Forbidden Dragon (The Bride Hunt Book 5)

by Charlene Hartnady

Thankfully he understood what she wanted … what she needed. He looked down at where their bodies were joined. He made a growling noise as he pulled out and plunged back into her. Not too hard but enough to have her crying out.

  Pure ecstasy graced his features. He tipped his head back and closed his eyes, his throat worked and he made a rumble of pleasure. Then his eyes were back on her. “My mate. My everything.” He pulled back out and pushed back in, keeping it slow and easy.

  After a time, he realized she was fine. That they were fine. That the little cries she was making were from pure bliss … because he stepped it up a notch. Until his balls slapped against her. His fingers dug into her. Her breasts jerked back and forth with each thrust. Next time she needed to remember a pillow to support them as well. Her body tightened. His grunts became more pronounced.

  “Fuck!” He leaned forward, caging her with his body. “Can’t hold …” He strummed her clit.

  If her back had been able to arch, it would have done so then. She cried out as her channel clenched tight. As everything in her pulled tight.

  Granite roared. He jerked against her. Then he pinned her down. Enough to keep her immobile but not enough to hurt her. He bit her on that soft spot at the base of her throat. A second much harder orgasm ripped through her. Louise screamed, she buried her face into the comforter. Granite jerked again, he grunted as he released his hold on her.

  Then he froze, mid-thrust. “Are you okay? Did I hurt you?”

  “I’m good,” her voice was shaky. She had a goofy smile on her face. “That was amazing.”

  “I didn’t hurt you.” It was more of a statement than a question. “I didn’t hurt you,” he repeated sounding shocked.

  She shook her head, as much as she could in her current position. “I’m stronger. Sex is natural, even for a pregnant woman. We’ll just have to get creative with how we go about doing it.”

  Granite kissed her neck. “I love you.” He pulled back so that she could stretch out.

  “I love you too.”

  “Stay right there, I’ll bring a towel.”

  She nodded and stifled a yawn.

  “No sleeping just yet, you still need to eat,” he wagged a finger at her. Granite got up off the bed. She noticed how hard he still was.

  “Then …”

  He looked back over his shoulder.

  She smiled. “We can have round number two,” Louise said, as she bobbed her eyebrows at him.

  Granite shook his head. “Nope!”

  “What do you mean, no?”

  “We’ll eat a couple of steaks.” He was definitely getting to know her. “And then I’ll have dessert between your thighs.”

  Her clit did that throb thing again.

  Granite chuckled. “I might even skip straight to dessert.” She watched his sexy ass clench as he walked.

  Louise lay back against the pillows and smiled. “Sounds like a good plan.” She had a feeling he would have plenty of those.

  Chapter 33

  Three months later …

  All four babies lay on the blanket in the middle of the living room. Louise picked up her herbal tea and watched Breeze do the same. The other woman blew on the steaming brew. “So,” Breeze smiled. “When do you plan to go back to work?”

  Louise shook her head. “I’m in no rush. A couple of months, a year and then probably only part-time. They employed Monique, she’s doing a great job. I don’t want to miss out.” She looked down at the two little ones staring up at their colorful mobiles. They both had dark hair like their daddy and green eyes like her. A bit of both of them.

  It was hard work. Most days she felt like a milk factory, her boobs leaked whenever they felt like it, which was all the time. It also felt like all she did was change diapers. That and their clothing. If they didn’t spit up on themselves, they made humungous poops that leaked out from all sides. It was an ongoing, seemingly never-ending workload … and she loved every minute of it.

  Smelling their baby scent. Feeling their soft skin. Those toothless grins were enough to make her broody all over again. Well, not really … not yet anyhow. Granite helped out a lot and it was nice having a friend like Breeze, who was going through the same. They spent loads of time together. She emailed back and forth with Hillary and Debbie who were thrilled that she and Granite were together.

