Doctor Dragon: Earth Dragons Series: Book 6

by Hartnady, Charlene

  “The house is great. The single bathroom doesn’t bother me at all, and the bed was very comfortable,” Brittney quickly added. “I rarely leave home. I guess I’m used to my own bed.” She shrugged. “The last time I took a vacation was over two years ago…” She lifted her eyes in thought. “Maybe even three.” Lordy, had it been that long?

  “That’s terrible,” Vicky remarked. “You’ll have to take a couple of days before you return home.”

  “Sounds like a plan.” She winked at Vicky who smiled back. “Okay, I would love to start by thanking you for meeting with us. How far along are you? Congratulations, by the way!”

  “Thank you.” Vicky beamed. “I’m six or seven weeks along. Closer to six than seven…I think.” She smiled broadly, touching a hand to her belly.

  “That means you’re due in seven or eight weeks,” Britt stated, feeling panic well. They didn’t have much time.

  “Yes,” Vicky nodded.

  Talon scrubbed a hand over his face. He shifted in his seat. “Are you going to be able to help my mate?”

  “Honey,” Vicky spoke in a soothing voice. “We don’t even know if I will be affected or not. There is a good chance I will be fine. I’m not a Feral.” She smiled at Talon, rubbing a hand down his back.

  “I refuse to take any chances, my love.” Talon’s face was pinched. “Maybe we should have waited.” He looked anguished.

  “Don’t say that, please,” Vicky pleaded, leaning closer.

  “I can’t help it. I’m incredibly, unbelievably,” his eyes widened, “happy, but I worry. I worry all the time.” He cupped her chin, looking deeply into her eyes.

  “Don’t,” Vicky whispered. Again, it felt like they were experiencing a private, deep moment. Brittney couldn’t look away. “I’m going to be fine. We’re all going to be fine.” She rubbed her belly again. “I just know it. Don’t ask me how, but I do. Call it my gut instinct. I’m not worried.” She smiled broadly.

  “I hope you’re right.” Talon leaned in and kissed her, lingering this time.

  Brittney swallowed thickly. Druze shifted in his seat.

  Craig leaned forward. “That’s why we’re here. To be your safety net. I still can’t believe that a fully formed humanoid baby will emerge from each of the three eggs. It’s incredible.”

  “What were you expecting, a griffon chick?” Talon chuckled.

  “Yes, that’s exactly what I would expect to come out of an egg. Something with feathers or…perhaps scales, at the very least.” He glanced at Druze.

  “Hey, don’t look at me. I’m an Earth dragon and we have babies. It’s the Fire dragons who have eggs.”

  “It’s all quite bizarre to me. Up until recently I didn’t even know about the existence of dragon shifters and griffons, so please excuse my ignorance.”

  “No problem.”

  Vicky was happy to see that Talon was smiling, looking more relaxed again. “I believe you’d like your team to examine me at your lab at the Earth lair?” Vicky spoke to Druze, glancing at each of them as well.

  Druze nodded. “Yes, if that’s okay. Tomorrow would be ideal. We don’t have much time here.”

  “No problem.” Talon put an arm around Vicky’s waist.

  “We have a helicopter coming to fetch Dr. Baker and Dr. Burgess. You can fly along with them,” Druze said. “It might be more comfortable. I’ll arrange accommodations for the night as well?”

  Vicky nodded. “That would be great. Talon will come with me.” She looked worried, eyes wide.

  “Of course.” Druze nodded.

  Talon and Vicky looked at one another. Vicky smiled, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes. Her features were tight. Brittney got the feeling that she probably wasn’t as convinced about her immunity to clutch sickness as she was letting on. She couldn’t imagine how they must be feeling.

  Chapter 10

  That night…

  Brittney turned and looked at the red digits on her alarm clock. It was ten minutes shy of midnight and tomorrow was another big day. She needed to be at her best. She needed sleep.

  With a soft groan, she pulled her pillow over her head and turned over, attempting to get comfortable. It didn’t work. She felt wide awake. She felt ready to take on the world. All a lie of course. She’d only had two hours of sleep at the most. What she needed was shuteye, plain and simple.

