Black Dragon's Blood

by Anita Philmar

  "But uh...” His penis slid slowly into her wet heat. Muscles responded. She gasped at the sudden thrill of her desires being met. “What about when I need you?"

  A smile bloomed over his face, and he reversed his attack. “Like now?"

  She nodded and gripped his shoulders tighter.

  "Were you going to ask me to satisfy your desires?"

  Shaking her head, she watched him slide within an inch from leaving her body. She took a shaky breath and shifted her gaze to his dark eyes.

  He yanked her hips forward to bury himself to the hilt. “You should learn right now this comes first. We have an obligation to our child to give him everything he needs."

  Her legs wrapped around his back. The muscles inside her wanted him thrusting deeper. She rocked her hips. He held steady.

  "I won't be a prisoner of sex.” Amanda didn't want to need him. She didn't like the idea that every few bongs or less her body would demand relief. It wasn't fair. Why couldn't she have her baby without the demands for his father's input?

  "We're in this together.” William's eyes drilled home his words seconds before his mouth captured hers.

  * * * *

  Sitting at the table finishing his lunch, William glanced at Amanda. Her eyes wouldn't meet his. He knew their earlier session on the counter hadn't completely satisfied her hunger, had barely taken the edge off her desires. She needed a second orgasm.

  When she shifted in her seat but still didn't look at him, he decided to let her simmer a while longer before he relieved the pressure building in his body.

  "After we get back into town, I'll let you off at your house then head home. I'll need to let my mother know that for now we're living at your house. I also need to gather a few essentials. Mother, of course, will want to meet you. I'll set up something for later in the week."

  "When do you want to leave?” Amanda stood and started putting things away.

  William enjoyed watching her antsy movements. “As soon as you're ready."

  She paused briefly then finished clearing the table. When everything was put away, she turned. “I need to tell my brother we aren't going to be here any longer. That way, he can have someone come over to clean up and get rid of the extra food."

  "First, I think we have some unfinished business.” William held out his hand. He waited for her to take it.

  When she did, he maneuvered her so she stood over his lap. “You are a woman with a strong lust for her husband."

  His hands cupped her knees and slid up her outer thighs. “That is a very admirable quality. Don't ruin it by being to stubborn to admit when you need me."

  "I didn't say—"

  "You didn't have to.” Tugging her down on his lap, his hands shifted to her inner thigh. “I can smell it when you're burning."

  "But William, I'm not sure this is normal.” Her eyes looked worried. “It might be an overreaction to the drug York slipped me. I know it affected my sex drive initially."

  "Why do you think he slipped you a drug?” William wondered if she was having some other side effect, she wasn't telling him about. “Are you not feeling well?"

  "I'm okay, but York has something to hide. The same drug he slipped me, Mark used before he died.” Amanda took hold of William's wrists and shifted his hands to lay over the top of her legs.

  "How do you know?” Suspicion of York was not a new theory for Amanda, according to her father. Where was she getting her information?

  "I had a friend do a blood test. That's why I went into town."

  "But how did they match it with the substance in your first husband's blood when he died?” William suspected a leak in the DC security.

  "The police gave me the chemical makeup of the substance when they found it in Mark's blood.” Amanda toyed with the snaps on his pants, undoing each. “I compared it to the formula Mark was developing. They're the same."

  William felt a surge of power. If the chemical was the same and Amanda had the formula, the dragon population might be one step closer to having the answer to their low fertility rate. “Can you get me a copy of the formula?"

  Her hands caressed his penis. Fire shot through his body, and his mind went blank.

  "I could.” She slid her hands over him in a long slow glide, drawing out his pleasure. “But I would want you to get me those records you claimed you can obtain."

  "I think we can make an exchange.” His thumbs slid to the inside of her legs, brushed against her heat. She shivered in reaction. “You give me what I want, and I'll give you what you want."

  She leaned forward, positioned his thick shaft just where she wanted him. “I want,” she slid slowly down over him, “you to satisfy this terrible hunger that keeps eating me up inside."

  With her hot lust surrounding his erection, he placed his hands on her shoulders, shifted the elastic band of her neckline down her arms until the material lay under her erect breasts and gazed at the gentle slopes.

  "Well, let me see.” One hand found a home over a nipple, plucking and playing until it puckered with need. “I think I'd like a taste of you."

  His mouth covered her breast while his other hand ventured lower. He stroked the wet folds of her swollen flesh, found her sweet spot and rubbed the bud with teasing caresses.

  She whimpered. “I need you to..."

  He increased the pressure on her clit, rotating his finger over the greedy bud. His mouth rolled her breast against the roof of his mouth.

  "William, please...” Her hips arched repeatedly, riding the need buried deep inside. Her volume increased. “I think I'm..."

  The powerful strokes of her wet, clamping walls milked his erection. Desire spun out of control. He lifted his hips, thrusting deeper and deeper into the tight bliss of her body as it pulsated against his shaft.

  Stars burst through his head in a mind-numbing light show, and he convulsed with his orgasm. Unbelievable pleasure drilled through him to the depths of his soul.

