“Drinking warm milk to help you sleep.” He raised his brows, the start of a smile tugged on the one side of his mouth and she couldn’t help but think that in that moment, he had never looked sexier.
Then she realized he was waiting for an answer. “Um…yeah…I guess not. I still enjoy a mug of warm milk when the sandman is MIA.”
“You’re certainly not pudgy anymore either,” he added. She wasn’t sure if it was her imagination or if his voice had deepened. Rough as sandpaper with a smoky edge. It had goosebumps lifting on her arms.
“Hi, Druze,” a very feminine voice cut into their conversation.
Britt turned. Wow! The owner of the voice was gorgeous. Certainly not human. Not with legs that long and toned. Must be a she-dragon. She wore cut-off shorts. Very short cut-off shorts and a pink midriff t-shirt that showed off taut abs.
Druze didn’t say anything. He nodded once and put a slice of steak into his mouth.
“Is this seat taken?” the gorgeous lady asked, smiling at Druze. Her teeth were straight and white. Her eyes were beautiful. Her hair was long and all the way down her back. Brittney had stuck her own hair in a quick bun this morning and that’s where it had stayed.
“Yes,” Druze answered. “It is.”
“No,” Craig answered, his eyes wide and bright. His jaw slightly slack.
“Which is it?” The woman arched a perfect brow, her question directed at Druze.
“We’re having a business lunch, Topaz. These are my colleagues, Dr. Baker and Dr. Burgess.” He gestured to each of them in turn. “We have important things to discuss.”
Like warm milk?
Why was he turning her down?
“Okay then.” Topaz smiled broadly, she seemed sweet. “Good to meet you.” Her gaze returned to Druze. She was clearly smitten. “What about later? Do you want to hang out?”
Brittney’s heart beat faster. What guy in his right mind would refuse a beautiful woman like that? No sane one. Not a chance.
“I’m busy this evening.”
“Work?” Topaz asked.
Druze nodded. “Yes.”
“What about tomorrow?” She hooked her thumbs into her jean pockets and bit down on her lower lip in a way that was sultry and sexy. How did some women make flirting look so effortless? Britt wouldn’t know the first thing about it.
Druze shook his head. “I can’t.” Short and to the point.
“You work far too hard, you know that?”
His jaw tensed and he pursed his lips for a moment. “That’s how it is, Topaz. Now, if you’ll excuse us.”
“I’m free tonight,” Craig piped up. “Tomorrow night too.” He winked at Topaz who laughed. Even that sounded sultry and effortless.
“You’re cute, human. You’re also very breakable.” Topaz winked back. Then she turned and walked away. Her ass was barely covered in those shorts.
Craig’s jaw dropped all the way open. “How the hell did you turn her down?” he asked Druze, mirroring what Brittney was thinking. “How and why?
“Easy! Like I said, I’m too busy.”
Craig watched as she sat down at a nearby table. There were several other beautiful she-dragons at the table. “Sometimes you have to make time. That goes for you too, Dr. Baker. You are also all work and no play.”
“There will be no playing while on dragon lands.” He narrowed his eyes on her. “We discussed this.”
Britt had to hold back an eye-roll. “I know. I got the message loud and clear all three times. Thanks for the reminder though, Doctor.”
“You’re most welcome, Doctor.” He pushed his chair back. Britt saw that most of his food had been eaten, there were just scraps remaining. He looked at his watch. “Let’s get back to the lab at—”
“Going so soon?” another sultry female interrupted.
Really? How many gorgeous women were there in this place? And why were they all after Druze? As far as she could tell, there was just the one table of women in a sea of dragon males. Then again, she could answer her own question – the man was compelling.
This she-dragon wore a little strappy, summer dress. It too was short, showcasing long toned legs. It was a mustard yellow, with a little tan leather belt that displayed how narrow her waist was. It looked like dragons were blessed with fantastic genes, both the men and the women alike.