  There was only one thing for it. Warm milk with a squirt of honey. One thing she could say for the Feral species was that they tried really hard. It was strange to believe that the woman who had kidnapped her had been from around these parts. Even though they didn’t drink milk themselves, the Feral had stocked it especially for their human guests. Right then, she was infinitely thankful. Somewhere in the kitchen was a glass of warm milk with her name on it.

  Brittney pushed aside her covers and grabbed her phone, turning it on to flashlight mode. Then she walked quietly to the door and opened it, smiling to herself at how quiet she was being. She walked out, leaving the door slightly ajar. Her bare feet made no noise on the floor as she padded down the hallway, stopping for a second outside Druze’s door. She listened, not wanting to breathe. Nothing. All clear. She kept on walking, breathing a little easier. Britt used the flashlight to illuminate her path. As she walked up to the bathroom door, it opened and Druze walked out.

  He was naked.

  As in completely.

  Totally.

  Solidly.

  Solid was a good word to describe Druze. That and holy hotness… Hello!!! Heeellloooo!!! That was her body talking. Her mind made her look away. Immediately. Well, almost immediately. She couldn’t help but notice how the water dripped down his body. His hair was wet. It was darker when it was wet. More drops clung to the stubble on his face. It was the rivulets the drops made between all of those abs that had her captivated. That had her mouth dropping open for a second. It was his giant cock that had her looking away…immediately. Well, not quite immediately if you took all the other ogling into account.

  “What the…?” she pushed out.

  “Fuck!” he growled. His voice was deep; she could hear in that moment that he wasn’t human. It made the tightening in the base of her stomach clamp even tighter still. It made her breath come quicker. It made her cheeks heat.

  It also pissed her the hell off! “Where do you get off?” She glared at him, noting that he had scrunched the towel up against his crotch. Thank god! “You could have at least put that towel around your waist.”

  “It’s the middle of the goddamned night,” Druze threw back. “What the hell are you doing out here?”

  “I didn’t realize there was a curfew. That I was expected to hide out in my room until breakfast.” She frowned.

  “Don’t get smart. I’m still your boss.”

  “You’re going to play the boss card…now? You’re naked.” She looked down and wished she hadn’t. All that muscle. All that bronzed skin. All that…

  “I took a shower. I didn’t think that—”

  “You didn’t think,” she threw his words back at him. “That’s your problem, Doctor.” She held the light between them. “Why do you get to do the very thing you crapped on me for yesterday? At least I had the towel around me. You just walked on out…like you’re the only person living in this house.”

  “Back to the part about it being the middle of the night.”

  “That shouldn’t matter. Rules are rules!”

  “Why are you out here?” He narrowed his eyes on her.

  “Is this the part where you accuse me of stalking you, or waiting out here to try and seduce you or, I don’t know, whatever other idiot explanation you can fathom?”

  “Were you? Stalking me? Trying to seduce me?” he asked, his gaze on her. It was hard and unyielding. “Waiting for me to walk out that door so that you could run into me?”

  “No!” she yell-whispered, remembering that Craig’s room was right there. “The light to the bathroom wasn’t even on. How would I have even known you were in
there?”

  “You would have heard the shower running. I can see in the dark, Britt…Dr. Baker,” he quickly corrected himself, actually looking a touch flustered. Just a hint off balance for once.

  Good!

  “I didn’t think along those lines. Forgive me, I only just woke up a minute or two ago, as in wide awake. I didn’t hear the shower. I was going to make myself a glass of warm milk which will, hopefully, put me back to sleep. That was all I was thinking about.”

  “You’re forgiven.” Druze visibly relaxed, just a touch.

  “What? I wasn’t actually asking for forgiveness when I said that,” she blurted.

  “Why did you say it then?”

  “It’s a saying. I thought you went to Harvard. Surely you’re familiar with the term.”

  “I didn’t hang out with the humans. I kept to myself.”

  “I’ll bet.” It just slipped out.

