Red Hot Dragon (Dragon Heat)

by Lolita Lopez

  She happily did as instructed and let him carry her into their bedroom. His eyes widened with surprise as he took in the small changes she’d made while he’d been away. “You repainted and changed the bedcovers?”

  Toying with the front of his shirt, she said, “I could tell how much you hated the dark walls and silky sheets.”

  “I felt like I was going to slide out of bed every time I moved.”

  “I know.” She pecked his cheek. “It was time for a change in here, anyway. I thought you’d prefer this paler gray-blue on the walls and the all-white cotton sheets.”

  He caressed her cheek. “You didn’t have to do this.”

  “I wanted to, Griffin. This is our home now. It should be a reflection of both of us.”

  “I don’t think you’ll care for my decorating sense. You’ve seen my place.”

  She wrinkled her nose at the memory of the messy apartment above his gym. It was a mishmash of styles and the stereotypical man cave. “Well…”

  Chuckling with amusement, he tossed her onto the bed and crawled over her. He made quick work of dragging the robe from her body and leaving her naked beneath him. He gazed down at her with much hunger in his eyes. “I think this is the way you should greet me every time I come home.”

  She couldn’t disagree with that idea. Grasping the hem of his shirt, she silently urged him to remove it. Sitting back on his heels, he peeled it off and revealed every inch of that ridiculously sexy and sculpted chest she loved so much.

  But something was different. Her gaze flicked to the freshly applied tattoo now covering the left side of his chest. Just above his heart, he’d added a new piece. The intricate design complemented the heavier, darker markings common among his tribe. There was no mistaking the meaning behind the serpent coiled around a dragon’s wing.

  Teary-eyed, she asked, “For me?”

  Griffin clasped her hand and brought it to the space just below the place he’d tattooed. “I belong to you. I want everyone to know it.”

  He claimed her mouth in a sensual kiss before she became a crying, sobbing mess. Pinned beneath her mate, Avani submitted totally to his masterful hands. She clutched his shoulders and relished his heat and weight atop her. His lips skimmed her neck and then danced along the swell of each breast. When he traced her nipple with his tongue and gently suckled the tight peak, she gasped. He ran his fingertip over the wet, puckered flesh and moved his mouth to the other nipple. She shivered as the wild sensations he evoked raced through her.

  Her pussy ached for his cock. Throbbing almost painfully, her clit begged for attention. She tried to squeeze her thighs together to lessen the pulsing, but Griffin’s leg prevented it. Never one to disappoint her, he shifted his weight and playfully walked his fingers down her belly to her mound. Their gazes clashed as he teasingly moved closer and closer to her sex.

  “Griffin.” She moaned his name and lifted her hips. “Please!”

  Smiling devilishly, he nipped at her breast. “Patience, Vonny.”

  “I’ve been patiently waiting for you for six days. I need you now.”

  After a wickedly naughty kiss, he stopped tormenting her. His thick fingers explored her tender folds. He moved down a little in the bed before penetrating her with one finger and then another. His thumb brushed across her clit, causing her hips to lift off the bed. She cried out and reached for him, refusing to let him go as he worked her into a frenzied state.

  Those skillful fingers manipulated her pussy in the way she loved most. He pumped her slick channel and swirled his thumb over her clitoris until she thought she would die from sheer pleasure. He swallowed her delighted cries as she climaxed in his arms. Her hips rocked and she clawed at his shoulders as the bright bursts exploded in her core.

  Limp and shaking, she sagged against the mattress as Griffin quickly shed his clothing. When he climbed back onto the bed, he rolled onto his back and grabbed her. As if she weighed nothing, he dragged her onto his lap and into a sitting position. His nose moved along the line of her neck. “Vonny, you smell so fucking good. I can’t wait to get my dick inside you.”

  Her pussy clenched at his rough language. Soaking wet and just as desperate for him, she maneuvered into place, squirming a little to the right and then to the left until their bodies perfectly aligned. Grasping his big cock, she guided him into place and sank down, taking every last inch of his massive shaft into her. “Oh!’