Druze pushed out a breath, like he was irritated. Couldn’t be! Craig’s jaw dropped once again, and drool may or may not have seeped from his mouth just then. Britt was too focused on Druze and the female to take note.
“Yes, I’m going. I have work to do, Selenite.”
“Work, work, work!” she tsked, before looking Druze over. Selenite looked so hard that she pretty much undressed him with her eyes. No, it was more than that, she was eyeball fucking the heck out of him. “Such a waste,” she purred.
“You females should stop your shit,” Druze sounded bored. “I’ll meet you back at the lab,” he remarked, looking at Craig and then at her.
She nodded once.
“I’m all done.” Craig wiped his mouth with a napkin, which he put onto his plate. “We’ll be right behind you.” Craig looked down at her plate which still had food on it.
Selenite slinked away, also taking a seat at the table of females. She said something and they all laughed.
Druze nodded and then left, taking his plate to where a pile of dirty crockery was stacked. They watched while he walked out.
“Druze is hardcore,” Craig commented.
“You’re telling me,” Brittney said.
“I wouldn’t have that kind of willpower.”
“You never know, maybe he’s slept with them all already. It could be a been there done that situation.” The thought burned holes in her. She put her knife and fork on the plate and pushed it away, her appetite gone.
“Lucky fuck!” Craig stood up, taking his plate. “Here,” he gestured to hers as well, “allow me.”
“Thanks.” Britt watched as he put hers on top of his own.
“I’ll be back in a minute.” Then he headed in the opposite direction of where the dirty dishes were being amassed for collection.
She watched with interest as he walked straight to the table of she-dragons. Craig chatted with them for about a half a minute, maybe more. What was he saying? There was some talking and plenty of giggling. In the end, Craig collected all of their plates. He now had ten, in total, stacked up in his hands. He made his way to the drop-off zone and deposited the plates there.
Britt met him at the exit. “What was that all about?” she asked with a frown.
He shrugged. “I was interested in the whole Druze thing.”
She gasped. “You didn’t ask them about Druze! He’s our boss.”
“I did. I wanted to know more.” He didn’t say anything further.
Brittney slowed her pace as they neared the hallway where the lab was based. “And?” she said in an exaggerated tone. “What did they have to say?”
Craig laughed. “So you do want to know?”
Britt stopped walking and turned to face Craig. “Of course, yes.” She felt herself lean toward him.
“Druze has never slept with any of them. In fact, he’s never had sex with anyone in this lair, or anyone else to their knowledge. I didn’t ask, they told me anyway.”
“What?” She frowned so hard she was sure her forehead would crack if she didn’t stop soon. “Never ever?”
“Nope. They wouldn’t say why, but I picked up a vibe, like there was a reason.”
“So, they try to proposition him?” She choked out a laugh.
“It’s become a…” He searched for the right word. “A competition between them to see who can land him.”
“You’re not serious.”
“I am. Very!” He shook his head. “Such a waste of so many beautiful women. They even have a bet running. There’s some sort of prize for the winner. I didn’t get so far as to find out what the prize was.”
“That’s s
tupid.”
“Druze is one lucky fuck. I’ll stand by my earlier sentiment.”
“They don’t really want him though.” The whole idea pissed her off.
“Of course they do. They wouldn’t try so hard otherwise.”
“No, they don’t. It’s become a big game to them. That’s not right.”
Craig laughed. “Is someone all protective over the big shifter, Doctor?” He placed emphasis on the last word.
“No,” she shook her head, “not at all. I’m just making an observation.”
“You know that the sexual tension between the two of you is sickening.”
She snorted and made a face. “Rubbish! You have it all wrong.”
“You guys should just get a room already and get over it. It’s especially hard on me, I’m the third wheel.” Craig’s eyes glinted with good humor.
“You are not the third wheel and it’s not going to happen between Druze and me.”
“If you say so, Britt.” Craig smiled.
“I do say so.” Druze had been clear. If he was turning down beauties like those, he’d have no problem staying clear of her. “We’d better get to work,” she muttered.
