by Lolita Lopez
Whether it was the mating scent or their natural chemistry, Avani couldn’t say. In that moment, she didn’t really care. She’d never felt anything like this. Her whole body pulsed and ached. She didn’t fight him when he grasped the backs of her thighs and lifted her off the floor. The fabric of her skirt bunched and pulled taut when she wrapped her legs around his waist. She gasped at the sensation of his rock-hard cock pressing against her. Only a few pieces of thin cloth separated their overheated bodies.
A guttural sound emanated from his throat. He tore his mouth away from hers. Forehead to forehead, they panted and shuddered. Finally, Griffin spoke. “We do this my way.”
She licked her lips and stared into the eyes of the man who had awoken such need within her. “What way is that?”
“I’ll help you save your line but I will not bond with you. I don’t want or need a mate.”
His words shouldn’t have hurt her. She hadn’t come here looking for a mate, after all. Still, they struck a raw nerve. She’d always been the unwanted one. It wouldn’t be any different now. It’s only sex, she reminded herself.
“I won’t bite you,” she promised. At the confused look on his face, she explained, “Among the Naga, a bite and exchange of venom is required to seal a true mate bond.”
“You have fangs?” He tilted his head for a better look at her mouth. “I didn’t feel them.”
She shook her head. “I only have them in my serpent form.”
“I see.” His fingertip trailed her jaw. “As to the other thing you proposed, the answer is absolutely no. I will not play the role of absentee father.”
His assertion troubled her. She hadn’t been kidding earlier. She didn’t want the interference of another parent in her life. Single motherhood appealed to her for a few very personal reasons. “But I don’t want—”
He silenced her with a kiss. Leaving her breathless, he said, “This isn’t up for debate, Avani. These are my terms. Take them or leave them. Now…do we have a deal?”
Overwhelmed by his commanding heat and strength, Avani was powerless to say no. She found unexpected reassurance in his penetrating, unwavering gaze. His offer wasn’t the most palatable but there was plenty of time to convince him to give her exactly what she wanted. “All right. We have a deal.”
But as Griffin carefully lowered her to the ground, Avani couldn’t shake the feeling her well-laid plans were about to be shot to hell by this ridiculously sexy beast of a man.
About the Author
While browsing bookstore shelves as a teenager, Lolita Lopez discovered the erotic writings of Anaïs Nin and A. N. Roquelaure. Certain her mother would not approve, Lo smuggled the books home and squirreled them away in the most likely of places: under her bed. Late at night, she delved into the sensual worlds both writers created.
As a coed studying biochemistry and genetics at Texas A&M University, Lo dabbled in creating naughty tales to entertain her friends. Study for a midterm or pen a deliciously dirty story to delight her small band of fans? Not surprisingly, Lo is now on an extended sabbatical from college.
Luckily, Lo stumbled into the world of erotic romance publishers. She realized there were other readers and writers who loved and craved breathtaking romance with the spiciest of love scenes. She took a chance and submitted her first novella. The rest is history.
Lo lives in Texas with her husband, daughter, and a Great Dane with mommy issues.
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Contents
Title Page
Welcome
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
A Preview of Red Hot Dragon
About the Author
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Newsletters
Copyright Page
The characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.
Copyright © 2013 by Lolita Lopez
Excerpt from Red Hot Dragon © 2013 by Lolita Lopez
Cover design by Christine Foltzer. Cover art by Craig White.
Cover copyright © 2013 by Hachette Book Group, Inc.
All rights reserved. In accordance with the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, the scanning, uploading, and electronic sharing of any part of this book without the permission of the publisher is unlawful piracy and theft of the author’s intellectual property. If you would like to use material from the book (other than for review purposes), prior written permission must be obtained by contacting the publisher at [email protected]. Thank you for your support of the author’s rights.
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First ebook edition: August 2013
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ISBN 978-1-4555-4704-3
