by Amelia Jade
“I think I don’t want to know. I’ll go to the fire department in the morning and blame it on arson I guess.”
He arched an eyebrow at her sudden idea.
“I’ve dealt with enough criminals I know what to say, though I feel like I’m betraying myself doing so.”
“You didn’t set the fire,” he told her. “Nor did you cause it. Don’t feel guilty. Think of it this way: you can use your insurance payout to fix your car, instead of feeling guilty when I had it done for you.”
She started walking. “You were going to fix my car without telling me?”
“Yes.” He offered no further explanation.
“Corde?”
“Yes?”
“Call a cab. I want to shower.”
“I’d love to, but I left my phone back in your house by accident. I think we have to walk.”
She shook her head. “No, correction. You’re walking.”
“What are you going to do?”
She grinned. “You’re carrying me, dragon-man.” And she threw herself into his arms.
Corde didn’t even blink as he swept her up, holding her still, his arms not trembling in the slightest. Kylie smiled to herself. She could get used to feeling so small and little around him.
Chapter Thirteen
Kylie
She lay on the floor in the shower once more as the water turned black, washing away the layers of caked-on soot. Kylie hadn’t bothered to disrobe this time, simply stepping inside with everything on, letting the shower clean it all. Now she stripped slowly, until her clothes were a messy black pile near the drain.
Her mind was elsewhere, trying to process what the hell had just happened tonight. The first thing to do was list the facts.
One. She’d seen Corde pull the fire from under the door and make it dance along his arm, forming shapes.
Two. Corde had somehow manipulated the fire into giving them a nice circular exit hole up through the floor and roof of the house.
Three. He’d called up the warm air from the fire and used it to allow them to parachute to safety.
Three point five. Upon landing Corde had absorbed the impact as if it were little more than jumping up from a chair or down off a step.
Oh, and last but not least, she’d kissed him.
More accurately, he’d kissed her and she’d kissed back, but it didn’t matter. The night before she’d been freaking out about staying in the house of a criminal. Tonight she was freaking out about kissing him.
What was tomorrow night? Sleeping with him? The worst part was, she’d made the decision to stay at his place again long before anything else had happened between them. She hadn’t wanted to go stay at her house, but she’d needed to make the effort to leave. To prove to herself that she could.
The changes in Corde and her changing feelings were too strong though, and she’d given in to the temptation to stay. Not only did she secretly like the luxury in which he lived, but being near him also gave her the chance to ensure that he wasn’t committing any more crimes. To try and make sure he stayed on the right path. Kylie needed to help him stay that way. To keep his life together.
Because hers was falling apart.
First her car was vandalized, and she didn’t have the money to fix it. Then her house was broken into and burgled. Again, Kylie didn’t have the money to fix it. Now tonight she’d been shot at, and her house had burned to the ground. Gone.
The only thing that was a constant in her life was Corde. Now tonight she’d seen firsthand evidence that he was certainly more than just human. Superhuman, alien, part dragon, she really had no idea. Even his motives were cloudy and muddled. Not evil, of course, just not entirely truthful. What exactly was he doing in Barton City to begin with? Everything she’d thought she’d known needed to be questioned. Was it even an accident that he’d been sent to meet her?
The water had been pelting her this entire time, and all at once the questions and confusion left her feeling battered by its flow. She killed the water, dried off, and put on one of the luxurious white cotton terry robes and a pair of baggy black sweatpants she’d grabbed from the store the other day. Tossing her wet hair up into a towel above her head, she pronounced herself dressed enough.
Opening the door, she left the bedroom, wandering around the perimeter of her floor, admiring the sights. In the end she came to the window that faced west. Toward the mountains.
“Quite a sight, isn’t it?”
She didn’t turn as Corde entered the room. In the reflection she saw that he too had changed. He was wearing some ultra dark-wash jeans with a flashy silver belt buckle and a light green V-necked shirt that showed the first curves of his massive pecs. It was, she decided, a good look on him.
“Yes, it is,” she agreed as he came up to stand behind her.
“Kylie, I wanted to apologize.”
“You don’t need to. It’s okay.”
He shook his head in the reflection. Dragging her eyes away from the sight of the mountains, she looked up at him, gray eyes meeting violet, locking together with an abruptness that startled her.
“No it’s not. Your car…your house. I…”
“Corde. If you weren’t around, my dead body would be in that house right now. I chewed out Jose. I should have known better than to do that to his fragile ego.”
“Bullshit. You were frustrated and distracted by my actions.”
She sighed. “No, Corde. It’s my fault. I’m supposed to be above all that. You think that this is my first time dealing with a testosterone-laden punk with an ego more fragile than glass? Thank you, but this is on me. Again.”
The corners of his eyes tightened. “Again?”
Kylie bit her lower lip and nodded. “Yes. Another failure on my belt. I can’t seem to just do this job. It’s not hard, Corde, and yet I struggle with it every day!”
“I don’t understand,” the giant man said, eyebrows dropping lower in a frown. “You’ve been doing it just fine from what I can see.”