“Let’s do it,” Craig agreed.
Chapter 14
The next morning…
Druze sniffed the air as he walked into the lab, he paused mid-step as the scent hit his snout. He sniffed again. No! It couldn’t be. He raised his brows at Craig who was whistling cheerfully while he worked. They locked eyes and Druze sniffed again. Craig grinned.
“How did you get that right?” Druze asked.
Craig shrugged. “I’m nice.” He smiled broadly.
“Nice doesn’t normally work.” Druze frowned.
“I’m intelligent. I might not be a dragon but I’m not a bad-looking guy.” Craig smoothed a hand down his white coat.
Dr. Baker looked up from her work. “Am I missing something?” she asked.
“No,” they both said, in unison. It might be better if she didn’t know about this.
She cocked her head and narrowed her eyes, scrutinizing them both. Craig went back to whistling while he worked.
“Wait just a minute!” Dr. Baker rubbed her chin. “Is that a hickey on your neck?” She pushed out a laugh and covered her mouth for a few seconds. “That’s a hickey!”
Craig blushed. A full-grown male blushing. It was bizarre. He covered the red mark with his hand. “Um…” he grinned, “maybe.”
“You’re shitting me! How did I miss that hickey?” she mumbled.
Humans had such bizarre sayings. Druze understood what most of them meant but he still found them weird.
Craig shook his head. “It was the best night of my life.”
Brittney laughed. “Go Craig!”
“This had better not affect your work,” Druze said. “Pulling all-nighters is not conducive to high-level productivity. It’s a proven fact.”
“It wasn’t an all-nighter. Hell, I’m only human.” He chuckled. “Do I look tired to you?” He held his arms open. There was a test tube in one of his hands. “I feel wired. Ready for anything. On top of the world.”
Then Druze had a worrying thought. “You do know that Dr. Baker is not permitted to…mingle with the shifter males?”
“I had heard something along those lines.” Craig nodded. “Bummer.” The male glanced her way. Dr. Baker looked like she was faking being really busy all of a sudden. Her cheeks were red.
Bummer.
Another one of those weird things to say. Made no damned sense. “Maybe you should not be permitted to have sex with the dragon females either. I think she is right about the double standards. If she is not permitted, then you should also be prohibited.”
The male’s face dropped. It looked like someone had told him he could never fuck again. In fact, it looked like someone had just told him he was being castrated. Druze had to bite back a laugh. “It’s only for two or three months. You will survive.”
Druze had survived for years, as had Dr. Baker, if she was to be believed about not having sex for that long. He had no reason not to believe her. It intrigued him, and in many ways, he now understood why those she-dragons hounded him all the time. There was something…fascinating about someone who abstained when they didn’t have to. Although, he suspected she hadn’t consciously imposed the restriction on herself. Days had become weeks, which in turn had become years. It sometimes happened that way. It was compelling. She was compelling. Druze stopped himself there. He couldn’t allow himself to think along those lines.
“I’m not sure I will survive. Two months is a long time.” Craig looked distraught.
“You must. You have no choice. I will be forced to relieve you of your duties if you have sexual intercourse with another she-dragon ‒ any female ‒ while on dragon soil.”
“I have a date tonight.” Dr. Burgess looked like he wanted to cry.
“Cancel it, you—”
“Wait a minute,” Brittney interjected. “I will admit that I was a little pissed at first about the double standards, but you explained the reasoning, Doctor.” Fuck! He should rather have allowed her to call him by his name. Hearing her call him ‘doctor’ made his balls ache. It made his belly tighten. He couldn’t understand why. Many people had called him that since he’d qualified, and yet…here he was on the verge of a hard-on. It was pathetic! It was unacceptable.
“I’m okay with it.” She touched a hand to her chest. “I will follow the rules, as set out.”
He ran a hand through his hair. “I don’t know.” He didn’t want any slip-ups. He didn’t want Dr. Baker screwing around and citing equal rights. She would be well within reason to do so.