  “Mmmm …” Breeze made a humming noise that brought her back from her thoughts. “I think that staying home for a good while is wise. They grow up far too quickly. Just look at Gem and Crystal.”

  Louise turned to look at the baby girls. Crystal was gurgling and chatting away to herself. They were both chewing on toys. Gem was drooling. They were huge compared to her own boys. It was amazing what a couple of months’ difference could make. “Is she cutting another tooth?” Louise twisted her stud earring as she spoke. She’d since discovered that they were real diamonds and not cubics like she’d thought.

  Breeze nodded. “Yup! She’ll soon have two.”

  Gem dropped her toy, tried to find it and ended up rolling onto her tummy.

  “Oh wow! That’s great,” Louise smiled as she watched the little girl pull herself up onto her elbows.

  “She’s been doing that for a couple of days already. Mummy’s big girl,” Breeze spoke in baby talk, directing her words to the little one on the floor. “It won’t be long and you’ll be crawling. Then it’s watch out world.”

  Gem cooed and smiled. Lines from the markings on her chest peeked up above her vest. Golden. Just like every other royal dragon. Earth dragons might have black etching, Water dragons green and Air dragons blue but they all had gold in common.

  Louise felt a pang. Her boys’ also had markings but they weren’t golden or silver. There were no specific etchings either. Her boy’s markings were just an outline. They had no filling. It was baffling. Granite tried to hide it when the babies were born but she had seen the worry for a moment before he schooled his emotions. Another thing she had noticed was that he hadn’t look shocked. It was like he had been expecting them to have the colorless markings.

  Granite had since confessed that Blaze had told him about it sooner. Both the Fire king and Fire princes’ sons had the same colorless outline. It seemed that this was normal for royal young born to human women. Although, so far, no other royal young had been born. The Water king’s mate had conceived a human child but with some dragon DNA. The little girl wasn’t marked at all.

  The Air king and his bride were trying to conceive but hadn’t had any luck. His mate, Tammy, had emailed her asking for help. They’d apparently been trying for a couple of months now. Louise had given her some basic advice, like only having sex every second day leading up to and during ovulation and had advised that Tammy go on a good multi-vitamin. The general rule of thumb was that a couple try for a year before seeking fertility treatments. Louise would definitely go and meet with them if they didn’t conceive naturally in the next couple of months. She wasn’t a fertility specialist but she could help out.

  Gem’s grin grew wider as her gaze landed on the toy she had dropped earlier. The little girl gave a squeal. Then she turned her head slightly and frowned.

  The baby girl was looking at one of Louise’s sons, Declan, named after her grandfather. Granite hadn’t been too thrilled at first because it wasn’t a name suitable for an Earth dragon but hey, Declan was half human, they had brought human women into their world, so as far as she was concerned, some of the regular traditions would need to change. Declan’s identical twin was called Quake after Granite’s grandfather. It was a strong name that suited him perfectly. Declan was her softer, more sensitive son. He cried more easily and liked to self-soothe with a pacifier.

  It looked like Gem spotted Declan’s pacifier because she reached out and grabbed it. She then proceeded to try and get it into her own mouth.

  “Gem!” Breeze said using a stern tone. “No!” The little girl ignored her mom.

  Declan clenched his tiny fists and gave a yell. He scrunche
d his eyes shut and wailed. His tiny face turned red and smoke wafted from his nostrils. Both she and Breeze were rooted to the spot. When Declan wailed a second time, a couple of orange flames shot from his mouth. Only about a foot but they were there.

  “By Claw!” Breeze yelled, grabbing her chest. “Did you see that?” Her eyes were wide.

  Louise nodded. She was too stunned to talk.

  Declan was pulling in a deep breath. He was preparing to give another loud yell.

  “You’d better get him before he burns the chamber down.”

  A thousand questions raced through Louise’s head as she picked up her baby and cradled him to her chest. She made soothing noises. Declan instantly calmed. “What does it mean? He shouldn’t be able to breathe fire,” she shook her head, looking down at her son. He was still so tiny.