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “You’re not much of a mingler, or very social. That’s all.” Shit! Maybe she should watch her step. After meeting with Vicky and Talon, she really wanted to help them. They were such a lovely couple. Vicky was incredibly sweet. She didn’t want to get fired. There was important work for her to do. She needed to stay.

  “No, I’m not a mingler. Not at all.” His jaw tightened for a moment. “I shouldn’t have walked out like that…I’ll be more careful in the future. I don’t like double standards, even though it might not seem like it.”

  That was probably as close to an apology as she was going to get. She wanted to push him on it. Get him to say the actual words, even if they were mumbled. ‘I’m sorry.’ They weren’t that hard to say but it probably wasn’t going to happen. Not without a fight. Some battles just weren’t worth it. “Okay.” She nodded once. “Do you want some warm milk since I’m making some for myself anyway?”

  “No…thanks.” His gaze drifted down, and she watched his Adam’s apple work.

  Oh crap! She wasn’t wearing a bra or a gown. She was in her sleeping shorts and t-shirt. Nothing sexy or tight-fitting but the shirt was white. Would he be able to see anything? She watched his gaze drift down to her legs. The shorts weren’t all that short either, but her legs were bare. Had she shaved recently? Oh damn, she couldn’t remember, which meant that she probably hadn’t. It shouldn’t matter. It didn’t matter. She forced herself to breathe normally. She willed her heart to stop thumping like a mad thing. Druze looked back up at her face and then in the dim light, she caught what looked like desire in his eyes. His jaw tightened even further as he clenched his teeth.

  “Um…I’ll go and get that milk now.” She pointed down the hall.

  “I need to get dressed.” Druze sounded gruff, angry even.

  “Well, goodnight.” She tried to sound upbeat. It came out shrill.

  “Yeah…you too.” Deadpan. Still gruff.

  She headed down the hall, her eyes feeling wide. What the hell! That certainly hadn’t helped things. It only cemented the fact that she had the serious hots for Druze and that the feeling was definitely mutual. How were they going to work together for any kind of extended period?

  Chapter 11

  Nope. That one was too small.

  Definitely not…too greenish in color.

  Now that one was far too small. Although small wasn’t the right term. Not big enough was better.

  Not imposing enough.

  Not sexy enough. Could a dragon be sexy? An actual dragon? As in, the creature, not the shifter. Sexy? Yes, it could, she decided.

  “Do not stare,” Druze growled in her ear, making her squeal and grab her chest. Where the hell had he come from?

  Her eyes were wide in an instant, and her heart raced. “You scared me half to death. Do you make it a habit of sneaking up on people?”

  “Do you make it a habit of spying on naked males?” His voice was gruff. As per usual.

  “What?” Her mouth dropped open. “I cannot believe you just said that. Then again, you are you, so I’m not surprised.”

  The reason for her staring was that she and Craig had arrived earlier with Talon and Vicky in the chopper. She hadn’t seen Druze since the incident the night before and was hoping to catch a glimpse of him…in dragon form. Not naked. It would have been a little ‘wrong’ if that had been her intention. “I haven’t seen many dragons in my lifetime. I can stare if I want to. We’re all out in public. That’s what I was looking at by the way…the dragons. Not the men. I definitely wasn’t trying to catch anyone naked.”

  “Dragons,” Druze snorted, taking a step away from her, looking incredulous. He wore a pair of dark cotton pants. With his windswept hair and bulging muscles, he looked fantastic. “If the males catch you staring at them like that, they might get the wrong impression. I saw the way you looked at my cock last night.” He lowered his voice, narrowing his eyes on her. “You are lucky I didn’t get the wrong impression, or you could have been in trouble.”

  “By ‘trouble’ I take it you mean sex. Hot, dirty sex.” Britt wasn’t sure what had come over her, but suddenly she felt the need to goad him.

  It was his turn for his jaw to drop. Druze quickly pulled himself together. “That’s exactly what I mean. I’m your superior, you can’t be looking at my cock the way you did last night.”

  “Keep it covered and we’re golden. Walk around naked and I’ll look.” She shrugged.

