Frowning at her inability to express herself well, Penelope crossed her arms over her chest and stared at the house.
Dragons were loyal and fiercely protective of their loved ones. Mrs. Thurman was no different. She didn’t care that Miles was human or only her stepgrandson.
No, what she would care about was the fact that Penny had messed up miserably and had some serious ass-kissing to do.
Finally, Penelope noticed some of the neighbors staring at her and whispering amongst themselves. Waving politely, she forced a smile and convinced her feet to move toward the door.
She raised her hand and knocked, but didn’t have time to practice her speech again. Mrs. Thurman opened the door almost immediately and gave her a mischievous grin.
“Well, well, well, if it isn’t Penelope Alchemy,” Mrs. Thurman said. “I was wondering when you’d finally get the guts to come knock.”
“You knew I was outside?”
“It’s been twenty minutes, dear. I’ve had phone calls from every dragon on the street warning me about a murderous looking young woman standing outside the house.”
“What?”
“Come on in, the tea is getting cold.”
**
Penelope sat on Mrs. Thurman’s couch and looked around the cozy living room. A portrait of a dragon mid-shift hung on the wall.
“One of Olivia’s,” Mrs. Thurman commented when she noticed Penelope looking at it. “It’s of my first husband.”
Penelope had been in Mrs. Thurman’s house many times, but hadn’t noticed the painting before.
“It’s beautiful,” she said.
“I put it away for many years, but recently pulled it out. There’s going to be an auction sometime with some of her work. Did you know that, dear?”
“No, I had no idea. What does Kade think of that?”
“It was his idea. He has so many of her paintings that he can’t possibly hang them all. He wants to share the love, I think. Goodness knows that dragon doesn’t need any more money.”
It was true. Penelope wasn’t exactly sure what business Kade was in, but he was insanely wealthy: much more wealthy than Penelope could ever imagine. That was how he and Lindsey had met in the first place: he’d offered to pay her to be his sex slave.
Surprise, surprise, they’d fallen in love.
Looked like everyone was getting their happy ending. Maybe there was hope for Penelope, after all.
“Now, tell me what’s troubling you, darling.”
Penelope sipped her tea.
“I was actually looking for Miles,” she said. “Is he around?”
“Miles? Why would he be here?”
She sighed. Another dead end. Of course it was. Why should anything be easy for Penelope? If he was around, she would be able to ask him to try to make things work with her.
“I thought maybe he was here. I know he’s in town, but I don’t know where he’s staying. We’ve been spending some time together.”
“I see,” said Mrs. Thurman, but she didn’t say anything else. Instead, the old woman sipped her tea, then set the cup down. “Did I ever tell you how I met Charles?”
“Miles’ grandpa?”
She nodded with a far-off smile in her eyes.
“No, ma’am,” Penelope smiled. “You never told me how the human weaseled his way into your heart.”
At that, Mrs. Thurman chuckled. Human-dragon relationships weren’t unheard of, but dragon-dragon relationships were still standard for the island. After all, being a dragon was complicated. Not everyone wanted to deal with something complicated.
Some people wanted something happy, something simple, something they didn’t have to worry too much about.
Not everyone wanted something challenging.
“Oh, he was something else. Met him playing poker in Nellenston. The old man thought he could beat me,” her eyes twinkled. “He was wrong.”
“Mrs. Thurman,” Penelope asked innocently. “What were the stakes?”
“Clothes, of course, child. What else?” She chuckled. “He was naked as a jaybird by the end of that game and I knew I had to have him.”
Penelope couldn’t help but chuckle at that.
“Oh, I bet you did.” Suddenly, she wanted something stronger than tea. She took a deep breath then, and decided to just come out with it. What did she have to lose, after all? “I messed things up with Miles.”
“Not the first time.”
“I want to win him back.”
“I’m not surprised. He’s a good man.” Mrs. Thurman sipped her tea and eyed Penelope. She was a woman of few words when it came to her grandson, but Penelope wasn’t surprised to hear kindness in what she had to say. She’d never met anyone who didn’t like Miles.
“Do you know where I can find him?” She asked, hoping she hadn’t completely blown her chances. If she could just find him, she could apologize for being such a bitch.
“He’s up at the house, of course.”
“The house?”
“Why, yes. He bought a house, right here on Dragon Isle. Didn’t he tell you? Said he wanted to catch himself a dragon. Can’t imagine who he might have been talking about.”
14
Miles stared at the piles of torn, moldy carpet in his yard. It was going to take forever to get it hauled away. Buying a house had been a great idea, but renovating one?
Not so great.
Ever since Penelope ran off, he’d been distracting himself with chores. Okay, so maybe he hadn’t done a very good job distracting himself.
And maybe he’d gone a bit overboard with the remodeling.
The two-story house in the heart of town was supposed to be a place he could live for a long, long time. He hadn’t been in the Army that long, but he had moved around enough for a lifetime.
Now all he wanted to do was settle down, win his girl, and raise a family.
He didn’t want to keep moving around, chasing after girls, thrills, or money.
