Thrilled: Reckless Desires (Dragon Mates Book 2)

by J. K Harper

  From his very first words, Gabi's mouth had been opening even as the blood suddenly seemed to thump in her head and race throughout her body. Everything in her tingled as the dark, liquid tones of his incredibly deep voice caressed her every nerve ending.

  When Kai Long turned around to look at her, that panty-melting, slightly cocky smile on his gorgeous face as he beckoned her toward him, Gabi snapped out the first thing that popped into her mind. Even though just the sight of him was nearly enough to weaken her knees and slick with wet heat that suddenly tingling place between her legs. Even though his tall, dark, and insanely sexy self was not at all what she'd expected to see this morning.

  "You? You're the one who just cost me a day in the ocean?” Fire shot out from her voice. “If this is your idea of foreplay, buddy, you have a few things to learn about women."

  She slapped her hands on her hips and glared at him for all she was worth. But the smile on his face just grew wider. Tamping down the ridiculous excitement rising in her chest from the simple reality that she was in his presence again, she lifted her eyebrows at him. In the most imperious tones she could manage, she said, "Well? I'm waiting to find out who you think you are that you can boss me around this way."

  Chapter Eight

  Kai had to sharply rein himself in, as well as his suddenly roused dragon, as Gabi stood there like the sexiest, most ravishing little spitfire he had ever seen in his life. Her tone and expression told him that she might prefer his head on a platter right now. Yet the slight increase in her heartbeat, which his dragon senses easily picked up from across the room, as well as the enticing sharp rise in her pheromones, told him she was very intrigued.

  Good. It would help him keep the upper hand.

  His dragon rumbled inside of him, seeming irate at that high-handed attitude. Kai managed to keep a smile on his face even as he internally frowned. He didn't know what was going on there, but he didn't like it. Not one bit.

  Still unmoving, he gently tipped his head and beckoned her toward him again. "Please, Gabi, come here. I'd like to show you something." Confident in her response, he waited.

  She crossed her arms over her ample chest and narrowed those flashing eyes at him. Fighting back his body's reaction to how her sweet curves filled out the fitted pants and sensible blouse she wore, Kai waited. In his experience, the longer he held out, the more pliable women were they finally gave up and came to him.

  Gabi, though, seemed determined to keep surprising him. "Oh," she said, underscoring her words with another snappy little head shake. "I don't think so. First of all, I'm supposed to be meeting with the the Institute's chairman of the board. What you're doing here, I have no id—"

  Kai held up a finger and slowly wagged it at her. She stared at him as he said in a deliberately low, sensual tone, “Gabriela.” By the way she slightly flushed at the way he said her name, he knew it was working.

  He certainly didn't have to let her know that something about her luscious presence was working on him, as well.

  "I am the chairman.” He stayed planted where he was, looking at her with a grin still on his mouth. “And yes, I know all about your team's exploration. I looked up the environmental compliance forms that your team filled out. Everything appears to be in order. However.” He paused, giving the silence a heavy weight. “I do have some questions."

  Gabi swallowed, sudden nervousness visibly stealing over her. Aha. She was worried that he knew the true nature of their expedition. He had to admit he certainly had not known. The University was always doing some sort of research trip or other, often submitting environmental compliance forms to the Marine Institute as they trawled the waters off Catalina. Yet while Kai loved the Institute, he was its board chairman, not the day-to-day director. Someone else went over all compliance forms submitted by research groups to make sure they were in order.

  After he'd seen the Ancients Quest team vessel in the water above the Santa Maria, however, he'd gone to the Institute and checked all their forms, which had been filed months ago. Everything appeared to be in order—excepting the fact that they most definitely had not put down the coordinates of the shipwreck's general area on the application form. That was one thing Kai had done to ensure that no searchers ever got close enough to the actual wreck, just in case the masking spells on it failed to keep it from detection, which was always a possibility when a cloaked item was specifically sought. If those coordinates ever appeared on a permit application, it would be triggered in the Institute's internal system, alerting him immediately via text.