  “You’re lucky I don’t plan on taking advantage of you.”

  “Lucky lucky me! Why do we have to keep having these arguments? It’s getting old fast.”

  “You need to be more careful, Dr. Baker, that’s all. I don’t want you giving the males the wrong impression.”

  “And what impression would that be?” She raised her brows.

  “That you are available.” He stepped in closer. “That they would stand a real chance at getting into your bed…between those lush as fuck thighs.”

  What? “Um…” she gulped, “I don’t know how appropriate it is to talk to me like that.”

  “Well, I don’t think it’s appropriate for you to stare at dragon shifter males when they are naked. Last night sure as hell wasn’t appropriate.”

  “You were the one prancing down the hallway naked. How is that on me?” She touched a hand to her chest.

  His lip twitched. “I wasn’t prancing.” He squeezed the back of his neck and breathed out through his nose. “I was talking about the way you looked at me, as well as your scent.”

  “My scent?” She shook her head. “I showered last night. I used deodorant. Why is my scent a problem?”

  He glanced up and down the hallway. “I could scent that you were turned on,” he spoke softly. She almost had to crane her neck to hear him. “That, and the way you were looking at me was a clear invitation.”

  Oh shit! He could smell that she had been turned on. Good god! Of course he had, Sand had been able to smell whether or not Macy was ovulating. These shifters had a fantastic sense of smell.

  “Nothing to say, Dr. Baker?”

  “That’s rude. You shouldn’t be smelling me like that.”

  “It wasn’t on purpose. I can’t help the fact that I have superior senses.”

  “Also, you made it clear I’m not allowed to date.”

  “That’s right. You said that you don’t date…ever. Was that a lie?” His eyes darkened. “I must say, I find it hard to believe.”

  “Why is it so hard to believe?”

  “You are a female in your prime. You are…you’re beautiful, Dr. Baker. You must get many males propositioning you.”

  She pulled in a breath. Beautiful? Wow. He’d actually called her beautiful. His gaze had even softened as he said it. The compliment made her feel warm and fuzzy. It shouldn’t though. He didn’t mean it like that. “You have to actually go out, to meet men and I don’t get out much. When I do go out on the odd occasion, I’m generally underwhelmed. I find that guys fall into two categories. They’re either far too young,” she though
t back to the quiet dinner she’d tried to have the other day and cringed inwardly, “or, they have enormous baggage attached. Baggage I’m not willing to wade through. Guys like that are generally only looking for a hook-up anyway.”

  “And you’re not…looking for…” He widened his eyes and put up a hand. “Information I don’t need to know. Be careful, that’s all I’m saying. We are not human. Your…harmless interest, could be misconstrued. You would be relentlessly pursued. If you actually…hook up with anyone, you would be hounded. I would have to have a guard appointed for your safety.”

  “It’s really that bad?”

  “Worse.”

  “Is that why Craig is permitted to date?” she had to ask. “The same wouldn’t be true for him?”

  Druze threw out a laugh. It was so unexpected that she found herself smiling broadly with him. “What is it? What’s so funny?”

  The smile that brightened his eyes, that made his dimples pop, died almost as soon as it emerged. His face became stoic once more. “That male has no hope in hell of picking up one of our females. Even if he did, sex with one female would not cause mass hysteria and as to dating…we don’t date.”

  “I think you mentioned that the other day. You…um…you…”

  “We fuck or we take a mate. That’s it. No in-between.”

  “Oh.” She folded her arms.

  “Our males are not permitted to take you as a mate, Britt…Dr. Baker.”

  “You really can call me Brittney, you know?”

  He shook his head. “It’s a line I’m not willing to cross.”

  “Not willing or not able?” She put up both hands. “I’m asking out of curiosity and not because I’m interested in any of the shifter guys.”

  “Both!”

  “Understood.” She nodded. “On all counts. I won’t look at the dragons, which is a shame. It’s really not every day you get to live in a dragon’s lair and here I am.”

  His jaw tightened.

  “I doubt very much we’ll run into one another in the hallway again, so we’re all good there,” she added.