The Bride Hunt Box Set Books 1 - 3

by Hartnady, Charlene

  Her channel fluttered. Her breath caught in her throat. Everything stilled for an instant as her whole body tightened to snapping point and then she was falling, falling into bliss, falling into him, Torrent, her mate. She cried out his name.

  His body tensed and he seemed to swell a little before he groaned, jerking into her. She felt hot spurts and he thrust harder. Bang, bang, bang. The bed may or may not have lifted completely from the floor. He kept pushing into her. He moaned and mumbled garbled words. His movements slowing but they were no less hard. He finally stilled, Torrent was breathing quickly. His chest lifting and dropping in quick succession. He put his forehead to hers. “We’re doing that again.”

  Before she could answer, there was a whining noise next to the bed. They both looked down. The puppy had his paws up on the side of the bed, tail wagging. Tongue lolling. Torrent kissed her nose. “I’m going to take the dogs out for a walk and then I’m making sweet, passionate love to you. So …” he paused. “When I get back, you can tell me exactly what you want and how you want it.”

  Her heart swelled with love. “I just want you. The rest doesn’t matter.”

  Torrent got off the bed, he pulled on some pants and went to fetch the dog leashes.

  “Do you want me to come along?” she asked, stretching out on the bed.

  Torrent moaned, his eyes on her butt. “No, I want you to stay right there, just like that. Don’t move a muscle.”

  She heard him talking to the dogs. “Candy,” he called to her, his voice was filled with awe. When she turned, she saw the little black dog wagging her tail, the little girl was licking Torrent’s hand. “Candy the Second might like me after all.” He was grinning like a crazy person.

  “Hey, look at that,” she smiled at him. “You must’ve grown on her.”

  Torrent grinned. He clipped the leash onto her collar. “She loves me after all.”

  “I think that maybe she always did.”

  He cocked his head. “I’ll be back. Don’t you move.” He walked to the door and turned back. What was he up to? “Don’t worry, I haven’t forgotten about your little, hot button.” He looked pointedly as her ass.

  Candy threw a pillow at him but it missed by about a mile. She could hear him chuckling like mad as he left the room.

  Chapter 24

  Two and a half months later …

  Candy watched as the two specks completely disappeared. She smiled to herself. A couple of weeks ago she wouldn’t have been able to see anything on a cloudy night like tonight. Her senses were slowly improving and not just her eyesight, all of them. She could hear better, smell better, even her sense of touch was … better. Off the charts was probably a better description.

  While some things had improved though, others were … not as good. At least, she didn’t think so but she couldn’t say for sure.

  She suppressed a sigh as they walked back inside, closing the balcony door to the chilly breeze.

  “Are you sure you didn’t want to go with them?” Candy asked. The guys had gone for an after-dinner flight to try and work off some of the copious amounts of food. Sky had gone out of her way to prepare an amazing meal.

  “No, thanks. Those two will spend the entire flight behaving like children.” A look of hurt crossed her features for a second or two. Then Sky schooled her emotions and stoked the fire, adding a couple of logs to the embers.

  Candy knew exactly where her friend’s thoughts had wandered to. “So, how are you doing?” She took a sip of her wine before putting it on the side table.

  Sky looked back over her shoulder and the she-dragon smiled, but she could see some of that residual sadness cloud her face. “I’m good. Lake has been so supportive. He is—” she sucked in a breath, “he’s wonderful. I’m lucky to have him in my life.”

  “He’s just as lucky to have you as well.” Candy moved closer to the other woman who had just risen to her feet. She gave her hand a quick squeeze. “He loves you very much.”

  Sky looked down at her feet for a few seconds before locking eyes with Candy. She nodded. “You’re right.”

  Candy could hear that she didn’t mean it. “Take a seat.”

  They both sat, Sky in a wingback and Candy on the couch directly across from her.

  “Don’t lecture me,” Sky pulled a face. “I’m still feeling a bit depressed but I think that’s normal, don’t you?”

  Candy nodded. “Yeah, but it was your first try. You shouldn’t beat yourself up over it.”

