by Lolita Lopez
Avani’s eyes widened. “Really? That’s amazing.”
He nodded. “Quite unexpected, I assure you. They both freaked out when it happened.”
“Understandable,” she murmured. “They’re happy now?”
“Very,” he said. “It turns out she’s a type of chameleonlike dragon. We thought they were all but extinct until she and Stig became mated. It’s another month before Stig goes into heat again. We think she’ll probably sync up with his cycle and complete her transformation to a dragon. It will be interesting to see how it all works out in the end.”
“I bet.” Starting to lose her nerve and questioning her plan, Avani fidgeted with the cuff of her shirt. “So, um…”
“There’s no rush. We have nine nights of heat.” Griff closed the distance between them. He put his hands on her shoulders and then cupped her neck. His thumbs rubbed slow circles on her skin. “We’ll take it nice and easy.”
Avani nodded in agreement but doubted that was possible. Already, she felt her control slipping. His warm hands made her insides quiver. Her body ached as fiery lust consumed her.
Nice and easy? Hell, she’d be lucky if she made it to midnight without begging him to rip her clothes off and ravish her!
Chapter Three
Kicked back in a comfortable club chair, Griff watched Avani with interest. Like him, she’d changed into nightclothes. Where he’d thrown on only pajama bottoms, she’d chosen to cover up a bit more. He liked the emerald green top and matching shorts. They highlighted her gorgeous skin and made her look sexy as hell.
Right now, she moved around the bunker, lighting a few scented candles and adjusting throw pillows. Her home looked like something out of a design magazine, all sleek lines and muted tones of gray and white with pops of color here and there. Upstairs, he’d marveled at her home’s neatness. Everything in its place and a space for everything…
His first impression of her started to fade. He’d pegged her as cold and aloof, but now he realized he’d been dead wrong. It was all a defense mechanism. She put on that calm, controlled façade, but underneath she was uncertain and wavering. He easily read the conflicting emotions flashing across her face. She carried the heavy burden of saving her species with such cool grace, but he sensed she was struggling with it.
She came close enough that he was able to grasp her wrist. The sizzling snap that accompanied their touch burned through his chest. His inner beast snarled at the chance to be set free to claim her. Griff muscled down those baser urges and concentrated on her beautiful face. He caught the shortest glimpse of her Naga as her dark eyes shifted to a yellowish hue. Her pupil elongated to a reptilian sliver before flattening back out to the typical round human shape.
Avani rolled her neck and licked her lips. The decidedly serpentlike movement enthralled him. There was something darkly erotic about her. She exhaled slowly. “I think it’s best we stay in contact from this point forward. I’m losing control.”
“So am I.” He pulled her down on his lap. Her lips parted in a shocked gasp. “What? This is contact.”
She tried to wiggle free, but he held her tight. “I was thinking more along the lines of holding hands.”
“Where’s the fun in that?”
She shot him a frown but stayed put. “Fine.”
Griff enjoyed the sensation of her small body curled on his lap. Her pleasing scent and gentle heat soothed his frayed nerves. Calmed by her presence, his mind cleared. His dragon side heightened his body’s response to Avani and inflamed his desires, but he didn’t act on them.
“I was thinking that maybe in the morning when we’re more clear-headed we could discuss a contract.”
“No.”
Her gaze snapped to his. She searched his face. “Why are you fighting me on this? I told you what I wanted.”
“And you’re not getting it,” he replied matter-of-factly. “I’m not signing away my parental rights.” He tilted his head to study her. “I don’t think that’s really what you want.”
“How would you know? You don’t know anything about me.”
“I know enough to know that your insistence on single motherhood isn’t about protecting the baby. It’s about protecting you. From what?” He shrugged. “I couldn’t say.”
“Protecting me?” She glared at him. “You don’t have any idea what it’s like to be the afterthought in a family. My child will never know what it feels like to be a mistake. My child will be cherished and loved by me.”