“Let Craig have a bit of fun. As long as it doesn’t affect his work it shouldn’t matter. I swear I’m not in the least bit interested in any of the guys out there.” She pointed at the door. “I’m here to work. I’m not the type of person who sleeps around. I get emotional.” Her cheeks heated. It was cute. It made him uncomfortable.
“Um…” she cleared her throat, “that was too much information, wasn’t it?” Dr. Baker shook her head, not waiting for a response. “I understand the ramifications of messing around with a shifter. I know it would cause problems and put my safety in jeopardy. The same is not true for Craig so why limit him?”
“Yes,” the male pleaded, “why limit me?”
“I won’t slip up. You can fire me if I do.” She kept her eyes on his.
“You’re sure about this? You’re not going to change your mind and complain about double standards?” He narrowed his eyes on her. He’d go ballistic if she messed with some asshole male. It had everything to do with her safety. Nothing to do with jealousy at the thought of her with another male.
“Of course, I’m sure.” Zero hesitation.
“Okay then.” He nodded.
“Okay?” She looked shocked.
“I can go out with Selenite?” Craig smiled broadly.
“Why do both of you look so shocked?” Was he that much of a hardass? “Yes, you can.”
Dr. Baker looked pleased, which pleased him, which in turn angered him. “Get back to work,” he snapped.
* * *
An hour later…
“I’ll be back in ten minutes,” Druze announced. He unbuttoned and then tugged off the white lab coat. It reminded her of a striptease, since his torso was bare beneath the cotton. A pair of deep purple pants hung low on his hips. Purple. Who knew the color could look so good on a man? It did. Especially on him.
“Sure thing.” Craig looked up from the microscope.
She nodded, not trusting her voice. Britt watched as he left the room, closing the door behind him.
“If you stared any harder your eyeballs would pop.”
She laughed. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Craig gave her a dirty look. “Don’t think I didn’t notice when you said ‘any of the guys out there’ earlier.”
“What?” She f
rowned, hoping he would drop it. “I didn’t mean anything by it.”
“Yeah right! When you said you weren’t interested in any of the guys out there. Pity the guy you want was right in this room. Namely, the good Dr. Druze.” He winked at her.
“Why are you harping on about this?” she grumbled good-naturedly.
“Because it’s true. You want him, and you want him bad.”
“Were you not in the room just now, or there yesterday for that matter? It isn’t ever going to happen. It doesn’t matter how attracted I am to him. Besides, I meant it when I said I get emotional. I’m not one of those people who can just have sex to get over a person. I would develop feelings for him and then I’d be really screwed working with him. Not that he would ever go there with me. Let’s go back to that part. So, I’m not sure why we’re even having this conversation…again. If he was going to take someone up on their offer it would have been one of those gorgeous she-dragons.”
Craig had an odd smile on his face. He looked at her in a weird way as well. “You don’t give yourself enough credit.”
“What do you mean?”
“You’re gorgeous as well, Britt. I can tell you that because we’re just friends,” Craig quickly added.
She laughed. “I know it’s not like that between us. And gorgeous?” She widened her eyes. “That’s a little bit of a reach. I have some good qualities. Tall and toned with big, bright eyes…nope, that isn’t me at all.” She’d just described all the she-dragons. Her own eyes were dark, and she worked far too much to ever seriously work out. So, although she wasn’t overweight or anything, she certainly didn’t have a toned, athletic body either.
“Tall and toned is great,” his eyes got this faraway look, like he was thinking about the night before, “but there is something to be said about having…a feminine figure.”
“By ‘feminine figure’ you mean slightly plump and most definitely unfit?” She laughed.
“That’s not what I mean at all. You have tits and ass ‒ more than any she-dragon I’ve seen in this place. You’re sexy, Dr. Baker. Our boss certainly thinks so. I’ve caught him looking at you. I know a man’s mind. The thoughts he’s having are purely carnal.”
Doctor Dragon: Earth Dragons Series: Book 6 Page 9