There was one dragon he wanted and he knew he had to catch her, to win her heart, to prove he was worthy of her love.
Miles wasn’t entirely sure why Penelope had run away that morning. He knew she’d come around when she calmed down, which was why he didn’t worry about leaving a note and telling her where her purse was. He couldn’t believe she’d gotten so pissed that she’d left her phone, her keys, her belongings, and just taken off. He knew Dragon Isle was a safe place, but he couldn’t shake the idea that leaving her wallet in a basket outside of her office was a horrible idea.
Once Penelope realized her stuff was gone, she’d come looking for it. Penelope was smart. She’d know immediately that Miles was the one who had taken everything. He hadn’t told her where he was staying, but Penny was the head computer girl on the island. She had plenty of resources at her fingertips to help her locate someone she wanted to find, though he had a feeling she’d go for the old standby: his meddling grandmother.
Miles headed back inside to finish yanking out the carpet in the living room. When he was finished tearing out the carpets, he’d paint the walls, then redo the floors. He had the entire house planned out. The kitchen had already been remodeled, so he’d leave that well enough alone, but he wanted to paint the rest of the house lavender because it was Penny’s favorite color.
And maybe he was a sucker, but he wanted her to love his house.
Even if she didn’t want to live with him yet, even if she didn’t want to mate him, he’d make it a home for her.
He was lost in thought and almost didn’t hear the wings flapping outside the house. When he finally noticed, they had slowed. Miles scurried outside just the same, too eager to play Alpha and pretend to be angry.
It was her.
Penny had come.
She stood in the yard, his beautiful dragon. Penelope was large and strong.
And purple.
Who ever heard of a purple dragon?
During Miles’ summer on the island, he’d learned a lot about the shi
fters. They weren’t so different from humans in the end. They had the same dreams and hopes, but their worlds were a bit more complicated when it came to shifting.
“The first time I saw you shift, I thought I would faint,” he said, walking toward her. Penelope didn’t move. She simply stood there in his yard, looking between Miles and the house and back again. “You looked so beautiful and strong. You went from being this tiny little creature to this majestic beauty. You just take my breath away.”
Miles reached out and stroked her. Penelope huffed out a little bit of fire, a tiny billow of smoke following it. She didn’t do it often, not unless she was nervous, if he recalled correctly. Unlike some dragons, she didn’t breathe on people to intimidate them.
She did it subconsciously, like a nervous tic.
“I’m glad you found me,” he said to her. His hand didn’t stop moving. He’d keep it there forever if she’d let him. She wouldn’t, but it was something he’d be willing to do.
Penelope made him crazy in a good way. Happy.
And then she shifted, quickly, back to being the sweet girl she’d always been. She was on all fours, naked in the middle of his yard, and she stood quickly, but didn’t cover herself.
“I misunderstood you and overreacted,” she said simply. “I came to apologize.”
Well, there was something he didn’t expect to hear. He knew she’d come ‘round, all right. She’d want her things, after all, and maybe he’d taken them as a bit of motivation, if he was honest, but an apology?
That wasn’t like her at all.
“I forgive you.”
She looked relieved.
“But we need to talk.”
Fear, disappointment, and nervousness filled her eyes. With a sigh, Miles took her hand gently and tugged, pulling her into the house.
“Woah,” Penelope said when they crossed the threshold. “This place is amazing, Miles.”
“I was hoping you’d think so.”
“What made you decide to buy your own house on the island?”
“You live here.”
“Oh.”
“Oh indeed.” He stepped close, invading her space, and cupped her chin. “Tell me why you ran.”
“Miles…” She tried to turn away, but he held her tight.
“Tell me, little dragon.”
“I’m not little,” she protested.
“Yes,” he murmured, kissing her neck. “You’re little and perfect.”
“I thought you were going to leave me again.”
“What?” He pulled away to look at her. That was an answer he hadn’t been expecting. “Why did you think that?”
“You said you bought a house. I thought you meant somewhere else.”
“So untrusting,” he commented, clucking his tongue at her.
“Can you blame me? You haven’t been back very long.”
“Maybe we need to work on some trust-building exercises.”
“What did you have in mind?”
Miles chuckled and guided Penelope to the staircase. He motioned for her to move first and she did, taking each step slowly and carefully as she moved up the staircase.
She eyed the bare walls and Miles wondered what she would think when he hung pictures of the island, pictures of them together.
Pictures of their children.
At the top of the stairs, there was a long, open hallway. She automatically turned to the right and made her way down the hall.
She stopped in front of the last door, almost as if she knew.
Then she turned back to him.
“Are you ready?” He asked.
Penelope shook her head. “Of course not,” she whispered. Then she opened the door and went inside.
15
Miles’ bedroom was very different than hers. While her room was full of purple, lots of soft things, and flowers, Miles’ bedroom was plain and empty.
“You haven’t finished moving in yet,” she commented.
“I’ve been busy.”
The room held a king-size bed in the center, but was otherwise empty. She automatically walked over to the bed, but didn’t climb on. Her fingers traced the soft fabric of the comforter and she looked over her shoulder at Miles standing in the doorway.