  Stretched to the hilt, she rocked back and forth, finding the perfect rhythm. Griffin’s hands roamed her body. He massaged her sensitive breasts and cupped her backside before clasping both of her hands to provide the support she needed to go wild atop him. Like a belly dancer, she swayed and rolled her hips until they were both gasping and groaning.

  But it wasn’t enough, and Griffin knew it.

  In one swift movement, he flipped their positions, taking her down and trapping her between his hot, hard body and the sumptuous softness of their bed. He planted his hands on either side of her face and plundered her mouth, stabbing his tongue between her lips in the same way his cock thrust into her. Her heels bounced off the rippling muscles of his thighs as he drove into her with feral intensity.

  “Griffin! Griffin! Ah!” She shattered into a million pieces. Ecstasy punched the air right out of her lungs. Clinging to him, she rode the seemingly endless waves of pleasure while he pounded away at her in search of his own climax. With a guttural groan, he slammed deep and jerked as his blazing seed spilled inside her.

  Totally relaxed now, she rubbed his back until he stopped shuddering. When he fell off her and opened his arms, she happily moved into his embrace. She rested her cheek to his chest, careful to keep her hair away from the healing tattoo, and listened to his heartbeat. After nearly losing him to the overdose of tranquilizers, she would never tire of the reassuring thudding sound.

  “Did you change your soap?”

  She frowned. “No. Why?”

  He sifted his fingers through her hair. “You smell different.”

  “Like bad different?”

  He laughed. “No. You smell…spicier, but a little sweeter.”

  “Maybe you just remember me differently because we’ve been apart,” she reasoned.

  “Maybe,” he replied, unconvinced. “Did you decide whether you wanted to spend a weekend with Stig and Cora?”

  “I hadn’t even really thought about it,” she admitted. “I suppose we should. That’s what couples do, right? They spend time with other couples.”

  He snorted with amusement. “So I hear. I think you’ll like Cora. She’s a damn good cook. Not as good as you,” he added quickly.

  “Nice save,” she said and patted his chest. Uncertain whether he wanted to talk about his cousin, she carefully asked, “How’s Mad?”

  Griffin’s fingertips trailed along her jaw. He traced her lower lip with his thumb. “He’s weak but he’ll recover. Ivy is in worse shape. They were starving her to force visions upon her. If Mad hadn’t gotten to her when he did, she would have died.”

  Avani shivered. “That’s terrible. What will happen to them now?

  “I don’t know,” he admitted. “Mad seems to be very protective of her, but Niko has claimed her as his kin. It’s…tense.” He inhaled a slow breath. “Ignatius was headed to Niko’s estate this morning. He’ll want to interrogate her to learn everything about the Knights holding her and what she might have inadvertently revealed to them during her mind link with Mad.”

  “He won’t be harsh with her, will he?” She worried about the young woman’s state of mind after the ordeal she’d survived.

  “Ignatius had better watch his step. Mad won’t hesitate to knock him flat on his ancient ass if he upsets her.”

  Avani was suddenly very glad Griffin had decided to return to her. She didn’t want him embroiled in whatever mess was certain to erupt at Niko’s home.

  “I worry those two have other plans for Ivy that they haven’t told Mad about yet.”

  Avani gri
maced. “Well, that’s not going to go over well if Mad is feeling protective of her.”

  “I wanted to stay, just in case, but Mad told me to go. He said he had it under control.” Griffin kissed her hand. “I have to trust that he knows what he’s doing. I got the feeling he didn’t want to involve me in whatever is happening, because it might be dangerous.”

  “Has the possibility of danger ever stopped him from dragging you into trouble?”

  He smiled. “No, but I didn’t have you back then. Now I do—and Mad understands what that means.”

  “You’re not upset that he’s closing you out to protect us?”

  “No.” Griffin kissed her tenderly. “He’s doing the same thing I would do for him if he had a mate that he loved.” He held her gaze. “I do love you, Avani. I love you more than I ever imagined possible.”

  His sweet words warmed her heart. “I wish I could show you how much you’ve changed my life for the better. Before you, I was so lonely and so…cold. Now I know what it means to be truly loved by someone and to love them right back without fear or hesitation.”