“Our child,” he corrected. Refusing to indulge her desire for single parenthood even in the hypothetical he added, “Our child will be cherished and loved by both of us. Considering we’re attempting to save a species, he or she will always know they were very much desired.”
“She,” Avani interjected. “She’ll know.”
His eyes narrowed at her certainty of the gender. “You sound very sure.”
“When I was digging through Reynard’s archives, I noticed my species tends to produce more females than males. It’s just a feeling.”
He decided not to tell her that his line leaned heavily toward male offspring. When he’d let himself daydream about the possibility of fathering children, he’d always imagined himself surrounded by sons, but his heart did a funny little skip at the idea of a bright-eyed girl with her mother’s dark hair and eyes smiling up at him.
Ignoring the strange pang invading his chest, he studied Avani more closely. He began to form an idea of why she was so dead set on single parenthood and cutting him out of their child’s life. It wasn’t a cruel motivation but one of self-preservation.
“Why are you so insistent on being the only source of love and support for your child?”
She avoided his gaze. “I’ll never allow my child to know what it’s like to compete for affection from her mother or father.”
Suddenly, everything became clear. Griffin’s heart ached at the pain written on Avani’s sweet face. He placed his hand on her cheek and carefully turned her toward him. “Your parents didn’t want you?”
She wiped at the tear that escaped her right eye. “I think they wanted me eventually, but not at first. They were alone together for nearly two hundred years before I was conceived. That’s a long time for two people to get comfortable with one another. Their love? It was like something from a romance novel—all-powerful, all-consuming. I couldn’t compete with that.”
His gut clenched and he stroked her soft skin. “I’m sorry.”
She shook her head. “I didn’t tell you that so you’d feel sorry for me. I need you to understand why it has to be done my way.”
“I don’t see that at all. It’s not like I love you.”
Even though he hadn’t said it harshly, she still flinched. Instantly, he hated himself for the stupid slip. “I’m so sorry, Avani. I didn’t mean that—”
“It’s okay. I understood what you meant, even if it was said rather inelegantly.”
“I really am sorry.” His face grew superhot as the embarrassment of his vocal misstep played on a loop in his head. “I’m not usually such an asshole.”
She touched his chest, her fingertips searing him through the thin cotton of his shirt. “I don’t think you’re an asshole.”
“Give me time. If I keep putting my foot in my mouth, you might end up locking me in that cell after all.”
She smiled. “We’ll see.”
“Look, Avani, we’re already flirting with danger. Let’s not make things more complicated by trying to hash out custody agreements before we’ve even succeeded in conceiving a child.”
The look on her face told him that she didn’t share his outlook. Was she afraid that if their child became a reality instead of a possibility, then he would be more difficult to convince to walk away?
“I could pay you.”
He narrowed his eyes and steeled his jaw. “Don’t insult me like that.”
“I’m not trying to insult you. I’m being practical.”
“The answer
is no.”
Not ready to give up, she said, “What if I could give you something priceless?”
Mad’s remark about the missing Knight sword came to mind. “You mean like one of the swords used to kill your family?”
She reeled back in shock. “You know about that?”
“Ignatius sends around reports after every confirmed Knight attack. He mentioned that you behaved suspiciously. He figured you’d taken the sword from the Knight killed during the attack on your family.” He held her gaze and dared her to lie to him. “I see he was right.”
She nodded reluctantly. “It was just lying there next to my father’s body.”
“So you took it? Why didn’t you let Ignatius or one of the other Brothers who responded to that massacre have it? They would have seen it properly destroyed.”
“It wouldn’t have been much use to me destroyed. At the time, I didn’t know who was my enemy or my friend. I needed leverage.”
“And now you think I’ll just sign away the rights to my child in exchange for that sword?”
“Why not? You Brothers hunt down those swords at all costs. I’m willing to give you this one without the need for bloodshed.”
He tried not to be angry with her. She wasn’t being cruel or nasty, just pragmatic in her approach. Even though he found her offer cold and insulting, he sensed she didn’t mean it that way. She was bumbling but not mean.
