by Mel Teshco
Dahlia’s protest died on her lips. If fate ensured she’d be concealed in this house, then so be it. She smiled, and the man looked flustered momentarily, before he ushered her up a flight of polished stairs. “Now don’t get nervous, this could be your big break.” He laughed. “What am I talking about? This is your big break.”
“I hope you’re right.” Goddess only knew she needed any breaks she could find. And hiding away from the Tantonics would be the biggest break of them all.
The man nodded, a knowing smile on his face. “Not to be too predictable, but I can see why you’re here. I’m also betting you’ll cause major catfights if you become Lincoln’s latest, ah, addition.”
She hid a smirk. There was no chance in hell of her being anyone’s latest addition, least of all to some Earth man. Even on Riddich she’d had standards. She most certainly wasn’t going to lower them now.
“Who is this Lincoln?” she asked.
The man laughed. “Oh, don’t be coy now! Lincoln isn’t just famous for his fashion brand. His bedroom skills are legendary.” His voice dropped as they got to the first floor and walked down a wide hallway. “Although some of the models are complaining they haven’t been invited into his bed recently.” He gave her a meaningful look. “I wouldn’t at all be surprised if he’s saving himself for you, m’dear.”
With that he pushed open a door, revealing a room where the same slender women she’d seen earlier sat in a row of chairs placed in front of wall mirrors. Hairdressers used hot irons and curlers to primp and tease the models long tresses, while makeup artists slathered the women’s young faces in gunk, giving them a garishly beautiful appearance.
“Who’s this?” a long-haired brunette with rollers in her hair asked, no hint of warmth in her voice or in her stare.
Dahlia resisted rolling her eyes. If the catty model thought she could intimidate her, she could think again. Spite meant little to nothing to her when compared to the war she faced with the Tantonics.
Her belly squeezed tight. She only wished she knew if her brother Asher was still alive. Not to mention her other brother, Kadin, who’d been banished three years earlier from Riddich.
“And you are?” Dahlia asked with an arched brow.
The brunette lifted her pointed chin in a disdainful, as if you don’t know look. Her big hair made her body look undersized, like the Barbie dolls Dahlia had seen advertised on the craft’s screener. “I’m Charlie ... supermodel.”
Some of the girls sniggered and Dahlia sashayed forward and said, “I’m Dahlia ... Riddich princess.”
The whole room suddenly went silent, but it wasn’t because the women believed one word of her introduction. The hairs on the back of Dahlia’s neck rose even before she pivoted with a sharp gasp. She froze, for a moment simply drinking in the most beautiful man she’d ever laid her eyes on.
He had to be six-foot-two at least, tall for an Earth man, with wide shoulders and a lean build. She swallowed. She’d bet beneath his suit he was fit and toned. As a warrior it was second nature to recognize strength and vigor.
But then she became sidetracked by his smoky and aroused stare as he stepped forward. Lifting a hand, he brushed the side of her face, touching her with something close to reverence.
Her knees weakened and her pulse jerked erratically. Even her breath caught in her damn throat at his smooth palm, so unlike her tough warrior comrades.
“Stunning,” he murmured huskily.
A shiver raced through her. Yes, on her planet she was famed for her beauty, but surely she paled in compared to these beautiful Earth women? And if she was stunning, what did that make him? With his shorn dark hair, strong jawline and piercing blue eyes, even the fierce, handsome warriors from her planet looked flawed in comparison.
“And you are?” she asked in a stupidly breathless voice.
Some of the girls behind her tittered even as he smiled at her, his stubble a dark contrast to his straight white teeth. She had a crazy urge to run a hand over the growth on his face and touch the twin dimples in his cheeks to see if they were real.
To see if he was real. Not some dark, suited god straight from her biggest fantasies.
“I’m Lincoln,” he said softly.
Her breath hissed, disappointment cutting deep. He was what Earth people called a player, someone who used women for their own pleasure.
Her one and only doomed sexual encounter had taught her all about players. She’d put on a cool, detached façade when Wyatt had failed to get past her shattered disillusions when her inner dragon hadn’t come forth. Instead he’d lost himself with other women ... women whose dragons had already been freed.
She shoved the memory into the back of her mind. Her chin lifted. “The same Lincoln known for his womanizing?”
His smile grew into a grin. “I guess my reputation precedes me.”
“I guess it does.” She stepped back, dismissing him with a vague, “It was nice meeting you.”
But as she turned away, he snared her arm with a hand and turned her back to face him. Weakness flooded through her, and she didn’t even try to jerk out of his steely hold.
His blue stare sharpened with intent. “You haven’t told me your name.”
She blinked, feeling helpless under his stare, even as something within stirred and roused, her blood heating and her pulse accelerating. “Dahlia,” she managed.
Damn it to hell, she was a princess, a warrior! Yet she’d never sounded or acted so small and uncertain in all her life!
“Dahlia,” he murmured. “We’ll meet again very soon.”
She frowned, even as her heart rejoiced. But before she could reject him and her silly yearnings, he released her and turned to the older man who’d escorted her upstairs.
“Monty, see that Dahlia wears the diamond ensemble.”
A couple of the models gasped, and Dahlia felt the burn of Charlie’s glare right between her shoulder blades.
Monty’s brows knitted together. “But that piece is the main draw-card—“
“Exactly. It’s also the one and only piece I want her to model.” He turned back to Dahlia, his dimples reappearing and his eyes glinting with triumph, “You’ll be the climax of the whole show.”
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About the Author
As a rather quiet, introverted child, Mel Teshco would never have believed it possible she’d one day be making a living writing hot, erotic stories and meeting so many other wonderful writers. She can most often be found at her computer, giving into her children and/or cats demands and occasionally/often drinking home brew, which brings out her sociable (i.e. loud) side. Her long-suffering husband is still waiting for retirement.
Dragons of Riddich series order:
Kadin (prequel) FREE
Asher (book 1)
Baron (book 2)
Dahlia (book 3)
Wyatt (book 4)
Valor (book 5)
Also by Mel Teshco
The VIP Desire Agency:
Lady in Red
High Class
Exclusive (coming soon)
Winged & Dangerous:
Stone Cold Lover (FREE)
Ice Cold Lover
Red Hot Lover
Winged & Dangerous Box Set
Box sets with authors Christina Phillips & Cathleen Ross:
Taken by the Sheikh
Taken by the Billionaire
Taken by the Desert Sheikh (coming soon)
Standalone longer length titles:
Parallel Roads
Believe (with Kylie Sheaffe)
Shadow Hunter
Standalone novellas and short stories:
Existence
Moon Thrall
Carnal Moon
Stripped
Clarissa
Camilla
Selena’s Bodyguard (also part of the Christmas Assortment Box)