  With a teasing grin, Griffin gave her bottom a little smack. “I can think of one way you could show me.”

  She rolled her eyes but couldn’t help the laugh that escaped her throat. “You’re really terrible, you know that?”

  “You know you love it.”

  “I do.”

  Griffin picked up her left hand and interlaced their fingers. “Actually, I was thinking that it’s time for me to get you something to show you how much you mean to me and how excited I am to spend the rest of my life with you.”

  Her belly trembled. “Are you talking about an engagement ring?”

  “I’m talking about asking you to marry me and making our mate bond official.” Griffin lovingly claimed her mouth. “If you’ll have me, of course.”

  “I’ll have you,” she whispered and blinked back tears. “I’ll marry you.”

  “Excellent.” He embraced her tightly as they sealed their engagement with soft words and even softer kisses. “Now,” he said quietly, “I’m going to shower and change. Then I’m going to cook us a celebratory breakfast while you sketch a design for the ring.”

  She grinned. “I like that plan.”

  He reluctantly slipped away from her and out of bed. He shot her a teasing look. “Let’s try to cap the diamond size at five carats, okay?”

  Laughing, she fell back against the pillows. Instead of telling him about all the loose jewels she’d inherited from family, she decided to let him squirm at the idea of plunking down that kind of cash on a gaudy diamond. Even though Griffin lived like a pauper in that cramped gym apartment decorated in thrift store finds, Avani knew he’d done very well for himself over his many years of life. Her own successful business provided enough of a cushion that they would enjoy an easy life together.

  She hadn’t heard the shower come on, and she sat up to ask him if something was wrong. A moment later, he appeared in the open doorway of the bathroom with the strangest look on his face. “What is it, Griffin?”

  “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “Tell you what?”

  “That we’re going to have a shotgun wedding,” he said while wearing the goofiest grin.

  “We…what?” Her mouth went dry as his meaning took hold. Her hands fell to her naked belly. “I’m pregnant?”

  He frowned at her. “There’s a test in the bathroom. I thought—”

  “I hadn’t looked at it. I took it before my shower, but I was too afraid to read the result. Then you came home and I forgot all about it.” She gulped nervously. “You’re sure?”

  He ducked into the bathroom and returned with the digital test. “It’s clear as day. I should have recognized that your changing scent was a sign.”

  She took the test from him with shaking hands. The word PREGNANT stared back at her. It seemed too good to be true.

  Griffin knelt next to the bed and dragged her to the edge. He cupped her face and gazed intently into her eyes. “Are we having second thoughts?”

  “No,” she whispered quickly. “I didn’t dare dream we’d be this lucky. I’m just…stunned.”

  “What’s that saying? ‘Luck favors the bold’? Sweetheart, you were bold as brass when you barged into my gym and propositioned me.”

  Anxiety rocked her. She peered into the face she’d come to love so much. “How do you feel about this?”

  “I’m a little scared,” he admitted, “but more excited than anything. Thrilled, really”. “I’ve wanted children for some time now. To have those children with you? I’m the luckiest man on earth, Avani.”

  Overcome with joy, she melted into his reassuring embrace. “I love you, Griffin.”

  “And I love you, Vonny.”

  Safe in Griffin’s loving arms, Avani smiled with the realization that she’d been right from the start. This big, sexy Welsh Red had stumbled into her neatly arranged life and turned the whole thing upside down.

  And she wouldn’t have it any other way.

  About the Author

  When Lolita Lopez is not chasing after her wild preschooler, she likes to write supersexy romances and scorching-hot erotica. Lolita shares her chaotic home in Texas with her Viking throwback husband and one very big and slightly neurotic Great Dane.

  While browsing bookstore shelves as a teenager, Lo discovered the erotic writings of Anaïs Nin and A. N. Roquelaure. Certain her mother would not approve, Lo smuggled the books home and squirreled them away in the most likely of places: under her bed. Late at night, she delved into the sensual worlds both writers created.