Sweet Miles was no longer looking so sweet.
His eyes had gone dark and there was a bulge at the front of his pants.
Penelope had a feeling they weren’t up here just to talk. Like when they were in Anthony’s dungeon, Miles had other plans for them.
“Lean forward,” Miles said from behind her. “Put your hands on the bed and spread your legs.”
Penelope didn’t say anything, didn’t protest. She just obeyed. Her mind cleared and she focused on doing as Miles asked of her. She placed her hands on the bed and carefully moved her legs apart, fully conscious of how her pussy was visible to him as she leaned forward.
What was he thinking about as he watched her listen?
It was a good feeling, this submission. This listening. Her life was full of chaos and multitasking. When Penelope wasn’t busy keeping Emerson on schedule, she was chasing down clients, making phone calls, designing graphics, or managing social media profiles for the different professionals on Dragon Isle.
Sometimes it was nice to get a break from it all.
Sometimes it was nice to be the one being taken care of.
“You ran away from me, darling,” Miles said.
“Yes.”
“I thought we were going to talk about our problems instead of running away.”
“I got scared.”
“There are going to be many times when you’re scared, my dragon. You can’t run away just because you’re scared. If we both run anytime we’re nervous or uncomfortable, we won’t have a relationship. We’ll just be two people who sometimes fuck each other.”
“You’re right,” she said slowly. “I’m sorry, Miles. I’m sorry I ran.”
“I’m going to give you a reminder,” he murmured, running his hands over her bottom, and she shivered. He was going to spank her. She could already tell.
Penelope had read plenty of romance books, but somehow, none of them did this justice. A spanking in a book just wasn’t the same as a spanking from a big, strong man.
It wasn’t the same reading about a heroine wiggling as a big, bad Dom lit her ass on fire.
It wasn’t the same when Miles touched her.
“I’m going to spank you. I’m going to turn your bottom red,” he said. He ran his fingers up and down her skin. A shiver shot through her body. Anticipation. Excitement. Nervousness.
She remembered the last spanking he’d given her, how he’d spread her out on the spanking bench and lit her skin on fire.
That hadn’t been about punishment so much as it had been about relaxing, about helping her focus.
Of course, that focus had turned quickly from talking about their shared past to taking his cock in her mouth, but they had both been satisfied with the resolution of that night, just as they’d be satisfied tonight.
Even now, even though he used the word punishment, Penelope knew Miles would never actually hurt her. He would never abuse her, never betray her trust.
That wasn’t his style.
“What do you think about that, Penelope? Are you excited?”
“No,” she lied. He swatted her and she gasped.
“Try again. Do you want me to spank you?”
She shook her head and whispered, “No.” She couldn’t say that she wanted it. Not yet. It was still too wrong, too naughty, too dirty.
It was still too hard to be that open.
The next swat was harder, painful, but she kept her hands firmly in place on the bed.
“Baby,” he said, and moved right behind her, pressing his body against hers. “I’m no dragon, but even I can smell your arousal.”
She blushed.
She could smell him, too, could tell how much he wanted her. She didn’t have to see the bulge in his pants to k
now he wanted to be with her, to play with her body.
“Now, I want you to answer me this time, and baby, be honest.” He ran his fingers down her spine and back up, then down once more. His fingers traced little lines on her bottom that had her wiggling and begging for more. Her pussy ached to be touched and she was getting wet just thinking about all the things he could do to her, but might not.
Oh, Penelope wanted him to do those things to her.
“Penelope Alchemy, do you want a spanking?”
“Yes,” she squeaked out, worried that if she lied again, he might not. And oh, she really, really wanted him to.
She wasn’t sure how he moved so fast, but before she knew what was happening, Miles had moved so he was sitting on the bed and Penelope was pulled over his lap.
“Naughty,” he murmured, still stroking her skin. “Very, very naughty.” Her brown hair hung across the bed and over her face. Flying had done nothing for it, but she wasn’t worried about it. Worrying was Miles’ job now. He was in charge in here, in the bedroom.
He was in charge and he would take care of her.
She was his.
“Hands above your head, little dragon,” he murmured, and she complied, placing her hands above her on the bed. She held still as he touched and explored her body, though it was hard. It took every ounce of her willpower not to buck her hips and try to get him to rub her clit. She was already wet, soaked even, waiting for his next touch.
Penelope had a feeling that if she pushed him now, if she begged him to make her come, he’d make her wait even longer, just to spite her, just to teach her who was in charge.
She might be the dragon, but he was the Alpha in this relationship.
“Good girl,” he murmured when she obeyed, and her heart swelled. Such a sweet little compliment would make her go crazy.
Then his hand came down on her bottom and she opened her mouth, but no sound came out. The next few swats came so fast that she couldn’t breathe, couldn’t do anything but lay there and take it. He held her in place with a firm hand on her back and spanked her again and again.
The swats stung and she groaned, but didn’t cry, as he continued to spank her. This was what she needed, wanted, craved.
Dragon Isle Boxed Set, Books 4-6: Lost to the Dragon, Beware of Dragons, and Catching the Dragon Page 25