She gave him a sad smile. “That’s because you just see the surface of it. The here and now. Oh sure, I can supervise people, make sure they pick up garbage or whatever the job may be. That’s easy. No, Corde, it’s the other part of the job.”
“The…other? Now you’ve really lost me.”
“I’m supposed to be helping those in need, dammit!” she crossed her arms and turned back to the glass so that he wouldn’t see the tears of disappointment well up. Blinking quickly, she tried to disperse them. “And I’m not doing it. Every year my recidivism rate goes up. My program isn’t helping, Corde. And it’s all on me.”
Giant hands wrapped around her shoulders as he stepped forward, pulling her into his chest. Kylie tried to resist, but he just grunted softly and made it happen anyway, overpowering her. She dropped her head as he held her tight.
“Kylie, I need you to get something through your head.”
“What?” she asked sourly, not in the mood for any patronizing advice.
“Your job is to ensure that punishment is fulfilled. That is your job. The people in your program don’t want help. The only reason they show up is because they have to, or they go to jail. If you want to help them, to save them, then you are in the wrong career. People who want help need someone who will listen to them. Talk to them. Work with them. Not force them to do manual labor.”
She shuddered at the correctness. “I think I know that. I…I’ve been thinking of quitting, Corde. Selling the house, maybe going back to school. It’s been on my mind. More of late than ever before. I don’t think this job is for me. I’m not making a difference here.”
The admission of her own vulnerability, of the fact that she was thinking of backing down, didn’t come easily. Fear that Corde might reject her for not pushing through and succeeding was only trumped by her own disappointment in herself. She’d come to this job after…after Rich, and thrown herself fully into it, just like she’d been learning to take care of herself. It was part of
the new Kylie that she’d wanted to become.
“You’re wrong about one thing,” Corde said, his voice thick and husky.
“What’s that?”
Fingers dug into her shoulders gently and twisted her back around.
“You are making a difference.”
“I am?”
“With me.”
She bit back a sob as he leaned in to kiss her. Heat seared her lips but she ignored it, throwing her arms around his neck and letting him sweep her from her feet. How was it that he always seemed to know what to say to make her feel better about herself? No matter the problem, he was either there to solve it with his hands, or with his words.
Kylie tilted her head forward, pulling her lips away just a tad until her forehead rested against his. She opened her eyes, looking deep into his, trying to decipher his intentions. Was he just interested in what he could get his hands on? The robe she was wearing was bunched up around her ass as he held her aloft, one hand on her waist the other just below her cheeks. Was his mind straying to the possibility of physical intimacy with her?
Though she was loath to admit it, he wouldn’t be the only one thinking of that. The kiss that had been so rudely interrupted earlier had set her body ablaze well before the house went up, and being carried halfway home in his arms—she’d eventually felt guilty and walked beside him—hadn’t extinguished a thing. But until just now, she’d not been entirely sure this was what she wanted with him.
Now though…
“Corde.”
“Yes?”
“Kiss me.”
Chapter Fourteen
Kylie
The glass thrummed as he stepped forward and pressed her into it, the impact making her gasp.
She wasn’t given a chance to recover before his mouth was covering hers once more, hot and needy. Parting her mouth, she flicked her tongue out, joining with his as the heat grew between them, passion meeting desire meeting basic instinct. It spun together in a heady mix that left her lightheaded and craving more.
Running her fingers down his back, she played them over muscles that felt like coiled steel. Lips caressed her neck with sudden tenderness, driving her wild. A corner of her mind imagined a curious passerby staring up at the building and seeing her taken by the whims of a half-man half-dragon, the idea sending a little thrill through her.
The corner of the soft robe slipped from her right shoulder, exposing most of the swell of her large breast. Corde’s eye was drawn to it immediately, and she felt more than saw the hesitation in him.
“We don’t have to do this,” he whispered, his lips mere fractions of an inch from her ear, the words followed by a hot blast of air that sent shivers down her neck.
“Of course we don’t,” she told him, taking his head in both hands and angling it slightly upward to face her. It felt odd being taller than him, even though technically her feet were over a foot off the ground. “But trust me, I thought about this. About you. Us. I must be crazy to do this with you, but dammit, I’m tired of trying to resist, of telling myself that just because you’re in my program that I’m not attracted to you.”
He kissed her, one of those single, solitary kisses that did more to make her world spin than a frantic make out session.
“I’m prepared for the consequences,” she continued after a moment. “I know what happens.”
Corde pulled his head back, his gray eyes filling with clouds. “What do you mean ‘the consequences’? What consequences? Are you going to be in trouble for this?”
She laughed. “I…honestly don’t know. I’m not sure if there are rules. I don’t technically employ you, and we’re both of age. It’s confusing. But I doubt it.”
“I see.” His arms bent as he stepped in closer to her. “You meant something personal.”
She nodded. “I did. I was talking about the after.” With a tap of her fingers on his hands, Corde set her down, and she paced across the room. “I was married once, did I tell you that?”
He shook his head.
“To a guy named Rich.” She crossed her arms, pushing the robe back up into place. “Hot. Smooth-talking. Not wealthy. But otherwise a lot like you.”
“He was nothing like me,” Corde snarled softly.
“How do you know?”