  Chapter Eleven

  Over the next several days, Amanda settled into living with a man again. William, though busy most of the time, worked from home as often as he could.

  He checked on her every once in a while to see if she was feeling all right. She discovered his body's need for her was as strong as her desire for him, which made him very accommodating.

  "You told me you would bring Mark's file home yesterday. What happened?” Amanda wasn't sure if William was planning to help her or not. He'd been stalling with excuses since they'd gotten back to town.

  "I don't know what to tell you. I've had several people reviewing our database. The information, according to the experts, is missing.” His hands clenched into large fists, his frustration evident in the frown on his face. “And when I find out who is responsible for the deletion or oversight, there will be a price to pay. I contacted Mark's home office, and they're supposedly sending over the file today."

  "You know my father was his superior.” Amanda wondered how much investigating into Mark's death William had done.

  "Yes, I did talk to him about Mark's murder after it happened. I was associate director of his region at the time. I don't remember there being any reason to believe he was involved in the incident.” William shoved his chair away from the large copper desk that now sat in the middle of her sitting room.

  The pounded metal, made up of large oval pieces, created a sculptured base that looked like the lower part of a dragon's body. Two feet and a belly held a heavy black sheet of marble used as the top.

  The black shiny metal and auburn color didn't match any other item in the room. The frilly curtains outlining the windows and the two guest chairs were done in pale green. Her yellow and green floral couch, sacrificed for his desk, now sat in her maid's new residence. William hadn't wanted Nancy to live with them.

  The only reason she let him claim the room for his office was because he'd been willing to live in her house instead of forcing the issue to live at his.

  The thought reminded her of the ev
ening ahead of them. “What time does your mother want us to arrive for dinner tonight?"

  "I think she said around seven.” He stood and gathered a number of thin sheets of metal into a neat stack before placing them in a silver carrying poche. “I need to make a run into the office for a little while if you're feeling all right. I have several projects I need to check on."

  She nodded and turned to stare at the dying embers in the fireplace. The message from her niece this morning rang through her head.

  Found clue in pop's desk.

  List of ingredients match formula.

  York's name written in red.

  D.

  Amanda wondered again if her father set up Mark. He had the power to demand his subordinate's compliance. The events from the last few years fell one by one into place. If she could only get hold of Mark's records, the answer to what happened that night might be solved.

  "Are you sure you don't want to go upstairs before I leave?” William laid a hand on her shoulder, caressed her arm with a warm seductive touch.

  She turned to look up at him. “No need, I was just thinking about what I should wear tonight."

  He smiled and started for the door. Amanda watched him leave before she turned back to her musing.

  Her father had shaped her life in so many ways. She didn't want to believe he was involved in Mark's murder, but the sequence of events pointed to him as a suspect. Her marriage to Mark, in her mind, had been perfect. Yet, her father constantly put her husband down, always saying she could have married better.

  But before Mark's death, the two had appeared to get along. Her father had even promoted Mark to a new position with better pay.

  Then not two months after his death, Seth had arranged for her to marry Jeffery. She agreed because she wanted to bail her father out of the deep financial hole he'd gotten into.

  And she was tired of being constantly hounded by men.

  Yet, after about a year of being married to her second husband, her father changed his mind again. He decided Jeffery wasn't the right man for her either.

  Her father had tried several times since Jeffery's death two years ago to get her to marry again. She resented his interference, which created a rift in their relationship. She'd learned to avoid him, the same way she did potential suitors. Keep out sight and don't live in one place too long. It had been the only way she'd remained single.

  That was how William caught her. She should've known better than to attend his party. And her father had probably informed him about her meeting with York.

  No, she'd made a tactical error.

  A flutter in her abdomen reminded her why she'd married the man. Her hand rubbed the place were her baby played. She didn't regret her marriage.

  But she wondered how she could get Seth to tell her what he knew about Mark's death?

  Her father had been closed-mouth about the whole incident. A guilty reaction for sending her husband to his death? Or was he to blame for setting up Mark's murder?

  A shiver ran down Amanda's back. She didn't want to believe her father was a killer.

  But...

  York did have the formula, and if her father knew about the serum, did that mean he was involved?

  She had to find a way to get Seth to tell her what he knew about the case.

  * * * *

  "Jake, I've read your report. It points to the fact that Seth is as guilty as sin.” Red hot anger coursed through William's blood. He glanced around at the quiet elegance of his Dragon Center office. The natural tones of brown and beige should have helped calm him, but today the room's magical appeal was lost under a sea of doubt.

  "True, but the tin-plated trail says they were all legitimate investments. York's lawyer says Seth owns a percentage of his hotel.” Jake leaned back in his chair as if he didn't have a clue.

  William didn't buy his best friend's innocent act. The tall lanky man, who looked more like a professional athlete than a DC agent, could flesh out information about anyone. He'd done so many times. “So what's going on?"

  Grey eyes met William's. A smile played around Jake's mouth. The sly, grey dragon had something on his mind.

  "I have a theory.” Jake looked down at his perfectly manicured fingernails. “But no proof."

