm through hers. "Are you telling me yoga is a butt crack free zone?"

"I can't say I've paid much attention to that before," Danni said dryly, although she could feel her mood perk up. That was the thing about her best friend, she always knew how to cheer her up.

Isabella snickered conspiringly. "First to ten wins."

"You think we're going to see twenty butt cracks?"

"Hmm, fair point. Oh, what if we counted cleavages?" She snapped her fingers for good measure, like it was a brilliant idea.

Danni gave her best friend a dismissive look as they continued through the hall. "That's just an excuse to ogle women. Why do we have to count anything?"

"Cause yoga is boring and we're trying to stop you from thinking obsessively about your break-up with Nicole."

"I wasn't thinking about Nicole," Danni defended herself but even she could hear how feeble her voice sounded.

Isabella's smile morphed into a more serious expression and she swung her arm over Danni's shoulder. "Hey, it's normal to be affected by the split. You were together for a while and you thought she was your mate. You can be sad, but I just don't want you consumed by it."

For the first time since they got there, Danni felt herself smile properly. As annoying as her best friend could be, she was equally as sweet and supportive. She'd come to yoga after all, even if it wasn't her thing.

"I just wish it was as easy to meet someone for me as it is for you," Danni said with a sombre sigh.

Isabella shook her head. "It could be if you wanted, we just have very different standards. If you weren't so picky and only on the look-out for your mate, you could have loads of fun."

"Doubt it. People just don't react the same way to me as they do to you. I mean, look at the receptionist back there. She wouldn't be able to pick me out of a line-up but she'd be able to give a sketch artist a very detailed description of you."

"What crime are we committing in this weird scenario of yours?" Isabella asked, her eyes sparkling with mischief.

"Oh, I'm obviously being tried for murdering you."

"Rude. I don't even get to be part of the fun?" Isabella somehow sounded genuinely insulted.

Danni laughed loudly as they entered the yoga studio and a few heads turned in her direction. She quickly smothered her chuckles as they found two empty mats near the back. She really didn't want to draw attention to herself, especially not when she felt out of shape and sad.

Isabella poked her in the side, her voice reduced to a lower register. "One."

"What?" Danni whispered back.

Her friend nudged to the row of people in front of them where a woman was wearing a pair of neon green tights that was easily two sizes too small. It was so tight, Danni feared that by the end of the session, they'd see a lot more than just a crack.

She smothered another giggle and swatted Isabella's hand. "Stop it, we're not counting."

"Why not?"

"Because I don't want to be distracted by your nonsense the whole time."

"You love my nonsense."

"Yes, that's why it's distracting." Danni quickly looked down when the instructor glared at them and she felt like a schoolgirl in front of the principal. Her best friend had that effect on her, she brought out the goofy side of her and even if she had some questionable qualities, she had some fantastic ones too.

Isabella stretched and let out a soft groan. "Ooh, this hurts. I’m going to regret that tomorrow.”

“Anything special going on tomorrow?”

“Family barbecue.”

“Ah, right. It’s the second Sunday of the month.” Danni smiled fondly thinking about all the Payne barbecues she’d been at.

“You should come, it's been a while and my family always asks how you are.” Isabella hissed in pain as she took on a new position. “Why do I put myself through this?”

“I’m surprised you’re struggling with that,” Danni remarked, barely noticing the pull in her muscles. “I thought you kept in shape with all your one-night stands. Don’t tell me you’re secretly a pillow princess.”

Isabella sank to her knees, her mouth a perfect ‘o’, and she gave Danni a little shove. “How dare you!”

Danni’s laughter shattered the serene silence in the room and she quickly hid her face to dodge all the disapproving glares. She really didn’t like drawing attention to herself which was fine when she hung out with Isabella. Her beautiful friend was like a gaze magnet. Most of the time, especially when Danni was in a relationship, she had...

Produkt-Details

• Erscheint lt. Verlag: 15.8.2023
• Sprache: englisch
• Themenwelt: Literatur ► Romane / Erzählungen
• ISBN-10: 0-00-048246-3 / 0000482463
• ISBN-13: 978-0-00-048246-4 / 9780000482464