“My answer is no.”
“But—”
“No, Avani.” He spoke firmly and let some of the primitive snarl of his dragon edge into his voice. Her eyes widened and she gulped. Not wanting her to be scared, he caressed her bare arm. “I’m not angry with you.”
“You’re annoyed with me.”
“Very,” he agreed. Wanting her to feel some of that annoyance, he said, “Now that you’ve confirmed the sword is in your possession, it will only be a matter of time before Ignatius or Reynard or one of the other Brothers finds out where you’ve hidden it.”
Irritation flashed in her eyes. She realized she’d been outmaneuvered by him and huffed with anger. “Why do you have to be so damned complicated?”
“It’s in my nature.” He found her consternation rather amusing. “Your skin turns the loveliest shade when you’re angry.”
“Oh, please!” Avani rolled her eyes. “You’re not going to try to seduce me now.”
“Why not?” He nuzzled her throat and felt the uptick in her pulse as his lips brushed her skin. The vein there throbbed wildly as her heart raced. “I can’t help but wonder what it will be like to feel you shattering beneath me.”
She inhaled a sharp breath. “Fat chance.”
He pulled back just enough to stare into her dark eyes. His mouth curved with a playful grin. “Is that a dare?”
*
Avani realized her mistake the second he smiled so sexily. White-hot need arced through her core. His rough palms glided up and down her arms and set her skin alight. She spotted the crimson flecks coloring his irises now. Though their constant touch seemed to prevent a fully forced shift into their dragon forms, there was no stopping the more primal urges or the tiniest hints of their beastly natures from peeking through. Her mind was filled with such primitive thoughts—hunger and lust paramount among them.
Griffin shifted her until she straddled his lap. His hands explored her curves as if she belonged to him and her body existed only for his pleasure. His domineering moves should have annoyed her—and in some small way they did—but another part of her, the primal dragon she tried to keep buried, responded to his possessive touch.
The serpent that lived within her craved a powerful male to serve as her partner and mate. For Avani’s more dominant human side, it wasn’t that simple. She wanted love, passion, and security, not simply to find good chemistry that would appease her Naga.
But all those thoughts were much too serious to be considered now. Griffin’s big hands did crazy things to her blood pressure. The silky fabric shielding her body did little to inhibit his roaming palms. He cupped her breast and brushed his thumb over her nipple. A tight peak formed and pressed against the green silk.
“Griffin,” she whispered his name, while he traced the bud through her top.
“Strip for me.” Need filled his hoarse voice.
Anxiety gripped her. The lights were so bright in here. “Maybe we could move to the bed and turn off some of these lamps.”
He made a low, hungry sound. “I want to see you.”
“But—”
“All of you,” he interrupted gruffly and grabbed a handful of her shirt. “Take this off.”
She shivered at his commanding tone. There was no denying him. She started to flick through the buttons but he growled. “Too slow!”
He ripped the fabric with his strong hand. She whimpered at his display of strength but he calmed her with a sensual kiss. His tongue danced with hers. When he nibbled her lower lip, she rocked against him.
Rather insistently, he shoved the torn shirt off her shoulders. Breasts bared to him, she cried out as his mouth touched her there. He cupped her hot flesh and let his lips move from peak to peak. She clasped his shoulders and arched into his tormenting mouth. “Griffin!”
Seemingly overcome with lust, he slipped his arm around her waist and stood. She expected him to carry her to the bed, but he flipped their positions and placed her in the low, wide chair. The leather retained his body heat and made her want to snuggle into its comforting depths.
Griffin took hold of her sleeping shorts and jerked them down her hips and legs. He tossed them over his shoulders. Naked and nervous, she squeezed her knees together. He shot her a look before grasping her thighs and prying them wide apart.
Pulsing and aching with desire, Avani blushed as he peered intently at her sex. “What are you doing?”