  The gut instincts of a killer, Jake would be dead on, and William knew it. “Tell me."

  "Seth sold out his son-in-law and gave York the formula for the dragon serum. When the son-in-law found out and wanted in on the deal,” Jake brushed his hands together, “York had him killed."

  "But why would York set up a meeting at his own hotel? Wouldn't that point directly to his involvement?” William didn't understand the logic.

  "Not a problem in that city. A murder is just as likely to happen in his hotel as any other.” Jake ran a hand through his short blond hair. “The man wasn't worried. With the money he's making on Mark's drug, he can buy loyalty from half the people in town."

  William felt the situation slip from his hands. It hurt to know Amanda still longed to find her first husband's killer. He wanted to ease her mind and force Mark's memory into the past, but if he couldn't prove York's guilt or Seth's involvement, there was no way he could help her nail Mark's killer. “So what are our choices?"

  "You don't have any.” Jake shrugged. “Unless Seth wants to talk or York does something stupid, we can't make a case."

  "That's not the answer I was looking for. The two men have to have enemies. Find a leak.” William was unwilling to back away. There had to be something they hadn't discovered yet. “If you need to, assign every agent in Sin City to the investigation. I want them."

  "You're the boss.” Jake stood and walked to the door.

  William stopped him. “I also want to make sure you have Amanda's tracer set up. From what I'm hearing from different members of parliament, Cornerman is getting the support he wants. Things are going to heat up. We may have a fight on our hands."

  "Not to worry, I've got my hand on the pulse of things.” Jake gave the thumbs up sign. A signal that meant he would keep his friend informed if anything changed. He raised a brow before turning back to the door. “It sounds like this woman you picked for a wife has a choke hold on you. Are you sure she's worth the effort?"

  "Yes, she's my proof that I'm serious about growing the dragon population.” William rose to his feet. “I need to keep her and my baby safe."

  "Right, so the Dragon Center elders will fund your dragon serum research,” Jake teased. “Her being a beautiful redhead with a body to die for and the highest level of dragon blood on the planet had nothing whatsoever to do with your wanting her as your wife."

  William smiled and pointed a finger at his friend. “I'm not going to give you the details. But let me just say, with the right woman every erotic story you've ever read about dragon women is true."

  Jake's eyes widened. “Even the ones in your father's erotic magazines?"

  William nodded.

  A long whistle escaped Jake's lips. “Does she have a sister?"

  "No."

  Glancing at the time-shadows, William picked up the folder on his desk and started for the door. “I have to get out of here. We're having dinner with my mother, and this meeting has put me behind schedule."

  Jake grinned and opened the door. “So I guess that means your going to have to wait until after dinner to live out your fantasies."

  "Yes, and it's your fault.” William shut and locked the door behind them, thinking he might be able to convince his mother to delay their evening meal. He could show Amanda his upstairs suite, and they could have some time alone together.

  Slinging his arm around his friend's shoulders, William headed for the exit. “You stay focused on finding us some answers. I'll worry about populating the country."

  "Thanks, you're a real friend.” Jake grumbled.

  * * * *

  "Bill wanted William to work for the Dragon Center.” Martha VanHorn rose from the dinner table after what seemed like an eternity. Sh
e sauntered across the room with a grace Amanda could only marvel at. The rich elegant gown of satin flowed around her ankles like a queen at a royal celebration. Yet, her ready smile welcomed Amanda.

  "His father would never have considered the government would turn against the people who fought for this country.” Martha continued with a shake of her head. “Not after he gave his life in protecting our freedom."

  William stood behind Amanda's chair. “Now, Mother. The government is just trying to keep track of the different ethnic groups in our society. They haven't turned against the people with dragon blood."

  "Yes, well, I'm not the only one who doesn't like the idea.” Martha led the way into the elegant parlor off the dining room.

  The huge room had a large concert area in one corner. Instruments lay on different stands waiting for their musicians to return. Ten to fifteen sofas were positioned in different conversation groups. Flowers and beautiful sculptures adorned the tables and open spaces around the room. Several crystal globes lit the area, rainbows of color reflected in the glass prisms imbedded in the ceiling.

  "Now that we've finished dinner, why don't you let William show you his suite of rooms on the third floor?” Martha said for the fourth time since they'd enter the house. She directed them out into the entranceway.

  Amanda knew without a doubt William's mother wanted them to live at his house. She'd spent the evening pointing out the advantages of living under his roof while William had been torturing her with tiny caresses.

  He brushed his hand down her back, pausing only when he reached the curve of her butt. He kept her moving down the hall.

  Her body on fire, she wondered how much longer he'd make her wait.

  "Once the baby comes you're going to need all the help you can get.” The lady ushered them over to the lift located behind the spiral staircase. “You might even want to start interviewing nannies. We can change any room you want into a nursery."

  "Mother.” William stepped to his mother's side. He placed his hand on her shoulder. Their eyes, almost identical, met and held a moment.

  Amanda could almost see the unspoken words passing from one to the other. His mother stepped back.