  No such trigger had been alarmed in recent years. Definitely not from this crew's form.

  Apparently, the team was a lot sneakier than he'd ever suspected. Looking at Gabriela's growing flush as she sucked the corner of her sweet bottom lip into her mouth, even though the fiery expression on her face never wavered, he started to get the distinct impression that she might have been the one behind the actual nature of the quest.

  She had taken a specific interest in it from the start.

  Several long beats passed as they stared at each other. Kai knew he wasn't imagining the tension in the room. Yet despite the suspicious direction of his thoughts, it was the good kind of attention. The sort that reassured him that a woman was definitely interested in him. The kind of attention, he noted a little sharply, that meant he had to watch his step. He definitely still intended to feast upon Gabrielle's every luscious inch. But he also desperately needed to find out as soon as possible how she'd gotten to the gold.

  The gold of his hoard. Some of which he knew without a doubt that she had with her at this very moment. It called to him, faint but clear. This woman held some of his gold right now. He ached to reach for her and find it, hold it in his own hands.

  He ached to hold her.

  Kai swore inside, keeping his features calm. Damn. His dragon was more alert, more unsettled than had happened in years. It was disturbing on many levels. Forcefully, Kai refocused on the situation. Get the girl, get the gold, get the answers. It should be simple.

  After another long beat of mutual assessment, during which Gabi seem to come to some sort of internal decision, she finally just shrugged. "Fine," she said, walking across the floor toward him. "I'll bite. What is it you want to show me, Kai? Or is this just some sort of excuse to see me again?"

  This time, Kai let his chuckle escape him. She was funny, and thought quickly on her feet. It made her even more intriguing. His dragon rumbled in appreciation, making Kai tighten his jaw for a moment. Taking another silent inhale, he looked at Gabi. "No, definitely not. I don't need an excuse to see you again." The register of his voice dropped even lower, allowing the deep, aching thrill he'd felt the second she'd stepped into the room to wash through his voice.

  She had stopped again, several feet from him. They stared at each other, the mood stretching into a languorous hush. He sensed the whisper of her purely female attention running beneath her professional veneer. Yet she didn't say anything. She merely waited for him to continue.

  After a long moment, during which his attraction to her buzzed through him, Kai went on. "I wanted to talk to you about the environmental compliance, Gabi, because I know how much historical research means to you. I looked you up last night," he added. He was rewarded by her sudden inhale, which caused her breasts to swell beneath her shirt. More fire spiked in her eyes again. He liked that. "Gabriela Santos,” he went on, as if reciting from a stats sheet. “You graduated with your masters degree, with honors, two years ago, joining the Ancients Quest team during your first year of grad school. This is your fifth season with them. You pay attention to detail, protocol. But perhaps most importantly, you have,” here he paused and slowly drew out the word, “passion."

  He paused for another long moment, examining her with genuine curiosity. She fidgeted just a bit under his gaze, although he sensed her pulse beating even more strongly. Then he zoomed in, searching for a breach in her guards. Testing her.

  Testing, if he was b
eing honest, himself and his own trust levels. "However, you don't have true passion for what your team's application said you're looking for, Gabi.”

  She looked back at him, wariness suddenly visible on her strong, beautiful face.

