As Harley took Benny’s hand, wanting to dance with him, Lock pulled Tasha into his arms, inhaling a scent that felt like home.
“Mm, I missed you,” he said, resting his chin over her head protectively, holding her tight against his chest.
“You’ve been away from me for exactly ten minutes.” Tasha giggled and pulled away so she could grin up at him. “How could you miss me?”
“I miss you whenever you’re not next to me,” Lock said. “I miss you whenever you aren’t at my side. I miss you when you’re sharing time with anyone else. But that doesn’t mean I’m going to be a controlling jerk. It just means I can’t wait for you to come back to my side.”
Tasha’s lips curled up in a smile, and her blue eyes sparkled warmly. “God, still such a charmer.”
Lock shrugged. “Yeah.”
She wound a hand up around his neck and got on her tiptoes as she pulled him down to her. “But I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
Lock smiled as his lips crashed down over hers, and the incredible connection that had only grown stronger every day with her flooded over him.
Lock ignored the little cheers from their friends as he kissed his mate again, even deeper, wrapping one arm around her waist to hold her up, and cupping her head with his free hand.
He couldn’t get enough of her. Couldn’t get close enough to her, couldn’t—
“All right,” Benny called playfully. “Go get a room.”
Lock pulled back, looking down breathlessly at Tasha, wondering if she was thinking what he was thinking.
Tasha grabbed Lock’s hand and dragged him toward the exit, waving to her friends. “Thanks Benny, I think we will.”
Benny’s look of shocked annoyance made Lock laugh as Tasha led him out onto the street to where his car was parked.
Lock kissed her again, and could barely let go of her long enough to get her into the passenger’s seat and buckled up.
“Your friends won’t be mad?” Tasha asked, once Lock was seated and turning the car on. “Mine already know I can’t resist you.”
“Of course not,” Lock said. “Max will probably love the excuse to go back to his place with Jackie, and Benny…”
“Yeah, what were you talking about with Benny?”
Lock bit his lip. “It’s not mine to say. But no, Benny won’t be mad. We’ll be back later tonight, and every day after that. Besides, maybe seeing us will get him to pull that stick out of his ass and finally go after Harley. If I can deserve someone as wonderful as you, anything could happen.”
Tasha flushed. “Oh you.” She squirmed lightly in her seat as they took off down the road. “You deserve everything, Lock. You really do.”
Lock smiled, because as long as he had Tasha, he didn’t really care what else he deserved.
Thank so much for reading Tasha and Lock’s story! If you enjoyed it, I’d really appreciate it if you would consider leaving a review to help other readers find it.
I’m already hard at work on Benny’s story, so make sure you’re on my newsletter so you can know as soon as it releases!
http://eepurl.com/bgG7Kf
If you want to read more shenanigans in the meantime, try my newest boxed set!
Awakened Sea Dragons Boxed Set
Three ancient sea monsters who once kept the sea in balance have walked out of the ocean to help the human race once more. Now these sexy dragons have to adapt to the modern world, win over their human mates, and use their unique powers to fight back the evil forces that are endangering the Earth and threatening their new loves.
Three complete romances, packed with action, romance, and sensual scenes to make you swoon.
As always, I promise happy endings, no cheating, and zero cliffhangers!
Awakened Sea Dragons Boxed Set
Sample of Awakened Sea Dragons
Seaton was about ready to do something desperate.
He and his siblings, once powerful sea dragons, had been awakened in the current world for more than a week now, and without the ability to gain their dragon forms or any knowledge of how life worked here in this time, things weren’t going well.
Luckily, the local language seemed to be English. But any attempt to approach locals who came to the beach seemed to be met with fear or loathing. Or having some sort of enforcers called on them so they were forced to move the little camp they’d built down to another part of the beach that was more shaded.
“I’m tired of fish,” Marina said, folding her arms. She wore an odd dress fashioned from old clothing she’d found amongst the trees and sand on the beach that had been left behind by humans. Her golden hair was bedraggled and her usually sparkling, excited eyes were dull in a way that concerned him.
Kai, as usual, had resorted to silent anger, and he was right now cleaning a fish and preparing to cook it for Marina. She had fashioned a loin cloth for Kai and given a ragged pair of old pants to Seaton, but their measurements were not nearly the same as a mortal’s, and Seaton was sure he looked like some kind of washed-up sailor whenever he approached a human.
Their cloaking abilities had been useful in running from the “enforcers,” the humans called the “police,” but not in anything else. They couldn’t stay long in the water, which was more than a little humiliating for dragons who once ruled the seas.
Well, balanced it at least, Seaton thought as he sat on a driftwood log next to the fire Kai was making, propping up sticks as Marina inhaled and blew fire over the kindling, setting it alight.
They still had many of their mysterious powers, but no ability to shift. If they could, they could easily travel by air to find others of their kind and even the oracle, to find out why they’d been summoned or awakened.