“Because he left you. Hurt you. I would never do such a thing. He doesn’t understand how amazing you are, Kylie.”
She was taken aback by the vehemence of his statement, the utter conviction with which he spoke. Never had she experienced something like it before, his words carrying with them something so powerful it was nearly tangible.
“How can you know that?” she asked quietly, not dismissing him out of hand.
Gray eyes turned steely, the clouds she’d seen earlier long gone. “It’s a dragon thing. You’ll have to trust me. But we know.”
Kylie worked her jaw, pondering that, the seconds ticking by with eerie slowness. Maybe he was telling the truth. Maybe he wasn’t. Right now though, she didn’t know if it mattered. Her life was going to shit around her. No car. No house. Probably no job in the near future. What the hell did she have to lose by spending the night in his bed?
A night of hot sex with a gorgeous specimen of a man who claimed—for now at least—to want to treat her like a goddess. Could she really be making that big of a mistake by going for it? The answer seemed to be a solid, emphatic “no.” The sexual chemistry between them was undeniable; she’d sensed that long before the chemicals in her brain started to demand sex.
What the hell, what was the worst that could happen? He would end up treating her like Rich, and she’d move on, leaving everything behind, a clean slate on all fronts.
And if he was telling the truth, things would be even more interesting.
Locking gazes with him once more she smiled, small and tentative at first, but growing with confidence with every heartbeat. The rise and fall of his chest caught her eye, and the thudding sound in her own breast intensified.
Moving with as much slow grace as she could muster, Kylie brought her hands around and gently pulled the belt of the robe apart, before shrugging it from her shoulders. The soft terrycloth fell into a puddle at her feet as she exposed part of herself to him.
In retrospect, she now wished she wasn’t wearing sweatpants. It would have made the reveal a bit more dramatic, and a lot sexier. His eyes widened, pupils dilating as she made it very clear how she felt about the rest of the evening. The lively lips on his mouth parted slightly as his jaw dropped. When he swallowed it was so strong she saw his throat bob.
“Wow.”
Kylie smirked. She knew that she had an impressive chest. It was rather hard to hide the size of them. While she was more than happy with her body and the curves it contained, her breasts were definitely her pride and joy. She felt they had the perfect proportions, and enough perkiness to them that they drew exactly this sort of look.
“Are you just gonna stand there, or are you go—”
Corde moved with dragon speed, lifting her from the ground, propelling her backward through the door and onto the bed.
“—oing to do something,” she finished with a gasp as the air was partially driven from her lungs.
“If it’s all right with you,” he growled, fingers hooking through the waistband of her pants, “I’m going to do a lot of things.”
Kylie couldn’t stop herself from biting her lip, her eyes widening at the throatier, deeper sound of his voice as it filled with sexual desire. “We can probably come to an arrangement,” she squeaked, watching as he peeled the shirt off and tossed it across the room. Now it was her turn to watch. “Oh my.”
“Nothing you haven’t seen before,” he teased, leaning slightly back and flexing for her.
Kylie had to admit he was right, but still, it was different. “This time it isn’t all covered in sweat and stinky garbage though.”
Corde fixed her with a stare as he wilted slightly, though the supposed dragon-man didn’t let that keep
him down for long.
“Hey, let me have some fun,” she accused him as he moved to take off his jeans. Sitting up, she slid to the edge of the bed and inexpertly worked his belt. It was an unfamiliar design, but she finally got it undone. The jeans went next, making it quite obvious that he wasn’t wearing anything underneath.
Kylie found herself unexpectedly staring at his swelling manhood from mere inches away. Rolling with the surprise, she stuck her tongue out and slid it up his clean skin, smelling the fresh spring-water scent of his body wash as she went.
Taking him into her mouth with care, she teased and licked him until he was rock solid and pulsing in her hand, her ears listening to Corde as his groans increased in noise and frequency. When he tightened in her hand she slowed, trying not to smile at the somewhat disheartened noise she earned in response.
Her tongue snatched one wayward strand of saliva from his tip as she leaned back, thrilled that her efforts had produced such pleasure in him. Corde’s face was flush and he was breathing hard, a sure sign that he’d been close to the end. Until she had better stock of his stamina, Kylie wasn’t ready to end the night early. She’d come this far…she was going to get what she ultimately wanted.
Corde slipped to his knees, taking advantage of the angle as she lay back at the edge of the bed. His tongue, hungry and warm, quickly swirled around her center, the heat from his face blasting the inside of her thighs. He touched and probed with gentle care, the light caresses of fingers and mouth driving her wild with unfulfilled anticipation.
“Fuck.” The single word filled her suite as he finally gave in to her moaning demands and touched her core, the stimulation of that one touch stiffening every muscle in her body. Kylie had been watching him, her eyes focused on his face, but now she fell back into the far-too-soft-to-be-allowed bed, lids screwed tightly shut. Playtime was over and Corde focused in on driving her over the edge.
Fingers gathered fistfuls of the comforter as she arched and rocked, the increasing tightness between her legs signaling that she was swiftly approaching the point of no return. Desperately she begged him to continue, not to stop, telling him how close she was to the cliff, how badly she wanted it.