  Please see the next page for a preview of

  DEAD SEXY DRAGON

  Chapter One

  Stig Wyvern dried the last of his dishes and placed them in the cabinet. His gaze moved to the bay window across the kitchen. The setting sun splashed the sky with brilliant streaks of orange and fiery pink. His stomach tightened at the sight. With the darkness came the forced change, and tonight it would be beyond his control. For this night and those of the following eight days, he would spend at the complete mercy of his inner beast.

  Already his skin tingled, his nerves set alight with a prickling heat. Even though he’d just ingested a pile of rare steaks for dinner, his stomach growled with emptiness. There wasn’t enough water to slake his thirst. And his libido raged. He wanted nothing more than to find a willing woman to sink into again and again.

  But he couldn’t do that. He mustn’t do that. When in heat, Stig’s scent changed, grew more potent, and made it easier for the Knights to find him. So he would retreat to the cavernous lair beneath his home and lock himself in irons for the duration of the night.

  Stig did a final check of the kitchen and headed upstairs to make sure the house was sealed tight. He’d barely reached the top of the stairs before he heard the frantic knock at his front door. It momentarily stunned him. No one ever knocked on his door. His closest neighbor was five miles away—and he liked it that way.

  He wanted to ignore the pounding, pretend he’d never heard it and go about his business, but he just couldn’t. If someone was there, it had to be serious. Maybe a car wreck on one of the nearby roads or an accident in the woods surrounding his home. Local teenagers had a habit of staging wild parties out there. Underage kids and drinking was a nasty mix.

  As he hurried downstairs Stig couldn’t help but wonder if the person on the other side was safer braving the elements of the night than facing him so close to the sunset. When in heat, his inner beast was difficult to control. The primal drive and desires that would soon overtake him put all humans at risk. He unlatched and unlocked the various deadbolts on the door and quickly drew it open.

  Stig’s gruff greeting died on his lips the second he spied the petite black-haired beauty standing on his doorstep. Her scent, sweet and spicy, wafted up to meet him. His body zinged with recognition. “Cora?”

  “Hey, Stig.” Cora Cardenas greeted him with a sad smil
e. Her puffy and red-rimmed eyes betrayed her. She’d been crying hard. An uneasy feeling twisted Stig’s gut at the sight of the luggage surrounding her. He stuck his head out the door and saw her compact car caked in grime from the long drive. There were more boxes and suitcases visible through the windows.

  Shit. Of all the times for his dead friend’s sister to show up on his doorstep, it had to be tonight, the one night when he feared he wouldn’t be able to withstand his already-brewing attraction to her.

  “Cora, look, this isn’t a good time for me. I—”

  “You promised!” She interrupted with a sob. “When Hector died, you promised I could come to you.”

  Guilt gripped him. “I know and I meant it. It’s just that things are complicated right now.” He nervously eyed the skyline. “There’s a hotel in town. It’s a forty-minute drive. You shouldn’t have a problem getting a room.”

  “Stig,” she said pleadingly.

  Cora’s begging tore at his heart. Stig fought the urge to gather her in his arms and offer the security of his home—and his bed. Only the knowledge that she was forbidden and that his secret world could put her in grave danger stopped him from grabbing and dragging her across his threshold.

  “Cora, you need to go.” His muscles twitched and jaws ached. The change was coming soon. Too soon for his liking. “Cora, please—”

  “The key!” She practically screamed at him as she dug in the front pocket of her jeans. “I still have the key!”

  Stig’s gaze moved to her now upturned palm. The key he’d given her a little more than a year ago rested there. He was haunted by his words. As long as you have the key to my home, you’ll always have a place to stay.

  “Please.” Tears dripped down her cheek. Fear radiated from her shaking frame. She was scared. Of what, he didn’t know but it worried him.

  Stig swallowed hard and stepped aside. “All right.”

  Her shoulders sagged with relief. As she brushed past him, her suitcase wheels bumping over the raised threshold, Stig caught a whiff of her scent again. It curled around him, the sweet-scented tendrils squeezing his chest and filling him with need. His cock stiffened and pressed painfully against his zipper. The urge to stroke her olive skin was overwhelming, but he somehow managed to master it.