He sighed as cold wind blew overhead and clouds covered the sky.
“Kai, you aren’t helping things.”
“It is not my job to help things,” Kai said stubbornly. “That is your job. Making things ‘right,’ making things ‘peaceful.’”
“That isn’t my job anymore. We were sealed and sent to rest because we weren’t needed. And clearly, we don’t have our forms back so we aren’t supposed to go back to it.”
Kai huffed. “Then what are we supposed to do?”
“Make something work with the humans, I suppose. And wait for the other dragons to contact us,” Seaton retorted testily. A week on the beach with his surly brother had eroded his patience.
“There is that restaurant up the road,” Marina said, her blue eyes flashing with hope for a moment.
Seaton’s heart sank nervously. Above all, he didn’t want to go there. While cloaked and invisible, they had done some exploring to see their options and seen a small restaurant just a little ways down the road that seemed to cater to beach visitors.
They also had used their cloaking to sit in at times and listen to the customers and get a feel for modern speech so when they did attempt to blend in, it would be easier.
Humans were humans, and thus, all similar, no matter what time they came from.
He was used to a certain response from any female he encountered, and he supposed if he had to, as a last resort, he could use that to get help.
But he would rather not. He’d taken a liking to “Jenny,” the woman who ran the bar at the restaurant, a fiery, curvy woman who didn’t take any nonsense and so far didn’t believe any of the ranting customers who talked about a raggedy but beautiful man who had approached them on the beach.
Something about her drew him in, so he often snuck away to watch her.
He knew it was creepy, but he couldn’t help it. And he liked that, because she had never seen him, he’d never had to see the disdain on her face he received from other humans.
He was a dragon. Powerful, benevolent, charming—or had been at one time. Every mermaid had fawned over him; every fish paid him deference. And he’d protected them all.
But now he was a dragon out of water, unsure of his place in the world. Though, whenever he crouched, hidden and clo
aked, outside the restaurant and watched Jenny, he couldn’t help feeling a little less lost.
If he had to approach her, if he had to break this magical, non-awkwardness between them, then he would.
But he didn’t have to like it. No, not at all.
“You have to do it,” Marina said, watching him and probably sensing his reticence. “Can you imagine if we sent Kai?”
Seaton shook his head, wrinkling his nose. “No, of course not.” Seaton had always been the diplomat, the one to negotiate with the oracle or other land dragons.
But this world was so different.
Still, before men chased him off or women showed visible fear, there was something else in their eyes when they looked at him, and while Seaton didn’t know if Jenny would have that in her eyes when she looked at him, he knew if she did, he could use it to his advantage.
To help his family and find an anchor in this world.
Because right now, he felt like seaweed floating uselessly this way and that on the waves, helpless.
He balled his hands into fists, deciding it was time to take control of the situation.
“All right,” he said. “I’ll do it. But first, I’m going to take a shower.”
There was a small waste disposal facility with showers down the beach from the restaurant so customers could clean off before coming in, and Seaton and his siblings had sometimes availed themselves of it.
Seaton liked to go first so while he waited for the others, he could watch Jenny again.
Creepy, true, but so was everything about his existence at the moment—hiding on a beach, killing fish, avoiding contact with humans.
Surely, stepping out into the light wasn’t the worst that could happen.
And maybe she would be different than other humans. Maybe Jenny, with her gorgeous, reddish-brown hair and sparkly, green-and-brown eyes, would give them a chance.
He gave himself a once-over as he strode down the water’s edge in the direction of the restaurant. Even after a week of living on fish, his muscular physique hadn’t been affected, and he’d been told many times (and not only by his sister) that he was almost supernaturally handsome.
Hopefully, that would mean something to Jenny after all.
Jenny Reed looked down the beach with a raised eyebrow as the showers she’d installed next to the public bathroom turned on. Lately, they seemed to be malfunctioning, turning on at odd times when no one was there and spraying the water in weird directions.
She’d told Drew about it, but as usual, he’d been too busy to do anything about it.
All she wanted was to own this restaurant on her own, to take care of her customers without the threat of him coming around. He’d already proved he couldn’t be there for her, and she regretted ever going into business with him.
She should have known better than to get professionally involved with someone she’d always known wanted more.
She rested her cheek on her hand and sighed at the cool ocean breeze wafting through. When the weather turned colder, she had fewer customers, usually people just driving by to see the coast. She hated to see the end of high season. It meant she would have to close the doors that led to the beach and lose a lot of the natural light.
The front door to her bar opened, and Drew walked in, looking lazily pleased with his place in the universe, as usual.
“Hey,” he said in a deep voice, straightening a little as he walked over.
Despite his dark hair and gray eyes and what some might consider handsome, if slightly coarse, features, she wasn’t attracted to him. She’d never been. He’d become her friend quickly when she moved here, acting as if all he wanted to do was help. He’d offered up capital, saying he thought her business was a good idea, but as the months had gone by, it had become clear he was more interested in her than the restaurant.