  “I … I don’t know.” Breeze was also staring down at him, a look of awe on her face. “Only Fire dragons can breathe fire.”

  “Not anymore,” Louise whispered. Her little boy smiled at her, all gums and drool.

  There will be another Bride Hunt book coming out in October, so look out for it!

  Next up is A Mate for Titan (Book 7 in The Program series). This book is available for pre-order now.

  If you haven’t read my Program series, you can start here with Book 1.

  If you enjoyed my dragon shifter novels, you are sure to enjoy my vampire books as well.

  Have you ever wanted to date a vampire?

  Human women required.

  Must be enthusiastic about interactions with vampires. Must be willing to undergo a stringent medical exam. Must be prepared to sign a contractual agreement which would include a nondisclosure clause. Limited positions available…

  Start with Book 1 A Mate for York

  About the Author

  I had a blast writing this story.

  I’ve had a ton of people contact me asking for the next Program book and that’s what’s coming out next. A Mate for Titan is available for pre-order now.

  If you want to be kept updated on new releases please sign up to my Latest Release Newsletter to ensure that you don’t miss out http://mad.ly/signups/96708/join. I promise not to spam you or divulge your email address to a third party. I send my mailing list an exclusive sneak peek prior to release. All new sign-ups will receive a free novella - One Night with a Shifter.

  I live on an acre in the country with my gorgeous husband and three sons and an array of pets. You can usually find me on the computer, completely lost in worlds of my making. I believe that it is the small things that truly matter like that feeling you get when you start a new book or a particularly beautiful sunset.

  Like it?

  Please take the time to post a review so that others can find the book - Forbidden Dragon

  I would love to hear from you so please feel free to look me up:

  authorhartnady

  www.charlenehartnady.com

  charlene.hartnady@gmail.com

  Also by Charlene Hartnady

  The Chosen Series:

  1# Chosen by the Vampire Kings

  2# Stolen by the Alpha Wolf

  3# Unlikely Mates

  4# Awakened by the Vampire Prince

  5#Mated to the Vampire Kings (Short Novel)

  6#Wolf Whisperer (Novella)

  The Program Series (Vampire Novels):

  Book 1: A Mate for York

  Book 2: A Mate for Gideon

  Book 3: A Mate for Lazarus

  Book 4: A Mate for Griffin

  Book 5: A Mate for Lance

  Book 6: A Mate for Kai

  The Bride Hunt Series (Dragon Shifter Novels):

  Book 1: Royal Dragon

  Book 2: Water Dragon

  Book 3: Dragon King

  Book 4: Lightning Dragon

  Demon Chaser Series: (No cliffhangers)

  Book 1 Omega

  Book 2 Alpha

  Book 3 Hybrid

  Book 4 Skin

  Demon Chaser Boxed Set Book 1-3

  Excerpt

  The Program Series: Book 1

  A Mate for York

  Chapter 1

  Cassidy’s hands were clammy and shaking. She had just retyped the same thing three times. At this rate, she would have to work even later than normal to get everything completed. She sighed heavily.

  Pull yourself together.

  With shaking hands, she grabbed her purse from the floor next to her and pulled out the folded up newspaper article.

  Have you ever wanted to date a vampire?

  Human women required. Must be enthusiastic about interactions with vampires. Must be willing to undergo a stringent medical exam. Must be prepared to sign a contractual agreement, which would include a non-disclosure clause. This will be a temporary position. Limited spaces available within the program. Successful candidates can earn up to $45,000 per day over a three day period.

  All she needed was three days leave.

  Cassidy wasn’t sure whether her hands were shaking because she had to ask for the leave and her boss was a total douchebag or because the thought of vampires drinking her blood wasn’t exactly a welcome one.

  More than likely, it was a combination of both.