  Normally Sky would clam up and change the subject. Candy was shocked when she continued. “It’s so rare for a she-dragon not to become pregnant.” She dragged her lower lip between her teeth, her eyes wide. “What if I can’t actually get pregnant? I’m so worried.” She sighed. Although her eyes filled with tears, she didn’t cry.

  At least her friend had finally voiced her fears. Ever since finding out that she wasn’t pregnant over two months ago, she’d bottled up her feelings and pretended to be fine even though Candy could tell that she wasn’t. She didn’t mope around all day, but there were subtle signs. Moments when she dropped her guard for a second or two. Candy kept her mouth shut, hoping that Sky would open up a bit more.

  She handed the other woman her glass and Sky nodded in thanks before taking a sip. “What if I don’t go into heat again? I might not, you know?” She pursed her lips and put her glass back down.

  “It won’t help to worry about it. You told me that you come into heat once or twice a year like clockwork. It hasn’t been long since … you know.” Sky nodded, but Candy could see that she wasn’t convinced. “It’s going to happen. You need to try to be positive and keep practicing hard in the meanwhile.”

  She gave Candy a demure smile. “Lake can’t keep his claws off me.”

  “There you go, he loves you.”

  “I know but it makes me feel so guilty.” She sucked in a breath. Her face turned red and she quickly locked eyes with Candy. “What about you? Still nothing? I feel awful for not asking sooner.”

  Candy felt a knot twist inside of her. She shook her head. “Nope. Nothing.” She hadn’t ovulated since arriving on dragon soil almost three months ago. “I’m staying positive. See.” She forced a bright smile. “It’s not like I’m here with the main purpose of continuing the water dragon royal bloodline or anything.”

  Sky pulled a face. “That’s not the only reason you’re here. Silly! Torrent is loopy about you. He can’t focus on anything else for longer than ten seconds if you’re in the room.”

  Candy had to smile. It was true. She felt the same way about him. She’d never been happier. He had become her best friend and the sex was ridiculously good. It didn’t get any better than that. The only problem was her lack of ovulation. It wasn’t like they were actually trying for a baby or anything. Though, she had begun to think that if it finally happened, she might just go for it. In a way, she could relate to Sky. “Torrent is really sweet about it.” He kept reassuring her. They’d had a long talk and he’d promised her several times that it didn’t matter to him. That she was more important to him than anything else, including being the king. He told her that he would even step down if she couldn’t supply the kingdom with an heir. Tide would step in. If not Tide then Lake. He joked that there were plenty of royal water princes to continue the line. The thing was, he was excellent at what he did. He was a natural leader. His people respected him. She pretended that she was okay with it, and it mostly was okay. It did sit in the back of her mind though.

  “They’re so okay with it that it sometimes makes you feel worse, doesn’t it?” Sky raised her brows.

  Candy nodded. “Yup. It does.” She leaned forward and touched Sky on the arm. “I understand what you’re going through.” Candy was exercising and eating healthy, well, mostly. She was also eating more. Ever since coming to live with the dragons, she felt great. More energized and yes, more hungry. So what! She was happy dammit. She’d put on a few pounds and Torrent seemed to love her curvier figure. “It
’s going to be okay. I know it.”

  Sky’s eyes filled with tears all over again. She blinked a lot but didn’t actually cry. “I’m a horrible friend. Here I am whining and carrying on when you’ve actually missed your heat.”

  “I’ve missed several.”

  “You wouldn’t be here if you didn’t ovulate at some point when you were being monitored,” Sky said.

  “Mmmmm. I suppose,” she shrugged. “I’m not going to drive myself mad. I’m young. I’m enjoying being with Torrent. I’m sure it will happen again at some point,” she smiled.

  Sky smiled as well, it reached all the way to her eyes this time. She gave a deep nod. “Yup. I’m going to take your advice. I’m going to relax and enjoy being with Lake instead of worrying.” She gave a chuckle and then pushed out a breath. “I feel so much better.”