One of those “nice” guys who was nice only when it suited him.
And lately, he seemed to be getting impatient.
“You didn’t say you were coming,” she said.
“Do I need an excuse to visit the bar I own with you?” He shoved his hands in his pockets and glared at her with a narrow-eyed look that always made her want to crawl under the bar until he left.
But she wasn’t like that, so she stood firm, grabbing a glass to dry as a way to keep her hands busy as she shook her head. “No, but it would be nice, since I don’t expect it, as you’re never here.”
He sat on stool and leaned in uncomfortably close to her. She was a short woman, and it wasn’t hard to make her feel small and intimidated.
Not that she would ever let him see that.
“How’s business?” he asked.
“Good,” she said. She jerked her head in the direction of the beach. “The shower is still broken. Do you want me to get someone to take a look at it?”
He shook his head, reaching over to grab a glass and helping himself to a beer from the tap. “It’ll resolve. Just weird piping or something, I’m sure.”
Well, that was kind of the point of needing a plumber, but she decided to keep it to herself. If he really wasn’t planning to do anything about it, she would just hire someone behind his back and say it resolved on its own.
She reached out, taking a deep breath, and put a hand on his, hoping that would keep him calm for what was coming. “Look, Drew, when are you going to let me buy you out of your part in this? I know it’s not your thing, and—”
Despite the fact that she’d brought this up before and he’d never reacted well to it, she was still unprepared for his reaction.
His expression darkened and he knocked over his beer as he shot up, grabbing her wrist and making her yelp painfully.
“Stop that,” a loud voice commanded from the direction of the back doors that were open to the beach, and she and Drew both looked over in shock to see someone standing there that seemed to have appeared out of nowhere.
Awakened Sea Dragons Boxed Set
Also by Terry Bolryder
A Note From Terry
Most of my series go by species. Most of my books are standalone, but if you want to read them in order and see characters reappearing, here is my list of the order for each species. So just choose your favorite shifter!
Dragon Reading Guide
Awakened Dragons
These powerful, newly awakened ancient dragons are stronger, more vicious, more powerful, and ready to save humankind, if only they can decide to be heroes rather than villains…
Awakened Dragons Boxed Set (best deal!)
Onyx Dragon
Sapphire Dragon
Ruby Dragon
Diamond Dragon
Amethyst Dragon
Emerald Dragon
Rent-A-Dragon
These ancient, viking-esque dragons just woke up and are ready to get to work finding their mates and new lives in the modern world! Shenanigans and sexiness ensue!
Steel Dragon
Iron Dragon
Titanium Dragon
Date-A-Dragon
These noble metal dragons have just joined the good side, formed a very odd dating agency, and are ready to protect the world and find their very own fated mates!
Gold Dragon
Silver Dragon
Platinum Dragon
Citrine Dragon
Awakened Sea Dragons
These dragons have things in common with both the metal dragons and the gemstone dragons, and first show up at the very end of the Date-A-Dragon series!
Zircon
Tourmaline
Aquamarine
Dragon Guard of Drakkaris
Sexy dragons introduced in the last book of the Awakened Sea Dragons that have come to Earth to settle down and find mates!
Lead
Cadmium
Arsenic
Zinc
Cobalt
Chromium
Nightmare Dragons
Midnight
Nightmare
Starlight
I have a
separate series of dragon books that are menage and have different world building, and they come before the Awakened Dragons but don’t need to be read prior as they are completely different.
Here they are:
Dragons of New York (Menage)
Dragons work in pairs, the fire-breathing enforcers of the shifter world and rescuers of anyone in distress. And these sexy dragons are about to find mates:
Double Dragons Boxed Set
Double Dragons
Desired by Dragons
Destined Dragons
Tiger Protector Series (Spin-off of Dragons)
Three tiger brothers trained by dragon shifters work to bring evil shifters to justice while finding the perfect curvy mates.
Tiger Protector’s Boxed Set
A Tiger’s Bounty
A Tiger’s Treasure
A Tiger’s Destiny
A Dragon’s Heart
Bear Reading Guide
Bearstone Park Series
A billionaire tech mogul, a movie star, and an Olympic snowboarder come back to Bearstone Park and find unexpected but wonderful mates.
Bearllionaire
Bearlebrity
Bearthlete
Beary Sexy Boxed Set: All three brothers in one (BEST DEAL)
Soldier Bear Series
These ex special-forces fighting bears are about to find curvy mates in beautiful, remote Bearstone Village.
Big Bad Bear
Big Sexy Bear
Big Strong Bear
Bear Haven Ranch Series
These rancher bear brothers need to find mates to keep the family land. Luckily, three curvy city girls are about to arrive just in time.
Mountain Bear
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