  This was a major opportunity for her though. She had already been accepted into the trial phase of the program the vampires were running. What was three days in her life? So there was a little risk involved. Okay, a lot of risk, but it would all be worth it in the end. She was drowning in debt and stuck in a dead-end job in this godforsaken town. This was her chance, her golden opportunity, and she planned on seizing it with both hands.

  To remind herself what she was working toward, or at least running away from, she let her eyes roam around her cluttered desk. There were several piles of documents needing to be filed, and a stack of orders lay next to her cranky old laptop. Hopefully it wouldn’t freeze on her this time while she was uploading them into the system.

  There used to be two of them performing her job, but it had been months since Sarah had left, and she was never replaced, so it was just Cassidy. She found herself coming to work way earlier and staying later just to get the job done.

  To add insult to injury, there were many days when her a-hole boss still had the audacity to come down on her for not meeting a deadline. He refused to listen to reason and would not accept being understaffed as an excuse. She’d never been one to shy away from hard work, but the expectations were ridiculous. Her only saving grace was that she didn’t have much of a life.

  There had to be something more out there for her, and a hundred and thirty-five thousand big ones would not only pay off her debts but would also give her enough cash to go out and find one—a life that is, and a damned good life it would be.

  Cassidy took a deep breath and squared her shoulders. If she asked really nicely, hopefully Mark would give her a couple of days off. She couldn’t remember the last time she had taken leave. Then it dawned on her; she’d taken three days after Sean had died a year ago. Her boss couldn’t say no though. If he did, she wasn’t beyond begging.

  Rising to her feet, she made for the closed door at the other end of her office. After knocking twice, she entered.

  The lazy-ass was spread out on the corner sofa with his hands crossed behind his head. He didn’t look in the least bit embarrassed about her finding him like that either.

  “Cassidy.” He put on a big, cheesy smile as he rose to a sitting position. The button on his jacket pulled tight around his paunchy midsection. He didn’t move much and ate big greasy lunches, so it wasn’t surprising. “Come on in. Take a seat.” He gestured to a spot next to him on the sofa.

  That would be the day. Her boss could get a bit touchy-feely. Thankfully, it had never gone beyond a pat on the butt, a hand on her shoulder, or just a general invasion of her personal space. It put her on edge, though, because it was becoming worse as of late. The sexual innuendos were also becoming highly irritating. She pretended they went over her head, but he w
as becoming more forward as time went by.

  By the way his eyes moved down her body, she could tell he was most definitely mentally undressing her. Oh God. That meant he was in one of his grabby moods. Damn. She preferred it when he was acting like a total jerk; that was easier to deal with.

  “No, that’s fine. Thank you.” She worked hard to plaster a smile on her face. “I don’t want to take up much of your time, and I have to get back to work myself.”

  His eyes narrowed for a second before dropping to her breasts. “You could do with a little break every now and then… So could I, for that matter.” Even though she knew he couldn’t see anything of her curves because of her baggy jacket, his eyes stayed glued to her boobs anyway. Why did she get the distinct impression he was no longer talking about work? Argh!

  “How long has your husband been gone now?” he asked, his gaze still locked on her chest. The impulse to fold her arms across her chest gripped her, but she resisted the temptation.

  None of your damned business.

  “It’s been a year now since Sean passed.” She tried hard to look sad and in mourning. When the truth was, if the bastard wasn’t already dead, she would’ve killed him herself. Turned out there were things about Sean she hadn’t known. In fact, it was safe to say she’d been living with and married to a total stranger. Funny how those things tended to come out when a person died.

  Her boss didn’t need to know this information though. So far, playing the mourning wife was the only thing that kept him from pursuing her further.

  “What can I do for you?” His eyes slid down to the juncture at her thighs, and again she had to fight the urge to squeeze them tightly together. Even though it was damn near scorching temperatures outside, she still wore stockings, a calf-length skirt, a button-up blouse, and a jacket. Nothing was revealing, and yet he still looked at her like she was standing there naked. It made her skin crawl. “I would be happy to oblige you. Just say the word, baby.”