  “Me too.” She meant it.

  “How was your trip into Walton Springs?”

  Candy sucked in a breath. “Yeah. It was interesting.” She and Torrent had gone to the reading of the Will. Charles’ Will. “He left me everything. His entire estate.”

  Sky widened her eyes. “Oh wow! That’s crazy.”

  “He left me a small fortune. Charles …” she paused as she remembered him. He had been such a softy at heart. “He thanked me for making the last years of his life bearable. He said that I was a good friend.” She felt a little emotional. “I’m going to donate most of it to charity. I don’t need it.”

  Sky quirked a brow. “We ‒ the dragon species ‒ are very wealthy.”

  “Torrent may have mentioned something along those lines but I don’t think I would’ve kept much of it even if I’d never met Torrent.”

  “You’re a good person,” Sky smiled.

  They continued to chat for about an hour, then the boys came home. They swooped onto the huge balcony, shifted and walked inside, laughing. Both men were wet and naked as the day they were born.

  Candy tried not to blush or to look away. This type of nudity was normal amongst the shifters. Sky didn’t react at all, except to hand them each a towel.

  “Did you see my dive?” Lake was looking at Torrent as he spoke, but he gave Sky a kiss as he took the towel from her.

  “Yeah, it was okay.”

  “Okay?” Lake snorted. “It was a thing of beauty.”

  “I thought I was a thing of beauty,” Sky said, redirecting her mate’s attention.

  Torrent was already focused on Candy. Her breathing hitched as he looked her way. His pale eyes darkening as they landed on her. He went over to her and kissed the top of her head. Then he brushed his lips across hers in an upside down kiss. Water dripped onto her.

  She squealed. “You’re freezing.” She lifted her arms and thread her fingers through his hair. “I’m surprised you don’t have icicles on the end of your …” she grinned, her mind going straight to the gutter.

  He gave her a smile that was just as dirty. “You should probably check on that … just to be sure.”

  Lake murmured something and Sky giggled.

  “Are you ready to go?” Torrent was still leaning over the back of the couch. His head right next to hers. She could smell the ocean and his unique scent. An intoxicating scent.

  She made a sound of agreement, which turned into a moan as he nibbled on her ear.

  Torrent straightened up. She heard him pull on his pants. Sky and Lake broke apart from what looked like a heated kiss.

  “We’re going to head out,” she said, as Sky turned back towards her.

  The she-dragon nodded, she rose to her feet as well. “So glad you guys could come over.”

  “Our place next time?”

  “We look forward to it,” Sky smiled. “Don’t forget about tomorrow though.”

  Oh yes! Her brain had been in the gutter lately. Love did strange things to people. “Yes, of course. We’re meeting at ten?”

  Sky nodded. “We’re very excited about adopting a pet. We’re still struggling about trying to decide between a dog and a cat.”

  “We’re only going to the shelter tomorrow. There’s no rush with making a decision. You can always foster first.”

  Sky grabbed Lake’s hand. “You’re still available tomorrow, aren’t you?”

  “I wouldn’t miss it for the world. We need to look for a Sky the Second of our very own.”

  Sky laughed.

  Candy groaned. She refrained from stomping her foot but only just. “Her name is Isobel. Isobel,” she repeated, this time with more emphasis. It seemed that the original name had stuck. Everyone called the little black female Candy the Second. She caught herself doing it all the time as well, much to Torrent’s amusement.

  Torrent chuckled.

  She gave him a slap on the arm.

  “Owww.” He pretended she had hurt him and even rubbed his arm. “You’re acting just like Candy the Second. Pretending to hate me when in fact,” his voice grew low and husky, “you love me.”

  “Isobel,” she pronounced the name with infinite care, “couldn’t love you more if she tried.” She looked at Torrent with googly eyes. Followed him around like a lovesick puppy. “Most women would be jealous.”

  He nuzzled into her neck. “There is only one female for me.”

  “You mean the only one for you who only has two legs?”

  “The only one for me, period.” He kissed her.