  Steeling his resolve, he went on in a more stern tone. “What you specifically have passion for is the ancient shipwrecks that had to do with the old trade lines operating throughout the known world many centuries ago. You don't want to find out about the simple history of the ancient indigenous cultures that lived here. What interests you," he took a step closer to her, suddenly letting his voice drop into the danger zone, "is gold. Your resume may say you're an underwater archaeologist, Gabi. But tell me the truth. In reality, you're a treasure hunter, aren't you?"

  ~~~

  Gabi felt about fifteen different emotions roil around inside as Kai's words slivered their way through her. From the tone of his voice, he didn't have a very high estimation of treasure hunters.

  Then again, neither did she. The sick, slightly shameful feeling lurched in her stomach again. Forcing it down, she forced herself to tip her chin up and look at him with all the bravado she could muster. "Excuse me? Last night I was adventuresome, enjoyed life, and you wanted to see more of me. Then today you accuse me of being a common thief? I don't like where this conversation is going."

  She expected him to contest her words. Instead, he burst out laughing. His face instantly changed from grim and somewhat haunted to open. Vibrant, even. Caught by the change, she stared at him. He turned and stepped back toward the windows.

  "I was just checking," he said in a casual tone. "We had problems before with teams not telling us the truth." He looked back over at her, beckoning her forward again. "I'm pretty good at reading people. You don't seem like the type to keep secrets, Gabi."

  He turned his head away from her again as he said those words, looking back out the windows, so he didn't catch her flush of embarrassment. Giving herself an internal shake, she stepped up to the window beside him.

  "No, I get it," she said, also gazing out toward the ocean. "I believe in preservation and conservation. I really do.” Her voice was soft with her own conviction. “I don't believe in individuals hanging on to the literal treasures of the past for themselves. History should be on display for everyone to know about."

  She truly did believe that. It was the only reason she had made her deal with UTEI. Knowing that they would put the treasure on public display, and be able to do so with far more panache than the University, was what kept her going in spite of all her trepidations about the whole thing. But she wasn't about to tell Kai about that. Not yet, at least.

  She looked at him and lightly touched him on his forearm, knowing there would be a spark. There was one, racing up her arm as she felt his muscles lightly tense beneath her fingers. Pulling her hand away before she did something really stupid, like run it over his amazing pecs, she added, "Sometimes, people make decisions out of desperation. I can see how you might be suspicious. You're right. I definitely have an interest in old shipwrecks with holds full of treasure. Hey,” she added with a hint of laughter, “I loved the Pirates of the Caribbean ride at Disneyland when I was a kid."

  He snorted softly at that, still looking at the view of the beckoning, endless ocean. She was intensely aware of his spicy masculine scent only inches away from her, his broad chest encased in the casual black button-down top she found herself wishing she could unbutton right then and there. She hurried on so she could keep a grip on herself. "When I went to school and started finding out the truth, about the antiquities black market, and how much of the world's history has been lost or deliberately destroyed, it just slayed me."

  She paused. Taking a deep breath, she shared one of those small things that made her vulnerable. The sort of thing she didn't usually tell people. But that strange sensation she had in his presence, the knowledge that simply being around him made her feel so comfortable, told her she could tell him anything.

  Well. Almost anything. This bit of her family history, though, she could share.

  "Look,” she slowly went on. “I get it, I really do. Branches of my own family were wiped out, their history erased, a long time ago.”

  Kai turned to look at her, empathy flashing across his smooth, gorgeous features. She shrugged. “Part of my own legacy. There wasn't very much there for me to study. Besides, it was kind of too painful. My family hangs onto stuff like that. So I studied the big, glamorous things instead. Most people can't help but be fascinated by treasure.” She tried for a lighter note. “All that sparkles, right?"

  As if to himself, Kai nodded. "Indeed," he murmured.

  Another beat held them before he gestured at the ocean. "Look out there, Gabi. What you see?"

  Puzzled, she looked out at the seemingly endless flat expanse of water. "The ocean?" she ventured cautiously, wondering if it was a trick question.

  He nodded. "Exactly. The big, beautiful, mysterious ocean. She holds a lot of secrets, as you know."