“What I wanted to do back at the gym,” he answered. She hissed as he gently parted her folds with his thumbs. “I can’t wait to taste you.”
A second later, his mouth dropped between her thighs. She cried out as he swiped her clitoris with his soft, pliable tongue. He suckled the tiny bud before unleashing a sensual assault on her most tender place. “Ah!”
His fingertips bit into her legs as he held her firmly in place and wickedly tormented her. Awash with lust, Avani felt the last of her inhibitions slip. Griffin’s scent spilled over her like a smoky aphrodisiac, ridding her of the final traces of uncertainty. For the first time in her life, she felt completely at ease with a man.
Clearly a master at seduction, Griffin used his wicked tongue to do the wildest things. She gasped and moaned as he fluttered and flicked and suckled her throbbing flesh. None of her lovers had ever come close to matching his skill. She clawed at the chair and lifted her hips, pressing her pulsing sex to his mouth.
Griffin groaned and continued to lash her pussy. The first tremor of ecstasy invaded her lower belly. Thighs tensing, she ran her fingers through his short hair and focused on the sight of this sexy beast of a man between her legs. The knowledge that this powerful, commanding warrior of a dragon knelt at her feet and gave her pleasure sent Avani hurtling over the edge.
“Griffin!” Screaming his name, she climaxed hard. Her muscles clenched and released as bursts of pure bliss exploded in her core. When she tried to pull away from his slowly circling tongue, Griffin refused to allow her retreat. He gripped her hips and kept her right there until she thought she really would die from sheer delight. Only then, when she was limp and panting, did he finally drag his mouth from between her thighs.
He sat back on his heels and caressed her trembling limbs. His sinful smile made her tummy do somersaults. Grasping her hand, he pulled her into a sitting position. He dragged her hand down his chest and abdomen to the tented front of his sleeping pants. She swallowed hard as he ran her palm over his thick erection. “Can you feel what you do to me?”
Their gazes clashed. His irises were almost totally red now. She had no doubt the strange green hue of her drag
on form had overtaken her usual brown eyes. Their human sides remained in control, but their desires and actions were driven by the primitive beasts within them.
“I realize I said we had nine nights and there was no need to rush—”
“Take me to bed.” She cut him off before he could cool her raging lust with some chivalrous offer to take it slow.
Chuckling, he captured her lips. “I thought you’d never ask.”
She squealed with surprise as Griffin grasped her by the waist and tossed her over his shoulder. Like a caveman, he carried her to the bed and dropped her onto the mattress. In an instant, he was on top of her, crawling over her naked body and nuzzling her neck. Overwhelmed by his heat and strength, she surrendered totally to his dominating ways.
Submitting to Griffin wasn’t what she’d bargained for, but right now it was exactly what she needed.
Chapter Four
Griff tried to get a grip on his out-of-control lust. Avani’s intoxicating scent had taken hold, and his cock throbbed mercilessly. He’d been a fool to think he could walk away from her at the end of their mating heat. She’d imprinted on him. It could be her smell, her taste, and her soft body that he would crave like a drug.
The honeyed taste of her still clung to his lips. Worshipping between her thighs had truly tested his resolve. He couldn’t get enough of her. Listening to her scream his name and feeling her clitoris pulsing against his tongue drove him wild. Even though she’d been wracked with ecstasy, he hadn’t truly succeeded in making her come undone or shatter—yet.
Wanting to kiss and caress every last inch of her luscious brown skin, Griff pressed his lips to her collarbone. She shivered and bucked beneath him as his mouth danced down her body. There was so much passion bottled up inside her. He wanted to set it all free and unleash the wanton sex kitten hiding behind that calm, controlled mask she constantly wore.
He gazed down into her strangely hued eyes. Like exotic jewels, they glimmered with the oddest shade of yellow-green. Her pupils remained round but seemed more oval in shape. No doubt his red eyes betrayed the beast within him too. Primal thoughts consumed Griff. Take. Claim. Fuck. Mate.