  Lake cleared his throat. “Um … would you mind taking this elsewhere? I would recommend … back to your chamber.”

  “Sorry.” Candy felt her cheeks heat.

  They said their good-byes and headed home.

  The dogs were excited to see them.

  “You do your thing in there.” He pointed to the bathroom. “I’ll take these two out. Siggie … Siggie,” he called to the puppy. She had decided to call him Siegfried, which had quickly become Siggie.

  There was no reason why she had chosen that name other than it popped into her head and she thought it would be cute. The little guy had grown quite a bit since coming to live with them.

  Sensing a potential walk, he bounced up and down around Torrent’s feet. Candy the Sec— Isobel, wagged her tail and looked up at Torrent with such love and adoration in her eyes. “Come on you.” He gave her a scratch behind her ears. He hooked her leash onto her collar.

  “All set.” He walked over and clutched the back of Candy’s neck, giving her a lingering kiss. “We’ll see you in a few.”

  She nodded. “Okay.”

  “And Candy …”

  “Yeah?” She could hear that he was up to something.

  “Don’t put pajamas on. Stay naked.” He gave her the once-over, looking like he was imagining her that way. Torrent licked his lips, yup, he was definitely picturing her starkers.

  “I don’t know,” she teased. “It’s a bit chilly this evening.”

  He maneuvered her so that her back ended up flush against the wall. “Get dressed at your own peril.”

  “Is that a threat?” She licked her lips.

  “You’d better believe it! I know you hate it when I rip your clothes off.”

  “I liked that dress, and the skirt. I have no more thongs left and I really, really liked those shorts.”

  “They were tiny.” He was breathing hard, his chest almost touching hers. He was leaning down, his cheek right next to hers, talking right into her ear. “I could see your ass when you bent over.”

  “They were comfortable. My legs looked good in them.” She had to hold back a laugh, those shorts had been really tiny. She knew they would drive him wild when she bought them. It wasn’t like she planned on wearing them anywhere but at home.

  He groaned. “Your legs looked amazing.” He squeezed his eyes shut. “Just tell me one thing before I go.”

  “What’s that?” She pulled back just a little so that she could see him better.

  His head was still down, his chin almost on his chest. “How much do you like this?” he grabbed a handful of her shirt. As he spoke, he lifted his
gaze and locked it with hers.

  Candy swallowed hard. “I love this top,” she lied. “It’s one of my favorites.”

  Torrent gave her a tight smile. “Love, love or love?”

  She pulled her shoulders back, trying not to smile. “Love, love. Besides, I need to brush my teeth and,” she slid out from under him, “you …” she walked into the bathroom, “need to—”

  She stopped short when Torrent marched in behind her, closing the door behind him. She caught his intense stare in the mirror. Teasing him was too easy.

  “Fine,” he said. “The shirt can stay.” He lifted her skirt. Candy braced her hands on the marble counter. “All this talk about your ass.” He palmed one of her butt cheeks.

  Candy was wearing a pair of cotton briefs. Not very sexy. You wouldn’t say so though by looking at the way his eyes had heated. How his jaw had tensed.

  He gripped the cotton.

  “Wait!” she yelled.

  Torrent shook his head, looking stricken. “Please don’t make me. I’ll be quick, I promise.”

  She laughed and shimmied out of her panties, dropping them around her ankles. Torrent groaned. Then she pulled her shirt over her head.

  He growled, letting his head fall back for a second. She unhooked her bra and her boobs sprang free. As in popped out. It felt good to have that thing off. Her bras had been digging into her lately. Torrent sure as hell wasn’t complaining. Not by the way he was eyeballing her.

  “Fuck,” he mumbled, along with something else that was so garbled that she couldn’t understand him. He cleared his throat. “Do you want to watch yourself come?” His eyes were still glued to her chest, which was reflected in the mirror. Candy dropped her bra on the floor as Torrent pulled her skirt all the way up, bunching it around her hips. It was elasticated, so it stayed right where it was. “Or …” He reached around her and found her clit, circling it with one of his fingers.