  “Mm-hmm.” Gabi studied him out of the corner of her eye as he spoke. He seemed so intent all of a sudden. As if he were about to share the key to life with her.

  “Secrets,” Kai said more slowly, turning his head to look at her, “that sometimes get found.”

  Gabi looked up at Kai as he said that. His rich dark gaze held hers with more seriousness. Those fascinating green sparkles in the depths of his eyes held her in rapt attention. The firm line of his lips was testament to his suddenly grave mood.

  Those lips were also so damned kissable, only a few inches from her own mouth, that Gabi had to stop herself from moving toward him. She bit the inside of her cheek instead, forcing herself to breathe normally. But Kai seemed aware of the same tension between them. His mouth slowly softened even as the funny lights in his eyes brightened. Their gazes locked as silence draped them with an enthralled current that seemed to leap from him to her.

  Everything inside Gabi felt loose, pliant. Desirous liquidity rolled through her, making her limbs feel deliciously heavy. The tiny hairs on her arms, the back of her neck, tickled with awareness as they stood up with the ripple of sweet goosebumps.

  She sensed it coming.

  Slowly, Kai leaned toward her. As if she were magnetized to him, she tilted her own head up, angling it toward him. He kept his eyes open as their lips met in a long kiss. The tremendous intimacy of that made Gabi's knees shake even as she trembled all over from the sensation of his mouth on hers. First light, then more confident, Kai's lips played over hers as his hands gently stroked her shoulders and arms.

  Gabi couldn't hold in a little moan. Sweet, deep desire washed over her, rolling through her in waves of anticipation. She put her hands on his chest, allowing herself to feel the muscles that rippled beneath her fingers. She pressed herself against him as their mouths tasted and touched with increasing urgency. A hardness pressed against her thigh, further shortening her breath as that wild buzz of attraction shivered around them both.

  “You taste better than anything I've ever tasted before.” His low, urgent voice tickled against her lips as one of his hands stole around her waist, stroking and pulling her even closer.

  She huffed out a shaky whisper of a laugh. It felt as if her head was about to whirl off her shoulders. She was still fully aware of the fact that she stood in the man's boardroom—casual and pleasant a boardroom though it was, it was still a place of business, for crying out loud—at about seven in the morning. That she'd been imperiously summoned and yanked from her planned day under the waves, exploring the find of a lifetime. That being around Kai, a stranger to her, felt so normal and comfortable she'd literally wondered if she actually had known him from childhood or something.

  All those things mattered yet didn't matter. Not when he was kissing her breathless and senseless, churning the storm of passion between them to what had to be, she thought in a daze, at least hurricane force levels. Her body wasn't lying to her. She wanted him, he wanted her, and the g
ravitational pull they had toward one another was undeniable. There was a raw, real need there that transcended the merely physical sparks dancing between them.

  This was crazy. It was mind-blowing. It was fun. It was damned sexy, most of all.

  Gabi let herself be pulled back into Kai's embrace as his lips and tongue again tangled with hers. Wetness slicked between her legs. Her nipples felt like super-sensitive, hard little pebbles against him. His hands pressed against her ass, drawing another moan out of her that he swallowed with his increasingly ardent kiss. Gabi felt like everything was swirling around her, through her. Feeling Kai touch her, kiss her, shoved away everything else in the world.

  She willingly let it.

  But after a long, head-spinning time of being solely in the moment while she was pressed against every delectable inch of the incredible man, Kai ended the kiss and gently stepped back. He was breathing faster, and his eyes were so dark, except those funny bright specks of green light in them. His face looked wild, close to feral. Confusion flickered across it as well. She sensed that pulling away from her wasn't easy. Yet he had. He took a long breath, holding eye contact. Then he shook his head a bit, as if shaking off a thought.

  “So, Gabriela.” His voice was so deep it reverberated through her body. “Although that was an unexpected pleasure, I did call you in here on business. We need to go over that.”

  He turned away from her, walking over to the large desk by the window. Rustling through some papers on it, he plucked out a few and held them up toward her. “Let's go over the forms your team filled out. Step by step.”

  When he looked back over at her, his face was more controlled. She stared back at him for a long moment, still breathing heavily herself.

  Okay. Play time would have to come later. Which really was fine, since passionately kissing him this early in the morning while in a public building was a little crazy, even for Gabi Santos, daredevil extraordinaire.